The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 424 Signing of Agreement
Early in the morning, envoys from various countries came to the Willard Hotel, stood in the lobby to greet others, and then gathered in groups of three or four to talk.

Although they are envoys from various countries, they are actually ministers from several old European powers.

Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and a deputy minister of the Qing Dynasty.

As for the envoys from South America or other countries, no one cares about them at all.

The US government will not invite everyone to watch their fun.

Yung Wing stood in the hall. This was the proudest day for him since he came to the United States.

"I'm interested in your military books! Mr. Rong, can you recommend a few to me?" Baron Karl von Eisenberg, the German Empire's Minister, walked up to Rong Hong and said.

Chen Zhengwei was able to defeat the US Army... He attributed this to the ancient Chinese military books.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain how a young man could lead his civilian subordinates to defeat the US Army many times by defeating the strong with the weak.

Winning once might be luck, but winning three times is definitely not something that can be explained by luck.

The British Minister Sir Edward Thornton, who was not far away, heard this, smiled at this side, and then turned his head.

He didn't care about China's military books. If their military books were really useful, the Qing Dynasty would not have lost the First Opium War and then the Second Opium War.

The British Empire dominated the world with its powerful ships and guns.

In the middle of the hotel lobby, there is a long table with a chair on each side of the table.

Normally, such ceasefire agreements are signed in government departments, such as the White House or the Capitol, and then a cocktail party is held to celebrate the arrival of peace.

But the cabinet refused.

Chen Zhengwei also does not plan to hold a cocktail party at the Capitol.

So we decided to sign in the lobby of this hotel.

A moment later, the cabinet's negotiation team arrived, and Chen Zhengwei came down from upstairs wearing a red gentleman's suit. The red color is so festive.

He wore a white shirt underneath and a rare red bow tie, which made him look more formal.

When Chen Zhengwei went downstairs, he kept pulling at his bow tie with his hands. He always felt that he would be strangled to death by it.

The moment both parties entered the field, everyone's eyes were cast over there.

Especially Chen Zhengwei.

His youth is surprising.

too young.

Moreover, he was too tall and too strong, standing there like a bear, giving people a terrifying sense of oppression.

As his eyes moved around, they were full of confidence.

He is a young man that you will never forget.

But no one will look down on him because of his age.

A man in his sixties with gray hair stood at one side of the long table and spoke in a deep voice.

“Before the signing ceremony begins, please allow me to introduce the main contents of this agreement.”

Ministers from all countries knew him, as did Secretary of State William M. Everts.

However, at this moment, everyone's attention was not on him, but on the content of the agreement he was talking about.

The more they listened, the more surprised they were, and they looked deeply at Chen Zhengwei.

I didn't expect that this Chinese person could actually negotiate these conditions.

You have to know that war is one thing and negotiation is another.

The US government is actually prepared to sign such an agreement, which shows that they are forced into a corner.

Several reporters not far away were recording rapidly with shocked expressions on their faces. They could not imagine that the cabinet would agree to such conditions.

In the future, the status of Chinese Americans will rise sharply, and will even surpass many white people.

At least that's what it looks like on the surface.

After introducing the agreement, President Rutherford B. Hayes stood at the end of the table and spoke to the crowd in a deep voice:

“Dear gentlemen, we gather here today to work towards ending this conflict and reaching a peace agreement. Regardless of what happened in the past, we hope that this agreement will usher in a new era of peace. We are fully aware that peace is not a temporary compromise, but our shared commitment.”

His face was very calm. After all, after such a long time, his mood had long since calmed down.

Even though he knew that after signing, he would be nailed to the pillar of shame forever.

Chen Zhengwei's eyes swept over the president and the cabinet members around him, then looked at the ministers of various countries, and then he spoke: "As you know, I fought all the way from Chicago to here! But this is not my intention, I just want fairness! If someone doesn't give me fairness, then I will get it myself!"

“I hope this agreement will open a new chapter and a new page for racial equality in America!”

Everyone applauded. Chen Zhengwei's speech was much more interesting than Rutherford Birchard Hayes's.

Especially when Chen Zhengwei spoke, he was full of confidence and vigor. No matter what impression people had of the Qing Dynasty or Chinese people, they had to admit that his mental outlook was outstanding, excellent, and admirable!
Even though the President of the United States and other cabinet members were not far away, he was like standing in the center of the stage, attracting everyone's attention.

Rutherford Birchard Hayes picked up the agreement and then said: "On behalf of the United States government, I agree and promise to stop all hostile actions and pay compensation according to the terms of the agreement."

The hand holding the pen almost broke it, and his fingers turned white from holding it so tightly.

When signing, he found it more difficult than he had imagined.

He signed his name with all his strength.

