nucmednet Chapter 1139 Negotiate Again
Chapter 1139 Negotiate Again
Seven o'clock in the evening, on the seventh floor of the Government Affairs Center Building.
Under the crystal chandelier, Chesterfield, Silva, Romanov, Du Bois and Wilson had already taken their seats. The first negotiation three days ago still had lingering fears for them, especially Romanov, whose face was even paler than three days ago.
Chesterfield kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. In the past three days, they had hardly slept a wink, and had been discussing countermeasures. But the conclusion they finally came to was despairing - they had no capital to confront China at all.
"Everyone," Zhang Luanyu pushed open the door of the conference room, "President Su is here."
Su Zhengyang walked into the conference room, followed by Chief of General Staff Gu De'an, Foreign Minister Fang Dihu and others. He still had that elusive smile on his face.
Fang Dihu held a stack of documents in his hands, his expression grim. As China's foreign minister, he was well aware of the importance of tonight's negotiations.
"Good evening, everyone." Su Zhengyang sat down on the main seat, his eyes sweeping over everyone like a knife, "The first negotiation three days ago must still be fresh in everyone's memory. Today, we will continue the unfinished topic."
Wilson subconsciously sat up straight and put away his usual arrogance. During the negotiation three days ago, the tough attitude shown by this man known as "Crazy Su" frightened everyone.
"Before we begin," Su Zhengyang's voice suddenly turned cold, "I want to remind you of one thing. This negotiation is not an opportunity you give to China, but the last chance I give you."
Romanov's fingers trembled slightly. One and a half million square kilometers of Far Eastern territory, this number has been weighing on his mind like a mountain for the past three days.
The atmosphere in the conference room froze instantly. Everyone knew that this was not an ordinary diplomatic negotiation, but a life-and-death struggle concerning the fate of various countries in the Far East.
The man sitting in the main seat was quietly waiting for their response with his sharp eyes.
Zhang Luanyu held an exquisite tea tray and poured fragrant Longjing tea to representatives from each country in turn.
Chesterfield looked at the steam rising from the teacup, his fingers trembling slightly. The exquisiteness of the tea set and the tea formed a sharp contrast with the solemn atmosphere at the moment.
Su Zhengyang took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it gracefully. He turned to look at Dubois and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, Ms. Dubois, this is not a gentlemanly habit of mine."
Du Bois forced a smile and said, "It's okay, President Su, please do as you please."
As the only woman present, the French diplomat tried her best to maintain an elegant demeanor, but she could not conceal the nervousness in her eyes.
Su Zhengyang exhaled a puff of smoke lightly, his expression calm. He was in no hurry to speak, just quietly looking at the representatives of various countries across from him. In this negotiation, he had absolute initiative and could calmly wait for the other party to speak first.
Smoke swirled and rose under the light of the crystal chandelier, and the atmosphere in the conference room became increasingly solemn.
Zhang Luanyu stood behind Su Zhengyang, watching all this expressionlessly. As the Secretary General of the Presidential Office, he knew very well what kind of thunderous means his boss had hidden under his seemingly peaceful appearance.
In the smoke, Chesterfield and Silva looked at each other. In the past three days, they have made many emergency communications with the mainland.
After weighing the pros and cons, the top management of England gave Chesterfield considerable negotiating authority. After all, in the current world situation, although the port city is important, it is not worth breaking up with China, which has advanced military technology.
Silva's situation was similar. The Portuguese government had seen the situation clearly. Instead of waiting for China to seize Macau by force, it would be better to negotiate the handover in a decent manner, at least to save some face.
But Romanov's situation was much more difficult. During these three days, he had to communicate with Moscow for several hours almost every day. The upper echelons of the Tsarist Russia were firmly opposed to returning the Far East. One and a half million square kilometers of land was not a small number.
"That piece of land has been the territory of Tsarist Russia for more than a hundred years!" The roar from Moscow seemed to still echo in Romanov's ears, "We must not give it up like this!"
But at this moment, looking at the man smoking elegantly opposite him, Romanov felt cold all over. He knew too well the methods of this "Crazy Su" - the words "either return it or take it" during the first negotiation three days ago still frightened him.
Chesterfield carefully picked up the cup and tried to ease his nervousness with hot tea, but his hands were shaking so much that the tea spilled on the table.
Fang Dihu watched this scene expressionlessly. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he had a good grasp of the psychology of these foreign envoys. They were like trapped beasts now, and in the face of absolute strength, they had no choice but to surrender.
Su Zhengyang was still smoking slowly, as if he was waiting for something.
"This tea is really good." Wilson was the first to break the silence and took a sip of Longjing tea in a relaxed manner. "But President Su, isn't three days too hasty? After all, this involves the major interests of many countries..."
"Yes," Du Bois immediately agreed, "This kind of major decision involving territorial sovereignty requires repeated consideration by governments. Three days may take too long..."
Su Zhengyang flicked the ash off his cigarette and interrupted her: "Three days is plenty of time."
His voice was calm, but it carried an unquestionable tone: "When you used your powerful ships and cannons to open our gates, did you ever give us three days to consider? When you occupied these lands, did you ever give us three days to negotiate?"
Wilson's expression froze.
"Besides," Su Zhengyang slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, "didn't you have discussed it thoroughly with the local authorities in the past three days?"
He glanced at Romanov meaningfully: "Especially regarding Tsarist Russia. I heard that you talk to Moscow for several hours every day?"
Romanov's face turned pale instantly. China's intelligence network was so tight that even their internal communications were clearly understood.
"So," Su Zhengyang put out the cigarette in his hand, "let's not talk about the lack of time anymore. Now, let's listen to your responses."
The atmosphere in the conference room froze again.
Wilson and Dubois looked at each other, and both saw embarrassment in each other's eyes. They wanted to use the time issue to ease the atmosphere, but they didn't expect to be slapped in the face by Su Zhengyang on the spot.
"I..." Wilson wanted to say something, but under Su Zhengyang's sharp gaze, he swallowed back the rest of his words.
Du Bois's elegant French temperament was gone at this moment. She fiddled with the teacup in her hand nervously, trying to hide her nervousness.
The sweat on Chesterfield's forehead was getting more and more, and his handkerchief was completely soaked.
Silva's situation was not much better. The Portuguese representative kept tapping his fingers on the table, which was his habit when he was extremely nervous.
But Romanov was the most uncomfortable. Su Zhengyang pointed out his frequent contacts with Moscow on the spot, and the Russian representative felt as if he had been stripped naked and put on display. He could even feel the back of his shirt soaked with cold sweat.
Su Zhengyang just looked at them quietly, with a hint of amusement in his eyes. He knew these diplomats of the old empire too well. In the face of absolute strength, all their diplomatic rhetoric and negotiation skills seemed so pale and powerless.
Fang Dihu opened the folder in his hand at the right time, making a slight sound. This small sound was particularly harsh in the silent conference room, causing the representatives of various countries present to shudder.