"If you want to achieve the Pacific and Indian Ocean strategy, how many battleships do you think you need to build?" The British Foreign Minister's tone was sour. It was impossible for Britain to stay in the Atlantic Ocean and let China dominate the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Even though the British Foreign Minister knew that there was a gap between China's shipbuilding level, he still used a tentative approach to adjust the pace of the negotiations.
Although Li Xin reflected on China's diplomatic work, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believed that China's diplomacy could probably be classified as "naval gun diplomacy." In other words, there was no technical content. It was purely based on the huge advantage of power to promote diplomacy. This kind of diplomacy was very useful in dealing with countries that had direct borders and maritime contacts. At least, it was very efficient. But it was useless in dealing with a country in a corner like Romania. In the end, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believed that the current work should be done more carefully and comprehensively.
However, it required time and energy. In terms of pure efficiency, naval gun diplomacy was undoubtedly a model of efficiency. Just like how China's fleet sailed in the Mediterranean Sea, it cost a lot of money, but the British were unwilling to have such a serious and in-depth discussion with China in the past.
"Our country plans to build 45 battleships in the next ten years. According to the traditional pattern of one-third overhaul, one-third on duty, and one-third at sea, it will probably be enough to maintain order in the Pacific and Indian Oceans," Li Xin said in a relaxed and cheerful manner. During normal times, 15 battleships cruised in the two oceans. During wartime, more than 30 warships could be put into battle in a very short time. This level was enough to maintain China's hegemony in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
"Your country's production capacity can achieve such a goal?" Although the British Foreign Minister no longer worked for the navy, with Britain's shipbuilding ability, it was impossible to build 45 battleships in ten years. The British Foreign Minister did not believe the grand plan proposed by Li Xin.
Li Xin did not refute. He smiled and said, "Please wait and see."
The words were sonorous and powerful. Li Xin's heart could not help but waver in changing the work policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Naval gun diplomacy was too useful. A country could make requests based on its strength. The pleasure brought by this brainless feeling was irresistible. If it was the new diplomatic strategy, it needed to give up a unilateral position and make friends with the upper echelons of various countries. This would take at least ten years of hard work.
The British Foreign Minister did not want to bring up this issue again. Currently, there was a heated discussion in Britain about why the British Navy was lagging behind the Chinese Navy. At the very least, there were people in the newspapers who cursed and were frustrated. There were also people who suspected that the combat power of China's warships was far less than what they appeared to be. However, the British newspapers urged the United Kingdom to solve the current situation as soon as possible. They could not allow the gap between the United Kingdom and China to widen.
Not only the newspapers, but the British upper echelons were also shocked by this. Not to mention, the fact that China's ships were able to run at 19 knots for six to seven hours in a row was enough to make the Navy suffer a lot of criticism. However, the Navy pushed the blame to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of not getting the news earlier.
The foreign minister had no other choice but to do his job. So, the foreign minister changed the topic. "Sir, we are going to hold an international conference on Bulgaria in London. Regarding the actions of the Russians, our country hopes that Your Excellency can fulfill his previous promise. "
"The previous promise was aimed at the British attitude in the short term. Now that the situation has changed so drastically, we have to reconsider our position. Although we still don't support Russia's open invasion of Bulgaria, this matter itself should be a war between the Osman Empire and Russia. Doesn't the United Kingdom think that this should be a dispute within the ongoing 11th Russo-Turkish War? "Li Xin also began to discuss this issue.
The British foreign minister shook his head. "Bulgaria to the Osman Empire is probably equivalent to the East African Administrative Region to China …"
After listening to this, Li Xin immediately expressed his objection. "Allow me to interrupt. All personnel appointments in the East African Administrative Region are decided by the central government of China. The East African Administrative Region does not have complete independent financial and personnel rights. Through radio communication, they have to report to China regularly. Bulgaria is almost a completely autonomous administrative region, very different from the East African Administrative Region. "
"Okay!" The British foreign minister waved his hand. China's foreign minister's insistence was indeed good, but this was not the main point at this time. In order to continue the discussion, the British foreign minister changed a metaphor. "The East African Administrative Region is probably equivalent to Siam to China. Although in theory they are all under the rule of the same emperor, in fact, they also have their own choice. What Russia is doing now is not against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but challenging the bottom line of the British Empire. "
Li Xin could completely understand this. After the Bulgaria incident, the entire Europe was shaken. Not only was the United Kingdom extremely dissatisfied with Russia's actions, it could be said that the entire Europe was very dissatisfied. Li Xin then asked, "So do you think that China's stance can solve any practical problems? If you think so, then I really think you have overestimated the influence of China on Russia. "
The British foreign minister was not a three-year-old child, how could he not understand this situation. As a senior diplomat, the British foreign minister had already seen something from Li Xin's expression. After a moment of silence, the British foreign minister asked straightforwardly, "If the United Kingdom and Russia were to have a conflict, which side will China stand on?"
