Iron Dynasty Chapter 1002

The sunlight in the Zhengda Guangming Hall was somehow obscured by a dark cloud in the sky, making the hall appear slightly dim.

Brooke’s face looked indistinct in this light, but everyone could feel his tension.

In fact, Brooke’s heart was now trembling with nervousness. The conditions proposed by this emperor had almost entirely exceeded the bottom line he had set before coming here.

Queen Victoria and the Parliament had failed to grasp one crucial point: this negotiation was not with just any European country; they were facing a distant Eastern Empire.

In his opinion, this empire’s strength even surpassed that of Britain, and in this negotiation, they had no cards left to play.

“Your Majesty, I cannot agree to any of these demands, as they exceed all the bottom lines we can offer. I hope Your Majesty can propose reasonable suggestions.” Brooke’s expression grew increasingly solemn.

“Reasonable suggestions?” Xiao Ming showed a playful smile. “Allowing you British to establish diplomatic relations with the Chinese Empire, and even to exchange goods, is already the greatest benevolence I can offer you. As for Southeast Asia, it is not something you Europeans can meddle with. I advise you to accept the current conditions, otherwise, I will have no choice but to personally drive you out of the countries of Southeast Asia.”

“Your Majesty…”

Brooke’s heart filled with despair. He had traveled for more than half a year to get here, but now it seemed he would return empty-handed. “Your Majesty, please allow me to return and convey these conditions to the British Parliament and the Queen. I believe we can definitely establish a stable relationship.”

As for whether it was certain British politicians or the Queen, it was no longer important, because he had no evidence to prove who led this war.

Brooke’s face turned completely black. The emperor’s words just now were clearly threatening, as it was only natural for a country in a state of war to take any offensive action.

Perhaps after this back and forth, all of Britain’s colonies would already be in the hands of the Chinese Empire.

“In that case, I bid you farewell!” Brooke was helpless; he did not have the authority to sell off colonies.

After seeing Brooke and his group leave the hall, Zhan Xingchang said, “This negotiation with Britain and France will probably come to nothing. The most effective way to make these foreign countries recognize reality is still war.”

Yang Chengye said, “Their purpose in coming here this time was only to temporarily halt hostilities with us to buy themselves more time to prepare. Secondly, by exchanging goods, they can obtain our technology. These Europeans are truly good at calculating.”

Xiao Ming nodded slightly. He said, “Elder Yang is absolutely right. That is why I proposed these conditions. However, since we cannot get what we want through negotiation, we can only solve it through war.”

“Military reform has been completed. Now is a good time to deploy troops,” Fei Ji said, stroking his beard and smiling softly.

Pang Yukun said, “Since negotiations with Britain have broken down, it’s unlikely France will fare any better. As Your Majesty said, it’ll take a bit more to completely subdue Britain and France in Asia.”

Xiao Ming remained noncommittal. He then had Qian Dafu summon Henry to the hall and made similar demands. Like Brooke, Henry chose to refuse, and even more decisively than Brooke.

Within an hour, the British and French envoys left one after another, and the negotiations ultimately ended in failure.

“Prepare for war!”

In the Zhengda Guangming Hall, Xiao Ming made his decision.

…

Outside the palace gate, Brooke was waiting for Henry. Seeing Henry emerge with a dejected expression, he said, “It seems your negotiation results weren’t much better.”

“In that case, it seems you had a very bad talk.” Henry judged Brooke’s situation from his tone.

Nodding, Brooke said directly, “It failed. This greedy emperor’s demands are too high, which is unacceptable for Britain.”

“Mine too, but that’s exactly the result I need.” Henry revealed a mysterious smile.

France now appeared strong but was in fact fraught with internal conflicts. The army had long been critical of André’s rule. If the war in Asia failed, public opinion would force André to step down sooner. They needed a stronger leader.

Brooke apparently could not understand Henry’s meaning. He said, “That’s a strange thing to say. Perhaps we should discuss cooperation now. Are you just going to throw away your colonies like that?”

“A fragmented Europe cannot contend with the Chinese Empire. Only when the entire Europe is bathed in the glory of France can we have a chance of victory,” Henry said coldly.

Brooke was stunned for a moment. He suddenly felt uneasy. Combined with the news he had received, it seemed that something terrible was happening in France.

This change violated the purpose of the French Revolution, with the ghost of imperial restoration lingering.

He was about to press further when Tang Wenjie emerged from the palace gate and approached the two.

“By His Majesty’s order, British and French envoys are not allowed to remain in Qingzhou. Please leave the territory of the Chinese Empire immediately.” Tang Wenjie’s demeanor was all business.

Brooke sighed. He had planned to stay in Qingzhou for a while to observe the place, but now that possibility was completely denied. It was clear that the emperor was not giving them any face.

Sighing, Henry and Brooke, along with their delegation, followed Tang Wenjie to the station. They would return under Tang Wenjie’s supervision.

While Brooke and Henry were being expelled, Xiao Ming returned to the Imperial Study and then summoned Cui Shang’an, the chief official of the General Staff.

Niu Ben and Luo Quan had formally requested retirement during the military reform, and he had granted their requests. Afterwards, the Grand Council was abolished, and only the General Staff remained.

Cui Shang’an, who was formerly Luo Quan’s adjutant in the General Staff, was promoted by him. Through this military reform, the functions of the General Staff were also refined: first, his orders would be directly transmitted to various military regions through the General Staff; second, the General Staff would establish a logistics department and an equipment department; and third, it would be responsible for formulating operational plans.

Overall, his leadership of the army would be more direct after the military reform.

“Your Majesty.”

Cui Shang’an stood before Xiao Ming, his expression somewhat excited.

Just a year ago, he was still frustrated, and he never expected to first enter the General Staff from the then Qingzhou army, and now in the blink of an eye, he had become the chief official of the General Staff.

Many officials regarded Cui Shang’an’s rise to power as the Emperor’s way of checking the Fei family, after all, Cui Shang’an was the brother of the current Imperial Consort. There were also rumors that it was the Emperor showing gratitude, a reward for the Prince of Huainan’s initiative in voluntarily relinquishing his fief.

But whatever the reason, Cui Shang’an was now rather smug.