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Hong Kong is too close to Guangzhou, and its importance as the current temporary capital of the empire is self-evident. Although, it is unlikely that the British will attack Guangzhou directly from Hong Kong, and they do not have this ability. The British, however, were able to use Hong Kong to do things that endangered the security of the empire, such as using Hong Kong as a headquarters for intelligence agents. If Hong Kong can be recovered, it will be very good.

"Your Excellency, Hong Kong is too small, and for Britain, it is nothing more than a piece of chicken ribs. Moreover, it is not cost-effective to affect the relationship between our two countries because of Hong Kong. If the UK agrees, we can fund the redemption of Hong Kong. In this way, it will be of great benefit to both of our countries. Lin Zihao said. The redemption of Hong Kong by capital is a method that the Cabinet has come up with after deliberation. As long as the British's asking price is not too outrageous, the Chinese side is acceptable. It's just that the Imperial Cabinet did not dare to guarantee whether the British would agree.

"Redeem Hong Kong?" Sir Bonham pondered. Although Hong Kong does not have much economic value, its importance is self-evident. It is precisely because of this that Chinese attach so much importance to Hong Kong. If you can agree with the Chinese to redeem Hong Kong, then. There will be one less contradiction between the Chinese Empire and Britain, which is essential for maintaining relations between the two countries. is very effective. But Sir Bonham did not believe that Britain and the Chinese Empire could coexist peacefully, and it was foreseeable that a major war would break out between the two countries in the near future.

"Yes, Your Excellency, we are very sincere in our desire to resolve the differences between our two countries." Lin Zihao said.

"Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary. I wonder how much your country is going to spend to redeem Hong Kong? Sir Bonham was more interested in this approach.

"Your Excellency, the Empire is ready to redeem Hong Kong with one million Chinese dollars. Hong Kong is nothing more than a barren island. There are not many resources, and the price of a million Chinese dollars is already very high. Lin Zihao said.

Sir Bonham nodded, a million dollars. If you convert it to pounds sterling. That's £250,000. Buying an island for two hundred and fifty thousand pounds is already a very high price in this day and age. However, Hong Kong's position is too important, and Sir Bonham does not know whether the Cabinet will agree to the Chinese side's proposal.

"Well, Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, I will convey this mention to the country. However, the Cabinet will not agree. I don't know. It's not something I can decide. Sir Bonham said.

"Of course. I am confident that your Government will make a wise choice. Lin Zihao said. On the issue of Hong Kong, the empire has made big concessions and is willing to redeem Hong Kong with money. You must know that the generals of the military are extremely opposed to this method. In their opinion, the empire's army can capture Hong Kong lightly, and there is no need to spend so much money to redeem Hong Kong. It's just that Emperor Long Yufei finally made a decision and thought that he could try it. One million Chinese dollars is not much for the current empire. The money from Japan alone was enough for the empire's expenses in recent years. It would be nice if Hong Kong could be recovered peacefully. Next, it depends on whether the British know each other or not.

After leaving the Imperial Chinese Foreign Office, Sir Bonham hurried back to the Legation. As soon as he entered the legation, Sir Davis, the Governor of Hong Kong, won the prize, and when Governor Bonham met with the Foreign Minister of the Chinese Empire, Lin Zihao, he was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"Your Excellency, how is the situation? What is the attitude of the Chinese? Sir Davis asked.

"Your Excellency the Governor, it seems that the Chinese now have no intention of recovering Hong Kong by force, and they have proposed a compromise solution, intending to redeem Hong Kong for two hundred and fifty thousand pounds." Sir Bonham said.

"Redeem Hong Kong with £250,000? That's a good idea. In my opinion, it is completely doable! Sir Davis's eyes lit up. Although he was the British Governor of Hong Kong, Hong Kong used to be just a small fishing village, and now after it belongs to the British, the British have only built barracks and docks in Hong Kong, and it is completely barren land. Coming to Hong Kong is not a good job. If the Chinese redeem Hong Kong, then he will be able to transfer back to Britain. Therefore, Sir Davis was strongly in favor of this mention.

"Your Excellency, I am personally inclined to accede to the demands of the Chinese. But, you know, it has to be agreed to by the guys in the country. I'll do my best to report back to the country. However, I can't guarantee whether they will be able to agree in the end. Sir Bonham said.

