After a long silence, Grantham suddenly smiled and laughed at Fang Lang:
"It seems that General Fang understands me. I am not optimistic about this plan. In my opinion, Hong Kong City is completely different from other colonies and cannot be mixed up. We cannot arbitrarily choose to allow it to be independent and autonomous like other colonies. This will not solve the problem of Hong Kong City.
Instead, it would create a powerful enemy for the British Empire and Hong Kong City, and Hong Kong City would not even have a chance to become independent. "
Fang Lang smiled and took a bite of food and put it into his mouth, then continued to speak slowly:
"Since Mr. Governor knows this clearly, why doesn't he pass this idea on? Don't you know that this plan is dangerous?"
"Hehe... General Fang must understand that I am the Colonial Governor of the British Empire. I am responsible to the British royal family. There are some things that I cannot decide on my own. I must obtain approval from the upper echelons before I can implement them."
Grantham smiled bitterly and put his elbows on the dining table, while crossing his fingers and clasping them in front of him.
Fang Lang looked at Grantham across from him, wondering what was going on. His relationship with him wasn't that good, was it? This was a bit like talking too much to a friend!
However, since the other party has already stated his difficulties so frankly, Fang Lang certainly cannot turn a deaf ear to it. He smiled and said:
...
...
"Then I wonder what the Governor thinks of the problem of Hong Kong City?"
Hearing Fang Lang's question, Governor Grantham unconsciously tightened his clenched hands, staring intently at Fang Lang, who was still leisurely eating the sumptuous meal opposite him. He opened his lips slightly, as if he was exhaling gently, and then slowly said:
"I think Hong Kong is different from other colonies. It has a lease agreement. It is not a simple colony, but a concession. It will definitely need to be resolved through diplomatic means in the end."
This statement made Fang Lang look sideways, and he looked at Grantham in disbelief and said:
"So, Your Excellency the Governor is willing to negotiate with the other side on the issue of the port city?"
"This is just my personal opinion and does not represent the attitude of the British government. Just like the general believes that the other side will not use force against Hong Kong City now, it is also a personal opinion."
Hearing this, Fang Lang couldn't help but reveal a knowing smile, and said meaningfully:
"It seems that the Governor's views and mine are similar!"
Facing Fang Lang's gaze, Grantham couldn't help but reveal a meaningful smile and said:
"I had already discovered this when the General boldly expressed his views on the future of Hong Kong City. It's just that I only had the opportunity to discuss it with the General alone today."
"So what does the Governor mean...?"
Fang Lang vaguely guessed Grantham's intention and couldn't help but test it out.
"Last time, the general said that he could come forward and talk to the people on the other side. I don't know if this is true."
This time Fang Lang did not answer directly. Instead, he thought carefully for a while before slowly speaking:
"What I mean is that I can pass on the message to the other side through some friends. If both of you have the will for peace, I am very willing to contribute to peace."
It’s not that Fang Lang didn’t want to bring the two parties together for negotiation, but after living in Gangcheng for some time, he discovered that the situation in Gangcheng was far more complicated than he had imagined.
For example, the "Yang Muqi Plan" mentioned above, he had never heard of it in his previous life. Although this plan has not been successful yet, part of it has already been implemented in Hong Kong City.
Under the guidance of this plan, Hong Kong has even set up a parliament that is largely elected by the people, with the intention of cultivating Hong Kong's democratic consciousness and preparing for its future independence.
If the British government's plan is really implemented, it will definitely cause strong backlash in my hometown.
More importantly, Fang Lang discovered that this plan still had a loophole that was likely to be discovered by his hometown. That was that in the democratically elected parliament, there actually existed a group of people who spread his hometown's ideas. This showed that this plan had already attracted his hometown's attention a long time ago.
The reason why Grantham did not agree with this plan was that he was aware of the potential risks involved in this plan.
If I stand up at this time and directly express my willingness to help both parties to negotiate, it might disrupt my family's plans.
