"What? The new British Prime Minister, the Earl of Derby, wants to see me? And right away?" Xiao Letian had just got on the carriage and was about to visit the Hamburg Arsenal, but before the wheels could turn, he was stopped by someone sent by the parliament.
"Earl of Derby? Earl of Derby... Damn it, I don't have any information about this person in my mind?" Xiao Letian is not a supercomputer after all. Even if he was a person who liked military and history in his previous life, he was only interested in big events and big figures. understood.
There were many prime ministers in British history, but he could remember only a few of them. For example, the Earl of Derby, Xiao Letian's mind went completely blank.
Fortunately, Prussia had thought carefully and had prepared several documents with scrawled handwriting and stuffed them into his arms. After Xiao Letian read the documents at a glance, he put his hand on his forehead sadly.
"Oh...oh my God, why are you playing with me like this? Just give me a powder keg and you can't let me worry about it for two days?"
You can't blame Xiao Letian for being so resentful. Let's see what the information says. He is addicted to gambling and loves horse racing. He also has good gambling luck and can actually win 100,000 pounds from horse racing.
Eloquent but too aggressive, one of his allies once said a classic saying: "This Lord is the Prince Rupert of parliamentary debates; he attacks fiercely and is unstoppable, but when he returns victorious, he often finds himself The camp has been occupied by the enemy."
Look, this is the negotiating opponent Xiao Letian will face. Xiao Letian has probably guessed what the British want. They are afraid that Xiao Letian will touch their maritime interests, and they are here to take precautions in advance. .
"When the soldiers come, they will welcome the water to Tuyan. No matter what kind of guy he is, I can deal with him!" Xiao Letian said fiercely to the people around him, "Go buy seafood... Go buy beer... This count is not coming. Are you looking at me? I’ll treat him to a seafood dinner!”
Humph, don’t you have gout? I'll treat you to seafood and beer, and I'll love you to death.
Xiao Letian gave the order, and the German chefs immediately started busy. Hamburg is close to the sea and rivers, and is extremely rich in aquatic products. Seafood feasts are quite good for the chefs here.
Huge North Sea lobster, deep-sea salmon frozen on ice, the freshest oysters, and plump bread crabs... All kinds of top-quality seafood were sealed in ice and quickly transported from the market to the villa by horse-drawn carriage.
The long dining table is placed in the garden, next to the blooming rose bushes, and the gurgling fountain is not only beautiful but also reduces the heat.
The standard of this banquet was quite high. Xiao Letian even saw a few extremely rare blue lobsters, which are good things that ordinary people can't easily touch.
Time passed minute by minute, and when the hand pointed to eleven o'clock, a fast horse ran from the west of the villa. The Prussian cavalry on the horse brought news that the British Prime Minister was about to arrive.
"The new army is gathering... lining up to greet the guests... please give me some energy..."
Xiao Letian stood beside the fountain in the center of the garden, standing quietly. He was waiting for the prime minister of the most powerful empire of this era. This was the severe test he was about to face.
Soon a group of cavalrymen with beating tassels appeared in people's sight. Although this was a secret visit, the reception standards given by the city of Hamburg were quite high.
There were 120 cavalry guards at the front and rear. These were all carefully selected honor guards. Everyone was tall and tall, with tight belt buckles tucked into their chins. The pride in the eyes of all the soldiers was as high as noon. The sun is just as dazzling.
In the middle of the queue was a low-key and luxurious carriage, which actually had the emblem of the Prussian royal family on it. It seemed that the Hamburg Parliament had used all the carriages that the king had stored here.
The Earl of Derby in the carriage looked coldly at the proud cavalry beside him, and sighed in his heart, "Prussia's national destiny has really risen. These few victories have made their national mood rise rapidly, and the pride on their faces is almost catching up." We are a young man from the navy..."
"Is it true that Her Majesty the Queen is so supportive of this country?" Just as the Earl of Derby was talking to himself, he suddenly noticed that the pride of the Prussian cavalry around him was rapidly dissipating.
what happened? When the count opened the curtain and saw two rows of Chinese soldiers standing as tall as pines on both sides of the road, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"What a sharp look! What a murderous aura! This, this, this... are these Chinese? Are these the Chinese soldiers who created the miracle of the stone bridge?"
That's right, the honor guards who greeted the Prime Minister today were all lieutenants who were dismissed from the bloody battle of Shiqiao. Many of their military uniforms had not had time to replace them with new ones. Although they were washed very clean, the blood and cigarette smoke seeped into the fibers of the cloth. The smell cannot be washed away at all.
War horses are the animals that can feel murderous intent the most. When these war horses approach these veterans of many battles, they immediately become restless. If the rider hadn't been able to control the horse well enough, he might have frightened a few horses.
"Salute..." With an order, the soldiers on both sides of the road saluted the Prime Minister in unison. At that moment, the solemn atmosphere was like crashing into a carriage. The British Prime Minister actually subconsciously raised his hand and returned the salute!
oh! What's wrong with me? How can I return the favor to these Chinese people? This group of trash with weak bones, even the capital was conquered by us, why should I still respect them?
