Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> nuclear emperor

Part One: The Russo-Japanese War Chapter 330: Etiquette, National Prestige

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    In the 20th century, Britain actually had two core interests that it absolutely needed to maintain. One was the international currency status of the pound; the other was the colonial rule of India. As we all know, after World War II, the United Kingdom completely lost these two core interests.  , and has since become a second-rate country.

    Using the entire Asian Union and the empire¡¯s financial institutions, as well as the empire¡¯s large amounts of pounds and British national debt accumulated in long-term international trade, the empire easily launched a fatal blow to the pound.

    Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave a speech in Congress and strongly condemned China, claiming that "the war has begun, they have launched an attack on Britain, and they used such disgraceful and depraved methods." Gu Weijun was also frank in the congressional accountability  "This is a bloodless war. The UK needs to understand that they are fighting for their own selfish interests against the entire Asia and all people in the world who yearn for equality and freedom. We need to give the UK a warning, because in this world, every country  and people¡¯s freedom are a thousand times more important than money and material things.¡±

    The two prime ministers criticized each other in their respective national parliaments and accused their opponents of being irrational. Prime Minister Churchill avoided the main body of the Asian Union and always accused China of arrogance and greed, while Prime Minister Gu Weijun repeatedly emphasized the collective will of Asia.  Accused that Britain cannot imagine that it will always stand in the position of monarch and continue to enslave the Asian people.

    ???????? This doesn¡¯t actually make any sense.

    The pound lost its international status overnight and will never recover. It was only shattered in this Sino-British financial war - without the commitment and support of the Chinese government, the British government would have been unable to maintain the pound's status.  international status.

    With the sharp sell-off of pounds in the international market, more pounds than the UK can accept are flowing back to the UK and Commonwealth countries. On the one hand, the pound depreciates substantially in the international market. On the other hand, the pound currency in the domestic market is over-issued. The UK and Commonwealth countries  The country will be destined to face an extremely crazy inflation in a short period of time, and the British government's financial system will also completely collapse.

    Britain thinks that having one of the strongest navies in the world can maintain its hegemony in the world and maintain its security and stability. This is obviously not the case.

    The four major government trust companies in the Empire suffered heavy losses in the sell-off of sterling, but then recovered their losses on silver and gold futures.  Huge profits were made by short-selling British government bonds and stocks.

    Financial war is like this, attacking the opponent¡¯s most vulnerable financial link, disintegrating the opponent¡¯s entire financial system, and profiting from it, sucking the opponent¡¯s blood.

    At this time, the British government did not even have the energy to participate in the third round of Asian colonial negotiations.  By the end of June.  There has been massive inflation in the UK, and the spread of the financial crisis has led to the bankruptcy of dozens of British banks. In London, the price of wheat per kilogram has risen to more than ten times what it was a few months ago.  In the commercial sphere, Britain's ability to import food and other resources from overseas was disrupted.

    Churchill¡¯s cabinet made every effort to this end and began to implement more stringent planned allocation methods to control prices. Because it was worried that the financial crisis would spread to the United States, the United States agreed to provide assistance and support to the United Kingdom.  But the US's willing support is far from enough to stabilize the pound's market value.

    China, the only country that can solve this problem, chooses to sit on the sidelines.

    Under the pressure of the British Parliament, Churchill's cabinet announced its resignation, and Conservative leader Chamberlain once again authorized the formation of a cabinet. On July 7, three days before the July 10 start date for the implementation of sanctions set by the Asian League, the newly appointed British  Prime Minister Sir Chamberlain arrived in Beijing in person and held talks with Prime Minister Gu Weijun. He basically accepted the three conditions proposed by the Asian League and was willing to conduct a new round of negotiations with China on the border issue.

    The war was ultimately avoided.  But in terms of the long-term losses that the empire has to bear in this financial crisis, it would be better to go to war directly and get a good beating in the war boom. However, this is the reality of the world.

    War is always the last option.

