After leaving the Prime Minister of the British Empire, Cecil Bonaparte, who was the Prime Minister of the British Empire. Senator Rhodes got into his car and drove home. The climate in England is humid all year round, so rain is a common occurrence. In October, the already humid United Kingdom welcomed the wettest four months of the year.
Dark clouds hung low in the sky, and the rain was fine. The dim surroundings made Cecil? Rhodes felt an inexplicable sense of melancholy. The gas lamps on the street were not lit, and the car windows were blurred by the raindrops. Everything in the distance outside the window was hazy, and it even felt like there were shadows everywhere. In this dim environment, a bright light in the distance suddenly attracted Cecil's attention. Rhodes's attention. They were the lights of China's hospitals and China's Taoist temples.
After repeated defeats in the war with China, in the end, in order to maintain the route to India, England could only accept China's request to open a hospital and a Taoist temple in England. This Chinese hospital had a good reputation in England. The Taoist temple not far from the hospital quickly became a place where the rich and knowledgeable flocked to because of its "mysticism", "herbology", "chiropractic", "divination", and "funeral rites", as well as the "gourmet feast" that was extremely famous in London.
Both places used electric lights, and the gas generator did not require much space. The electricity also made the two buildings brighter and cleaner. This brightness also made Cecil's eyes light up. Rhodes saw at the door seven or eight men coming in, and from the colour of their coats he judged them to be English. However, these people wore green Daoist robes with eight trigrams on the back, and their hair was tied up in a bun. Two of them were clearly female. This kind of loose style of clothing completely wrapped people in the material, but after a wide belt was tied, the woman's slim figure was particularly highlighted, free and easy and even more charming.
Under normal circumstances, Cecil would not be able to do anything to him. Senator Rhodes was also prone to negative emotions out of patriotism. At this moment, what popped into his mind was something related to the Taoist temple's delicacies, and that was the fine wine of China. Cecil, who once went to the Taoist temple to "inspect the enemy situation"? Rhodes had tasted a wine from China called Apricot Blossom Village. The glass of the wine bottle was of excellent quality, and there was a poem written in China on the bottle. "During the Qingming Festival, the rain falls, and the passers-by are heartbroken. Asking where the tavern is, the shepherd boy points to Apricot Blossom Village." After this poem was translated into Shakespearean English, it caused quite a stir. Thousands of words could be written in these three words, "I want to break my soul".
Bad weather, bad meeting, on this rainy autumn evening, Cecil Blanchard, Jr., What Rhodes wanted the most was to hug the cup.
Be home in a minute, Cecil? Senator Rhodes was in an even worse mood. There was a car parked in front of the door. Looking at the car's style and decorative patterns, it was obvious that it was an acquaintance from China. Sure enough, there were two people waiting in the living room. One was a young man in his thirties, and the other was a charming lady.
"It's just a small gift," the young Chinese man said. The lady beside him picked up two brocade boxes and handed them to Cecil. Senator Rhodes.
Cecil? With a thought, Rhodes opened the brocade boxes. In the box on the left were two bottles of emerald green wine. The multi-angular crystal glass lid of the wine bottle had an exquisite kingfisher pattern and a gilded "Emerald Cold" trademark. In the box on the right was a crystal glass bottle with amber wine. In the same bottle lid as the one on the left was Europe's famous "Amber Warm" brand of rum.
The dark sky, the fine drizzle, and the wet and cold weather. At this time, to be able to drink a glass with exquisite desserts and dried meat … would be very enjoyable. But Cecil? Senator Rhodes was a little hesitant. Rum with cane sugar as the main ingredient was fine. A few more glasses would only make one tipsy at most. But the two bottles of "Emerald Cold" on the left were very different. He knew very well that it was absinthe, a strong alcohol with some hallucinogenic effects. Those who drank absinthe would not only be tipsy, but also could not help but giggle, and even do more outrageous things.
After thinking for only three seconds, Cecil? Senator Rhodes took out a bottle of Emerald Cold and asked the butler to prepare the dishes.
After a sip of absinthe, the aroma of citrus and the bitter taste of wormwood filled the mouth. What's more, this absinthe was not as high in concentration as the market, but because it was far more refreshing than other absinthe, the satisfaction of the alcohol was greatly increased.
"Mr. Zhong, I didn't expect you to be able to get such a wonderful absinthe." Cecil Rhodes praised with satisfaction.
"I am originally a Chinese wine merchant doing business in Europe. Providing first-class wine to customers is my job." Mr. Zhong also took a sip and replied with a satisfied expression.
Cecil? Senator Rhodes did not speak. This Mr. Zhong was theoretically the marketing representative of an Italian wine company. The upper echelons of various countries had a deep impression of this company. Its largest shareholder was the "Erguotou" Group, a state-owned enterprise in China. The technical staff also came from the Erguotou Group. This China -invested Italian winery had made a name for itself in recent years with the platform of China's luxury cruise. "Emerald Cold" was obviously a new brand of distilled absinthe. At least, it had not become popular among the upper echelons of the UK. However, this winery's distilled rum, "Amber Warm", had a great reputation in Europe.
"What about Mr. Wu?" Cecil asked. Cecil Rhodes asked in a seemingly casual manner.
