Seven Seas Beacon Fire

The two walked hand in hand into the Jinling Grand Theater, which they had booked for the night. Led by a service staff member who was clearly an agent of the Military Intelligence Bureau in disguise, Li Che met his father and tonight's "guests" in the VIP section on the second floor of the Grand Theater's Hall 2.

Li Che had never met him before, but he was not unfamiliar with him either.

Jordan.

A Victorian who supposedly knew the East best.

After all, he has been serving as the British ambassador to China since 906, which will soon be 14 years. To be precise, since the Ming Dynasty and Britain downgraded their diplomatic relations to the level of chargé d'affaires after the outbreak of war, he did not serve as ambassador to China for that long. However, there is no doubt that he has been the highest-ranking person in charge of British diplomatic missions in China for the past 13 years.

Li Che knew that his father had been dealing with Jordan for almost a year, from the initial Singapore issue to the later relations with the Commonwealth and other countries. It could be said that the British government's attitude and the British Far East Fleet's inaction over the past year were certainly due to the British government's own wishes, but they were also inseparable from his father's series of diplomatic negotiations.

As for what these two are going to talk about now that they've sat down here, Li Che can probably guess. During the recent Christmas season, the news and public opinion landscape in the Federation was almost turned upside down.

For the vast majority of the federal people, this was the first time they had ever seen everything happening on the front lines from so many different perspectives at the same time. From the situation in Borneo to the near-massacre of the attack during the sea voyage, and the plight of the federal expeditionary officers and soldiers who retreated to Yingzhou, each story was accompanied not only by impactful text, but also by vivid pictures that words could not replace.

The people of the Federation saw their young men on the beach, trying to squeeze onto the ships as many as possible, not only discarding all their weapons and equipment but also stripping down to their bare bodies, just like the slaves in the triangular trade. The conditions on those transport ships were not much better than those on the slave ships of that time.

They witnessed the Tang army's attack on the Colombian transport fleet after the Second Battle of the Bashi Channel. The twisted, silent figures of those transport ships and the federal soldiers crying for help all over the sea touched the hearts of ordinary federal citizens.

Today, my father and Jordan are here watching a play while holding this informal meeting, presumably to discuss the situation that is happening in the Federation.

This was also an exchange of interests reached between the two sides. It can be said that the Tang Dynasty does not have an intelligence network in North America. However, due to racial issues, the intelligence work in North America has not been particularly smooth. In addition, the internal turmoil of the Ming Empire itself had a significant impact on the intelligence agencies.

Although intelligence personnel are far more loyal to their country than most other industries and organizations (this can be seen in the KGB spies in the Federation after the collapse of Russia), and those intelligence networks that were already under the Federation during the Ming Dynasty were still willing to serve the Tang Dynasty, it was impossible for the Tang Dynasty to mobilize so many newspapers to create this tsunami of public opinion all at once.

The progress is going so smoothly now, and we have the people of Victoria to thank for that.

Just as Li Che arrived at the VIP section on the second floor, he heard Jordan's question, tinged with anger: "...I would like to ask Your Highness, in our previous agreement, you did not seem to inform us that the newspapers you control would also act in tandem, and the content you published was not disclosed to us in advance!"

“Mr. Jordan, I don’t think there’s anything worth discussing here. The agreement we reached went very smoothly. We did teach the Victorian Empire some things and entrusted you to use your connections to spread this information throughout the Federation. You are essentially the stockbrokers we hired, but that doesn’t mean we can’t trade stocks ourselves after hiring stockbrokers, does it?”

"Such sophistry is utterly pointless, Your Highness. In this setting, I think we need not engage in such formalities. Your actions have effectively made the Victorian Empire take the blame for you." Jordan tapped his finger forcefully on the newspaper on the small round table between his and Li Renzhi's seats. "Furthermore, I believe that conspiracy theories like this do not offer any substantial help to the peace talks between your country and the Federation."

As expected, the direct reason for the two sides sitting here today is because of the accusations that the Tang Dynasty secretly leveled against the Federation.

While the Victorians were using their newspapers in the Federation to spread the news, the few small newspapers controlled by the Tang Dynasty in the Federation were also taking action at the same time. These newspapers had stockpiled today's newspapers in advance, printing more than they had ever imagined before, and then on Christmas Day, they mixed these newspapers with the ones the Victorians were using to spread the news and placed them in newsstands and baby bags throughout the Federation.