In addition, he discovered that the British government had not completely severed diplomatic ties with his hometown, and the two sides had actually maintained diplomatic relations. If they really wanted to express their willingness for peace with Hong Kong City, there was no need for him to convey it.
Therefore, he was very suspicious that Grantham asked him to contact his hometown because he suspected that there was a connection between him and his hometown and wanted to find some handle on him.
This forced him to remain vigilant.
His answer obviously disappointed Grantham. He slowly put down his hands, sighed slightly decadently, and said:
"Forget it. The current Hong Kong City issue is no longer something I can decide on my own. The Colonial Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are already communicating with the other side. If I intervene at this time, it may backfire."
Looking at Grantham's expression, Fang Lang was a little unsure of what the other party meant. One moment he told him that he wanted to talk to him, and the next moment he said that it was not appropriate for him to get involved.
Could it be that his ideas are at odds with those of the person who is now in charge of negotiations with his hometown?
"Your Excellency the Governor, as the Governor of Hong Kong City, you should be the one who knows the situation of Hong Kong City best! At the same time, your opinions should be the most valued by the higher-ups!
I think if you really want to maintain peace in Hong Kong, you should take the initiative to express your ideas to your superiors. This is your duty, isn't it? "
“You are right, I know exactly what I should do, and I am working hard for it, but it seems very difficult now.
If my prediction is correct, the final destination of Hong Kong City will definitely be to return to the embrace of the other side. All we can do is to delay this time.
But this is obviously not the result that the higher-ups want to see. If we are doomed to lose control of Hong Kong City in the end, the higher-ups would rather promote Hong Kong City's independence than easily return it to the other side."
Grantham's words were very frank. His views seemed very advanced at that time and were infinitely close to the reality proven by history.
As the current governor of Hong Kong City, if he can really have such a clear understanding, it will undoubtedly be beneficial to the future of the entire Hong Kong City. This means that they will not fight to the death with the other side for a colony that is destined to be lost!
His statement made Fang Lang's eyes narrow. In order to further confirm the other party's attitude, Fang Lang couldn't help but repeat:
"You mean, the port city will be taken back by the other side sooner or later, right?"
Facing Fang Lang's repeated probing, Grantham did not choose to evade, but directly said frankly:
“Yes, I think this is the future of Hong Kong City!”
This attitude completely confused Fang Lang. He could not understand Grantham's purpose at all. If he was British, what he said to him could be regarded as a frank exchange of opinions.
But he is Brazilian, and he is Chinese. And his relationship with him is definitely not close enough to say such things, which made Fang Lang very suspicious of his purpose, and he couldn't help but speak directly:
"Governor, I don't understand why you are telling me this!"
Seeing Fang Lang's puzzled expression, Grantham finally showed a faint smile on his face, and faced Fang Lang's inquiring eyes and said seriously:
"Because I think you, like me, want peace in Hong Kong!"
Fang Lang looked at the other party's meaningful smile, and did not directly admit or deny it. Instead, he shrugged and said:
"I think I am not the only one who hopes that Hong Kong City can have peace. All Hong Kong City people hope to have peace. Why did His Excellency the Governor tell me this?"
Although Fang Lang had been avoiding Grantham's words, Grantham was not angry. Instead, he smiled and picked up the wine glass at hand, took a sip and said:
"Because, during this tense period, all merchants are shrinking their businesses, and even a lot of capital is trying to flee abroad. Only General Fang is still increasing his investment in the port city.
Even now, he is going to build his own private museum in Hong Kong! Doesn’t this prove the point? "
Fang Lang really didn't know how to refute this. After all, when he met with several group company leaders these days, he told everyone not to be restrained by the tense situation in Hong Kong.
Instead, we should take this opportunity to acquire a batch of high-quality industries at low prices from companies that are giving up their high-quality assets.
Now it seems that the other party may have discovered his views on the situation in Hong Kong from the recent actions of his group company.
During this tense period, companies that are still willing to invest money and continue to be optimistic about the development of Hong Kong City naturally firmly believe that war will not break out in Hong Kong City.
