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The negotiations between China, Britain, France, and Spain seem to have reached an impasse. The Chinese Empire wanted to acquire 40 percent of the Canal Development Company, while Britain and France both wanted 30 percent of the Canal Company, and the Kingdom of Spain wanted at least 15 percent of the shares. Plus the 10 percent stake reserved for Egypt. That's one hundred and twenty-five percent. Obviously, this is definitely not going to work!

"Ahem!" The Duke of Dalmatia coughed, and then said, "Ladies and gentlemen, if this continues, there will be no progress in our negotiations. If we want the Canal Development Company to be formed, we will have to make concessions. ”

"The Chinese Empire is too demanding, forty percent of the shares is too much. The Chinese Empire should lower its requirements. British Foreign Secretary Earl Glanville said. It is obviously inappropriate for the British Empire to ask for 30 percent of the shares, and for the Chinese Empire to ask for 40 percent. Although the Chinese Empire has stepped on the corpses of countless British soldiers, it proves that the Chinese Empire is a great power. At best, however, Britain placed the Chinese Empire on an equal footing. It was absolutely impossible for the Chinese Empire to overtake the British.

"Britain was the last to join the Canal Development Company, and 30 percent of the shares are too much for the UK!" Lin Zihao is also competing against each other. Originally, China, France and Spain had reached an agreement after arduous negotiations. Now the British have joined in, making all their previous efforts in vain. Negotiations will have to be reopened. Not to mention the waste of time and energy, the interests of all countries have been greatly affected.

"The UK gets thirty percent of the shares, which is already very little. And rightfully so. The UK couldn't be less staked! The Earl of Granville insisted. In his opinion, Britain did not ask for more shares, which is already very face-saving. Thirty percent, this is already the UK's last bottom line. If it were less than that, he would not have been able to account for it to the British Cabinet.

The Duke of Dalmatia couldn't help but have a headache, as the host of this negotiation, if the negotiation could not have a result. It is also bad for France. Now important figures from other powers are rushing to Paris. When they all arrive, the situation will be even more complicated. Preferably in the Kingdom of Prussia. Before the representatives of the Austrian Empire and Russia arrived in Paris, the four countries of China, Britain, France, and Spain had to come to an agreement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, why don't we all take a step back! The French stake can be reduced to 25 percent. This is our final bottom line! Said the Duke of Dalmatia. In order to facilitate the progress of the negotiations. He voluntarily lowered France's stake requirements, hoping to obtain concessions from the Chinese Empire and Great Britain. However, he still underestimated the greed of the Chinese Empire and Britain.

"France holds twenty-five percent of the shares of the Canal Development Company, the Chinese Empire thirty percent, Britain thirty percent, the Kingdom of Spain ten percent, and Egypt five percent. That's the case. That's it. "The Earl of Granville, the British Foreign Secretary, has proposed a new share distribution scheme. Thirty percent of the British shares remained unchanged, and the Chinese Empire, like the United Kingdom, held 30 percent of the shares. France, Spain and Egypt saw their stakes fall by 5 percent each. That's exactly 100 percent. It's just that the Earl of Granville's plan did not receive support from other countries.

"Your Excellency, fifteen percent of the shares of the Kingdom of Spain is already very small, and if it is reduced to ten percent, I will not be able to explain it to Her Majesty the Queen." Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Spain, José. Morality. Salamanca said that he was a little aggrieved, and the British obviously regarded the Kingdom of Spain as a soft persimmon to bully, which could be kneaded casually. Fifteen percent of the shares was not much, but now it has to be reduced by five percent again.

"The Chinese Empire cannot accept this plan, we can reduce the demand by five percent. That is, in the future canal development company, the Chinese empire could not be less than thirty-five percent of the shares. Lin Zihao also said. In any case, the Chinese Empire had to have more shares than the British. The British, who came in later, wanted to get thirty percent of the shares, which was a complete dream.

As for Egypt's shareholding, there is no opinion that the original 10 percent has been reduced to 5 percent, and on the one hand, Egypt has not been represented in this negotiation. In addition, although Egypt is one of the regional powers in the Middle East, the Governor of Egypt Mohammed. Under Ali's rule, Egypt has grown stronger and stronger. However, in front of world-class powers such as China, Britain, and France, Egypt still does not look enough.

