Vol 2 Chapter 544: , Back Pot Man

Simeone opened the suitcase suitcase he was carrying. Well, this suitcase was actually made by Chris, made of the best crocodile leather, and it was also equipped with a kind of leather that was said to be invented by King Louis XVI. A code lock that cannot be opened except for brute force. Well, because of this kind of lock, this kind of small travel suitcase is very expensive. Of course, things in the Chris series, no matter what they are, are not inexpensive. And the most important reason why many people rush to the Chris series is actually because it is expensive enough. So that you can easily distinguish yourself from those poor ghosts while holding it. Of course, those who buy it will never admit this. They claim that the reason they want to buy these expensive things is mainly because it is "very special and very tasteful."
And this suitcase is a new limited edition released this year. Considering that the UK has been locked down, this suitcase must have entered the UK through costly smuggling and fell into Simeone’s hands. Obviously, even though most people in Britain are already struggling with hunger and death, some other Britons still have money to enjoy "unique, unparalleled taste."
But now, no one cares about this suitcase. It is completely normal for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to use this suitcase, and there are good reasons, because this suitcase has the most secure lock to ensure that confidential documents will not be affected by others. peep.
Simeone put the suitcase on the table, flipped the combination lock, and the lock bounced off with a click. Simeone opened the suitcase, took out the thick document, and handed it to the prince standing by the table.
"As expected by His Royal Highness and the Prime Minister, because of the advantage on the battlefield, the French are more greedy than before." Simeone said. Although in fact, the French behaved "much more reasonable" than they thought, they did not take advantage of the danger to make more unacceptable demands. But Simeone would not say that. If he said that, how could it reflect his crucial role in the negotiation?
"They even demanded military occupation of England in addition to their original requirements, and demanded that we cede Dover to France." Simeone continued.
In fact, the French did not intend to engage in military occupation in Britain. This is very expensive, and it is also easy to fall into the vast ocean of people's war. In addition, being an occupation force abroad, especially the occupation force that will encounter resistance from the locals, is actually quite harmful to the military discipline and combat effectiveness of the army.
Of course, Simeone’s words were not entirely fabricated, and the French did make some demands on Dover.
The coast of Britain facing the French side is dominated by cliffs. There are not many places suitable for landing, and of course there are not many places with ports. Dover is rare, in the port on the west bank of the English Channel. It is also a rare place where large troops can quickly board the British Isles.
Because of this, the British have always been very attentive to the defense here. They built a complex and robust defense system here. This system of mines and cruisers at sea, as well as turrets, trenches, and tunnels on the road is very solid. The fort here is equipped with eight 305mm cannons, which are the same type of guns used by the British battleships. But compared to the artillery on the battleship, they are much more terrifying. They are erected on a solid, unshakable ground, so their shooting accuracy is by no means comparable to that of a cannon on a swaying warship. On warships, even at a distance of about two kilometers, everyone's hit rate is terribly low. But on the turret, this guy has a very high hit rate even for targets five or six kilometers away.
And these cannons are better protected. On the battleship, the British also prepared a steel turret to protect it. But the thickness of the turret is limited, too heavy for the ship to bear. Moreover, if the enemy wants to destroy the gun, it does not necessarily need to directly hit the cannon itself. And hitting a warship is much easier than hitting a cannon.
But these cannons on the Dover Fort are different. The earth is not like a warship, no shells can sink it. Moreover, the earth has a load-bearing capacity that warships cannot match, and the thickness of the turret shell that protects the cannon can be increased almost infinitely. For example, the concrete cannons on the Dover Fort are now several meters thick.
With eight main artillery pieces, there are more than one hundred other artillery pieces in the entire fort, plus tens of thousands of defenders, it is really indestructible. It is said that Napoleon’s generals, after earnestly studying the Dover Fort and conducting exercises on the map, came to the conclusion that they are really going to attack here, maybe the entire French navy must be filled in. After the French navy won the "Battle of the North Sea Strait", Napoleon was even more certain that it is not necessarily enough to fill the entire French navy, but it is certainly not enough to fill them all.
Therefore, one of the French requirements was to dismantle the defense facilities in Dover. In order to ensure that the defense facilities in Dover would be truly demolished and to ensure that they would not be rebuilt, the French wanted to set up an office in Dover. There are some personnel stationed in charge of these matters. But this is not a garrison, and the French certainly did not ask Britain to cede Dover. Even if the British agreed to such a request, the benefits to France would be limited, and it would easily cause widespread resentment.
However, according to the British habits and political level, if they were the winner, they would really make such a request. Therefore, they also believe that the French will really make such a request. Generally speaking, a person is always accustomed to inferring others from himself. For example, those who commit genocide against the indigenous ethnic minorities in the country always like to accuse them of committing genocide; those who like to interfere in other people's internal affairs always like to say that they interfere in their elections; those who like to engage in slavery always blame They engage in forced labor. In short, I am an anti-human slavery genocide gang, and I like to accuse others of being an anti-human slavery genocide gang.
"This...this request is really hard to accept...but." The Crown Prince sighed.
"But your Royal Highness, you know that French Foreign Minister Talleyrand is a very greedy person. He made these requests, but he also hinted to me that many of the contents are not without room for discussion."
