On November 20th, 1881, it was already very cold in Istanbul. Although the Osman Stock Exchange had newly installed the "new" heating facilities provided by China, the hearts of the stock traders were almost frozen. The stocks of the United States, France, and the United Kingdom were plummeting. Selling, selling, selling. All the traders were under great pressure.
The official diplomatic relationship between the Osman Empire and China was still passable, but the stock traders did not have any good impression of China because of this. Many of them were cursing China in a low voice. The heavy damage to the British Fleet was generally regarded by the traders of the Osman Empire as the root cause of the stock crash.
Not far from the Osman Stock Exchange was the Central Bank of the Osman Empire. The "new" heating facilities of China were also installed here. The fireplace and other heating equipment had stopped working. The heating system composed of boilers and cast-iron radiators provided a comfortable temperature and avoided the choking smell.
In the Central Bank, the representative of China and the Minister of Finance of the Osman Empire were discussing the long-planned railway network system.
The representative of China had finished the previous narration. At this time, he stated the final conclusion, "It is impossible for the United Kingdom to stop the construction of the Basra Railway. The railway can already start construction."
The Minister of Finance of the Osman Empire did not show an optimistic expression. China, which had begun to penetrate the Middle East, made the Osman Empire feel great pressure. After all, the Osman Empire was a big country, and the interests of a big country were never simple. When Russia tried to invade the Osman Empire, the United Kingdom was the biggest supporter behind the Osman Empire. China and Russia, on the other hand, have shown signs of peace after the partition of Central Asia.
Seeing the expression of the Minister of Finance of the Osman Empire, the representative of China began to threaten the sick man of Europe. "I think you should have heard that Russia has the intention to attack the Osman Empire again. The last failure not only did not make the Russians afraid, but it made Russia have a strong desire for revenge. They are provoking the Armenians and the Arabs in the Persian Gulf. If there is no railway network, how is your country going to deal with the locals? Even if the British supported the Osman Empire when Russia attacked the Osman Empire, they would be happy to see the Persian Gulf region out of the control of the Osman Empire. With your wisdom, I'm sure you know the significance of this railway network. "
The finance minister of the Osman Empire was, of course, very wise. He was wise enough to tell that China was not some pure angel. The Minister of Finance said, "Your country has asked for a concession in the Basra area, but we don't think it's appropriate."
China tried to persuade him with a tone of exasperation, "We're building the railway, so all the supplies have to be transported to Basra by sea. If we don't have a concession, how can we stand firm? If the British attack, how are we going to resist? "
This reason was too far-fetched. The finance minister of the Osman Empire shook his head repeatedly. "Our country really cannot accept such a request." No matter how the China envoy threatened or tempted, the finance minister of the Osman Empire was determined not to agree.
Seeing that they could not establish a foothold in Basra, the China envoy gave up and said, "Our country needs a foothold in the Persian Gulf. You won't let us go to Basra, but you have to give us a piece of land nearby and let us settle down! If this request can't be fulfilled, our country can only adopt a neutral attitude in many areas. "
This threat was very real. If China remained neutral, the Osman Empire would have to face the restless Russia alone. After the defeat of the British, it was impossible for Russia to do nothing. The Black Sea Fleet had already made some moves in the past few days. Even though the Black Sea Fleet was not as strong as the Osman Empire, they still tried to get close to the Osman Empire's fleet.
The finance minister of the Osman Empire pretended to be deep in thought. After a while, he said, "Your country can go to Kuwait County to establish its own anchorage. It's a good location. "
"Kuwait County?" The China envoy asked doubtfully.
"Yes, Kuwait County is a county in the Basra Province. It's very close to Basra. The terrain there is flat, and transportation is convenient. It's very close to Basra, and it's very suitable to build a warehouse to store materials for railway repair. "The finance minister of the Osman Empire tried hard to fan his hands.
"Is it really as good as you say? Then we have to go and take a look. "The China envoy said doubtfully.
"It's very clear on the map." The finance minister of the Osman Empire had no intention of letting the China envoy do a field trip.
"Point out where Kuwait County is." The China envoy wanted to confirm. After looking at the location that the finance minister of the Osman Empire pointed out reluctantly, the China envoy said angrily, "Isn't that a desert?!"
Nonsense! The finance minister of the Osman Empire thought to himself, how could the Osman Empire let China establish a foothold in Basra? Kuwait County originally belonged to the Sabah Family. In 1756, they gained control and established the Kuwait Emirate. In 1822, the British governor moved from Basra to Kuwait. In 1871, Kuwait became a county in the Basra Province of the Osman Empire.
