"Tiger, when did you come back?" Zuo Zhidan asked in surprise.
"Old Zuo, I just came back." Lei Hu saw Zuo Zhidan's anxious face and didn't want to say too much. He had seen this kind of expression too many times. Something important must have happened. Otherwise, everyone would be very happy.
"Let's have a drink when you have time!" Zuo Zhidan said and hurried to Vézé's office.
Looking at Zuo Zhidan's back, Lei Hu keenly thought that something might have happened abroad.
Something did happen abroad. When Zuo Zhidan saw Vézé, she said, "Your Majesty, the Americans refused our request. But they said the British didn't agree to buy Alaska. "
"Oh!" Vézé wasn't surprised at all. Britain was the world's number one now. It was normal for them to intervene in this matter. The main reason Russia was willing to sell Alaska was because they were afraid the British would take it away.
"When I asked the British, they said it had nothing to do with them. It must be the Americans' reason," Zuo Zhidan continued.
"Yes!" Vézé didn't say much. If the British openly admitted it was their intention, it would be completely abnormal. The British's diplomatic experience and wisdom wouldn't allow them to say such a thing.
"In addition, the British want us to agree with them on the matter of Japan." Zuo Zhidan relayed the British's attitude. "They also said they want us to talk to the Spanish."
"Hmph!" Vézé finally felt a little emotional. After China took back Luzon, the Spanish were naturally powerless. The Spanish colonies in the Western Pacific fell into China's hands, which caused a huge uproar in Europe. This was the first time the European colonialists were beaten by a country outside of Europe. It was not surprising that Europe had an extremely negative reaction. "Tell the British that if the Spanish come to sign the surrender, we are willing to accept the British mediation. If the Spanish don't have this intention, then there's no need to talk anymore. "
"The British suggested that we hand over the captured Spanish to Spain," Zuo Zhidan said a little nervously.
There were no Spanish captives left. Except for the Spanish navy that escaped, the Spanish with a job were publicly hanged for massacre. The rest were executed by the "righteous masses" of Luzon. The women were sent to the Guangxi mountainous region to become the wives of the bachelors. It was estimated that the first batch of children had been born by now.
Even if Vézé wanted to hand over the Spaniard, he had no one to hand over. Needless to say, Vézé had no such intention at all.
I don't know whether I'll be judged more as a cruel executioner or as someone who promotes ethnic integration in the future. Vézé could not help but think maliciously. Thinking about it, Vézé sneered and said, "Tell the British that the Spanish owe the people of China a terrible debt of blood. They all committed suicide to escape punishment."
"Is this okay?" Zuo Zhidan asked uneasily. As the foreign minister, Zuo Zhidan certainly knew the power of the European powers. He wasn't afraid, but he didn't think it was necessary. The British were not stupid. This was equivalent to openly admitting that the Liberation Army had slaughtered all the Spanish in Luzon.
Vézé also knew that he was a little impulsive. Zuo Zhidan and the others had not experienced the pain that China had suffered, so they still felt a little morally inappropriate to deal with the foreigners.
"It's better to say it sooner than later. It's not a bad thing to let the Spanish know about this," Vézé explained.
Zuo Zhidan still didn't quite agree with Vézé. He advised, "Your Majesty, the British are quite hostile to us now …"
Vézé interrupted Zuo Zhidan without hesitation. "The major issues of this era are decided by iron and blood. As long as we are strong, the British will be hostile to us. It has nothing to do with the death of a few Spanish people. And what power does a poor country like the Netherlands have? Why does the three million square kilometers of land in the Dutch East Indies exist? The British must be behind it. In this case, the British can't stay out of it. If we attack the Dutch East Indies, we must deal with the British, not the Dutch. "
"Then, should we divide them?" Zuo Zhidan asked.
"Haha!" Vézé just gave a hollow laugh. This era was not the era of nuclear weapons, where a few superpowers ultimately decided the fate of the world. And in the 21st century, even Russia had declined to the point where it could only use nuclear weapons to guard the door. The only countries that could really fight with powerful conventional weapons were the United States and China.
On Earth in 1867, order was getting more and more chaotic. The United Kingdom was indeed entering its heyday, but the so-called heyday was not that great. At this time, the American industry was surpassing the British. And the liberation and rise of China was not something that the British could resist.
"Your Majesty, I don't think we should do this." Zuo Zhidan still advised.
