Chapter 1286 Daming’s help comes at a price (Third update, please subscribe)
Author: Xiaoyu’s Destiny
Chapter 1286 Daming’s help comes at a price (Third update, please subscribe)
The emir and his party only stayed in the Ming Dynasty for three days. As soon as they left Zhongdu, the British arrived. The visiting British envoy was the Marquis of Lansdowne. The reason why the British did not send a foreign minister was because the British
The Foreign Secretary is also the Prime Minister.
This is also a British tradition in this era. Sometimes the Prime Minister also serves as the Foreign Secretary.
In fact, there were less serious disagreements within Britain about whether to use force to finally solve the Boer problem. In London, there were those who opposed the use of force, and of course there were those who supported it. The latter undoubtedly had the upper hand. Of course, the latter's upper hand was also influenced by
Public opinion and the threat of real interests. After all, public opinion has been advocating the use of force to solve the Boer problem and protect the interests of British expatriates. Of course, the essence is to return the gold mines to Britain, and mainly to safeguard the interests of the empire.
The British people are generally very concerned about the Boer issue, and they care about their vital interests-the South African Mining Company, the company of Rand Gold Mines listed in London, has stock holders all over the UK, and its shareholders have both wealth and wealth.
There are millionaires as well as ordinary people, so the British people are more familiar with and care about South Africa than any other region.
Under the threat of public opinion and real interests, Britain chose war.
Because the so-called "Republic of South Africa" is a landlocked country, in order to completely block this country, Britain naturally needs to conduct diplomatic negotiations with Ming Dynasty, hoping that Ming Dynasty will close the border.
"Close the border?" After hearing Marquis Lansdowne's request, Zhuge Jun said directly.
"This is impossible. Mr. Special Envoy, you know that the Ming Empire is a country that believes in free trade. We will not close our borders now or in the future! Besides, we open our borders based on humanitarian considerations. After all, any
With the outbreak of war, a large number of war refugees will be generated. The Boers are also members of the civilized world. How can we ignore their safety? If we close the border at this time, wouldn't it be to shut out the refugees? Moreover, we have already
We promise to provide the refugees with the greatest possible help. Mr. Special Envoy, there is no doubt about the benevolence of His Majesty the Ming Emperor..."
What a cunning guy, even though he thought so in his heart, Marquis Lansdowne still smiled.
"Your Excellency, Minister, I hope you can understand that the closure I am referring to does not mean closing the entry channel for refugees, but the entry channel for weapons, ammunition and other war materials."
Marquis Lansdowne looked at the guy in front of him. In the European diplomatic circles, Zhuge Jun's cunning was well known. In the past few years, the diplomats from various countries who had dealt with him had not been able to take advantage of him.
Too cheap. Now, if you want them to agree to seal the border, the UK will definitely have to pay a price.
"This... weapons and ammunition? War supplies? Your Excellency, special envoy, this seems a bit difficult. According to the relevant laws of the Ming Empire, first of all, all kinds of supplies, including rifles, are the most common civilian commodities. Who bought them?
, what it is used for, that is the customer's business and has nothing to do with the empire. If it is blocked, it will also violate the principle of free trade."
quibble!
Marquis Lansdowne felt a fire burst out of his heart for no reason. Is this their answer?
"Your Excellency, Minister, we once supported your country's position on the issue of Myanmar. We hope that you can support the British position on the issue of the Transvaal Republic." When mentioning Myanmar, Lansdowne
The Marquis became so angry that he began to speak indiscriminately.
"If we had not taken your position into consideration, we would have occupied the entire Myanmar long ago instead of supporting your so-called "Myanmar Chinese special interests theory."
What is the "Burmese Chinese special interest theory", to put it bluntly, is the recognition of China's suzerainty. If it were not for the Ming Empire's support for China's suzerainty, I am afraid that the United Kingdom would have taken action against Myanmar.
"No, no, we have to make it clear that the Transvaal issue is completely different from the Burmese issue. The former is an independent country and has no vassal relationship with the United Kingdom, but what about Burma? It has always been a vassal state of China.
, the British occupation of Lower Burma has violated China's suzerainty. Of course, this is a historical issue and we do not need to discuss these."
Zhuge Jun's answer made Marquis Lansdowne even more angry.
"It cannot be said that the Transvaal issue is just a small matter in southern Africa. We hope to get your country's support on this issue, just like we have some support for your country around the world.
, we do not want to see it lead to direct confrontation between the two wise countries, and according to the agreement reached between us, we believe that the Transvaal is the British sphere of influence. In this case, any support your country provides to them is
Damage to the interests of the British Empire, and the British Empire will never ignore this damage."
"Is this a threat?"
Zhuge Jun said.
"No, this is not a threat, but..."
After a pause, the Marquis of Lansdowne said.
"Just like you will not accept our annexation of Myanmar, you have your sphere of influence, and Britain also has its sphere of influence. I think there is no need for our two countries to affect the connection between us for issues thousands of miles away...
…”
"Um……"
After a moment of silence, Zhuge Jun said.
"For the sake of the friendship between the two countries, we can make some concessions. For example, we can ban weapons and ammunition from entering the Bechuanaland Special Zone during the war!"
Is there any point in banning it now?
The empire has long transported tens of thousands of tons of supplies to the border areas through various channels, enough supplies to fight until the last Boer. Moreover, in the land of the Ming Dynasty, this ban... is a joke in itself!
"That's enough, Your Excellency, I believe that cooperation between our two countries is conducive to our mutual interests."
Marquis Lansdowne calmed down a little and said.
"For our common good!"
Zhuge Jun said directly.
"Compensation! We need some kind of compensation. After all, we cooperated with you on this issue. We always need some compensation, just like after you supported us on the Myanmar issue, we supported your actions in other areas."
"you mean……"
The Marquis of Lansdowne hesitated and asked.
"Where do you want it?"
"Trousil Aman"
Zhuge Jun directly reported the price offered by the Ming Empire, which was a British protectorate. In another world, it also had a name - the United Arab Emirates!
Well, it is also a famous rich country...and it is also kind of arrogant and inhumane.
Of course, in this era there is only sand, nothing but sand.
“Trusil Aman!”
At least for a moment, the Marquis of Lansdowne couldn't even remember where that place was, but it must have been a small place worth mentioning, that being the case.
After thinking about it, Marquis Lansdowne said.
"Of course we can negotiate on this issue, but what? We also need to have some kind of negotiation with your position on this war."
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!