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When Imperial Foreign Minister Lin Zihao participated in the four-party talks, he did not choose to live in a luxurious suite in the Governor's Palace prepared by the British, but chose to live in the representative office of the Empire in Hong Kong. A stand-alone courtyard in Victoria Bay. A few kilometers from here, a 'Shang-class' cruiser of the Imperial Navy's 1st Fleet cruised on the sea, and in the event of an attack on the representative office, this battleship would rush to the rescue. Big people, Hong Kong Island is under the nose of the Chinese Empire, even if they lend a few dares to the British, the British will not dare to mess around. After all, if the representative office of the Chinese Empire was attacked, the British would not be able to hold Hong Kong Island at all once the Chinese Empire sent troops.

On the evening of December 19, 1846, Sir Davis, Governor General of Hong Kong, and Sir Bonham, British Minister to China, visited the representative office of the Chinese Empire in Hong Kong. They had come to negotiate with the Foreign Secretary of the Chinese Empire on the present situation in the Far East. After all, the situation in the Far East was about to change, and the British had to find a way to ensure that British interests were not harmed. In particular, the British government guarantees, the 20 million pounds lent by the British banks to the Manchu government, and the status of Hong Kong, etc. All of this requires the promise of the Chinese Empire. The British would never resort to force against the Chinese Empire unless absolutely necessary. After all, they are not sure of victory. In the event of a war. I'm afraid I'll lose more, and I can only solve it through negotiations.

"Welcome, two sirs. The view of Victoria Bay at sunset is really good! "On the beach in Victoria Bay. Mr Lam met with Sir David Davis, Governor of Hong Kong, and Sir Bonham, British Minister to China.

"Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, the view of Victoria Bay is indeed good, if you like, I can present you with a villa in Victoria Bay on behalf of the British Government!" Sir Davis, Governor of Hong Kong, said with a smile.

"Haha, forget it. I don't want to go to the ICAC for tea! Lin Zihao smiled and shook his head. The ICAC is an anti-corruption agency that only deals with Emperor Long Yufei, and since its establishment, it has arrested many corrupt officials. In the officialdom of the Chinese Empire. There is a great deterrent. Lin Zihao's family was one of the big Chinese families in Zamboanga. When the Chinese Empire was first founded, it had already taken refuge in the Chinese Empire. Over the years, it has developed into one of the largest consortia in the Chinese Empire. As the most important member of the Lin family, if Lin Zihao wants wealth, it is not simple, right? He didn't want to ruin his future because of a villa. After all. In the case of the imminent expiration of the term of office of Prime Minister Li Decheng. He is undoubtedly one of the most favorable contenders for Prime Minister!

"That's a shame. However, Guangzhou is not far from Hong Kong, and His Excellency the Foreign Secretary can come at any time. Sir Davis said.

Lin Zihao smiled and nodded, but his heart was full of disdain, this will soon be the territory of the Chinese Empire, and he can come whenever he wants. However, after the unification of China. The empire should move its capital. Although I don't know where Long Yufei will move the capital of the empire, but. Certainly not in southern China. If you want to come to Hong Kong at that time, it will not be so easy.

"Sir Boy, what are you here for tonight?" Lin Zihao asked straight to the point.

"Your Excellency, there is no doubt that the Chinese Empire is about to win this war. On behalf of the British Empire, I congratulate you in advance! Sir Bonham, British Minister to China, said.

"Thank you! Still, our enemies are strong. His Majesty issued an edict calling for the destruction of Russia. For this reason, we are afraid that we will have to wage a long war with Russia. Maybe it will last for a hundred years! Lin Zihao said.

Sir Davis and Sir Bonham both laughed, and if the Chinese Empire really had to fight Russia for a hundred years, it would be better. In this case, the power of the Chinese Empire would be limited to the mainland. Britain will secure its position as the supremacy of the seas. This is very beneficial for the UK. Of course, it would be even better if Russia could destroy the Chinese Empire.

"Your Excellency, you have come this time to talk about the 20 million pounds owed by the Qing government to Britain, which, with interest, is 22 million pounds. If the Chinese Empire fell to the Manchus, how would they be prepared to repay this debt? Sir Davis, Governor of Hong Kong, asked.

"Sir Davis, are you kidding? The Manchu government borrowed money from you, but it wants us to repay it, there is no reason for this! What's more, the Manchu government still uses the arms purchased with this money to confront us, which makes it even more impossible for us to pay it back! Lin Zihao asked in surprise. He really didn't expect that the British would have such an idea, which is really speechless!

