His whole life depends on his acting skills, and Zai Chun really understood the three flavors deeply, and he performed this painful scene vividly.
He was very aware of his master's skills and the terror of the CIA, so he did not dare to hide any secret negotiations between himself and the British. He knew that these were not secrets at all to Xiao Letian.
But he also knew one thing very clearly, that is, the secret that King Yi was still alive, the master must not have known that he had known it by chance.
This is the most important point. As long as Xiao Letian thinks that King Yi's secret has not been leaked, then the conflict between Zai Chun and him is not a matter of life and death, but only caused by the uneven distribution of interests.
At least Emperor Tongzhi thought so. As long as conflicts arise from uneven distribution of interests, they can be resolved. If it doesn't work, just write a blank check.
But the issue of long hair is a bottom-line issue for both parties. The Manchus and Qing Dynasties have no room for negotiation on this point. The deadly hatred forged by hundreds of millions of lives cannot be resolved by humans at all, not even saints.
Zai Chun was betting that Xiao Letian didn't know, so he could still get away with it. When he heard the master's resentful answer, he quickly knelt on the ground and pretended to be pitiful.
"Master, I am not a disciple but I am short-sighted. Tell me for yourself, what can the Chinese do with an army of 30,000 to 40,000 people?"
"Of course I know that their combat effectiveness is high, but no matter how high they are, how much territory can they control? When I take charge in the future, how much territory can I control with you as my backer?"
"If 30,000 to 40,000 people can control one Northern Zhili, that's good. What do you want me to do with the other provinces?"
"You have always taught me to recognize the reality clearly, not to be too ambitious, to eat one bite at a time, and to do things one by one... Survival is more important than anything else, but today when I really follow your wishes If you do it, why don’t you understand me so much?”
Zai Chun started to act, with tears and snot flying all over his sleeves, saying "I... what can I do? People have to bow their heads under the low eaves... Now I live on a third of an acre of British land, I Can you not give Benjamin face?”
"You yourself know that Benjamin and you have many conflicts. What he wants is to divide us, the master and the disciple. So what's wrong with me, the disciple, and me? Do we have to have a deadly feud with the British Prime Minister?"
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
"Master, that's more than 10 million pounds of military aid. It's enough for me to make a comeback, don't you want it? I'd be a fool if you don't want it!"
"I'll eat his bastard's eggs and drink his bastard's eggs. As for how to pay back the money in the future, we are tough, can't we talk about anything?"
"Besides, that railway is built on our Qing Dynasty's land no matter what. If we were told to take care of it a few years ago, let him take care of it. But if he annoys us the next year, what will happen if we tear up the contract?"
"At most, there will be another war. When we try to join forces, I don't believe we can't win! Even if we can't win, we can have a draw and force them to make concessions at the negotiation table. There is no problem..."
Xiao Letian smiled bitterly and shook his head, "You...you! It's not as simple as you think. You get up first. This is the British Parliament. There are some things you can't say. Get up quickly..."
Looking at the master's expression, Zai Chun was secretly happy. He finally passed the test. It seemed that the tears were not in vain.
Xiao Letian didn't know what to say. He had hundreds of years of memories from later generations in his belly. He knew very well how much the great powers wanted to control the railways. Sometimes, they even wanted to control the railways without the territory.
The biggest piece of pie in the Russo-Japanese War was the allocation of rights to the Middle East Railway. Japan lost 100,000 lives for this war, and finally divided the railway control rights in the three eastern provinces half and half with Tsarist Russia.
Controlling the railway means controlling all economic activities along the railway. Controlling the economy is only one step away from actually annexing territory.
Railway, railway! This is a big killer weapon that changes geopolitics! How could it be possible for you, Zaichun, to overturn the situation if you wanted to? But this truth cannot be explained clearly in one or two sentences, at least it cannot be discussed in depth in the British Parliament.
After a heart-to-heart drama, the master and apprentice finally got over the embarrassing period. Zai Chun poured a glass of wine for the master in a flattering manner, "Master, in the end, good things have to go to our own people. To build the railway, we have to follow your instructions." When the regulations come, we will set up a joint-stock company..."
"If you have fat, you have to be the master! Let the British come in now and let them do the most difficult construction work. Once the railway is completed, things will be easier to handle in the future. Even if you are a black man, you will be a black man." , even the UK cannot escape the grasp of our master and apprentice..."
"Be careful! What is this place? Be careful that the walls have ears..."
After all, Zai Chun's identity is too special. As an emperor, you cannot restrain him with ordinary people's moral standards. It is acceptable to pay attention to practical benefits, deceitful words, hypocrisy and coercion.
What's more, the future penetration of the Chinese into the interior and the advancement of the fortress plan are inseparable from Zai Chun's cooperation, so things like falling out are absolutely not allowed.
"Zai Chun, let's stop talking about the railway today. Don't talk about it any further. But Master, I want to remind you... Benjamin is about to step down. No one knows whether his promise can count. Whether Reston will inherit these policies of his is still open to question!”
"Just remember one thing. Don't be in a hurry to sign an agreement with the British. Don't...at least you have to wait until I finish fighting this war. You have to remember that the better we perform on the battlefield, the better we will negotiate when the time comes. You can get more on the table!”
After hearing this, Zai Chun nodded desperately, "Yes, yes, the master said it, and the apprentice should remember it... However, no matter how stupid Gladstone is, he will not deny the railway construction plan, right? I guess, sooner or later, Gladstone will have to Come to me..."
Zai Chun's guess was not wrong at all. In the lounge on the first floor, Gladstone had already begun to recruit troops for his administration, and even reached into the pockets of the Tories.
Gordon, who could only be considered a second-rate military general in Britain, had his worth doubled this time because of Emperor Tongzhi. Because of his experience in the Qing Dynasty, he naturally became the lubricant for communication between Britain and the Qing Dynasty.
Gordon has now gained the trust of Emperor Tongzhi, and Gladstone has already seen all this. Taking advantage of this important moment of power transfer, how long will it take if he doesn't draw him under his command?
