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"His Excellency Foreign Minister, I regret to inform you that my cabinet has rejected your country's request. Hong Kong is an important colony of the British Empire, and we will not sell Hong Kong to you. In addition, the British Empire is also determined to defend its own interests. Any provocation against the British Empire will be resolutely counterattacked by the British Empire." said Sir Man-Han, the British Minister to China.

Lin Zihao, the foreign minister of the Chinese Empire, had no expression on his face. Although he had guessed that this would probably be the result. However, the British have now rejected the request of the Chinese Empire, which means that there is no possibility of reconciliation between the Chinese Empire and Britain, and the two sides are destined to break out of a war. The Chinese Empire definitely does not want to have a British base next to its own country, which will be a huge threat to the national security of the Chinese Empire.

"Mr., are you sure this is your final decision? What consequences will this lead to? You may not be unaware of?" Lin Zihao asked. Since it is impossible to recover Hong Kong through peaceful means, you can only use war means. You must know that if the two sides broke out in war because of Hong Kong, the British would not get any benefits. At least in the Far East, the Chinese Empire had an absolute advantage in military terms. It would be almost impossible for the British to defend Hong Kong.

"Of course I know, Mr. Foreign Minister. However, Hong Kong is a colony of the British Empire. This is stipulated by the sacred treaty. No country can force the British Empire to make concessions in other ways. For this reason, we will fight at will." Sir Wenxian was very determined.

"Since that's the case, I won't say much. However, I believe that one day, you will regret today's behavior!" Lin Zihao said coldly. Originally, the guys from the military did not agree with the redemption of Hong Kong, but advocated taking back Hong Kong directly by force. However, I didn't expect that the British would be so ungrateful and directly reject China's request. This made all the peace efforts of China in vain.

"His Excellency Minister of Foreign Affairs, the British Empire is not a weak country like Portugal, and we will not accept any blackmail. If China wants to go to war with the British Empire, I hope China can carefully consider that once the war begins, we will certainly lose Hong Kong, but it is definitely not a good thing for China. The British Empire's navy will completely cut off the maritime trade channel between China and Europe. You must be very clear about what consequences this will have for China." Faced with Lin Zihao's threat, Sir Wen Xian seemed not panicking and immediately fought back. This is a countermeasure proposed by the British cabinet to target the Chinese Empire. China's industry is developing rapidly. Europe is a very important market for China. If the maritime trade channel is cut off, it will be a heavy blow to China's industry.

"Mr. Minister, are you threatening us?" Lin Zihao's face became even colder. However, he had to admit that the British's move was indeed very ruthless. Although China has a large population, the lives of the people in the country are generally poor and the market has not been cultivated. Although after social reforms, people's lives have begun to get better and better, it will take a certain amount of time. Before this, the European market was very important to China. In this regard, before the domestic market was cultivated, China needs to avoid a war with the United Kingdom as much as possible.

"His Excellency Foreign Minister, I am just saying one fact. That is, peace is very beneficial to both of us. The British Empire is a peace-loving country, and we have been working hard for global peace. We hope to live in peace with the Chinese Empire." Sir Wen Xian said with a smile. When he saw the expression on Lin Zihao's face, he knew that the British Empire would win this conflict.

Lin Zihao nodded, the cold color on his face disappeared, and replaced by a bright smile: "Of course, the Chinese Empire is also a peace-loving country, and we don't want war to break out. If our two countries can live in peace, that's the best!"

"His Excellency Minister of Foreign Affairs, it seems that we have reached an agreement. Then, I still have something to do, so I will leave first!" said Sir Wenxian.

"Mr. Please give me the opportunity!" Lin Zihao's face kept a smile.

Sir Wen Xian nodded, stood up and left Lin Zihao's office. He held his head high and his chest straightened, as if he was a victorious general. Britain was at a disadvantage in previous conflicts with the Chinese Empire, suffered a lot of losses, and suffered a lot of losses. This time, it was already a great victory for Britain to curb the Chinese Empire's ambitions for Hong Kong.

