Why did this damn talk fall into silence again? Why did this damn Eastern barbarian always attack me from a strange angle? He actually said that he had seen through the direction of future technology development? Oh God, why would I allow a bragging person to show off his power in front of me?

Many years after the meeting, the Earl of Derby couldn't figure out why Xiao Letian had the initiative in negotiations in front of him, but his aggressive eloquence, which he had always been proud of, had no room for display.

It took a long time to understand that the Earl of Derby had probably only one reason for his failure in this fierce confrontation, that is, he had never planned to win from the beginning.

This is a very sad answer, and what is even more sad is that Xiao Letian is likely to have guessed the British trump card before this talk.

Yes, Xiao Letian certainly knew the trump card of the British. He had been a man for two lifetimes and knew how proud the British in the 19th century were. In this era, China was completely a backward barbarian. For such a nation, it was impossible for them to send a prime minister to meet secretly.

There is only one answer: the British are testing Xiao Letian, and this testing must have a subconscious intention to cooperate.

Xiao Letian was right. The Earl of Derby came to Hamburg with the Queen's secret order. Now in the circle of top politicians in Britain, people have begun to pay attention to Xiao Letian. Whether this political star, a rising political star in East Asia, is really a question worth pondering.

The root of everything actually needs to be returned to the French. Xiao Letian was able to enter and gain the attention of the British this time, but he actually has to thank his enemy, Napoleon III.

Since Napoleon's failure in Waterloo in 1815, France's status as a powerful country on the European continent has plummeted. In the following years, because of peace, France's domestic economy did continue to grow, but the welfare of this economic growth did not fall on the people of Guangguo, and very serious social conflicts have accumulated in France.

Before Napoleon's nephew ascended the throne before 1852, the French capitalist class had reached its peak in the thirty-seven years.

Many politicians and capitalists have reached a consensus that if France does not work hard to expand colonization, if France does not have a vast source of raw materials and a broad market for commodity dumping, then France's national destiny will have no hope.

In a thousand words, France can no longer exploit domestic people. France must exploit weaker nations. Only in this way can the domestic social conflicts be resolved.

Napoleon III's coming to power seemed like a farce restoration, but in fact it was very informative.

Napoleon III, who lived up to expectations, declared war on the Russians in March 1854 and united with Britain, Austria, and Türkiye to work with Russia.

This is the Crimean War, this is the first overseas war after Napoleon III ascended the throne.

In a year, French soldiers finally won the victory after paying 100,000 lives, and this victory was just a prelude. Under the leadership of Napoleon III, the French began to counterattack, and their goal was very clear, which was to be the second strongest in the world after Britain.

The Italian War in 1859. Under the exquisite plan of Napoleon III, France successfully weakened Austria's national strength, and at the same time curbed Italy's unification process, achieving a double harvest of diplomacy and military.

In 1857, the British and French coalition forces provoked the Second Opium War, signed the Sino-France Tianjin Treaty in 1858 and then captured the Beijing city and burned the Old Summer Palace in 1860.

In 1859, the French army captured Saigon, Vietnam and signed the Treaty of Saigon. From that moment on, Vietnam became a French colony.

Of course, there is Africa. The French had a strong interest in Africa. In 1854, the Senegal Bank was established to officially annex Senegal, conquered Algeria in 1857, and obtained the power to dig the Suez Canal in 1854. After the canal was completed in 1869, France had already controlled half of the canal's stocks, and even the British could not compare to him.

If Xiao Lotte's memory was not confused, African countries such as Madagascar, Somalia, Mauritania, and Sudan would become French colonies one after another.

By 1870, France established a colony with an area of ​​more than 900,000 square kilometers and a population of more than 6.5 million, becoming the second largest colonial empire in the world at that time in the world after Britain.

In fact, in the competition between countries, there are no eternal friends at all, and only eternal interests. Although it seems that Britain is in the intimate stage of mixing oil in honey, and even now the two countries are united to deal with Mexico, everything looks so beautiful.

However, in Xiao Letian's eyes, even the closest lovers still have cracks, it depends on whether you can catch them. Is Britain not wary of France? That is impossible. The hatred of the number one and the number two in the world does not require any reason.

