It was true that China had no intention of giving up on invading the Dutch East Indies. In this era, any country that could send ironclad warships overseas would not give up on this opportunity. Just like in the 21st century, the bottom line was whether or not a country could deploy nuclear weapons around the world. In the second half of the 19th century, the standard for a great power was to deploy ironclad warships around the world.
The standard for a great power was actually very simple. No matter how much India claimed that its nuclear weapons could fight against Pakistan and attack certain cities in China, India would never dare to claim that it could attack Moscow or the United States. If India dared to claim that publicly, it was destined to be suppressed by the "Five Gangsters".
Correspondingly, the "Five Gangsters" dared to claim that its nuclear weapons could destroy any country in the world. Only by proudly declaring that it could be the enemy of any country in the world, and even other countries in the world, and being recognized by all countries in the world, could it become a country of great influence in the world.
The United Kingdom was recognized as a country of great influence in the world because it could send ironclad warships to countries all over the world. The reason why the United Kingdom could not actually intervene in the American Civil War was that its ironclad warships could not cross the rough Atlantic Ocean and reach the United States in an overwhelming manner. If the United Kingdom had such power, it would directly intervene in the American Civil War and even take advantage of the civil war to destroy the northern regime of the United States.
The British Parliament received the detailed meeting minutes seven days after the negotiations between the envoy and Vézé. The British Parliament was full of smart people with ample experience in industrialized countries. Even if they knew that China had not given up on invading the Dutch East Indies, what could they do? Would the United Kingdom use all its power to send its fleet to the Western Pacific to fight a war that would not end in a decisive victory?
This was the bottom line for the United Kingdom. The moment they openly declared war and sent their fleet to the British home port, they had no way out. It was either victory or destruction. The propaganda of racial superiority had become a burden for the United Kingdom. If the United Kingdom lost to a white country, it would not be a big deal. The outcome of the civil war between the white people had no impact on racism. However, if the United Kingdom lost to a country other than the white people, it would mean the end of the white people's superiority theory. If the United Kingdom, the most powerful white country, lost, the other countries had no chance of winning. The white people's superiority theory would be completely ruined. And the UK would become the target of public criticism.
In a rare move, the British Parliament sent a telegram, requesting the British envoy to reconfirm China's attitude. Whether China was greedy for the Dutch East Indies was no longer the main issue, but whether China was hostile to the British Empire.
When the British envoy sought an audience with Vézé, the main topic of their discussion was whether China would accept Britain's right to speak in the Western Pacific, as Vézé had previously mentioned.
It took Vézé half an hour to understand what the British envoy was talking about. At this time, Vézé was quite relieved. It turned out that the British were also afraid of both sides. Although a hooligan was still a hooligan, what a hooligan feared the most was losing face. Once anyone or any organization fell into a situation where they were afraid of losing face, it actually meant that they already had an obvious flaw.
Industrialized countries had a unique characteristic: their economic and political stability was based on confidence. When the confidence of an industrialized country suffered a devastating blow, the credibility of the country would be gone, at least until the confidence recovered.
"Britain can't build your confidence on China's surrender," Vézé answered the question frankly.
The British envoy was immediately displeased by such a serious answer. As an envoy, if he could make China surrender through pure diplomacy, it would be an unparalleled contribution. It was similar to the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period in China. If an envoy could accomplish a mission with his own strength, it would immediately be a great contribution.
However, facing someone like Vézé, the British envoy felt that there was nothing he could do. Unless the British made a substantial move, Vézé would not be affected by any words. Diplomats were best at using their mouths to fool others. A leader who could not be fooled was undoubtedly a diplomat's nightmare.
"What exactly does Your Majesty want?" The British envoy decided to test Vézé's bottom line.
"It's simple. We don't want any new intruders in the Western Pacific. We don't want any uncontrollable military conflicts in the Western Pacific. If Britain considers itself to be the maker and defender of the Western Pacific, then I think Britain should have some achievements in these two areas, "Vézé answered frankly.
This was not Vézé's wisdom, but the wisdom of China in the 21st century. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Americans felt that they were unparalleled, and China did not resist. Instead, they asked the United States to implement the ideals that they were shouting. Everything the Americans did was for the benefit of the United States. When China asked the United States to implement the ideals that they were "talking about," the Americans showed their true colors. Not only did the Americans fail to deceive China's government, but they also failed to deceive the awakened Chinese people.
Thinking of this, Vézé began to miss the Internet. With the Internet, the entire society would be much more flattened. For a political structure like Vézé's, where the power of one person was above all other forces, the flatter the society was, the easier it was.
The British envoy did not have the ability to read minds, so he could not know that Vézé's thoughts were jumping back and forth in time. Although Vézé's request seemed harsh, the British envoy was not surprised at all.
No one liked historical materialism. This kind of attitude based on the constant changes in the world was too difficult to become a common human thought. On the other hand, mechanical materialism was much easier to accept. Acknowledging the status quo and allowing the status quo that was beneficial to oneself to continue endlessly was undoubtedly the direction in which the smarter humans were looking forward to the development of the world.
If China could cooperate with the United Kingdom, the current situation in the Western Pacific would continue. In other words, the United Kingdom would be the number one navy in the Western Pacific. China would not challenge the United Kingdom's position, and even submit to the status quo, letting the United Kingdom continue to be the number one navy in the Western Pacific, and accepting the United Kingdom as the ruler of the Western Pacific. The envoy would also be commended by the British Government, and rewarded with a knighthood.
Even though he could not see through Vézé, even though Vézé had a power that the British envoy could not control, the British envoy could not help but succumb to his expectations.
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