The Times was indeed very capable, so on March 23rd, the news on their second page was, "China invades Phoenix and Salt Lake City." To be able to report news from two distant places in the United States at the same time was enough to prove how much danger the reporters of The Times were taking.
Even more proof of The Times' ability was the news on the front page. The news was naturally related to the war. The Times reported with uncompromising emotion that Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour went to Windsor Castle to meet with Queen Victoria of India to officially inform her of the fiasco. The Queen of India said calmly, "Please understand that no one in this house is depressed. We don't care about the possibility of defeat. Because there is no such possibility. "
Few people should have known this passage, but the Times had the power to bring it up. Of course, The Times did not want to show how smooth their intelligence was. The meaning expressed in the Queen of India's words was very strong. Since the Queen of India and everyone in the house did not care about the possibility of defeat, everyone was naturally concerned about when the war would be won.
The day after The Times published this news, the British Foreign Secretary invited the China Ambassador to meet with him at the British Foreign Office. When Ambassador Luo of China entered the British Foreign Office, he felt that the atmosphere inside was obviously a lot more tense. However, Ambassador Luo did not have the energy to look too carefully. A few days ago, he ran to the roof with his camera equipment to take pictures. Ambassador Luo wore relatively thin clothes, sweating from the equipment, and being exposed to the cold wind, he actually caught a cold. He wiped his nose with a snow-white handkerchief. Although Ambassador Luo knew that he had a high chance of catching a cold, he hoped that he could have a bacterial cold and then the entire British Foreign Office would fall ill because of airborne transmission.
As soon as the two sides met, the British Foreign Secretary asked directly, "Now there is a rumor in the outside world that China sent troops in the war a few days ago. What do you think, Mr. Ambassador? "
Ambassador Luo wiped his nose with a handkerchief and then tried to speak in a sarcastic tone, but his nose was stuffed at this time, so his tone was greatly reduced. "We China respect Britain very much and think that Britain is a very strong, smart, and wise country. It is not realistic to fool Britain with words or other tricks. Therefore, I can tell you responsibly that if China had invested its troops in the war, the news you would receive now would not be 20,000 people killed. You will receive the news that all the colonies in that part of Africa have been taken away, and that all the Englishmen in those colonies have been hanged. "
After all, it was a cold. Ambassador Luo only said that before he couldn't continue because he was short of breath. The British Foreign Secretary listened to the fierce words of the China representative, but not only was he not angry, he did not even show the slightest bit of anger. Currently, the relationship between China and the United Kingdom was as simple as that. War was probably the only option for both countries. Many British people actually wondered why the war that would decide the life and death of both sides had not broken out yet. Although there were many reasons for this, such as the fact that England did not particularly want to go to war, this kind of peace was indeed incomprehensible to the Europeans. It was not only the United Kingdom, but the whole of Europe could not understand it.
"Your Excellency, do you mean that China did not participate in the war?" The British Foreign Minister said nonsense.
"Of course we want to do business. Whether it's the Boers or the Zulus, we sell them weapons. "Ambassador Luo felt a little breathless at this time, so he began to speak less.
"Your Excellency, I am very grateful for your sincerity in coming here despite your illness. So I just want to ask one more question, is China going to participate in the war? "After getting a clear answer from China, the British Foreign Secretary also went straight to the point.
"Ha … Ha …" Ambassador Luo felt that his physical condition had suddenly worsened. He took a few deep breaths before he could breathe normally again.
"The answer I got from my country is that we choose to see how capable the British are. As long as you don't destroy our Rand gold mine, we will see how you fight the war. If you win, then our two countries will naturally have a negotiation over the gold mine. If you lose the war, it's useless for us to talk to you. Ha … Ha … My body really can't take it anymore, I'm going back now. My Lord, I think you owe me this time. The next time you want to find me when I'm sick, you can visit me yourself. " After saying this, the pale Ambassador Luo was about to stand up, but he only felt that his leg joints were sore and his muscles were weak. He tried twice but could not stand up. The entourage next to him hurriedly helped Ambassador Luo up.
The British Foreign Secretary could no longer say anything, so he could only send the China Ambassador away. After the pale China Ambassador left, the Foreign Secretary recalled what he had just said. This statement was very reliable, except for the part about Britain's defeat. After completely defeating the Boers and the Zulus, Britain would face China directly after unifying all of southern Africa. The British Foreign Secretary did not even consider the possibility of Britain losing the war that the China Ambassador mentioned. Losing to a black man would be a big joke in Europe.
In addition to contacting the China side, the British Foreign Secretary was ordered by the cabinet to send a message to other European countries. Britain wanted to strike hard against those who dared to oppose the British Empire. Whether it was the Boers or the Zulus.
While expressing their views to the outside world, Britain was also desperately mobilizing. Bonds began to be issued and were bought by the British people. Relying on the strong domestic industrial strength and the wealth in the hands of the people, Britain completed the issuance and sale of war bonds on its own.
The money raised from these bonds was used to customize weapons and recruit troops. Many doctors, engineers, priests, and nurses packed up and went to South Africa to serve the British army as volunteers. Among them was Arthur Doyle, whose works were already famous in the Western world. Dr. Conan Doyle. Posters praising South Africa's "EmpireBuilder" were posted everywhere on the streets of London, and the belligerence among the British people was high, supporting the Salisbury cabinet's policy of "carrying the war to the end". The Conservatives took full advantage of this chauvinistic belligerence among the people to consolidate their dominant position in Parliament.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs naturally received this news. The order given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to diplomats stationed in various countries was to "wait and see." With the war between China and the United States in full swing and China being fiercely criticized by European countries, the war in South Africa launched by the British undoubtedly attracted the attention of a large number of European countries. This was a very favorable situation for China.
At this time, Vézé had arrived in Beijing and met up with the vanguard departments that had arrived in Beijing first and began to direct the work. After commending the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vézé also gave instructions. "The war that determines the fate of Africa will definitely take place in Africa, but the key factors that determine the attack and defense of the war will not be in Africa. This was the case in the past, and it is the same now. My comrades in the diplomatic department, please face this matter with a calm attitude. As long as you don't jump down and get involved. "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
