364 Interest Split

Night has come, and the Xiyuan Presidential Palace is already brightly lit. These lights are not common kerosene lamps everywhere in China, but extremely trendy electric lights.

Although electric lights were popularized very late in China, they were very early in the court. When electric lights had not been popularized in the West, electric lights had already entered the court of the Qing Dynasty. The royal family of the Qing Dynasty successively installed electric lights and power generation facilities in Xiyuan, Summer Palace and Ningshou Palace, and set up three electric lamp offices. After Zhao Dongyun moved into Xiyuan, he purchased several sets of power facilities, expanded the scale of Xiyuan Electric Light Office, and merged with the Summer Palace Electric Light Office and Ningshou Palace Power Supply Office into a power supply office, which was under the jurisdiction of the Internal Affairs Section of the Secretariat of the Presidential Office.

The power supply station provides power to the entire Xiyuan Presidential Palace, the Forbidden City and other government departments, but it does not provide electricity to the private sector.

The development of private electric lights is relatively slow. Although Beijing Normal University had the first private power supply company in 1905, it is still relatively small today.

In Jurentang Zhao Dongyun's office, the electric lamp is also bright, and there is no dim feeling of kerosene lamp.

Under the bright light, Zhao Dongyun stood alone in front of the window and looked at the night sky and thought!

As for Zhu Erdian, who had left a few hours ago, and naturally left Zhao Dongyun with his conditions before leaving!

However, the conditions proposed by the British made Zhao Dongyun feel a headache. Although Zhu Erdian did not say the previous conditions that were too harsh, Zhao Dongyun still did not dare to agree without authorization.

Jourdian's request is not too many. The first item is that territory cannot be ceded to foreign countries, especially Russia, in any form without the consent of the United Kingdom.

The second is to recognize a series of treaties signed between Britain and the former Qing Dynasty and inherit them.

The third is that the right of way cannot be transferred to other foreign countries without the consent of the United Kingdom.

As long as it agrees to the above three items, the United Kingdom will officially announce its recognition of the Northern Soviet Republican government as the only government in China. Of course, there are also after-mortem loans. For after-mortem loans, the United Kingdom has abandoned many previous conditions and reduced them to three.

The first is to use China's salt policy and tariffs as collateral.

The second is that the payment must give priority to the repayment of the arrears owed to Britain in the previous Qing Dynasty, so that the rest can be used by China.

The third item is that if this payment needs to import all kinds of materials, priority must be given to import from the United Kingdom.

As long as these three conditions are agreed, the UK can independently provide up to 15 million pounds of after-care loans, with a 10% discount and 5% interest, which can be repaid in 30 years.

Compared with the previous British demand for aftercare loans, this request is undoubtedly greatly reduced.

In addition, there are also Longhai Railway and Jinpu Railway. The British side proposed that it can not directly build roads, but lend them to Chinese officials, and build them by themselves. However, they must use the right to operate the railway as collateral. In addition to the railway tracks and other materials needed for road construction can be supplied by China, all imported materials will be determined by the British. Dingyang Bank Supply.

In order to ensure the smooth construction of the railway, the chief engineer is designated by the British side during the construction of the railway.

Unexped, the operation of the railway is the responsibility of the British side until the loan is repaid. At the same time, it is proposed that the above-mentioned railway shall not be used to transport foreign soldiers without the consent of the British side.

To be honest, the conditions for aftercare loans and railway loans are already very favorable for contemporary Chinese strength, even much more favorable than those proposed by Americans.

However, there is a premise that China must agree to the previous conditions proposed by the United Kingdom, and the Soviet republican government can only sign a subsequent borrowing treaty after it is officially recognized by the United Kingdom.

The first three seem to be a big problem, but they actually contain great sovereign interests.

For example, territory shall not be ceded to other countries in any form without the consent of the United Kingdom. On the surface, it seems that Britain is trying to safeguard China's territorial integrity, but in fact, once Zhao Dongyun agrees, he publicly announces that China has become a protectorate of Britain.

As for recognizing the treaties signed by the former Qing Dynasty and Britain, it is not a big problem. After all, Zhao Dongyun originally planned to inherit these treaties. It was not that he wanted to do so, but that he must do so. With the strength of contemporary China, he dared not tear up those treaties to give Zhao Dongyun a hundred times.

Thinking about these conditions, Zhao Dongyun sighed in his heart. He finally realized the situation of Yuan Shikai in Xinhai in the original time and space!

After the 1911, Yuan Shikai paid a great price in order to obtain the recognition of the British, including announcing that he would not interfere in the internal affairs of Tibet and not station troops in Tibet, which was still the case that Yuan Shikai had ostensibly unified China at that time.

Now that Zhao Dongyun has not yet won the unification of China, it is only nominally. The Feng army is fighting with the Anhui army, and Wang Shizhen and Wu Fengling, who are also nominally loyal to the Northern Western Soviet republican government, are also fighting in Hubei, Shanxi and the Southern Federation.