Kuwait County was the nail that the British were trying to plant in the Persian Gulf. Since China and the British were at war, then let China and the British fight here. Basra was located at the intersection of the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. The west bank of the Arabian River, 55 kilometers south of the Persian Gulf. This rich and vital area was the core city of the Persian Gulf controlled by the Osman Empire. How could they allow people from other countries to settle here?
Both sides retreated for a while. Seeing that the finance minister of the Osman Empire was determined, the China envoy could only go back and report to the central government first. The finance minister of the Osman Empire was still beating the drum. "Please hurry up. There are many people in the palace who oppose the lease of Kuwait County. We are also making this decision under pressure. If your country hesitates, I'm afraid there will be variables in this matter."
Under the pressure of the Osman Empire, the China envoy could only discuss with the ambassador of China to the Osman Empire and finally sign the treaty. China would build a railway network for the Osman Empire free of charge. In return, the Osman Empire agreed to lease Kuwait for 10 years to China. The renewal of the lease would be discussed between the two countries later.
On the 10th of December, after the agreement was officially signed, the China envoy returned to China to report. The telegram immediately sent the news back to China. The central government immediately ordered the ambassador to the United Kingdom to negotiate with the United Kingdom.
At this time, the China ambassador to the United Kingdom, Lv Cheng, was not in London. The United Kingdom was experienced in diplomacy. In the face of defeat and economic crisis, they did not make the slightest concession. Making rash concessions at this time would only give China more opportunities to reap more benefits. So in the first round of negotiations, both sides spoke their own words and frankly expressed their positions. The negotiations ended in vain.
The China ambassador to the United Kingdom, Lv Cheng, did not force the United Kingdom to take a position. He simply went on a trip. The destination of the trip was Glasgow in Scotland.
At the beginning of the 16th century, Glasgow was already an important religious and academic city. It was also an important center of Scottish trade with the Americas. Merchants imported large quantities of American tobacco and Caribbean sugar from the Americas and resold them to the British Isles and other parts of Europe. The deepening of the River Clyde in 1776 allowed larger ships to sail further up the river. This had a direct effect on the 19th century Glasgow industry, especially the shipbuilding industry. By the end of the 19th century, the Victorian era, Glasgow had the reputation of "the second city of the British Empire". At that time, most of the world's ships and trains were manufactured in Glasgow.
On the 12th of December, the lowest temperature in Glasgow had dropped below zero degrees. The China ambassador, Lv Cheng, sat in a warm carriage and circled the street centered around the Bank of Glasgow. It was not that Lv Cheng did not want to get off at the main entrance of the Bank of Glasgow, but there were too many people blocking the entrance at this time. They were demanding that the Bank of Glasgow pay their deposits in the bank.
Lv Cheng looked at the surging crowd on the street and leisurely yawned. In the dead of winter, everyone was holding their hands and puffing white smoke from their mouths and noses. Judging from their clothes, most of the people demanding payment from the Bank of Glasgow were workers, small businessmen, and other urban classes. Their emotions were very agitated, and their expressions were either anger or frustration. From Lv Cheng's position, he could see a large number of police surrounding the bank. It seemed that they did not want the crowd to rush into the bank.
"Ambassador Lv, let's go back and wait for the news," the accompanying guard advised. Recently, because of the war, Britain's attitude towards China was very unfriendly. Coupled with the British newspapers' endless scolding of China for causing the economic crisis, this made the already sensitive nerves of the British people even more fragile. Fragile meant out of control. There had been many conflicts between the British people and the Chinese in Britain. Ambassador Lv Cheng came to Glasgow in the name of condolence with China's overseas students. The University of Glasgow was founded in 1451. It was one of the ten oldest universities in the world and a well-known school in Britain. Many Chinese students studied at this school.
Of course, Ambassador Lv Cheng's real purpose was to see the situation. If, as China expected, the debt-laden Bank of Glasgow collapsed, it would be great. The Bank of Glasgow had business dealings with too many local manufacturing companies, many of which completely relied on the financial services provided by the Bank of Glasgow. Therefore, it was not just a bank that would collapse. The financial services system of Britain's important train manufacturing industry would be severely damaged, causing a considerable period of chaos.
At this time, the appearance of the Chinese ambassador in Glasgow was also a reminder to the British not to think that China did not know the ins and outs of Britain.
Ambassador Lv Cheng stayed in Glasgow until December 15th. At 10: 30 in the morning, the embassy staff in charge of gathering information rushed into the conference room with a face full of joy. He shouted excitedly, "The Bank of Glasgow declared bankruptcy at 9: 30!"
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.
