Why did this damn meeting fall into silence again? Why does this damn oriental barbarian always attack me at weird angles? He actually said that he had seen through the future development direction of technology? Oh God, why would I allow a braggart to show off in front of me?
For many years after this meeting, the Earl of Derby could not figure out why Xiao Letian seized the initiative in negotiations in front of him, but there was no room for the aggressive eloquence that he had always been proud of.
It took a long time for the Earl of Derby to understand that perhaps there was only one reason for his failure in this fierce confrontation, and that was that he had no intention of winning from the beginning.
This is a very sad answer, and what is even more sad is that Xiao Letian may have guessed the British trump card before this meeting.
Yes, of course Xiao Letian knows the trump card of the British. Having lived for two generations, he knows how proud the British were in the 19th century. In this era, in the eyes of the British, China was completely a backward barbarian. For such a It is impossible for a nation to send a prime minister to meet secretly.
There is only one answer. The British are testing Xiao Letian, and this testing must have a subconscious intention to cooperate.
Xiao Letian was right in his bet. The Earl of Derby came to Hamburg with the Queen's secret order. Now in the circle of top British politicians, people have begun to pay attention to whether Xiao Letian, a political star who has suddenly emerged in East Asia, is harmful to the empire. , this is really a question worth pondering.
The root of everything actually goes back to the French. The fact that Xiao Letian was able to gain the attention of the British this time was actually thanks to his enemy, Napoleon III.
Since Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815, France's status as a great power on the European continent has plummeted. In the following years, France's domestic economy did continue to grow because of peace, but the benefits of this economic growth did not fall on the people of the country, and very serious social conflicts accumulated in France.
Before 1852, that is, before Napoleon's nephew ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, for 37 years, the French capitalist class's desire for overseas colonies had reached its peak.
Many politicians and capitalists have reached a consensus that if France does not work hard to expand its colonization, if France does not have vast sources of raw materials, and does not have a vast market for commodity dumping, then there will be no hope for France's national destiny.
In a thousand words, France can no longer exploit its domestic people. France must exploit weaker nations. Only in this way can domestic social conflicts be resolved.
On the surface, Napoleon III's rise to power seemed like a farce of restoration, but in fact, there was a lot going on.
Napoleon III, who lived up to expectations, declared war on the Russians in March 1854, and joined forces with Britain, Austria and Turkey to fight against Russia.
This was the Crimean War, and this was the first overseas war after Napoleon III came to the throne.
In one year, the French soldiers finally won the victory at the cost of 100,000 lives, and this victory was just the prelude. Under the leadership of Napoleon III, the French began to counterattack, and the goal was very clear, which was to The second strongest country in the world after the UK.
What followed was the Italian War in 1859. Under Napoleon III's ingenious plan to kill two birds with one stone, France successfully weakened Austria's national power and at the same time curbed Italy's unification process, achieving both diplomatic and military gains.
In 1857, the British and French allied forces provoked the Second Opium War. In 1858, they signed the "Sino-French Treaty of Tianjin" and the "Sino-French Treaty of Beijing". Then in 1860, Beijing was captured and the Old Summer Palace was burned.
In 1859, the French army captured Saigon, Vietnam, and signed the Treaty of Saigon. From that moment on, Vietnam became a French colony.
Of course, there is Africa. The French are very interested in Africa. In 1854, they established the Bank of Senegal and formally annexed Senegal. In 1857, they conquered Algeria. In 1854, they obtained the right to dig the Suez Canal. By the time the canal was completed in 1869, France had already controlled all the power in Africa. Even the British couldn't match him for half of the stock in the canal.
If Xiao Letian's memory was not confused, Madagascar, Somalia, Mauritania, Sudan and other African countries successively became French colonies in the later period.
By 1870, France had established colonies with an area of more than 900,000 square kilometers and a population of more than 6.5 million, becoming the second largest colonial empire in the world at that time after Britain.
In fact, in the competition between countries, there are no eternal friends at all, but only eternal interests. Although it seems that Britain is currently in the stage of intimacy, and even now the two countries are united to deal with it. Everything in Mexico looks so beautiful.
However, in Xiao Letian's eyes, no matter how close the lovers are, there is still a rift between them. It depends on whether you can catch it. Isn't Britain wary of France? That's impossible. There is no need for a reason at all for the hatred of the number one in this world against the number two.