In this case, the price to make the British recognize the Northern Soviet republican government as China's only government is far greater than in history.

The price is so huge that Zhao Dongyun is a little scared!

In terms of heart, Zhao Dongyun does not mind selling some national interests in exchange for the support of Britain or other great powers, but there must be a bottom line for selling national interests.

The reason why he is willing to pay some national interests is to unify China and strengthen and expand his power. However, if the national interests betrayed are too huge, it will cause a great domestic rebound. At that time, not to mention unifying China, it is estimated that the Soviet system will be extremely dissatisfied with him. At that time, won't you steal chickens?

Faced with the British conditions, Zhao Dongyun hesitated for the first time!

Zhao Dongyun has always been a decisive and resolute person. He will not delay things. When it is time to make a decision, he will make a decision quickly, whether it is good or bad. However, this time, he hesitated!

Just when Zhao Dongyun hesitated, the powers did not stop negotiating with the Beiyang Soviet republican government. After the Americans and the British came to put forward conditions one after another, the Germans and French, who were also the bank group of the four countries, also came to them one after another and put forward various conditions.

In the face of the various conditions put forward by these countries, it was difficult for Zhao Dongyun to make a decision for a while, so he specially summoned Lu Weixiang and Xiong Xiling of the cabinet to try to discuss a countermeasure.

But what he didn't expect is that everyone's opinions are different. Some support reaching an agreement with the Americans, some support reaching an agreement with the British, some support borrowing from France or Germany, and some want to leave the four powerful countries and borrow only from small European countries such as Belgium and Switzerland.

"From the perspective of conditions alone, the United States is much more preferential. According to our recent negotiations with them, their loan conditions have been reduced to as long as the salt government and tariffs arrive, without financial supervision, but only the right to build roads, so that compared with the British In terms of conditions, there is no doubt that the loss of sovereignty is much smaller.

Xiling said, "But the British's recognition is more important. Although we have to pay a little price for this, the interest rate on loans given by the British is relatively low. Once the British admits us, other countries, including Japan, must look at the face of the British, which is very likely to force Japan. Giving up supporting Duan Qirui is of great strategic value for our subsequent unification, and does the Americans have this ability?

Listening to the arguments of the people below, Zhao Dongyun hasn't spoken for a long time!

The debate continued. When the population was dry, Zhao Dongyun raised his head and looked around, and then slowly said, "Some conditions can be agreed, but some conditions cannot be agreed!"

Zhao Dongyun opened his mouth and spoke. A group of low-down people were staring at Zhao Dongyun. They knew that Zhao Dongyun had made a decision at this time.

"Britain's admission that the price is too harsh is related to sovereignty. Let it go in advance! The right to build roads is also related to sovereignty. No matter who comes to talk about it, it is not allowed to agree!" After Zhao Dongyun said this sentence, he set the tone for this meeting.

That is, sovereignty and the right of way must not be talked about!

Zhao Dongyun's words continued: "And the salt government mortgage can be temporarily relieved, but it should be noted that whether it is the newly established salt government agency proposed by the United Kingdom or the United States, its management must be undertaken by us. Foreigners can supervise and make suggestions, but the decision must be made by us.

On the railway side, I still say that it is okay to borrow money to build roads, but the right of way can never be transferred. The loan of the railway can be used as a guarantee for the operation right, but before repaying the loan, the foreign party can send personnel to supervise and suggest that the operation right must be managed by us.

"In addition, we fell into a misunderstanding before. Although it was a package plan proposed by ourselves, it was to deal with the banking group of the four countries. Now the banking group of the four countries has existed in name and died. Next, we can completely break through each other and reach relevant agreements with them respectively. Aren't they going to build the railway? , we will ask one side to repair one. They don't want to borrow money, so we will borrow part of it.

At this point, Zhao Dongyun looked at Zhu Gong again and said, "Don't put eggs in the same basket!"

At this time, Lu Weixiang asked tentatively, "The president means to separate the aftercare loans and railway loans!"

Zhao Dongyun nodded: "That's right!"

Zhao Dongyun made such a decision, and those officials naturally can only claim that in this case, the Beiyang Soviet government once again conducted intensive negotiations with various countries, and this time, they did not put forward any package plan, but separated many plans.

This move made Britain quite dissatisfied. Why did they talk to Zhao Dongyun in private? On the one hand, they want to further deepen their influence on China, and it is best to make China a protectorate of Britain in one fell swoop. On the other hand, it is to swallow the super cake of after-care loans and railway loans alone. If Zhao Dong Yun cut this cake. Of course, he can get one here, but it's as cool as swallowing a whole cake.

However, some people are unhappy and happy, especially in small countries such as Americans and Belgium.

It is really difficult to compete directly with the British with their strength, but now Zhao Dongyun has separated both after-care loans and railway loans, which means that no matter how much, they have a chance to compete for a part of them.