On the afternoon of May 25, 1915, dark clouds were over Nanjing, heralding the coming rainy season.

Behind the majestic Western-style parliament building in the center of Nanjing's inner city are spacious official residences of heads of government. The largest of these is the Prime Minister's Residence, which consists of two buildings, the office part is a Western-style building with a baroque style, and the living part is Chinese-style, and in a way, this building is like China today, where Eastern and Western civilizations meet and influence each other.

The Prime Minister's Residence is a combination of office and life, and since the Prime Minister's Office was built nine years ago, it has been the place where the Prime Ministers have worked and lived, and it is also their office, as well as their home.

As in the past, after lunch at noon, Guan Mingtang sat on the sofa soft chair in the study, and when he was about to rest, the housekeeper came over with a tray, and there was a name card on the plate, Guan Mingtang took it and saw that it was the name of the current Foreign Minister Lu Zhengxiang, so he instructed the housekeeper.

"Ask him to come in."

Looking at the famous post, Guan Mingtang smiled slightly, he vaguely guessed Lu Zhengxiang's intention to visit him during non-working hours in the afternoon, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a department under the cabinet, and in recent months, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been busy negotiating with the leased land with Britain and France, although some progress has been made, but no progress has been made in principle.

He met him at an "unofficial" time with a poster, probably hoping to get some answers from himself, answers about sending troops.

After a while, in the warm-colored living room of the British style, the host and guest sides met and inevitably exchanged a few words first.

A few polite words, Lu Zhengxiang ordered his entourage to present a gift box about a foot long, and opened it to see that there was a Korean ginseng nearly a foot long on the fine silk cushion, and the ginseng quality seemed to be really good even in the eyes of people who did not know how to do it.

Although the empire has always had zero tolerance for corruption, thousands of years of officialdom can not be changed in a few years, especially the so-called "personal exchanges", but most of these exchanges are within acceptable ranges, and they must be registered.

"Prime Minister, this is a while ago the North Korean Governor's Office sent someone to send Korean ginseng, and this late spring is the time to replenish......"

Looking at the Korean ginseng, Guan Mingtang just smiled, the North Korean Governor's Office will send people to send some "native products" to the cabinet officials every year, and those local products will often be handed over to the education fund after registration, and then auctioned by the education fund, every year alone, the North Korean Governor-General has contributed millions of yuan to domestic education, and this is the strategy formulated by Yuan Shikai when he was in charge of North Korea, in order to make up for the loss caused by the exemption of the central tax on the Korean Governor-General, looking at the Korean ginseng, and then looking at the auction seal on the red ribbon of the ginseng, Guan Mingtang took it with a smile.

"What's so embarrassing......"

Seeing that the prime minister accepted his gift, Lu Zhengxiang said:

"It should be, it should be."

After ordering someone to put away the gifts, the host and guest drank the first tea, and Lu Zhengxiang got straight to the point:

"The so-called nothing is not on the Three Treasures Palace, Zheng Xiang is here, and there are some questions that I want to bother the prime minister to solve on my behalf."

Guan Mingtang smiled and said:

"Zici asks if you have something to say, you don't have to be formal, and now it's non-working hours, please call me directly, you and I have been friends for many years, and we are ministers in the same hall, how can you be so polite."

Seeing that the prime minister said this, Lu Zhengxiang gladly responded:

"Zheqin, then Zhengxiang is welcome. Zheqin must also know that in recent months, Zhengxiang has been negotiating with Britain and France on the issue of sending troops, but the matters involved are the ownership of Guangzhou Bay and Hong Kong, especially the negotiation between Hong Kong and Britain.........,

"It shouldn't be a negotiation, it's more direct to say that negotiation is better than negotiation."

Interrupting Lu Zhengxiang's words, Guan Mingtang opened his mouth and said.

