After sending away the first batch of international students, the entire Ryukyu seemed to have had a few traces of culture taken away from them. The atmosphere in the entire city was lonely for three days. They were the most outstanding young people, and they took away the hope in everyone's heart.
The Prime Minister's Office was still busy, and the British and American ministers did not leave Ryukyu immediately. Instead, they proposed a joint venture plan for the Pacific Cable Company to Xiao Letian.
Now that the Atlantic Telegraph Group has been established, its shares have basically acquired major European and American countries. Now this business group has extended its tentacles to the Pacific Ocean. If these two major chasms in the world are connected by submarine cables, then the remaining land will be Nothing to worry about.
Xiao Letian was a little hesitant, but Minister Hua Ruohan was worried about his old friend. He privately took Pastor Lewis to find Xiao Letian at night, expounding his interests and hoping that Xiao Letian would agree to the plan.
"Dear Xiao, please don't be dazzled by a few victories. Britain is more powerful than you can imagine. If you exclude British interests, they will definitely come for revenge. Believe me, the Royal Navy is not yours. Can be dealt with."
How could Xiao Letian not know this simple truth? Britain in the 19th century was in the Victorian Era, which was its peak period. The total area of the mainland plus overseas colonies reached 36 million square kilometers, and the British annual economic aggregate reached 70% globally.
"The plains of North America and Russia are our cornfields; Chicago and Odessa are our granaries; Canada and the Baltic Sea are our forest farms; Australia and Western Asia have our sheep lands; Argentina and the western grasslands of North America have our cattle ; Peru brings its silver; the gold of South Africa and Australia flows to London; the Indians and Chinese grow our tea; and our coffee, sugar cane, and spice plantations spread across the Indies; Spain and France are our vineyards "The Mediterranean is our orchard; our cotton fields have long grown in the southern United States, and now we are spreading to all the warmer regions of the earth..."
As soon as Xiao Letian finished speaking, Lewis smiled, "So you have also heard of this proverb spread in England. I admit that although this sentence is too arrogant, it is really true..."
Hua Ruohan was relieved. Since Xiao Letian knew the true strength of Britain, it would not be difficult for him to make the right decision with his wisdom.
"Xiao, you are a politician who knows how to cooperate and win-win. Let's make money with the UK. Only your inextricable interests with them are the basis for self-protection. Otherwise, you think the UK will just watch. Does it make you stronger?"
Xiao Letian waved his hand, "Oh, dear old friend, you misunderstood me. I am not against this plan, but I am a little worried about the technology of crossing the Pacific..."
"You should know that the Atlantic cable failed three times before it finally succeeded. The deep-sea dangers in the Pacific are more serious than those in the Atlantic. It has the deepest trenches in the world, the largest ocean currents, and giant deep-sea animals, whether whales or sharks. Can easily break cables..."
"It's too difficult. We have to carry out technical upgrades of cables and complex terrain exploration. My hesitation is here. I doubt whether the current technology can complete this arduous task..."
After hearing Xiao Letian's inner words, Hua Ruohan finally felt relieved, "You are really an Asian politician who cares most about science and technology. Your concerns are reasonable. I believe Sir Ai Liguo will understand your concerns... But since you have already succeeded in East Asia, If we laid one cable, there’s no reason why we can’t succeed in the second one.”
"No, no, no... Dear Minister, the submarine topography of the Pacific Ocean is very complicated. How should I put it? The Asian continent, especially China, is an ancient continent slowly embedded in the Pacific Ocean. From the coast of China to Ryukyu, it is actually a big big continent. The gentle slope, I call it the continental shelf..."
"This kind of terrain is very suitable for laying cables. We can even lay them directly in the sediment on the seabed. In less than three years, the sediment will cover the cables and protect the cables..."
"But it's different east of Ryukyu. The depth of the seawater increases rapidly, and the cable is suspended in the ocean most of the time. It's not good to be weak under such sea conditions, and the risk of accidental breakage will also increase, so The subsequent maintenance costs will be very high..."
"Since we are talking about business, I have to consider the issue of input and output. The higher the reliability of the cable, the lower the company's later maintenance costs will be, and the higher our profits will be... Ryukyu's wealth is not comparable to that of Britain and the United States. , we cannot afford a few failures.”
Hua Ruohan patted Li Mi on the shoulder and stood up, "Since you have a reasonable introduction, Ai Liguo can rest assured. I will be your lobbyist again if I am tired. I hope we can sign a memorandum first tomorrow. , this is good for both of us..."
Hua Ruohan left, leaving Lewis to face Xiao Letian alone. Lewis scratched his nose in embarrassment, "Hmm... Do you have any wine? I want to drink some..."
"Well, doesn't Protestantism advocate prohibition of alcohol? This is a typical prohibition..."
