PS: The second update arrives, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets!

"Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, you have already won this war and occupied Burma, so why are you still aggressive? The return of those captured soldiers to us will help to clear up the misunderstanding between our two countries and ensure the normal development of relations between our two countries! Sir Bonham said. Although, he knew that with the personality of the greedy Chinese Empire, he obviously would not let go of this opportunity to blackmail them. However, if they had been allowed to blackmail them from the beginning, the Chinese side would have asked for a very high price, and only by first showing toughness and then gradually softening their attitude would be able to reduce the British losses as much as possible.

"Your Excellency, your country paid for the redemption of those prisoners of war? Isn't it a matter of course? As for Myanmar, that's just our spoils, we've won! If you had won the battle, would you have given up the ransom you had to demand from us? Imperial Foreign Minister Lin Zihao asked rhetorically. As for the friendship between the Chinese Empire and Great Britain, this is bullshit. The Chinese Empire and Britain could never be friends, and there was only a competition of interests. Besides, in state-to-state exchanges, interests come first. This was an excellent opportunity to extort money from the British Empire, and the Chinese Empire would certainly not let it go.

"Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, if the British Empire had won this war, of course we would have released those prisoners of war unconditionally!" Sir Bonham lied, his face was not red and his heart was not beating, and he did not feel ashamed at all. Isn't it common for diplomats like them to lie and deceive people? Besides. As long as it can reduce the losses of the British Empire, what does it matter if you lie?

"Haha! Your Excellency, you are dishonest! This is not the character of a gentleman of the British Empire. Lin Zihao said with a smile.

Sir Bonham's face was a little unnatural. But he quickly adjusted his mentality, and now was not the time to talk about that.

"Your Excellency, there is no need to say this. If the British Empire refuses to pay the ransom, then we will have to send the British prisoners of war to build roads or open mines. Burma's new annexation to the empire and the need to build a lot of infrastructure required a lot of manpower. Prisoners of war are free labor! It solved our problem. Lin Zihao said with a smile. He had a way to get the Brits into line.

"What? How do you want to let those noble English gentlemen build roads and dig mines? This is absolutely not a no-go! Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, this is an insult to the British Empire. It is a provocation to the British Empire, and it will seriously damage the relationship between our two countries! Minister Bonham roared angrily.

"Your Excellency, since you are not willing to spend money to ransom those prisoners of war. Then we will have to use them to build roads and mines. Otherwise, the food and materials consumed every day are an astronomical amount, and they must be rewarded! Lin Zihao said.

"Okay. Your Excellency the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. How much ransom do you need? However, I would like to remind you not to think of the British Empire as a wronged man. The British Empire will not allow you to extort money. Sir Bonham bowed his head like a defeated rooster, but he still stiffened his mouth.

"Your Excellency, how much ransom are you willing to pay to ransom those prisoners of war?" Lin Zihao asked rhetorically.

"A million!" Sir Bonham hesitated for a moment, then said. Although the British Foreign Office did not specify a specific amount for him. However, he was asked to redeem the prisoners of war at the lowest possible cost. After all, Britain is rich though. But there are many places that need to spend money every year, and it would be a pity to let the Chinese Empire blackmail it in vain.

"A million pounds? Your Excellency, that's too little, isn't it? Are your prisoners of war so cheap? Lin Zihao said with some anger. This price is too far from the expectations of the Chinese Empire. If this were the case, the Chinese Empire would never have agreed!

"Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, it's a million Chinese dollars!" Sir Bonham corrected.

Lin Zihao almost didn't faint, one million Chinese dollars, only equivalent to 250,000 pounds. Are the British calling Hanako? The military expenses of the Chinese Empire in this war were at least tens of millions of Chinese dollars, and the military giants were still counting on extorting a little more from the British so that they could make up for this military expenditure, and if there was any surplus, it could also be used in the preparation for the war against the Manchus. If the British were only going to give a million Chinese dollars, it would not even be enough for military spending, let alone anything else.

"Your Excellency, I don't think we need to go any further. Your country is too insincere, let's let those prisoners of war build roads and open mines! Until they're all exhausted on the construction site! Lin Zihao said coldly.