    After China and Britain basically reached an agreement on colonial issues, Emperor Song Biao met with British Prime Minister Chamberlain at the Central Palace.

    This is not their first meeting.  But compared to the past, this time is probably the most unfamiliar and awkward.

    After a fierce contest between the world hegemon and the former hegemon, as the victor, under the advice of the inner court.  In accordance with the proposal of the Central Cabinet, Emperor Song Biao received the British Prime Minister with a solemn ceremony, demonstrating the grandeur of the state.  Demonstrate the majesty of the imperial king.

    Etiquette is the prestige of the country.

    ??Ethics.

    Similarly, Prime Minister Chamberlain was forced to participate in such a grand Chinese-style imperial ceremony for the second time in his life. In his memory, it was extremely grand, cumbersome and luxurious, symbolizing the antiquity of this empire. They even inherited several  Many etiquette and traditions from thousands of years ago,?Foreign diplomats have a headache.

    Especially in the eyes of Europeans, every visit to Emperor Hua is like meeting the Pope.

    Accompanied by the Chief of the Inner Court Chen Jiayou and the Imperial Foreign Minister Guo Taiqi, Prime Minister Chamberlain met with Emperor Hua in the Huangji Palace in the morning, and accepted the royal family's invitation to attend the royal banquet at noon. After the royal banquet, he was invited to the State Guest Room in advance, where he waited for his change.  After the pretense, Emperor Hua received him.

    For such national etiquette, Emperor Song Biao had to change into dragon robes three times a day. In the morning, he wore the most solemn and formal bright yellow imperial robes of the Twelve Dragon Chapters. During the luncheon, he changed into imperial regular robes with vermilion background and white group brocade dragon pattern.  Later, when meeting Prime Minister Chamberlain, he had to change into a Western-style emperor's dress with a white background and sea blue dragon pattern, which is specially used to meet foreign prime ministers and special foreign guests.

    Every detail is used to prove Huahuang¡¯s special status in Asia. This is the ethical foundation of etiquette.

    Song Biao could only accept this etiquette arrangement. When he entered the State Guest Room, Prime Minister Chamberlain followed the imperial etiquette and cooperated with the Foreign Minister Sir Halifax and the Defense Secretary Lord Tremague, and the Chinese Cabinet Prime Minister Gu Weijun and the Minister of Defense who accompanied the meeting.  Minister of Foreign Affairs Guo Taiqi, Minister of Finance Chen Jin, and Chief of the Inner Court Chen Jiayou bowed to Emperor Hua together.

    Song Biao glanced at it calmly, walked to his seat and sat down.

    At this time, the British cabinet ministers and imperial cabinet officials stood up again. After Emperor Song Biao granted permission to sit down, they all took their seats under the arrangements of the chamberlains.

    In the arrangements for this meeting and discussion, the seat arrangement is mainly in a circular shape. The emperor sits in the center, with the left side at the top, where the distinguished guests are greeted, the British delegation sits, and the imperial cabinet and the inner court are on the right side.  Accompanying officials.  The first person on the left side of the emperor is British Prime Minister Chamberlain, and the first person on the right is Imperial Cabinet Prime Minister Gu Weijun. There are two translators behind the emperor and Chamberlain.

    This is a courtesy treatment for meeting the emperor. If it is just a meeting between two prime ministers, then the two prime ministers must be equally separated in the left and right positions in the middle.  On the left are foreign prime ministers.  On the right is the Prime Minister of the host country.

    In addition, the bright yellow sandalwood chair and sofa where the emperor sits is also obviously different from other seats. Only the emperor has such a chair, and for diplomats from various countries.  This is the first thing you must understand when working in China.

    In China, the emperor is supreme, and no one can be equal to the emperor.

