Cutting 1719

Chapter 447 The Art of Compromise

Seeing that Tulichen fell into a speechless situation, Earl Savaula just smiled contemptuously, but began to counterattack again, "As long as it is beneficial to the Russian Empire, then everyone will become friends of the Russians, and Tulichen Your Excellency seems to have forgotten that, judging from the current situation in the Qing Dynasty, you need to be friends with the Russians even more."

"friend?"

Tu Lichen had a sneer on his face, "Are there any friends in this world who occupy the territory of other countries? Are there any friends who are invading everywhere? Or, if you want to be a friend of the Russians, you have to offer me the Qing Dynasty with both hands." territory?"

Earl Savaula shook his head, "Master Tulichen, maybe your emotions will only affect your judgment, but your boss, your emperor will understand this truth better. As long as the Qing Dynasty can survive, this is the truth. The most important thing, isn't it? And to survive, you need to ask us."

When Tu Lichen heard this, his heart suddenly became tense. Of course he understood what the other party meant. I am afraid that the negotiation on border demarcation this time will completely turn into a negotiation to ask for assistance from Russia. As for how much the Qing Dynasty will pay for this negotiation The price, I am afraid only the emperor himself knows.

As soon as he thought of this, Tu Lichen suddenly felt that he had become a joke here, with a sad smile on his face, and said coldly: "Since your envoy is so sure, what else do you need to do here?" , I will not accompany you anymore, let me take my leave.”

After speaking, Tu Lichen walked out, but the Earl of Savoula stirred the porcelain cup with a silver spoon, and said with a smile: "Master Tu Lichen's temper, maybe he should be a commander on the battlefield, but Not a diplomat. You know, compromise is not a mistake a lot of the time, it's what it should be when it needs to be."

"It took the Russian Empire a long time to understand this truth. No matter how wise and great Emperor Peter was back then, there were times when he had to execute his own crown prince. However, no one would say that Peter the Great was not a great sovereign."

Tu Lichen's heart moved. He is not unfamiliar with the history of the Russian Empire. Of course he knows this allusion, but he still feels a little unwilling, and said coldly: "What's the benefit of your envoy telling me so much? Believe it Your envoy also understands that this matter has never been in my hands."

"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect that Tu Lichen didn't understand the Western philosophy of survival, but he also didn't understand China's unique officialdom culture."

There was a smile on Earl Savaula's face, "The greatness of politics does not lie in how many dirty things it has done, but in that no matter how much dirt is hidden underneath, it is always spotless on the surface. I believe that the emperor of your country will also I won't tolerate this, so I need a lining to pad and set off, if your envoy doesn't make this lining, who will do it?"

Tu Lichen's face was gloomy, he raised his legs with difficulty, but no longer walked towards the door, but moved towards the original position step by step, perhaps for him, this was a great humiliation.

Earl Savaula didn't care at all, he said softly: "Actually, many things will be better than you imagined. The Qing Dynasty and the Russian Empire are a community of interests, such as fur, and "Chu" in the south. Maybe we Should not be an enemy, a friend is the real best choice."

Tu Lichen understood the meaning of what Sarah said. Since the end of the war between China and Russia, the relationship has not really weakened. On the contrary, the economic exchanges between the two sides have become more intensive, just like the fur trade between China and Russia. It is the bulk of the Sino-Russian trade.

As we all know, after Russia conquered fur-rich Siberia in the [-]th century, it then expanded to Kamchatka, the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands. Although it cost a lot of money, it finally included Alaska, the "Kingdom of Fur". It has become the world's largest fur exporter in modern times and a leader in fur trade with China.

A large number of businessmen import fur from Russia from Kyakhta, and then sell it to the mainland for huge profits. There are not a few people who sell fur on the street, and there are also many people who like fur. They buy fur for replacement collars or cuffs. , which was not uncommon at the time.

Of course, because the Qing court has always followed the tradition of the barbarian policy, even though Russia had reached a peace agreement with the Qing court at that time, it was still not allowed to trade in any port along the coast of China—until the opening of the Kyakhta trade market, entering The surge in Chinese fur has become the bulk of the trade between the two sides.

