"Mr. Hurd, I will not accept all the requirements of this agreement. There is no reason to pay for the enemy. Not only that, in the days after Liu raised his army, I would not recognize any agreements or payments signed by the Manchus with any country or force! ”

When Liu Xian arrived in Guangzhou, the first person to meet was not Qi Dalin, the supreme commander of the Qin army in the Guangdong Theater, but Hurd, who rushed to Guangzhou from Beijing with a mission.

"The tax money of the Guangdong Customs must be delivered to our military government on a monthly basis. For those positions that have already become vacant, our army will soon send people to take over. At the same time, the positions of the personnel of the British side remained unchanged for the time being. I recognize your dedication and contribution to our country's customs affairs. But it was only Hurd's contribution to customs. For Hurd's other idea: to control the Chinese Navy, Liu Xian's evaluation is only four words - wishful thinking.

Li Hongzhang has never spoken to Hurd in such a tone. With the power of the State Administration of Customs and Taxation, the Qing court's attitude towards Hurd was mainly based on the wooing of 'high-ranking officials'. In the year of the fall of Tianjing, Hurd was made an envoy, and five years later he was promoted to envoy.

A change in status can change a person's mind as well. Hurd, who thought he was not a small person, was now very angry and angry. How dare he, how dare he completely reject the British government's 'mention yì', and still say it to himself in such a tone!

But Liu Xian didn't give Hurd a chance to break out. He continued: "Hong Kong's issue is very sensitive, and we can put it on hold for the time being, but I think it is better for Hong Kong to turn Hong Kong into a free port that you and I can run together, and for the development of both China and the UK." If the British side agrees with this view, the New Territories. This area can also be included in the scope of Hong Kong. ”

"For the future economic and trade development of China and the UK, I can promise to give the UK the most favored nation status and fully open up China. As long as my military government continues to the place, you Englishmen are free to travel, to do business, to set up trading houses, and so on.

But on the tax rate. Something has to change. This is something that we can discuss in detail when we formally talk about this issue. ”

"With regard to consular jurisdiction, this is categorically inadmissible. We can set up regular joint tribunals, and I guarantee that the tribunals will be fair and reasonable. Because the laws and regulations of the new China will be formulated with reference to your Western jurisprudence in a certain process. Before I came to Guangzhou, I sent telegrams to the United States and Germany, asking my friends at home in these two countries to help hire some legal experts from the Western world to formulate the "Constitution" and "Criminal Law" of our new China. ”

Liu Xian's words shocked Hurd. Not only because of Liu Xian's tough and unreasonable attitude towards the outside world, but also because of the word he heard from Liu Xian's mouth - "Constitution"!

"God. Marquis Liu, I am shocked by your attitude! Are you going to go to war with the entire Western world while dealing with the Qing Empire? ”

Also, you just said the Constitution? Is it in your kingdom? Is it preparing for constitutionalism? ”

"The Constitution is the fundamental law of a country. I agree with that! As for what you said about going to war with the entire Western world? Mr. Hurd, that's an exaggeration, isn't it?

At least I think that in the event that our army and the British Empire are completely out of agreement, the British Empire can form another Anglo-French coalition, and perhaps the Russians will participate. But the Germans, the Austro-Hungarians, the Americans, they certainly won't wade into this troubled water, will they? ”

"Besides, I never wanted to break with the British Empire completely."

"You have the most powerful navy in the world. I can send a fleet to take out my Nanyang Naval Division. Cut off the sea connection between Taiwan, Hainan, and Hongji and the mainland. and even all foreign trade links, and at any time threaten the coastal cities and ports in the areas under our military control.

I don't want to see the situation go so bad. ”

"But Marquis Liu. This attitude of yours is the greatest contempt and insult to the British Empire, and you have caused the British Empire to suffer great losses. ”

"And the opium and chip trade, right? Your attitude allows me to judge with certainty your decision on the opium trade. You must strictly ban opium and flakes. ”

"With such a huge loss, you have ruined the efforts of the British Empire in China for more than 30 years. The British Empire would never accept such a defeat. Therefore, war is bound to come! ”

"No, no, Mr. Hurd. You're wrong. There was no loss of the British Empire, and what I opened was the entire Chinese market. When the whole Chinese market is open. What is the loss now?

The opium trade? Opium dealers were notorious in Britain. Can their influence be comparable to that of the industrialists?

The whole of China is developing, so how many industrial products are needed? The benefits of opium are too small, aren't they?

How many factories are being built in the whole of China? How long of a railway does it need to be built?

A country develops modern industry. That's the real big market. A market of 45,000,000 people.

