C410 Xiao Letians trump card (1/2)
Arrogant, arrogant, arrogant beyond belief, this was Count de Beer's current thought. You, Xiao Letian, are merely the Prime Minister of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Even if the entire population of the island was added together, it might not exceed 500 thousand.
What does the Ryukyu have? What else is there but a favourable topography of the sea? There was no coal or iron, and even food had to be imported year after year. Other than the scenery, what else was there?
Furthermore, your Letian Firm has also admitted that it was very, very difficult for such a foreign currency to exist within the East Asian financial system. A foreign bank that was made purely out of Chinese people is now beginning to have some form of a bank, and a lot of information has been sent back, making a lot of foreign banking operations illegal.
”Hmm …” Of course, as long as you do not harm the interests of the British Empire, breaking the Qing Dynasty's law does not matter to you.
But no matter how good the Letian Firm was, it was just a foreign trade. The rivalry between countries was not just about money. Science and technology, culture, education, the size of the military, and modernization all had to be considered in a comprehensive manner.
You, Xiao Letian, are just a gathering body of the county governor, yet you dare to talk endlessly to me about becoming the bridgehead of East Asia? You still want to stop the Russian's eastward march? Are you sure you don't have a fever?
However, this thought stuck in Count de Beer's heart, and he couldn't say it out loud no matter what he wanted to say. He was too familiar with this kind of temperament. The young Captain in the Royal Navy Academy had this kind of aura, and the aggressive young nobles in the had this kind of aura as well.
Today, a young man from East Asia who had just emerged from the political scene of the world had the same air about him. We English rely on the fame of the British Empire, but what do you rely on?
What makes you have the temperament that only powerful statesmen can have? The most infuriating thing about you is that you make me feel... It was very normal!
The Count de Beer felt a faint sense of defeat in his heart. The reason for this feeling was not because of Xiao Letian's arrogant words, nor was it because of his astonishing analysis of the world situation.
The source of this frustration was actually … It was actually Xiao Letian who was so arrogant, but De Bi had a faint feeling that this was how it should be, and that all of Xiao Letian's arrogance actually gave others a feeling that it was perfectly justified.
In his entire life, there were only a few people who had given him this feeling. One was his old friend Bismark, the other was the Queen of England, and the other was himself.
”Hehe …” ”This is the most dramatic negotiation in my life. I will probably never forget the surprise I received today. Not to mention the feasibility of your proposal, just based on your arrogant and unbridled attitude, you should at least show some of the elegance I had back then …”
”Very well, no matter what the outcome of the negotiation is, you must have earned my respect. I think we should shake hands!”
Both of them were able to feel each other's heat, as well as their strength.
”Prime Minister, why do you think that my proposal is not feasible? What conditions do you think are necessary to stop the Russian's eastward march? ” Xiao Letian asked.
Count de Beer took out two cigars and offered one to Xiao Letian: ”Fine, I won't beat around the bush. If you want to block Russian, your elite navy, army, and modern weapons and equipment will need a lot of money to do so …”
”Of these conditions, I find you have nothing but money. You have no navy, no doubt. You have no army... ”Oh, please wait for me to say, I know that your army is very outstanding …”
De Bi pointed at the new army officers who were as silent as statues inside and outside the garden, and said with great emotion, ”From the two European battles, the troops that you have trained are very elite, brave and wise …” ”However, the number of people is too small. You brought three hundred people to Europe, and more than half of them died in the two bloody battles. You should be well aware of the ruthlessness of the war …”
”How many more of these soldiers do you have in Ryukyu? A thousand or eight hundred? The firepower of modern war is becoming denser and denser, even the most elite soldiers will only die if they face the bombardment of large caliber cannons. ”
De Bi deeply exhaled a cloud of smoke and said with extreme regret, ”You don't have the navy, you have less people in the army, although you have money, but you still don't have an industrial base. You can't even produce your own cannons and bullets, how can you defend against the Russian? ”I really couldn't see a single possibility of victory …”
”Hahaha!” Xiao Letian laughed madly, lit a match and lit up a cigar. ”How laughable, as the Prime Minister of British Empire, you're only so mediocre? What about your strategic point of view? ”To think that you don't have one bit of vision, let alone a vision that can pierce through the fog of history. It seems like you are essentially a gambler …”