Chapter 185: Abolishing Foreign Privileges

"Why, the United States still refuses to agree? Hold this head?" Ye Zhikui asked with a frown.

Li Hongzhang sighed helplessly and replied: "I'm afraid no country wants to start this first, otherwise it will become the target of public criticism."

Ye Zhikui was a little doubted for a moment whether it was appropriate to let Li Hongzhang be the Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. To be honest, Li Hongzhang did have some talent, but he was too careful in his work and considered too many problems.

In the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, China was slightly better in the Sino-German War, and China was even more victorious in the Sino-Russian War. According to the latest news on the front line, Jiang Zikang and others wiped out more than 10,000 Russian troops, causing the Russians to lose more than 50,000 troops in the Far East. I believe that as long as they are not fools, they would expect China to win in this war.

The military government won the battlefield, and of course it also needed to win diplomacy. Not only did Russia's privileges in China have been abolished and abolished by the military government, Ye Zhikui also hoped to gradually reclaim some privileges of other countries in China.

The first thing to bear is the consular judgment power that directly led to the Boxer Rebellion. Simply put, citizens of various countries who enjoy consular judgment power in China violated the law in China and caused civil criminal cases. The Chinese government cannot control it and handed it over to the courts and consular courts of the country to be tried in accordance with the laws of the country to be under the jurisdiction.

This existence of extraterritorial legal power has formed exceptions and violations of China's superior rights, resulting in the strange phenomenon of "outsiders are not subject to Chinese punishment, while Chinese people instead refer to foreign judgments."

Since its establishment, the military government has actually regained such rights. Foreigners who commit crimes in China are treated equally and are still arrested and placed under the jail. However, if this privilege is not abolished for a day, Western countries can always protest with this, and diplomatic disputes arising are no longer one or two.

"These foreigners really don't cry without seeing the coffin. Let them pass freely in China. Trade exchanges are already interesting. Tell them that China will then take back customs rights, concessions rights, military garrison rights, etc. Zhongtang, it's not me that I'm talking about you. The military government is now strong and has a large army of 300,000 troops in Zhili alone, and its combat power is not comparable to those of the former Qing officers and soldiers. With these strengths as a backing, your tone will be tougher. If they don't agree, we will take back the rights with the sword in our hands."

Li Hongzhang's old face turned red and he said timidly: "Master General, it's better to walk step by step. If the military government suddenly offends the great powers, it's probably impossible to bear it."

Ye Zhikui looked at his gray hair and couldn't bear to blame him, so he had to instruct: "Zhongtang, please help me arrange it. Tomorrow morning, we will go to see the American minister Tian Xiali together."

The next morning, Ye Zhikui met with the US Minister Tian Xiali and other business counselors on the second floor of the Eight Kingdoms Hotel. Li Hongzhang, Wu Tingfang and others had initial contact with ambassadors from various countries and expressed the military government's desire to revise some unequal treaties.

Therefore, today we can go straight to the topic.

After greetings, Ye Zhikui invited Tian Xiali to sit down. After the diplomats from both countries sat face to face, Ye Zhikui looked straight at the American cowboy he had known for a long time.

"Mr. Tian Xiali, I don't want to waste everyone's precious time, so I went straight to the topic. China is the largest country in Asia and the United States is the largest country in the Americas. There is no major conflict of interest between China and the United States. Not long ago, the military government sent a large number of international students to the United States, which shows that our military government is willing to have friendly exchanges with the United States, and there is indeed a lot of room for complementary interests between the two countries. I believe that Mr. Tian Xiali will definitely agree with what I said above." Ye Zhikui said a lot first.

Tian Xiali was not very good at Chinese, so the translator next to her quickly said it again in English.

After hearing this, Tian Xiali smiled and said, "Ye, you and I are old friends, but if you want the United States to abolish some rights such as consular judgment, it may not work. If you do this, the United States will become a joke for other Western countries and will easily cause dissatisfaction among other countries."

Ye Zhikui raised his eyebrows and adjusted his sitting posture and said, "The United States enjoys one-sided most-favored-nation treatment in China, and China will abolish the unequal treaties signed by the former Qing Dynasty and other countries one by one. At that time, the United States will no longer enjoy any privileges, just like other countries. If the United States can now voluntarily give up the right to consular judgment first, the military government will regard the United States as a friendly country and will provide certain conveniences in the sea of ​​ships, trade, and formal exchanges in the future."

Tian Xiali was a little surprised. He had heard the voice of Ye Zhikui's words and asked curiously: "For example?"

Ye Zhikui smiled indifferently and raised the documents in his hand and said, "For example, this business, the military government's military procurement budget was originally planned to cooperate with the Germans, but if the United States satisfied us, I will persuade other officials to change the direction."

In the war between the United States, the United States made great fortunes through arms transactions and became a world power in one fell swoop. It shows how much profit the arms transactions are.

Cruise, the business counselor around Tian Xiali, showed a happy smile. As a business counselor, whether it is military or civilian trade, he is within his authority. Selling arms is much easier than other businesses. In the past, most of the military government's arms were purchased from Germany. If the United States could make a kick and change the tendency of the military government, his position would be moved upward.

Cruise couldn't wait to reply: "Hisser Marshal, you have finally found the right person. I believe that the arms of the United States are not as good as those of the Germans, and are cheaper and more practical. If you can cooperate with the military government for a long time, it will not only be my honor, but also the best way to maintain friendly relations between China and the United States."

Ye Zhikui handed the documents in his hand to Cruise and said with a smile: "Of course, I have never doubted the military capabilities of the United States. This is just the first time to cooperate, and the quantity is a little small. If the transaction can be successful this time, I believe there will be more orders in the future."

Tian Xiali looked at the ecstatic Cruise, shook her head helplessly, smiled bitterly, and said, "Ye, I cannot help but say that you are a businessman who will seduce crimes. It is just abolishing privileges, which is not within my jurisdiction. But I can guarantee that I will report to the President as soon as possible and then give you a satisfactory reply."

Ye Zhikui curled his lips and said, "Friends, if you miss something, you won't come again. The military government has always regarded the United States as a friendly government. I believe that with the rise of my country, there are many countries that are willing to trade with our country. Besides, you also know that the US government is not the first country to abolish the treaty, and Russia is the first."

Cruise next to him looked at the list and couldn't help but scream. The list was filled with various weapons. The shotgun alone required 100,000, 40,000 revolvers, machine guns and cannons, and even more. What made him even more excited was that China would order a cruiser. A cruiser was about 150,000 or 600,000. He estimated it slightly and the list was about 6 million. This business was not small, let alone the first batch.

"Your Excellency, please contact the best domestic manufacturers and suppliers. As long as you and our country do this business, you are our God."

When Tian Xiali heard his screaming words, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. This businessman was born as a businessman and the counselor who came to China not long ago could not make such a fuss? China is full of gold, not just talk about it casually.

"Ye, give me two days, I will reply you in two days!" Obviously, due to the influence of this Cruise, Tian Xiali was not very calm and said in an urgent tone.

"Okay, I believe that China and the United States will have greater trade exchanges!" Ye Zhikui replied with some slight remarks.

Afterwards, he talked about some trivial matters. Tian Xiali was very curious about the victory of the Zhongzhang team in the Northeast battlefield and kept asking for some reasons.

Ye Zhikui was really annoyed by his question. He touched his chin and said lightly: "Actually it's nothing. There are many Chinese people, and it is worth it to sacrifice more than 100,000 people to win a war. Therefore, we are not afraid of war."

Li Hongzhang, Wu Tingfang, Tian Xiali and others were all stunned.
Chapter completed!