vstars Chapter 1140 No room left
Chapter 1140 No room left
"President Su," Chesterfield finally mustered up the courage to speak, but his voice was trembling, "We certainly understand China's position, but...but Hong Kong is a special place after all, there are a large number of British companies and a large number of British residents..."
"Yes," Silva immediately took over the conversation, "It's the same in Australia City. The resettlement of these residents and the transition of enterprises all require time to arrange..."
Su Zhengyang interrupted them coldly: "Did you guys make a mistake?"
His voice suddenly became icy cold: "What I want to hear now is whether you are willing to unconditionally return these territories that originally belonged to China. As for the subsequent handover arrangements, that is a matter that needs to be discussed after you agree to return them."
Fang Dihu added at the right time: "Mr. Chesterfield, Mr. Silva, please don't confuse the concepts. Now we are negotiating the sovereignty issue, not the details of the handover."
Chesterfield and Silva's faces turned pale instantly.
"So," Su Zhengyang leaned forward, his eyes sharp as a knife, "I just want to hear one answer now - do you agree to return it unconditionally?"
His tone was filled with unquestionable majesty: "As for those British-owned companies, Portuguese-owned companies, and foreign residents, these are all later. If we can't even reach an agreement on the most basic sovereignty issue, then there is no need to discuss anything else."
The atmosphere in the conference room dropped to freezing point.
Chesterfield and Silva looked ashen. They had originally wanted to use these specific issues to delay time, but they did not expect Su Zhengyang to reveal their mistake, leaving them no room for bargaining.
Wilson and Dubois sat aside, not daring to breathe. They knew very well that Su Zhengyang was forcing England and Portugal to make a complete choice.
"It seems," Su Zhengyang slowly put out the cigarette butt in his hand into the ashtray, making a slight sound, "Are you two ready to completely stand against China?"
His voice was not loud, but it made Chesterfield and Silva feel very uncomfortable.
"No... no," Chesterfield waved his hand quickly, "of course we hope to maintain friendly relations with China..."
Su Zhengyang suddenly moved his chair, and the wooden floor made a harsh friction sound. This sudden sound almost made the two representatives jump up from their seats.
"Friendly relations?" Su Zhengyang sneered, "Occupying our territory and occupying our ports, is this what you call friendship?"
He leaned forward, his eyes as sharp as a knife: "Gentlemen, stop playing these diplomatic words. The choice before you now is simple - either agree to return it unconditionally now, or..."
He didn't finish, but everyone present understood the weight of what he had left to say.
The sweat on Chesterfield's forehead had soaked through his handkerchief. He could feel his heartbeat so loud that it was about to burst his eardrums.
Silva's face was ashen, and the tapping of his fingers on the table had completely messed up the rhythm.
Fang Dihu flipped through the documents expressionlessly, and the sound of paper rubbing against each other was particularly harsh in the silent conference room.
"Time is running out, everyone," Su Zhengyang leaned back in his chair, "I need a clear answer."
"Since the two of you are still hesitating," Fang Dihu pushed up his glasses and calmly flipped through the documents in his hand, "then let's do the math."
Chesterfield and Silva's hearts sank.
"From 34 to now, a full hundred years," Fang Dihu said slowly, "The direct economic benefits that England has gained through Hong Kong City, converted into today's currency, total more than 1842 billion pounds. This does not include the profits from the opium trade through Hong Kong City."
Chesterfield's hands began to shake uncontrollably.
"As for Portugal," Fang Dihu turned to Silva, "since occupying Macau in 34, the casino operating rights alone have brought Portugal millions of dollars in revenue every year. I'm afraid even the Portuguese Ministry of Finance doesn't dare to calculate the total revenue over the past four hundred years."
Silva's face turned pale.
"Not to mention," Fang Dihu continued, "the two of you have seized various commercial and shipping interests in the Far East through these bases. The data from the past fifty years alone is enough to shock people."
He turned to the next page: "Hong Kong's re-export trade profits, Macau's gambling revenue, the appreciation of real estate in both places, the monopoly profits in the financial market..."
Fang Dihu counted them one by one, and each number was like a heavy hammer hitting the hearts of the two representatives.
"According to international law," Fang Dihu's voice suddenly became sharp, "the gains made during the illegal occupation should be compensated. If we demand an account, I'm afraid even if we take out all the fiscal revenues of the two countries for the past decade, we still can't pay it off."
The atmosphere in the conference room dropped to freezing point.
"But," Fang Dihu closed the document, "President Su has said that as long as you agree to return it unconditionally, China can let bygones be bygones and not pursue these historical accounts."
He looked at the two representatives meaningfully: "This is the maximum tolerance. What do you think?"
Chesterfield and Silva looked ashen. They knew too well the weight of these figures. If China really wanted to pursue this historical account, it would be an astronomical amount of compensation.
"So," Su Zhengyang's voice sounded, "don't think we are forcing you. These are our territories, and the profits you have gained over the years are enough to pay back the "rent" a thousand times over."
He looked at everyone present and said, "Now, we only ask for the return of our land, which is the biggest concession. If anyone still wants to bargain..."
Wilson and Dubois shuddered at the same time. They heard an unquestionable threat in Su Zhengyang's tone.
"It seems," Su Zhengyang slowly stood up, resting his hands on the conference table, "you all intend to use your silence to exhaust my patience."
His voice suddenly turned cold: "Then I will be more straightforward. If I don't get a satisfactory answer tonight, then when the sun rises tomorrow, the war will officially begin."
This sentence exploded in the conference room like a bombshell.
&34；北海舰队已经做好了南下的准备，&34；苏正阳的目光扫过在座的每一个人，&34；我想诸位应该都很清楚，我们的&39；飞鲨&39；战机和&39；苍龙&39；战舰的威力。扶桑人用他们的覆灭，给了世界一个很好的示范。&34；
Chesterfield and Silva's faces turned pale in an instant.
"Our aircraft carrier fleet has entered standby mode," Su Zhengyang continued, "If you insist on using force to solve this problem, then I don't mind letting the world see China's strength again."
Wilson and Dubois exchanged horrified glances. They both understood that this was no joke. With China's current military strength, it was fully capable of taking over Hong Kong City and Macau City in a short period of time.
"Of course," Su Zhengyang sat down again, his tone suddenly becoming calm, "I believe you are all smart people and will not make such a stupid choice. After all, no one wants to be the second Fuso, right?"
The atmosphere in the conference room was tense to the extreme.