In these newspapers, the Great Tang published even more sensational content, which, in short, blamed all the military defeats the Federation had suffered so far on the Colombians themselves.

Why did the Colombians fail?

Because the Colombian army is currently suffering from the pandemic, its combat effectiveness has been severely damaged. There are few people in the world who have never been sick, and most people have experienced what it feels like to be in 39 degrees Celsius. In such a state, one's limbs feel weak, and one is literally delicate and easily pushed over. If most soldiers are in this state, then they will definitely not be able to win on the battlefield.

So why is the Colombian military struggling with the pandemic?

This involves the federal government secretly conducting biological weapons experiments domestically, hoping to use these inhumane weapons to quickly and efficiently advance the war effort. However, they didn't anticipate that such clearly cruel and inhumane weapons would be cursed by God. A merciful God, unable to tolerate such actions, unleashed divine punishment.

This led to a leak of these weapons in the federal expeditionary force's warehouses, and the bacteria and viruses that the Colombians had carefully researched spread within the Colombian army.

These articles were written in a very detailed and organized manner. They specifically mentioned the "Fort Detrick biological laboratory" within the federal government and implied to the federal public that these damned biological and viral weapons were developed in this laboratory. They further implied that the outbreaks occurring on the front lines could also spread within the federal territory.

These articles were, of course, written by Li Che and Zhu Miaoyun. The two of them were particularly enthusiastic about writing these kinds of articles, especially Zhu Miaoyun. In her previous life, this girl had written several novels on the internet. Back then, updating 4000 words a day felt like it was taking her life. But now, without a keyboard or a mobile phone, she wrote tens of thousands of words in one go when writing these kinds of articles by hand.

The content of these articles is naturally half true and half false! For example, the Fort Detrick biological laboratory in this other world doesn't even date back to 42, and the Colombian army was infected by biological and viral weapons... That's not true at all, it's completely unfounded. Historically, the Iberian flu of 918 originated at Camp Funston in Kansas, and then spread throughout Europe, America and the world.

In this world, the Iberian flu did not break out in 918. However, after discussing it, Li Che and Zhu Miaoyun believed that the disease did not disappear out of thin air. It was possible that the Iberian flu did not initially show any pathogenicity in this world. It just happened that the strain mutated in Borneo and then began to wreak havoc.

Since it's very likely that it originated in your Federation's territory, I'll pin a accusation on you about researching biological and viral weapons. You'd better accept it obediently. This is a tactic we learned from the Colombians in another world. We at least have some basis for our reasoning. We're not just making a fuss over a tube of laundry detergent, are we?

The federal government must be furious right now, and the Victorians are in an even worse position. They can't even take the initiative to clarify things to the Colombians, because if they do, it would be tantamount to admitting that they are indeed helping an enemy country launch a propaganda war in their ally's country.

My Victorian Empire is upright and honest, and it would never allow itself to bear such a bad reputation.

Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for the Victorians to clarify, but if they don't clarify, in the eyes of the Colombians, such fake news is naturally something that the Victorians made up.

It feels so good to be fighting alongside the Victorians, getting ahead of them, and then betraying them.

Look how angry Juldin is, his face is all red.

As the two approached, the argument between Zhu Erdian and Li Renzhi ceased. Li Renzhi naturally knew who the newcomers were, so he didn't even turn around to look back. Zhu Erdian, on the other hand, seemed to have been surprised that there were more than just him and the Crown Prince of the Tang Empire present today.

Jordan had never met Li Che before, although as a diplomat he had obtained a photograph of Li Che, but at this moment his attention was completely drawn to another person.

As a British diplomat who had spent more than a decade in the East, he certainly knew Zhu Miaoyun, the most beloved princess of the Ming Dynasty emperor, the princess known as the most beautiful in the East, who had appeared before him in this way today.

Although he had heard some stories about the princess before, he always thought that the princess was temporarily controlled by the current Tang Empire. Although she was not exactly a prisoner, he figured she was probably not in a good situation.

Having lost her empire, her parents, her brother, her noble status, and her comfortable life... how depressed must this princess of a fallen kingdom be? Before this, Jordan thought he could imagine it.

But now.........

You call this princess of a fallen kingdom?

Chapter 215 Putting the Blame on the Other Side of the Pacific (3)

"your Highness?"

Jordan instinctively stood up; he truly hadn't expected to see this former dynasty princess in such a setting.

