After chatting for a while about the topic of the princess of the United States, Xin Changjun turned the topic to the Marquis of Winchester, and he said carefully; "Yuan Ding, the goodwill released by our side, presumably the mediation team can clearly feel it, and other people don't need to think about it, but how to operate the matter of Mr. Marquis Winchester still needs to be considered."

He was referring to the £20,000 thing, and the other party would definitely not be able to take it.

"This is easy to do, doesn't he have an ancient castle, if you are willing to own shares, you can use the castle mortgage, I believe that the bank will give a preferential interest rate, or sell it directly, so that you can save a lot of interest expenses."

Li Fushou replied very easily, he leaned back leisurely on the palace-style sofa seat, suddenly thought of something, and continued with a smile; "If the Marquis of Winchester feels that he can't get over his face, we can sign a secret agreement to help him keep the matter of selling the castle confidential, and we can buy it back first when the funds are sufficient, after all, the down-and-out nobles are left with the last shred of dignity."

Xin Changjun thought about it seriously and said approvingly; "Yuan Ding, your opinion is very operational, so that we can always hold the little tail of Mr. Marquis Winchester, after all, once this secret agreement is exposed, it can be said that it will be a loss of face, which is unacceptable to him no matter what."

"Huh...... The man is poor and short-minded, the horse is thin and long-haired, he will accept it, the southerners are not as generous as us. ”

"Seriously, £20,000 is a good deal to buy a large historic castle building, but if it is completely renovated, I am afraid £20,000 is not enough."

"It's good to put it there, no one will live in it, and there is no need to repair it, after all, it is an ancient castle in the West End of London, and this location is very valuable."

Speaking of which

Li Fushou's words turned sharply, and he woke up with a deep meaning; "With the castle of constant huge expenses on one side and a steady income of £2,000 a year on the other, Mr. Marquis Winchester has no choice, if he is not stupid, knows what to do."

"Okay, just do what you want."

Xin Changjun understood that Lord Earl was a poison wrapped in sugar-coated shells, and Mr. Marquis Winchester wanted to eat it if he didn't want to.

For a down-and-out British aristocrat, maintaining the glory and dignity of the former family was the only dignity left, and they could even die for it.

If the secret agreement can be signed, this decision will not be difficult to make.

As long as you get a stake in the British joint venture sales company of FLM Gas, a stable income of £2,000 a year is extremely tempting, and together with the income of Mr. Marquis Winchester of more than £700 a year, you can maintain a decent upper-class aristocratic life.

And then one step further

With money in hand, Mr. Marquis Winchester could seek a more lucrative and decent position, such as the high-ranking position in the Viceroy of India, and it is self-evident how to operate it.

Mr. Marquis Winchester is 34 years old this year, and he is still unmarried, if he is willing to let go of the last trace of insistence in his heart, I believe that there are a large number of wealthy American businessmen who are willing to marry their daughters to him, and bring a rich dowry, and quickly change the current state of decline.

But in doing so, it will also be despised by the aristocratic circles of London, England, which is where Mr. Marquess Winchester struggles with.

England has a long history of dowry system, and there are ancient and plausible explanations for its existence;

Marriage is not a private union for the purpose of satisfying the psychological and physical needs of an individual, but an institution that ensures the perpetuation of noble families and property.

Between 1475 and 1725, the dowry of the English nobility soared from an average of £600 to more than £10,000.

Between 1725 and 1875, the figure grew again to more than £65,000, and in aristocratic marriages, it would be ridiculed for not having a rich dowry.

Aristocratic marriages focus on status, age and wealth matching, and the most important factor in this consideration is wealth, after all, no one can ignore the fact that there is not enough wealth to maintain a decent aristocratic life.

Mr. Marquis Winchester is a poor man, and in spite of his personable demeanor and eloquent speech, he is of little use.

Everyone knows that they don't want to step on this fire pit.

It is indeed a shame to marry a dollar princess, but there are still many London aristocrats who will make such a choice.

For example, the famous Duke of Marlborough married Cons Willow, the daughter of a famous American chain store tycoon, which was a joke in the London aristocratic circle for a while.

The Duke of Marlborough is also a donkey and an out-of-the-box character, with the woman's strong financial resources, he finally revived the family's glory, not only renovated the magnificent Malheim Castle, but also used the woman's abundant financial resources to find a decent position in the London government for himself, and to live a high-class life without shame again.

Well, let's not talk about him now.

What kind of life can you have in London with £2,700 a year?

In the late Victorian era

Bank interest rates are generally between 6~8% (excluding risky war loans and other mortgages), and the interest on this money is about 200 pounds if it is deposited in the bank, of course, Mr. Marquis Winchester will certainly not choose this.

With an income of £2,700 to £3,000 a year, he could support the daily expenses of a manor and a decent aristocratic life, with no more than 15 servants, including governesses, housekeepers, gardeners, grooms, cooks, and valet maids.

It is also necessary to have two carriages, one for solemn occasions and one for daily travel, and at least four horses of noble pedigree (each of which costs no less than £100 a year), which is a dignity that cannot be missing in any case.

