Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 388 Beijing Peace Conference
"We must take good care of those heads of state. I hope that before they attend the peace conference, they will not be dissatisfied." Guan Xuqing said.

Wu Tingfang nodded, he also knew the importance of the matter.

"In addition," Guan Xuqing's voice suddenly darkened: "I don't want the heads of state of those countries to meet privately before the peace conference begins."

"The minister will definitely arrange it properly." Wu Tingfang's heart shuddered, he knew what the emperor was referring to.

Guan Xuqing's expression softened immediately, and he said: "As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I hope you can understand that the Beijing Peace Conference is by no means as simple as imagined. This is an excellent opportunity to show the image of the empire and establish the prestige of a great power. , will add a heavy weight to the empire's diplomatic advantages, otherwise I don't need to say the result."

Wu Tingfang knelt down immediately, and said with trepidation: "I will do my best to make this meeting the most successful and complete event in history."

"Well, kneel down."

On April 4, the Beijing Peace Conference was finally held as scheduled.

This morning, Guan Xuqing got up very early, and with the help of the palace attendants, he put on a luxurious golden robe. Then, under the protection of the Royal Guards, he left the palace and started the pre-meeting celebrations.

Due to the rush of time, the arrangements for the celebration activities were relatively simple.First, Guan Xuqing delivered a short welcome speech on the Forbidden City Square, and then the guard of honor fired a salute of 108 rounds.Next is the parade.Under the protection of the Royal Guards, Guan Xuqing sat in his special car and paraded along Chang'an Avenue.Behind him are the heads of state who came to participate in the celebration, and behind him are the entourages of various countries.

Both sides of Chang'an Avenue are full of guards sent by the Ministry of the Army and military plainclothes. The welcome crowd can't see the side at a glance. The cries and cheers of people.

Briand looked out through the car window, and couldn't help saying, "Is this still the China of the past?"

Foch said coldly: "Your Excellency, China is still the same China as before, but the Chinese people have changed."

After the parade, it was time for the banquet.Guan Xuqing and the heads of state and representatives of various countries walked slowly into the Summer Palace surrounded by flowers. Today, Guan Xuqing will host a banquet for representatives from all countries in the world.

"Beijing must be extremely lively today!" South said as he walked.

"Let them be happy for a while, before long they should cry." General Foch said bitterly.

"Let's not talk about that for now. Foch, have all the Chinese troops guarding outside Paris withdrawn? How are our preparations going?" Briand asked.

"Since March 3, the imperial cavalry have been withdrawing westward one after another, but the Chinese are really cunning. They repaired their troops in the name of the military force outside Paris, but there has been no sign of withdrawal. Although the German army also Withdrew the two main armies to the west of the Marne River, but they still retained a strong military force in the Hanoi area. It may take two days for the Austrian army to withdraw to the country. The Italians have always swayed from side to side, and their withdrawal may It will take more time. Calculated, the entire Allied Powers still retain at least 30 elites in France and Belgium, obviously guarding against us. Our military supplies are continuously being transported from Iberia. Soldiers are also Resting. I believe that as long as we are given a certain amount of time, we will be able to cope with the upcoming war." Foch replied affirmatively.

"50 elites? I'm sure, before the war started, their real elites would have died on the battlefield long ago. If the Chinese hadn't suddenly appeared on the European battlefield, who might win the final victory? .” There was a mocking smile on Soth’s face.

"Your Excellency, what you said is very correct. As long as there is another war, I am confident that they will all be driven out of France within two weeks. After another month, all the main forces of the Allied Powers have returned. At that time, we will start our attack. It is time. At that time, it is obviously impossible for the Allies to rescue the garrison in France. They cannot send troops to France in a short time. In addition, after a major war, I believe they will not have enough strength to immediately commit A new war. Except for China. In the previous war, although the imperial cavalry suffered some losses, it has not reached the point where the muscles are broken. But I am not worried about the re-intervention of the Chinese army, while other countries have not at all Ability to intervene. In addition, the French navy is not there to look good, the Atlantic Fleet has been holding back for several months, I believe they are also capable enough to turn the German coastline into ruins." Foch assured, he did not He didn't take the 50 troops seriously, and the only thing that worried him was the terrifying imperial cavalry.

After the state banquet, the attendees, accompanied by the emcee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, went to the Tiandi Family Spring in the Old Summer Palace, where the Beijing Peace Conference that the whole world is waiting to see will be held.