Chen Zhengwei's smile was much brighter: "I accept the compensation, and I hope the US government can abide by the agreement!" Then he signed his name on the agreement document.

Rutherford Birchard Hayes stood up and said:
"The agreement has been officially signed, which means that both sides will lay down their arms and move towards peace and reconstruction together. We promise to provide the necessary compensation and assistance in accordance with the content of the agreement. I hope this day will be a new starting point for our joint efforts."

"Sorry, I have other things to do. I have to leave now!"

After saying this, Birutherford Birchard Hayes took his people away. He didn't want to stay here any longer.

"This guy has no manners at all. He can't afford to lose... If you can't afford to lose, then don't play!" Chen Zhengwei sneered, asked someone to put the agreement away, and stood up and walked towards the ministers of various countries.

"Welcome, gentlemen!"

"Congratulations, Mr. Chen!"

“Very impressive!”

"You'll go down in American history!"

Everyone shook hands with Chen Zhengwei.

Then food and drinks were placed on the long table, and the cocktail party began.

However, since all the cabinet members had left, there were not many people left. After chatting for a while, everyone else left.

Only the British Minister Sir Edward Thornton and Yung Wing stayed.

Soon, Chen Zhengwei and Sir Edward Thornton were sitting in the reception room next door chatting.

"What an amazing achievement!" Edward Thornton said after he sat down. "What surprised me most is that you also gained an advantage in the negotiation, which is rare!"

For him, Chen Zhengwei's victory in the negotiations was more surprising than his military victory.

"Of course, I'm good at negotiation!" Chen Zhengwei said confidently.

Edward Thornton laughed out loud. He had heard something.

"If you get a chance, you can go to England. You'll be very popular, I promise! Those girls will love hunting a legend!"

"Sounds good!" Chen Zhengwei raised his eyebrows. He has always been interested in this kind of thing.

It doesn’t matter whether those people are beautiful or not; what matters is their identities—and the identities of their husbands.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Edward Thornton said, "According to the agreement, the equipment to assist you will arrive in New York in half a month. The next thing should be easy for you."

"This is good news! By the way, do you have any boat to sell?" Chen Zhengwei asked.

"I need both merchant ships and gunboats!"

"Oh?" Edward Thornton stared at Chen Zhengwei: "The war is over!"

"My merchant ship needs escort. There are so many pirates now, and I need to ensure the safety of the merchant ship. And this is also a good business for you."

"The price won't be cheap!" Edward Thornton thought for a moment and said.

Selling the gunboat that is about to be obsolete to Chen Zhengwei at a high price is a good business.

He knew that Chen Zhengwei had a large sum of money. The compensation alone was 10 million US dollars, and another 10 million US dollars would be received in half a year.

"I want an iron steamship that can sail on the ocean! The speed cannot be lower than 10 knots. I don't want those obsolete wooden ships!" Chen Zhengwei continued.

"The gunpowder formula in your hand!" Edward Thornton said directly.

"That's impossible, but in a year and a half, I can sell you a batch of bullets and guns! The Zulu War is over anyway!" Chen Zhengwei refused directly.

This year, Britain just fought the Zulu War in South Africa, and in just half a year, it swallowed up the Zulu Kingdom.

"Someone will talk to you later!" said Edward Thornton.

Britain really doesn't have much demand for weapons right now.

Britain is already invincible.

So he can still wait for more than a year.

The 20 million US dollars in Chen Zhengwei's hands is now of more concern.

The two sides chatted for a while and then Edward Thornton left.

Only then did Chen Zhengwei go to meet Yung Wing.

"Mr. Chen, congratulations! This time you showed the power of the Chinese!"

"The prestige of the Chinese still depends on me... What does the Qing Dynasty do?" Chen Zhengwei said sarcastically.

Yung Wing smiled bitterly and said, "The court...it's better not to talk about it."

Then he talked about his plan:
"Mr. Chen is short of staff here. I want to resign from my position as deputy minister and come to help Mr. Chen!"

"I'm counting on you to send more students here from China!" said Chen Zhengwei.

When Rong Hong heard this, he knew that Chen Zhengwei had some ideas for the future, and immediately said:

"Mr. Chen, you may not know that there has always been a lot of opposition in the court regarding these young children studying in the United States. At present, it is already extremely difficult. Instead of relying on official status to come here, it is better to find some students from the public to train them!"

"Besides, Mr. Chen caused such a huge incident that the death of Minister Chen has brought great disgrace to the court. They will definitely hold someone accountable for this matter. Even if the court doesn't hold anyone accountable, someone will report me and list all my crimes!"

"I have always been disappointed with the court, but I have nowhere to go. Now Mr. Chen's business is waiting to be revived... Rather than being recalled by the court to be punished, I would rather resign from this position as deputy envoy."

(End of this chapter)