Sir Bonham sent a long telegram to London that afternoon, in which he described the Chinese offer and the benefits of acceding to the Chinese's demands. and, his personal views with the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Davis, and so on.

British Foreign Secretary Henry. Upon receipt of the telegram, Viscount Temple immediately sent a telegram to the Prime Minister, John Tempel. Sir Russell made a presentation. John. Sir Russell took this issue very seriously and immediately instructed a Cabinet meeting to be convened. Soon, senior cabinet officials, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for the Army, and the Secretary of State for the Navy, gathered in the presence of Prime Minister John Murphy. Inside Sir Russell's office.

"Gentlemen, after recovering Macau, the Chinese have set their sights on Hong Kong. They want to reclaim Hong Kong. However, this time the Chinese did not want to use force again, but to redeem Hong Kong from us by way of redemption to Tongguò. They are ready to pay £250,000 to redeem Hong Kong from us. What do you think? Should we accede to the demands of the Chinese? "John. Sir Russell said.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds? Although the price is not low, it is not of much use to us. "Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles. Sir Wood said. Britain's revenues last year amounted to £58 million, and with the wealth plundered from the colonies, Britain is now very rich. Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds, it is true that they did not take it seriously.

"But we need to see the determination of the Chinese to recover Hong Kong." The Chinese have already recovered Macau by force, and if we reject them, they may send troops to capture Hong Kong as they did with Portugal. With our garrison in Hong Kong, it is simply impossible to resist the attack of the Chinese. Therefore, I agreed to China's request. "Foreign Secretary Henry. Viscount Temple said.

"Your Excellency, although we do not have many troops stationed in Hong Kong, if the Chinese dare to send troops to land in Hong Kong, it will be a declaration of war against the British Empire. We are not going to be like the Portuguese, who will not declare no war. The Chinese will definitely take these factors into account. They will not rashly launch an attack on Hong Kong. "Secretary of War Thomas. Sir Grosvenor said.

"But even if the Chinese really send troops to occupy Hong Kong, we can't take it back, can we?" Henry. Viscount Temple said. The current British Empire still has no complete certainty of defeating the Chinese Empire, especially when war breaks out in the Far East. If they suffer a crushing defeat like the last time, then their current cabinet will be ousted like the previous one.

Secretary of War Thomas. Sir Grosvenor's face turned a little red, and Henry. Viscount Temple was telling the truth. Now that the British Empire is not yet sure of defeating the Chinese Empire, if China really uses force to recover Hong Kong, then they really have no choice, at most, like the Portuguese, to declare no war on the Chinese Empire.

"Sir Parker, what is your opinion?" Prime Minister of the Cabinet, John. Sir Russell asked.

"Your Excellency, Hong Kong is barren, but its geographical location is very important. Victoria Bay, is a good harbor for large warships. More importantly, it is too close to Guangzhou to pose a direct threat to Guangzhou, and it is a bridgehead for us to march into China. I think we need to make sure that Hong Kong is under our control, no matter what it costs, and that is not something that money can buy! "Admiral William. Sir Parker said.

Prime Minister John. Sir Russell nodded, he was of course very aware of the importance of Hong Kong. The occupation of Hong Kong would allow Britain to unfold a series of plans for China. If there is no Hong Kong, the closest bases to China are in India, which is very inconvenient.

"But, gentlemen, what should we do if the Chinese continue to take tough measures, even at the cost of taking Hong Kong by force?" John. Sir Russell asked. Without a doubt, this is the most difficult question for him. The military superiority of the Chinese Empire in the Far East was so obvious that it would be difficult for Britain to take advantage of China if it captured Hong Kong by force.

"Your Excellency, we can use other ways to deal with the Chinese, for example, completely cut off the communication between the Chinese and the West. Many of China's products, whether industrial or agricultural, are shipped to Europe for sale. Once we cut off their trade routes, it will have a great impact on the Chinese Empire. "Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles. Sir Wood built yì road.

John. Sir Russell's eyes lit up, which was a very good idea, but if he did, I am afraid that it would lead to a full-scale war with China. Britain is not ready for that right now.

"Your Excellency, this is just a measure for us to counter the Chinese. I think the Chinese should not completely tear their faces with us! "It was as if I saw that John. What was Sir Russell worried about, Lord of the Admiralty William. Sir Parker explained. (To be continued......)