Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

The military commander of the Saxon Kingdom was a little confused, but he still heard someone scolding him, and was about to get angry when he saw that the man was Orlando, and he clearly thought that this was Beijing, not the Saxon Kingdom where he could do his best. He just curled his lips, sat down on the seat resentfully, didn't say anything, drank the wine in big glasses, as if the wine was his life and death enemy.

"Are we still going to continue fighting? The war that just ended has caused heavy losses to all countries, and I'm afraid they won't be able to fight another large-scale war." Bulgarian Chief of Staff Clausewitz said worriedly, other Let alone the country, as far as Bulgaria is concerned, after the baptism of this war, I am afraid that it will not have the strength to carry out large-scale wars for a long time.

Franz agrees with Clausewitz.Now that the war in Europe is finally over, he has to get away to deal with a series of domestic crises, so naturally he doesn't have the energy to deal with another war.

"Hehe. I didn't say that the war is about to start. Our Kingdom of Saxony will also need time to recover. I mean, after the strength of all countries is restored, how should we treat German tanks?"

"We should bring Europe back to the track of peace. As for Germany, that is our leader, and we should not expect to get more benefits from him." The King of Bavaria said loudly.

Franz frowned. He knew how powerful Germany was. If they broke up with Germany, all countries would definitely suffer huge losses, and perhaps they would be defeated by German tanks in one fell swoop.What's more, the Austro-Hungarian Empire borders Germany. Once you dare to disrespect Germany, Austria-Hungary will be the first to be hit.

"In addition, there is another problem that needs to be solved urgently, that is, how do we guard against our German allies. Not to mention northern France, we must deploy heavy troops here to protect our interests there. In addition, in France To the east, it must be the channel for the Germans to enter Central and Eastern Europe, and our allies on this channel - the Rhine League, I doubt they have the strength to stop the German tanks, so I think their strength must be strengthened The only way is to end the current division of the Rhineland League and form one or several powerful countries. In that case, the road for the Germans to advance eastward will be completely blocked by us." Franz said calmly.

As soon as he said these words, it immediately caused a huge shock, especially Bavaria and other small countries, all cast grateful eyes on him.Everyone has already understood what Franz meant, that is to let a big country like the Austro-Hungarian Empire promote the unification of the Rhine League, so as to control this alliance.But the Rhineland League was originally a loose alliance, how could it possibly agree to merge with other countries.

What followed was another inevitable quarrel, and it was not until dawn that a final agreement was reached.Italy expanded its territory to the south, Austria-Hungary also gained several city-states, and the remaining territory was divided among the Kingdoms of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia.In this way, although those small countries were also members of the Allies, they did not enjoy the benefits of the victorious countries at all, but were divided up by these big countries.

At 7 o'clock in the morning, these monarchs walked out of the conference room with dark circles under their eyes. Although their faces were tired, their eyes were shining with excitement.

Soaring Front: The First World War Chapter 3 Sino-British Meeting

At 12 o'clock in the morning of the next day, the peace talks began again. The last topic was the number of troops stationed in northern France by the Allies and the number of troops stationed by Germany in southern France.

Of course, there was another fierce quarrel, and it was finally determined that the Allied Powers would station 7 army divisions in northern France, which would be dispatched by the countries of the Allied Powers, and the French government would pay all the expenses of the garrison.On the German side, only one legion can be deployed in central France, and the other legion must be deployed to southern France.After some bargaining, it was finally decided to deploy the German 88th Army in central France, and William II believed that it should be very easy for the 88th Army to defeat the strength of the 7 divisions of the Allies.

