The cars of the ministers and ambassadors of various countries stopped as they entered the gate of Tsinghua College to undergo inspection by the guard. Facing the cool yet polite questioning of these National Defense Force soldiers, the drivers and entourages of the envoys showed no sign of their usual arrogance. They all cooperated very well, presenting their invitations and identification.

In less than two months, China had become a different world. Especially after the destruction of that British fleet, the change in the attitude of the foreign ministers and ambassadors was very obvious. A large reason for this was also that when they engaged with the relevant personnel of the new government, they felt a standard that was on par with their counterparts in Western countries.

Morrison's appearance was quite handsome, with a bit of the air of a British aristocrat. Not to mention that this Australian, a descendant of British criminals, was now a British noble. As a British noble serving as a minister of this great Oriental power, with this double endorsement, Morrison appeared even taller in the eyes of the foreign envoys.

Although his ancestors had arrived in Australia on a convict ship, none of this could be seen in Morrison. His behavior was composed, his speech appropriate. Except for the fact that the Australian and Edinburgh flavors in his London accent were indeed a bit hard to describe, other aspects were impeccable.

The French Minister behaved the most cordially, joking with Morrison about when he would visit France. Morrison simply asked, "If China and France establish diplomatic relations, will France extend an invitation?"

"I think it is very possible," the French Minister admitted readily.

Precisely because a British fleet had truly been destroyed by the National Defense Force, no one discussed the matter. The diplomacy of imperialist countries was all about treating people according to their status. An opponent who could not be threatened by gunboat diplomacy should naturally enjoy normal diplomatic rights. In the telegram sent by the French Foreign Ministry to the Minister, the Minister interpreted a meaning: 'The French government does not care about building equal diplomatic relations with China, as long as China can weaken Britain.'

Just as the two were talking, the American Ambassador joined the conversation with a glass of wine. "Mr. Morrison, congratulations on becoming a cabinet minister. As a British knight and as a Chinese minister, I wonder whom you are more grateful to?"

The diplomatic personnel around Morrison stopped their conversations, listening for Morrison's answer. It was obvious that the American Ambassador's question was ill-intentioned, yet it was something all the foreign diplomats were very curious about.

Morrison answered in a relaxed tone, "I thank my alma mater, the University of Edinburgh. It is precisely because I received a relatively complete education at school that I have been able to receive goodwill from all sides."

The diplomats smiled; this answer was very clever and full of confidence. Seeing that he hadn't managed to provoke anything, the American Ambassador raised his glass. "Thank our alma maters for the education they gave us. And, congratulations again on becoming the Minister of Commerce of the Republic."

Morrison then clinked glasses with the American Ambassador. "Thank you."

After taking a sip, the American Ambassador said, "Shall we take a walk on the campus?"

Morrison nodded. After moving a slight distance away from the crowd, the American Ambassador asked, "My government has always held a friendly attitude towards the Chinese government. But given the current situation, we have questions regarding the issue of accepting Chinese students."

"Mn," Morrison just made a sound of acknowledgement. The United States accepted Chinese students to study in the US under the name of remitting the Boxer Indemnity. In Morrison's investigation, this was nonsense. The US did not take a penny less; the expenses for Chinese students to study in the US were still paid by China. This behavior, in Chinese terms, was 'wanting to be a whore but also wanting a monument to chastity'. Moreover, what the US expected was to cultivate a pro-American faction in China, or even for a pro-American faction to emerge and dominate the new government. The establishment of He Rui's new government made the US realize that their efforts had failed.

Zhao Tianlin, Lu Daoming, and others were all educated in the US and had completed their studies there. These people's attitudes towards foreign countries and the US were no different from He Rui's, or perhaps even more radical than He Rui. The US government's cultivation had only created a group of excellent scholars who had strength and loved their country, not a group of 'bananas' who loved the US.