The French Prime Minister, the Duke of Dalmatia, did not speak and began to watch the play from the sidelines. France's stake has fallen to 25 percent, which is France's last bottom line, and France will not agree to cut it again. As for how the rest of the shares will be distributed, it will be up to China and Britain to fight for it.

"It is reasonable for the UK to get thirty percent of the shares. Is there anything wrong with the fact that the Chinese Empire was able to get a thirty percent stake like the British? "The Earl of Granville was very dissatisfied with the greed of the Chinese Empire. As for the demands of the Kingdom of Spain, they were once again ignored by the British. Even if the Kingdom of Spain had the support of the Chinese Empire behind it, the British still did not take the Kingdom of Spain seriously. They were able to defeat the Spaniards many times and pull the Kingdom of Spain from the position of world hegemon, and they would not be afraid of the Spaniards!

"Otherwise, the Chinese Empire would have had thirty-three percent of the shares, England twenty-seven percent, France twenty-five percent, the Kingdom of Spain ten percent, and Egypt five percent. What do you think of such a distribution plan? Lin Zihao said. In this way, the Chinese Empire would continue to hold the first place in the shares of the Canal Development Company, although only six percent more than the British.

The Duke of Dalmatia, the Prime Minister of France, thought about it for a moment, and finally nodded and accepted the plan. Although the French stake is only 25 per cent, it is only two percentage points lower than that of the United Kingdom, which is not unacceptable.

Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Spain, José. Morality. Salamanca could only accept this plan, and if the Chinese Empire did not support them, they did not have the capital to ask for more shares. Ten percent of the shares seems to be a lot.

However, the Earl of Granville, the British Foreign Secretary, could not allow Britain to have so much less stake than the Chinese Empire.

"Given that this time the canal development plan was proposed by the Chinese Empire, Britain could accept that the Chinese Empire had more shares than the British, but the difference of six percent was too much. It would be better to become 31 percent of the shares of the Chinese Empire and 29 percent of the shares of the British! Said the Earl of Granville. In this case, the difference between the two sides is only 2 percent. In addition, the Earl of Granville has his own little abacus. In his opinion, the Egyptians would have a five-percent stake for nothing but land, which was too much, as long as the British found a way to transfer that five percent of the shares from the Egyptian governor Mohammed. Ali's hands bought it, and Britain's shares will surpass the Chinese Empire.

The money involved in the construction of the canal is tens of millions of pounds, and even one percent is worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. And after the canal is opened, the income represented by one percent of the shares is definitely much higher than hundreds of thousands of pounds. Therefore, even if it is one percent of the shares, everyone will not give up casually.

After both France and the Kingdom of Spain accepted only 25 percent and 10 percent of the shares respectively, the Chinese Empire and Great Britain continued to bargain.

For this reason, the negotiations had to continue. At a time when the ministers of China, Britain, France and Spain were negotiating for a stake in the Canal Development Company. The Chinese Emperor Long Yufei set out from France with his concubine Amami to visit Wèn in England. Although the relationship between the Chinese Empire and Britain was not harmonious, the British should not take this opportunity to poison Long Yufei. In this case, the British will definitely lose their trust to the whole world. Not only that, in order to ensure Long Yufei's safety, the British also had to strengthen their security work, and if Long Yufei had any accidents during his visit to the UK, this would definitely be counted on the British.

Long Yufei, under the protection of the Chinese fleet, arrived directly at the military port of Portsmouth in southern England. When the huge 'Western Zhou-class' warships sailed into the military port, they gave the British Navy a great shock, which also made the British Navy clearly understand the gap between them and the Chinese Navy.

Although Queen Victoria hated Long Yufei very much, she and Prince Albert rushed to Portsmouth Military Port to welcome Long Yufei to visit Wèn Britain.

Although Queen Victoria is not tall and a little fat, she has nothing to do with beauty. But Long Yufei knew that this woman was called the grandmother of Europe in later generations, which shows how powerful she is. It was officially under her rule that the British Empire became a true world hegemon. Of course, in this day and age, this qiē seems impossible. After the rise of the Chinese Empire, it has already posed the most powerful challenge to the British Empire's position as the world hegemon.

Long Yufei's visit to the UK this time was nothing more than courtesy. He only walked around London and stayed for five days before returning to France. After several days of bickering, negotiations on a plan for the distribution of shares in the Canal Development Company were finally agreed. (To be continued......)