African Nationhood

Chapter 146 The “Double C Plan” that happened at the wrong time

The auction of gold and diamond mines in the Matabeleland region was held at Prince Leopold's estate outside London.

The dignitaries arriving in London this time include Foreign Trade Secretary Joseph Chamberlain and Home Secretary William Harcourt.

Fourth Party leader Randolph Churchill, Parliamentary Undersecretary of the Admiralty Henry Campbell Bannerman, and Colonial Secretary General Robert Meade.

Among the senior officials, Joseph Chamberlain showed unexpected enthusiasm for Shi Jintang.

But Shi Jintang was indifferent to this person.

After all, he doesn't stay in London often, so there is no need to get too close to this person.

Because this Minister of Foreign Trade is an imperialist through and through.

Because of this, when Prime Minister Gladstone introduced the "Irish Home Rule Act" in 1885 in order to win over the votes of Irish parliamentarians, Chamberlain, who had different political views, resigned angrily.

After he learned about the "Double C Plan", he immediately began to investigate Shi Jintang's information. At the same time, he also expressed great concern about Shi Jintang's arrival.

It's a pity that he is the Minister of Foreign Trade and cannot support Shi Jintang.

If he were the colonial secretary, he would definitely support Shi Jintang and promote the "Double C Plan".

The Minister of Foreign Trade is a very smart politician with a clear understanding of the world situation.

He believed that a country's strength was ultimately determined by its population and size.

If the policy of "liberal empire" continues, Britain will return to an international status commensurate with the size of the British Isles.

To maintain Britain's status as a great power, it is necessary to establish a closely connected, strong and powerful British Empire entity.

The core of Chamberlain's imperial thoughts and the highest ideal of his political career was to establish an "imperial federation".

To unite the British Empire into a true, unified country in the form of a federation.

This is not just a change in the composition of the country, but a change in the concept of governing the country.

A unified empire will inevitably require the establishment of a centralized and powerful government, which is diametrically opposed to the theories of laissez-faire and "minimum government", and is also inconsistent with the British tradition of "aristocratic freedom", but it is a struggle for hegemony among the heroes. The needs of the "age of empires."

Chamberlain thus remained an opposition politician for a decade.

Senior government officials do not recognize him and are unwilling to antagonize mainstream political ideas.

It was not until 1895 that the Marquess of Salisbury, who formed his third cabinet, formally invited Chamberlain to join the cabinet and serve as colonial secretary.

After taking office, he strongly called for the establishment of a powerful empire throughout the world, and asked the colonial governors to respond to his call and establish an imperial parliament.

It is a pity that most of the British colonies at that time were full-fledged and responded coldly to the colonial ministers who had no ideals and enthusiasm.

……

Among other high-ranking officials, Randolph Churchill's purpose in coming here was not to make a fortune or grab resources, but more to gain attention.

The son-in-law of an American plutocrat is an anomaly and a laughingstock in British political circles.

Although the Fourth Party he led has achieved some achievements within the Conservative Party, the big bosses of the Conservative Party do not like him very much.

Shi Jintang had no interest in him either. His son, Winston Churchill, was still just a teenager and had no friendship value at all.

……

Home Secretary William Harcourt is a close ally of the current Prime Minister William Euart Gladstone. It is a great honor for Shi Jintang that he can come to explain today.

Shi Jintang is also very knowledgeable, humble, courteous and respectful.

……

Sir Henry Bannerman is an old friend, needless to say.

……

Robert Meade, the Permanent Secretary of the Colonial Department, had very unclear tendencies, and Shi Jintang didn't know what he was thinking.

The main purpose of tonight is to find out the intentions of him and the colonial secretary behind him.

……

It was still some time before the auction officially started, so Shi Jintang took the lead in visiting Secretary-General Robert Meade.

The secretary-general is obviously over sixty years old.

But he was a member of the Whitehall civil service, so he could still stick to his post even if his boss fell, and he did not really step down until 1895.

