Prince Gong had a headache when he heard Rakshasa Ghost's words. It was true that the imperial court needed help from the great powers, but the Russians could not help even if they were killed. Britain, France and the United States were just greedy for money from the Qing Dynasty, and they still made money through business. , and these Rakshasa ghosts want money and land, and they wish they could swallow up the entire Qing Dynasty.
"Haha, the minister is joking. The Qing Dynasty is only encountering some slightly serious security incidents, and it has not yet reached the point of borrowing troops."
Yi? did not dare to entangle the topic of borrowing troops with Ulan Geli. Instead, he paid attention to the ministers of Britain, France and the United States, hoping that they would express their stance.
After a brief silence, French Ambassador Goldmy spoke, "Dear Your Excellency, I am afraid that I cannot agree with your definition. How can the casualties of thousands of Qing soldiers be described as a simple security incident? In any country, This behavior can already be characterized as a rebellion..."
"We do not want to interfere in the internal affairs of the Qing Dynasty, but we have been paying attention to every change in this ancient empire. We hope that this country can be more enlightened and civilized, but unfortunately, the war has not subsided over the years, and even Such serious conflicts occurred around the Qing capital..."
The British Minister-Counsellor, Lord Wytoma, also spoke at this time, "I agree with Ambassador Goldmi very much. This conflict is not an ordinary rebellion, it is a conflict between two values. Xiao Letian spared no effort to promote Western learning , This is commendable. I hope the Qing government can restrain the conservative forces and try not to turn academic disputes into wars. We don’t want any crown to fall, and we don’t want any scholar to be harmed..."
The attitude between Britain and France is still very ambiguous. Of course they hope that more and more Chinese will promote Western learning, but they also hope that the Qing government can maintain its rule. After all, the treaty was signed with the Manchu Qing government. If something changes, it will definitely damage Britain and France. interests of both countries.
Russia still hopes to make the matter bigger. Ambassador Ulan Geli pinched his curly beard and retorted, "No, no, no, the Qing government did not make a mistake in this matter. The emperor must suppress these heretics if he wants to rule his country. I support force." Suppress it, and I am willing to send warships to blockade Tanggu Port from the sea, so that the bandits will never even think of escaping from the sea..."
The Russian bearded man is a typical person who watches the excitement and is not afraid of big troubles. He even wants to roll up his sleeves. Russia needs a warm water port so much. The greedy Britain and France have occupied almost all the places on the earth suitable for human survival, and Russia relies on its Whatever you do, you have to endure hardships in the snowy wilderness.
Russia needs to expand the space in the south, the navy needs a warm water port that does not freeze all year round, and the empire needs more and more living space. As long as the Russian navy is given an excuse to enter the Bohai Bay, it will be in compliance with the old Chinese saying that it is easier to ask God than to send him away.
Just as the Russian bearded man was eloquently emphasizing to Prince Gong how heroic and capable the Cossacks were, the key figure in the room, the American Minister John Han, spoke.
"Your Highness, you are inviting the ambassadors of the four countries to talk this time. I'm afraid the real issue is not Xiao Letian, right? Marshal Zeng, who is heading north, is the issue you want to discuss today."
At the most critical moment, the old diplomat had to be able to calm the situation. When Hua Ruohan opened his mouth, the whole room fell into silence. Hua Ruohan picked up the wine glass and took a sip.
"The Hunan Army now claims to be 500,000. This number is definitely exaggerated, but if it is cut in half, there should still be 250,000 elites. To put it bluntly, the imperial court does not have a force that can compete with Zeng Guofan. These soldiers Having been fighting for over ten years, this is a very formidable group of warriors..."
"Let's look back at the army in the hands of His Majesty the Emperor. How many of them are still capable of fighting? Just like Xiao Letian took action twice in a row, destroyed a green camp and captured a senior Eight Banners official. How can soldiers of this quality be protected? Where is the emperor?"
Hua Ruohan calmly revealed the shortcomings of the imperial court in Chinese, making Prince Gong blush. But Hua Ruohan seemed determined to teach him a lesson today, and the sharp words that followed made the prime minister even more embarrassed.
"I don't know how the court will deal with Xiao Letian, but I want to remind His Highness the Prince that Xiao Letian is an American citizen and his life safety is protected by American law. And the various assassinations against Xiao Letian during this period, the Prince does not know How can you give me an explanation..."
"Misunderstanding, it's all misunderstanding!" Guiziliu made Hua Ruohan sweat on his forehead. This topic is really hard to explain.
Hua Ruohan did not save face for him and continued to provoke him, "Maybe you think Xiao Letian has brought you a lot of trouble. After all, his existence has always irritated those Confucian scholars. However, you must also think about it carefully. Now Isn’t it the power in Xiao Letian’s hands that can really save the Qing Dynasty?”
"Industry and natural science are the only way for the imperial court to innovate and protect itself. Why Xiao Letian can hurt you is because he has such power in his hands. He is personally demonstrating to the imperial court and telling you What method can we use to defeat the traditional army and defeat the hundreds of thousands of Hunan troops!"
