Chapter 1329 The road to expansion (first update, please subscribe)
Author: Xiaoyu’s Destiny
"They think beautiful!"
Just when General Pauli was there vowing to capture Johannesburg and cut off the financial supply of the Boers, in the Zhongdu Investigation Department building on the other side of the ocean, Qian Zizhuang said directly in response to the British army's actions.
"Notify the trading company to increase transportation to South Africa and be more flexible in payment methods. In short, we need South Africa to at least persist until..."
After a pause, Qian Zizhuang mentioned a time.
"Persevere until the twenty-fifth year of Shengde!"
Shengde's twenty-fifth year, that is, 1994.
1994, this is a critical node!
As the head of the Imperial Investigation Department, Qian Zizhuang knows that now is the most important thing for the Empire.
time!
In fact, time is very important for the empire, and for other countries, they also need time!
Everyone needs time to expand their armaments.
…
April 11, the 23rd year of Shengde, Zhongdu Railway Station.
An "American Star" was parked next to the platform, and the soot discharged from the hidden chimney at the streamlined front of the train was filled with smoke near the platform.
Although the smoke was thick, the platform was obviously quite lively. The corridor separated by the railway police was crowded with reporters from various countries on both sides. The flash of spotlights and white smoke came one after another.
A thick red carpet was laid out from the VIP waiting room to the special train bound for Ecuador. Zhuge Jun, Minister of the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was walking on the carpet surrounded by more than a dozen attachés.
As soon as Zhuge Jun walked out of the waiting room, reporters gathered around him. One reporter asked first:
"Excuse me, Your Excellency, Sir, I heard that you are going to Ecuador to sign a "merger treaty" with Ecuador. Once the treaty is signed, Ecuador will become a province of the empire and the merger process will be completed, right?"
Treaty of Merger, Ecuador, Procedure…
This seemingly simple question contained too much information. Zhuge Jun nodded slightly to the reporter, looked around at everyone present, and said:
"I am not able to answer the question this reporter asked me right now. My answer is: The Empire has absolutely no territorial claims on Ecuador. As for the Empire, the Empire has no intention of territorial expansion, but the Empire absolutely respects
The choices of people in other countries, including Ecuador..."
What is the people’s choice?
Just a month ago, Ecuador held a vote on whether to retain the republic. The result of the vote was...The vast majority of Ecuadorians did not believe that it was necessary to retain the republic. From the outside, this was Ecuador paving the way for annexation to the empire.
It is precisely because of this that the outside world is paying so much attention to Zhuge Jun's visit to Ecuador. Even the embassy in Zhongdu believes that Zhuge Jun's visit is to prepare for the annexation of Ecuador.
Although Zhuge Jun's answer was very official, the reporter still persisted and asked: "Master Minister of War, you haven't answered my question yet..."
After clearing his throat, Zhuge Jun said:
"I don't know where you got the so-called "merger" from. My visit to Ecuador this time is a normal diplomatic visit."
The reporter who was busy taking notes was quickly squeezed out by others. Another reporter rushed ahead and asked directly:
"Your Excellency, in the past year, British officials have been accusing the Empire of being the biggest culprit in the "Boer War." Since the outbreak of the war, the Empire has provided a large amount of military and financial support to the Boers. It was the Empire's support that led to the endless war.
With the extension of the term, hundreds of thousands of British soldiers shed blood on the battlefield, and some British officials claimed that the empire needs to be responsible for this. What do you think of this?"
Zhuge Jun, with a professional smile on his face, answered directly.
"Black hand? As we all know, the Empire has always advocated peaceful handling of the Boer issue. His Majesty the Emperor has repeatedly called on Britain to end the Boer War through negotiations instead of barbaric invasion. Why did those British soldiers die? In the final analysis, it was because of the actions of British politicians and military officers.
Ambition! If anyone needs to be responsible, it is the greedy British politicians and military officers who need to be responsible for the deaths of those British soldiers! The empire has only one position in the past, present and future - peace! The empire believes that the Boer War must be resolved through negotiation
! Let peace return to that land, and the Boers have the right to live peacefully on their land!"
Peace - this is the call of Ming Dynasty, and of course it is also the image. This is the image that must be maintained.
"Your Excellency, Minister, how long do you think this war will last? Will the empire further mediate?"
Zhuge Jun thought for a while and said.
"In fact, I can't tell you exactly when the war will end, because it is not our problem or even the Boers' problem. The Boers are protecting their country and freedom and are now the invading party.
The British side is the key. The empire has repeatedly and clearly told the world that the war in southern Africa is draining the blood of the civilized world. For the sake of world peace, the British must stop the invasion... But it is regrettable that we did not see
There is no hope for peace in Britain, and as long as the British government continues to persist in its greedy ambitions for the Republic of South Africa, the war will not stop."
Having said this, Zhuge Jun paused, adjusted his mood, and continued to explain the empire's foreign policy to everyone in an amiable manner, focusing the topic on South Africa instead of Ecuador, the destination of his trip.
As an excellent diplomat, he was undoubtedly successful at this point. Under Zhuge Jun's guidance, reporters mostly asked questions about the South African War. It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Ecuador, which was about to be asked.
At the end, when Zhuge Jun was about to walk to the train, a European reporter in the crowd asked loudly.
"Your Excellency, I am a reporter from The Times. Will the Empire annex Ecuador through the so-called vote?"
The Times?
That’s the British!
Facing the British reporter's question, Zhuge Jun answered directly and straightforwardly.
"I am sorry that I cannot answer this question of Mr. Journalist. You should go to Ecuador and ask the Ecuadorian people what they think about this. I cannot answer this question on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Ecuadorian people."
After breaking away from the siege of reporters and seeing off officials, Zhuge Jun looked up and happened to meet Fang Zhanbo, the associate minister of the Empire.
"The journey is long, please take care."
Fang Zhanbo stretched out his hand.
When the associate minister saw him off, Zhuge Jun took his hand and said:
"Your Excellency, Associate Minister, please take care of yourself while I'm away."
The whistle blew, and the special train bound for Ecuador slowly drove out of the platform. When the crowd gradually dispersed, Fang Zhanbo stood there, watching the train going away, seeming to be thinking about something...
