Chapter 612: Churchill's

"Sir, you have spent half your life in diplomatic service; all you seek is merely national dignity and territorial stability."

Jiang Tianyuan earnestly urged, "Now the situation in Chongqing is chaotic, our external voice is weak, and many demands are hard to achieve. By contrast, Nanko has a solid foundation, occupies a strategic point in Southeast Asia, and holds tens of thousands of British prisoners of war as a crucial bargaining chip; this is the perfect moment to make a bold move."

"As long as you are willing to step forward, you can lead the negotiations with the United Kingdom, finalize territorial sovereignty, and secure international recognition for the new regime; such an achievement would be worthy of the history books."

Gu Weijun remained silent for a long while, his fingertips lightly rubbing the tabletop as he continuously weighed his options in his mind.

In his decades-long diplomatic career, he has witnessed the humiliation that comes from a weak nation and has always hoped to have a strong national power as support, standing tall when dealing with others.

Now the old regime is plagued by internal strife, diplomacy is passive everywhere, and his own talent cannot be utilized.

In contrast, the newly formed Nanko is surging forward, with a united military and government, abundant territorial resources, and the perfect negotiating opportunity presented by the British prisoners of war; it truly can offer unprecedented room for action.

Seeing this, Jiang Tianyuan continued his persuasion, enumerating Nanko's principles of equal and stable national development.

He made clear that recruiting him is not a temporary exploitation, but a sincere reliance on his talent and reputation.

He hopes that he will build a complete diplomatic system for Nanko, gradually raising the nation's international standing.

After weighing repeatedly, Gu Weijun gradually reached a decision in his heart.

His lifelong ambition has been to protect his country and people through diplomacy, and the platform, authority, confidence, and opportunity offered by Nanko now are incomparable.

He lifted his eyes toward Jiang Tianyuan, and his steady gaze now carried an added resolve.

"Return and tell General Jiang and President Chen," Gu Weijun said slowly, his tone solemn.

"Grateful for your esteem, I am willing to accept the appointment, resign my current post, and go to Nanko to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs."

"From now on I will devote myself fully, maneuver among the nations, fight for Nanko's legitimate sovereignty, handle the prisoner‑of‑war dispute properly, and not betray the trust placed in me."

The lobbying succeeded completely, and a great weight lifted from Jiang Tianyuan's heart.

"Mr. Jiang, I see you also have the surname Jiang; I wonder what relation you have to General Jiang Anguo," Gu Weijun asked.

Jiang Tianyuan did not expect Gu Weijun to ask that, so he replied, "I am merely a subordinate of the Commander."

"Oh, that is interesting," Gu Weijun said, still keeping a mysterious aura toward Nanko.

But through Jiang Tianyuan's words, Gu Weijun was very clear.

The other side is not a follower of Chen Jiageng, because Jiang Tianyuan always puts Jiang Anguo first, not President Chen Jiageng.

But as far as he knows, Jiang Anguo is still the commander of the st Division on the Chongqing side.

Interesting!

Fascinating!

With Gu Weijun agreeing to take the post, Nanko finally welcomed a top diplomat capable of commanding the International Stage, taking the crucial step of resolving the prisoner‑of‑war issue, securing legitimate territorial sovereignty, and opening diplomatic channels, and thus stepped forward steadily.

After successfully recruiting Gu Weijun as Nanko's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanko's path to breaking the diplomatic deadlock officially began.

Jiang Tianyuan's plan this time went far beyond merely lobbying talent; he brought a large contingent of elite spies, infiltrated London, and before Gu Weijun's formal talks with Churchill, quietly launched a massive public‑opinion offensive.

These spies disguised themselves as ordinary citizens, newspaper writers, and social scholars.

They roamed London streets, market squares, and major newspapers.

They continuously spread a unified message: Nanko has no intention of permanently detaining 89,000 British prisoners of war, is willing to unconditionally release all captured British soldiers, and the sole condition for exchange is that the United Kingdom officially recognize Nanko's legitimate sovereignty over Myanmar, the Malaya Peninsula, and the entirety of Singapore.

The power of public opinion is often more terrifying and lethal than a battlefield clash of thousands of troops.

To ordinary British citizens, the British Empire's overseas colonies span the globe.

Distant Southeast Asian territories are merely a strange enclave thousands of miles away, dispensable.

But those nearly ninety thousand captured soldiers are husbands, sons, and brothers of countless British families, living close relatives.

In the simple values of the populace, the lives of compatriots always outrank cold land and colonial interests.

Abandoning a distant colonial foothold in Nanyang in exchange for tens of thousands of soldiers returning home safely is an absolutely worthwhile deal.

The news quickly swept the three British islands, instantly igniting public sentiment.

Countless citizens spontaneously took to the streets in protest and petition, gathering outside the Prime Minister's Office on Tangning Street, brandishing slogans to pressure the Cabinet, demanding that Churchill's government immediately negotiate with Nanko, exchanging Southeast Asian colonial rights for the freedom of the captured soldiers.

Public grievances swelled, and public opinion fully turned toward compromise and peace.

The massive public pressure bore down on Churchill and the British Cabinet. The previously hardline, war‑ready, colonial‑defending British leadership suddenly found itself in a dilemma, which also set the most favorable backdrop for Gu Weijun's appearance.

With the public campaign formed and the situation set, Gu Weijun formally arrived at the United Kingdom's Prime Minister's Office, beginning with Churchill the pivotal negotiations that will determine the Southeast Asian landscape and cement Nanko's international standing.

Inside the negotiation room the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, and the floor‑to‑ceiling windows showed London's gloomy sky, mirroring the current plight of the United Kingdom's government.

Churchill sat at the head of the table, his expression cold, his brows and eyes full of resentment and frustration.

As a prime minister who has spent his life defending the British Empire's hegemony, he is unwilling to voluntarily relinquish the core Southeast Asian colony the empire has painstakingly cultivated for a century.

Churchill was the first to speak, his tone bearing the arrogance and firmness of an established great power: "Minister Gu, the overseas territories of the British Empire are the result of generations of soldiers' blood‑shed expansion; there is no reason to simply hand them over."

"Myanmar, the Malaya Peninsula, and Singapore are the strategic cornerstones of the United Kingdom in the Far East; they cannot be used as bargaining chips for casual trade."

Facing Churchill's strong pressure, the fifty‑four‑year‑old Gu Weijun sat calmly, upright and composed; decades of diplomatic maneuvering had given him a balanced poise, neither servile nor overbearing.

Gu Weijun also knew clearly that these overseas territories of the British were acquired through continual plunder.

This also confirms the old empire's foundation, but now it is different.

Behind Gu Weijun stands Nanko, which gives him the confidence for negotiations.

Only with a powerful nation behind them can a diplomat have greater confidence.

Gu Weijun has witnessed the British's massive warships and cannons; when Jiang Tianyuan presented the carriers Qi Hang and Qi Ming, the battleship Zhen Hai, and the cruiser Ning Yuan,

Gu Weijun understood why Nanko could win battle after battle, even defeating two Japanese carriers at Liao nei qundao.

Jiang Tianyuan also informed Gu Weijun that the Japanese rd Division, led by Sakura I Province‑3, had already captured Yingpar, and this could be used to pressure Churchill.

The United Kingdom's current situation is far from good.

Because of pressure from India, the British cannot redeploy troops from India to the African front.

And in Australia the stalemate continues, making Australia even less able to support the Indian front.

Germany's little moustache, at this moment, must thank Nanko for restraining British colonial reinforcements to the African war.