1890 King of Southeast Asia

Nanhua withdrew from the negotiations on the surface, but in fact it was openly interfering with the situation in the Far East. Everyone saw it clearly, but no one could do anything about it.

"I thought this day would come later, at least after we had decided the outcome with the Germans. Now is not a good time." Winston smoked a cigar with a sad face.

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"Relax Winston, the Empire was originally prepared to give up the Far East. We don't need to control the Far East, just like North America and South America, we only need their market." Prime Minister Asquith's expression was much better.

In Britain's colonial policy, only the control of the Indian subcontinent and the African continent was required to be absolute. For others, Britain only required control of important waterways and supply points, or strategic locations.

For example, Singapore, the hub-type stronghold where Britain controlled Malacca.

Another example is Hong Kong, the main maintenance and supply point for Britain's eastern trade route.

Complete control of other locations is like chicken ribs for Britain.

After all, control costs money and will also lead to resistance from local people. In non-colonies, the British prefer to support agents to manage. Agents hold great power and only need to ensure British interests.

The same is true in the Far East. Before that, the British were supporting Japan, hoping to use this island country to replace Britain to maintain order in the Far East and safeguard British interests.

Before Britain weakened and Japan became strong, this strategy was very feasible.

"I know South China. They like to do business. South China has become our fourth largest trading partner. Let them lead the Far East, no problem." Asquith said gently.

"The Far East is only a small part of the world. Yes, there are huge markets there, but they are far less than the British Isles or other European regions."

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"What we need to do now is to promote the smooth implementation of the naval budget. The Germans are aggressive and have already set up cannons on the North Sea. The British Isles are under direct threat."

"Compared with the security of the British Isles and the control of the Royal Navy, the Far East is a very insignificant part."

"The domestic situation is very difficult now. We don't have so much energy to care about a remote country. As long as we don't give the Russians some delusions and guarantee the interests of Britain, it's okay to sell out the interests of others."

Asquith said a long list, hoping to let Winston see clearly that he was still optimistic about this young man.

Born in a famous family, rich resources, clean and beautiful resume, served in the army, experienced battles, it is entirely possible to be a prime minister.

Then, as a senior, he needs to remind the back and not be too narrow-minded.

"Mr. Prime Minister." The Prime Minister's secretary pushed the door open violently. This behavior is extremely impolite.

"What's wrong, Bernard?" Asquith looked at his secretary in surprise.

"Have you read the proposal submitted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to increase naval expenditures and unemployment, illness and disability insurance?" Bernard took a deep breath and regained his calm demeanor.

"I have read it. This proposal is very good. It can effectively solve the government's financial crisis and allow British citizens to enjoy the dividends of development and ease conflicts. It is a bit radical, but the House of Commons has passed it." Asquith had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Yes, Prime Minister, but today, after the Speaker submitted the proposal to the House of Lords, a fierce debate broke out in the House of Lords. The members of the House of Lords did not like this bill." Bernard licked his lips.

"Yes, as expected. You don't want to say that the proposal was blocked in the House of Lords, do you?" Asquith frowned.

"A fierce debate broke out in the House of Lords. The Liberal Party and the Conservative Party quarreled. It seems that they are going to shelve the proposal." Bernard looked ugly.

The Germans' shipbuilding behavior put a lot of pressure on the British, and the UK's long-term fiscal deficit prevented Asquith from giving too much support to the navy.

Until last year, the UK's fiscal deficit was 15 million pounds!

Equivalent to 75 million US dollars, 100 million taels of silver.

Without solving the deficit problem, it is difficult to implement support for the navy. Unfortunately, Britain is an empire built on sea power, and giving up the navy is equivalent to giving up everything.

At the request of Asquith, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd George proposed an open source plan.

Collect property surcharges, tobacco and alcohol taxes, liquor license taxes, land taxes, inheritance taxes, etc.

As the name suggests, this is a tax for the rich.

The money will be used to develop the navy and provide unemployment and disease insurance, etc.

In the House of Commons, Lloyd George debated with many scholars and after a heated discussion, the House of Commons passed the proposal. (Members of the House of Commons are also property owners.)

In theory, even if the House of Lords does not pass the proposal submitted by the House of Commons, it should be formally discussed and voted on, and then the proposal and the reasons for rejection should be sent back to the House of Commons according to the procedure.

Generally speaking, the House of Lords will not reject proposals submitted by the House of Commons unless they involve war, the royal family, titles, honors, etc.

The reason why Bernard looked unhappy was that the nobles of the two parties in the House of Lords were arguing fiercely, but no one raised the question of what was wrong with the proposal.

He knew why this was the case. The House of Lords was full of nobles and wealthy people. These taxes would be imposed on them, and they were unwilling to accept them.

At the same time, they were unwilling to be the bad guys and veto the proposal. They just wanted to drag it out and wear out the patience of the MPs - or drag it out until the next MP election.

