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On June 21, 1847, the Imperial Foreign Secretary, George Lam, urgently summoned the British Minister to China, Sir Bonham, and he could see from the previous decision of the Emperor Long Yufei that the Empire's recovery of Hong Kong was already imperative. As the Foreign Secretary of the Empire, this time he will also go all out to complete the plan this time. In addition, he hoped that the matter could be resolved through diplomatic means, and if force was to be used, the impact would be too great. After all, if the Imperial* army attacked Hong Kong, it would inevitably make the British resentful, and even immediately start retaliating. This will bring even greater difficulties to the empire, which already has too many enemies.

"Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, I have already stated last time that the British Empire has absolutely not planned a rebellion on the plateau, and this is just a misunderstanding!" Sir Wen Xian thought that Lin Zihao was going to ask the last question, so he hurriedly said.

"No, Your Excellency, this time, it wasn't that thing. Before I get down to business, however, I would like to inform you of one thing. The British businessmen and tourists, who claimed to be intelligence agents, were shot dead on the spot when they attacked the Imperial* army on the way to Canton while they were escorted by the Empire* army. Lin Zihao said.

"What? was shot red-handed. This, how is this possible? Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, they are British citizens, and your country has no reason to kill them, which is a provocation to the British Empire. Sir Bonham almost jumped.

"Your Excellency, though they are British. However, they tried to attack the Imperial* army and then fled. The Empire* army shot them. It's just for self-defense. Lin Zihao was determined. Anyway, he doesn't care what the truth of the incident is, he just follows the military's answer, and it's just a repeat.

"No, Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary. We do not accept this answer. The British Empire will be watching this matter closely. Then send someone to investigate the matter and give justice to the dead British citizens. Sir Bonham said through gritted teeth. He knew, those British intelligence officers. They must have been shot by the Chinese, and although the British did not admit to planning the rebellion in the plateau, in fact, those guys were simply intelligence agents of the British intelligence services. In such a situation. Executed by the Chinese. That's very possible. Of course, he also knows that without evidence, they have no way to take China. After all, Britain could not have gone to war with the Chinese Empire for the death of a few intelligence officers.

"Your Excellency, you can do whatever you want!" Lin Zihao said indifferently. He believes that those guys in the military must have done a very clean job. These Britons even want to investigate. There will be absolutely no conclusions. In the end, it is estimated that it will not be over. Lives. In the present war years, it is really worthless. This is true even for citizens of the United Kingdom.

"Your Excellency, I came to you this time mainly to talk to you about the Hong Kong issue!" Lin Zihao continued.

"The Hong Kong problem? What is there to talk about here? Sir Bonham frowned. Although, as the British Minister to China, he had long expected that this day would come soon, he still did not expect this qiē to come so soon. Not long after the fall of the Chinese Empire to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the idea was brought to Hong Kong. Previously, the Chinese demanded the recovery of Hong Kong, but the British resisted the pressure. But this time, I'm afraid it won't be that easy. Sir Bonham knew that if Britain wanted to keep Hong Kong, there seemed to be no other way but to go to war with the Chinese Empire.

"Your Excellency, Britain has occupied Hong Kong for five years, so it seems that it is time to return Hong Kong to us. This is also the meaning of His Majesty the Emperor. Lin Zihao said.

"Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, Hong Kong is a territory ceded to Great Britain by the Government of China under the Treaty of Nanking signed in 1842. There is a legal basis for this, how can the Chinese Empire now let us return it? Sir Bonham continued to fight for the interests of the British.

"Your Excellency, the Treaty of Nanking is simply an unequal treaty imposed on the Manchu government by the British government. The Imperial Government will not admit it. In addition, now that the Manchus had fallen, the imperial government would not recognize any unequal treaties signed between the Manchu government and foreign countries. As a result, Hong Kong remained the territory of the Empire. The Empire hopes that the British Government will be able to return Hong Kong to us as much as possible. Lin Zihao accentuated his tone.

"Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, by doing so, your country is completely tearing up the original treaty and doing so is not in accordance with international practice. The British Empire would never allow its interests to be compromised in this way. Sir Bonham said stiffly.

"If this is the final reply of the British government, then I can only express regret. In order to recover Hong Kong, the empire will take all necessary means. Lin Zihao's tone was cold.