"Your Excellency, if your country is too little, it will be a million pounds!" Sir Bonham said.

"Humph! Your Excellency, this price is too low, if this is the case, I suggest that we should not negotiate. Anyway, there is no declaration of war between our two countries at all. That's the end of this conflict! Lin Zihao was very dissatisfied.

Of course Sir Bonham refused, if the more than 80,000 British prisoners of war could not be redeemed, the families, relatives and friends of those prisoners of war would not have to make a fuss! At that time, it will be even more impossible for the Cabinet to stabilize British society. And if he didn't complete the task, obviously he wouldn't have a good result. Therefore, this errand is completely thankless for Sir Bonham!

"Your Excellency, if your country is not satisfied, we can still discuss." Sir Bonham said hurriedly. He didn't want the talks to break down like that. In that case, Britain will be in big trouble.

"Humph! Your Excellency, I don't think you seem to have figured out the situation. Otherwise, that's the end of today's negotiations. Once you've figured it out, we'll move on. Lin Zihao said. Through the Chinese Embassy in Britain, the Chinese Empire also understands the situation in Britain now, and the Chinese Empire also understands it clearly. Therefore, the more it drags on, the better it will be for the Chinese Empire. The more anxious the British government was, the more the Chinese Empire would be able to reap the richer the rewards.

"Your Excellency, may you give me a number first? I'll see if we can accept it? Sir Bonham said.

"Well, those prisoners of war in your country need to be redeemed for thirty million pounds!" Lin Zihao said.

"What? Three...... Thirty million pounds? How is this possible? Sir Bonham was completely stunned. This was already half of the British Empire's annual revenues. The Chinese Empire is completely opening its mouth with a lion!

"No, Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, this is complete blackmail, and the British Empire will never accept such blackmail!" Sir Bonham jumped.

"If Britain doesn't agree, then we have no choice but to stop talking about this issue!" Lin Zihao said.

"Your Excellency, your country's appetite is too great, do you really regard the British Empire as an object of extortion at will? Once the relations between our two countries deteriorate sharply, it will not benefit your country at all! Sir Bonham said.

"Really? Even if our overseas trade will be affected. However, we may be able to take India by chance! Lin Zihao replied-for-tat. For the British, the Chinese Empire has long been accustomed to it. Now that Burma is in its hands, the Chinese Empire can threaten the British at any time through Burma. If India were to be occupied by the Chinese Empire, it would be a heavy blow to the British.

Sir Bonham, who was originally angry, suddenly came to his senses when he heard the word India. He knew that the Chinese Empire had always had intentions against India, and if the Chinese Empire used this to launch an attack on India, whether Britain could hold India in the end or not, Britain would inevitably fall into chaos. This is definitely not what the UK government wants to see.

"Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, I was too impulsive just now! However, the amount of 30 million pounds is too large for the British government to accept! Sir Bonham hurriedly lowered his posture. For a diplomat, it is not a big deal to be soft in the face of unfavorable shapes.

"No, no! Your Excellency, £30 million is nothing to hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war. Your country does not suffer! Lin Zihao said.

"Wait? Hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war? How can there be hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war? Sir Bonham asked in surprise.

"That's right, we have captured a total of more than 300,000 British and British and Indian prisoners of war!" Lin Zihao explained.

"No, Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, you are mistaken. We just need to redeem those British prisoners of war, and you can dispose of them at will! Sir Bonham said hurriedly.

Lin Zihao was a little speechless, these British guys really didn't treat the indigenous Indians as people. However, the British thought that they could use this to pay less ransom, but they were very wrong.

"Well, Your Excellency, the British prisoners of war totaled more than 80,000 people, including one general, four lieutenant generals, and dozens of major generals. These people, you can redeem them for 20 million pounds! Lin Zihao said.

"What? And that's another £20 million? Sir Bonham was a little incomprehensible.

"Of course, the British are much more noble than the indigenous Indians, right? Naturally, the price of the ransom is much higher than that of the indigenous Indians. The price of 20 million pounds is not expensive! Lin Zihao said. Anyway, his purpose was to get as much benefit as possible from the British. Such an opportunity is not available at any time. Soon the empire will have a decisive battle with the Manchus, and there are still many places to use money! (To be continued......)