"There was a car accident. He was killed by a car." Representative Zhong replied calmly.
"What?" Cecil? Cecil Rhodes was stunned. He had seen Mr. Wu a few months ago. At that time, the guy was agitated and said things like "If I am not patriotic, I will be killed by a car when I go out." Cecil Rhodes? Senator Rhodes actually liked this Mr. Wu because he and Cecil Rhodes could always stand on the UK's side during negotiations. Compared to Mr. Wu, Cecil Rhodes always stood on the UK's side.
Compared to Mr. Wu, Cecil Rhodes disliked Representative Zhong. Senator Rhodes especially disliked Representative Zhong. This young Chinese man had an indescribable arrogance, especially when it came to national interests. He refused to compromise even a single step.
Representative Zhong drank the remaining half glass of wine and ate a soft and sweet butter bread before continuing, "Mr. Senator, the purpose of my visit this time is to tell you one more time. The message I received from my country is that if the UK is willing to join the division of the US before the end of 1890, we will welcome it. "
Cecil Rhodes? After a long silence, Senator Rhodes asked, "Why are you willing to wait until then?"
If it was Mr. Wu who came to negotiate, instead of Cecil Rhodes? If Senator Rhodes spoke, he would have taken the initiative to explain to the Senator the reason why China was doing this.
Representative Zhong did not take the initiative to speak, but he was not a person who pretended to be deep. Listen to Cecil Rhodes? Senator Rhodes asked. He immediately replied, "We will have a rough idea of the combat power of the UK Army at the end of next year. I don't believe that if the UK raises its arm, the eastern US will bow down to it. Even if the US suffers heavy losses under our attack, there are still 20 million people in the eastern US, and there are still millions of men and women who can be sent to the battlefield. Does the UK Army really have the strength and determination to completely conquer this force? Does your army have the ability to defeat the US Army? Our country has no intention of completely swallowing the US, but if the UK really can't do it, we will probably have to do it ourselves. "
Although these words were not friendly, it was very conducive to communication. Cecil Rhodes felt a wave of pain in his heart. Congressman Rhodes felt a burst of sadness in his heart. Mr. Wu was really a good man worthy of remembrance. Why was he killed by a car out of jealousy? Moreover, the British Prime Minister's performance also made Cecil Rhodes sad. The Prime Minister only sent 20,000 expeditionary troops instead of Cecil Rhodes's suggestion of 200,000 expeditionary troops. The Prime Minister's idea was very simple. The 20,000 British expeditionary troops were enough to deal with the Boers.
Cecil Rhodes's idea was very simple. The 20,000 British expeditionary troops were enough to deal with the Boers. Cecil Rhodes? Rhodes felt that the 20,000 elite British Army was enough to deal with the Boers. The purpose of sending 200,000 expeditionary troops was to deal with the Boers as soon as possible, and at the same time to practice the ability of a large army in combat. The US claimed that China had invested millions of troops in the US, and the European countries generally believed this number.
Because they believed that China could carry out large-scale joint operations with a million troops, those small European countries with populations of only a few million or a few hundred thousand no longer had the idea of going against China. Even the European countries with tens of millions of people were very afraid of this. In the whole of Europe, only Germany had the experience of a large army with hundreds of thousands of troops. France only had the experience of defeat. The last time the UK sent hundreds of thousands of troops to war was more than 30 years ago in the Crimean War. In the past 30 years, the rifles had been replaced several times, and the artillery and various military equipment had changed even more. The experience of the Crimean War was no guide for the war that broke out now.
The Prime Minister's refusal was very simple. "No money!" Councilman Rhodes couldn't deny it either, even though Cecil Although Cecil Rhodes was a true patriot, if he could completely rely on his own money to make a war, he would not object. However, the expenditure of an expeditionary army of 200,000 was indeed very, very large, even though it didn't exceed Cecil's. Although it did not exceed Cecil Rhodes's ambition, it completely exceeded Cecil Rhodes's. Rhodes's personal financial resources.
He was not in a good mood. Rhodes poured himself another glass of absinthe and drank it in one gulp. The refreshing quality of the wine made the strong smell of fennel and wormwood stand out. The fragrance of the dozen or so spices did not overwhelm the main body of the wine, but they did not conceal their presence at all, allowing the wine to have a deep and lingering taste without any sloppiness. The pleasant satisfaction unique to absinthe was strong enough in this' Jade Cold '.
Cecil? Rhodes downed two glasses in a row and asked Representative Zhong, "How much is this wine?"
Representative Zhong didn't waste any time. He took out a beautifully printed list from his Italian-made leather briefcase and handed it to Cecil. Rhodes replied, "They're all up there."
Look at the price, Cecil? Rhodes felt a sense of familiarity. All the luxury goods that China provided were not expensive. If the middle-class people were willing to grit their teeth, they could enjoy them once every two to three months. Mining tycoon Cecil? Rhodes wouldn't even frown at the price.
However, at a time when many industries were facing such a problem, Cecil Rhodes could only admit that China was moving towards Europe and North America step by step, sitting firmly in front of the European and North American powers. In the face of China's aggression, the United States was desperately resisting. How long can the European countries, which are still relatively calm, remain indifferent to this matter?
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