China's ambassador to the Osman Empire was really surprised. The hostility of China's People's Navy to the Royal Navy did not need to be deliberately stated. There was no friendship between the two navies, which ranked the top two navies in the world. However, China's ambassador to the Osman Empire did not expect that at this critical moment, the Osman Empire would stand on the side of the United Kingdom.
"Prime Minister, do you mean that you don't agree to the Chinese Navy passing through the Bosphorus Strait?" The China's ambassador wanted to confirm the specific content. It was one thing for the Osman Empire to not want the Chinese Navy to enter the Black Sea through the Bosphorus Strait, but it was another thing for the Osman Empire to not agree to the Chinese Navy passing through the Bosphorus Strait. As long as the Chinese Navy could really enter the Black Sea, there would be no problem.
Ahmet? Midhat Pasha pondered for a moment. China was one of the supporters of the Osman Empire. In order to get China's support, the Osman Empire also paid a great price. For example, East Africa, which was originally a vassal of Egypt, was now called the East Africa Administrative Region of China. With the Empire's righteous conduct, it was impossible to spit it out. In the short term, the Osman Empire would not consider returning this rich land to the hands of the Osman Empire.
But this place was really rich! Although China's RMB was not the gold standard, the exchange rate between the two currencies was roughly determined. One pound could be exchanged for about 100 RMB. This was based on the fact that one customs gold could be exchanged for about 10 customs silver, and one customs silver was about 10 RMB in China. This exchange rate also fluctuated a little. Generally speaking, the RMB began to appreciate as a large number of China's goods entered Europe.
According to the intelligence obtained by the Osman Empire, the annual trade volume of the East Africa Administrative Region of China was close to 10 million pounds. Although the East Africa Administrative Region was in the hands of the Osman Empire, it had reached the point where even birds did not lay eggs. But no one plowed the land, and when it was plowed, there would be people fighting over it. If the Osman Empire could take back East Africa, the income alone would not only be enough for the Osman Empire to overcome its current financial difficulties, but it would also allow the Osman Empire to rise.
"The Osman Empire does not allow the Chinese Navy to pass through the Bosphorus Strait," said Ahmet Ahmet, the prime minister of the Osman Empire. In the end, Midhat Pasha gave a very clear answer.
This reply was a great disappointment to China. If Britain did not allow China to pass through the Suez Canal, China would not be able to force its way through. The British had one hundred thousand troops in Egypt, most of them in the canal area. No matter how powerful the Chinese Navy was, it was impossible for them to cross the Suez Canal and break into the Mediterranean Sea.
However, the Chinese Navy could send a new fleet to bypass Africa and enter the Mediterranean Sea from Gibraltar. No matter how Vézé saw it, the upper echelons of China had such a dream. They could not allow the British to take actions that could threaten China. If China went against the British's route to threaten China, what could the British do?
But if the Osman Empire did not allow China to pass through the Bosphorus Strait, things would be bad. The Mediterranean Sea had two entrances and exits, but the Black Sea only had one.
If the Osman Empire sealed this mouth, China could only stare at it helplessly. Russia and the Osman Empire had been at war for so many years. Didn't they want to get rid of the Osman Empire and get the warm southern estuary?
At this time, the China Ambassador to the Osman Empire asked, "Can the Osman Empire help China solve this problem?"
This was just a question. The Military Governor Vaize once said, "Although Romania has been a vassal of the Osman Empire for hundreds of years, Romania's national heroes were born through fighting against the Muslims." Romania had finally gotten rid of the Osman Empire. It was really hard to see how the Osman Empire could influence Romania through diplomatic means to solve the problem according to China's wishes.
Sure enough, the Prime Minister of the Osman Empire, Ahmet Pasha, said. Midhart Pasha said, "We will do our best to help China resolve this matter."
China's efforts were not only in London, but also in Istanbul. China did not take the initiative to ask for help from the two unreliable countries, France and Italy. In Berlin and Wierna, China's diplomats tried to communicate with China, hoping that the countries with greater influence on Romania could help China solve the problem.
However, the results were very disappointing for China. None of the European countries clearly expressed their support for China in this regard. On the other hand, the sly German Prime Minister Bismarck expressed "goodwill." He promised China that Germany could send ships to send supplies to China's trapped ships.
Yes, people were made of iron and rice was made of steel. They would starve if they skipped a meal. But China wanted to solve the problem, not let China's ships be trapped near Romania.
"Is there any country supporting the Romanians?" Vézé was also a little angry. Over the years, the Russians had been beaten by China, the French had been beaten by China, and the Spanish and the Dutch had also been beaten by China. The Germans and the Austro-Hungarian Empire had no chance to fight against China, so they temporarily lost the possibility of being beaten by China. Even the hegemon of the North Atlantic, Britain, and China didn't think it was a big deal.
But there was a limit to how much China could fight. From the map, the eastern end of China's East Africa administrative region was only a thousand miles away from the sea where China's ships were trapped. China could be like a tiger that swallowed thousands of miles, but in the face of the European countries that did not cooperate at all, it was powerless.
