China's relationship with the UK, from a passive counterattack to an active provocation, is a revolutionary change. Sa Daoyi went through each of the key points from beginning to end and played an extremely important role in it.

Around 1900, the British Empire was undoubtedly the largest country on earth, and although its GDP had long been surpassed by the United States, it was an economic power dominated by the domestic market. In terms of influence in the international market, the United Kingdom is undoubtedly the first, whether it is imports or exports, political or military, it has an unshakable dominance.

But this powerful reality, which was close to the truth, was supposed to continue for decades, but it was completely subverted by the sudden arrival of Yang Hao's family.

Since the outbreak of the conflict between China and the Great Powers, the newly developed trade in the Far East has collapsed. The exports of the Great Powers to China were completely replaced by "foreign goods" smuggled in time and space, while the various Chinese specialties needed by the West were almost not available. Especially after Yang Hao deliberately released various advanced industrial equipment and products, China once again had a huge trade surplus with the Western world.

Unfortunately, the banknotes of various countries cannot be used in China, and they have to pay huge amounts of real money and hard currency, especially the loss of gold, which is a big headache for countries.

The Western powers were not unaware of a total trade blockade, but they soon discovered that China, which was advancing the revolution, had become a bottomless pit of domestic demand. In the new China built according to the Yang model, the cost of transformation and the demand for materials in a province exceeded the total import and export volume of the entire country before. All goods that previously needed to be exported were digested internally (or sold exclusively in the world), while special goods from the West continued to attract real money.

To put it simply, the West needs China. China does not need foreigners.

Now. The great powers sat on the wax en masse. China is formally closed off from the rest of the country. In fact, it does not have much impact on itself, but the business power that relies on the Chinese market has been completely defeated. All their investments in China were at a loss, a large number of shipping to the Far East had lost business, the supply of various materials urgently needed was cut off, and they only relied on high-priced goods smuggled from some places (often black gloves arranged by Yang Hao), which was a drop in the bucket.

According to the general law of Westerners, people like this who are unwilling to cooperate obediently will directly and brutally hit the door. Just forcibly subdue them and force them to cooperate. As a result, everyone saw that they lost again and again!

Sa Daoyi tried almost all his brain cells to come up with ideas, but in the end it was useless. Today, they are forced to find fault with huge ships and cannons, just like the scene when they fought against the Qing Empire 60 years ago. The role reversal is really difficult to describe.

However, it is impossible to discourage the British from admitting defeat.

After the shock, Sa Daoyi quickly regained the calm that the British minister should have. He took a few deep breaths toward the boiling sea and sky in the distance. Make your face look natural and politely hand back the binoculars. Turn around and go back to the square table.

Deng Shichang knew that the British should have an idea, and formal negotiations were about to begin, so he waved his hand and motioned for the orderlies to take away the tea set. The two sides sat down face to face, and the air suddenly tense on the windswept hillside.

Sa Daoyi sat straight, his eyes pressed towards his opponent, and said slowly and clearly: "The sharpness of the guns of the Chinese warships is impressive, but I believe that Your Excellency the General should know that the success or failure of things in the world is not determined simply by the size of an individual's force. The current status of the British Empire is the result of thousands of years of steady development and hundreds of years of pioneering and enterprising. ”

Britain is not afraid of any challenge, even if China has a powerful warship, it is only a temporary partial lead, and the fight between countries is comprehensive strength. Obviously, the new China, which is now only half of the country and a chaotic mess inside, is unlikely to cause any trouble to the British Empire on the other side of the world. On the contrary, protracted wars provoked by reckless militarism will only lead to the collapse of China itself.

Sa Daoyi believes that the other party should be able to understand his subtext.

Deng Shichang put away his smile, stared at the British coldly, and said solemnly: "Mr. Minister should have heard more than once, our new government has repeatedly said that the Chinese nation is a peace-loving nation, and China is a unified country with its own history and cultural traditions and attaches great importance to national dignity and territorial integrity. We have never invaded our neighbors when we are strong, and we have never been afraid of the aggression of any powerful enemy! If people don't offend me, I won't offend anyone, and those who offend China will be punished even if they are far away! ”

Sa Daoyi's eyes shrank violently, and his hands crossed on the table clenched violently!

He understands the last sentence, and he knows the source! The Han Empire, two thousand years ago, had such self-confidence and domineering! Through the ages, the Han Dynasty died alone, and created a tenacious civilization that could rise again no matter what the heavy blow it suffered. For 2,000 years, the Han people and culture have been the core of Chinese civilization.

Now, someone has once again shouted that sentence, declaring that the ideas of the new country, which they are actively promoting as a new group, will also chase after the strong men of the ages!

Sa Daoyi is familiar with Chinese history and knows what kind of incredible self-confidence and strength the Han Dynasty was! If the new Chinese regime has such national strength, mastery of the world's leading industrial technology, and an invincible army, no one will be able to stop their strong rise!

