"If you carefully study the history of Xiao Letian's fortune, it is actually the success story of a gambler and thug. When he was feared in the Qing Dynasty and wanted to get American arms assistance, he thought of Ryukyu, which was isolated overseas!"
"Ryukyu was originally a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty. This is protected by the public law of all nations. Ryukyu's status has been written in many treaties. I repeat, Ryukyu is a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, not a Chinese nation. of!"
"Using the contradiction between Ryukyu and Japanese daimyo, and taking advantage of King Shangtai's youthful weakness, Xiao Letian provoked a riot in a country and achieved his career with the blood of tens of thousands of people... The so-called prime minister is just a Chinese mouthpiece Just the Han thieves we often talk about!"
The whole audience was shocked. The reporters forgot to ask questions and everyone just took notes.
"But I have to admit that this cunning gambler knows how to restrain himself. After he actually took control of Ryukyu, he did not directly declare the independence of Ryukyu. Instead, he took power in the name of the Prime Minister of Ryukyu. Why is this? His purpose is to continue to be in Ryukyu. The Qing Dynasty is sucking blood!"
"It is a pity that the Qing Dynasty has just ended a protracted civil war, and the rebellion in the western frontier is getting more and more intense. Even some bandits in the Central Plains have not been wiped out..."
"This gave this thug a chance to use military means to invade the capital of the Qing Dynasty. In the name of being the Qing emperor? The prime minister of the vassal country led troops to invade the capital of the suzerain country, and finally kidnapped the Qing emperor. This kind of thing is very rare in China. There have been many times in history!”
"Because Emperor Tongzhi was under control, the Qing Empire could only accept his harsh conditions with humiliation. Only then did the Chinese attach themselves to the Qing Empire's body and continuously suck blood. This led to their Far East War and Ryukyu War. Two victories in the battle!”
"Now, this barbarian dares to show off his power in a civilized country! Tsarist Russian and French prisoners have become his bargaining chips to threaten Europe! Shameless! Extremely shameless!"
"I reiterate for the last time that the British Empire only recognizes the suzerain-vassal relationship between the Qing Empire and the Ryukyus. I will not recognize the Chinese people now, and I will never recognize it in the future!"
"And I can officially announce something to everyone. From today on, I, the British Empire, will be fully responsible for the safety of Emperor Tongzhi. Whether he is studying abroad or returning home to rule in person, I will not let any careerist control His Majesty the Emperor again!"
Boom... the crowd was completely shocked. The Prime Minister's words were full of fire. It was almost announcing that the Chinese were enemies of the British Empire.
"Prime Minister! Prime Minister... do you mean to interfere in the internal affairs of the Chinese people?"
"What does it mean to interfere in the internal affairs of the Chinese people? It was the Chinese people who interfered in the internal affairs of the Qing Empire first. I just hope to bring order to the chaos!"
"So, the Prime Minister is also preparing to rescue those prisoners from Tsarist Russia and France? That is a huge group of prisoners of twenty to thirty thousand people. What are your plans?"
"Of course there is a plan, but for the safety of those young men living in foreign lands, I cannot announce it, but I assure everyone that the UK will never sit idly by and ignore it!"
The reporters became more and more enthusiastic, and some even asked, "But the Queen has already accepted the head of state from the East at the banquet? Is your attitude contrary to the Queen's?"
Benjamin sneered and said, "What did the Queen accept? The Queen just said a few words of respect for the Head of State. What is the Head of State? Is there such a title? I only know that the title in the East is Prime Minister, and the title in the West is Prime Minister!"
"A group of Eastern barbarians have come up with a nondescript name, and they still want us to admit it? I repeat, I only admit that they are a group of warlords!"
"Okay, okay, it's getting late. I have to attend an important meeting! Please give in a little bit, thank you!" After saying this, Benjamin wanted to walk out.
This group of reporters went crazy like sharks that smelled blood. People shouted "Prime Minister, Prime Minister...last question, please answer the last question..."
"What if our British operation to rescue prisoners of war fails? You just said that those prisoners are bargaining chips in the negotiations between the Chinese and Europe, and the head of state will definitely not let them go easily..."
"If diplomatic talks break down, do you have plans for military intervention? Do you have plans for war?"
This question was the most acute. At that time, it was like a cold wind blowing across the scene, and there was a sudden silence.
The road in front of Benjamin was blocked. He saw the madness in the reporters' eyes. He knew that if he didn't answer the question head-on today, they would not let him go.
"War? Haha... Hahaha..." Benjamin suddenly laughed, "Gentlemen, please remember, this is a great era that belongs to the Empire where the sun never sets, and we control the rhythm of this earth!"
"The rules of our game must be abided by. In order to maintain global order, any means can be used, right?"
Without giving up this answer, Benjamin unceremoniously pushed aside the crowd, boarded the carriage and drove away.
The reporters looked at each other and then left without saying a word. They wanted to rush to report to the press as quickly as possible. They were going to get extra seats this afternoon. They wanted to grab the honor of being the first to report.
At four o'clock in the afternoon that day, the single-page ink numbered columns were rotated in the printing presses of major newspapers. Newsboys who had been paid overtime ran wildly on the streets, informing the whole of London of what had happened this morning. , the British Empire and all of Europe.
The city of London was completely boiling at that moment. People were vying for seats to carefully read the confrontation between the two prime ministers. The smell of gunpowder was so strong that it was almost suffocating.
"How could this happen? There was a welcoming ceremony at the beginning of the month, so why are we on the verge of war in just one month? What on earth is the Prime Minister thinking?"
"Don't you understand? The Prime Minister wants to rescue tens of thousands of prisoners of war!"
"But it's not like our young man has been captured. Why are you worried about that?"
"We don't know about this, but I am very concerned about the Queen's attitude. The Queen must not remain indifferent to such a big matter!"
The citizens' guess was correct, and the Queen would certainly not remain indifferent. That afternoon, Benjamin was summoned to Buckingham Palace and received a scolding from the Queen.
"Benjamin! You don't know the importance of this state visit. This is the first time China has sent a mission to Europe, and it is also the first high-level visit with the participation of the Chinese emperor and prime minister at the same time..."
"This is the glory of the empire. What do you want to do? Record our rudeness in the history books? Let future generations laugh at our ancestors a thousand years later?"
"When did you start caring about the interests of Tsarist Russia and France? You have to remember that you are the Prime Minister of the British Empire, and you must first care about the interests of the empire!"
Benjamin stood in front of the Queen with sweat on his forehead from being reprimanded, "Yes, yes... Your Majesty, please listen to my explanation. Everything I do is for the benefit of the empire. I don't have any selfish motives!"