After the Beijing Peace Conference was held, it had a huge impact on Europe and even the world.First of all, the war that lasted for more than half a year is finally over, and the people no longer have to worry about being affected by the flames of war.Countless soldiers can finally breathe a sigh of relief, because they are very lucky to have finally survived this tragic war and survived.Secondly, all the countries participating in the war lost a lot of national strength in the war, and they must start to cultivate and build up their strengths. Peace finally came to Europe again.Again, the political situation in Europe has also undergone earth-shaking changes.With the support of several powerful countries, the Rhineland League was split into three relatively powerful countries: the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Saxony and the Kingdom of Thuringia.The Dutch royal family also ended their exile in Europe, returned to Amsterdam, and resumed their rule over the Netherlands.The last point is that Europe was completely split into two camps. One was the German Empire led by William II, which included some small countries around Germany and central and southern France.The other is the allies other than Germany and Northern Europe. They formed a new strategic alliance, otherwise they would not be able to compete with the powerful German Empire.

However, when the whole world is fighting for interests, everyone is puzzled and shocked by China's performance.As the leading party in this war and also the organizer of this peace talk, what is the purpose of spending so much manpower and material resources to hold this peace meeting?Is it really for world peace as the Chinese emperor said?In this regard, most people think it is impossible.

Seeing that the peace conference is coming to an end, the interests of the world have basically been redistributed, and there is obviously not much left for China, so why haven't the Chinese made any moves yet?

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Guan Xuqing was listening to Zhao Bingjun's secret report. During the past few days during the peace conference, the military personnel under Zhao Bingjun could be said to be very busy, and they were responsible for listening to the words and deeds of representatives from various countries. I am giving a brief report on today's situation to the emperor.

After listening to the report, Guan Xuqing frowned and fell silent.

Zhao Bingjun waited for a while before saying: "Your Majesty, the peace conference will end soon. Shouldn't it be time for us to raise our territorial claims? Or..."

"Our territorial requirements?" Guan Xuqing woke up from contemplation, smiled and said to Zhao Bingjun: "The requirements must be raised, but they are not territorial requirements. Does a larger land mean a stronger country? I have never done this Think about it. Russia is the country with the largest territory in the world, but after a Sino-Russian war, what about it? Wasn’t it defeated by us? Japan’s national power jumped to the forefront of the world in a place the size of a palm. Although it was defeated by us later, if it was not Japan but China that failed that time, it is hard to imagine what Japan would be like today. Therefore, if a country is a lion, the bigger the better. , if it’s a pig or a sheep, it’s not a good sign when it gets bigger.”

Zhao Bingjun also smiled with satisfaction: "The emperor is wise, forgive me for being stupid. If we don't want territory, what do we want?"

"What we lack now is not land. Don't forget that there are hundreds of millions of acres of land in Southeast Asia and Siberia waiting for us to develop. What we lack most now is..."

Just as Guan Xuqing was halfway through speaking, he suddenly saw Wang Shang coming in from outside the door, and said in a shrill voice, "My Majesty, Crown Prince Edward of England and Prime Minister Balfour want to meet."

Guan Xuqing sneered: "It's just in time, I have something to discuss with them, let's go."

Accompanied by the Prime Minister, the young Crown Prince Edward walked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Guan Xuqing warmly exchanged greetings with them, and then divided the guests and hosts into their seats.

Edward and Guan Xuqing are about the same age, and have met several times on important international diplomatic occasions in the past, so the two sides are quite familiar with each other.After exchanging pleasantries with everyone, Edward said with a smile: "This grand peaceful meeting advocated by His Majesty has achieved fruitful results. I am here this time to visit you first, and to congratulate Your Majesty on the second."

"Hehe, it all depends on how each country proceeds from the overall situation of world development and conforms to the trend of historical development. I just provide a place for everyone to understand and communicate with each other." Guan Xuqing thought that when Edward arrived, the peace conference would soon end We only came to meet each other at a certain time, and there must be a deeper purpose in this, perhaps to find out the details of China.

"The meeting has been going on till now, and all countries have reached a satisfactory consensus, and the countries have also obtained a relatively consistent view on the planning of interests. It can be said that the Beijing Peace Conference has established a new international political and diplomatic pattern. Now the meeting is coming to an end. The end is over, what we want to know is whether China, as the host, has any new initiatives besides the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence."