However, the good times didn't last long. In the 58th year of Kangxi, Emperor Kangxi became deeply vigilant about the trade between China and Russia, and even sent a special message to Tsarist Russia, informing Russia to suspend caravan trade, claiming that "our dynasty All kinds of fur goods are plentiful. Moreover, in coastal areas such as Guangdong and Fujian, merchant ships from Western countries and other countries come to trade every year, and all kinds of goods are abundant, and no one buys your goods."

This time, the Russians were all dizzy, and they didn't expect that the Qing government would restrict it when it said it would. Therefore, in the conditions of the Earl Savaula's negotiation this time, there was the purpose of reopening the Kyakhtu trade market.

Tu Lichen could understand the meaning of Earl Savaula, but he shook his head lightly, and said directly: "Perhaps the fur business can be discussed, but the matter of Ningchu is not as easy as you think. ——With the [-] guards brought by your envoy alone, it may be difficult to get out of the capital, let alone contend with Ning Chu's hundreds of thousands of troops."

Count Savaula sneered and said: "The Siberian Khanate thought the same way back then, but they were still completely destroyed. War is an art, and it is never just about numbers. If my 500 people are used properly, Even your capital cannot stand against our army."

"Huh, your envoy is very loud, but Yakesa, your army lost to us in the same way?" Tu Lichen deliberately pretended to be disdainful, but he also knew that the Qing army back then wanted to lay down Yaksa paid a far higher price than the Russians.

Earl Savaula shook his head, "Master Tulichen, what I want to remind you is that the war broke out in 1685, but now it is 1724, which is the third year of your Yongzheng, nearly 40 years , can bring about many changes, such as the Russian Empire."

After saying this, Count Savaula put down the porcelain cup in his hand, and said very solemnly: "During these great 40 years, the changes in Russia are not only in the territory, but also from top to bottom. , Our economy, culture, military, religion, etc. are all different from 40 years ago, if your country still looks at the Russian Empire from the same perspective, I believe this is not a rational judgment."

Tu Lichen was already a little impatient, he didn't want to continue discussing everything about the Russians with the envoy, and said coldly: "If the envoy only wants to talk about these things, then I think our conversation can be over."

"No, Master Tu Lichen, I hope you can understand your responsibilities now."

Earl Savaula had a sneer on his face, "This time the negotiation is not a negotiation on defining the land of the Erguna River, but a negotiation on how to save the Qing Dynasty. You Qing Dynasty needs to think about it and pay for this. What kind of price?"

Tu Lichen recorded the entire process of this conversation and presented it to King Celeng of Duoluo County and Minister Bo Sige of Sanzhi. The Minister of Rank, Bo Sige, also fell into a deep silence after reading the record of this conversation.

Looking at these two superiors who deliberately evaded their negotiating duties, Tu Lichen no longer felt angry, and he no longer placed his hopes on these two people. This time it was just a routine duty. , the map mileage will be submitted to the emperor, and the emperor will decide the future negotiation process.

Celen, king of Doro County, let out a long sigh, "Tulichen, you have really worked hard this time."

There was no joy on Tu Lichen's face, but he replied with a little tiredness, "The Qing Dynasty has fallen to this point, and my heart is already in pain, how dare I talk about hard work?"

Sanzhi Minister Bo Sige seemed very dissatisfied with Tu Lichen's current attitude, and snorted coldly: "Tu Lichen, don't think that you are the only one who is the greatest here. When talking about the Eight Banners and the Qing Dynasty, no one can match our loyalty." question."

"My lord, Mr. Bo Sige, I never like to talk empty words, but you have also seen the current situation. This time the Russians have a huge appetite. They are no longer satisfied with the negotiation boundaries of the year. Even this time Negotiations will no longer be bounded by the Ergun River, don't you understand their appetite?"

Tu Lichen's face was ashen. He really had enough patience with the current situation. Perhaps, as Earl Savaula said, he should go to the battlefield to fight instead of compromise at the negotiating table.

Celeng let out a long sigh, and decided to have a showdown with Tu Lichen directly, "Tulchen, I can understand your feelings, but you have to understand the situation of the court, the current situation is worse than you imagined Danger!"

Tu Lichen shook his head. It's not that he doesn't understand the situation in the Qing Dynasty since he was an official, but in his opinion, it was this kind of compromise mentality that caused the court to become like this.

