Iron Dynasty

Chapter 1153

Dengzhou.

Brooke looked at the wide asphalt road, and the cars coming and going gave him a surreal feeling. This was his third time being ordered to go to the Chinese Empire to negotiate, but this time it was the most bitter. When he came to Qingzhou, Prussia, Austria, and France had already devolved into chaos in Europe. According to their predictions, even without Tsarist Russia’s involvement, Prussia and Austria would be enough to defeat Henry and eliminate this biggest source of instability in Europe.

But to everyone’s surprise, the high-ranking officers of Prussia and Austria were frequently shot and killed on the battlefield, which threw the command of the two countries’ armies into chaos. However, at this time, Prussia showed its hidden strength. The Prussian army, equipped with breech-loading firing rifles, was in no way weaker than Henry’s army and even had a slight advantage. So, even with heavy losses among the high-ranking generals, Prussia and Henry still did not achieve a decisive victory on the battlefield.

But Austria was not so lucky. With firearms two generations behind Henry’s army and the frequent deaths of officers, the Austrian army quickly turned from offense to defense after entering France. After analyzing the current situation, Brooke and Queen Victoria believed that it was only a matter of time before Henry replaced France. But after the great war, France, Prussia, and Austria would all need a period of recuperation, and the hope of them joining forces to fight the Eastern Empire was already slim.

It was based on this worry that he came here again.

“In two years, I never thought that the changes here would be so great.” Brooke felt a little sad. He now looked up to the Eastern Empire just as the natives had once looked up to Britain. On the streets of Dengzhou, which were full of tall buildings, he suddenly felt very small.

Unlike the previous two times, their arrival this time was not met with any Imperial officials. This cold treatment made Brooke understand that in the Empire’s eyes, Britain no longer had any right to negotiate. With a slight sigh, Brooke led his entourage to the Dengzhou railway station to buy tickets and boarded the shuttle bus to Qingzhou. At the same time, when Brooke arrived in Dengzhou, Xiao Ming received a phone call.

After hanging up the phone, he sneered and said to Pang Yukun, “These British guys really don’t shed tears until they see the coffin. They refuse a toast and choose to drink a forfeit.”

“Exactly. They won’t do a good business and have to cause trouble. This time, we must give them a severe beating,” Pang Yukun said with a cold snort.

Xiao Ming nodded and said, “That is natural. You should draft a set of harsh negotiation terms. If they don’t agree, then continue the blockade of Britain until they do.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Pang Yukun said with a cunning smile.

In the afternoon, Brooke arrived in Qingzhou. Just like last time, neither Xiao Ming nor Pang Yukun went to see Brooke. They still had Tang Wenjie represent them. Pang Yukun had already revealed the negotiation terms to him in the morning, so he knew what to expect. In the conference room of the Wei Family Restaurant, Tang Wenjie and Brooke’s people sat facing each other.

In front of Brooke, Tang Wenjie deliberately showed a very arrogant attitude. Britain’s actions were a disgrace to the Empire, and there was no need for them to greet the British envoy with a smile.

“Bang!” After sitting down, Tang Wenjie threw the drafted treaty directly in front of Brooke and said, “These are the Empire’s terms. If you cannot agree to them, then please go back.”

This rude action by Tang Wenjie immediately made the British envoy look angry, but they could only endure it. Taking a deep breath, Brooke’s hands trembled as he opened the treaty. After reading just the first page, he angrily closed the document.

“Impossible. This is an insult to Britain. We will not lease London to you,” Brooke roared like an angry lion. Before coming, he had expected that the Empire would propose harsh terms, but he had never thought that the Empire would propose such unbearable terms. Leasing London was one thing, but the rent for the lease of London was one gold dragon, which was simply an insult to them.

Tang Wenjie looked indifferent. “If you can’t accept it, you can leave now. These are the Empire’s terms and will not be changed.”

Brooke clenched the treaty tightly and roared, “You are going too far!”

“Slap!” Tang Wenjie slammed the table heavily and stood up as well. “Going too far? After signing the last treaty, the Empire thought you would be honest, but what did you do? You threatened the Empire’s diplomats and detained the Empire’s fleet. Because of this, the Empire’s Naval Commander, Yue Yun, was directly dismissed from his post. Compared to that, you are the ones who are going too far.”

Brooke was speechless upon hearing this. Seeing this, Tang Wenjie snorted heavily and said, “You haven’t finished reading the treaty, have you? Continue to read it. This is just the first article. There are more below. When you go back this time, if you want to discuss it, discuss it all together. Don’t come back and forth. It’s a long way.”

Brooke felt as if he was in the middle of winter. He continued to read. In addition to leasing London, the Empire also demanded that Britain abolish the British pound and circulate the Imperial Dragon Coin as its trading currency. In terms of the market, it demanded that Britain abolish all self-protective trade policies and give the Empire the most-favored-nation treatment, and not impose tariffs on Imperial goods. In terms of military, Britain was not allowed to have a regular army and could only retain a small army for self-defense. In terms of military industry, it was not allowed to research or develop any offensive weapons that were a threat to the Empire. At the same time, it was to allow the Empire to station troops in Britain.

After reading all of this, Brooke felt like he was about to have a heart attack, but the treaty did not end there. In the last article, the Empire demanded the trial of the war criminals who started this war. The Empire’s purpose was clearly to use this as an excuse to suppress the hardliners in Britain and support the pro-Imperial faction to come to power.

Tang Wenjie sipped his tea leisurely, observing Brooke’s expression. The purpose of these terms was obvious. If Britain agreed to these terms, Britain would become a colony of the Empire. The Empire’s choice to do this had its own profound meaning.

First, Britain was a threat to the Empire in Europe, so this would completely castrate Britain. Second, Britain had always been a troublemaker in Europe throughout history, responsible for causing chaos in Europe. By leaving this “nail,” the Empire could take it out and use it when a powerful country appeared in Europe. This would save the Empire a lot of effort in Europe.

“I can’t agree. I will not agree even if I die.” Brooke’s voice was a little shaky. If he signed this document, he would be forever nailed to the pillar of shame in history.

Tang Wenjie did not say anything. He stood up, motioned for his subordinate to open the door of the conference room, and then made a gesture of invitation, meaning for Brooke to “get out.”