It is precisely based on this analysis that Xiao Letian would not believe the nonsense of the Derby Prime Minister. What is the British that can even get a share of the Ryukyu that was occupied by the French? The two countries share their interests, etc., are all farts, all nonsense!

Britain would be willing to let France have an extra colony? Will they sit and watch France have another bridgehead in East Asia? Even if the derby agrees, can the British Parliament agree? Can the proud queen agree?

So, when Xiao Letian heard the fallacy at the beginning of Derby, he already knew very well that Derby was testing him, and the British trump card was definitely not a flip against him.

"Ah..." Xiao Letian sighed, calming his mood. "Prime Minister, open the skylight and say something bright. Britain is very powerful now, but the strength of Britain is only reflected in the ocean. Your fleet is invincible, but it does not mean that your army is invincible too..."

"I can believe that if the Russians challenge your dignity in the Pacific, the Royal Navy will definitely give him a hard lesson, but you should know more that many wars do not meet strategic expectations without the support of the army. Just like the areas outside China's clearance, if the Siberian Railway is built and the Russian army has a large number of reinforcements, how will the UK prepare to fight? Will it always bombard with ship guns?"

"Besides, Britain's current national policy is still very clever. You never choose to destroy other weak countries. You only use the method of choosing spokespersons to rule the colonies. It's like the jewel in the queen's crown, India. Until now, you have not destroyed any of the national countries. On the contrary, you still support them..."

"This national policy of indirect rule with spokespersons can make Britain gain a wealth without losing face, and your colonial rule will gain the lowest resistance. Will you British give up this kind of business that is stable and profitable?"

Xiao Letian knocked on the ashes and said arrogantly, "The world is getting smaller and smaller, and it is getting more and more chaotic. All countries are like a difficult and endless long-distance race. Now Britain is at the top, and although China is not at the bottom, it is almost the same..."

"How should a smart British choose? Could it be that they can use endless benefits to support the second place and make him stronger and stronger, and ultimately threaten your status? If your British gentlemen's IQ is so high, then I will say nothing..."

With the expression of the Count Derby being sobbing, Xiao Letian squeezed out the cigar in the ashtray. "For Britain, the best national policy is to vigorously support backward countries and let them tear off the backs of these countries from the second and third places. Only in this way can you continue to maintain your advantage and widen the distance from the large army..."

"The more chaotic the world is, the stronger the confrontation between countries. To put it thoroughly, it is to fight harder and fiercer. Only in this way can you guarantee your British dominance for a long time... instead of watching the situation with the French as you are now!"

An informal diplomatic meeting has completely changed now. Under the instigation of the semi-god Xiao Letian, the famous stubborn old man in the British political arena has become like an old naughty boy today, with his arms around Xiao Letian.

The civil servants from Britain, the guards and secretary of the Derby Prime Minister were all sweating from their foreheads. Although they were far away, they didn't know what the two prime ministers were talking about, the strange atmosphere was obvious to all.

Time passed minute by minute. When the sound of horse hooves of cavalry and the sound of wheels crushing on the stone road again, people noticed that the Prime Minister's special carriage with the imperial badge had arrived.

When Bisme got out of the car anxiously, when his front feet had just stepped into the garden gate, the old Prime Minister was stunned. He stared at the scene in front of him incredibly and could not speak for a long time.

A feast of seafood that had been eaten with barren feet, two politicians who were whispering, and what was even more strange was that there was no tablecloth on the dining table... Oh no, the white silk tablecloth had already flown into the rose bushes.

"What did I miss? Is the fighting derby still in front of me? He was actually smiling at Xiao Letian? Oh my God, how can this old man laugh?"

Just when Pesme was stunned, Xiao Letian and Earl Derby had completed the informal talks. Although the two sides had no agreement to sign, many consensuses were already in each other's stomachs.

"Xiao! You really surprised me. I can't promise you anything. The only thing I can do is to pass your words on to Her Majesty the Queen. I hope that everything you say will impress Your Majesty!"

Xiao Letian's face suddenly became bitter, "Don't...don't introduce it! Don't use the original words, you should modify it, don't copy all my impolite words?"

The Earl of Derby laughed, patted Xiao Letian on the shoulder, turned around and left with his subordinates.
Chapter completed!