It's fair to say that Zhu Miaoyun's appearance here tonight was like a bombshell dropped into Sir John Jordan's head.

After all, it is common knowledge that any informal meeting between two countries or organizations in this world discusses the most private, secretive, and confidential matters.

And so, in this setting, he saw a former dynasty princess walking in arm-in-arm with the current Crown Prince, smiling broadly...

"It's been a long time, Your Excellency Jordan."

Zhu Miaoyun nodded with a smile, and then, together with Li Che, greeted Li Renchi, the current "Executive Vice Emperor" of the Tang Empire. Zhu Erdian's eyes widened like saucers as he stared in disbelief at Zhu Miaoyun, who then greeted the Crown Prince of Tang in a sweet voice, "Good evening, Uncle~"

The tone was not like that of someone greeting the Crown Prince; it was more like that of someone greeting their own father-in-law.

Although Li Renchi appeared very calm at this moment, in fact, His Highness the Crown Prince was also quite surprised that Zhu Miaoyun would appear here today.

Tonight's informal meeting here was originally planned to be a battle of wits between him and his eldest son, and the old fox, Jordan. However, Li Che mentioned in a phone call this morning that Jordan was a difficult guy to deal with, after all, he might be the Victorian who knows the East best in the world.

Therefore, Li Che suggested that during the informal meeting tonight, they could use some minor underhanded tactics to disrupt Jordan's mindset.

Li Renzhi naturally agreed with this. Diplomacy is often not as refined as most people imagine. In reality, diplomacy is full of "what you think is the diplomatic process.jpg" and "the real diplomatic process.jpg". Underhanded tactics have been common since ancient times.

After all, even playing table tennis involves all sorts of underhanded tactics. Back when Ma Lin played, his "Eighteen Touches" technique at the table was so effective that few people, except for Zhang Jike, could break it. Whether it's playing table tennis or diplomacy, disrupting the opponent's mindset is already a three-point victory.

Li Renchi had always trusted his eldest son, so he didn't ask what kind of underhanded tricks were involved. Now it seems he really couldn't trust this kid.

Why did you bring this person to this occasion?

Normally, you have a little princess from the Tokugawa Shogunate living in your house, and you also keep a princess from the previous dynasty as a mistress. Occasionally, a little princess from the Song Dynasty's Prince's Mansion will come to visit. If you like collecting princesses, that's fine, but you have to be mindful of the occasion. You bring this one over... My goodness, it actually works!

Li Renchi's mind raced with thoughts in a short time, but he quickly spotted Zhu Miaoyun. Her appearance here indeed left Zhu Erdian somewhat at a loss. Our Crown Prince was certainly no fool; as the Executive Vice Emperor, he naturally possessed an ability beyond the ordinary to see through appearances to the essence of things.

Was Jordan's surprise at this moment merely due to astonishment at a princess from a previous dynasty?

No, from Jordan's perspective, Zhu Miaoyun's appearance in such a setting meant that he and the entire Victorian Empire had to reconsider the delicate relationship between the current Li Tang imperial family and the previous Zhu Ming imperial family.

Although the relationship between the two was not one of direct overthrow of the latter by the former, the British government previously believed that the relationship between the two was far from harmonious. After all, when the palace coup occurred, Li Zongdi's neutrality at that time was probably seen as a betrayal by the Ming imperial family. His later ascension to the throne further proved this to many conspiracy theorists.

But now it seems... the relationship between the two sides might be very harmonious?

After all, from Jules' perspective, Zhu Miaoyun's expression was clearly not feigned, and he didn't believe that the innocent and carefree princess he knew could have such acting skills comparable to an award-winning actress.

After everyone was seated, Jordan calmed himself down, knowing that some of the prepared remarks could no longer be used.

In his original understanding, the political situation in the newly established Tang (Eastern Tang) Empire was far from stable. At present, all parties in the country were under the suppression of Li Zongdi and the Datong faction. Whether voluntarily or under duress, all parties temporarily put aside their previous disputes and worked together to deal with the war at hand. After all, there was the example of the Letanians. Everyone knew that if they were defeated, they would be divided and devoured by the entire West.

Today, he originally planned to use the current domestic stability of the Eastern Tang Dynasty as a starting point to give Li Renzhi a small threat. Since the Victorian Empire was able to stir up such a storm in the Federation, they also had similar capabilities in the East. The only difference was that the Victorians in the Federation achieved this through newspapers controlled by British capital, while in the East, the Victorians relied on the opposition that would inevitably exist within such a large country.

