XXXVI. Monopoly of the Congo (1)
Wu Zhirou said with a smile, "I heard that Western women are quite independent, if you can marry an ambassador in the future and go to Western countries to see the market, this is much better than nesting in the Jingshi." Pen, fun, pavilion www. biqugeγ infoβ
Jingfen nodded, "That's why I really envy you, I have never had such an idea," she stood against the railing, the wind blew the placket of her clothes, and under the hot sun, Jingfen's skin looked particularly white and greasy, "I just hope that you are as open-minded as you." β
The two of them talked about it, wore flowers and willows, and arrived at a pavilion, Wu Zhirou's eyes were sharp, and he saw a eunuch hurriedly entering the "Reflecting Water Orchid", and after a while, the emperor and a group of waiting eunuchs also hurried out of here, sat in a sedan chair, and walked towards the south, "What's the matter?" Could it be that something is wrong? β
"It's probably a matter of government affairs."
Emperor Guangxu was invited by the Empress Dowager Cixi to the Qinzheng Palace, and when he arrived in the Dongnuan Pavilion of the Qinzheng Palace, the ministers of military aircraft had already arrived, and the Queen Mother sat behind the imperial case, and the emperor asked for peace, and the Queen Mother nodded, "The emperor is here?" Sit down, I'm going to discuss the matter of Berlin today, Guo Zhongtang, you can talk about it. β
The emperor sat on the chair of ivory antlers and pineapple flowers and trees on the edge of the imperial case, and the Qinzheng Hall of the Old Summer Palace was different from other places, there was no towering Dan Majesty, but a three-inch platform with a radius of ten square meters was stacked high with gold bricks, and it was quite empty. Emperor Guangxu sat down, Guo Songtao turned around and bowed slightly to the emperor, "Zeng Jize sent a telegram, and all countries have agreed that the area around the Congo River will be governed and governed by the Great Qing State. β
Guo Songtao's words were very soft, but when he heard the ears of Emperor Guangxu, it was as deafening as Hong Zhong Dalu, his body shook, and he glanced at Guo Songtao in disbelief, "Is this true?" Then he quickly came to his senses, and looked at the Empress Dowager Cixi apologetically, the political affairs in the Qinzheng Palace would never be joking at any time, "Tell me about the specifics." β
"Yes, this trip to Berlin, the Queen Mother means to take advantage of this opportunity to formally determine the international status of our Qing Dynasty, and to achieve many interests in the international arena that match the national strength, Africa is naturally the most critical place this time, and it is also the key point that the Prime Minister's Yamen must break through here, so it is by no means to do anything to watch from the wall, this point, most foreigners are thinking left," Guo Songtao's face was full of red light, he was very satisfied with the diplomatic process this time, and he was also very proud," The pressure of the British was indeed there, especially after the Beiyang Naval Division put forward a plan not to continue to purchase warships within three years, the British foreign secretary did express a very strong dissatisfaction with Zeng Jize, and used this opportunity in exchange for the Qing Dynasty's support for the British plan, which refers to the Congo River basin to belong to Portugal. If it was before, it would be just that, after all, we can't go to Africa yet. β
"Now it's different," the Queen Mother casually flicked her armor, "The British have a headache about Germany's rise in Europe, and the Germans say that in order for the world to adapt to Germany's strength, this is not wrong to put it on us, this time to the Berlin Conference," the Queen Mother turned her head and smiled at Emperor Guangxu, "It is true that I went with a mission, not a tour of the mountains and rivers." β
She motioned for Guo Songtao to continue, "The British have oppressed us, so we must join forces with other countries to fight against the British, Europe is the territory of the British, and we are outsiders, so after carefully studying the situation of each country after arriving in Berlin, we will first take advantage of this opportunity to reduce the contract for the purchase of warships to communicate with the German Emperor and the Foreign Secretary, and ask them to agree to the plan proposed by our Qing Dynasty. Germany has no opinion on the international diplomatic system dominated by the British, otherwise they would not have been able to convene this Berlin conference, their only concern is France, the relationship between Germany and France can be said to have been bad for more than a hundred years, especially the Franco-Prussian War thirty years ago The relationship between the two countries was reduced to a freezing point, this time Germany by leveraging the dominant position of Britain, to meet the French claim, which was originally a very rare thing, Moreover, they are regarded by the whole German population as a gesture that can be done without paying any price, and they will not suddenly abandon France's proposition, which is not conducive to the stability of the European continent, and even if the relationship between China and Germany is close, they will not do such a thing for us. β
"So, what do you mean, Zhongtang, have you already made sense of the French?" Emperor Guangxu thought about it, indeed, if you want Germany to help you, the premise is to convince the French, "But isn't it true that our Qing Dynasty and France have never had a good relationship?" After all, the French had just suffered a defeat six years ago, and French Prime Minister Baptiste also expressed his dissatisfaction with Zeng Jize at the Berlin Conference. β
Guo Songtao raised his head and glanced at the smiling Empress Dowager Cixi, "In addition to the obvious side of diplomacy, there is another communication channel secretly. After this communication, the French were willing to give up their own claims to the Congo River basin in order to provide a part of the tariffs and trade in goods that we would provide. β
Guo Songtao said it lightly, but who here does not know how much effort has been spent on this underground communication and coordination, and how many years of communication channels have been paved, so that it is possible to quickly affect a country's national foreign policy in a short period of time, you must know that the head of state is not a child, if it is not a major change, it is impossible to easily change the country's position on a diplomatic occasion, not to mention that here Baptiste is personal, and the weight of his words is not comparable to the level of the foreign minister.
"The French are also down the slope," the Queen Mother said, "they know very well that if the British insist on it, it is impossible for them to resist the will of the British, and there can only be a struggle between Britain and France that can be controlled within a certain range, that is, the meaning of brothers quarreling without separation, the French have relied on British aid to curb the rise of Germany before they made a comeback, and it is impossible for them to break away from Britain, but they have to express their dissatisfaction, so this plan to support us is also a logical thing." β
"Yes, besides, Russians only need money, which is simple," Guo Songtao said, "They have no interest in Africa, and in Kashmir, we have helped Russia, and they are willing to help us." (To be continued.) )