August is a really depressing month for the Chinese. Under Benjamin's strict guard, the Chinese are running into obstacles everywhere and can't do anything except play.
Benjamin is very clear about the current situation. He knows that some things can be stopped and some things he cannot do anything about. First of all, Xiao Letian has tightly tied the hearts of the royal family and most of the nobles through both emotions and interests.
How many nobles' funds has the joint-stock company organized by the Duke of Newcastle absorbed at this moment? Even Benjamin himself couldn't figure this out, but he was sure that there must be very, very many.
These people were conquered by the delicious Chinese food at the state banquet, and were also conquered by the source of fresh food. They had no doubts about the company's future profitability. They just wanted to buy more shares, and the invitation to Xiao Letian had already been received. Scheduled until October.
Benjamin did not dare to mess with such a community of interests, so he could only watch Xiao Letian's industries blooming everywhere in London.
Looking at the royal family, the relationship between the Queen and her son has finally broken through. Prince Edward has lived in Buckingham Palace for half a month, which is very rare after his marriage.
Various signs indicate that the Queen has decided to remain neutral, which makes Benjamin feel even more isolated and helpless, and an unprecedented sense of crisis surrounds him.
What worries him even more is Xiao Letian's infiltration of the lower class people. With the help of Gladstone's Liberal Party members, Xiao Letian has held three charity banquets in industrial areas and civilian areas of London. Chefs from the East catered for the blue-collar workers. Workers and the poorest people at the bottom cook delicious food.
Chi Guoguo's invitation won people's hearts, but Benjamin had nothing to do, because the Chinese style had become popular in London, and at this moment he no longer even had the ability to put pressure on the newspaper.
After that damn dinner, Benjamin once sent people to exert influence on the Times and other newspapers, hoping that they would stop their continuous reporting on the Chinese.
But unexpectedly, these people didn't show any respect at all. In exchange for their superficial politeness, they still went their own way. Just when Benjamin wanted to use his power to suppress these newspapers.
Unexpectedly, Prince Edward visited various newspaper offices with great fanfare and expressed condolences to those newspaper workers.
This signal is too obvious. The royal family has begun to use its influence at this moment. Many things need not be stated clearly. Wherever a person appears, it is already an attitude.
Benjamin could only knock out his teeth and swallow with blood. He could only bear this tone!
But after all, Benjamin is a veteran politician who has been in politics for more than 30 years. This kind of person is not easy to defeat. Now that he has broken his face, he has nothing to show off.
I can't influence the royal family and nobles, and I can't interfere with the newspaper industry, so I can only fight hand-to-hand with your Chinese bayonets within the scope of my authority.
You want to negotiate with me? I bother! Who are you and what qualifications do you have to negotiate with me?
The UK is a real system. The prime minister presides over all national affairs, including diplomacy, military, finance, personnel... Even the queen cannot interfere with the power of the cabinet. This is the power of the constitution.
As long as I, the Prime Minister, am still in office, Britain's diplomatic activities will be inseparable from my control. The current Foreign Secretary, Earl Larendon, is his direct descendant. If I don't say anything, he will never have any contact with the Chinese.
Do you want to exchange credentials? Do you want me, the British Empire, to recognize the Chinese as an independent country? Haha, please, I'm too lazy to talk to you. I don't want to say a word to you.
I rejected you in formal negotiations, what can you do? I also rejected you in informal negotiations, so what can you do? Have a good time in London. The British Empire will not be short of providing you with the money for food, drink and fun. If you dare, you can live here for ten years.
The situation came to a standstill. Xiao Letian, who had just made some breakthroughs in the UK, suddenly became the focus. Even newspapers in France and Tsarist Russia began to ridicule him continuously.
"The warlords from the East have been treated coldly by the British Prime Minister, and all doors to negotiations have been closed..."
"The British Prime Minister refused to recognize the status of the Chinese as an independent country, and the Eastern heads of state became Oriental barbarians..."
"Anti-Chinese forces are on the rise. His Majesty the French Emperor has officially proposed to form an anti-Chinese alliance with Tsarist Russia. It is expected that the first formal meeting will be held in Paris in October..."
"How long can the Chinese people who have been abandoned by the British survive? Facts have proved that the legitimacy of Asian political power is still in the hands of the Qing Empire, and Emperor Tongzhi received super courtesy in the British..."
Newspapers and periodicals that were hostile to the Chinese began to launch long and lengthy attacks, all with headlines that were both shocking and deadly. In August, the media in Europe was in a state of agitation.
At this time, there were anti-Chinese forces in Europe, as well as countries that supported the Chinese. The alliance with the Chinese was a strategy that Prussia had already formulated. The difficulties Xiao Letian encountered in London also fell in the eyes of Prussian senior officials.
However, to avoid suspicion, the Prussian official chose to keep silent. At this moment, Bismarck's strategic deception of France is still continuing, and the official cannot reveal any clues at this time.
But the official kept silent, and there were many small moves in private. After Prince Carl learned the news, he personally sent a secret message to Prince Edward.
There is nothing to be polite about brother-in-law and brother-in-law. When Prince Carl got rid of his brother-in-law in the secret message, he must take good care of Xiao Letian and try his best to help him overcome the difficulties at the moment.
Edward wanted to help but was unable to change. His mother's principle was neutrality, and the Queen had been nagging him for half an hour by going to the newspaper platform. If he took action openly again, it would probably cause quite a stir in the government and the public.
"After all, it is a constitutional monarchy. The constitution already enshrines the power of the king, so we cannot break the rules!"
Edward could not come forward, but he thought of one person, that is Gladstone of the Liberal Party. The only way to break the situation at this moment is to let Gladstone raise questions in the parliament and question the Prime Minister's national affairs as the leader of the opposition party.
As long as he can make a noise in the parliament, things will turn around, and Gladstone's attempt to challenge the position of prime minister is almost known to everyone in the country. The Liberal Party has accumulated a lot of strength after these years of development.
However, the crown prince never expected that at the most critical moment, Gladstone would actually reject his request without any mercy.
"Your Highness, the conflict between Benjamin and I is just a conflict of ideas in governing the country, but in essence we are both politicians who love the motherland!"
"In my opinion, Benjamin's various difficulties for Xiao Letian are not excessive. If an emerging force wants to be recognized by the UK, can it do it without paying a price?"
"Wild horses need to be trained, and hunting dogs need to temper themselves. The same goes for dealing with Xiao Letian. We need to let him know how terrible Britain is, and let him learn a lesson..."
"We must deal with him enough to make us all feel relieved. Only then can we talk about future cooperation! To be honest, Xiao Letian also contacted me secretly, but the conditions I gave him were even more stringent. If Xiao Letian If he doesn’t agree, then I won’t provide him with any help!”
Note: The second update is coming!