"Damn the British, it's so shameless to threaten us by cutting off the sea trade channel!" After Sir Wen Xian left, the smile on Lin Zihao's face immediately disappeared.

Afterwards, Lin Zihao quickly rushed to the palace and reported to the imperial emperor Long Yufei about the negotiations with the British. Long Yufei has been paying attention to this negotiation. Now, it is not the best time to regain Hong Kong by force. If it can be peacefully recovered, it is naturally the best.

"Your Majesty, the British have rejected our request. They are very tough. If we use force to recover Hong Kong, the British will take revenge against each other. This will be a major loss for the empire." Lin Zihao said.

"Does the British, dare to threaten us? Your Majesty, we have no need to pay attention to the threats of the British and just send troops to capture Hong Kong. If they dare to send the navy to cut off our maritime trade channels, we will directly send the navy to fight. I believe that our navy will definitely be able to defeat the British." General General Niu Meng said immediately. The British did not deploy many troops in Hong Kong. If the war broke out, the Chinese army could easily capture Hong Kong.

"No, now is not the best time to go to war with Britain. After the domestic social reforms have been carried out, the lives of the people's masters have improved greatly. In another year or two, the domestic market will be able to support our industrial development." Cabinet Prime Minister Li Decheng first opposed the war. It can be foreseeable that once the war breaks out, the exchanges between China and Europe will be completely cut off.

"Prime Minister, the military strength deployed by the British in Hong Kong will pose a threat to Guangzhou. If we want to ensure the safety of Guangzhou, we must pull out the nail in Hong Kong." General Niu Meng, the Chief of Staff, still insisted.

Long Yufei thought about it and said, "Now is indeed not the time to regain Hong Kong. If so, then we will wait a little longer. After we perish the Qing Dynasty, we will announce that no one will recognize all the unequal treaties signed by the Qing Dynasty. At that time, if the British do not agree, we will regain Hong Kong by force. By that time, the domestic market will be almost cultivated, and we don't have to worry that the British will jamm our necks."

Cabinet Prime Minister Li Decheng and Foreign Minister Lin Zihao both nodded, and they agreed with Long Yufei's view.

"Your Majesty, what about the threats the British troops deployed in Hong Kong to us? How to solve this?" asked General Niu Meng, Chief of Staff. He still tends to cut the mess quickly and use the simplest and most effective way to solve the Hong Kong issue.

"Let's deploy an infantry brigade army around Hong Kong Island. In addition, the old 'shark-class' cruisers of the Navy can also be organized to deal with the old sailing warships deployed by the British in Hong Kong. In this way, the troops deployed by the British in Hong Kong will not be threatening us." Long Yufei said.

"Your Majesty, Chen believes that we can negotiate with the British again, demanding that they not deploy too many troops in Hong Kong and set a ceiling for them. In this way, it will not pose much threat to Guangzhou. We will not regain Hong Kong by force now, which is already a concession. If the British do not make concessions, it will be unreasonable." General Niu Meng, Chief of Staff, said.

"This is a good idea. Tell the British that in Hong Kong, the army deploys up to 3,000 people, the navy is not allowed to deploy new warships, and the old warships cannot exceed 5. Otherwise, it will be regarded as a threat to the empire. In order to ensure the security of the empire, we will add a few to resolve these threats at all costs." Long Yufei said. China does not want to go to war with Britain now, and the British think so too. Before the British war preparations were completed and there was no definite determination to defeat China, it is undoubtedly the best to maintain it now.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will renegotiate with the British side." Lin Zihao nodded. As General Niu Meng, Chief of Staff, said, China does not directly regain Hong Kong by force like he treats Macau, which has given the British face. The British should also show their kindness and do not deploy too many troops in Hong Kong. This will benefit everyone. Otherwise, isn't this obvious that Britain has intentions against China?

"We are just putting Hong Kong on hold for the time being. We will soon recover Hong Kong. At most two years, we will launch the last battle against the Qing Dynasty. At that time, Hong Kong will also go down. Let's wait and see!" Long Yufei said. Shelving Hong Kong now is just a temporary solution.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" said the important officials, and they were also very clear about the current situation.
Chapter completed!