August 5, 1723, Chang'an (present-day Toowoomba, Australia).

A delicate large four-wheeled carriage drove on the smooth and wide Xingsheng Avenue, following the bustling traffic on the road, all the way towards the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qi in Xuanwu District.

Inside the carriage sat four people, two were the Foreign Secretary of the Legation of the United Provincial Republic in Qi, and the other two were Minister Maurice Nidom himself and Jan van Rebeek, director and senior representative of the East India Company.

The atmosphere in the carriage seemed to be a little solemn, and the two big men remained silent, which made the two young foreign secretaries sitting opposite them feel a little depressed, and in order to relieve the invisible tension of the scene, they each looked sideways at the street scene outside the window.

I have to admit that in terms of urban planning and construction, Qi is far ahead of European countries. This magnificent and atmospheric capital city is one of the most dazzling achievements of their many urban construction.

It is said that more than 60 years ago, the city of Chang'an was nothing more than a barren valley woodland and a large meadow, with only a few pastures scattered in this area. However, after just more than ten years, the people of Qi have built this beautiful and brand-new city on this wild land.

Chang'an City refers to the layout of Beijing City and Nanjing City in the mainland, and also makes use of the rivers and undulating mountains here to make a scientific and reasonable layout of the whole city, so that the layout of Chang'an City is extremely neat and the regulations are very strict. Large areas of gardens and green belts have also been built in the city and on the fringes of the suburbs, not only to beautify the city, but also to provide a place for city dwellers to visit and relax.

Located more than 100 kilometers inland, the city is a perfect blend of human habitation and nature, with beautiful scenery, city parks, lakes, small rivers, dams, elegant buildings full of oriental antiquity, and majestic buildings with great power.

The carriage drove along the wide asphalt road, and soon entered the Xuanwu District, where a building with a height of more than 40 meters stood in front of it. The roof of the building is covered with large red glazed tiles, and the walls are painted in blue-gray wall paint. Each floor is made of glass, which reflects the dazzling light of the sun. Presumably, the rooms in the building will also be very bright, whether you are working or living in it, it should be very comfortable.

It was here that the legislature of the Qi State, the Imperial Court, and the decrees and regulations that influenced countless people in the local and overseas colonial territories were carefully discussed and carefully considered, and then summoned by His Majesty the Emperor to become official legal texts.

In addition to the Imperial Decree House, which occupies several floors, the Ministry of Public Assets Management and the Ministry of Supervision, as well as several departments and organizations under the Cabinet, such as the National Federation of Industry and Commerce, the Foreign Political and Economic Research Agency, and the National Disability Welfare Promotion Agency, also work here to make full use of this huge office space.

Perhaps because this is a government district, there are few pedestrians and vehicles on the road, so the coachman can't help but speed up the carriage in order to reach the destination in advance. The asphalt road is very wide, and it is possible to run four large carriages in parallel without much effort. There are standard drainage ditches on both sides of the road, and next to the ditches are rows of tall street trees.

Not far past the Imperial Decree Building, a large lake appeared in the left front of the road. The Qi people built a dam on the south side of the outskirts of the city to stop the Changxing River (now Gaoli River, Toowoomba City, Australia), a trickling river that flows through the city of Chang'an. The existence of this lake not only provides sufficient water for the whole city, but also adds a bit of lake and mountain scenery to the city, giving people a kind of artistic conception of "the lake and autumn moon are harmonious, and the surface of the pond is not polished".

Not far from the lake is the Changxing Pavilion, the cabinet of the Qi government, where their prime minister and some important ministers work in this traditional Oriental building, and govern the huge country for their emperor, His Majesty. On the perimeter of this garden building, there is a gray-white fence that blocks the prying eyes of all curious people.

However, when the two embassy secretaries visited the prime minister of Qi with the minister, they had the privilege of enjoying the scenery of Changxing Pavilion. It is hard to imagine that the center of this powerful country is located, and the office environment is extraordinarily elegant, with deep winding paths, ponds, forests, pavilions, pavilions, and carved railings and paintings, pink walls and tiles, which are full of the unique charm of "Jiangnan Water Town".

Changxing Pavilion covers a large area and has many rooms. In addition to the places where the Prime Minister and several Deputy Prime Ministers work, rest, and hold meetings, there are security rooms, kitchen rooms, reference rooms, medical rooms, recreation rooms, liaison rooms, conference rooms, and places for attachés and secretaries to rest.

The carriage soon arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qi. After confirming the identification documents with the gendarmes guarding the gate, the ambassador's carriage slowly drove in.

"Minister of England."

Just as the group of four had just gotten out of the carriage and were about to enter the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, three men with European faces walked out with gloomy faces, and one of the secretaries immediately reminded Minister Maurice Nidome in a whisper.

Minister Maurice Nidome smiled slightly, took off his hat, and nodded politely to Minister Chartre Tran of England.

Chartre Tran only nodded slightly, and without stopping to greet him, he walked straight to where his carriage had stopped.

"If you guess correctly, the English must have hit another nail in front of the Qi people." Jan van Rebeek turned his head to look at the departing backs of several Englishmen, and said teasingly.

"They just want to save as many English people as possible who have been convicted." Minister Maurice Nidom shook his head and said, "However, as a person of Qi who has always been strong, how can he accept the explanation and pleading of the English when his own scientists have been kidnapped and killed for no reason. Therefore, the English will inevitably be coldly treated by the Qi people. ”

"Oh, more than a hundred years ago, our East India Company tried and sentenced ten English to death in Ambon, which caused a lot of public opinion throughout the country to clamor for punishing our East India Company. Today, nineteen English people have been convicted by the Qi court, and as many as 16 of them have been sentenced to death. So, what will be the reaction in England? Jan van Rebeck gloated.

"I think the English will show their displeasure by putting up corresponding barriers to the import of Qi goods." Minister Maurice Nidom smiled slightly and said softly: "Judging from the comparison of the strength of the two sides, England should not dare to completely intensify the contradictions between the two sides, thus triggering an armed confrontation between the two countries. ”

"With the character of the English, they shouldn't give up easily, right?" Jan van Rebeck said thoughtfully: "It is said that the list of shareholders of the British company that committed the crime included a large number of members of the English aristocracy, and they were inextricably linked with many members of the Parliament. Well, it is said that there is even a shadow of the English royal family in this company. ”

"So what?" Minister Maurice Nidom smiled and said, "Do they dare to retaliate against Qi by force? You must know that with the maritime strength of Qi in the Indian Ocean region, it can cut off the eastern trade of the English at any time. Even, if the Qi people wanted, they could cut off their Mediterranean trade. ”

"Just a few of the maritime strongholds that Qi has in Morocco?"

"The Qi people still control the Red Sea, as well as most of Egypt." Minister Maurice Nidom said: "If they come up with a large sum of money, Qi can still get strong support from the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, in the Mediterranean region, the strength of the English may not be able to overpower the Qi country. Do not forget, there are also the French, who have always harbored a deep hatred for England. ”

"I can't imagine that over the years, the people of Qi have been able to deeply influence the situation in our European region." Jan van Rebec sighed and said with some amazement: "So, can we come to negotiate with the Qi people this time to recover the huge trade interests of our United Provincial Republic in the East?" ”

“…… Eastern Trade Interests of the United Provincial Republic? ”

Minister Maurice Nidom took a deep look at the director and senior representative of the East India Company, shook his head slightly, and walked towards the building.

Oriental trade should be the most vital interest of your East India Company!