"The issue of prisoners is just an excuse for us to intervene in this conflict. I will find a way to provoke Xiao Letian and let him kill these prisoners. As long as he dares to take action, then we will have a reason to intervene militarily!"
"You want to fight? You still want to fight!" the queen asked with a serious face.
Benjamin wiped his sweat and said, "No, no, no, I don't want to fight. War is just a last resort. What we want is to completely control everything about the Chinese..."
"I have carefully studied the geographical location of Ryukyu. It is so important that even the Asians themselves call it Wan Guo Jin Liang! If it is controlled by us, then no naval power in the entire East Asia will be able to rise!"
"To the north, we can influence Japan and the Korean Peninsula, and even contain the expansion of Tsarist Russia. To the south, we can compete with the Spaniards and the Dutch for colonies. By then, the entire Southeast Asia will become our colony..."
"This is the imperial interest that I have always pursued!"
Benjamin was very frightened and pushed out his inner Asian strategy in detail. In his plan, Xiao Letian and the Chinese people existed as the first threat. This force had risen too fast, and they could challenge it in such a short period of time. Tsarist Russia and France, such aggressive warlord forces, must not stay.
Eliminate the Chinese and directly annex all the Chinese industries, including land, and then vigorously support Emperor Tongzhi to ascend the throne, and begin to penetrate capital into the interior of China through the influence of the little emperor.
As long as the sea is controlled by the British, the assets stolen from the Chinese will be used as military aid to be lent to Emperor Tongzhi.
Not only can it support the pro-British emperor to ascend to power, but it can also earn high interest rates, and more importantly, you don’t have to pay the principal yourself.
What do you think the Qing Dynasty should do if it can’t pay back the money? It’s easy to do, use the railway construction rights and port construction rights to offset the debt! Railways began to be built along the main artery of the Yangtze River. One day, British soldiers could land in Chongqing, control Chengdu, march to Xi'an... and eventually turn the entire hinterland of China into British colonies.
Perhaps it was because the Tories had become so powerful over the years that while Benjamin was so excited that he was foaming at the mouth, he didn't notice the impatience in the Queen's eyes.
After a full hour and a half of presentation, the Queen reluctantly agreed not to express an opinion and continue to remain neutral. However, Queen Victoria also used the strongest attitude to demand that Benjamin must ensure the success of this state visit.
No matter what conflicts there are, make this visit a success first. Even if a war is about to break out, you can't declare war when someone is visiting you!
Such actions will make the whole world laugh. You Benjamin don't care about leaving a name in history, but the Queen does!
Benjamin quickly assured the queen that everything he said today was just to put pressure on Xiao Letian, and he did not really want to start a war immediately. The first task at the moment was to reach a secret agreement with Emperor Tongzhi to ensure that the little emperor was a proper pro-British faction. This is the most important.
When Benjamin left Buckingham Palace, the sun had already set in the west, and he clearly felt hungry in his belly. At this time, he suddenly thought of the Chinese food at the previous state banquet.
"Hey... the Chinese are not useless. Let them study cooking and serve the Europeans well. This is also a way out, hahaha..."
"Well, no matter what, the Chinese restaurant business of New York Duke cannot be stopped. It seems that it is renovating and training the store staff now... When it opens, I will definitely have a big meal..."
The arrogant Benjamin has long regarded Xiao Letian as a loser. In his heart, what else can he do to the barbarian Prime Minister in London? Facing the invincible Britain, do you still dare to rebel?
Have a good time, and finally go back to Asia in despair. Maybe you can't even get halfway, and the Royal Navy will naturally sink you all in the ocean.
By then, all Chinese industries will become British spoils of war, and a new bridgehead in East Asia will be in British hands.
While Benjamin's group was preparing a dinner to celebrate today's vigorous counterattack, countless other forces were also anxiously watching the development of the situation.
Gladstone had already smoked three pots of pipe, and the study was full of spicy smells. He did not expect Benjamin to dare to do things so brilliantly. It seemed that Xiao Letian was already in trouble.
"There is no solution! If I don't take action, Xiao Letian will never be able to untie this knot! How can he compete with the Prime Minister of the Empire on which the sun never sets? This is simply a dream..."
"For the current plan, only I launch an attack to impeach Benjamin in advance. Only by knocking him out of office will Xiao Le have a chance of survival!"
"But why is there still no news about the things you promised? Are you reliable? It doesn't matter if you lose, but if you lose, Benjamin will gain a lot of reputation with the residual power of victory. Then it will be It’s causing me more trouble!”
"Damn it! People like to win. If Benjamin succeeds, it will give him the illusion of victory over the Chinese people. He may have to be elected for another term, and his support rate among the people may reach a new high!"
"Come here, contact Xiao Letian secretly and ask him if he is okay? Can he hold on..."
In stark contrast to Gladstone's anxiety, there was an orderly atmosphere in the East Palace. Although all the Chinese members looked angry, they did not put down the work at hand. One after another orders came from Xiao Letian's office. Then have your subordinates execute it.
"According to the order of the head of state, the entire army should stop taking vacations and return to the camp collectively. No one is allowed to leave the camp without authorization except for the quartermaster to purchase supplies..."
"The Zhiyuan is ready for defense, all arrangements for boarding the ship to visit have been postponed, and the entire Navy has entered a level three alert state..."
"All the British attendants and maids in the East Palace are invited to leave. Each of them will be given three months' salary and sent out of the East Palace politely. From tomorrow onwards, only our own people will be left in the East Palace..."
"Arrange the interview for tomorrow and ask Leo to contact the gold medal reporters from various newspapers. The head of state will give them half a day for exclusive interviews tomorrow morning..."
The British attendants, maids and butlers, holding the pounds distributed by the Chinese, reluctantly left the East Palace one by one. They clearly felt the crisis of the situation, and they even smelled a hint of danger from these Chinese people. The smell of blood.
"Are these Chinese going to fight to the death? No, no, no, I can't think about it anymore. How many are there? This is London, not a place for them to mess around!"
"But these Chinese people are quite friendly, and the food is so nostalgic. Why would the Prime Minister declare war on them? I really don't understand..."
Note: I am grateful to book friends Wang Junlan, Pure Animals, Liu Debin, Vin Diesel 1, and Dongfang Weiming for their red envelope rewards!
Regarding the question about the 19th century scientific wizard Truss, many book friends have asked about it before. I will give a unified reply today. Yes, Truss and Edison will appear later in the book, especially Truss, who is a must-see, but he is still too young and still in the learning stage, so there is currently no role for him.