When discussing this matter with Zhao Tianlin, Zhao Tianlin raised a question. Was it possible that the US side was disappointed with the Chinese students and would thus change its study abroad policy? If the Republican government actively proposed wanting to continue the study abroad program at this time, it would undoubtedly put the government in a disadvantageous position. Morrison naturally would not let the Yankees take advantage of this.

Seeing Morrison's completely indifferent appearance, the American Ambassador could only ask proactively, "There has always been a saying that the Chinese government does not recognize previous treaties. Is this the case?"

Morrison asked back, "How does the US government want the Chinese government to recognize previous treaties?"

If this question had come from the mouth of a Qing official, the American Ambassador would have immediately reminded the Qing official to 'mind his status'. Now that Minister Morrison of the new government asked such a question, the American Ambassador understood the attitude of the new Republican government.

The US government actually did not really care about those Americans killed by the new Chinese government. For the lives of so few Americans, were they going to send the Great White Fleet to escort tens of thousands of US Army troops to the Chinese coast to launch an attack?

Denouncing the new Chinese government as barbaric and brutal in the newspapers would not affect the US President's position. If the Great White Fleet were sunk, and tens of thousands of sailors and tens of thousands of US Army troops were hanged from streetlamp poles in Chinese cities by the new Republican government, the President would step down in disgrace and bear eternal infamy.

The core point of international politics is to recognize reality and respect strength. The telegram from the US Secretary of State to the Ambassador hoped that the Ambassador could maintain trade between China and the US as much as possible, use the conflict between China and Britain to reach an agreement with the new government on trade, and expand the sales of US goods to China as much as possible.

Based on the current priorities, the American Ambassador asked, "Your Excellency Morrison, as Minister of Commerce, do you have any policies regarding trade?"

Minister of Commerce Morrison answered readily, "Under equal tariffs, we are willing to conduct full trade with the United States."

The American Ambassador frowned slightly. The new government had completely taken back the customs, and so far, the quality of the personnel sent by the new government to the customs was quite good. That is to say, the situation the US side expected and worried about—that the Chinese customs would not be able to operate normally—did not occur.

If China's tariffs were equal to those of the US, US goods would immediately lose many advantages, running counter to the US Secretary of State's requirements. But to solve this problem, the US only had peaceful means left. Equality was a basic rule between the Great Powers. Given China's industrial disadvantage, the US government actually had no other means to manipulate the new government.

By the time the two had walked a lap around the venue, the two sides had only reached a consensus on fair trade that should have existed under equal relations, without anything new.

Jordan had thought Morrison would take the initiative to talk to him, but he didn't expect that Sir Morrison was really 'putting on airs' now and simply would not take the initiative to approach Jordan. Since Morrison wouldn't take the initiative, Jordan took the initiative.

The dance began. As the host, Morrison finished the first dance with the wife of the most senior diplomat present, and other diplomats and their families danced gracefully on the dance floor. Jordan held his wine glass and proactively walked towards Morrison's vicinity. Morrison did not deliberately give him the cold shoulder; he walked over with his wine glass. In the eyes of other diplomats, this pair seemed like young men and women forced to get to know each other at a ball under parental pressure. Fortunately, both were male and didn't have to be forced to dance together.

Of course, Morrison was actually very calm inside. Jordan had seen so many storms and waves, and was also very composed. The reason Jordan was a bit hesitant was that he actually had considerable objections to London's orders.

London's orders required Jordan to quickly stabilize the chaos caused by the regime change in China. Jordan felt that the big shots in London completely failed to understand that there was no chaos in the Far East. The He Rui government was building the government and restoring order at an astonishing speed. So far, the chaos that was expected to be caused by land redemption had been very small.

If anything was chaos, the fundamental changes brought about by the rapid establishment of the new government were the chaos. This meant that the order in the Far East had completely broken away from British control and began to be rearranged according to the expectations of the Far Eastern countries.

"Congratulations, Your Excellency Morrison," Jordan sighed.

