Kowloon wins

Chapter 848 Pride and Prejudice ([-])

Lang Erheng is indeed a cadre, even though his position is different from Hongqing, it doesn't mean he can't do it, no, after leading a group of officials from the Lifan Academy to fiddle with it for nearly ten days, it really made Lang Erheng feel the same. A set of regulations was produced. Although the general idea is to copy the one formulated by Hong Qing earlier, there are also a few wonderful improvements. As for the two things he raised to make Hong Qing difficult, there is actually no change. Great progress - the matter of the audience was pushed to the Ministry of Rites for communication, and the matter of setting up business, it only gave a vague explanation, which was not as clear as it said earlier.

Generally speaking, there is really no essential difference between Lang Erheng's drafted charter and Hong Qing's drafted charter. If there is any, it is just some minor changes. , but in fact, it was just Lang Erheng playing a trick of changing the words. Hong Qing knew it very well, but she didn't point it out, but readily accepted Lang Erheng's proposal. No comments were made on the articles of association, nor was there any suggestion for any changes. So far, the matter of negotiating the articles of association has been finalized. From Hongqing's point of view, it can be regarded as the end of a broken matter, and from Lang Erheng's point of view, it is a Having fulfilled Emperor Chengde's entrustment, Hong Qing was dragged to Lifan Yuan, and such a result can be regarded as a happy ending.

On the third day of July in the first year of Chengde, a group of seven envoys from the Kingdom of Great Britain finally arrived at the capital under the escort of soldiers and horses sent by the admiral of Guangzhou. Early in the morning, the diplomatic mission was sending Earl Brooks Wilson to lead the deputy envoy Sir William Woodbridge, executive director of the British East India Company, accompanied by Colonel Cannan Carter, the naval attache, and Lieutenant Colonel Carol Hobbert, the army attache. The Ministry of Rites submitted the official letter of credence. At that time, the officials of the Ministry of Rites proposed the relevant terms of seeing Emperor Chengde, but they were rejected by Earl Brooks Wilson, and the matter was stranded. The officials in charge of the reception of the Ministry of Rites did not give any reply to the British envoy, just as usual Let the Lifan Academy be responsible for arranging accommodation for the relevant personnel of the diplomatic mission.

Although the letter of credence of the British Mission had been submitted, Emperor Chengde did not give a timely reply. According to gossip, it was said that Emperor Chengde was very angry at the British Mission for refusing to kowtow three times and bow nine times. Dissatisfied, the Ministry of Rites and the Lifan Academy again discussed the matter with the Great Britain Envoys. After several rounds of tossing, it was still in vain. The Great Britain Envoys were very stubborn. The ceremony of nine prostrations, so the matter of negotiation has been shelved.

Emperor Chengde insisted on asking the British envoys to kowtow three times and bow nine times. Was he really trying to lose face?Obviously not, in Hong Qing's view, it is nothing more than a means to delay the negotiation process. The fundamental purpose is not the attitude of the British envoy, but the progress of the whole army at the Fengtai Camp. Under the full control of the Lord, the chaos of the entire army quickly returned to order, and the deployment of soldiers, the deployment of weapons, and the daily training of the army were solved one by one. To win over the generals in the army, it is fortunate that this guy can save his face, he is busy with entertaining guests and giving gifts, and he does not hesitate to seduce the key research targets by showing the importance of Emperor Chengde. This kind of despicable ability really allowed him to gather a small group of core backbones in a short period of time, and counting the dozen or so confidantes brought by Heda from Xi'an, in just three months, he has already After gaining a firm foothold in the new army, although his strength is still weak, the momentum of development is extremely strong, and he has faintly become the third giant in the new army besides Hong Qing and Shi Sanye.

On July [-]th of the first year of Chengde, Prince Ren Hongqing wrote in his letter that the British envoys came from afar and ignored them for a long time. The emperor read the matter and thought it was right, so he agreed that Hongqing would lead the relevant negotiation matters, and the Lifan Academy notified the British diplomatic mission that the first round of talks was scheduled to be held in the Summer Palace on July [-]th, with seven people from each side attending.

The Summer Palace is the garden where Chengde Emperor Longqian often lived. Since he ascended the throne, he has been rewarded to Hongqing together with the original Prince Cheng's mansion. As the landlord, Hongqing must be responsible for the relevant reception arrangements. With the help of many officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Lifan Academy, although there was only one day of preparation time, they arranged all the negotiation matters smoothly. Just after the [-]th day, the officials of the Lifan Academy took the The horse-drawn carriage accompanied the seven members of the British envoys to the Summer Palace, and Hong Qing personally led them to the gate of the garden to meet them.

