Xiao Letian didn't have the energy to persuade Zai Chun during this period. He took advantage of this period to meet with envoys from various countries, and many of the transactions on and off the table had to be handled personally!
After all, the Qing Dynasty was the largest empire in East Asia. The envoys in Beijing had the highest authority to be dispatched by European countries. They were even plenipotentiary and could give orders to envoys from other places!
Negotiations here can definitely lead to work. For example, the Prussian cargo ship that was detained in Singapore, the Lion City, and the British military attaché in Beijing paid a private visit. In just half an hour, Beijing Dongjiaominxiang sent a message to the Lion City. Got the telegram!
It was just an order telegram. After receiving the telegram, the British customs officers in the Lion City let it go without saying a word!
The commercial interests of Britain, Germany, and the United States need to be distributed through negotiation. France and Tsarist Russia also have the long-standing prisoner of war issue that needs Xiao Letian to solve!
This is a mess. The French prisoners of war are easy to deal with. The compensation has gradually been paid. What is left is the handover procedure. But this Rakshasa ghost is too rogue!
They refused to pay a penny of war compensation, and they did not even recognize the country of the Far East. As for those prisoners, they were as useless to Tsarist Russia!
You can't threaten them at all. On the contrary, they secretly threaten Xiao Letian with the Ili Valley in the far northwest, and even rant that if the Chinese don't return the land and prisoners of war in the Far East, they will send troops to invade the entire Xinjiang from the Ili Valley!
Negotiations are still full of difficulties. The war bear in the north is indeed the same as in the previous life. Even if he loses his underwear, he doesn't care. He still feels like a winner!
When the Russo-Japanese War ended, Japan wanted to extort war reparations from Tsarist Russia, but in the end the Tsar didn't even pay a penny, forcing Japan to sign an armistice!
Now Xiao Letian finally understands what hob meat is all about!
"It seems that we need to support Zuo Jigao more. The smoother he fights in the northwest, the easier it will be for me to negotiate... The Ili Valley must be completely recovered, and no traces of history can be left behind!"
"We must stop these delusions!"
Just when Xiao Letian was busy and confused, he never expected that Lord Long would come and bring an acquaintance with him!
After seeing Xiao Letian, the old farmer saluted with clasped hands and red eyes: "The head of state...I would like to ask the head of state to go to Nanheng Street! Please go to the head of state secretly!"
"What's wrong?" Xiao Letian was shocked for no reason. "The commander-in-chief wants to see me?"
"No, the commander is dying. He is still unconscious... I have lost my sense of control. I came to you without permission! When the commander is awake, you won't let me trouble you!"
"Ah! You are so confused...How can you listen to such words? Take me there quickly..."
It would be very bad for a master like an old farmer to lose his temper like this. Xiao Letian did not make a big fanfare, but a group of people took a rickshaw, lowered the awning and quietly walked south across the street!
Nowadays, the rickshaw business in the capital has gradually taken off. The Fucha family put out fifty rickshaws for publicity in the early stage. Although they were annoyed by Cheng Beile's provocation, this incident was also free advertising, which made the rickshaw business even more attractive. Everyone knows it!
Immediately afterwards, Fuqing ordered the remaining fifty rickshaws to be put out, and then the Northern Industrial Zone sent spare parts for another 300 rickshaws to start assembling!
In just a few days, the number of rickshaws operating in the capital has exceeded 180! And it is still increasing at the rate of more than ten vehicles every day!
When new things appear, ordinary people dare not try them, and Fuqing also adopts a top-down marketing approach!
Let’s start with the civil and military officials and the royal nobles. Dozens of cars can enter the Donghua Gate and Xihua Gate during the day for the use of the officials. Nowadays, the officials of the Sixth Ministry, especially the poor officials in the capital, like to make this kind of cheap and easy-to-use rickshaw!
Once it becomes popular among the government, it will be natural for the people to accept it!
A group of rickshaws ran from Dongdan Archway to Nanheng Street in Nancheng. They didn't attract too many people's attention along the way. Xiao Letian had a gloomy face and didn't know what he was thinking!
The row of courtyard houses on Nanheng Street were all rented by Marshal Zeng. At the moment, the entire area was under martial law. The Hunan Army guards guarded everything like iron barrels, almost blocking the roads!
When they saw the old farmer coming with the head of state, the guards opened the gate without saluting. The rickshaw entered the yard without stopping at the gate, and then the heavy gate was tightly closed!
Xiao Letian was dumbfounded when he came to the inner house and saw that Zeng Guofan was lying on the bed like a dead man, his eyes were tightly closed, his eye sockets were sunken, and his cheeks were sunken!
"This... Commander... This..." Xiao Letian's eyes almost burst into tears.
"The commander-in-chief is not dead... My condolences to the head of state... The commander-in-chief is still breathing..." the old farmer explained quickly.
Xiao Letian rushed over and probed his nose with his finger. Sure enough, he was still breathing very lightly. The old doctor next to him was trembling with fear and said, "This... this handsome man has clenched teeth. He really can't take the medicine. We just have to I could use a little acupuncture..."
"But... adults, please be mentally prepared!"
Xiao Letian waved his hand, "Don't be afraid, you are not responsible for this...Old farmer, let me ask you, can you make the decision about the commander's safety?"
The old farmer was stunned, "I...I have been following the commander for more than ten years and have always been at his service. If I nodded, the officials outside would not say anything..."
"Okay... let's try it out! Let our military doctor come on!"
A clinical nurse trained by Dr. Huang and two female nurses came randomly. All three of them were wrapped in white coats, with white hats on their heads and white masks on their mouths!
This outfit made people in the Qing Dynasty look extremely disgusted! My heart says are you mourning? If the head of state hadn't brought them, the guards would have beaten the three of them out just because they were dressed like this!
But the head of state and the old farmer gave the order, and no one in the yard dared to say anything!
Xiao Letian said nervously, "How many days has the commander been unconscious?"
"It's been two full days..."
"Hey... Even a good person can't stand it if he hasn't had enough water or rice for two days! Don't worry about anything else. Let's put the sugar water in first. This person must have the minimum nutrition and water!"
"Infusion? This... what method is this?" The eyes of the old farmer and the old doctors were wide open, and their mouths were almost open and dislocated.
Xiao Letian said with a livid face, "People rely on their mouths to breathe and drink water to eat! But at this moment, the commander is unconscious and can only breathe but cannot eat!"
"Then the nutrients and water he lacks... let's force them in from the blood vessels!"