"Zheqin, you naturally know everything very well, and long before the negotiations began, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expected that the negotiations would be disturbed by all kinds of difficulties. It is only His Majesty's request, and it involves the interests of the country, and the members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can only go all out to fight for the rights of the country, in line with the will of His Majesty, hereinafter referred to as the will of the people, but many problems cannot be accomplished in words, although the French agree to return Canton Bay to our country, but they have made an agreement with the British, and if Britain returns Kowloon and the New Territories, it will return Canton Bay......"

Guan Mingtang listened to this short opening, and probably expected what Lu Zhengxiang was worried about, so he took a sip of tea and said with a straight face:

"Son, didn't the British suggest that our country must recognise Hong Kong's status before it can make concessions in Kowloon and the New Territories?"

The Prime Minister's words only made Lu Zhengxiang sigh, get up and arch his hand:

"What Zheqin said is very true, the cunning of these powers is far beyond our imagination, if Hong Kong's status is recognized at the negotiation table, then we can judge ourselves to thank the people before returning to China......

Guan Mingtang waved his hand again and again:

"Sit, sit, there's nothing to worry about."

Lu Zhengxiang sat down in worry, and Guan Mingtang said:

"The cunning of the great powers has long been well known, so let's put it this way, Western things can be learned, but Westerners can't listen to the words of Westerners, in any case, those Westerners, in their bones are discriminating against us, although we are the people of the Yan Han, but in the eyes of Westerners, they are inferior colored people, naturally, it is difficult for them to treat me fairly, and furthermore, the exchanges between countries are based on profit, and the British do this, it is understandable."

In many cases, Guan Mingtang can stand on a "fair" position to seem like a problem, although he emphasizes racial injustice, but in his view, the fundamental problem is the difference in positions caused by the interests of countries.

"If Hong Kong is a precondition, then the negotiations will be deadlocked......

Lu Zhengxiang said helplessly.

"So to speak. If it's someone else, I don't want to talk much, but since it's Lord Lu who mentions this, he can reveal it slightly, but don't mention it to others. ”

Lu Zhengxiang swore gratefully.

"Thank you Zheqin for your trust, Ziji swears to God......"

Guan Mingtang hurriedly grabbed him:

"Hey, why bother, stop it, or I'm going to send it off."

Lu Zhengxiang was just a little calmer:

"Please advise Zheqin, Zhengxiang will listen to you."

"That's right."

Guan Mingtang took another sip of tea to moisten his throat, put on the shelf of the prime minister, and asked first:

"Have you heard of Lord Lu, Asia?"

Lu Zhengxiang thought for a moment, nodded and said:

"I have indeed heard that it is probably emphasizing Greater Asianism, and there is also a voice in our country, that is, Asians are the masters of continental affairs, Asians only fight for Asia, and the advanced nations of Asia are responsible for the entire Asian nation, and because China has led Asia for thousands of years, it needs to shoulder the responsibility of leading Asia and safeguarding Asia's security."

Guan Mingtang nodded and said:

"It's pretty much the same, but the core of Asianism is Asian security, and Asian security is inevitably linked to the liberation and independence of Asian nations."

Lu Zhengxiang nodded and replied:

"It has also been heard that all Asian countries except China, Japan, and Siam have all become colonies of Britain, France, and the United States, and that China, as the most powerful country in Asia, should have an obligation to all Asian nations, and the independence of all Asian nations is also closely related to the future interests of the empire, so it is also China's responsibility to strive for the liberation of Asian nations." …,

Guan Mingtang smiled slightly with satisfaction, then took a sip of tea and said:

"Very well, then you say, if this goal is to be achieved, what is the future enemy of the Empire?"

"It's none other than Britain, France and the United States...... Wouldn't that be ......?"

"Therefore, in the eyes of His Majesty, it is not worth shedding even a drop of blood for Westerners, and shedding blood for them now is tantamount to shedding blood for the enemy, and it is precisely because of this that Your Majesty has no intention of making any concessions on the issue of sending troops, because this negotiation is not so much a negotiation as a delay, and Your Majesty has never pointed out that Britain will make any real concessions and return Hong Kong to us, but for our country, Hong Kong is a must-......"

