kingnovel Chapter 402 War?
Chapter 402 War?
French Concession Municipal Council
Li Shaoyi came here for a meeting and negotiation. He thought it would be another tense situation. However, after entering the door, Li Shaoyi found a person who was an acquaintance of Li Shaoyi. This person was Mr. Du, one of the three tycoons of Pujiang.
"I never imagined that these foreigners would learn our social etiquette. They knew that if they negotiated directly with me, they might lose more, so they brought you in as a middleman."
Li Shaoyi shook hands with Mr. Du with a smile. Although the man in front of him had done a lot of wrong things, he did contribute a lot during the War of Resistance Against Japan. After making up for his faults, he was still a person worth making friends with.
"I got the news of the deputy mayor's visit to Pujiang too late. None of my friends in Jinling even called me. If I had known earlier, I would have gone to visit him last night. It wasn't until four o'clock in the morning that they called me over. It's not that I didn't let you know in advance."
What Mr. Du said was all true. Li Shaoyi asked for the position of deputy mayor on the way to Pujiang. The people in the Executive Yuan were caught off guard, so they did not inform Mr. Du.
As for the foreigners in Pujiang, finding a middleman to discuss this with Li Shaoyi was already a decision. However, they had to reach a conclusion, otherwise, the role of middleman would be very difficult. Mr. Du was just a messenger. If you all don't agree, who will deliver the message? What should the message be?
"It would be much more convenient for the two of us to talk, much better than those people. You can just tell me their bottom line and I'll bargain. I estimate it won't take more than fifteen minutes, and we'll be able to reach an agreement."
Li Shaoyi's words made Mr. Du smile bitterly. He knew that Li Shaoyi liked to be straightforward. There was a bug in the room, so Mr. Du could not do as Li Shaoyi said, otherwise he would have no foothold in the two major concessions in Pujiang.
"Let's take it one by one. First, what Director Wu did yesterday was so disrespectful to both concessions. Shouldn't he issue an apology?"
Mr. Du also opened his folder seriously and bowed to Li Shaoyi. Li Shaoyi also knew Mr. Du's dilemma. As the local tyrant of Pujiang, he couldn't afford to offend the powerful dragons or foreigners. He didn't want to be the middleman, but since the foreigners asked him for help, he had to give them the face he deserved. Mr. Du owed a lot of favors to foreigners over the years. Otherwise, how could he develop in Pujiang?
"I'm afraid that's not possible. A public apology is out of the question. However, I can have Wu Zhenkui come to the Municipal Council. As for what those reporters write, that's their business. As long as it's not too extreme, we won't come forward to clarify."
Li Shaoyi's meaning was also very clear. A direct apology was impossible. Wu Zhenkui came to the office building here, and you reporters can write about it based on your guesses, but of course you can't go too far.
Mr. Du also thinks this is a good idea that can save face for both parties.
"The second one is about a promise. The police department promised not to enter the two concessions in the future, otherwise they would impose an armed blockade around them."
The negotiation speed was indeed much faster. If the consuls of various countries were asked to come out, it would probably take a long time to finish the first point.
"I completely agree. However, it's not a self-blockade of the two concessions. I will send troops to blockade the two concessions first. I will need to inspect all kinds of goods entering and leaving the concessions."
Mr. Du was stunned after hearing what Li Shaoyi said. The foreigners wanted to use this to scare Li Shaoyi, but they didn't expect that Li Shaoyi was more powerful than the foreigners.
Li Shaoyi had long known the tricks of the foreign devils. Why did the International Settlement and the French Concession develop? It was simply because it was a transit point. All imported and exported goods passed through here, so you developed.
If Li Shaoyi really blocked this place, it would be a lose-lose situation for both sides.
"You are preparing to go to war with us. This is not the intention of negotiation at all."
Before Mr. Du could say anything, the aggressive foreigners came in. The one who spoke was Mr. Simpson, the consul of the Gallic Empire.
"If you can block the border area, why can't I? Negotiations must be expedited. Am I wrong to agree to your proposal?"
Li Shaoyi spread out his hands and said that he did not feel any pressure at all. Instead, there was no smile on the faces of the foreign consuls. As Li Shaoyi said, as long as both sides are blocked, the goods entering and leaving will have to go through two procedures, which will slow down the speed.
Many factories within the two concessions may move out for this reason. The effect may not be felt in the short term, but after one or two years, the decline of the two concessions will be inevitable.
"Your troops were not allowed to enter the concession in the first place. We will not hold you responsible for this incident. Do you plan to come in here often in the future?"
Mr. Locke said very seriously that he seldom spoke to others in such a tone, but Li Shaoyi had really gone too far.
"Then I'll take a step back. I won't send troops into the concession casually, but if someone commits a crime, I can have my men issue a letter of cooperation. If you hand the person over to me, my men won't enter the concession. But if you don't cooperate with what I ask, I don't mind if what happened yesterday happens again."
Li Shaoyi tapped the table while talking, as if he was chatting with a neighbor, without any sense of urgency.
Mr. Du has also seen Li Shaoyi's arrogance, but compared with the past, the former Li Shaoyi was much more docile.
"Do you want to go to war with us?"
Simpson slammed the table angrily.
"Do you dare to declare a state of war between us now? If you dare, then we are already in a state of war. I will immediately mobilize my troops from the north, but can your troops come from the country?"
Li Shaoyi sneered. You're threatening me with war. Others may not know what the economic crisis has done to your countries, but don't I, a time traveler, know this either?
After the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Peking, foreigners changed their policies. They also knew that it was impossible to conquer the country with tens of thousands of troops.
The Taiping Rebellion and the Boxer Rebellion also made them realize how terrible it was to be caught up in such a war.