"The kindness of the two adults is appreciated. It's just that gentlemen do what they don't, so you don't need to persuade them anymore."

Tu Lichen's expression showed determination. After bidding farewell to the two adults, he wrote a memorial to Russia overnight, "The Russians are wolf-minded. It is a desolate place, but it is also maintained by the painstaking efforts of the ancestors, and we must not cede an inch."

In this memorial, which is thousands of words long, most of it is Turichen’s summary of the words of the Russians, including him and the Count of Sawavula, all of which are also written in it. .

It was already the next day when Yongzheng saw the secret document, he read it over and over several times, and then called the officials from the Military Aircraft Department, and showed them all the memorial.

"If it weren't for this memorial, I really wouldn't know that our Qing Dynasty already has such a loyal minister!" The sarcasm in his tone was beyond words, but it made everyone tremble in their hearts.

Xu Yuanmeng sighed softly, and said softly: "If you go back to the emperor, the servant thinks that Tu Lichen is just eager to serve the country. You shouldn't be too harsh on him."

Yongzheng snorted coldly, Xu Yuanmeng's words were really unpleasant, as if they were the only loyal ministers of the Qing Dynasty in the world, and he, the emperor, became a traitor who took the lead in betraying the country?The truth in the world, how can there be such a simple thing!
Zhang Tingyu had no choice but to stand up. After all, the notoriety cannot be attributed to the father. As a courtier, he has to take the blame from time to time, so he explained in a low voice: "Tulichen and the others, as envoys, naturally have full power to negotiate It’s just that this matter is of great importance, and naturally it cannot be decided by Tu Lichen and others, and the imperial court also has a certain right to intervene.”

Jiang Tingxi stood up. As the latest minister to enter the aircraft department, he rarely expressed his views on weekdays. Only in this matter, he chose to plead with Tu Lichen.

"My Majesty, the fault of Tu Lichen is not in his heart, but in his ability. The court can punish his ability, but not his heart."

Yongzheng nodded slightly. He also thought Jiang Tingxi's words were reasonable. After all, no matter what he said, Tu Lichen's loyalty to the emperor was obvious to all, but the key point was that this person's behavior was too out of date.

"Tu Lichen's nature is not bad, so I won't blame him too much. I ordered Tu Lichen to keep busy with state affairs and not to make trouble again. As for the responsibility this time, I will temporarily hand it over to the Ministry of Officials for discussion."

After the matter was settled, a trace of hesitation flashed across Yongzheng's face, "The reason for this trip is that the Russians keep saying that they want to help me clear the Qing Dynasty and resist Chu's rebellion. All the ministers, what do you think of the other party's sincerity?"

When they heard this, everyone's spirits shivered. It was obvious that this was what Yongzheng really cared about!
Although the Qing court and the Russians fought wars, there was no real enmity between the two sides that could not be resolved, so there would be no obvious obstacles to the cooperation between the two sides, and both sides had enemies in the northwest—Jungar, Fully have a certain space for cooperation.

Prince Zhuang Yunlu hesitated and said: "It's just that the Russians have seen the truth of our army now, what if they open their mouths like a lion?"

"If you really want the lion to open his mouth, you might as well give him more."

Zhang Tingyu took the conversation softly, but his face remained unchanged, "Even if you don't give it, if you can't resist Ningchu in the future, these are things that the Qing Dynasty can't keep. If you can give it to the Russians, in exchange for their support for the Qing Dynasty, If you give it, you will give it."

"It's just how to give it is also a science. Now that you have decided to give it, you might as well give it more. Not only the territory of the Ergun River can be given to them, but also the land south of the Waxing'an Mountains can be discussed. , As for trade, we can also talk about it, since we want to sell it, we might as well sell it at a good price!"

Hearing Zhang Tingyu talk about betraying the country, but it caused the officials to glare, Jiang Tingxi said coldly: "Master Zhang's great opinion, I have never heard of it, if all these ancestral lands are cut off, what if the other party is still in trouble? What if What if they hook up with Ning Chu and carve up my Daqing?"

Zhang Tingyu smiled slightly, "Then it's better to compare who can betray the country. Compared with my Qing Dynasty, what price can Chu Ni offer? I believe that as long as the Russians are smart enough, they should know how to choose."

(End of this chapter)