"A qiē necessary means? Does it also include war? Sir Bonham smiled.

"Yes, Your Excellency. If necessary, we will not hesitate to resort to the means of war to recover Hong Kong! Lin Zihao said firmly.

"Your Excellency, is this a threat of war from your country to the British Empire?" Sir Bonham still refused to back down.

"The Empire did not want to go to war with England. But we have to reclaim Hong Kong. If Britain wants to use this to start a war with the Empire, then the Empire will not hesitate to fight! Lin Zihao's attitude is very resolute.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the office froze a little. Whether it is Lin Zihao or Sir Wen Xian, his face is not very good-looking. It's just that, for the sake of their respective countries, neither of them will back down.

"Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, I will report back to China. However, I don't think the Cabinet will back down. Sir Bonham said.

"Your Excellency, I hope that your country will give us an answer as much as possible. What do you think of three days? Lin Zihao asked.

Sir Bonham nodded, then took his leave.

After leaving the Imperial Foreign Office, Sir Bonham did not return to the Embassy, but rushed to Hong Kong. Thanks to the large-scale transportation construction of the empire, from Guangzhou to Kowloon, there is a wide cement road all the way, even if it is only a few hours to go by horse-drawn carriage.

In the evening of the same day, Sir Bonham had already appeared at the Governor's Palace of Hong Kong and met with Sir Davis, the Governor of Hong Kong.

"Your Excellency, you are in such a hurry to come to Hong Kong, has something happened?" Sir Davis asked hurriedly.

"Your Excellency the Governor-General, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empire of China, has made it official today, and they have asked us to return Hong Kong to them, and they need to give an answer within three days. Otherwise, they will use force to recover Hong Kong. Sir Bonham said.

"What? How is this possible? The army and navy of the British Empire in Hong Kong were only more than 5,000 people. There were only a few old warships and two infantry regiments. If there is a war, we will be quickly killed by the Chinese* army. Sir Davis was shocked. Hong Kong is right under the nose of the Chinese Empire, completely under the military siege of the Chinese Empire. If war breaks out, the troops deployed in Hong Kong will not be able to withstand the Chinese* army at all. Moreover, even if Britain wants to rescue, the nearest troops are India. It will take at least half a month to rush from India to Hong Kong. During this period, it is necessary to break through the interception of the Chinese Navy. It can be said that once the war starts, Britain will definitely lose.

"Your Excellency, I have told the country about the situation. I'm here to inform you that I hope you will be able to prepare right away. If the cabinet rejects the Chinese's terms, I think war is about to break out. "Sir Bonham was a little negative. Sir Davis's point of view, and his point of view. If the Chinese really want to recover Hong Kong by force, they will not be able to hold it at all.

"Your Excellency, I will order the British* troops in Hong Kong to be put into combat readiness. However, you don't have to hope for anything at all. In the event of a war, we are no match for the Chinese at all. The Chinese Navy has several powerful warships deployed around Hong Kong all year round, and our old sail warships are no match for them at all. In addition, the Chinese also deployed a heavy artillery position in Kowloon, and the whole of Hong Kong was almost within the range of the other side. Once the Chinese land in Hong Kong, there is nothing we can do to stop it. Sir Davis was a little desperate.

Sir Bonham nodded, and now, he had to do his best to obey the fate of heaven.

If the British Cabinet can communicate well with the Chinese Imperial Government, it may be possible to defuse this crisis. However, this time the Chinese Empire was resolute, and there were only two ways before the British government, either to return Hong Kong to the Chinese Empire, or to go to war. However, no matter which path you choose, the fall of Hong Kong is already a foregone conclusion.

When Sir Bonham's telegram was sent back to London, it was still 3 a.m. London time. The duty officer of the British Foreign Office was also shocked when he received the telegram. The Chinese Empire actually wanted to recover Hong Kong at this time, and also issued a threat of force. If this matter is not properly resolved, then war is very likely to break out. Although, the British did not want to defeat the Chinese Empire all the time, and they were ashamed. However, without the certainty of victory, they did not dare to act rashly.

The officer on duty in the British Foreign Office immediately sent the telegram to the British Foreign Secretary, the Earl of Granville. The Earl of Granville, who was too lazy to be woken up, also had a headache after reading the contents of the telegram. (To be continued......)