"It is a pity that the Qing court ignored Xiao Letian's efforts and instead tried every means to eliminate him. Even after the emergence of newspapers as a weapon to compete for people's hearts, the court showed panic and chaos. Don't you want to Would you like to make good use of this power?”
Hua Ruohan sighed and said faintly, "I really don't understand. Isn't an industrial zone capable of producing advanced guns and cannons the dream of any country? Xiao Letian chose to give this power to the Qing Dynasty. Isn't this what he Love for the mother country?”
"I'm very sorry. In this conflict, we in the United States cannot provide any help to the Qing Dynasty, because the people who can help you are in the Qing Dynasty. Finally, I will give you a Chinese proverb, 'He who helps himself will be helped by heaven.' If the Qing Dynasty cannot train itself A powerful new army, then you are destined to tremble in the shadow of careerists..."
Hua Ruohan's words couldn't be refuted. The imperial court had come to this point purely because of his own death. Zeng Guofan dared to send troops northward, and it wasn't because Xiao Letian's combo boxing stirred up the entire Zhili region. In particular, the emergence of newspapers made the court panic and responded inappropriately.
And why is Xiao Letian going crazy? Isn't the root cause the distrust of the imperial court and the pressure of the Confucian scholars to force the imperial court? Fortunately, even the Americans have been offended now, and the imperial court is no longer a human being.
The meeting between Prince Gong and the envoys from the four countries did not yield any meaningful results. When Yi? sent away the foreigners and was about to enter the palace to discuss with the queen mothers of the two palaces, an uninvited guest came to the door. Weng Tonghe, the leader of Qingliu, came to pay his respects in person.
"What? Weng Shuping came to see me? If you don't see me, let him go back and say I'm not free..."
"Why is the prince so angry? I'm not a savage beast. I don't even have the time to say a few words in person?"
Yi? When he looked up, he found that Weng Tonghe had barged in from outside regardless of the obstruction. Yi? He was so angry that he put the tea cup on the table. "I can't afford to offend you, so why can't I hide away? I've been tossing and tossing, and now I've tormented Zeng Guofan to the north. Look at the good deeds you Qingliu have done..." "
"Hahaha, the prince is worried about Marshal Zeng? No, no, as long as the court gives me the decree, I, a Confucian scholar with a sharp tongue, will personally stop the Marshal's cavalry. Don't worry, Zeng Guofan just wants to take advantage of it. It’s just a matter of taking advantage of the newspaper’s opportunity to mess up people’s hearts and show off their force to the world…”
"I'm sure that the 20,000 cavalrymen will never move forward after they reach Cangzhou. He just wants to raise the price and get more benefits from the court... After all, he is also a scholar. What he thinks about me It’s still clear…”
Weng Tonghe's persuasion made Yi? somewhat relieved, and his expression softened a lot: "Uncle Ping, don't blame me for having a bad temper. There are so many important things waiting for the court to handle in the coming years. I really don't have the energy." If you have to deal with these scholars again, please give me some face and stop inciting the students to toss..."
"Let me tell you the truth, don't always think about dealing with Xiao Letian. Today the American Minister has personally admitted that Xiao Letian is an American citizen. If the quarrel continues, there will be disputes!"
After hearing this, Weng Tonghe was stunned: "What does the prince mean by this? Did Xiao Letian just let it go? Did the Han army's green camp kill so many people in vain? Melebai was arrested? Is the imperial court still going to establish that special zone?"
Yi? shook his head, "Old man, don't ask. I'm in a hurry to enter the palace now, and it's too late to make a decision. But I remind you, the court has been through a lot of storms in recent years, and it's easy to calm down." There can be no more chaos...just think of yourself as pitiful for the emperor who has no personal authority!"
After saying that, Yi? patted Weng Tonghe on the shoulder and strode out of the Prime Minister's Office, leaving the imperial master alone in deep thought.
When the original words of the ministers from the four countries, especially the American minister, reached the ears of the Queen Mother and the Emperor, the hearts of the two Queen Mothers suddenly became enlightened.
"That's right, what Americans say is rough or not. Even if these Confucian scholars used the principles of heaven and conscience and the loyalty and filial piety of saints to force Zeng Guofan, they can't force them for a lifetime. Even if they force Zeng Guofan, they might still have Li Guofan and Wang Guofan. ...We still need to have the power in our own hands..."
"It seems that this industrial zone will not work if we don't build it. The court cannot always be squeezed by others. What if it becomes a routine in the future and someone will lead troops to put pressure on us every now and then? We have to make our own guns and artillery. Didn't Xiao Letian say that? Well, relying on purchasing is expensive on the one hand, and you can’t buy top quality products on the other hand..."
"Let's do it this way. Let Xiao Letian be released. The court will not hold him accountable for his crimes. Let's reconcile. After finishing the matter before the year, let Zhou Daoying and Ermao go to talk. Later, Weng Tonghe will be sent to deliver the order. , let them bite the scholars, and absolutely not allow a single soldier of the Hunan Army to enter the capital, and stop the Ai family in Cangzhou..."
"Go back and tell Weng Tonghe that these actions will never be allowed to cause trouble in the streets again. The bottom line of the court is here. If there is another gathering of people to make trouble, Enke will not want to do it again this year. Just tell him clearly... …”
