Hidden Dragon in Qing Dynasty

Why did this damn meeting fall into silence again? Why does this damned eastern barbarian always attack me from weird angles? He actually said that he had seen through the direction of the development of technology in the future? Oh God, why would I allow a braggart to strut around in front of me?

Many years after the conclusion of this meeting, the Count de Beer had not understood why Xiao Letian would snatch the initiative to negotiate in front of him.

After a very long time, Count de Beer finally understood that perhaps the only reason he had failed in this intense battle was because he had never intended to win from the very beginning.

This was a very tragic answer, and what was even more tragic was that Xiao Letian might have already guessed the British person's trump card before this meeting.

Yes, Xiao Letian obviously knew the hidden trump card of the British people. With his two lives, he knew how proud the English people of the nineteenth century were. In the eyes of the British in this era, China was a completely outdated barbarian.

There was only one answer, the British were probing Xiao Letian, and this probing must be with a subconscious intent to cooperate.

The Count de Beer came to the hamburger with a secret order from the Queen. Currently, in the circle of top politicians in Britain, people were already beginning to pay attention to Xiao Letian.

The source of everything, was actually going back to the French. For Xiao Letian to be able to gain the attention of the British, he had to thank his enemy, Napoleon III.

Ever since Napoleon had failed at Waterloo in 1815, France's position as a powerful nation in the continental Europe had plummeted. In the following years, due to the fact that the economy of France had been growing steadily, the benefits of such economic growth had not fallen on the shoulders of the The French people, resulting in the accumulation of serious social contradictions within the country.

In the thirty-seven years before Napoleon's nephew ascended to the throne, the thirst of the French capitalists for the overseas colonies had reached its peak.

Many politicians and capitalists had already agreed that if France did not work hard to expand its colonization, if France did not have a vast source of raw materials and a vast commodity dumping market, there was no hope for the destiny of the France.

To put it in a thousand words, France could no longer exploit its citizens, and France had to exploit the weaker ones. Only by doing so could the social conflicts within the country be resolved.

On the surface, Napoleon III's match seemed like a comeback, but the truth was, there was a big story behind it.

Napoleon III, who lived up to everyone's expectations, declared war on the Russian in March 1854 and joined forces with Britain, the Austria and Turkey to fight with the Russia.

This was the Crimean War, the first great overseas war that Napoleon had fought after he ascended the throne.

In a year, the French soldiers had finally won, with the price of a hundred thousand lives, and this victory was only the prelude. Under the leadership of Napoleon III, the French started their counterattack, with a very clear goal: to become the second strongest person in the world, after Britain.

Then came the Italian War of 1859. Under Napoleon III's meticulous plan of killing two birds with one stone, France succeeded in weakening the Austria's national power, and at the same time, managed to restrain the Italian unification process, gaining both diplomatic and military benefits.

In 1857, the British and French combined forces provoked the Second Opium War, and in 1858, they signed the Treaty of Tianjin between China and France, the Treaty of Beijing between China and France, and then in 1860, they captured the Beijing and burned it down.

In 1859, the French army captured the Vietnamese Saigon and signed the Treaty of the Saigon. From that moment on, Vietnam became a colony of France.

There was also Africa, of course, in which the French had a strong interest, with the establishment of the Bank of Senegal in 1854, the formal annexation of Senegal, the conquest of Algeria in 1857, and the acquisition of the right of exploitation by the Suez Canal in 1854. By the time the canal was completed in 1869, France had already controlled half of the shares of the canal, and not even the British could match him.

If Xiao Letian's memories were not messed up, later on, Madagascar, Somalia, Mauritania, Sudan and other African countries would all become colonies of France.

By 1870, France had established a colony with an area of more than 900,000 square kilometers and a population of more than 6.5 million people, making it the second-largest colony in the world.

In fact, there were no eternal friends in the rivalry between countries, only eternal interests, although for the time being it seemed that Britain was in a state of honeymoon, and even now the two countries were working together against Mexico, and everything looked so good.

However, in Xiao Letian's eyes, no matter how intimate the relationship between his lover and his wife was, there would always be cracks. Was Britain not wary of France? That was impossible, there was no need for a reason to hate the first to second place in this world.

It was because of this analysis that Xiao Letian did not believe Prime Minister Derby's nonsense. Even if the French occupied Britain, they could still get a share of the spoils. The two countries could share the benefits. It was all bullshit!