Guan Xuqing immediately understood that Edward's trip was really not that simple. The peace conference has been going on until now, and seeing that the interests of all countries in the world have been distributed almost, but China has never put forward political demands. This is especially true for the United Kingdom, which is the dominant force in the world today.Firstly, Edward did not have the status of a representative of the meeting, and secondly, he did not have a political status. He just came to the meeting as an accompanying crown prince, and now he was able to raise such a question to the Chinese emperor, obviously not on behalf of himself. Guan Xuqing knew that behind Edward was the Ambitious Queen Victoria!

"There is only one initiative of the empire, and that is peace!" Guan Xuqing stood up, walked slowly in front of Edward and said, "This war has caused irreparable losses to the world, especially Europe is devastated by the war. Millions of people are homeless. What I will do next is to use all the financial and human resources of the empire to help those displaced people rebuild their homes and try to make up for the losses caused by this war. I give this The program has a name, it's called the Eastern Aid Program."

"Very good, it's really great!" Edward also stood up and held the hands of the Chinese emperor tightly: "Your Majesty the Great Emperor, I believe this will be a great plan, and your achievements will surely be rewarded for it." Reached an unprecedented height. But..." Edward immediately restrained his smile, and said seriously: "Although this plan is great, it will definitely encounter difficulties and twists and turns on the road to implementation, so I think You still have to think carefully about it.”

"So, your country may have different opinions on this plan?"

"I just represent my personal opinion, which has nothing to do with the British Empire government. What I said just now is purely out of friendship between friends."

Guan Xuqing nodded. He already knew that as long as he told the original intention of the plan to the British, they would be shocked and angry. Britain has always claimed to be the leader of Europe. Overwhelming the momentum of the United Kingdom, but the British still did not take Germany seriously from the bottom of their hearts. However, this war severely damaged the vitality of all European countries. Only China in the East went against the trend, not only defeated Russia, but also Sent troops to Europe and obtained the first admission ticket to Europe.The current "Oriental Aid Plan" is naturally good news for the reconstruction and revival of the whole of Europe, but there is no such thing as a free lunch. What the British are most worried about is that China will use this aid to drive political and economic forces deep into the country. Infiltrate European countries and become the new master of the entire Europa.Thinking of this, Edward would break out in a cold sweat!

However, as soon as this Eastern Aid Plan is launched, it will definitely receive enthusiastic responses from European countries, and even the world will applaud China's kind actions. It seems that the Chinese emperor is really an incredible person!For this plan, no country in the world can raise objections, including the United Kingdom. Edward does not want the British to become the target of scolding throughout Europe.Therefore, now he can only bite the bullet and applaud this plan.Now he finally understands why China held this peace conference and why China is still so calm until now. It turns out that they have been carefully brewing this "Eastern Aid Plan", which is the biggest goal of the Chinese.

"His Majesty the Great Emperor, may I ask now, how much assistance will your country give to Britain if this great plan is carried out in the future?"

Guan Xuqing thought for a while and said: "This plan mainly includes three parts. The main part is the loan, that is, the direct capital construction plan. I have decided to spend a total of 100 billion yuan in five years to help European countries. The second part is Material assistance, including energy supply and production raw material supply. The third part is the production assistance plan. At that time, the empire will build factories in various countries for free, help countries resume production, and produce basic living materials. Britain is a world power, and the assistance it needs should also be It is the largest, and if you wish, the empire can directly provide the British government with a low-interest loan of 30 billion yuan, including material and production assistance of course."

Edward's eyes lit up when he heard it: "Excuse me, is what you said true?"

Soaring Front: World War I Chapter 381 The Hong Kong Question

"I've never said anything false."

Edward thought to himself that Britain did suffer huge losses in the war. If China can really provide so much funds, it will play a huge role in promoting the reconstruction of Britain.Under the temptation of such a large sum of money, who would think about the things behind the money? "Okay, let's keep our word. After the peace conference is over, I will report this matter to Her Majesty the Queen in London immediately. I believe that the wise Her Majesty the Queen will be grateful for your generosity."