But since the House of Lords started to make small moves, the nature of this matter has changed, from a policy debate to a power struggle between the upper and lower houses.

"Did you hear that, Winston? We are in trouble. The Far East situation will be handed over to Ambassador Cyril. Now, we need to deal with this big trouble so that the navy has sufficient funds to develop." Asquith said with a straight face.

"Yes, Prime Minister, I will contact the MPs to resist this behavior." Winston stood up.

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"Prepare the carriage, I want to see the king." Asquith turned and walked into the lounge and began to change clothes.

"Yes, Prime Minister." Bernard turned around to prepare.

"It's a troubled time..." Winston shook his head.

He could imagine what it would be like when Britain looked back at the Far East several years later.

"England has missed it once, is this the second time?" Winston looked at the map hanging on the wall, staring at the location of the United States, and the Champions League gathered in thirteen eastern states.

…………

February 2, the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month, there is still more than half a month before the Chinese New Year, but Nanhua is already full of the New Year atmosphere.

The children have been on vacation, playing with firecrackers in the streets and alleys, and children can be heard crying from time to time-either because they were blown up or caught by their mothers.

The same is true for Ryukyu. Tang Shaochuan looked out the window in confusion. It was a scene he had never seen before.

There are many children on the street, from three to five years old to teenagers, in groups, calling friends, playing carefree. All children are like this!

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There are no servants or servants here. The people on the street are full of energy, ruddy, smiling at everyone, and their eyes are full of light.

"This is the prosperous age, but it is only separated by a sea. Why can't my dynasty do it?" This question troubled him.

The untouchables are like a pool of mud. They are greedy, lazy, uneducated, unlearning, short-sighted, insensitive, and they...

Tang Shaochuan is trying to persuade himself not to think about things he shouldn't think about.

"Soon, it won't be long before our dynasty will also implement a constitutional monarchy. By then, we can do these things too."

There are three forces in the Qing Empire now: the right-wing group represented by Man Gui, who defends the monarchy system, and their leader is the Regent Zaifeng, who has a huge influence;

The neutral faction, which is mainly composed of progressive bureaucrats, landlords and bourgeoisies, is more inclined to use reforms to patch up the Qing Empire, which will not harm their vested interests and has the strongest power;

The third part, the left-wing group, which is mainly composed of radical youth and radical students, supplemented by some progressive classes, and advocates violent changes, is the weakest.

At present, the Qing Empire is undergoing reforms and wants to smoothly transition to a constitutional monarchy. It is also believed that after the constitutional monarchy, the whole country will get better.

But can such a change happen just by carrying out constitutional monarchy reforms?

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"Master, Lord Lin invites you to have tea, it's time to go." The attendant gently reminded Tang Shaochuan who was absent-minded.

"I know, is the car ready?" Tang Shaochuan came back to his senses and nodded.

"Waiting outside the door." The attendant bent over.

Tang Shaochuan looked at his attendant, who was smart, capable, and knew the importance of things. He was a smart man, otherwise he would not have brought him.

But compared with the Nanhua people who can be seen everywhere on the street, he always felt that something was missing.

Seeing him bending over, Tang Shaochuan was in a trance for a moment, and a very bold idea came into his mind.

"Master? Master!" The attendant shouted a few times before Tang Shaochuan reacted.

"Ah? Oh! Let's go."

...

"Didn't Lord Tang rest well? Are you not used to the hotel? Although it's not in accordance with the rules, I have a house in the south of the city. If Lord Tang is not used to it, I will give you the key later, and you can live there." Lin Pingzhi looked at Tang Shaochuan in surprise.

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They had just met two days ago. Tang Shaochuan was a very energetic person, modest on the surface, but with a sense of pride inside.

Why is he so lost now, with no spirit at all? Is it the British or the Japanese?

"Thank you for your concern, Lord. I'm fine. I just thought that I couldn't come up with a charter for the negotiations. It's not a solution to drag it on like this." Tang Shaochuan collected his thoughts.

"Did the British say something to you again?" Lin Pingzhi's face sank.

"That's not the case. It's just that the front line is still in confrontation, the Japanese pirates are still occupying our land, and the New Year is coming soon. I'm a little anxious, and our ministers are also a little anxious." Tang Shaochuan said.

"What am I talking about? What did the Japanese say?" Lin Pingzhi asked tentatively.

"No, no, I am a little worried. There are still millions of my people in those lands occupied by the Japanese pirates. The New Year is coming soon. It is not good to celebrate the New Year under the Japanese occupation..."

"So that's it. Lord Tang, don't worry. I invited you here today just to talk about this." Lin Pingzhi grinned.

Britain's attitude has softened again, and Liu Yiming instructed him that the negotiations can continue.

[Author's side note]: Oh my god, it's 1.5 million words. Thank you all for your support. I never thought I could write so much.

The follow-up has a structure, at least it will not end.