In a modern state, military and diplomatic powers belong directly to the core leadership. In China, these powers were held by the Party Chairman—He Rui.

When Lieutenant Colonel Wang Xinli heard King Henry VI inquire about his diplomatic authority, his heart pounded. He answered cautiously, "As a soldier, I have not been granted such authorization."

Henry VI did not press him. Instead, Wang’s response only confirmed the King’s belief that the Lieutenant Colonel was an "aristocrat." The mere phrase "I have not been granted authorization" proved that Wang was not ignorant of the diplomatic system and its internal jargon.

"Can the Lieutenant Colonel contact the Chinese capital directly?" Henry VI continued.

As a soldier, Wang Xinli dared not bypass the chain of command. He replied frankly, "I will report to my superiors."

"How long will it take?" the King asked.

"I can hardly move my radio station into Buckingham Palace, can I?" Wang was forced by the strict regulations to speak the truth.

"What if I agree to it?" Henry VI was more inclined to deal with this "aristocratic officer" who seemed inevitable under the British system. In the King's eyes, Lieutenant Colonel Wang was reliable.

Ultimately, Wang Xinli, adopting a "dead horse as a living doctor" approach, sent a telegram to the WPLA General Logistics Department in Kenya. Just as he was prepared for his message to vanish into thin air or be met with a reprimand, a reply arrived: "Ask the British King if he is willing to establish a dedicated line."

A "dedicated line" in radio telegraphy meant that at a certain time and on a certain frequency, no other stations would transmit. Wang asked the King’s Grand Chamberlain, who was standing beside him, and quickly received the answer: "It is possible."

With this, Wang Xinli felt as if a great weight had been lifted. Such high-level matters were not for a mere Lieutenant Colonel to handle; in such situations, it was best to hand it over as quickly as possible.

Of course, Wang was curious about the contents of the exchange, but fearing the punishment that would follow any delay of major affairs, he suppressed his curiosity and waited quietly for the result.

Upon learning that the person on the other side was actually Chinese Marshal Cheng Ruofan, Henry VI felt he was indeed being treated with importance. His only regret was that He Rui himself did not appear. What Henry VI did not know was that Cheng Ruofan had established a dedicated line with the capital and was reporting directly to the Central Government. Although He Rui was not actively participating, Li Runshi was in charge, and He Rui was at least "listening in."

Naturally, Cheng Ruofan would not tell Henry VI any of this. He quickly received word from Li Runshi and relayed it to the King: "If the British King intends to go into exile, China will not stop him."

Hearing Cheng Ruofan's answer, Henry VI did not ask if Cheng had been authorized. If one of the five Marshals of China did not have the authority or the discretion to handle such matters, the management of the Chinese central government would be absurdly incompetent.

Henry VI pondered, considering whether to ask about the possibility of peace talks at this stage. Compared to exile, he naturally preferred a negotiated peace; even if it cost a great deal, the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland would have at least survived the war. Exile meant the end of the nation.

Seeing things had come to this, Henry VI decided to cast aside his pride and sent the question across.

Soon, Cheng Ruofan’s reply was delivered to him: "Please discuss this matter with the Executive Committee of the World People's Liberation Army. The Chinese government can only guarantee the safety of the King's exile."

As he finished reading the telegram, Henry VI felt a pang in his heart, his handsome face twisting with pain. An exiled king might never return to his homeland, but these radical revolutionaries of the WPLA advocated for the sweeping away of feudal autocracy and the establishment of people's republics. To realize their political ideals, these men of various ethnicities had absolutely no respect for ancient history. They even believed that the long histories of nations were merely accumulations of rot that had to be smashed and rebuilt.

This attitude was like a pack of wild beasts charging into a porcelain shop, completely ignoring the exquisite porcelain and the culture and history carried by their shapes and patterns, and simply wrecking the shop according to their animal instincts. After the depredations of these brutes, only ruins would remain.

Gazing at the ornate carvings and complex decorations of the Buckingham Palace briefing room, Henry VI was overwhelmed by a surge of emotions. Somehow, he suddenly recalled the ancient Chinese poem translated by Lieutenant Colonel Wang Xinli, "Meditation on the Past at Tong Pass."

Being the master of Buckingham Palace was indeed a fine thing. But if Buckingham Palace were to become his tomb, Henry VI felt his own life was more valuable.