"His Royal Highness Prince Ren, the envoy of the Lower Great Britain Mission, Earl Brooks Wilson, would like to express our most sincere respect to you on behalf of my king."

The British Mission is envoy Brooks? Earl Wilson is a burly middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes, a handsome appearance, and a dignified appearance. Although he is middle-aged, his figure is not out of shape. It is obvious that he pays great attention to maintenance. He was born in Great Britain. The oldest aristocratic family is very sophisticated in diplomatic etiquette. After the interpreter introduced Hong Qing's identity, he immediately stepped forward, put his hand on his chest, and bowed, expressing something very rigorously .

"Earl Wilson has worked hard from afar. Has King George I of your country still failed to learn to speak English?"

The etiquette of Earl Brooks Wilson is very in line with the etiquette of Western diplomacy, but there is a clear light of arrogance in his eyes. Obviously, this is where the confidence of the maritime hegemony lies. She is still very far behind, and her pride has grown even more. Others may not be able to see this, but Hong Qing knows it very well, so naturally she will not let her be complacent. This translation after listening to the interpreter , immediately laughed, and exchanged a seemingly casual greeting.

"Oh? God, where did you get the news, Your Highness?"

As soon as Hong Qing said such a casual sentence, Earl Brooks Wilson's pupils shrank immediately, and he could no longer maintain his apparent reserve, so he exclaimed in surprise, nothing else, King George I can say It is one of the disgraces of the Kingdom of Great Britain. As the king of Great Britain, he can't even speak a word of English, which has long been the biggest joke in the upper class in the West. He has become the king of England, but this guy is not very studious. Although he has been the king of England for more than ten years, he still can't speak a word of English, and he doesn't care about state affairs. All government affairs are done by Prime Minister Robert Walpole. And the cabinet is taking care of it. Rather than saying that this person is the king, it is better to say that he is a marionette.

"Mr. Earl, gentlemen, please!"

Where did the news come from?This is a secret, it's not that Hong Qing doesn't want to say it, but that she can't say it, there is nothing else, this news is not from the "Eight Banners Company", but the information that Hong Qing saw from the time and space in her previous life , The reason why I was so impressed is that King George I is so weird that it is hard not to be impressed-the king of a country can't speak his own language, and there has only been one like this since ancient times. There are no semicolons.

"Your Highness, please."

Seeing that Hong Qing refused to say anything, Earl Brooks Wilson had no choice but to make a gesture of invitation full of suspicion. Although the arrogance in his eyes diminished a lot, it did not. Completely wiped out.

"His Royal Highness, Your Majesty, entrusted by my king and our country's great council, came to negotiate with your country, hoping to start friendly trade with each other. For this, we came here with 12 points of sincerity. I hope that your country can consider it thoroughly and open up the prospect of friendship between your two countries."

The Wilson family is a traditional diplomatic family in Great Britain. Earl Brooks Wilson is very familiar with diplomatic affairs due to his family background. He has already clearly stated his intention to come when the two parties sat down, and his attitude is quite sincere. But the mentality of a big country is clearly revealed in the words. It is obvious that although Hong Qing was shocked before, she still doesn't think highly of the Qing Dynasty, the most powerful empire in the Far East.

"Your Excellency, this proposal is good, and this king appreciates it very much. We also have enough sincerity to carry out business matters with your country. For this reason, our country has prepared a large-scale fleet and can visit your country at any time. As long as your country can Provide a supply port in India, and our fleet can go directly to the three islands of your country. Whether it is silk, ceramics, tea or spices that your country urgently needs, it can meet your country’s needs. In addition, our country also has matches, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. If your country can provide us with an office in your country, it would be great."

After listening to the interpreter's report, Hong Qingdang even laughed and praised Earl Brooks Wilson with a few words of relief. Afterwards, he changed the subject and made a request from the Qing side, which, precisely It is exactly the opposite of the proposal of the British Mission in the letter of credence, and it is clear that it is a tit-for-tat posture.

"This is impossible. We will never agree to such an impolite request from your country. The Kingdom of Great Britain is the most powerful country in the world, and we will absolutely not tolerate such an insulting proposal!"

After Hong Qing made such a long speech, the interpreter on the side hurriedly translated the remarks into English, which immediately surprised everyone in the British envoys. Colonel Cannan Carter couldn't help standing up, With a red face, he yelled loudly, as if he had suffered a great insult.

(End of this chapter)