This was a good question. What Li Xin wanted to see the most was Europe's own internal strife. What China wanted to see the most was Europe's own internal disputes and conflicts. Therefore, she also answered straightforwardly, "This is Europe's own problem. We will neither stand on the side of Russia nor the side of the United Kingdom. On this matter, China holds a completely neutral position. You don't have to worry about China providing warships or naval technology to Russia. "
What the British foreign minister was most worried about was that when the United Kingdom and Russia clashed in the Black Sea, China would suddenly join the battle. If the Suez Canal fell into the hands of China, the United Kingdom would suffer a great loss. After listening to Li Xin's words, the British foreign minister was about to test the sincerity of the Chinese foreign minister, but he heard Li Xin continue to say, "Sir, please rest assured. We don't have enough new warships for our own use, and we don't have extra ships to sell to Russia. As for the transfer of naval technology, you don't have to worry about it. I believe the British are very clear about Russia's shipbuilding ability. Even if they get our blueprints, the Russians won't be able to build China's warships. What's more, Russia's shipbuilding industry has long been infiltrated like a fishing net. Providing technology and blueprints to Russia is tantamount to providing it to other countries for free. We, China, are very efficient. We will never do such a thing without any benefits. "
The British foreign minister seemed to have found a life-saving straw, and he immediately followed up, "That is to say, China will not provide naval technology to other European countries?"
Li Xin nodded solemnly, "Sir, the United Kingdom is the only European country that has obtained our naval technology. For me, the United Kingdom is a very admirable opponent, and a truly civilized country with a global perspective. The contradiction and struggle between our two countries is a competition between two countries that have also entered a highly civilized era. Our country hopes that this struggle is only between our two countries, and not to destroy each other. If we arm other European countries, even if we overthrow the order of the United Kingdom, what good will it do us? Is there any inevitable connection between the destruction of the United Kingdom and the interests of China? No matter what other countries think, at least we, China, don't think so. "
If it were the foreign ministers of other European countries, they probably wouldn't be able to understand Li Xin's words. The British foreign minister, who had been stirring shit for hundreds of years, fully understood the sincerity of these words. This was how the British treated the European continent. Among the European countries, only the United Kingdom had not destroyed the countries on the European continent. Let the European countries maintain a balance of power, and the British could calmly control the situation on the European continent. If the United Kingdom simply and brutally solved the countries on the European continent, it would only benefit other countries.
The British foreign minister asked with a complicated expression, "Does China want Europe to maintain a balance of power?"
"We hope that Europe can maintain the status quo. The result of changing the status quo is likely to be a situation that is completely beyond our imagination. What good will that do to China? Our country really can't see the benefits of this change. Just like the Atlantic Ocean now, we only need to discuss it with the United Kingdom. If we vigorously provide naval technology to other European countries, in case the United Kingdom can't withstand it and collapses. Who will we negotiate with then? And will those emerging countries be as smart and rational as the United Kingdom? We deeply doubt this. "Li Xin said solemnly, but in his heart, he was extremely happy. Once the strength was recognized by the other party, the simplicity and clarity brought by it was indescribable. As long as the United Kingdom's current strategy was to dominate the Atlantic Ocean and not choose to perish together with China out of fear. Many negotiations could even be discussed in depth.
In the days after the negotiations, the British foreign minister led China's foreign minister, Li Xin, to visit many important members of the British cabinet. Judging from the content of the conversation, Li Xin could probably be sure that the foreign minister had cleverly used China's attitude and regarded the consensus with China as a "political achievement" for the British foreign minister.
Li Xin was also willing to cooperate with the British foreign minister's work. Unlike China's central collective leadership, the British system was a standard feudal liberal capitalist system. The various systems relied on individual qualifications, not collective leadership. Therefore, what Li Xin said must be the ideas reached within the central government, and the British foreign minister needed to rely on his personal achievements to obtain higher status and interests.
Meeting Queen Victoria of India was the culmination of the diplomacy. Queen Victoria of India, with a beautiful round face, was more satisfied with establishing a certain bottom line between China and Britain. At least she was satisfied on the surface. For the United Kingdom in the near future, nothing was more important than maintaining peace with China.
The Queen of India was fourteen years older than China's emperor, Comrade Vézé. She was sixty-six years old this year. The old lady chatted with Li Xin at the banquet and asked if Vézé's children were married. Li Xin said in his heart, "You foreign devil, are you going to marry our Majesty?"
As a Chinese, even if Li Xin was well-informed, he thought that marrying a barbarian, even a very good barbarian, was not something to be proud of. China had a population of 800 million, and there was no shortage of people to marry Vézé's children. But he could only answer truthfully. "The children of our emperor, Comrade Vézé, are still married."
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