"Yes." Vézé just responded and waited for Zuo Zhidan's explanation.
Zuo Zhidan said, "Your Majesty, our Liberation Army has never lost a battle, and it's the same with the British. But I always feel that compared to the navy, we are afraid that we are worse. The information obtained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the British ironclads is indeed much better than ours. If we really fight, if we lose. I think it will hurt our morale. "
Zuo Zhidan's words were true, so Vézé was not unhappy. He said seriously, "Of course I know the navy. If it is a warship against a warship, we are indeed not as good as the British. But a naval battle is not a one-on-one fight, and the British are not only enemies. We do not only have those few ships. As long as our industrial level continues to improve, we can also exhaust the British. The British nest is in Europe, and they will perish together with us in Asia. Do they not want their home? As long as the British think that their home is in Europe, they can't use all their strength in Asia. And the barefooted are not afraid of the barefooted. We are now in a weak position. If we are afraid of this and that, then we don't have to do anything! "
"But what if the foreign devils unite?" Zuo Zhidan said, "In the information we have collected in Europe, because we have recovered Luzon, the Spanish have already shouted that China is a great enemy of Europe, and they hope that the European countries will unite to deal with China."
"Oh? Really? How is the effect of their propaganda? "Vézé immediately became interested.
Zuo Zhidan was surprised to see Vézé's extremely expectant expression. It was not a good thing that the enemy had the tendency to unite. If Europe really united, the British would be free to deal with China. But since Vézé asked this question, Zuo Zhidan replied, "Now it is said that France is very interested."
"Yes! What about Prussia? "Vézé asked.
The so-called butterfly effect referred to the changes in the overall system caused by small factors. The rise of China was not an ordinary butterfly. At least it could be regarded as a pterosaur.
"Commander-in-chief, what do you mean?" Zuo Zhidan finally refused to speak on her own. She wanted to listen to Vézé's opinion first. Just like the other departments, everyone felt that Wei Ze's prediction ability was too advanced. Although Vézé had never been to a foreign country, his understanding of foreign countries far exceeded that of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Vézé's views had never been wrong, especially when it came to the complicated relationships between the European countries. If it weren't for Wei Ze's guidance, everyone would still be on good terms with these European guys with blue and green eyes.
Although Vézé was not very familiar with the Franco-Prussian War, he knew a little about the cause of the war. The choice of the King of Spain was the reason why Prussia provoked France. The fundamental factor behind it was that France did not want to see a strong Prussia unify Lesser Germany. Prussia also thought that France, who was competing with Prussia for the South Germany, was an enemy that must be destroyed. Prime Minister Bismarck had seen through the level of the idiot who took the third seat. The Prussian troika had long planned a war against France.
In history, Prussia had made all preparations before 1870. Now that Spain had suffered a crushing defeat earlier, would this result lead to an earlier change in the status of the King of Spain? Would this change disrupt Prussia's plan? The Franco-Prussian War shocked the whole of Europe, and the British had to pay more attention to the later Lesser Germany. Vézé really wanted to take advantage of that opportunity to attack the Dutch East Indies.
"I hope to wait until Prussia and France fight. This timing is too important. You have to understand one thing. Our short-term goal is the Dutch East Indies. After taking over the Dutch East Indies, we will work on digesting the spoils of war for a long time. It is easier for us to be on the defensive. This is my view. "Vézé explained halfway.
"In that case, the British also want us to treat Japan the same way they do. What do you think, Commander in Chief? "Zuo Zhidan said a little impatiently.
"Do you think Japan is more important than the Dutch East Indies?" Vézé asked.
"Commander in Chief, the British are too ambitious. If we really want to fall out with the British, it is better to make things clear with them on the matter of Japan first. "Zuo Zhidan suggested.
Although Vézé had never looked down on Japan, he had recently put Japan behind him. The Liberation Army's naval strength was insufficient. Maintaining the naval strength of a large area like Luzon and Lanfang and preparing to attack the Dutch East Indies would exhaust all their strength. At this time, how could they have the energy to care about Japan?
However, after Zuo Zhidan said this, Vézé suddenly remembered something. "Right, Old Zuo, send someone to Korea and let them recognize us as their suzerain."
"Ah?" Zuo Zhidan was stunned. The Liberation Army had no concept of Korea at all. Vézé's request sounded too strange.
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