Before the meeting started, Guan Xuqing was thinking about his speech in Zhengda Guangming Hall. At this time, Wang Shang came to report that there was a distinguished guest who wanted to meet him. Kaiser Wilhelm II walked into the hall with a short and fat middle-aged man talking and laughing. Guan Xuqing took a closer look and found that it was none other than Emperor Franz of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.Guan Xuqing has been busy with the peace conference in Beijing for the past few days, and has no time to meet with representatives from various countries one by one. Unexpectedly, at the beginning of the conference, Franz would pay a visit. The most significant thing is that he followed William II .Everyone knows that Germany and Austria-Hungary have always been close. If China and Germany are friends, then Germany and Austria-Hungary are brothers.

Guan Xuqing got up and greeted him: "Hello, His Majesty Franz."

Franz took two steps and shook hands with Guan Xuqing: "Hello, Your Majesty the Great Emperor. The Chinese have a saying: If you have nothing to do, go to the Three Treasures Palace. First of all, I would like to thank your country for its support in this war. help us in it.”

"We have helped each other and benefited each other in this war, and the Chinese army has also learned a lot from your army. I hope we can have deeper military exchanges in the future."

"Yes, I hope so too. It can be seen that in the future development and transformation of the world, China has come to the forefront of the world. If we can cooperate with the Chinese military, the military strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire will also be further improved .”

"Both sides learn from each other, don't they? But I also have something to say: War, is cruel. How many people lose their lives in war? How many people suffer from the loss of loved ones? How many innocent people are displaced, Lost their homes? How many cultural relics and historic sites were destroyed in the war? How much wealth was lost in the war? Therefore, the world does not need war, the world needs peace. But some people or countries always think about war, war, war! Thinking that war can solve the problem Everything is impossible. War can destroy a person's life, but it cannot destroy the will of a country. Although I don't want war, all Chinese people don't want war, but if any person or country invades our country When the territory of our country is invaded, I don’t mind launching a just war against aggression. When some people or countries show that they want to invade our country, I don’t mind attacking first to eliminate the danger before the war breaks out .and do it for the whole world. What do you say, Mr. Franz?"

After Guan Xuqing finished his veiled words, the smart Franz immediately heard something from it. He not only heard what the US President Franklin heard yesterday, but also heard the declaration of a big eastern country.So he was thinking: China should not be provoked, no matter at any time, it can only cooperate and never provoke.

At 12:1 noon, under the guidance of the guide, members of the delegations from various countries stepped into the venue one after another and sat down in their own areas.The meeting consisted of one representative from each of China, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and the United States. The Chinese delegation sent Liang Qichao to participate as a representative of the Supreme Council.Representatives of the four member states of the Council came to the stage one after another and delivered impassioned speeches, but the speeches of each country were strongly political, and the central idea was still from the perspective of their own interests, pushing the responsibility for the war to Allies or Entente.These speeches made the atmosphere at the scene immediately tense. Guan Xuqing noticed that the peace meeting created a strong smell of gunpowder from the very beginning. If it continues like this, the meeting will definitely become a farce that ends on bad terms.

The ceremony bell rang three times, and Guan Xuqing walked onto the stage slowly under the eyes of everyone's anticipation, greeted everyone, and began to deliver a speech at the Beijing Peace Conference.

"Ladies and gentlemen! It is an honor for me to stand here and deliver a speech as the organizer of this meeting. Before I speak, please allow me to observe a minute of silence for all those who lost their lives in this war." The audience was sad, Who would have thought he would utter such words first?At least the other four countries did not mention the dead soldiers and ordinary citizens who died in the war in their speeches.This is reminiscent of whether the Chinese emperor has some elements of show in it?
In fact, it cannot be said that there is no such thing. On the political stage, no one can avoid being a clown once or more.But as a person who returned from the peaceful era to this war-torn era, although he has experienced many years of war for the rejuvenation of the empire, he does not want to go to war in his heart.In this regard, there is no intention of showing off at all, but a true silent tribute to the victims from the heart.

After Guan Xuqing finished speaking, he lowered his head, and all the members of the Chinese delegation also stood up and lowered their heads.In this atmosphere, the meeting participants who had already sat down stood up again and lowered their heads.

(End of this chapter)