Jordan had met some of them. Currently, the Victorian Empire's support for these people is very limited. Their current contact with these people is more of a bargaining chip in dealing with the Eastern Tang.

But the current intimate atmosphere between this former princess and this grandson of the emperor... makes Jordan question the veracity of the boasts made by the opposition representatives he had previously encountered.

Damn it, my chips lost their value from the very beginning.

"Your Highness, in any case, you have taken advantage of this opportunity for cooperation between our two sides to spread some false information that is very detrimental to our relationship with the Colombian Federation. I believe that this will inevitably have an adverse impact on our future cooperation."

"Mr. Juddien, I think we should first make one thing clear: the relationship between our two sides should be one of mutual exploitation. The Victorian Empire and our country are still nominally hostile, and our two countries are even in a state of legal war. Under such circumstances, talking about cooperation and defending the title is a bit too ridiculous, like a top courtesan in a brothel talking about fidelity."

Although Li Renchi was not very physically robust, his words were indeed very harsh, even giving the impression of being somewhat sarcastic.

“Mr. Jordan, how do you know that what we’re spreading is definitely fake news?” Seeing that Jordan’s expression was turning red, Li Che preemptively asked, “I don’t think the intelligence department of the Victorian Empire is completely unaware of the current state of the Federation Expeditionary Force, is it? Do you also think that what the Federation Expeditionary Force is currently experiencing is just a common flu?”

All of this information came from a covert intelligence source. We've already called this flu the Federal Soldier Flu, or simply the Federal Flu. I don't think your country should accuse us of leaking this information. In a few months, I think your country will only thank us for allowing you to prepare in advance. This will be a super flu pandemic that sweeps the globe.

Li Che was lying through his teeth in an unquestionable tone, but the way he spoke and the information he revealed actually fooled Jordan.

After all, you're talking about a super flu on one hand and a global pandemic on the other, giving the impression that you're using all the terms used to describe the Black Death to describe this. Speaking with such certainty makes people think that you must have some evidence, just like what Li Che said earlier.

A hidden intelligence network.

Who knows, these Easterners might have actually gotten the information from a hidden intelligence network within the Federation?

Of course, in fact, Li Che and Zhu Miaoyun both knew that they had no evidence at all, what kind of bullshit hidden intelligence network?

In the other world stored in the minds of two people, do the Iberian flu news on Baidu or Wikipedia count?

We're laying our cards on the table. We intentionally smeared the Federation. After all, Colombians can't wash their hands of this smear. This flu originated from your military camps. Especially after this flu swept the globe, people suffering from the disease didn't consider rational judgment. They just cursed you damned Federation guys.

This is human nature.

Only those who have wronged you truly know how wronged you are.

“Mr. Jordan,” Zhu Miaoyun interjected at the opportune moment, hitting the nail on the head with a single sentence: “Can you imagine London experiencing a cholera outbreak similar to that of the last century?”

When Jordan heard this, he felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end.

Yes.

Although I was very young at the time, not even old enough to remember anything, I heard a lot about the cholera outbreak in London from people around me since I was a child.

If such a terrible disaster were to strike again... it's really hard to imagine.

Although from the perspective of national interests, Dong Tang had subtly tricked the Victorians, from a personal perspective, if what Dong Tang said was true, then he should thank them.

Li Renchi watched as the two young men beside him delivered a mixed doubles performance that silenced the opposing team. While inwardly marveling at how bringing the princess along today hadn't been a waste, he continued to play the bad cop.

"Mr. Jordan, in the end, everything we have done is to promote the peace talks process. I believe you know that the situation in our country is quite complicated, especially in Borneo. We must take into account the attitudes of the Song Royal Palace and the tens of millions of people in Borneo."

I believe the Victorian Empire should be familiar with what the Colombian army did in Borneo. What do you think the ordinary people who survived the ravages of war and the slaughter by the Colombians would think about peace talks?

We have already made tremendous efforts to unite different opinions from all sides and push forward the peace talks process. I think the Victorian Empire should also be able to understand what it feels like to sit on a volcano. My father, us, and those who advocate for a more equitable approach are definitely among the most dovish people in this country.

We are currently trying to push forward with peace talks while suppressing a lot of opposition within the country, so I think the Victorian Empire should understand some of our actions, unless you want to see a group of more extreme people controlling the country in the future.”

