When the wine was flowing, it was the night of the Chinese murders and arson. However, today's operation was definitely a famous one. Xiao Letian designated the codename "Port Said Rescue". Who was it to rescue? We have to set the clock forward another half hour.
Just as the British officers were debating whether to kneel down or not, the negotiations at the French Consulate in Port Said had reached a deadlock.
Xiang Ying followed the plan designated by Xiao Letian and began to take a long-term view to catch the big fish. From the initial threat of war with an ultimatum to the final analysis of the pros and cons by Counselor Lacu, the emotional changes of the French were completely under Xiang Ying's control. .
Diplomatic negotiation is not a fight between gangsters. Although fists are also used to make sense, they cannot completely force the other party into a corner. They cannot do things like rogues without leaving any room. Diplomats must know where to advance and retreat.
Just like relaxing in fishing, it is nothing more than to test the patience and strength of the big fish. The last thing the Chinese want is an apology statement. If they want Counselor Raku to act in accordance with the expectations of the Chinese, they have to make several false choices to force him onto the path the head of state wants.
One way is war, and the other way is apology and then we leave. It's up to you, Laku, to choose.
Of course, the counselor refused to choose any path. He knew that he would definitely lose the war. Even if he firmly believed that the French Emperor would lead the army to take revenge, his official career had come to an end. Who allowed the war to break out on his own hands? Of.
There must be no war. The benefits of the Suez Canal are the fruits of France's operation for more than 20 years. How can outsiders be benefited in vain?
But if you don’t want to go to war, you have to issue an apology statement. Lacu knew very well that the Chinese took the apology statement for future lawsuits. Although France is not afraid of fighting this lawsuit with the Chinese, after all, it came from its own hands. A statement that would make Paris furious.
When the time comes, he will still be punished, but the intensity of the punishment will be smaller.
If a war breaks out, it will be a death sentence for me, but if I make a statement, I will definitely get slapped with a slap in the face, and both sides will be uncomfortable.
The troubled Laku began to play push-hands with Xiang Ying. He began to talk about him, neither agreeing nor rejecting, and began to use the dragging technique.
Delaying tactics are often seen on the negotiation table. This is why country-to-country negotiations can sometimes last for half a year or even more than a year. There are also many negotiations that have lasted for more than ten years without any results.
Lacu knew that Viscount Ferdinand was on his way, and he also knew that the Chinese must be in a hurry to visit Europe, so time was in his favor. As long as the Chinese were not angered now, it would not matter if it took a few days. It's over.
Raku specially asked the consulate to prepare a dinner for Xiang Ying and the soldiers outside. However, Xiang Ying had already seen his conspiracy and would rather go hungry than leave the negotiation table.
In the end, Raku even asked his subordinates to deliver wine, coffee and various side dishes to the conference room, but Xiang Ying was still extremely tough and refused to give any face at all.
"I'm sorry, I'm not in the mood to eat anything at this moment. Every minute and every second is precious. The head of state only gave me twelve hours to solve this problem..."
"Twelve hours later, if there is no answer we want, then you are destined to see our soldiers stepping onto the land of Port Said..."
Raku wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a bitter look on his face, "Sir, you can't be so unreasonable! Where in the world can negotiations be so urgent? You want to find out the truth of the matter in twelve hours? It's impossible, you'll kill me. It can’t be done!”
"Counsellor, please don't change the subject. What I want is an apology statement... We are not handling a case with you now to identify responsibilities. If it were a case investigation, I wouldn't be here alone!"
Xiang Ying looked at him coldly, "You have to understand, we just want an apology statement from you to calm down the anxious soldiers. Isn't this enough?"
"Anyway, we are guests, and we are the most noble guests in Asia. When we arrived at your French colony, we encountered shelling, ship collisions, and shooting at the emperor..."
"No matter how these things happened, shouldn't you apologize? Even if you are the only one responsible for the bad protection, you have to admit it, right? You can't even do this? How can you talk to me about sincerity..."
"Take all this food away. We Chinese people do not drink water from stolen springs, and we do not eat food brought to us... take it away!"
Lacu's face turned red and white as he was squeezed. He really wanted to walk away. When had the proud French diplomat ever been so angry, especially against these Chinese people? When did the situation change to this point?
But he didn't dare, because the tyranny of this group of Chinese people today changed his previous inherent impression. These people really dared to shoot and collide. They were all crazy.
If I walked away today, turned around and they really dared to force a landing, and the French army dared to stop them, then there really might be a firefight.
Raku was caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, he didn't want to make this statement, and on the other hand, he didn't want to offend the Chinese. He could only tear up his face and beg, until finally he even asked someone to send a cashier's check from the Bank of France.
The lights in the conference room were dim, and the food and wine on the table were dim and unappetizing. The other secretaries had already exited the room, and only Xiang Ying and Laku were in the room.
"What does this mean?" Xiang Ying asked knowingly.
"General Xiang! Here is a cashier's check for one hundred thousand gold francs... I give it to you with my gratitude!"
"What? Do you think I'm a corrupt official?" Xiang Ying was furious.
"No, no...this is just a little thought I gave you. Can you listen to what I have to say?"
At this time, a sad expression appeared on Raku's face: "Sir, please understand my difficulties. I have been working under Ferdinand for six years, but I have never been promoted..."
"Why? Because I am not from a noble family, my family is just an ordinary small capitalist... Without any power, I can only suffer in my official career!"
"I have worked hard for twenty years and finally reached the position of counselor. How many more years of work can I have when I am over forty? If this matter fails in my hands today, then I will not be able to do anything in the future. Ruined!"
"General Xiang...I am definitely not using money to insult you. I also know that this matter cannot be solved by bribery. I just want you to think about it. Can we solve the problem in another way?"
"Another way? I can't think of any other way. Do you still want to bribe our entire Chinese race? What are you thinking about?"
"Hahaha..." Raku suddenly laughed, "You are really right, this is my solution!"
Note: There should be another update in the afternoon and three updates today.