Many years later, when Wang Xinli was telling his grandson about the pursuits of life, he remarked with deep feeling: "Nothing is brought into this life, and nothing is taken out. So never let yourself be weighed down by external things. Don't be like that King—when he went into exile, he brought a dozen fucking trucks..."

At this point, Wang saw his wife glaring at him for his coarse language. He quickly switched to more refined terms. "A single bag is enough for the necessary tools. Now even laptops have dedicated backpacks. With a backpack on your back and a small suitcase in your hand, you can go anywhere in the world..."

These words were truly from the heart, for Wang Xinli had never expected that after becoming the officer escorting the British King into exile, he would have to coordinate the transport for him. He had thought it would be a matter of a few cars and a truck—taking the King to a British port, putting him on a ship, and that would be that.

He never expected the King would organize an entire convoy. Not only did he take a dozen trucks of antiques and paintings, but there was even a truck specifically dedicated to hauling the British Royal Family's Gold State Coach, used for receiving foreign guests.

Seeing that glittering, magnificent Gold State Coach, Wang Xinli felt this was the very picture of a doomed nation. If a national leader used such ostentatious and impractical things every day, could they still claim to be part of the people? Could they still go among the masses and become one with them?

However, orders from above were not to stop the King's exile. Moreover, when the King fled, he took the British fleet with him. Wang Xinli finally felt his hard work had some value. Letting the British fleet run off together would help in the liberation of Britain. At the very least, without their ships, the British sailors wouldn't have to go down with them.

As for the combat capability of the British fleet, Wang was not interested at all. Compared to the massive American fleet, these few British ships were pathetic. Thus, his disdain for things like "royalty" only deepened. If they had sold those antiques and paintings, they could have at least built a few more warships!

King Henry VI had no idea what was going on in Lieutenant Colonel Wang’s mind. As he was leaving, he invited Wang to share his car and asked with a weary air, "Lieutenant Colonel, do you have any knowledge of poems regarding parting?"

Wang Xinli did his best to make his expression solemn. He translated the lyrics of Li Yu, the Last Ruler of Southern Tang, into English. Fearing the Englishman wouldn't understand the references to the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, Wang told Henry VI beforehand that he would substitute some terms with English names. Then he recited:

"When will the spring flowers and autumn moon end? How much of the past is known?

Last night, the east wind blew again at Buckingham Palace. One cannot bear to look back at the old country in the smoke and dust.

The carved railings and jade steps should still be there; only the coat of arms has changed.

Ask how much sorrow a man can have? Just like the Thames River flowing east."

He had just finished when he looked at Henry VI and saw him staring blankly out the car window. Before long, the King burst into tears.

Wang Xinli maintained a polite expression, but in his heart, he thought: *If you knew it would come to this, what the hell were you doing before? Now you have the face to cry? Ptooey!*

The confirmation of the British King’s exile to the United States occurred on December 14th. Marshal Cheng Ruofan, the General Logistics Director of the WPLA, was more concerned with the current position of the WPLA in London. Upon receiving news that the British forces in London had completely surrendered, Cheng let out a long sigh of relief. He had expected to be overjoyed, but his greatest feeling at that moment was actually: "It's finally over!"

With a deep sense of exhaustion, Cheng Ruofan decided to get some sleep. Just as he stood up, he remembered he still had to send a telegram to He Rui. At such a time, only by personally sending the telegram could Cheng feel that he had truly completed his task.

Sitting back down, Cheng Ruofan picked up his pen several times, but he didn't know what to write to express his current mood. Before 1915, Cheng Ruofan had looked forward to the day Britain would be destroyed. Thirty years had passed in the blink of an eye, and when that day truly arrived, Cheng found that what he had sought was perhaps not the destruction of Britain, but for China to become the world’s hegemon.

Now that China had truly become the hegemon, Cheng Ruofan felt a strong sense of unease. The man who had led China to this point and achieved the great deeds Cheng had never even dared to dream of was He Rui. If He Rui were in good health now, Cheng Ruofan would not feel such intense pressure; he would certainly be indulging in the feast of Britain's collapse.

But He Rui’s health was so poor. Once He Rui passed away, it would be up to Cheng Ruofan and the others to shoulder the burden of the world’s hegemon. Cheng Ruofan found that he was not prepared for this, and he felt immense pressure regarding the challenges that a hegemon must face.

The so-called hegemony of the white world, which had once seemed so invincible, was but a sandcastle before He Rui. He only had to surge the waves, and the castle would turn back into a pile of sand.

If China could not learn from this, it would be the next one.