The Prime Minister's words only let Lu Zhengxiang sigh.

"The British are short-sighted, greedy for small profits and lose the overall situation, Hong Kong is the land of China, although China is big, but there is not much land, and they have no intention of making concessions on the Hong Kong issue, which will inevitably lead to Britain becoming our enemy. If they take advantage of the present opportunity to make concessions, it is possible to urge China and Britain to turn hostility into friendship, so that they can jointly manage Asian ...... in the future."

Lu Zhengxiang's naivety was exchanged for Guan Mingtang's kind smile.

"How can our country, if we want to build a colonial empire, tolerate sharing Asia with other countries? Now that Asia is semi-colonized, China wants to build a colonial empire, and it is natural that there will be conflicts with the colonial powers, and the colonization of Asia will make China's peripheral situation even more unfavorable to China, so the contradictions between China and the West have long been irreconcilable. ”

"Then why do we now want to join the British and French camps, instead of joining the German camp and sharing the world with Germany?"

"The strength is not as good as others, if Your Majesty is ten years ahead of the army, how can our country have today's Taoguang and take the initiative to repair Britain and France, the root cause is still a problem of strength."

Then Guan Mingtang said:

"In Your Majesty's opinion, the current reconciliation with Britain and France, although it is due to the lack of strength, but one day, the strength will be strong, because of the disputes over the independence of the colonies and Asian nations, we will eventually tear our faces with them!"

Putting down the teacup in his hand, Guan Mingtang said with a sigh.

"Therefore, war is inevitable after all, and now that Britain and France are weakened by the preparation of the country, it will be beneficial for the future empire to promote Asianism in Asia and help the Asian nations to gain independence."

"Since you are not willing to send troops to Europe, why does Your Majesty not simply refuse Britain and France, but negotiate with Britain and France......"

Although he had received some accusations from His Majesty, Lu Zhengxiang was obviously confused.

"With the blood of my East Asians, I want the West to dominate the hegemony of the world."

The corners of his lips were slightly raised, and Guan Mingtang's face was full of mockery.

"This is true of Britain, France and Germany, and what Your Majesty has done is nothing more than to comply with the wishes of the three countries, so that they think that they will get what they want, and then achieve the purpose of our country, and our country's current strategy is to implement the strategy of taoguang and obscurity, but it is by no means restrained and self-disciplined, and it is used by the enemy, therefore, a lot of work is always done, and it is at this time when our country is striving to strategize with the world, how can we be trapped in Europe......"

After sneering, Guan Mingtang said again:

"Ziji, you're a smart person, haven't you come up with a reason yet?"

"This ......"

Lu Zhengxiang made a difficulty, frowned and thought hard.

"Could it be...... Your Majesty means ......"

When the words came to his mouth, he still swallowed them back, and the holy will was not to guess, which was the most basic principle of being a minister.

Picking up the teacup, Guan Mingtang smiled coldly.

"This world has always been a world of strength, exchanges between countries, only interests first, only strength first, in this era of strength diplomacy, interest diplomacy, for the strength of the country is slightly inferior, in addition to choosing the right allies, that is, we should take advantage of the opportunity of the major powers to fall into their own wars, fully expand their own strength, after the strength of a country, that is, to decide the winner, from the next country strength competition is not far away!" …,

With his eyes half-closed, the sneer on Guan Mingtang's face disappeared, and the rest was worried about the future.

"The contest of great power strength does not begin at the moment of the outbreak of war, but begins with the careful preparation for many years before the war, it can be said that the strategy pursued by the empire now is to prepare for the future contest of strength, East Africa is yes, so is the Arab, even if the Japanese allies are sent to Russia, and now, this negotiation is also the same, compared to the current resumption of Hong Kong, I believe that Your Majesty is more willing to let the people see the situation of "the Western powers will not die in our hearts", so you only need to ......"

After whispering a few words, Lu Zhengxiang suddenly realized at this time:

"It turned out to be a plan to lure the snake out of the hole, and Your Majesty really planned it far-sightedly......