Seeing Grantham's determined expression, Fang Lang didn't know what to say for a moment. It was not wrong to say that he was really optimistic about the long-term development of the port city.
But is Hong Kong City really suitable for development in the short term? In fact, it is not the case. You should know that Hong Kong City did not have an easy time during the Peninsula War.
Because Gangcheng is close to my hometown and there are a lot of smuggling businesses going on between the two sides, the entire Gangcheng was added to the blockade list by the Americans, and the economy of Gangcheng was severely hit.
Therefore, although Fang Lang asked his companies to seize the opportunity to acquire high-quality assets at low prices, he also emphasized not to rush things and that the entire process could be completed within four years.
This order puzzled many of the company's leaders, but they still followed Fang Lang's orders, began looking for valuable high-quality assets, and took the initiative to negotiate with the other party.
Now it seems that it must be these actions of the group company that caused Grantham to misjudge that they were going to expand their investment in Hong Kong City.
But the reality is that now we are just starting to inquire about prices, and the real negotiation or acquisition will take a long time.
Fang Lang certainly wouldn't tell Grantham about these things, so he could only make the best of it and said:
“I am indeed optimistic about the future of Hong Kong City. I have never denied this. I have been emphasizing this since the moment I set foot in Hong Kong City.
In the past two days, I have indeed had some doubts about whether the port city can really be peaceful. I even thought about whether I should lead the fleet to withdraw in time.
However, the words of His Excellency the Governor today made me realize that the person in charge of Hong Kong City still has a clear mind. I believe that with such a clear-headed leader, the future of Hong Kong City will not change. And my wavering heart will naturally settle down.
If Mr. Governor needs my help in any way, please feel free to ask. I will definitely not refuse to help you within my ability."
When Grantham heard Fang Lang say that he had thought of taking away three warships of the Brazilian Navy, he was shocked. This was not good news.
Although he also wanted to solve the port city problem peacefully, who could guarantee that there would not be any risk of war? Once a war really broke out, perhaps the three warships of the Brazilian Navy would not play a big role, but the political significance of the Brazilian Navy's participation in the war was something the British were unwilling to lose.
In addition, the Brazilian Navy was originally scheduled to visit the port city for a month, but only about a week has passed. If the Brazilian Navy is allowed to leave early, the outside world may question this matter.
This is also something that Grantham does not want to see.
Fortunately, this incident did not happen, and after talking with the other party today, the other party seemed to be more confident about the peaceful resolution of the Hong Kong City issue, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
"Haha... Thank you General for your trust in me! Thank you General for your optimism about the future of Hong Kong City!
If you are willing, General, I really need your help with something!"
Fang Lang narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this. He knew that this guy would not say these words to someone he was not familiar with for no reason.
Therefore, he deliberately offered to help the other party just to test the other party's true intention. Now the other party really took advantage of the situation, which made him unable to help but have his eyes flashing and his mind racing.
"Haha... Governor, please rest assured that I will never refuse to help you wherever I can. But please also understand that I am just a Chinese in Brazil. If it is beyond my ability, I may not be able to help."
Surprisingly, Grantham did not show any anger at Fang Lang's words that were clearly meant to evade the question. Instead, he continued to look at Fang Lang with a smile on his face, nodded slightly, and said slowly and unhurriedly:
"General Fang, please rest assured! We are friends, and I will never put a friend in an awkward position. This matter is absolutely easy for General Fang."
Seeing the other party's nonchalant look, Fang Lang couldn't help but become more curious, wishing he could know right away what the other party wanted him to do for help!
Fortunately, the training he received in a high position in Brazil in recent years has made him understand the importance of staying calm, and he also knows clearly that the simpler things seem, the more complicated they are.
This made him suppress his eagerness to prevent himself from falling into the other party's trap due to his own impulse. After taking a deep breath, Fang Lang slowly raised the wine glass in his hand and gestured to Grantham:
"Governor, since you consider me a friend, please speak frankly!"
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