Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 271 The final choice

Only one day later

January 7st

The new British Minister to Chu, Kalvin Phillips, and his assistant Ben Johnson came to the Foreign Office and sternly demanded to see the Foreign Minister immediately to submit the British side's negotiations.

"Hello, Mr. Minister, do you have an appointment?"

"This is an emergency, sir. I must convey the solemn position of the Kingdom of Great Britain as soon as possible. This is of great importance. I need to meet with Foreign Minister Zheng Xin or someone else who can make a decision as soon as possible. My time is very valuable."

"Please rest assured, sir, we will convey your request completely and accurately. Now please wait here patiently."

"Oh, hell, how long do I have to wait?"

"Dear Minister, your request will be forwarded to the Minister as quickly as possible. Please maintain a positive attitude and wait a moment."

"Well, I hope to meet with Foreign Minister Zheng Xin as soon as possible and convey our concerns in person."

"Dear Minister, your request will be conveyed to the Minister as quickly as possible. Please have some tea and wait patiently."

"Okay, okay, man, please go and do your own thing first. I'll wait here, but the Kingdom of Great Britain I represent doesn't have much patience."

"Dear Minister, your request will be conveyed to the Minister as quickly as possible. Please be patient..."

"Okay, ok, I know. You don't have to repeat it to me over and over again. Don't worry, I'm very calm now."

Calvin Phillips opened his hands to make an "I'm fine" gesture, then took a few deep breaths and exhaled slowly, trying to calm his mood that was constantly surging due to his impatience.

once Upon a time
The diplomatic representatives of the State of Chu also visited the British diplomatic mission again and again. Minister Calvin Phillips stood in his office on the second floor, looking through the glass window at the anxious-looking diplomatic representatives of the State of Chu, while leisurely tasting the red wine in his glass.

As for a clear-cut response, there will certainly not be one, only ambiguous diplomatic instructions.

Now it's your turn, are you anxious?
At the current Calvin Phillips diplomatic mission, telegrams from British businessmen and various parties poured in like snowflakes, all of which lamented the unfairness of the new policy, each one more intense than the last.

As the head of the diplomatic agency responsible for safeguarding the interests of British overseas expatriates and businessmen, British Minister Sir Kelvin Phillips naturally could not sit still and hurried over to negotiate.

The situation that had happened three months ago has now suddenly reversed.

Before serving as the Chinese envoy to Chu, Sir Kalvin Phillips was the High Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh in the Governor-General's Office of British India. He spent 11 years in that position, rising from a mid-level colonial official to a senior colonial official. He was influenced by the flattery of local princely kings and nobles and had no idea what he was doing.

Arrogance and contempt for others, and unwillingness to listen to any unpleasant advice, can well describe Sir Kalvin Phillips' current state.

The sincere negotiations of Chu State's Foreign Minister Zheng Xin turned into flattery in front of him. Relying on his powerful background, he discarded the other party's goodwill.

Now, it’s completely reversed.

Sir Calvin Phillips was completely unable to adapt to such a reversal of change. He paced back and forth in the corridor with an anxious look on his face, muttering to himself, completely losing his former elegant gentlemanly demeanor.

"Crazy, all crazy! How dare these stupid Orientals do this? Their arrogant behavior is simply trampling on the dignity of the British Empire." He muttered to himself as he walked.

Ben Johnson looked at his boss who was restless and shrugged helplessly.

Sir Calvin Phillips, the British Empire's ambassador abroad, has reached such a level that it can be said that he has taken the word "incompetent" to the extreme. However, as a subordinate, Ben Johnson has to stand firmly with his boss at this time.

As the Minister to Chu, Sir Kalvin Phillips has just been in office for more than two months. He is a senior civil servant of the British Foreign Office stationed abroad, and he implements the accountability system of "whoever is in charge of a matter will be held responsible if something goes wrong?"

If this diplomatic dispute in the State of Chu cannot be resolved smoothly, Sir Calvin Phillips will be the first person responsible and his performance evaluation will be very bad.

No wonder he's behaving so chaotically now.

People from the Chu State Ministry of Foreign Affairs came in and out, and they would glance at them with strange eyes, but no one came forward to chat with them, and no one told them when they could see the boss.

After being left out for more than an hour, Sir Kalvin Phillips finally realized that he was being ignored. He could no longer hold it in and immediately erupted like a volcano.

He stood in the corridor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, waving his hands in the air like a raging man, and yelling;

"It's simply unbelievable. No country in the world would dare to treat the envoys of the British Empire in this way. Those that have done so are either destroyed or are now part of the empire.

A small indigenous kingdom like yours, the size of a fingernail, is completely crazy from top to bottom and completely unreasonable."

His shouting attracted a seemingly responsible official who came out to greet him and said, "Dear Minister, please maintain your composure. If you have any requests to convey, please tell me. I am Pan Yuchen, Director of the European Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will take your opinions seriously."

"I need to meet with Foreign Minister Zheng Xin to present the UK's protest and ask him to come out and see me."

"I'm sorry, but the Minister is out on business and won't be back in a short time. If you have anything to say, please tell me."

"What about Mr. Zheng Yulan, the Deputy Minister? It's the same with him."