Although he praised on his lips, but Lu Zhengxiang was surging in his heart like a wave of overturning the river and the sea, people who know His Majesty well know that His Majesty must be careful in doing things, and any thing is made after careful consideration, and in this matter, His Majesty is using his strength to make the people more resistant to Britain and France, after this incident, although Britain and France are Chinese allies, they still discriminate and cannot be regarded as equals, how can the people not hold grudges, if the people are hostile to Britain and France for 20 years, Then, when the time is right, China will challenge the UK, but it will only conform to and drive under the impetus of public opinion.

In the end, this step is to push China into an unprecedented war, how not to let Lu Zhengxiang set off a frenzy in his heart.

"In the final analysis, although Britain and France are now our allies, the most important thing for our country is to do the opposite, the more cruel the war in Europe, the greater the casualties between the two countries, the more it is in line with China's interests, the more it is in line with China's future needs, in other words, the Europeans intend to exchange the blood of our East Asians for their world hegemony, while Your Majesty intends to use the blood of Europeans to seek the power of our Chinese world."

One is "hegemony" and the other is "power", which seem to be two terms that are not very different, but they are very clear about China's demands, and China's appeal is only the power to stand in the world, even in the view of Guan Mingtang, a well-known pro-British and American faction in China, China's right to stand in the world can only be won by guns from Western countries.

"China's biggest frustration lies in the fact that China wants to treat all countries in the world as equals, but all countries in the world are not willing to wait for us as equals, so what we can do now is to do everything possible to seek that the country will not lose its national interests in the next great power competition, and try as hard as possible......

After a helpless sigh, Guan Mingtang's expression became more and more helpless, as a well-known pro-British and American faction in China, he knew the gap between China and the United States and Britain like the United States, and it was precisely because of this that he advocated international coordination and ensured China's interests through international coordination, but in the end, the reality told him again and again that it was impossible for the powers to treat China as equals, at least not now, in this case, he could only plan for the worst, that is, to "showdown" with the Western powers at a suitable time in the future. But before the final "showdown", as the Prime Minister of the Reich, he must cooperate with His Majesty and make the most comprehensive preparations for that day.

"The greatest value of Hong Kong now for us is not that we use the European war to force the British to hand it over, but that through this incident, the Chinese people are completely desperate for the Western powers, and at the same time, as the empire grows stronger, Hong Kong is ruled by the British, which will become a national shame for our country, the stronger the country, the more angry the people, and this fire of anger has invisibly added a lot of strength to our country, and the contradictions it can provoke are the greatest value of Hong KongAs Your Majesty said, as long as we are willing, as long as we invest three divisions, we can take down the whole of Hong Kong in three days at most, so it is only a matter of time before Hong Kong is recovered, and now we are just under the guise of Hong Kong, and it is Your Majesty's original intention to let us send troops to Europe. ”

Lu Zhengxiang showed a sudden realization, and after pondering for a moment, he asked.

"Then should we be tougher at the negotiating table, so as to discourage the British......

The most important bottom line of negotiation, and His Majesty once gave Lu Zhengxiang a bottom line, that is, to take advantage as much as possible, but while taking advantage, he must not agree to them to send troops, at least the specific date of sending troops must not be promised, and now Guan Mingtang's words made him understand where the bottom line of the empire is.

Guan Mingtang can probably understand why Lu Zhengxiang said this, in fact, he is not the only one who advocates international coordination, Zhang Zhidong is like this, and Yuan Shikai is the same, but the two of them have been officials for a long time, they talk about people and ghosts, and they boast of being tough on the people, but for foreign countries, they advocate coordination, and in the end, it is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that bears all the responsibility, under the external coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has long been reduced to a "traitorous yamen", if there is a chance, Of course, they want to be tougher.

"Ziji, you must know that Your Majesty needs time, not cracking!"

After saying this, Guan Mingtang breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the teacup again, but the teacup was only held in his hand and not drunk.

This is a hint of serving tea to the guest.

#c