Morrison expressed sympathy sincerely, "Your Excellency Jordan, I can understand your unhappiness. Serving under General He is indeed much more relaxing than serving under those big shots in London. Because General He's level of understanding of the world is even above us subordinates who are on the front line."

Jordan nodded. In any case, Morrison was a British subject and a British noble; some words could be spoken more thoroughly. "I actually don't quite understand. What exactly does General He want to get from the current confrontational relationship with Britain? The British fleet might still come to the Chinese coast to demonstrate, and will issue various statements and condemnations. But General He should be very clear that this is an explanation to the British domestic audience, not an attitude towards General He. General He has ample room to improve relations between the two countries. Why did General He refuse such an opportunity? In the report from London, they believe General He is a nationalist, but they do not think General He is a radical nationalist."

Morrison nodded, "I appreciate the judgment of those Excellencies in London. However, they still disappoint me somewhat. what General He expects is to integrate into the current world order. There must be a place for China within the Versailles system. In the current world order, China's status is only a little bit better than that of a defeated nation. I think this is unjust to China. What do you think, Your Excellency Jordan?"

Jordan looked at Morrison in his decent suit, and his tone could not help but carry sarcasm, "Does China want to obtain a status equal to Japan? Does General He wish to convene a conference to discuss China's naval ratio?"

Morrison seemed not to hear the sarcasm in it at all. He answered frankly, "If, in addition to these, we can also sign a trade agreement like Japan's, we can completely stitch the Far East together with the Versailles system in an orderly manner. Britain can also obtain huge benefits from a large amount of trade!"

Jordan did not answer this vision, which could be described as crazy. He walked a few more steps before saying, "Your Excellency Morrison, I have already submitted my resignation to London. Soon, I will return to the small seaport in Spain where I lived during my last retirement. If you have the opportunity to go to Europe, I welcome you to my retirement place to drink and chat. As for other matters, please discuss them with the next Ambassador to China."

Morrison could understand Jordan's despair at this time. Eight years ago, after Yuan Shikai failed in his attempt to become emperor, Morrison felt a deep despair. All his efforts as a political broker were lost because he bet his chips on Yuan Shikai. At that time, it was He Rui's invitation that gave Morrison a glimmer of hope. With the mentality that since there was nothing left to lose, he might as well give it a go, Morrison went to the Northeast.

Now Morrison was willing to believe that He Rui could succeed. Once He Rui succeeded, Morrison was also ready to retire. He would return to Britain with honor and deep connections to spend the final stage of his life.

Morrison nodded, "I will definitely go to Spain to drink and chat with Your Excellency."

Jordan decided to make a final effort, "Does Your Excellency not want to reveal some of General He's plans?"

Morrison smiled slightly, "Does Your Excellency see me as a traitor?"

Although his words were imposing, Morrison knew in his heart that while he was an important cabinet member for He Rui, he was not a core member of the Civilization Party. He Rui had certainly formulated actions against Britain, and those discussing the actions were all core members of the Civilization Party. Such matters must absolutely not be explained to the outside world. If others knew, Morrison would only receive ridicule instead of praise.

Jordan did not answer. He suspected that Morrison did not know He Rui's core strategy. However, such things could only be thought about; saying them out loud would be humiliating himself.

The New Year's ball was held very well. All foreign diplomats realized that the He Rui government did not have strong sentiments of revenge. Their goal was no different from normal countries, which was the integrity of national sovereignty. After obtaining sovereignty, the He Rui government, like other Western governments, sought normal commercial intercourse.

After understanding this point, only one question remained before the Western countries. In the current situation where military force could not shake He Rui's new government, on what conditions should they accept the He Rui government's requests?

The governments of various countries were very clear that the He Rui government had no navy and naturally had no ability to force countries to accept its requests. The initiative in this matter was not on the He Rui government's side, but in the hands of the Western countries.