    In diplomatic work, when foreign officials visit China, no matter what they discuss, meeting the Emperor of China is the highest level.  The second step is to meet with the Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet. In terms of etiquette, usually only foreign Prime Ministers have the opportunity to meet the Emperor. There are also three types of differences in the time of the audience. Those who can go to the Emperor's Palace are the highest level, and the second is within the scope of the Central Palace.  The last meeting with Emperor Hua was in places like Zhongnanhai State Guesthouse and Central State Guesthouse. Those with higher levels than these three were invited to attend royal banquets outside the Huangji Palace. Under normal circumstances.  After the audience at Huangji Palace, he will still be taken back to the central government¡¯s state guesthouse to attend the state banquet, not the emperor¡¯s royal banquet.

    If there are plans to continue to meet with the emperor, it will be rescheduled in the evening or during afternoon tea time in the State Guest Room of the Central Palace.  Or Xuanzheng Garden.

    In terms of the treatment that foreign prime ministers can enjoy, what Prime Minister Chamberlain enjoys today is the highest standard for the empire to receive foreign guests. In the past thirty years, only former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 and the current U.S. President  Franklin Roosevelt enjoyed it separately in 1937.

    ?Theoretically.  It was a supreme honor, but for Prime Minister Chamberlain.  This is probably a very poignant and highest courtesy.

    Regardless of the bitterness, at this moment, Prime Minister Chamberlain could only knock out his teeth and swallow blood. After sitting down, he very humbly addressed Emperor Song Biao: "Today, I and my cabinet colleagues can receive the blessing of His Majesty the Emperor Hua.  This is a special and noble honor for me to receive you, and I am extremely grateful to your Majesty for your hospitality. China and Britain are the two most important and powerful civilization empires in the world. In today's situation, we can avoid the threat of war.  Such an ignorant way to resolve disputes is enough to prove that we are a truly civilized country. Peace is our most precious wealth. We particularly value peace. I believe that peace is also a symbol of modern civilization, and together we have protected world peace.  "

    Speaking of which, Emperor Song Biao was actually more unaccustomed to this rigid diplomatic etiquette than Prime Minister Chamberlain, but this was his life and his career.

    After listening to Prime Minister Chamberlain's speech, Song Biao replied: "Yes, I agree with everything you said. I want to emphasize here that China is an ancient country with a martial history, but we never want to use war.  To solve the problem, 2,500 years ago, during the Warring States Period in China, there was a very famous military strategist and politician Sima Ranju. He wrote in his military book "Sima Fa" that although the country is large,?If you fight, you will perish, and if you forget to fight, you will be in danger.  The meaning of this sentence is that although the country is strong, if it is keen on war, it will surely perish. If the country is stable and forgets to prepare for war, it will be dangerous. For our Chinese politicians and soldiers, everyone should know this sentence.  Familiar famous sayings.  It is for this reason that we have always pursued peaceful solutions to problems.  In the past, we have had many negotiations with your country on the issue of Asian colonies, and we have reached a series of consensuses. However, the development of history and human society is unpredictable. With the establishment of the Asian League, various parties within the Asian League have  The member states, especially the member states of Islamic civilization, strongly oppose the British colonial issue in Asia. In order to maintain the etiquette of the entire Asia, to maintain the unity of the Asian Union, and to maintain our country¡¯s leadership role in the Asian Union, we can only rely on  The ASEAN member states and the Council unanimously requested that the colonial issue be negotiated again with the United Kingdom.  In fact, if we look back at the origin of the whole matter, if your country has truly paid attention to the collective voice of the ASEAN and Asian countries from the beginning, and realized that this is the collective consensus of the Asian countries, our country must also fulfill the obligations of the ASEAN Security Alliance.  Regarding treaty obligations, I think this matter can be agreed upon very early and does not need to be delayed for so long.  "

    Song Biao had a lot to say, and he continued: "Of course, these are things in the past, and there are two things we have to do now. One is to continue to negotiate the details of the agreement between the two parties and ensure that this agreement  It can be implemented effectively and reliably on the premise of mutual respect; second, we must do everything we can to restore the UK's financial order. Stabilize the pound, stabilize the world economy, and avoid the expansion of the UK financial crisis and its spread to other countries and regions around the world."