"I'm really sorry, the Deputy Minister is also out on official business. Well, I can convey your request and ensure that nothing is missed." "Damn it! Why are they not here when I arrive?" Sir Kalvin Phillips roared angrily.

His voice was so loud that it echoed in the office building and was heard far away, attracting some clerks from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who came to peek in and couldn't help laughing when they heard it.

Assistant Ben Johnson felt really embarrassed and reminded him, "Director, could it be that your Foreign Minister is hiding on purpose? It can't be such a coincidence, right?"

"I'm really sorry, the Minister and the Deputy Minister are participating in an important diplomatic activity. I have no right to disclose the specific details, but I will definitely convey your negotiation opinions in full." Pan Yuchen, Director of the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, answered with a smile and without any loopholes.

Sir Kalvin Phillips' impotent rage was of no use. He gradually calmed down and said with a cold look in his eyes, "Well, we need a quiet place."

"Please follow me. We can go to the small conference room to have some tea and talk slowly." Pan Yuchen said as he led the way and led the two to the small conference room.

"I'm not interested in your tea, let's go." Sir Calvin Phillips still pretended to be cool and replied in a cold voice.

Pan Yuchen did not argue with him verbally, but led him into the small meeting room with a diplomatic and polite smile. Soon, the British people's incessant complaints were heard.

after awhile
Sir Kalvin Phillips and his assistant Ben Johnson left with dissatisfaction, and Pan Yuchen politely escorted them to the door of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building.

After watching them leave in the carriage, he turned around and went upstairs.

The current Ministry of Foreign Affairs building is a five-story classical Tang-style building located next to Glory Avenue. The entire building is a reinforced concrete structure and is very solidly built.

The entire Ministry of Foreign Affairs building is an independent courtyard with a tall gatehouse with flying eaves at the entrance. Soldiers are on duty on duty on a daily basis and no outsiders are allowed to trespass.

After entering, there is a square with a five-story main building and two four-story auxiliary buildings. The overall shape is "匚", and the grand and majestic layout comes towards you.

Behind the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, there are more than 10 separated courtyards of various sizes, which are used for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' treasury, telegraph department, logistics department, canteen, official dormitories, secret agencies and other purposes that cannot be disclosed to outsiders.

The office building's doors and windows with classical carved structures, paired with bright white glass, allow sunlight to shine in unimpeded, making the building appear bright and solemn.

The minister's office is on the east side of the 4th floor. After being informed by the minister's secretary, when Director Pan Yuchen of the European Department entered, he saw Foreign Minister Zheng Xin holding a teacup and sipping it with a smile on his face.

"Your Excellency, I pay my respects to you."

"No need to stand up, come, sit down and talk."

"Thank you, sir," Pan Yuchen said, clasping his hands in a salute. He then straightened up and replied respectfully, "The British envoy has left. He expressed his strong opposition to the recently released imperial edict of His Majesty, believing that this unfair policy targeting the Australian colonies was a great disrespect..."

"Well, I understand." Foreign Minister Zheng Xin interrupted him and had no interest in listening further.

What did the British Minister Sir Kelvin Phillips come to negotiate?
Isn't that just lice on a bald head? It's crystal clear!

Seeing that the British envoy was turned away, he felt extremely happy. He finally vented all the frustration he had felt before.

This refreshing feeling is like a constipated patient defecate. How can it be described with just one word "refreshing"?

Foreign Minister Zheng Xin had no choice but to hide. Even if he publicly received the British envoy, he could only reject the other party's unreasonable demands and could not go against the will of His Majesty.

In this case, it would be better not to meet, so that both sides can still have room to relax.

As for the resulting deterioration in relations between the two countries, that was inevitable.

When this tough policy was first promulgated, the Chu State anticipated Britain's reaction and made comprehensive military and political arrangements.

The army, which has expanded to 4.45 people, is now recruiting soldiers from new immigrants. The number of new recruits is 3 to deal with possible adverse situations.

The new recruits were divided into ten battalions of 3000 people each, distributed in prefectures and counties throughout the kingdom. There were four battalions of new recruits in the prefectures and counties around Manila, totaling 1.2 people.

After recruiting a battalion of new soldiers, they began to train them. Now they have recruited seven battalions, with a total of more than 2.1 people.

The navy is also conducting intensive pre-war training. The sailors who were originally transferred to the sailing transport fleet are now returning to the fleet to fill the vacancies.

The shortage of gunners and combatants on the sailing gunboats and ironclad warships was gradually being replenished.

Coastal defense fortresses in various places were being improved at an accelerated pace, cannons stored in warehouses were pushed out one after another, and various sea trials were started to cope with the more severe situation.

If the situation is unfavorable, it is possible to further mobilize returning soldiers and militias. Everyone from top to bottom is preparing for a war.

The current response is to base ourselves on a major war, but to try to avoid it in diplomatic and administrative affairs and strive for peace.

But the final choice was not in the hands of Chu, but in the hands of the British. All Chu could do was to deal with it passively, assume the worst case scenario, and make adequate responses.

As for our firm stance on defending the interests of overseas Chinese, it cannot be shaken in the slightest.

(End of this chapter)