Obviously, Mr. Yang Hao, the young leader who was hidden behind the scenes, had successfully instilled his ideas into the organization, and skillfully guided the entire nation to run in that direction. On the road to China's rise, there will inevitably be many stepping stones. The ambitious but short-sighted Japanese were the first unlucky to completely stabilize China's position as the number one power in Asia.

So will the British Empire be the second? The choice is right in front of them!

Sa Daoyi suddenly understood Yang Hao's intention of sending a locally-cultivated hawkish general as a negotiator. Deng Shichang has no overseas study background, which means that he has little to do with the Western world, and he is not in awe of the power of the Western Empire. Now that he has the world's strongest armed force as his backing, he certainly won't be back and forth in international affairs like a formal diplomat.

Soldier. Pay attention to the battle between soldiers and talk about life and death. Either and. Either fight, be happy, and not wordy.

If a result cannot be negotiated on this island today, then when Sardor leaves, it may be the beginning of the Chinese warships turning their guns and pressing on the British colonies. And he still knew very well that at this time, the British Empire was far from ready to concentrate its forces on a decisive battle with China.

Europe today. Already because of Yang Hao's encouragement, it is falling into an unprecedentedly fierce competition for building ships, and almost every day there is information on the progress of new warships in various countries, which stimulates the sensitive nerves of decision-makers. The French, who posed the greatest threat to Britain, the Germans, who were ambitious to reach into North Africa, and the Russians, who refused to give up their westward advances, were all stirred into this growing maelstrom.

Sa Daoyi could not imagine how Britain would respond if emerging China secretly formed an alliance with a European country and suddenly broke out in the east and west.

The worst part. Because of his successive defeats, this is already his last chance in the Far East. If you still lose your power and humiliate the country. Stepping down in disgrace is a sure outcome.

He can't afford to lose!

Sa Daoyi tapped the teak table with his tail fingers, and the crisp sound sounded a little messy, as if it reflected the true state of his heart. Inexperienced negotiators may be misled. But Deng Shichang's gaze was clear and sharp from beginning to end, without the slightest change.

"Okay, so let's talk seriously about how to solve the misunderstanding that happened this time."

Sa Daoyi put away his small movements and decisively cut to the chase, "Please tell your Excellency the general your conditions." How on earth are you going to get the fleet back? ”

If it drags on any longer, there is no need for the Chinese Navy to shell Singapore or other colonies. Under the pretext of exterminating pirates and maintaining the safety of the shipping routes, they only need to use a destroyer or cruiser to roam the Malacca waterways without stopping, or even to India to flex their muscles, which will lead to a great regression of British domination and deterrence in Asia. No one can afford that kind of consequence.

In addition, if the dispute is not ended, God knows if the Chinese will suddenly send some soldiers from Sichuan to Kangzang and fight from Nepal! They claim to be fighting back in self-defense, even if it goes a little too far, but what can Britain do? At present, the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army is not at all withstood by the troops under the command of the Indian colonial governor.

Sa Daoyi's words are still full of traps, as if he is afraid that the Chinese navy will attack Singapore, but if he does open fire on it, the result may be more favorable to him.

Deng Shichang didn't talk to him, so he thought that the British had confessed, and waved his hand to push the negotiation terms over.

In response to the British invasion of Kangzang, it is necessary to apologize, pay reparations, and punish those responsible. In addition, Britain must cease its support for Japan and refrain from interfering in the Sino-Japanese conflict. Britain had to open its trade and shipping ports to its colonies, and allow Chinese freighters and warships to dock and replenish. Finally, China wants to take back the protectorate rights of the Sultan of Brunei.

There are always a lot of mixed conditions, which makes Sa Daoyi's brows twist into a pimple. He unceremoniously pushed it back and flatly refused: "Except for the first clause, which can be discussed, the other terms are impossible for the British Empire to agree." ”

Japan had concluded a treaty of friendship with Great Britain, and its value as a black glove for Britain to stir up the situation in Asia was unshakable. If the agreement is tore up and ignored, it is conceivable that the Chinese will use their influence for thousands of years to rule this barbaric and ferocious nation and turn it into cannon fodder for provocations against the Western world.

The gap between this advance and retreat is too big to talk about at all.

Britain's opening of markets and ports or something, is even more of a joke. Judging from the prevailing norms in the world now, it is undoubtedly a manifestation of the defeated countries being forced to open their doors. Just like the previous Japan and the Qing Empire, they were bombarded with ships and shelled to open the country, and humiliated to accept the treaty. The British Empire is fine now, how can it be promised?

Taking 10,000 steps back, Britain now has almost nothing to export to China, and once equal trade is restored, there will immediately be a bad situation of unilateral dumping by China against British forces. If Sa Daoyi dares to agree to such conditions, he will definitely be torn to pieces by the domestic bigwigs!

As for the protectorate of the Sultan of Brunei, it can be seen as China's role as a forward base for further expansion. Compared with the extremely difficult colonies of Indochina, there is no doubt that relying on Malacca's nearest marginal base in the South China Sea is more in line with the needs of China's outward expansion. Once the Chinese navy has acquired a base there, it can launch a threat of war against the colonies of the entire Southeast Asian region at any time.