Would Britain willingly let France have one more colony? Would they sit and watch France build a bridgehead in East Asia? Even if Derby agreed, would the British Parliament agree? Can the proud Queen agree?

Therefore, when Xiao Letian heard the fallacy of Derby, he understood clearly that the old thing Derby was just testing him out. The trump card of Britain was definitely not to have a falling out with him.

"Ah …" Xiao Letian heaved a long sigh, allowing his emotions to calm down a little. "Prime Minister, to be frank, England is very strong now, but British power is only reflected in the ocean. Your fleet is invincible, but that does not mean your army is invincible too."

"I can believe that if Russian were to challenge your dignity in the Pacific Ocean, he would definitely teach him a ruthless lesson. However, you should be clear that for many wars, the strategy and expectations cannot be fulfilled without the assistance of the army. If the Siberian Railway was completed and the army of the Russia was heavily reinforced, how would the British prepare to fight them? Is it always with the naval gun? "

"In addition, the policy of the British state is still very wise. You will never choose to exterminate the other weak states. You will only choose to rule the colonies as the spokesperson. Just like the pearl on the crown of a queen, India. Until now, none of you Earth States s have been annihilated, and on the contrary, you all are really supporting them … "

"This kind of state policy of indirect rule with a spokesperson can give the British money without losing face, and your colonial rule will receive the lowest level of resistance. Will you, British people, give up such a profitable business?"

Xiao Letian tapped the ash on his cigarette and said haughtily, "This world is getting smaller and smaller, and it is getting more and more chaotic, as if all the countries are having a difficult and never-ending long-distance race. Right now, Britain is already standing at the top, and even if China does not have the last place, it is still more or less there …"

"What should a smart Englishman choose? Is he trying to use the endless benefits to support the person in the second place so that he becomes more and more powerful, so much so that she can threaten your position in the end? "If the IQ of you English gentlemen is that high, then I won't say anything …"

Under Count de Beer's shocked expression, Xiao Letian extinguished his cigar fiercely from the ashtray, "To England, the best national policy is to vigorously support the countries that are lagging behind, and let them ruthlessly tear pieces of flesh and blood from the backs of the second and third place. Only by doing this can you guys continue to have the upper hand, and increase the distance between you and the main forces …"

"The more chaotic this world is, the more intense the confrontation between nations. To put it bluntly, it is to fight even more miserably. To be even more vicious, this is the only way to ensure the longstanding of your British hegemony …" "Not the way you are now, fooling around with the French!"

An informal diplomatic discussion had completely changed. Under the bewitchment of Xiao Letian, the famous stubborn old man in British politics turned into an old urchin today, hugging Xiao Letian's shoulder.

The civil officials from England, the guards and secretaries of Prime Minister Derby, all watched with sweat dripping down their foreheads. Although they did not know what the two Prime Ministers were talking about, the strange atmosphere was obvious to all.

Time passed minute by minute, and once again, the sounds of the cavalry and the clattering of the wheels could be heard on the stone road. Only then did people notice that the special carriage of the Prime Minister, bearing the badge of the Empire, had arrived.

When Bismark anxiously got off the car, the moment he stepped into the flower garden, the old prime minister was stunned. He stared at the scene in front of him in disbelief, unable to speak for a long while.

The table was filled with crippled seafood. An old man and a young woman were whispering to each other. What was even weirder was that there was no tablecloth on the table … Oh, no, the white silk cloth had flown into the roses.

"What did I miss? Is that still the aggressive Derby in front of me? He was actually smiling at Xiao Letian? Oh my god, this old man can actually laugh? "

Just as Bismark was in a daze, Xiao Letian and Count de Beer had already completed this informal meeting. Although the two sides did not have any agreements to sign, a lot of consensus had already been carved into each other's stomachs.

"Shaw!" "You have indeed surprised me, I cannot promise you anything. The only thing I can do is to pass on your words to Her Majesty, I hope that everything you have said will move Her Majesty!"

Xiao Letian's face immediately turned bitter: "Don't … Don't! "Don't use the original words. You'd better modify them. Don't copy all of my rude words."

Count de Beer laughed out loud, he patted Xiao Letian's shoulders and turned to leave with his subordinates.