Gentlemen of London, will they not see this? ”

Hurd's eyes narrowed and he looked directly at Liu Xian, "I don't doubt the gaze of those gentlemen in London. It's like I can see your ambitions firsthand. Not only do you want to seize power in this country, but you also want to build a strong and prosperous China. Do you think the gentlemen of London will let this go? ”

"Restrain China, so that China will always exist as a semi-colony, and become a market for the British Empire's foreign dumping of industrial products?" Liu Xian smiled shamefully, scornfully, and then looked at Hurd with an incomparably confident gaze. "From the moment I raise my army, there will be no more forces in the world that can suppress China's rise."

"I have more than 100,000 well-trained troops. By next spring, that number will be 200,000. And then it was fast approaching 300,000, 500,000, 1 million.

You should know that because of Taiwan, I have a lot of money in my hands. Before raising troops, a large number of guns and heavy artillery were purchased from Germany.

Combined, these munitions and the output of the Chin Nam Arsenal are enough for me to easily arm 150,000 troops.

And your navy can cut off Taiwan and Hainan, and cut off the two Guangdong's foreign relations. I'm not afraid.

Without Hainan's high-quality iron ore, there are still some medium-grade iron ore in Guangxi and Beiqi, which is enough to save the emergency. Hongji's coal cannot be transported to Qinzhou by sea, and it can also be transported by land. The construction of the railway in Beiqi began in the spring of this year, and now it will be repaired to Zhennanguan. ”

Liu Xian smiled at Hurd, and the bared teeth made Hurd feel cold.

"As soon as the foreign trade between the two provinces was blocked, the cheap saltpeter in South America and the high-quality sulfur in Taiwan and Japan were gone. But Beiqi and Guangxi can also find alternatives.

The lifeblood of our army is in Qinzhou, the steel plant in Qinnan, and the arsenal in Qinzhou. If you can conquer Qinzhou, then I will be like a big tree with broken roots, gradually withering. But you can't beat Qinzhou. The steel plant is still dozens of miles from the sea, how many casualties are you going to pay to take this place?

Ten thousand? Twenty thousand? Thirty thousand? Forty thousand? Fifty thousand? Or 100,000?

Land war, I am not afraid of anyone.

Can the British Empire fight Qinzhou at any cost and at the expense of 10,000 people?

Can't put?

But I can defend Qinzhou at any cost. If the whole of China is to rise, I can pay for the ...... of a million, two million, and ten million people, and many more sacrifices.

100,000, 200,000, 500,000, 1 million soldiers can fight on the battlefield. China has people!

Today's sacrifice is exchanged for tomorrow's glory. I have this determination. Does London have it too? ”

From the 60s of the 19th century to the end of the 80s of the 19th century, there was little progress in guns. If Britain really suppresses China with an iron heart, even if he makes up a 'crusade' in the new era, Liu Xian will dare to fight!

The Qin army did not lack steel, weapons, or ammunition. China is also not short of people. That's what he's confident about. The big deal is that post-war China is more tattered. But the tragic price that China will pay in the next 70 years is too small in this original time and space.

Of course, Liu Xian didn't think that the British really wanted to compete with him.

It's a great time for free trade, and the capitalists can sell it as long as they have money. There are no technical barriers and limitations. Didn't Liu Xian just buy the formula of cannon steel from Krupp, and with a group of technical backbones seduced by the Military Intelligence Department from the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, the technical level of the Qin Army Arsenal has now reached a higher level. It is already possible to produce an 8-inch caliber heavy gun with a range of up to 7,500 meters, and is trying to climb towards the 10-inch rock.

Tensions in Europe have not yet burned, and this is the peak of free trade.

Even if the British want to imprison China, then there are Germany and the United States. Liu Xian is very confident.

"Mr. Hurd, China needs to change, and Britain needs to look at it with a change in its eyes. Don't treat me the same as the Manchus. As for the opium trade we just mentioned, you can tell all the opium merchants when you go back today, and also inform the country behind them.

Tomorrow, we will officially issue a notice that within a week, merchants from various countries will ship their opium out of China or destroy it on the spot. A week later, if opium is found in the land under the control of our army, more than one catty, will be sentenced to death. More than one or two, divided by imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than twenty years. Depending on the severity of the circumstances, sentencing is to be given.

Don't be unpredictable! ”

Hurd walked out of the yamen of the former governor of Liangguang and the current military government of Guangdong.

What did he come all the way from Beijing for? That's when the British want to suck blood on China again. Although it was expected when it came, it was impossible for Liu Xian to accept all the conditions proposed by his own side. Then this requires a process of negotiation and pulling.

But Hurd never imagined that in less than an hour after he met Liu Xian, he would hear such an answer.

"Crazy? Madman? Or an extreme nationalist? Hurd thought so about Liu Xian. But whether he wants to accept it or not, one fact cannot be changed, China is changing. (To be continued) R580