As the foreign minister, Li Xin was under a lot of pressure at this time. In the past, things had been smooth sailing for too long, and China had always been in a very detached situation in diplomacy. No matter which continent it was, China did not ask for anything from any country. Now this detached status also revealed its own problems. When China did not ask for anything from any country, it also meant that China was not needed by other countries. Now China could not find a bargaining chip to exchange interests with other countries.
For this reason, Li Xin also held a meeting. He hoped that the foreign ministry could find a solution to the problem.
"In Europe, the British still have a great advantage." The foreign ministry was the first to confirm this fact. "The Osman Empire chose Britain between us and Britain."
"I don't think so, right?" Wei Wenjie, an analyst from the foreign ministry, raised an objection. Wei Wenjie was Wei Changrong's son and Vézé's grandnephew. When he spoke, everyone had to listen carefully.
"Even if there is no Britain, will the Osman Empire be willing to let us pass through the Bosporus Strait? Even if the Osman Empire is a little shaken, will the countries in the Black Sea region and those with major interests in the Black Sea allow China to pass through the Bosporus Strait? For the right to sail through this strait, how many wars have happened in Europe for hundreds of years? Now, as an outsider, China wants to pass it. I think this is no longer a small problem, but a big problem that will change the current balance of power in Europe. "Wei Wenjie expressed his opinion.
This point of view was indeed correct. This meeting was attended by the middle and senior officials of the foreign ministry, and everyone could understand this reason. China took over the South China Sea because China itself was the most important and powerful country in the Western Pacific. China entered the Indian Ocean because China's navy had the strength to surpass the existing large fleet of Britain. Moreover, the Indian Ocean was not a closed sea area, and entering here meant entering. China was not the first country to enter the Indian Ocean, but China was able to gain a foothold in the Indian Ocean at this stage.
"We, China, have been invincible until now, largely because we have not changed the major situation in the world, and the balance of power has not changed. But if we enter the Black Sea to solve the problem by force, the situation will be different from before, "Wei Wenjie concluded.
No matter how reasonable his words were, Wei Wenjie's attitude was not immediately accepted by everyone. If they looked for a solution according to this line of thinking, then if China still wanted to maintain its previous transcendent status, it could only withdraw from the Black Sea, or soften its stance. But these two choices were difficult to accept for the proud China. In fact, it was an unacceptable choice.
The great China had been thwarted by a few small countries, not to mention the fact that the current leader of the Min dynasty was an unprecedented frontier pioneer in China's history, and perhaps the last frontier pioneer in China's history. Iron and Blood was proposed by the Military Governor Vaize, and it had been applied very effectively in every step of China's development. Now that the policy of admitting that Iron and Blood was no longer effective, at least not as effective as before, everyone might not be willing to admit it psychologically.
However, Wei Wenjie's speech was somewhat in line with Li Xin's thoughts. Since it was Wei Wenjie's speech, there was room for him to make use of it. Li Xin said, "In that case, I'll talk to the Commander-in-Chief about this idea."
The middle and upper echelons of the foreign ministry looked at each other and quickly reached an agreement. They would talk to Vézé about this idea first.
Wei Wenjie was quite excited when he returned home. Of course, Wei Wenjie was happy that his idea could be taken so seriously. However, this excitement was not pure happiness. He also felt a great deal of uneasiness. As Wei Changrong's son, Wei Wenjie wouldn't be so naive to think that his position was met with such support because of how outstanding he was. At this time, as the son of Wei Changrong, the Minister of Organization, and as the grandnephew of Emperor Vézé, others mostly looked at Wei Wenjie's background, not his own ability. Therefore, he had to consider that he might have been used.
With uneasy excitement, Wei Wenjie waited for his father, Wei Changrong, to come home. He waited and waited. It was almost nine o 'clock in the evening when Wei Changrong finally came home.
"Father, I have something to tell you." Wei Wenjie greeted his father in the living room, then summoned up his courage and said.
Wei Changrong looked at Wei Wenjie's expression seriously and sighed slightly. He walked to the study and said, "Let's talk here."
After listening to Wei Wenjie's story and his worries, Wei Changrong did not comment. He asked a question, "Wenjie, is the opinion you expressed your own opinion?"
Wei Wenjie nodded quickly, "This is indeed my opinion."
"Then, after you express your opinion, are you willing to bear the consequences of your opinion?" Wei Changrong continued to ask.
This time, Wei Wenjie did not say anything. The reason why he was uneasy was actually this. After thinking about it, Wei Wenjie said, "Father, I am worried that someone will use me."
"Haha!" Wei Changrong sneered a few times, "If you think so, you don't have to speak in the future. Let me tell you this. Now, you hope that everyone will recognize you as a person, Wei Wenjie, but your ability is not enough to support others to recognize you as a person. So, after thinking about it, you are afraid. "
"I am not afraid …" Wei Wenjie could not help but defend himself.
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