Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 1244: Soft-Egged Tsarist Russia

The private study of Ambassador Hilco at the Embassy of the Bird Empire in China.

"This is really unexpected," Envoy Sekt put down the newspaper in his hand and shook his head. "Our plan has completely failed."

Ambassador Hilco stood aside and said cautiously: "Mr. Seckt, we originally wanted to use this negotiation to intensify the Sino-Russian conflict, but now..."

"It's all gone now," Seckt sighed, "Su Zhengyang played this move too smartly. Not only did he make the Russian Empire pay a price, but he also gave them dignity. This method..."

He stood up and walked to the window: "This method has made us lose the opportunity. If he had done it to the extreme, it would be fine. But now, not only did he give Sergey a chance to speak at the press conference, but Sergey also took the initiative to invite him to dinner afterwards. What does this mean?"

"This means that both parties have already..." Hilco said tentatively.

"It means that old fox Sergei has seen through our intentions," Seckt interrupted, "Even if the Tsar is furious, he can't find an excuse to vent his anger now. After all, in the eyes of the whole world, China's actions are blameless."

He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip: "Our wishful thinking was wrong. This Su Zhengyang is much more difficult to deal with than we thought."

&34;What about what we told Sergey before...&34; Shilko was a little worried.

"It's all become a joke," Seckt said with a wry smile, "The current situation is that China and Russia have reached a tacit understanding because of this negotiation. This is not good news for us."

Seckt walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of brandy.

"In the final analysis, I oversimplified the situation," he said, shaking his glass with a hint of self-mockery, "I actually thought I could fool Sergei with such a clumsy lie."

"Mr. Seckt, you have done a good job," Hilco said quickly, "at least we have nothing to lose."

"No," Seckt took a sip of wine, "I underestimated the intelligence of that old fox. He must have seen through my intentions from the beginning, so he took the initiative to invite Su Zhengyang to dinner after the press conference. This move... This move is brilliant."

He walked back to the window and looked out at the busy street: "Think about it, who is he sending a signal to? It's telling us that your attempts to sow discord are useless, and it's also telling Moscow that we still have room to maneuver."

&34;So...&34; Hilco thought.

"Yes," Sekter laughed at himself, "when we were playing tricks on Sergei, he was actually using us to put on a show for all parties. This old guy... is much smarter than I thought."

"But sir, we really didn't lose anything," Hilco consoled him. "At most, a plan failed."

"That's true," Seckt took another sip of wine, "but this lesson tells us that we underestimated our opponents in the Far East. Whether it's Su Zhengyang's skills or Sergei's experience, we can't easily see through them."

He turned and looked at Hilco: "Tell Berlin to reassess the situation in the Far East. The water here is much deeper than we thought."

"In the final analysis," said Hilko with some disdain, "the so-called fighting nation is just an empty name. Faced with such an impolite request from China, they actually agreed to pay 34 million gold rubles in compensation and cede territory to admit their mistakes. How can this be the style of Tsarist Russia? They are simply a bunch of softies."

Hearing this, Sekt shook his head slightly and said, "You are too young, Hilco. If someone else were to negotiate, the situation would only be worse."

"Worse?" Hilco asked in confusion. "Can it be worse than it is now?"

"Of course," Seckt poured himself another glass of wine, "Sergey is no wimp. Quite the opposite. He is the most flexible diplomat I have ever met."

He walked to the desk and continued: "Why do you think he was able to stay in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for so many years? It was because he could see the situation more clearly than anyone else. Today's admission of faults and concessions were just temporary grievances in his eyes. But it was this grievance that gave Tsarist Russia a chance to breathe."

&34;You mean...&34;

"Think about it," Seckt's voice became meaningful, "If it were those so-called tough guys who came to negotiate, what would they do? They would probably fight tooth and nail, and what would be the result? Not only would they lose everything they were supposed to lose, but things would get even more awkward."

He took a sip of wine: "But Sergei is different. This old man is well versed in diplomacy and knows when to retreat and when to advance. His performance at the press conference today seemed to be admitting his mistakes, but in fact he was leaving room for the future."

&34;You mean he was being deliberately...smooth?&34;

"That's right," Sekt nodded. "Did you notice that? When he answered reporters' questions, he was neither humble nor arrogant, and he even joked. How could this be a sign of admitting defeat? This was clearly telling everyone that although Tsarist Russia had made concessions, it was still a great power."

Xierko thought thoughtfully: "So that's why he took the initiative to invite Su Zhengyang to dinner?"

"That's the truth," Seckt said. "In diplomacy, sometimes showing weakness is the smartest way. Sergei, the old fox, knows this very well. He knows that instead of trying to save face, it's better to give in temporarily and wait for a better opportunity."

He looked out the window: "That's why I say he's not a wimp. On the contrary, the fact that he can remain rational in this situation and pave the way for the future just proves that he is a formidable opponent."

Hilco was silent for a moment, and finally said: "It seems that we all underestimated him."

"Yes," Seckt laughed at himself, "We all thought we could easily control the situation, but in the end we were defeated by this old guy. This is experience, young man."

"Shall I have dinner prepared?" Hilco said, checking the time.

"Yes," Sekt nodded, "Have the kitchen prepare something rich and open a bottle of good wine. Today is worth celebrating."

Hilko was slightly stunned, somewhat confused about what Sekt was thinking. His plan had failed, and he had been outmaneuvered by Sergei. What was there to celebrate?

"Your Excellency Sektor," he asked cautiously, "what are we... celebrating?"

Seckt turned around and showed a meaningful smile on his face: "There is an old Chinese saying, 'When three people walk together, there must be one person who can be my teacher.'"

&34;What does this mean? &34;Silko was even more confused.

"That means," Sekter shook his glass, "even opponents can be our teachers. Although the price of today's lesson is not small, it is worth it."

He walked to the window and said, "Think about it, isn't Sergey's performance today a vivid lesson in diplomacy for us? Knowing when to advance and when to retreat, understanding the overall situation, and knowing when to show weakness... These are all worth learning."

Hilco suddenly realized: "So you're celebrating...learning something?"

"That's right," Sekt said with a smile, "In the diplomatic field, the most feared thing is not failure, but complacency. Although Sergei, the old fox, ruined our plan today, his methods are indeed worth learning from."

He turned to Hilco and said, "Go ahead and tell the kitchen to prepare dinner. We're not going home until we're drunk."

"Yes, sir," Shilko bowed slightly, and before turning away, he couldn't help asking, "But... do we really want to learn from a Tsarist Russian diplomat?"

"Why not?" Seckt asked, "Wisdom knows no borders. Besides, a diplomat who can get out of this situation unscathed is worthy of our learning, isn't it?"

Hilco nodded thoughtfully and turned to arrange dinner.

And Seckt still stood in front of the window, looking at the setting sun. In this rapidly changing era, perhaps the true wisdom lies in being able to learn lessons from every failure and learn something from every opponent.

This is probably the true meaning of diplomacy.