Because it is impossible for nobles to run on two legs to go to the door to a banquet and attend a noble ball, they will be laughed to death.

Therefore, Li Fushou's proposal has the temptation to refuse.

As for some of the current contradictions in Australia, Mr. Marquess Winchester and his mediation team from the London Colonial Office must not be too concerned.

Compared to the things that are imminent on you, those are a ball of hair!

A few years ago

The Duke of Marlborough once went to New York to marry Cons Willow, the daughter of a famous American chain tycoon, he said on the spot; "I'll never come to New York again, anything that doesn't belong to Great Britain is despicable, it affects my appetite."

From this sentence

It can be seen that the arrogance of the aristocrats of the British Empire has gone deep into the bone marrow, and they would rather endure the thick fog and choking air of London all year round, rather than show a trace of affection for the bustling New York, let alone the deserted colony of Australia.

Li Fushou was eager for the British to continue their arrogance, and his conversation turned to the arrival of a delegation led by Professor Glenn Johnson in London.

"Professor Glenn Johnson has any news on the news?"

"Yes, Mr. Professor met Lord Gulliver without any problems, and was fortunate enough to have a 10-minute private meeting, and the result was satisfactory, Lord accepted the souvenirs and goodwill from Australia, although he did not say anything, but this behavior has fully explained the problem."

"Very good, the current government still has more than a year to go, which means that we don't have to consider the contradictions between the north and the south at least for the time being, let's bear with it for the time being, and develop ourselves strong as soon as possible."

"Understood, Lord Yuanding, the Autonomous Office will do what you want."

"Oh...... By the way, did Mr. Professor say when he will go to Lisbon? ”

"Yes, Professor Glen Johnson is visiting old friends all over London, and conveying his intentions to Lisbon through London channels, which is much better than going directly to the door, there is no information about Lisbon yet, after all, efficiency is always a big problem for the antiquated Kingdom of Portugal."

"Okay, we're not in a hurry."

"What Professor Glenn Johnson means is to make a straightforward request for a deal through the powerful people of London's high society, and then go to Lisbon when things are clear, those Portuguese are very difficult to entangle, but after all, there is still a trace of awe for London."

"Huh...... The face of the British is not easy to refute. ”

Li Fushou said with deep feeling, Professor Glenn Johnson is a native of England, well versed in the psychology of Europeans, and he is much better and more effective in solving similar problems than Chinese officials.

He has never paid attention to the process, only to the result.

The mission of this trip is not only African issues and transactions with Lisbon, but they will also observe the process of the "Berlin Conference" at close range, observe the dazzling diplomatic performance of King Leopold of Belgium in Europe, learn useful nutrients from it and grow rapidly, and become the backbone of Queensland's foreign affairs.

Regardless of military, political, or diplomatic, Li Fushou has no ready-made capable personnel to use, and he has to rely entirely on his own careful cultivation.

What he can do is to create the best conditions for training, the so-called master to introduce them, and practice in the individual.

Tang Shaoyi showed a high diplomatic talent in the Singapore peace talks, especially his outstanding language communication skills, which attracted the attention of relevant parties in the Strait Governor's Office.

It is true that the success of the peace talks is inseparable from the overwhelming military superiority, but the rhetoric at the negotiating table is also indispensable, and the two complement each other and are indispensable.

Diplomacy is a continuation of political, military, and economic power, and this set of British Empire officials is the best teacher.

King Leopold I of Belgium was also a master of the game, and his best skill was to "borrow" and perform the stunt of dancing on three eggs.

Sources from Europe suggest that;

Taking advantage of the fact that the major powers wanted to get their hands on the Congo and were at a standoff, Leopold used various diplomatic means to urge the Berlin Conference to finally agree to the establishment of the "Congo Free State" and agree to Leopold as the head of state.

Compared with France, a traditional colonial power, European countries were more accepting of the Congo River basin in the hands of the weak Kingdom of Belgium.

At this point

Germany, the United States, Spain and Italy were particularly adamant, and Britain was hesitating to agree to Leopold's plan, and the two sides had a series of close consultations in private, and it is not clear what promises Britain received.

According to a recent report by The Times;

Lord Gulliver, the British Colonial Secretary, openly stated, "Perhaps the Congo River valley in Belgian hands is a result that is neither too bad nor too good." ”

Does this mean that Britain has retreated from its original position, and the two sides have reached some secret agreement or exchange of interests, which has become the focus of attention of European countries......

On the face of it

Leopold I promised that if Belgium acquired territorial sovereignty over the "Congo Free State", it would sign separate agreements with the countries concerned to recognize its "sovereignty" in the Congo.

Under this resolution, France would be forced to cede the left bank of Lake Malebau to Belgium, and Portugal would give up its claim to the north bank of the Congo estuary in exchange for French support.

On this important issue

Europe and the United States are engaged in a series of off-the-table deals, with diplomatic envoys shuttling back and forth to convey the latest compromise proposals and further explore cooperation, staging a diplomatic drama without African participation.