Sa Daoyi treats others with himself. Once China completes its internal integration. It will certainly expand a strong navy to the entire Pacific region. No doubt. Southeast Asia, rich in population, land and resources, has borne the brunt, and China has taken over the Philippine archipelago and expanded into the Indonesian archipelago and even Australia.

China is different from Britain in that they have a huge population of more than 400 million, more than 10 million square kilometers of mainland land, an ambitious leader, and a core of warlike young people. Enough to sustain an expansion war against half the world! Compared to the British Empire, it is much easier.

Although the British have only been granted the protection of the Sultan of Brunei for only ten years, they have been able to plunder nothing more than limited resources such as rubber and forests, which are nothing compared to the huge British colonial interests.

But after all, they were part of the British colonies, and if they were forced by the Chinese to surrender their control today, they would be seen as a symbol of the retreat of the British Empire's strength and influence. Other powers and countries will definitely take advantage of the fire to rob, and maybe they will become the fuse for the wall to fall down and everyone pushes it!

So this one, even more can't be agreed!

Deng Shichang's face sank, and he slammed his five fingers on the table. The sturdy upper body leaned forward, forcing Sa Daoyi to shout: "This is how the British Empire originally regarded the consequences of armed aggression against other countries? It seems that you have been shun lì for too long. Forget that there are always some people in this world who can't be angered casually! Mr. Minister, I don't think we have much more to talk about. ”

I didn't give the British a chance to explain at all, and I even pushed the table and got up and left!

Sa Daoyi was dumbfounded and wanted to follow up to explain, but was unceremoniously stopped by the expressionless guard.

The accompanying counselor shouted in an atmosphere: "It's just too rude! How can there be such a negotiation, it is simply an ultimatum to us! Off color! Barbarous! No cultivation! ”

The plainclothes officer faintly felt that something was not good, and asked Sa Daoyi in a low voice: "Mr. Minister, what do you mean by Chinese?" They put the negotiation arena here, just to show off their force and scare people? Or is it really going to attack Singapore? ”

Sa Daoyi's face sank like water, and he shook his head and said, "Neither." Their warships opened fire, for others to see, blocking the gates of the British Empire's colonies and firing guns, but we did not react at all, which would make people misunderstand the cowardice and concessions of the Empire. There will be another negotiation between us, but until then, they will definitely do something to make a statement. ”

"So what's going to happen? It's not going to start a war directly, is it? ”

The counselor and the military attache couldn't understand that Deng Shichang's reaction was too strange and too direct, making it difficult for people to start.

Sa Daoyi pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned his head to look in the direction of the east, and said word by word: "If I guess correctly, they will attack the Sultan of Brunei first!" ”

The tea stalls and tents were taken away by Lisuo, and Tang Shichang still politely sent a car to take them to the beach and take a speedboat back to Singapore. Immediately afterward, the fleet blocked in the strait turned around and headed south, only to inform the countries in clear code that the Chinese Navy would launch a three-month crackdown on bandits in the waters between the South China Sea and Malacca. During this period, ships of all countries must cooperate with the Chinese navy to inspect them, and it is best to avoid the scope of operation to avoid accidental injury.

No one believes in accidental injuries or something, but active sinking is bound to happen. If a big country starts playing hooliganism, it is really unreasonable.

No matter how countries oppose it, the territorial sea area drawn by China is forced to the exit of Malacca, and they have too much historical data to support it.

In addition, the day after the first Sino-British negotiations broke down, the main force of the Chinese fleet appeared in the coastal waters of the Sultan of Brunei. On behalf of the Chinese government, Deng Shichang negotiated with the current king to restore the relationship between the suzerains and vassals that had existed since ancient times. China has once again become a protectorate of Brunei, and in accordance with the model of China-DPRK and China-Philippines, and in the form of economic cooperation with Greater China, it has supported Brunei to enter the sequence of a new type of modern country.

Compared with the greedy and tyrannical colonial plunder of the British, there is no doubt that China has been with each other for a thousand or two thousand years is more acceptable. The Sino-Philippine cooperation model has long been well known to Southeast Asian countries, and everyone knows that a powerful and wealthy China has never let its vassal states suffer.

As for the British threat of force, the king of Brunei, as a vulnerable group, can only helplessly say that they cannot provoke any side. None of them had the autonomy to decide their own destiny from the beginning to the end, and it was useless for the British to threaten and oppose it.

In December 1898, another British Empire colony in Asia was forced to withdraw. For the Western powers, this symbolized a strong signal, and for a time the agitation of the European countries rose sharply.

This was not over yet, not long after, on the Japanese island of Kyushu, which had been tormented by the war for a long time, a new political group was suddenly announced, and they still held the emperor as the right one, but they vigorously opposed the so-called national policy of "leaving Asia and joining Europe". They appealed to the people of Japan to regain the friendly tradition of "Sino-Japanese cooperation", reintegrate into the big family of Chinese culture, and jointly fight back against the aggression of Western ghost animals.

All of a sudden, world public opinion was in an uproar. (To be continued......)