"Your Excellency, Foreign Minister, once the Qing State is destroyed by the Chinese Empire, then the Qing State will cease to exist. Shouldn't the Chinese Empire, which inherited the Qing Dynasty, repay this debt? Isn't there an old saying in China that the father pays off the debt? Sir Bonham asked.

"Haha, Sir Bonham, you seem to have been paid, the Chinese Empire did not inherit the Manchu Qing, we want to overthrow the Manchu Qing and restore the Han people! In addition, the repayment of the father's debt to the son has nothing to do with the Chinese Empire. The Manchus were not the Lao Tzu of the Chinese Empire. This wishful thinking of yours is a big mistake. The Chinese Empire would never repay the debts owed by the Manchus. Lin Zihao said resolutely. Just kidding, that's 20 million pounds, and another 2 million pounds if you include interest. The Chinese Empire has already spent a lot of money for this war, how can it be possible to pay off the debts of the Manchus again, the British are completely looking for the wrong person.

"Your Excellency, in this case, the interests of the British Empire will be seriously damaged. If the Chinese Empire was willing to take on this debt, Britain would have acquiesced in the destruction of the Chinese Empire. Otherwise, the British Empire will take certain actions to defend our interests! Sir Bonham said. The threat in the words is very strong.

"What? Sir Bonham, are you threatening us? If we do not promise to repay the money, will Britain continue to support the Manchus, or will they go to war against us directly. Don't forget, in the original "Sino-British Memorandum on the Burma Conflict", there was a special clause that stipulated that Britain must not continue to support the Manchus! Besides, if Britain were to go to war directly against the Empire, we would have to fight! Lin Zihao said. In the face of Sir Bonham's threat, he was not timid. Not to mention the war against the Chinese Empire now, even if Britain started a war against the Empire at the beginning of the war, the Chinese Empire would not be afraid. Now that the situation of the war is clear, the Chinese Empire has achieved a decisive advantage in the war. If Britain wanted to intervene in the war at this time, it had to be prepared to pay a heavy price.

"Your Excellency, is the Chinese Empire capable of dealing with both the British Empire and Russia at the same time? Although you have now gained an advantage, there is a high risk that this advantage will be lost! Sir Davis, Governor of Hong Kong, said.

"Yes, I do not deny that for the sake of this war, the vast majority of the Empire's military strength was invested in the war. However, you don't have to forget that the Imperial Navy has always been a bystander in this war. With the strength of the Imperial Navy, it is absolutely certain that the interests of the Empire will be guaranteed. By the way, I forgot to tell you that His Majesty the Emperor has issued a new round of mobilization order. We will re-enlist the army of 200,000. This is just the first batch. If that wasn't enough, we can continue to call up troops. No problem with how much! Lin Zihao said.

After Sir Davis and Sir Bonham heard this, they couldn't help but feel a little numb in their scalps, and the Chinese Empire actually recruited another 200,000 troops. With these 200,000 troops, even if Britain declares war on the Chinese Empire, it will not play a big role. The Chinese Empire's formidable demographic superiority allowed them to raise more armies with impunity. What's more, the Chinese Empire also had a navy that was not inferior to the British. If Britain wanted to enter the war, it had to defeat the Chinese Empire first. The Royal Navy has tried this before, and even now, they should not be sure of victory!

"Your Excellency, you have misunderstood. The British Empire has no intention of going to war against the Chinese Empire, we are a peaceful country, so naturally we will not do this kind of robbery, we just want to protect the interests of the British Empire as much as possible. Sir Bonham said hurriedly. If he had previously planned to use military threats to make the Chinese Empire make concessions, after learning that the Chinese Empire had once again expanded its army, this idea had been completely extinguished, and the population of the Chinese Empire was several times that of the British, and after the unification of China, it would expand to more than ten times. Coupled with the industrial strength of the Chinese Empire, it would be very difficult for Britain to defeat the Chinese Empire.

"In that case, it's the best!" Lin Zihao said with a smile. These Brits want to pick up the bargain, that's simply delusional.

Sir Davis and Sir Bonham soon left, but they were worried. The Chinese Empire showed a tough attitude, and it would be very difficult for Britain to protect its interests. Not only will the 20 million pounds loan not be recovered, but even Hong Kong Island is estimated to be difficult to keep. However, whether the British had any other way, even if they went to war against the Chinese Empire, it would be a lose-lose result at most, which was really very difficult for them. (To be continued......)