What a strange thing, what a strange thing! It seems that today's meeting is a bit interesting.
At the moment when the British Prime Minister was about to meet Xiao Letian, the train from Bismarck was about to arrive in Hamburg. Just when he was adding coal and water at a small station along the way, the telegraph room received the latest message from the Hamburg Parliament. As soon as I saw it, I ordered on the spot to stop adding coal and water, buy it and start driving.
"Xiao Letian, Xiao Letian, you and I are all on the same journey. We have too much stubbornness in our hearts! But you must remember to bow to reality. The British are not something we can fight against now. Their naval strength is really Too strong!"
"Oh, God bless you Xiao Letian. Don't let victory go to your head. Be calm. You must be willing to flatter when necessary. You must be willing to give these British people a little sweetness!"
Bismarck's behavior was not a sign of weakness, it was a helpless move to face reality. In the late 19th century, the British government's naval construction goal was to "make its navy powerful enough to compete with the navies of the two major powers." That is, the British navy was more powerful than the navies of the second and third largest countries combined.
As the British government continues to increase its naval funding, the number and tonnage of its navy's ships are also increasing rapidly, and the size of its navy is getting larger and larger. By 1870, the total tonnage of British naval ships reached an astonishing 633,000 tons.
What is this concept? It means that its tonnage is always greater than or equal to the combined tonnage of the navies of any two or even three countries in Western Europe during the same period.
Take France's punishment expedition plan, for example. Molière's desperate search was only able to find ten ocean-going warships. At the same time, in the Indian Ocean, the number of British ocean-going warships could reach 30, which was three times as powerful as the French.
And the gap is definitely not just in terms of tonnage. In terms of shipbuilding technology and artillery technology, the gap between the two countries is also very obvious. As long as the British are determined, they can bring together thousands of breech-loading rifled guns and various artillery shells on the Indian mainland alone. The number is also much higher than that of the French.
If the British attack Ryukyu, with Xiao Letian's current strength, the best option is to stop resistance and choose a diplomatic solution.
Bismarck's concerns were justified. Xiao Letian was essentially the same person as him, and even more troublesome than him in some aspects. For example, in this bloody battle at Stone Bridge, even Bismarck was not sure whether he could persist.
There is also Xiao Letian’s attitude towards Viscount Alan. Because Alan attacked Xiao Letian’s wife, this guy actually punished him like this, stripping off his clothes and taking pictures, and binding him to a cross to pretend to be Jesus! This, this, this... this temper is too bad.
"My dear Xiao, don't have a bad temper with Derby. That man is famous throughout Europe for his bad temper. Even I shy away from him. Don't get into a fight with him!"
Just when Bismarck was worried, Derby, who was wearing a cane, had already stepped out of the carriage and was looking with interest at the soldiers saluting at the door like sculptures.
"Hey! As a Chinese, can you understand English?" Debi asked teasingly, staring at Luo Huo. This earl was sincerely trying to find trouble. He didn't ask Xiao Hexin or Sima Yun, because he had already smelled a bookish air about these two people.
Only Luo Huo has the frankness and simplicity of a northern farm boy. To put it bluntly, Debi thinks he is illiterate.
"Hey! You don't understand English? What about German? Still don't understand? Oh God...how do you fight like this? Do you rely on mute language to communicate with the Prussians? Hahaha..."
Debi smiled arrogantly, while Luo Huo's face became increasingly gloomy as he laughed at him.
"Prime Minister, your ridicule has no effect except to discredit the term 'gentleman'... In addition, I am very responsible to tell you that communication between us Chinese and Prussian soldiers... does not rely on language... but It’s blood!”
Luo Huo's words were so exciting. Although his English pronunciation was very non-standard and sounded a bit colonial to the ears of the Earl of Derby, he spoke each word very clearly, and the word "blood at the end" was still in German. .
Luo Huo used her practical actions to tell the Earl of Derby, Of course I can speak English. Not only can I speak English and German, we also created a military miracle on the Stone Bridge Heights in Sadova...a miracle created with blood.
The Earl of Derby didn't speak for a long time. He knew very well that arguing with a Chinese soldier in his capacity would be impossible. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly burst into laughter.
"Well, I believe that the Miracle of Stone Bridge is real. Just because of the murderous aura of you people, this military miracle is also 70% believable... No wonder these Prussian cavalry put away their pride as soon as they got close to here. , it turns out it was the murderous aura in you that frightened them!"
"Very good, you are the most promising Chinese people I have ever seen, more promising than the Prussians!"
When Xiao Letian heard this, the corners of his eyes twitched involuntarily, and he cursed in his heart, "This old bastard really refuses to admit defeat, and actually puts sand into the hearts of the Prussians. Isn't this deliberately trying to sow discord between us? Damn... …”
[This book was first published from, be the first to see the genuine content! ]
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