"Your Excellency, if we don't return Xiangjiang to the Chinese Empire, will they go to war with the British Empire because of this?" David Lloyd George said. From this sentence, it is revealed that Britain wants to repay its debts and does not want to talk about the return of Xiangjiang to China.

Arthur Balfour shook his head: "We are afraid of war, and the Chinese also do not want to fight." The current Chinese Empire is in the midst of rapid development. If there is a war, it will not do them any good. Of course, whether or not a war will be ignited depends not only on the Chinese Empire, but also on us. If the Chinese Empire uses force to regain Xiangjiang, what should we do? Is it to declare war directly on them, but to send troops to take Xiangjiang back? ”

David Lloyd George couldn't help but be stunned, whether it was a direct declaration of war or an undeclared war, and directly sent troops to recapture Xiangjiang, it was impossible. First of all, the British people, who had just come out of World War I, would never agree to go to war with another world power at this time. Secondly, if you send an army to recapture Xiangjiang, what is the difference between that and sending it to death? Because of its geographical location, the Chinese Empire could easily send troops into Xiangjiang. Britain, on the other hand, needed to send fleets to rush thousands of miles. When the time comes, what will be the result? I'm afraid, only those who deliver food to the Chinese Empire! If the British fleet is defeated again, or if the losses are heavy, the angry people will surely kill him out of the Prime Minister's House in Downing Street.

"Is there no other way for us to be able to hold the Xiangjiang?" David Lloyd George said with some reluctance.

He now increasingly believes that Prime Minister Asquith's cabinet agreed to make the return of Hong Kong a condition for the Chinese Empire to enter the war, which was too hasty. The Chinese Empire had already reaped a huge advantage in the war. As a result, Britain paid so much to get the Chinese Empire to agree to join the war, which was really too great a loss. Even without the entry of the Chinese Empire, the Allies would have won the war when the United States joined the war. So. The Chinese completely picked up a bargain and got the maximum benefit at the minimum cost.

However, David Lloyd George does not seem to realize that the Chinese Empire would not have survived the difficult year had it not been for the decisive entry into the war and the sending of hundreds of thousands of expeditionary forces to fight in Europe. The Americans would not have agreed to join the war so easily.

These. David Lloyd George could not see it, he only saw that British interests were harmed, and the Chinese Empire took advantage of it.

Arthur Balfour was silent, he sensed what David Lloyd George meant. To be honest, he was also a little unwilling in his heart.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, we may be able to take some measures, but if the Chinese Empire has made up its mind, it is estimated that there is still no way to do it in the end. After all. We can't really go to war with the Chinese Empire. Of course, if the Chinese Empire's resolve is not strong enough, we may still have a chance. Arthur Balfour said.

David Lloyd George nodded: "Not going to war with the Chinese Empire, this is naturally a premise. However, we must not let the Chinese take back Xiangjiang so easily. ”

"Well, Your Excellency, we can ask Sir Stubbs to think of a way if the inhabitants of Heung are strongly opposed to the return to the Chinese Empire. Then we may be able to use this as an excuse to delay further. Even. The League of Nations can be allowed to come forward. Arthur Balfour said.

"That's a good idea, give it a try." David Lloyd George couldn't help but have a light in his eyes.

"Then, I will send a telegram to Sir Stubb at once." Arthur Balfour said. Now that the situation is urgent, there is no time to waste.

Sir Stubb, the Governor of the British Empire in Hong Kong, was also a very capable man. He is only forty-four years old, which can be regarded as young and strong. After a long period of service in Whitehall, he was rarely transferred to the colonial government of Ceylon, where he rose to the rank of Governor within a very short time. In particular, the position of the Governor of Xiangjiang was among so many colonial governors in Britain. It's a very important one.

Sir Stubbs was also a strong opponent of the return of Heung Chiang to China, and he managed to sit in this position with great difficulty, so what would he do if the Chinese Empire took back Heung Chiang? It was not so easy to find a suitable position in the British colonial department.

