If you disagree...
Mu Jinzhi had no choice but to agree; she couldn't resist her father, especially since her reputation was now so tarnished. She wasn't stupid; she knew that Zhong Yunsheng and she had no future together, and Liao Simin was the best husband she could choose.
"I...I agree."
Mu Jinzhi agreed, but thinking of her soon-to-be-lost love, she couldn't help but lie down and cry.
...
A week later, Mu Jinzhi married Liao Simin. It seemed that the Mu family had broken ties with the Zhong family, but that was not actually the case.
Zhong Rentao lost his voice in Xicheng and could only cling tightly to the British, while the Mu family was the British's most loyal lackey.
In the latest meeting to form the new government, Bai Yan, as prime minister, refused the participation of the British.
If they let foreigners have a say on their own land and in their own government buildings, wouldn't West City become a colony?
Furthermore, Bai Yan also stated that she would reclaim the benefits and other conveniences given to the British side.
Within the concession, British citizens were first-class citizens. If a British soldier killed a Chinese citizen with a gun, he would not only be executed, but if it was just an ordinary civilian, he might not even have to pay a few silver dollars in compensation.
The new government's laws now provide the highest level of protection for the lives of its citizens. Apart from military personnel, foreigners and domestic citizens are prohibited from using firearms in public places, and violators will be deported.
China is a weak country, and arrogant foreigners have long been accustomed to a weak government and to riding on the necks of the Chinese people.
The moment the new government's legal provisions were published, they angered the British government within the concession, which indicated that if the new government persisted in its course of action, they would withdraw their aid and support for the western part of the city.
To establish their authority, a white man even shot and killed a Chinese citizen in public the very next day.
"You want me to pay for this yellow-skinned pig's life? Try and see."
After shooting, the white man returned to the concession, hung a sign in front of his house that read "No Chinese or dogs allowed," and smugly made himself a cup of coffee, enjoying the desperate cries of the victim's family.
However, less than an hour later, a column of troops stormed into the concession, not only smashing the signboard to pieces but also taking the white man into custody.
After confirming that the citizen he shot had died despite attempts to save him, he executed the perpetrator that very night and published a photo of the execution on the front page of the West City Daily the following day.
A government that takes a firm stance will naturally gain the support of the people, and countless people will go to witness the execution that day.
But this also angered the British government, who threatened to use violence if the West End government did not apologize, cede territory, or pay compensation.
This included surrounding the new government building with armed forces in an attempt to force Bai Yan to back down, and providing Britain with anti-inflammatory drugs as a gesture of sincerity in apologizing.
They felt that Xicheng still needed to rely on them, and that as long as they scared these Chinese people, they would be as obedient as before.
But Xu Shengtian was a tough nut to crack, especially since they were threatening Bai Yan.
That very day, he led well-equipped soldiers and drove around the British government area in the concession.
His troops were armed with guns and cannons, and their eyes were filled with murderous intent; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them a fierce and ruthless army.
“Mr. Richard, I heard you’re going to resort to violence.” Xu Sheng got out of the car: “Come on, tell me, how do you mean violence?”
Richard: ...
Richard was at his wit's end looking at the elite troops before him.
In other parts of China and other countries, there were so many concessions, and others encountered only weaklings, but he encountered a tough one!
Richard didn't want to fight right now, especially against a team like this. Besides, they didn't have many men left in the concession.
“I think we should compensate the victims’ families with a pension. General Xu, don’t you agree?” Richard said with a smile in broken Chinese.
Xu Shengtian quickly smiled and put his gun away: "Mr. Richard understands things."
"By the way, our Prime Minister Bai asked me to inform you that the terms of our business cooperation with the British side need to be revised tomorrow, and the meeting will begin at nine o'clock."
Richard smiled and agreed, but after Xu Shengtian left, his face turned cold: "These Chinese generals who don't know their own limitations dare to provoke us. They'll learn their lesson!"
The new government's firm stance has protected the rights of ordinary people, and they no longer need to worry about being bullied by foreigners when traveling. The new laws benefit them, so they naturally strongly agree with them.
But some people don't think that way, such as Zhong Rentao and the Mu family.
"That kid's got a screw loose!" Zhong Rentao cursed. "Does he think he's so great? Does he think I like to grovel before the British?"
"Without new weapons and new medical equipment, what are we going to fight the islanders with! Doesn't he know that China is now a piece of meat that others are eyeing with covetous eyes?"
"He'll get me killed sooner or later!"
Zhong Rentao, along with most of the warlords in Xicheng Province, were actually reluctant to completely break off relations. After all, the principle of "learning from the barbarians to control the barbarians" still applied. They were currently fighting with the island nation, and what if other countries took advantage of their misfortune, leading to a repeat of the Yuanmingyuan incident from many years ago?
Soon after, a group of writers, led by Zhou Pingsheng, began to publish articles and opinions in newspapers.
Fearing that Xu Shengtian would treat them the same way he treated Richard, they didn't dare to attack him directly, and instead turned their attention to Bai Yan, who was on the same side as him.
Ms. Bai has publicly expressed her disdain for Western culture, but the law of nature dictates survival of the fittest. If the West hadn't surpassed us, how could we have fallen to our current state? If Ms. Bai is ashamed of Western culture and unwilling to learn its advanced technology because of personal emotional issues, then in my opinion, you are unworthy of the position of Premier.
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