    Prime Minister Chamberlain can¡¯t wait for this sentence, although everyone knows that behind this round of financial crisis in the UK is China¡¯s ruthless hand, a financial punch that knocked the UK directly into hell.  It was miserable.  But this matter is not as well-proven as a military war. The UK can only suffer this loss. Now only China can help the UK tide over the difficulties.

    Prime Minister Chamberlain immediately replied: "Your Majesty, our country must now re-guarantee the liquidity of the pound. To maintain the stability of its currency value, before our country temporarily lacks sufficient gold reserves, it urgently needs a sufficient foreign exchange loan to maintain the stability of international exchange.  , As far as the current international environment is concerned, the only country that can help our country ensure currency stability is China. Therefore, we hope to reach an agreement on this as soon as possible."

    Although this shot was fired by China, if you want to borrow money from China to heal the wounds and stop the bleeding, you still have to pay the price. Borrowing money from country to country has never been easy. Now even if you don¡¯t look to China, look to the United States.  , France, they will also be severely extorted.

    Business issues.  Emperor Song Biao was not involved. He only promised that China was willing to help Britain tide over the difficulties. As for the interest and benefits that Britain would pay, that was a separate matter. It was also a matter between the Chinese and British Prime Ministers and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

    Emperor Song Biao is now sitting down with Prime Minister Chamberlain for an interview.  It means talking clearly about many attitude matters in the past, present and future, settling old accounts, and explaining clearly the situation at that time and the reasons behind each decision. There will be no overnight grudges.  Now that the matter has been resolved, the whole incident has been clarified.  Let it pass.

    Having said that, if the UK continues to hate China through gritted teeth, it is just asking for trouble and humiliation.

    Today¡¯s China itself is not on the same level. China also leads the Asian League. With the huge foundation of the Asian League, when the two sides fight, the UK will suffer serious losses no matter how hard it tries.

    Times have changed.

    At this moment, the British Empire and British Prime Minister Chamberlain may have the deepest experience.

    Perhaps, there are still many people in the British Empire today who are unwilling to admit that China is the world hegemon, such as Prime Minister Winston Churchill who has stepped down, but even Winston Churchill must admit that Britain is definitely not the world hegemon of the past.

    In this meeting, Emperor Song Biao and Prime Minister Chamberlain talked a lot.

    Such a meeting should have been to explain some past trump cards and the whole story to each other, and to talk things through clearly, so as to facilitate subsequent exchanges between the two parties. At this time, Emperor Song Biao could tell Prime Minister Chamberlain the reason why the empire has dragged on the issue until today.  , has not taken military action. In essence, it still considers the threat of Nazi Germany and far-right fascist ideas to Europe and the world.

    If China and Britain went to war, the biggest beneficiary would be Nazi Germany.

    During the period when China and Britain were at odds with each other, Germany had officially ended the Soviet-German War and signed a secret agreement with China to carve up the Soviet-occupied areas. Germany's new alliance with Italy and Poland also took shape during this period.  .

    Soviet Union.

    The once glorious Soviet empire finally came to an end?? became an old record in history and disappeared from human sight. With the Volga River as the boundary, China and Germany occupied the east and west sides of the vast Soviet Union, while Poland occupied Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.  and the disputed northern region of Ukraine.

    Germany is establishing a new Russian First Republic in Russia based on the model of Nazi Germany, and is working hard to integrate Russia and Ukraine into the entire German system and turn them into Germany's strategic rear.

    Now Germany has solved a very important flaw, which is Germany's strategic resources. Germany will have endless iron, manganese, aluminum, nickel, copper, oil and grain for it to squander. It also has the heavy industrial base left by the Soviet Union.  As long as these are integrated, the new Nazi Germany will be the world's most powerful military power after the Chinese Empire.

    If China did not join the war and Germany annexed France and Spain, even if Britain and the United States united at the first opportunity, they would not necessarily be Germany's opponent, at least they would not be able to defeat Germany. If Italy did not cause chaos to Germany, Poland would continue to attack the Soviet Union as bravely as before.  The complete Nazification of Europe will only take three or four years, and no Western country can compete with Germany.