So at the end of the banquet, everyone stood together and sang Christmas carols. Morrison invited Jordan to the stage, and the two sang the famous British song, "Auld Lang Syne" together. In a joyous and harmonious atmosphere, the banquet ended.

The German Ambassador returned to the embassy and completed the report he had started earlier, staying up all night. On Christmas Day, he sent a long telegram to Berlin.

"...The He Rui regime is composed of Chinese elites. From the survey forms of these elites' backgrounds, it can be determined that none of them come from the old upper class. Their connections with the old upper class are very weak; instead, they have deep integration with the Chinese middle and lower classes...

...The new government has adopted a very traditional Chinese centralized system in its organizational structure, adopting the operation mode of a European left-wing government. Interestingly, this operating model has been completely accepted by the Chinese upper-middle and lower classes. They do not consider this a system model originating from the West, but rather believe it is a historical experience that has long existed in China's ancient history. It is hard to judge whether this is a kind of confidence or an illusion...

On the basis of left-wing economic policies, the He Rui government seems to be doing its utmost to avoid the common incompetence of left-wing governments, namely, the attack on and stigmatization of capital. Although it is unknown whether such an attempt will succeed, at least at this stage, we can hold expectations for the development of the Chinese business community.

...The industrial products needed for China's industrial development, especially electrically driven machine tools and internal combustion engines, are traditional German strengths. Cooperation in these areas can expand the export of German goods.

...The He Rui regime has not explicitly shown a dislike for the Versailles system; they likely hope to join rather than overthrow the Versailles system...

In summary, the new Chinese government is a reformist government and does not insist on a tough stance and policy. Based on the fact that there is no strategic conflict between China and Germany, and based on the consideration of Germany's current status and future interests, it is suggested to launch diplomatic cooperation with the new Chinese government without setting any preconditions. And to complete the signing as soon as possible to obtain political and economic benefits."

When the telegraph operator sent the message to Berlin, the German Ambassador, who had not slept all night, had already fallen asleep. In his sleep, the German Ambassador found that he had actually returned to the battlefield that had escalated into a world war. The radio was announcing the latest good news: 'Marshal He Rui, Chairman of the Republic of China, has formally declared war on Japan and Russia. The Northern Army Group composed of 1 million Chinese Army troops is attacking the Russian Far East. The Eastern Army Group composed of 800,000 Army troops is attacking Korea. The Southern Army Group composed of 200,000 Chinese Army troops has broken through the Sino-French border and entered Vietnam to fight. The future goal of the Southern Army Group is to seize Singapore and completely blockade the Strait of Malacca...'

The scene then switched to the General Staff. Amidst the intelligence flying in like snowflakes, Russia was forced to transfer the troops attacking the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the East via the Trans-Siberian Railway. Although France abandoned Indochina, Britain, in order to keep its colonies in Southeast Asia, had to withdraw troops from the French battlefield to support Southeast Asia and India.

And hundreds of thousands of German elites were being transferred continuously from the Eastern Front to the Western Front by rail, about to deliver a fatal blow to the French.

The Ambassador, as a member of the German General Staff, had already appeared on the front line and was commanding his brigade to make pre-war preparations.

Just then, the Ambassador suddenly woke up. No one had disturbed him, but he woke up because of his violent heartbeat. At this moment, he only felt parched. He picked up his water glass and took a sip. Panting slightly, the German Ambassador realized he had had a dream, an unimaginably beautiful dream.

Upon waking from the dream, the cruel reality lay before the Ambassador. Germany had been defeated. As a defeated nation, Germany had lost everything it had painstakingly gained over the past few decades. Except for the fact that Germany had not been completely dismembered, nothing remained.

As for whether Germany would be completely dismembered, it was also a difficult question to answer. The current Germany was on the edge of a cliff and might fall into the abyss at any moment.

Suddenly, the Ambassador wished he could have dreamed that beautiful dream for a little longer.