After Sir Jurdian had concluded his meeting with the Imperial Foreign Minister, Tang Shaoyi, he also sent him a telegram. In the telegram, Sir Zhu Erdian spoke of the hard-line attitude of the Chinese Empire, and also pessimistically believed that it was unrealistic for Britain to continue to occupy Xiangjiang. This made Sir Stubb's heart very panicked, and he hated the Chinese Empire even more. He finally became the governor of Xiangjiang, and originally hoped to be able to spend some time in this position before moving on to more important positions. For example, the Governor General of New Zealand, the Governor General of South Africa, the Governor General of Australia, or the Governor General of Canada. As for the Viceroy of India, he did not dare to be delusional for the time being. India was the most important British colony, and the Viceroy of India was the most high-ranking of all British colonial governors. Successive governors of India have been held by high-ranking and powerful people, either high-ranking generals in the military or outgoing cabinet ministers. However, Sir Stubbs believed that if he continued to climb the ladder, he would one day have the opportunity to sit in the position of Viceroy of India, and even climb to a higher position. Therefore, in order to prevent the return of Xiangjiang to the Chinese Empire, he is also secretly preparing.

When Sir Stubbs received Arthur Balfour's telegram, a look of determination flashed in his eyes.

"Henry, let's get our men moving. However, we must not allow the Chinese to grasp our handle. Sir Stubbs said to the secretary.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Governor." The secretary nodded, and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes. As Sir Stubb's secretary, he was undoubtedly Stubb's confidant. Situ had promised him that if he could keep Xiangjiang, then he would appoint him as a senior official in the tax or police departments. It's much better than being a secretary to Stubb.

The Chinese Empire was negotiating with the British to take back Xiangjiang, a matter that was already well known in Xiangjiang. In fact, Hong Kong has been occupied by the British for decades. But ties with Chinese mainland have never been severed. Many of the materials needed for the daily life of the people of Xiangjiang are purchased from Chinese mainland. What's more, after China's rapid economic development in recent years, Xiangjiang has also entered a new round of development.

Ordinary Chinese in Xiangjiang actually do not live very well. The British colonizers, as well as those foreign immigrants, bullied them a lot. In addition, those two devils who took refuge in the British made their lives even more difficult. Among the Chinese, there has never been a shortage of leading parties. Maybe it's because the forest is big and there are all kinds of birds.

The Chinese in Xiangjiang have long looked forward to returning to the Chinese Empire. Today's China is not a decadent and backward Manchu government, but one of the world's four great powers. This makes the hearts of Xiangjiang people full of pride. They are now British citizens, but in their bones, they are still descendants of dragons.

On April 4, 4618 (20) of the Yellow Emperor Era, rumors circulated in the Xiangjiang market that negotiations between the Chinese Empire and the British had broken down, and that the Chinese Empire was about to send troops to recover Xiangjiang by force. Suddenly, the entire Xiangjiang people panicked. As long as it is human, it is definitely not willing to be affected by the flames of war.

Various companies and factories controlled by the British and foreigners took advantage of the opportunity to make waves. They wantonly exorbited high prices, fired Chinese employees, and looked like they were about to run away, causing great chaos in the social order of Xiangjiang in a very short period of time. However, the British colonial government in Xiangjiang did not care about this, and further sat back and watched Xiangjiang go into chaos.

On April 6, a ******** campaign initiated by thousands of two devils who had taken refuge in the British was launched to petition the Chinese Empire to abandon Xiangjiang. They bewitched people who did not know the truth and demanded their signatures. They claimed that as long as everyone signed and expressed their attitude, the Chinese Empire would not take back Xiangjiang. The social order in Hong Kong will be guaranteed, and everyone's life will be affected.

Although, many Xiangjiang people are patriotic. However, they are now forced by life, and at the same time they are bewitched by those two devils, so they sign in a daze. As a result, in a very short period of time, the number of people who jointly opposed the Chinese Empire's recovery of Xiangjiang exceeded tens of thousands. You must know that the total population of Xiangjiang at this moment is only 600,000.

The British also jumped out at this time, and on the one hand, the British expressed serious concern about the current chaos in Xiangjiang, and on the other hand, they suggested that the mainstream name of Xiangjiang was unwilling to return to the Chinese Empire. Therefore, for the sake of the prosperity and development of Xiangjiang, it is hoped that the Chinese Empire will reconsider the issue of recovering Xiangjiang.

In addition, the League of Nations also said that they have received many complaints from Xiangjiang people, hoping to maintain the current situation in Xiangjiang and not return to the Chinese Empire. Of course, fools know that the current League of Nations is clearly controlled by the British and French, and they will naturally speak for themselves.

The chaos in Xiangjiang has made the whole situation confusing. Not only is there great international concern about what the Chinese Empire will choose, but at the same time, the people at home are worried that the Chinese Empire will go to war with Britain because of this. The world war has just ended, and many ordinary people in China also hope to live a stable life.

For a time, the Chinese empire seemed to have fallen into passivity. (To be continued.) )

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