Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

As the landing craft docked, Ma Yongzhen led Zhao Dazhuang, Liu Xiaoliu, Dajun, Zhou Xingxing, and others off the boat.

Aiden came up to him with a smile on his face.

"Welcome, welcome, Commander Ma, it's an honor to meet you."

He stretched out his hand, his posture very humble; he had no choice but to be humble, for he was under someone else's roof.

Today's China is not the Qing Dynasty of evil.

Ma Yongzhen shook hands with him and politely said, "Hello, hello."

He looked around; the dock was spotless, without a single soldier in sight.

In the distance, there were several black cars, gleaming clean, waiting to pick them up.

"Commander Ma, please get in the car. We have already arranged a hotel. You and your men can rest first, and we can talk again tomorrow."

Aiden opened the car door himself.

Ma Yongzhen got into the car, and Zhao Dazhuang, Liu Xiaoliu, and others got into the car behind.

Not afraid at all.

The convoy drove away from the dock.

Along the way, the streets were cleared, with British soldiers standing guard and crowds of onlookers standing on both sides.

Some were curious, some were afraid, some were angry, and some were numb.

But no one dared to cause trouble, because the warships on the dock were still there, their cannons still pointed at the city.

The hotel is the Ritz, London's most luxurious hotel. The entire building was booked out just to accommodate the delegation from the Chinese Independent Brigade.

A red carpet was laid out at the entrance, and waiters in tuxedos stood on both sides, each one looking very energetic.

Ma Yongzhen and his group entered the hall and were stunned by its luxury.

Crystal chandeliers, genuine leather sofas, solid wood furniture, and thick Persian carpets covering the floor.

It was more luxurious than anywhere else he had ever lived in Shanghai.

"Commander Ma, are you satisfied?"

Aiden asked with a smile.

The translator, Xiao Zhang, relayed the message. Ma Yongzhen nodded, "Satisfied, satisfied. You Americans really know how to enjoy yourselves."

Aiden then arranged a lavish dinner, including foie gras, caviar, steak, roast beef, and various kinds of foreign liquors that he couldn't name.

Zhao Dazhuang ate with great relish, and Liu Xiaoliu ate with gusto.

Dajun and Zhou Xingxing were drinking foreign liquor, their faces glowing.

Now this is what it means to enjoy life.

Damn capitalism.

"Commander, this American is too kind. He's putting me in a nice hotel and feeding me delicious food. I'm almost embarrassed."

Zhao Dazhuang burped.

Ma Yongzhen glared at him. "Eat your food. This is a fish-fragrant feast. If you eat their food, you'll be obliged. We'll negotiate tomorrow. Let's see how you bargain then."

"Bargaining? Team leader, aren't you the one negotiating?"

"I'll talk? You should all learn from me."

"Who cares? If there's good food, we'll eat it. It's a fool not to take advantage of a good deal. One meal can't buy us off."

"That's right, these delicacies must have been stolen from our country by those bastards back then."

Dajun interjected, "I think this 'Eagle Country' looks a bit like our Eagle Province Special Administrative Region in China?"

"..."

The men looked at Dajun with bright, piercing eyes.

The negotiations began the next day.

The location was a conference room at the Ritz Hotel, mainly because Ma Yongzhen and his group didn't want to travel to other places by car.

I feel a bit carsick.

A long table, covered with a white cloth, with chairs on both sides.

The Chinese Independent Brigade delegation sat on one side, while the people from the Eagle Country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs sat on the other side.

Aiden spoke first, his attitude very sincere, "Commander Ma, we are willing to talk about compensation."

The Ugly Kingdom paid nearly 900 million taels of silver in reparations, but our country only sent 6,000 troops, far fewer than the Ugly Kingdom. We hope that the amount of reparations will not be comparable to that.

The translator, Xiao Zhang, relayed the message.

Ma Yongzhen leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and said, "You only sent six thousand troops, but you took a lot of things from us back then."

"You burned the Old Summer Palace, you looted those cultural relics—how are you going to settle this score?"

Aiden wiped the sweat from his brow. "Commander Ma, as you know, those were already returned last time. These are two separate matters..."

Two different things?

Ma Yongzhen interrupted him, "As for the damaged parts, you don't need to pay for them now. We'll just take your entire museum as collateral, is that alright?"

Aiden didn't dare to reply.

Ma Yongzhen held up one finger, "Fifty million taels of silver in cultural relic compensation and three hundred million in war reparations—that's the bottom line."

Aiden paused for a moment.

"Three hundred and fifty million taels? Commander Ma, this number..."

"Too much?"

Ma Yongzhen stood up. "Then we'll get it ourselves."

He showed no respect whatsoever; if you had the guts, you could flip the table, and he'd be more than happy to oblige.

Aiden quickly waved his hand, "Not much, not much, we'll take it, we'll take it."

After some haggling, Ma Yongzhen refused to budge and finally settled on a price of 350 million taels of silver.

The UK gave him three days to pay in full, and Aiden signed the papers, his hands still trembling.

Three hundred and fifty million taels, nearly two-thirds less than that of the Ugly Kingdom, but still a considerable sum.

Ma Yongzhen took the agreement, glanced at it, and nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, go back and tell your prime minister that the money must be in place, otherwise..."

Aiden nodded repeatedly, "Definitely, definitely."

When the news reached back, the capitalists in the United States were in an uproar.

They had long heard about the experiences of the Morgan, Rockefeller, and DuPont families in the United States.

Now that it's their turn, everyone is more enthusiastic than anyone else.

Some people sell stocks, some sell real estate, some sell antiques, and some even sell their wives' jewelry.

"Hurry up and get the money together, or those warships will be here soon," a banker urged his subordinates.

"But sir, we don't have enough working capital..."

"Not enough? Then borrow! Borrow! Rob! In short, we must gather the money within three days!"

Capitalists may be reluctant to spend money, but they are even more reluctant to lose their lives.

The lessons of the past are a warning to us all, and the lessons of the U.S. Navy are a warning to us all.

They don't want to be the next one.

The fleet set sail from Portsmouth Harbor, heading back to China.

On the deck, the soldiers cheered with joy.

Zhao Dazhuang grinned and said, "Commander, you're amazing! Three hundred and fifty million taels, fifty million more than the commander said."

Ma Yongzhen stood on the ship's railing, hands in his pockets, the wind ruffling his clothes, seemingly unaware of who his opponent was.

"This is nothing. When our country becomes strong, they will come to us willingly without us having to ask for them."

"The commander is right!" Liu Liuliu agreed.

The news spread throughout the world, shocking everyone.

Those once arrogant powers finally bowed their proud heads.

As the sun sets, golden sunlight spills across the sea.

The fleet cuts through the waves, heading towards home.

Standing on the bridge, Ma Yongzhen looked at the starry sky and recalled his first meeting with Lin Tian and his bravery in the circus.

Then he's not an eight-year-old child.

really.

My intuition was right; I found a powerful ally, and in less than a year, the Chinese people stood tall again.

We can say no to those once-arrogant powers: hand over the money, or we'll take it ourselves.

Those foreign devils could only obediently hand over their money, not daring to utter a single word of dissent.

This is strength, this is dignity.

Commander Lin is right: Dignity resides only in the gun barrel, and truth resides only within the range of the cannon.

……