    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Emperor Song Biao also tried to ease some conflicts with the British.

    China can tell Britain now that we wanted to fight the Soviet Union.  The most important goal is to prevent Germany from annexing the entire Soviet Union. In that case, once Germany integrates the national power of the entire Soviet Union, even the four countries of China, Britain, the United States and France may not have much confidence in defeating the fascist camp.

    What China is most worried about is actually Germany, and various problems have occurred with the United Kingdom in the past six months.  In fact, China is not willing to do this.  Within the treaty of the Asian Alliance and the collective request of the Asian Alliance member states, China can only do this.

    ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? So far.  Emperor Song Biao also suspected that some Asian League member states may have been privately instigated by German spies and diplomats to deliberately intensify conflicts and use China's power to expand their influence and actual interests, while Germany hoped that China and Britain would go to war.

    Because Germany had ended the Soviet-German War ahead of schedule, Emperor Song Biao knew it very well.  Once China decides to take military action against Britain, Germany is likely to take advantage of this excellent plan to unify the European continent.

    The UK actually has this worry, so it is very restrained in many matters.

    This restraint on both sides, as well as China¡¯s sudden financial war strategy, ultimately allowed both sides to preserve each other¡¯s military strength and avoid war.

    This afternoon, China and Britain took the opportunity of meeting Emperor Hua to reconcile past conflicts and draw closer to each other.  Especially for the United Kingdom, in addition to borrowing money from China to cope with the domestic financial crisis and hoping that China will be merciful and give some room for maneuver in subsequent negotiations, the United Kingdom also hopes to reach a new agreement.  Use China to contain Germany and prevent Germany from further annexing the European continent.

    This meeting is very important to both parties.

    Because there is a state banquet hosted by the Central Cabinet Government in the evening, and it is impossible for Emperor Song Biao to attend the state banquet as the guest of honor and continue to entertain Prime Minister Chamberlain - if this is the case, Chamberlain will really be too shameless.  An unprecedented exception was made for him, so the meeting ended on time at 4 p.m.

    The various subsequent issues are matters between the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister.  Emperor Song Biao will not interfere anymore.

    After Prime Minister Chamberlain and his party returned to the Zhongnanhai State Guesthouse, Emperor Song Biao also breathed a sigh of relief. There was nothing else to do in the afternoon. He was going to go for a walk in the Imperial Garden. As soon as he changed into imperial uniform, he heard that there was an urgent telegram from the Central Military Intelligence Department.

    It is very common to receive many emergency telegrams. On average, there are two or three emergency telegrams every week, but the degree of urgency is also different. If General Zhang Jun, the director of the Central Military Intelligence Department, personally delivers it, it is the most urgent situation.

    Song Biao was surprised. He had just dealt with a major event, so why was there a new special event?

    Japan has accepted the final unconditional surrender in accordance with the empire's requirements. Now it is just negotiating the final armistice treaty. Britain also surrendered silently. It is impossible for these two to cause trouble again?

    Emperor Song Biao stopped guessing and went to the Imperial Study Room to meet with General Zhang Jun from the Military Intelligence Department.

    "When he sat down in the imperial study room and had a cup of green tea, Zhang Jun hurried in before picking up the tea cup, bowed in salute with a serious expression, and then presented a top-secret telegram to the emperor.

    Emperor Song Biao took out the telegram and looked at it. He was also shocked. It turned out that the intelligence organization in Berlin had sent new information that was being further confirmed - the first intelligence chief of the intelligence group in Germany and the imperial ambassador to Germany.  Lin Yidong, director of the museum's technical exchange department, judged that Germany may launch an attack within 20 days.Blitzkrieg offensives in Belgium and France.

    This is a shocking judgment, because the empire has been paying close attention to the movements of the German army. At present, the main force of the German army is basically still on the Eastern Front battlefield, and there is no large-scale mobilization.