"Oh, dear Xiao, who would know if you don't tell me? I need some wine to relax. I know you have good wine..."
A bottle of Bordeaux wine imported from France was opened. The servants had already chilled it in the ice cellar, so they could provide chilled wine at any time.
"Ah...it tastes really good, you enjoy it so much..." A glass of wine eased Lewis' embarrassment, and then he finally got to the point.
"I... I actually just want to convey the opinions of the Protestant elders, that is... I just want to confirm what you promised in Hamburg..."
Tu Qiong Diao Jian, this is Tu Qiong Diao Jian, Xiao Letian has already guessed the reason. The thing that can force Lewis to drink before he can talk is other than monogamy, there is no other thing.
"About my wife." Secretary Li asked, Lewis blushed and nodded.
"Don't blame me. After all, you have admitted your Protestant faith in front of the whole world, and Rome is cooperating with France to build momentum. We try our best to say hello to you, but the Pope keeps attacking you as a liar..."
"We are also doing this for your own good, really..."
It was a Frenchman again. Xiao Letian was almost going crazy. France was like this in history. It worked hard to be a dog-legger for the Catholic Church. All the emperors were die-hard loyalists to the Pope. This is the most loyal base of the Catholic Church.
This dark history can be traced back to the Thirty Years' War in Europe in the early 17th century. At that time, both the orthodox Catholic Church and the splintered Protestant Church had their own supporting countries. Amidst the dual contradictions of religion and interests, a protracted European war began. Erupted.
The funny thing is that France at that time was still a supporter of Protestantism, but after the war, France fell into the arms of Catholicism. It seems that the so-called loyalty of Europeans to God is just to get what they need.
The pope needs the taxation and military protection of the secular state, and the royal family needs the pope to give them authority to control the people at the bottom. Everything is no different from business, so the division of Christian doctrine is inevitable.
"I didn't expect, I didn't expect that I, Xiao Letian, even though I'm an onion, would trouble the Pope to attack with a golden mouth. Aren't I afraid of lowering my status?" Xiao Letian said angrily.
"Oh, don't be angry. Napoleon III has a very close relationship with the Pope. He even sent troops to help the Holy See eradicate heresy before. How could the Holy See let you go so easily after you insulted him? So now you must have an attitude..."
"Attitude, what kind of attitude do you want? You didn't miss my wife's food in Beijing. You have seen both wives. You think I am throwing away the one. If you have the ability, you can mention it to my two wives..."
Lewis blushed and waved his hands quickly, "No, no, no, I won't say it. Don't embarrass me. I've tasted too many of their craftsmanship. I really don't have the face to speak... Besides, Chinese people I won’t go to your inner house, isn’t that your taboo?”
"Xiao, listen to my advice. It's just monogamy in name, and it's just a legal process. In fact, who cares about how you want to live behind the scenes? The nobles in Europe are all monogamous, but they have countless lovers. Qing, this is all just pretense, I hope you understand..."
"Understand, that is impossible... This involves the issue of the property inheritance rights of my future children, and who will hand over my career in the future. It would be unfair to her to abandon any one of them. How can I explain it to my unborn child. "
Xiao Letian slapped the table, "Stop talking nonsense, I'll give you ten churches at one price. You guys can help me cover up the matter..."
"No, no, no, this is not the church's problem..."
"Fifteen..."
"Oh, you're so difficult,"
"One price is twenty seats. This is the final limit. Don't try to challenge my limit. That will make me angry."
"Oh, Xiao...then I can only reluctantly explain it to you."
Xiao Letian suddenly became energetic, "What do you mean, it turns out you had a plan for a long time, you fooled me..." After saying that, he rushed forward and strangled Lewis' neck.
The two rolled on the ground, raised their fists, and fought fiercely, but Lord Long outside the room just smiled and said nothing.
Ten minutes later, the two of them were lying on the ground panting. Li Mi said with emotion, "We met in the mountains of Yixian County. At that time, we were crawling on the ground fighting bandits. It has only been two or three years. Kung Fu, it seems like a lifetime has passed.”
Lewis was also very emotional, "What you are talking about is nonsense. At that time, you were so poor that you didn't have a single coin in your body, but now you have become the most influential prime minister in East Asia. Although the time is short, the quality of life is completely different..."
"What's the difference between your current life and that of an emperor? In one sentence, Japan has to send a ship to deliver abalone to you. I wonder if you can't eat abalone from Ryukyu. This is how you want to prove your power. You Just pretending to show it to outsiders.”
"You have changed, you have really changed. Of course, as your old friend, I still like your changes. I have been watching in East Asia these years. I can only say one thing... Li Mi, you are doing so beautifully. ." This book was first published from, see the genuine content for the first time!
