nucmednet Chapter 128 Enraging the Japanese
Chapter 128 Enraging the Japanese
The next day, the entire Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry) was solemn and dignified. The new army soldiers, dressed in brand-new uniforms, stood tall and proud, their copper buttons gleaming and their bayonets flashing.
The ambassadors from various countries were secretly alarmed by this scene, and they nodded solemnly to each other before walking inside.
The venue was deserted; the Qing government hadn't even sent anyone to greet them. This greatly displeased the foreign ministers who had wielded considerable power in China for many years.
A rectangular meeting table made up of several tables was covered with a red velvet blanket, and several green potted plants were placed in the middle of the table. Each seat was decorated with brand-name items from various countries.
British Minister Sir John Saud frowned as he looked at the seating arrangement. He noticed that the Qing court had clearly placed the representatives of various countries at the bottom, while the Qing representative was at the top.
As a veteran diplomat, he had a certain understanding of Chinese etiquette and customs. However, considering that his side was the defeated party, he decided to just bear with it for now.
Seeing that Sadaoyi had sat down, the other foreign ministers also took their seats. A waiter brought them teacups.
"Prince Qing of the Great Qing Empire has arrived!"
"The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi of the Great Qing Empire has arrived!"
"The Governor of Zhili Province of the Great Qing Empire has arrived!"
With three loud shouts from the soldiers on duty, Yi Kuang led Li Shen out slowly.
To show their respect, the foreigners also stood up!
"Sit, sit, sit! No need for formalities, everyone!" Yikuang straightened his back and waved his hand. When had he ever been so assertive in front of foreigners? Just thinking about it was exhilarating!
The foreign ministers nodded to Yikuang, then to Li Hongzhang. All eyes then turned to the last young man.
The young Qing official was dressed in a dark red, stand-up collar robe unlike anything they had ever seen before. A giant, four-clawed golden dragon with bared fangs and claws hung down from his shoulders, its head resting on his chest, its enormous eyes staring fiercely at them.
Yikuang and Li Hongzhang both secretly shook their heads; this Shen Zhiyuan was far too unconventional. He claimed he felt the court's python robes weren't imposing enough, so he designed his own. Indeed, it looked majestic and powerful, yet simple and efficient.
Although this was somewhat against the imperial court's regulations, it was clear that no one dared to cause trouble for Shen Lian at this time. Even upon seeing Shen Lian's short hair, they only offered a few words of advice and said nothing more.
Who can blame him when this guy has such high prestige and great achievements!
The foreign ministers were secretly astonished to see how young this short-haired youth was. Was he the one who defeated the Eight-Nation Alliance?
After the three men sat down, Gu Hongming brought over several staff members, who sat on either side of them. They were responsible for translation and note-taking.
"Alright! Now that everyone's here, let's begin!" Yi Kuang said with a smile and a nod.
"Your Qing court must immediately release the prisoners of war from all countries, apologize to all countries, and compensate them for their war losses." As soon as Yikuang finished speaking, the Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Komura stood up and shouted.
Unfortunately, he was too short, and the table and chairs were quite high. When he stood up, he was about the same height as everyone else sitting down, making him look like a child, which was a bit comical.
"Is Japan out of talent? Why did they send such a short, stupid guy? Judging from his tone, I thought we were the ones who lost the war! Heh!"
Shen Lian ignored him completely, picked up a cigarette from the table and offered one to Yi Kuang and Li Zhongtang, then lit one for himself with a lighter. Those who jumped out first were just clowns; Shen Lian didn't take him seriously at all.
Yikuang and Li Zhongtang both lit cigarettes and laughed!
Komura Taro, a China expert, blushed instantly upon hearing this. The other foreign ministers, after hearing the translator's words, all gave him a disdainful smile.
"Governor Shen, don't think that just because you won a battle by chance, you can insult us at will. My Great Japanese Empire has a million soldiers, and we can send a large army to crush you at any time! Don't forget the lesson of the First Sino-Japanese War a few years ago!" Komura Taro said sternly.
"What are you yelling about? What great Japan? You're just a little Japan. A tiny island nation, with a place the size of a backside, dares to call itself great!" Shen Lian said, pinching his little fingertip with his thumbnail.
"The whole country scrimped and saved to scrape together a few warships and won a naval battle by despicable means. Do you really think you're a powerful nation? Has your emperor been eating four dishes yet?" Shen Lian said disdainfully.
"In the end, Japan is nothing more than a dog kept by the great powers. This time, you're just following behind them, trying to pick up some scraps. Without them, you're nothing!"
"A million-strong army, my foot! Even if your Emperor sold his underwear, could he possibly raise that much?" Shen Lian's disdainful gaze and tone nearly made Komura Taro explode on the spot.
Yikuang and Li Zhongtang almost burst out laughing, their stomachs aching from holding it in. Shen Lian's tongue was just too sharp.
The foreign ministers listened with knowing glances and winks, and the Russian minister, Gers, burst out laughing. If it weren't for their differing stances, he would have liked to give Shen Lian a thumbs up.
"Declare war! We must declare war on the Qing court again! You have not only insulted our army, but also our respected Emperor!" Komatsu Taro jumped up angrily, waving his hands and shouting.
"Give me a break! You Japanese are nothing but clowns. You think you can just declare war like that? Do you think it's your place to speak here?" Shen Lian continued to mock.
"Ah!" Komatsu Taro cried out in anger when he saw that none of the countries had spoken up in support of him, instead treating him like a clown. He then fainted.
"Someone, get him out of here right now. Don't let him die here and dirty my place!"
That's it! Shen Lian thought he could take on ten of these weaklings!
"Mr. Shen, please use a more respectful tone. Although you won this battle, it was only because we were unprepared. If you continue with this attitude, we will have no choice but to form another coalition and go to war with you again."
“Next time we fight, it might not be as simple as just 20,000 men!” British Minister Satow, seeing his younger brother so angry he fainted, had no choice but to step forward.
"Sir, I absolutely did not mean any disrespect to any country. I just can't stand seeing some clowns acting so arrogantly!" The British Empire was currently at its zenith, and Shen Lian had to give it some face.
"Admittedly, all your countries are very powerful. The British Empire, in particular, known as the 'Empire on which the sun never sets,' has colonies all over the world. Its navy is unparalleled. But..."
When Sadao heard Shen Lian praise Britain, his mustache involuntarily twitched, and his arrogant attitude made the other foreign envoys very unhappy.
"But when will you form another coalition? This time, I easily wiped out more than 20,000 of your men. Do you think you can defeat our country again without an army of 100,000?"
"Your tens of thousands of troops coming from Europe will take at least six months! Hehe!"