Watching his father's half-serious, half-joking threats against Jordan, Li Che couldn't help but sigh inwardly that although Jordan claimed to be the most knowledgeable Victorian about the East, he clearly didn't know enough.

Moreover, what my father said sounded a bit like the comments made on the internet in another world before I transmigrated, about Pugo and "the great snail". Pugo was indeed the most dovish one on the Russian side, but neither Grandpa nor you should have anything to do with dovishness, right?

For example, there are indeed some differences and conflicts between Yingtianfu and Dongdu, but the root of the conflict lies with Dongdu. They think that this war should last for 10 or 20 years until the Colombians kneel down and beg for mercy, which is really too extreme.

Yingtianfu's attitude was actually to first cease hostilities and use several years or even a decade to allow the country to recover. After all, revenge is never too late, and they would wait until they had developed enough strength before taking down the enemy.

The only difference between you two is the degree of your hawkishness; neither of you should be considered doves.

Now it's as if our Li family really has some kind of compassion for Colombians.

“Alright, let’s skip that for tonight.” Jordan waved his hand. “Let’s report this to London honestly and see what Downing Street thinks. Let’s change the subject, for example… how about we talk about the issues of Yingzhou and Ryukyu? That’s the biggest point of contention between you and the US in the current negotiations.”

“This is another rather sensitive topic.” Li Renzhi nodded slowly: “Which side does the Victorian Empire support?”

"We, as a mediator, do not support either party..."

“Then I think we can bring up the issue of Old Port and discuss it together.” Li Renzhi interrupted Julian, his voice rising two octaves, sounding unlike his usual gentle demeanor, but rather reminiscent of Li Zongdi’s speaking style.

Chapter 216 No, I was just making this up, why are you taking it seriously? (1)

Jordan left clearly not entirely satisfied. The two sides held some constructive talks, but no agreement or broad consensus was reached on all issues.

“Sometimes I feel that it’s more reassuring to cooperate with the Victorians as enemies than with them as allies.” Li Che watched Jordan’s figure disappear through the theater doors and said to Li Renzhi with some emotion, “Although we still have some differences with the Victorians, at least we don’t have to worry about the Victorians going back on their word after we’ve reached some consensus.”

"It's a pity we don't have a single Gaul here, otherwise we would definitely applaud what you just said." Li Renzhi also made a joke, and the father and son smiled in tacit understanding. When it comes to teasing the Victorians, if the Gauls are number one, then Dongda University is definitely number two.

After laughing, their expressions returned to their original seriousness. After the lighthearted atmosphere, they had to face reality. The current "compromises" between the Victorians and the Tang Dynasty were, in essence, a result of Britain's wake-up call after the world war. Rather than hoping that the Tang Dynasty and the Federation, the two countries that posed the greatest threat to the Victorian Empire's global hegemony, would fight to the death and perish together, it was more realistic to mediate the war between the two countries as soon as possible and maintain the current balance of international relations.

Current international relations are based on the global hegemony of the Victorian Empire. Maintaining this relationship is to maintain the last vestiges of the Victorian Empire. This is why there is a basis for cooperation between the Victorian Empire and the Tang Dynasty, which are openly enemies.

However, what the Victorian Empire ultimately wanted was for genuine peace talks between the two countries. In terms of the specific distribution of benefits, whether from a racial perspective or from the standpoint of allies, the Victorians would undoubtedly support the Colombians' demands more.

"Ultimately, we and the Victorians are still in a de facto hostile relationship. While we both use each other for a while, we will eventually have to fight each other." Li Renzhi sighed with some worry. "You should have heard that Britain is preparing to allow a part of the Barat to become independent, right?"

Li Che nodded. There had been rumors for some time that the Victorians had promised Barat independence. Barat had contributed a great deal to the Victorian Empire during this world war, so the call for Barat independence was very strong.

In another world, Li Che remembered that the Victorians broke their promise after the end of World War I. After all, the Victorian Empire, which had shed so much blood and paid such a high price in the war, was already somewhat malnourished and desperately needed Barat as a "cauldron" to help it recover.

In this world, the situation has changed somewhat, the biggest variable being the powerful Chinese Empire in the East compared to another timeline.

In another timeline, after World War I, Barat was a piece of easy prey for Britain. However, due to the existence of the Tang Dynasty in the East, the Victorians could continue to exploit and oppress Barat. But under the pressure of the future Tang Dynasty, the Victorian Empire had to pay a huge price to defend Barat.