"The Spanish islands near the South China Sea were seized by us from the Spaniards. They must belong to China." Wei Ze spoke frankly to the British envoy about his colonialist stance.
"Your Majesty, are you sure you won't continue to expand China's territory?" Since Vézé used the colonial standpoint, the British envoy also used the colonial standpoint. If Vézé could not fully recognize the British's dominant position in the Western Pacific, then there was no need to discuss any issues.
Vézé was well aware of the British's thoughts. He replied frankly, "China's foreign operations in the Western Pacific region, except with the Spanish, will invite the British to participate in discussions. We can sign an agreement on this matter. "
At this time, excluding the Spanish, the British, Dutch, and China were left in the Western Pacific. Of course, there were still some local Sultanates, but those "countries" were not really recognized as countries. The reason they were allowed to exist was to facilitate the British and Dutch rule there.
The envoy was in a dilemma. Vézé had made it very clear that the price for China to recognize the British's dominant position in the Western Pacific was that the British would abandon Spain and recognize China's rule over Luzon and the Mariana Islands. In order to teach China a lesson, the British Far East Fleet had sent its own fleet to harass China by pretending to be the Spanish fleet. Once the agreement was reached, it meant that the "Spanish fleet" in the Pacific would disappear.
As the representative of an experienced troublemaker, the British Special Envoy was very unhappy in his heart. In fact, the British Parliament also had some tough words, hoping to give China more blows, so that China would be more aware of the fact that the British Navy was powerful. But at this time, the British finally had a large-scale trade with China, and these trade trends were constantly expanding. The British were also worried that if the war went too far, China would turn against the British. No matter how strong the British Navy was, they could not invade Nanjing, China, and force Vézé to sign the agreement. The British Allied Forces were already very strong, and they were fighting in Europe. During the Crimean War, they gained the upper hand on the southern and southern fronts, but they could not shake Russia's line of defense on the northern front. In the end, the war ended with Russia not ceding territory or paying reparations. They only gave up some of their original demands. The huge consumption of the war was too much for the British to bear. That was why the British Parliament chose a more moderate attitude in the end.
"We cannot promise that, but we will not interfere in a war between the Spaniards and the Chinese," replied the English envoy.
"Hmph!" Zuo Zhidan snorted. She was reminding the British envoy not to think that China didn't know the truth about the Spanish fleet.
The British envoy did not respond to such a reminder. That was how diplomacy worked. Everyone only cared about their own interests. Shaking hands directly, stabbing people in the back, and telling all kinds of lies righteously were the norm in diplomacy. The only thing he couldn't give up was the initiative to control the situation. It is impossible for the British to admit that they have given up their military threat against China.
Vézé did not care about this issue. The British would not give up their military threat against China, and Vézé would not give up his desire for Australia and New Zealand. The major issues of this era were never decided by negotiations, but by iron and blood. Since China had less iron than the British, Vézé was willing to admit this fact and respect it.
In the end, China and the British reached an agreement. The two sides could sign a Sino-British Southeast Asia Coordination Agreement. The agreement stipulated that any military action related to China, China must consult with the British first. If the British objected, China was obliged to stop military action in Southeast Asia. However, Vézé demanded that Luzon, the Mariana Islands, and Borneo be excluded from Southeast Asia.
Of course, the British envoy could not agree. He said that he would return to London to discuss the matter with the British Parliament.
The issue of dominance in Southeast Asia had been discussed. The military issue was over. What was left was the economic issue. This issue was much easier. China's request was to lease land in the Dutch East Indies and open up plantations. They also had the right to mine in Southeast Asia. Tin ore was a specialty of Southeast Asia. China also needed a large amount of tin ore.
There were oil fields near Borneo, but these oil fields were basically under the sea. There were a large number of oil fields on Sumatra. If these oil fields were exploited, China could truly enter the era of the internal combustion engine. Currently, all the oil fields in China had appeared. With China's oil extraction technology, the only area that could be realized was the Yumen area. If they wanted to really open up there, they would have to wait for the train to pass.
These details would not be disclosed to the British. The British also promised to discuss it with the Dutch East Indies through diplomatic meetings. The remaining issues were the status of China in the Dutch East Indies and Indochina.
In Vietnam, Siam, and Myanmar, the status of China was certainly not a problem. China was much stronger than these countries, and the status of its citizens was naturally fully guaranteed. However, in Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies, the status of China was more awkward. Manchu Qing regarded the overseas Chinese as traitors. Of course, he did not care about the status of the overseas Chinese. Now, the status of China in the British colonies and the Dutch East Indies was a new issue.
Vézé's request was, "Even if we can't get the same status as the citizens of the local colonies, we must definitely have a higher status than the local people!"
Many things were left for discussion in the diplomatic meetings. The basic arguments had been completed. After seeing off the British envoy, Vézé frowned slightly, as if he was very dissatisfied.
"Your Majesty, did you give too much to the British?" Zuo Zhidan asked.
"No, the British gave too much. No matter how I look at it, I feel that something is amiss, "Wei Ze replied.
Zuo Zhidan was quite dissatisfied with Vézé's words. He said loudly, "What did the British give? At most, they gave up the things in the Dutch East Indies. They didn't give up anything of their own! Also, I think the British want a share of the spoils as well. Let them host the meeting, will they not take anything? "
"If that's the case, it's not completely unacceptable. But now I still feel that the British gave up too much. With the British's character, I don't think they will be so honest. "Vézé was still a little worried.
"Should I go and test them?" Zuo Zhidan asked.
Vézé waved his hand. "No, it's good for you to be like this now! Even if we are worried about them, we can't let the British think that we are worried about them. And you're right, the British will definitely get a lot of benefits in the future. If they have any dissatisfaction, they will definitely find a way to get it back during the negotiations. At that time, we can negotiate! "
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