The Great Powers did not understand what was going on. After sending the note, they immediately elected the British ambassador to the Qing Dynasty, Sir Gwenna, to handle this matter.
At the British Embassy in the eastern suburbs, Gwenna was slowly savoring a glass of authentic whiskey in his hand.
It's really too difficult to drink such pure whiskey in Qing Dynasty. This was just brought over by the Imperial Navy, and now they have returned to Malacca. It was just two boxes. Who knew how long he would have to wait for the next time after drinking them?”
He placed the wine glass in front of his eyes and kept shaking it, not even looking at Li Hongzhang, who was sitting opposite him.
"Minister, this legal person invasion of Annan has stirred up the entire Qing Dynasty. We have no choice but to declare war! As for the treaty with your country, it is still in effect.”
Li Hongzhang's back was covered in cold sweat. He was neither servile nor overbearing in the face of Gwenna's threat.
He naturally knew that Wang Guangxu would still make a move against England in the future. However, with his current strength, it was difficult to predict the outcome even if he faced France, who could not go all out. It was better to stall for time for a behemoth like England to buy him enough time.
"Although the French army is not strong, you will not be able to control the sea!”
Gwina nodded in satisfaction when he heard Li Hongzhang's answer. As long as the interests of the United Kingdom were not damaged, he did not care. Moreover, Li Hongzhang usually showed him a lot of respect, so he nodded slightly.
"Thank you for your advice, Minister.”
Li Hongzhang heard Gwenner's words and understood that the United Kingdom had no intention of interfering. His worried heart relaxed.
…………
At the entrance of a magnificent mansion, two guards dressed in silver-white clothes stood there obediently. Their scales emitted a dazzling white light.
An old man in a green robe slowly walked down from the sedan chair that had just stopped.
"Lord Li! His Highness has been waiting for a long time! Please!"
Upon seeing who it was, a servant suddenly dashed out from behind the door and looked at the green-robed old man with a charming smile.
It turned out that this person was Li Hongzhang, who had just returned from Dongjiao Alley, and this residence was the Gong Prince's residence.
Li Hongzhang didn't pay any attention to this person and walked in with ease. He was personally promoted by the Gong Prince, so he was naturally very familiar with this place.
Soon, he arrived at the study.
"Your Highness! Jianfu pays his respects to you!"
Li Hongzhang patted his sleeves and knelt down.
"There's no need to be so polite. Now that you and I are both military ministers, it's inappropriate for outsiders to see it!”
Chang Xin said as he drank a mouthful of tea. However, he didn't even have the intention to stop her.
"Jianfu will never forget your highness 'kindness in nurturing him!”
As he spoke, Li Hongzhang also got up and found a place to sit down.
After all, with his status, it was enough for him to express his attitude. He could not keep kneeling.
"Your highness called me here because the emperor is declaring war on the people?”
Li Hongzhang said after a long silence.
"I only called you here to chat! There's nothing wrong."
The Gong Prince's eyes were as deep as the sea, and he didn't reveal any trace of abnormality. Li Hongzhang couldn't read his thoughts at all.
The two of them then chatted for an hour before Li Hongzhang left.
"Your Highness, I remember your kindness, but no matter what, you are still a Manchu, and your heart is always on the Manchu side.”
Li Hongzhang took a deep look at the words 'Prince Gong's Residence' on the door frame, sighed, and turned to leave.
"Looks like I can't participate. Let them do whatever they want. The Eight Banner Soldiers have long become a pile of trash, and Li Hongzhang's heart has already been taken! I should just be a prince in peace.”
The Gong Prince sighed and threw the teacup on the table. The premium goods from the official kiln that were worth a thousand taels of silver were shattered just like that, and the tea splashed everywhere…
Originally, the throne had long been his, but it was accidentally given to Emperor Xianfeng back then. Some time ago, many people came to incite him, and for a moment, he was hot-headed and wanted to find out.
But now he understood that it was better not to fight. Even if Guangxu was to overturn the heavens, he would not care. The little Emperor was already well-developed, and he was just missing the last bit of prestige.
Paris
The beautiful Seine River lay quietly here, and countless young men and women were indulging in romantic nights here.
The French parliament building, which was located not far from the Seine River, was brightly lit. All the members of parliament had been summoned.
Not long ago, France's victory in Annan had made the entire empire heave a sigh of relief. However, not long ago, the backward suzerain behind Annan had actually dared to challenge the French Empire.
This was not something they could tolerate. They had endured losing to Germany for decades, and now they were gradually becoming stronger. The country that once sent thousands of people, a few ships, and a few cannons to attack the capital actually dared to declare war on them.
A storm started in the huge parliament building…
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]