Shi Jintang greeted this old white man with a round face and wide forehead very warmly, "Hello, Mr. Meade, I am Henry Shi from Nanhua Company."

"Hello, Sir Henry."

Shi Jintang smiled and waved his hand, "Her Majesty the Queen has not held the canonization ceremony yet, so I am not a knight yet."

The old white man smiled. No matter whether there is a ceremony or not, your noble status cannot be denied.

"You came to me first to inquire about your 'Double C Plan', right?" Faced with this shrewd white old man, Shi Jintang didn't hide anything.

“Yes, you guessed it right, I really hope my plan can be approved by the cabinet.

And increase capital injection into Nanhua Company and carry out infrastructure construction. "

The old white man shrugged, "I'm afraid this matter will not go as you wish. Mr. Neudsley, the Colonial Secretary, is just Prime Minister Gladstone's yes man. Naturally, he will not approve proposals that the Prime Minister is not interested in."

William Euart Gladstone was once a moderate Tory, but later his thoughts changed and he became a Liberal.

He sympathized with the disadvantaged groups and believed that they should be given humane and decent rights.

Therefore, during his tenure, he actively promoted the abolition of the slave trade, Irish self-government, improved the social status of women, and promoted the reform of government institutions.

Therefore, Shi Jintang's colonial plan was disgusted and hostile by the Prime Minister.

Hearing such a frank reply from the other party, Shi Jintang felt as if his boots had landed.

But he is not discouraged, this plan will always be passed, in the not too distant future.

……

He smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your honesty and kindness. I know what to do. I wonder if you have any goals today?"

Robert Meade nodded. I am very interested in No. 7 Gold Mine. I don’t know if I can get my wish today.

There are 8 gold mines near Bulawayo, the largest one is dedicated to the Queen of England.

The rest were numbered, and the auction was held in the form of hidden bids.

Shi Jintang immediately whispered a number into the official's ear, and the latter nodded with satisfaction.

……

Next, Shi Jintang talked with Chamberlain for a while. After listening to the senior official scolding the Prime Minister for a while, he said goodbye and left.

……

Since the cabinet does not support his proposal, he can only wait.

In any case, Prime Minister Gladstone will not last long. He will step down next year.

When the Berlin Conference was held, he held the territorial cession contracts between the two major indigenous kingdoms, and no one could take away the territory in his hands.

After the Conservative Party comes to power, Shi Jintang can lobby again.

The chance of success for this plan would come soon, and he was in no hurry.

With this confidence, he no longer has any ambitions towards the current prime minister's political close friends, and just pays him a courtesy visit.

Unexpectedly, William Harcourt was very interested in Shijintang.

I took Shi Jintang and asked him about the governance situation in Southwest Africa.

After learning that Shi Jintang had enlisted all the black natives in the territory as indentured servants, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

Shi Jintang is not afraid of this at all. I have learned from you. If you laugh at me, you are laughing at yourselves.

……

The subsequent auction went smoothly, and 7 gold mines and 1 diamond mine were successfully auctioned.

Next, Shi Jintang didn't waste time in Whitehall anymore and stayed with Alice all day long.

Because he promised to give this woman a child, the two of them have not used contraceptive measures since Cannes.

But Shi Jintang was a little unsure whether the woman would be pregnant before he left Europe.

While actively preparing for pregnancy, he received good news.

Although the cabinet did not pass the "Double C Plan", the immigration application for Matabeleland was approved by the cabinet.

The cabinet also approved some preferential financial measures, including interest-free loans of 200 million pounds and low-interest loans of 400 million pounds.

This is also a good harvest for Nanhua Company.

……

Waiting in London until the end of April, Shi Jintang entered Buckingham Palace for the second time, took an oath on one knee in the presence of many nobles, and then received the Knighthood Medal from Queen Victoria.

At this point, Shi Jintang's reputation as a jazz master is truly worthy of its name.

The next trip is to Stuttgart, Germany.

The long-planned new car is about to be released!
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  (End of this chapter)