Guan Xuqing nodded with a smile, returned to his throne, and said loudly: "Your Highness, this matter has been finished. There is one more thing that has been on my mind all these years. It just so happens that you are here today. I want to talk to you." You discuss it."

"Oh? Your Majesty is too polite. I'm just a little British crown prince. What do you want to discuss with me?"

"There is still an area in the southernmost part of China that belongs to the area of ​​dispute between China and the UK. Have you forgotten this?"

"I'm sorry, how can there be disputed areas between our two countries on Chinese territory? Sorry, I really can't remember."

"Let me just remind you, this area is called Hong Kong."

Edward's face suddenly changed, he didn't expect that the other party would suddenly change the topic to Hong Kong.

Before Edward could speak, Prime Minister Balfour sneered and said, "I'm afraid His Majesty remembered it wrongly. Hong Kong does not belong to the disputed area between China and Britain. The two countries have already made clear terms of agreement there. Hong Kong is still part of the British Empire." The leased land, all affairs shall be managed by the British Empire."

"Leased land? I thought it was a colony." Guan Xuqing's face sank suddenly: "The Opium War in the past has become history, and the empire has suffered huge humiliation and losses for it, but it was caused by history. I don't want to What kind of blood debt is being pursued, but Hong Kong has always been Chinese territory, and you British have cut off a corner of the Chinese territory for no reason, how do you tell me to face the people of the empire in the future."

Hearing Guan Xuqing's words, Edward was very annoyed. He suppressed the anger in his chest and said, "Your Majesty, the two sides have made clear regulations on the issue of Hong Kong. Hong Kong has maintained a good momentum of development under the British administration, and the British Empire has never taken a penny from Hong Kong. I don’t know what you mean by asking this question now?”

"I have made statements on international occasions more than once. The empire will not recognize any unequal treaties signed by the previous dynasty with foreign powers. Besides, Hong Kong is China's territory, and the imperial government should exercise its jurisdiction. Regarding this matter, the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted the British foreign affairs personnel several times, but the British ignored it and had no scruples about the feelings of the imperial government and the people. So today I will put this issue on the table again." Guan Xuqing's righteous words are strict Said.

Belfort also stood up, the fat on his face twitching uncontrollably: "Your Majesty, the two sides clearly stipulated that Hong Kong was returned to the Chinese government in 1997, and there are still 100 years before now, and At present, Hong Kong's economy is prosperous, the society is stable, and people's living standards are improving day by day. Hong Kong residents have always had hope and dependence on the British government's jurisdiction. If Hong Kong is returned to you rashly now, Hong Kong will immediately fall into great anxiety and anxiety , Investors will also feel panic. For the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, I hope that your country will implement the original agreement.”

Guan Xuqing replied calmly: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, is too worried. Regardless of Hong Kong's political status in the future, I can promise that Hong Kong's economic development will not only not decline, but will reach a new height."

Although Guan Xuqing's words are very implicit, they have actually expressed the Chinese government's position very clearly, which is: Hong Kong must be taken back!

Edward calmed down his emotions, and said tactfully, "Your Majesty, we expect something more specific."

This time, Guan Xuqing answered very simply: "After the peace conference, we hope to formally contact your government to resolve this issue through negotiations."

Belfort asked angrily: "Do you think the negotiation is a bit hasty now?"

Guan Xuqing shook his head resolutely: "No! 30 years have passed since the Opium War, and the Chinese have waited for 30 years for a Hong Kong. It is too late to talk about this issue now. It is time to solve the Hong Kong issue!"

Edward said lightly: "The treaties about Hong Kong are written there in black and white. No one can erase this fact. Since these treaties still exist, they must be abided by. If China takes back Hong Kong, it will bring disaster to Hong Kong." Sexual influence, undermining Hong Kong's prosperity."

Guan Xuqing replied firmly: "Hong Kong is China's territory. We must take it back. The time is not [-] but now. What China wants to take back is not only the New Territories, but also Hong Kong Island and Kowloon." Guan Xuqing's voice is very High-pitched, the figure standing on the Nine-Dragon Pill Rhino looked awe-inspiring and inviolable.