Someone has said that politicians are the most shameless profession in the world. It is difficult for people who are not insiders to have a deep understanding of this.
Whether it is Benjamin or Gladstone, this kind of people have absolutely no thinking habits of ordinary people, and profit-seeking is their life creed.
This was the first time that Edward heard Gladstone tell how he blackmailed the Chinese. When he heard the huge sum of two million pounds, the crown prince jumped up from his chair.
"What? Two million pounds? You knocked two million pounds from Xiao Letian?"
"Oh, please sit down, my prince. You are the heir to the empire on which the sun never sets. How could you be surprised by the small number of two million?" Gladstone said with a smile.
Of course, Prince Edward didn't care about this little money. Even he himself didn't know how much money he could use as a crown prince in his prosperous age. Anyway, he directly appointed as many as twenty-four private accountants.
Countless industries, shares, factories, ships... including annual fixed allocations from the royal family, as well as high subsidies from the treasury for foreign affairs visits.
The prince had no problem mobilizing assets worth tens of millions of pounds on his own. What surprised him was Gladstone.
"Oh God! According to the old Chinese proverb, you are really an old ginger!" Edward smiled and shook his head. "Two million pounds is not much, but you can charge them two million pounds and you will not be able to live at all." Damn, this is a bit...a bit..."
"Haha, that's a bit shameless? Prince..." Gladstone smiled and spoke for the Crown Prince without being angry at all.
"But for being so shameless, Xiao Letian didn't complain at all, because he knew very well that he had no one to rely on at this moment, and Benjamin didn't leave him any room. Look at the first two state banquets, Xiao Letian can Have you ever given Benjamin some face?”
"It's all tit-for-tat, so Xiao Letian has given up on his illusions about Benjamin... In the past month, the so-called official and unofficial negotiations are actually all false. Xiao Letian knows that Benjamin will not pay attention to him at all. !”
"Oh!" Edward's eyes lit up. "Are you saying that Xiao Letian's negotiation request is just a pretense, and he doesn't have any hope?"
Gladstone nodded, "That's right! With Xiao Letian's intelligence, there's no way he wouldn't have guessed Benjamin's methods. Why would he go in even though he knew it was a dead end?"
"Yes!" The Crown Prince's eyes became confused. "When you say that, it's really like this. Why would he humiliate himself when he knew it was a dead end?"
The finance minister blew out a smoke ring easily, "There is a conspiracy. Xiao Letian must have a conspiracy. Although I can't guess what it is, I absolutely can't take action at this moment. I want to see what Xiao Letian is planning to do..."
After taking a sip of bitter black coffee, the Crown Prince frowned. "For the Chinese people, negotiations still have to be negotiated. This process must have... I can't understand it! I really can't understand it..."
"But I still want to remind you that Xiao Letian's money is not that easy to get. When the critical moment comes, I suggest you take action, otherwise God knows what trouble he will cause..."
Gladstone smiled disdainfully and said, "You want me to take action? It's simple. It doesn't need to say how much political donation you will give me. As long as he agrees to my conditions, then everything will be fine!"
"Conditions? What conditions?" the crown prince asked.
"My conditions are very simple. When I officially become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Xiao Letian will start a new negotiation with me and accept my demands on the negotiating table!"
"To be recognized by Britain, the First Chinese must ensure that all treaties between the British Empire and the Qing Empire are not infringed! The legality of all treaties must be recognized..."
"Second, all Chinese ports must be open to our Royal Navy. We have the right to dock and rest at any time!"
"Third, British businessmen have investment priorities in Chinese territories over other European countries. Whether it is tax exemptions or investment discounts, etc., the interests of British businessmen must be guaranteed..."
"Fourth, the British must have judicial immunity in Chinese territory. Chinese laws cannot judge our citizens!"
"Fifth, to open up the most critical financial industry, our British banks must be able to cover it. This is very important!"
"Sixth, the Chinese navy uses the Strait of Malacca as its limit and cannot enter the Indian Ocean without British permission..."
"That's all for now. As long as he agrees, if Benjamin can't give it, I, Gladstone, can give it to him!"
Hiss... the crown prince took a breath of air, "Can he agree to such harsh conditions?"
"Why didn't he agree? What strength does he have to refuse? With his army of less than 100,000 people and that steel battleship?"
"Dear Crown Prince, great powers compete with each other with strength! Now the strength shown by Xiao Letian can only get this price. If you want more favorable negotiation conditions? Then you have to use more powerful force to prove to us!"
"In this world, the strong will only respect the strong!"
After leaving Gladstone's official residence, the prince couldn't help but have mixed feelings. His respect for these veteran politicians increased by three points, and he learned a lot of new things today.
Regarding Xiao Letian's current predicament, the Finance Minister made it very clear that neither the royal family nor the Liberal Party should take any action, and should pay more attention to Xiao Letian's strategies to break the situation.
To put it more bluntly, if Xiao Letian can't even resolve difficulties like Benjamin's, then no one will choose to form an alliance with him.
Who wants a pig teammate?
"Bless yourself! I really want to help you, but Gladstone is right. You must have qualifications worthy of my help before you can get my help! Let's go back to the manor in Cambridge. I need to rest for a few days. !”
No one expected that the Crown Prince did not even return to Buckingham Palace, but left London directly for his own manor in Cambridge to take a vacation. At this time, the only person who could provide Xiao Letian with a helping hand also fell silent.
The whole of Europe is paying attention to Xiao Letian. Everyone wants to see how he will face the difficulties faced by the British Prime Minister, especially reporters from all over Europe. During this period, opportunities have surrounded Downing Street and the East Palace. As long as there is an opportunity for interviews, They won't let it go.
It wasn't until September 1st that the Chinese finally took action. General Sima Yun, one of the important ministers of the Chinese, went to Downing Street in a carriage in full dress. He sent an invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin.
I don't know who leaked the news in advance. When Sima Yun's carriage just left the East Palace gate, reporters on Downing Street already knew the news.
For a time, seventy or eighty reporters blocked the entrance to the Prime Minister's official residence. The chaotic scene even attracted a large number of people to watch. People stopped to look at it and no one knew what was going on.
At half past ten in the morning, the black carriage stopped steadily at the door of the Prime Minister's residence. General Sima, who was dressed in military uniform, stepped out of the carriage with a calm expression. He nodded politely and rang the doorbell of the residence.
Note: This is the third update. Do you think there will be a fourth update? Get your red envelopes ready, I'll give it another shot and give it a try! OK