Indeed, Talleyrand’s greed is unknown to no one throughout Europe. Taking advantage of diplomacy to accumulate money is the basic operation of Talleyrand. However, the things involved this time are so important. Of course, what’s more important is that Talleyrand has already got a bigger chance to make a fortune, but it’s still unclear how big a share of this opportunity can be. For this he needs to behave well. At this time, he can't just lose big for that little money.
But Talleyrand gave up this opportunity to make money, does not mean that Simeone will give up this opportunity. Anyway, this kind of money will definitely not be accounted for, and it is impossible to check it, and it is definitely impossible for Talleyrand to give a receipt, so who knows who actually took the money?
"Well, what was the result of the discussion?" the Earl of Liverpool asked.
"Talerand made certain concessions. He gave up the military occupation and cession of Dover. He said that he could persuade the first governor to give up these two demands on the grounds of too much expense. Of course, he was alone. , Is not enough to convince the first ruling lord. So he needs more help from people. And this requires money... In addition, he said that even if he is willing to work hard for this, the demolition of the defense facilities in Dover is not acceptable. Negotiated. In addition, they need to set up an agency in Dover to oversee the demolition of defensive facilities and ensure that they will not be rebuilt. Of course, this agency can be in another name and does not wear military uniforms. Your Royal Highness, Prime Minister Your Excellency, I tried my best, but I only achieved this result."
"My friend, this is already very good. You have handled it very well, very well." said the Earl of Liverpool. "In addition to these, do the French have other requirements?"
"Basically the same as Article 21 last time, I tried my best to persuade Minister Talleyrand to convince him that treating Britain too harshly is not conducive to turning the enemy into a friend. So he reluctantly agreed to make a little change, but the change There are not many, many are just a little change in the text, in order to make our government less pressure. But on the most critical issue, he is unwavering."
"This is normal, after all, we are a defeated country." The Earl of Liverpool sighed.
"The specific content is in the memo. This is the limit I can do." Simone said.
So the Earl of Liverpool and the Crown Prince studied the memo together.
After reading it for a while, the Prince Wang suddenly said: "Mr. Prime Minister, am I wrong? How do I think these terms seem to be really good?"
"Ah, His Royal Highness, these terms have only changed in terms of expression, but the actual content has not changed much. For example, the two sides open up the market equally. It seems that the French market is completely open to us, but even in China, we It’s impossible to compete with French products, so how can you compete with them in the French market? Therefore, the so-called France is completely open to the market, which is actually meaningless.
The Earl of Liverpool explained,
There is also this one, you see , Although on the surface they are equal, but..."
"It turned out to be like this!" The prince sighed, "The French are really cunning! But...it's a really good expression. I was almost cheated just now, let alone other people?"
"Basically, it is still the twenty-one. It is a pity that I am incompetent and cannot get better conditions for the United Kingdom." Simeone said again.
"No, my friend, you have done well enough. It is even better than we expected." said the Earl of Liverpool. "We thought that the conditions of the French would be much harsher than this. As for what you said. There is no substantial difference between the new memorandum and the 21st Articles of the past. In fact, it is already great to be able to do this. After all, what is lost on the battlefield is impossible to find on the negotiating table. Coming back."
Having said this, the Earl of Liverpool sighed again.
"Then, Your Royal Highness, Your Excellency, can we sign a formal peace agreement based on this memorandum?" Simeone asked again.
"Yes, and the sooner the better," said the Earl of Liverpool. "The news of military defeat can no longer be suppressed. We have just sent Lord George Kirkburn to the military court. We hope to use this matter to divert attention. Well, can France quickly sign a peace agreement with us in accordance with this memorandum?"
"Minister Talleyrand also hopes that peace can be achieved as soon as possible, but to speed up the negotiation, we must first complete the agreement with Minister Talleyrand." Simeone replied.
"How much does he want?" the Prince Wang asked.
Simeone's heart thumped. He knew that because of Talleyrand's reputation, before this departure, the country had even specially prepared a sum of money to buy Talleyrand. He calculated the figure of the money, and then said a figure slightly more than the money.
"One and two million pounds. It must be gold coins, not paper money." Simeone said.
"Well, this is a bit more than what we have prepared, but if you can really sign a peace agreement in accordance with this memorandum, it will be worth it." The Earl of Liverpool said.
"The poor ones, let's think of a way. We will prepare the money early tomorrow morning. Then..." the Prince Wang said.
"Then we transferred the money to the account designated by Minister Talleyrand ~ EbookFREE.me ~ Simeone said.
"My friend..." the Earl of Liverpool said suddenly. His look was a bit weird, and his words were a little hesitant, "Well, my friend, you know, no matter how you cover up, this agreement is always an unequal agreement, and signing such an agreement is always going to be scolded. Yes. Sometimes... I mean, you can sign such an agreement, you made a great contribution, but... but not everyone knows our difficulties. So once this agreement is signed, it must be... So, ah , My friend, do you understand what I mean?"
"Prime Minister, I understand!" Simeone showed a sad expression.
The prime minister’s meaning is actually not difficult to understand, that is, if someone has signed a traitorous treaty, someone has to bear the blame. Now this black and big pot can only be carried by Simeone. As the so-called great chivalrous man, he is the back of the country. If Simone does not carry this pot, is it the prime minister and the crown prince to carry it? This means that Simeone must resign because of "diplomatic disadvantage" after signing this treaty.
"Of course, we will not treat you badly, and we will never treat any friend badly. Well, tomorrow we will give you 1.3 million pounds, and the extra 100,000 in it will be regarded as compensation for the sacrifice we made to you. "