It is precisely based on this analysis that Xiao Letian will not believe Prime Minister Derby's previous nonsense. If Ryukyu is occupied by the French, Britain can also take a share of the pie. The two countries share interests and so on. It's all fart, all nonsense!
Would Britain be willing to give France another colony? Will they sit back and watch France gain another bridgehead in East Asia? Even if Derby agrees, can the British Parliament agree? Can the proud queen agree?
Therefore, when Xiao Letian heard the fallacy of Derby at the beginning, he already knew very well that the old man Derby was testing him, and Britain's trump card was definitely not to fall out with him.
"Ah..." Xiao Letian let out a long sigh and calmed down his mood. "Prime Minister, open the skylight and speak frankly. Britain is very powerful now, but Britain's strength is only reflected in the ocean. Your fleet is invincible. , but it does not mean that your army is also invincible..."
"I can believe that if the Russians challenge your dignity in the Pacific, the Royal Navy will definitely give him a severe lesson, but you should know that many wars cannot meet strategic expectations without the support of the army. It's like In the areas outside China's customs, if the Siberian Railway is built and the Russian army is heavily reinforced, how will Britain prepare to attack? Will it always be bombarded with naval guns?"
"Furthermore, Britain's current national policy is still very wise. You will never choose to destroy other weak countries. You will only rule the colonies by choosing spokespersons. Just like the jewel in the Queen's crown, India. So far, you have not destroyed any of those feudal states, on the contrary, you still support them..."
"This national policy of indirect rule through spokesmen can allow Britain to gain face without losing face, and your colonial rule will gain the lowest resistance. Will you British give up this business that is sure to make money without losing money?"
Xiao Letian knocked the ashes of his cigarette and said arrogantly, "The world is getting smaller and smaller, and it is getting more and more chaotic. All countries are like running a difficult and never-ending long-distance race. Now Britain has stood The first position has been reached, and although China is not at the bottom, it is almost there..."
"How should smart British people choose? Is it to use endless benefits to support the second place to make him stronger and stronger, so that it will eventually threaten your status? If the IQ of you British gentlemen is so high, then count me Didn’t say anything…”
Under the smoky expression of the Earl of Derby, Xiao Letian stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray. "For Britain, the best national policy is to vigorously support backward countries and let them rise from second place to second place." The third place countries have torn pieces of flesh and blood from their backs. Only in this way can you continue to maintain your advantage and widen the distance from the larger army..."
"The more chaotic the world is, the stronger the confrontation between countries. To put it more clearly, the more brutal and fierce the fight, the more brutal it is. Only in this way can you guarantee the hegemony of the UK for a long time... instead of being stupid like now. Watch the show with the French!"
An informal diplomatic meeting has completely changed. Under the bewitchment of the demigod Xiao Letian, the famous stubborn old man in British politics actually became like an old naughty boy today, hanging around Xiao Letian.
The civil servants from the UK, the bodyguards and secretaries of Prime Minister Derby, all had sweat on their foreheads. Although they were far away, they didn't know what the two prime ministers were talking about, but the atmosphere was so strange. For all to see.
Time passed by, and when the sound of cavalry's hooves and the clatter of wheels were heard again on the stone road, people noticed that the Prime Minister's carriage bearing the imperial emblem had arrived.
When Bismarck got out of the car anxiously and just stepped into the garden gate, the old prime minister was stunned. He stared at the scene in front of him in disbelief and couldn't speak for a long time.
There was a table of half-eaten seafood feast, one old and one young, two politicians whispering. What was even more strange was that there was no tablecloth on the table... Oh no, the white silk tablecloth had already flown into the rose bushes.
"What did I miss? Is the aggressive Derby still in front of me? He is actually smiling at Xiao Letian? Oh my god, this old man can still smile?"
While Bismarck was stunned, Xiao Letian and the Earl of Derby had already completed this informal meeting. Although the two sides did not have any agreement to sign, many consensuses were already in each other's stomachs.
"Xiao! You really surprised me. I can't promise you anything. The only thing I can do is to convey your original words to Her Majesty the Queen. I hope that everything you say can impress Her Majesty!"
Xiao Letian's face suddenly turned bitter. "Don't... don't bother me! Don't use the original words. You should modify them. Don't copy all my impolite words?"
The Earl of Derby laughed loudly, patted Xiao Letian on the shoulder, turned around and left with his men.
...
