Prince Edward's bottom line is that it's okay to talk, but if he really takes action, it will be a complete humiliation of the British Empire. Without the Crown Prince opening his mouth, the two red lobster guards pounced on him with just a look, one on the left and one on the right. Special envoy of Tsarist Russia.
"Sir, you are tired, please take a rest..." The soldier said politely, but his actions were very dark. Ivan felt as if his arm was clamped by two vise, unable to move at all. .
"Xiao Letian... you coward... do you dare to duel with me... duel like a man!"
Xiao Letian frowned. He really couldn't understand that an empire as big as Tsarist Russia didn't even have a single diplomat. What effect would sending such a reckless guy have besides embarrassing himself?
Xiao Letian did not find out the details here. In fact, France and Tsarist Russia sent two special envoys this time, not in the name of plenipotentiary envoys. They were actually just deputy envoys.
Some people may have questions here. The Chinese envoy has arrived in London, and the welcome ceremony has already begun. So where is the envoy?
In fact, there is no such thing as an envoy at all. This is just a hole dug by France and Tsarist Russia.
Ivan and Montauban, their main task this time is to cause trouble. They want to make the Chinese look embarrassed in front of the entire Europe, and use this aggressive attitude to force Xiao Letian to respond inappropriately.
No matter whether Xiao Letian gave in or pushed forward, he had fallen into their trap.
If Xiao Letian chooses to back down for the sake of diplomatic etiquette and face, then France and Tsarist Russia can join forces to declare in the media that the Chinese are cowards. This will further encourage the arrogance of the ethnic alliance, and many wavering countries will Will boldly join in.
If Xiao Letian couldn't stand the provocation of these mad dogs and chose to make tit-for-tat noises, or even foolishly accepted Ivan's challenge, then the whole of Europe would be full of comments the next day.
The Chinese will be shaped into the Oriental murderous devils like the Mongolian cavalry, and Xiao Letian will transform into the bloodthirsty whip of God. This will most likely push the people to hate the Chinese.
No matter whether Xiao Letian chooses the left or the right, the final result is that he falls into a trap, and no path leads to good results.
Someone may ask, if France and Tsarist Russia are so crazy about letting go, do they ignore the national image? Are you ignoring the overwhelming opinions of the European people?
Of course, we have to estimate. A gangster who molests a beautiful woman has to do obscene things under the guise of pursuing love, let alone the country!
That's why Napoleon III and the Tsar thought of using the deputy envoy's poisonous plan. As long as Montauban and Ivan successfully completed their mission, they would force Xiao Letian onto the left or right road.
When they achieve their goal, the French Emperor and the Tsar will definitely reprimand the telegram immediately. They will scold the two deputy envoys bloody in front of the European people, and then give them a seemingly serious punishment to calm them down. Outrage.
They will then send other gentle 'envoys' to show their good side in the media, thereby restoring their country's image.
How could the common people understand these tricks? Kind-hearted people apologized when they saw the envoy. Then the dirty water would naturally be taken away by the deputy envoy, and the people's emotions would naturally calm down.
It was very suspenseful, really suspenseful. When Prussia sent the latest information three days later, even Xiao Letian was so shocked that his palms broke out in cold sweat. He was really almost fooled.
But now, Xiao Letian still doesn't know the enemy's vicious plan, and he has successfully been angered by Ivan.
Xiao Letian stood in front of Ivan and Montauban and sneered, "Do you want to duel with me? You have to see if you are qualified. There is no place for cowards in front of me..."
"Not only that, who are you? Do you dare to challenge me? Do you, a young rear admiral, dare to challenge the prime minister of a country? You are indeed a group of barbarians..."
"You want to duel with me! Okay, as long as you can pass my test and prove that you are qualified to fight with me, I will consider giving you a chance!"
"Bah... that's good, as long as you dare to accept the attack!" the bear-like Major General Ivan growled, "What kind of test, you draw a rule..."
Xiao Letian turned around and walked away without looking back and said, "I haven't thought about it yet. I will let you know when I think about it. From now on, stay away from me. If you don't bark like a mad dog again... I will use Far East The lives of Tsarist Russian prisoners will be punished for your bad mouth!"
"You..." This sentence completely hit Eva's weakness. He blushed and wanted to curse but couldn't say a word.
It's no wonder that Ivan is so crazy. This fiasco in the Far East had a much greater impact on the Russian Empire than outsiders imagined.
The serfdom reform has entered the final stage, and the industrial process has entered deep water. Everything is very difficult. The tsar urgently needs victory after victory to stabilize the domestic situation.
This is not over yet. Due to the fragile finances of the empire, the Tsar did not dare to expand the army on a large scale. Even now, it is clear that breech-loaded needle guns will be the mainstream in the future, but Tsarist Russia does not even have the money to completely replace them.
A large number of soldiers still use muzzle-loading rifles, and even in some garrison troops in remote areas, muzzle-loading muskets still exist in large numbers.
In such a critical situation, every soldier is worth cherishing, especially veterans of hundreds of battles!
But I didn't expect that in a Far Eastern War, tens of thousands of veterans would be trapped in the hands of Xiao Letian. On the surface, they did not account for a large proportion compared to the total population of the empire, but compared with the current financial situation of the empire, it was really a thorn in the side. .
If one of the elite divisions is missing, it will be difficult to replenish it. These are the essence of the empire's vitality!
Ivan looked at the back of Xiao Letian who was gradually walking out of the cathedral, and suddenly a chill came from his heart: "This man may have already grasped the lifeline of the empire! He must be very aware of the details of our Tsarist Russian Empire... This is how confident he is." !”
Montauban patted Ivan on the shoulder, "Let's go, my friend, the war has just begun. Don't worry, we in France will not let these Chinese people go..."
"Let me tell you good news. As long as the Tsar unified and we reach a military alliance against the Chinese, we will prepare an interest-free loan of 100 million gold francs for you..."
"Well, is this good news?"
Ivan's eyes suddenly lit up. "Are you telling the truth? One hundred million gold francs?"
Montauban smiled ferociously, "I swear by my noble title that every word I say is true!"
"As long as our country can reach a peace agreement with Prussia, as long as the difficult negotiations are finally successful, we will be able to free up our hands to deal with this group of Chinese. Once the French navy and civilian ships are mobilized, there will be no problem sending 100,000 troops to the east. !”
Ivan suddenly understood: "Negotiation! You seem confident from your expression? Could it be that the diplomatic negotiations have yielded results?"
Montauban smiled and said nothing, but in his heart he arrogantly despised these northern barbarians.
"You can't do such delicate work as diplomacy! Although Bismarck looks tough, my French negotiator is very polite in Berlin, and the standard of private reception is still very high..."
"This shows that Bismarck is just blackmailing. In the final analysis, all he wants is the legal rule of the southern German states... to go to war with our great France? Haha, he is not that stupid!"