    Lin Yidong's judgment was that he was convinced that the German Sixth Army had secretly withdrawn to the German mainland in the name of the 24th Army by changing its designation. The 24th Army had been deployed in Hesse before the war. If the Sixth Armored Army was named  In the name of the 24th Army, it retreated to Hesse. Relying on the local railway system, it could cross into the Netherlands and Belgium in 3 hours, repeating the old route of World War I.

    Emperor Song Biao was very clear about the nature of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, so when he saw this telegram, he was basically convinced that Germany would use this financial crisis to launch a lightning attack on France and achieve the hegemony of unifying the European continent.

    The darkest page in human history has finally arrived.

    At this moment, Song Biao was extremely fortunate that the empire had temporarily avoided the war with Britain. Although China and Britain were at odds, no matter how much they quarreled, they would not be as completely opposite as Su and Britain. Judging from the current situation, Britain wanted  For the Empire, the two sides can finally unite to deal with Germany.

    Of course, it doesn¡¯t matter if Britain really wants to stand aside. As long as the Imperial Army can capture Kiev, Ukraine, the Empire¡¯s intercontinental missile range can cover the entire Germany.

    ¡°If China and Britain are in a terrible fight at this time, by the time the Sino-British war is over, Germany may have integrated the strength of the entire European continent, and Britain is likely to choose to unite with Germany. That would be a real trouble.

    After a moment of silence, Song Biao put down the telegram and asked Zhang Jun: "What do you think is the probability of attacking France?"

    Zhang Jun's intelligence career is almost equivalent to the empire's intelligence history. He has experienced too many such things, and naturally has a keen sense of smell that others do not have. He could only regretfully reply to the emperor: "Report to your Majesty, I thought  I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s a very high probability.¡±

    "Yes, the thing that causes us the most headaches and worries is going to happen after all!"

    Emperor Song Biao was very emotional. He got up and walked around in the imperial study, silently thinking about countermeasures.

    The best option is definitely to send troops as soon as Germany sends troops, so as to strangle Germany to death before Germany can completely digest the entire Soviet war resources and industrial strength, but this is impossible.

    War needs a reason.

    For today¡¯s China and the vast majority of Chinese citizens, Germany has always been a very good strategic partner, and the same is generally true for France. It is impossible to say that because Germany attacks France, China must immediately join the war and help France defeat Germany.

    That's impossible.

    The people cannot understand this.

    This is not something that the emperor has the final say on. It is different from the empire's determination to fight Japan and the Soviet Union. These two wars had enough national sentiments and did not require mobilization or too many explanations.

    what to do?

    Now how to do?

    Emperor Song Biao carefully considered various possible countermeasures. After a long silence, he and Zhang Jun said: "Convene a regular meeting of the National Defense Committee and discuss it together."

    Zhang Jun nodded silently and asked: "Now that the issue with the United Kingdom has been basically resolved, should we cancel the South Asian coalition and transfer the troops back to the north?"

    Emperor Song Biao waved his hand and said: "Just inform the French side for the time being. Other matters must be resolved gradually one by one, and we will wait until the British issue is completely settled. If the troops are transferred out too early, the British have every right to do so."  They may use this opportunity to blackmail us into making concessions. As for the German issue, the First Army can be transferred back to the Novosibirsk Military District to standby."

    Minister Zhang Jun nodded again, turned around and left the imperial study, and summoned other national defense committee members to attend a regular meeting overnight.

    After Zhang Jun left, Song Biao continued to stay in the study silently thinking about countermeasures. He felt that he should have thought that Germany would not be satisfied with its current interests and would take revenge on France, completely breaking the shackles of World War I and unifying Europe.  is the result they want.

    For the Empire, if it can participate in the war from the beginning, especially if it can prevent German expansion before France is defeated, it is undoubtedly the best choice, but the Empire needs a good reason to convince the people to agree to the war.  .

    The empire also needs to convince other members of the Asian League.
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report