C1927 Disembarkation negotiations (1/2)
The warship had no intention of dropping the anchor. It moved slowly through the river, moving forward. Although it was very slow, it was still unstoppable.
Ferdinand, who was sweating profusely from worry, rode with the Zhiyuan Warship. The Martial Officer and the soldiers who were protecting him had been shouting for 20 minutes already.
Humiliation! This was the most humiliating day of Ferdinand's diplomatic career. He had experienced countless diplomatic negotiations, but had never been looked down upon like this.
Just as he was about to lose his patience, the deck lights suddenly lit up above his head, followed by a group of figures appearing by the railings. As the lights were behind them, Ferdinand was unable to see their faces, everyone's features were pitch black.
However, from the style of their military uniforms and the faint appearance of Venus, he was able to determine that the person in the middle must be the head of the Chinese army, Xiao Letian.
Right now was the time to test the diplomatic skills. Ferdinand urged his horse to move forward towards the man in front of him and smiled: ”I am the French consul Fei Dinanzijue from Egypt. May I ask if the person opposite is the head of the Chinese clan, Xiao Letian?”
After a moment of silence, a calm voice sounded out from above his head, ”Hello, Consul, I am Xiao Letian. May I ask why you have come to see me in such a dangerous night? ”It's not safe outside …”
Listening to Xiao Letian's teasing, Ferdinand felt extremely angry, but he could not flare up yet. He had to go on, step by step, in accordance to the etiquette of diplomacy, ”Honorable Leader, this is the River Transport District, which is the de facto control area of France. I am still safe here, please do not worry … On the contrary, I am deeply worried about your safety and that of His Majesty the king! ”
”The sudden attack has caused you to suffer losses, but it also proves that the dangerous elements are trying to target you, so can you temporarily put down the anchor and wait for the protection of the French army?”
”I believe that with the protection of our French military, your journey across the canal will be safer …”
Xiao Letian and the others were stunned, they had never seen such a shameless person, to be able to lick his face and say such a thing, he was truly worthy of being a diplomat, his skin was even harder than Zhiyuan Warship's steel armour.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Letian laughed coldly, ”Are you joking? The French army protecting me? You can hide so many cannons under your own nose, and you even say you want to protect us? I'm sorry, but I don't believe in your strength, and I suspect your motives even more! ”
Even when he received such an unfriendly reply, Ferdinand did not feel awkward at all. Instead, he persevered and said, ”Master! You should know that the Chinese have just had a war with Russia and have not signed a truce yet … The Middle East has always been a place where many powers infiltrated. Maybe this attack was organized by the Russian side! ”
”The canal needs order, you need security, and even the British have to complete the escort mission... Such a conflict has already occurred, we have to resolve it no matter what! ”Don't you want an answer?”
On the deck, Xiao Letian and the others were whispering to each other for a while, and then Xiao Letian asked: ”What do you want?”
”Could you please drop the anchor and stop the ship, and invite the Head of State to disembark from the ship and negotiate with us … I have already sent someone to inform the British side, General Jie Sen has already agreed to get off the ship for negotiations, don't tell me that the Head of the Guards doesn't even have the sincerity to meet and negotiate? ”
”Negotiation? I am afraid there will be danger after we disembark from the ship... Your French soldiers is besieging my army, and you're telling me to negotiate amicably right now? Do you think I would believe your sincerity? ”
”Withdraw your soldiers at once, and maybe I'll think about it... ”Needless to say, we will withdraw your troops first and then we will have the qualification to negotiate!” Xiao Letian raised her hand to stop Ferdinand's words, locking the mouth of the seasoned diplomat.