Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 426 Qianlong took the first step beyond his ability - opening up group training~
The atmosphere in the restaurant was instantly tense~
Adelaide thought hard, when did she give the wrong hint?
From the day of landing,
He never mentioned the words "George III" or "London".

Is Wu Ting playing dumb or looking for trouble?
……

Hu Xueyu had a serious expression and his eyes were similar to those of an aristocrat in the House of Lords in London who was about to find fault.

Adelaide sat up straight and explained seriously:

"I am the grandson of John Adelaide, Duke of Buckingham, Earl of Spencer, appointed by the King himself, and Governor-General of India, Adam Adelaide."

"So, your sudden visit was a spontaneous act of the colony? It was not authorized by your king? It does not represent the official London?"

"No, Minister. I must seriously point out to you that more than 100 years ago, the King granted the East India Company the power to independently occupy territory, mint coins, command armies, make alliances, declare war, sign peace treaties, and conduct trials in civil and criminal cases in the colonies."

Seeing Hu Xueyu relax a little, he explained:

“We are more of a country than a company.”

……

Hu Xueyu asked again:
"You don't need London's approval before making any decision? Including starting a war?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Earl, we Han people have an old saying: there is no two suns in the sky, and no two masters in the family. We still maintain a cautious attitude towards the dual power structure of London and the East India Company."

Adelaide's back was sweating a little, and she asked:
"What does it mean?"

“On trade, perhaps we need to renegotiate.”

"You can't do this! This is a public destruction of business credibility!"

Seeing Adelaide lose control,
Hu Xueyu waved her hand, signaling him not to get excited:
"We will still accept all the goods you brought according to the originally agreed price. However, the quotas for tea and silk need to be reconsidered."

……

"why?"

"Because, in the past year, due to the terrible war and climate factors, the production of tea and raw silk in the south has dropped significantly. If we sell them all to you, if a legitimate delegation from London also buys 500 million taels, we will not be able to take them out."

Adelaide's expression gradually lost control and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Hu Xueyu still said seriously:

"After all, you are just a border guard and cannot represent the center."

"Your Excellency, I think I should remind you again that the East India Company has absolute freedom and is not a fiefdom of your country."

"is it?"

"of course."

"Then I understand that your positions and those of London can be different, or even contradictory?"

Adelaide Seychelles,

As the Governor of India, how could he be against London?

Seeing him hesitating, Hu Xueyu was secretly delighted, as the fish had finally taken the bait.

"Your Excellency, our country's position is firm and friendly, but it is difficult for us to deal with it at the moment. It's not that we don't believe in your company's strength, we are just worried that we will not be able to defeat Dayuetui."

……

Adelaide thought for a moment.
explained:
"The king and the prime minister are both intelligent men. It is impossible for them to prevent friendly trade."

"That's hard to say. What if London is more optimistic about the Qing court in the north? Excuse me, but meat eaters are vulgar."

"What do you mean?"

The translator hesitated for a moment and said briefly:

"There are many fools among the nobles."

The atmosphere fell into silence again~
Adelaide suddenly found herself in a very embarrassing situation of "proving herself".

how,

How to prove to a group of wealthy, arrogant and cautious Orientals who had no idea about the Saxon Kingdom that the East India Company could represent the will of London?
anyway,
People just expressed it sincerely, but were half-believing and half-doubting.

Explain again,
People look up history, such as the military governors of vassal states, the protectorates, and the vassal states.

……

Hu Xueyu is gone.
Comforting Adelaide will not affect personal friendship.

All the goods brought in must be eaten.

At most,
Your returning ship will be mostly empty, and the silver can be returned to you.

Everyone had a heated discussion behind closed doors.

A company director first rejected the idea of ​​returning empty-handed:
"Absolutely impossible! We transport the silver ingots here and then transport them back? The loss is incalculable."

……

A young member of the most important committee, who had just arrived in Bangladesh from London,
He said loudly:

"The profit from tea and silk worth 300 million taels of silver should be between 900 million and 1500 million taels. This profit is very important to the company and cannot be given up. Commercial competition in Southeast Asia is becoming increasingly fierce. If we lose it, the Dutch will have it."

Adelaide gave him a contemptuous look.
The most important committee consisting of only five people was a constraint on him as the governor.

Whenever he made any major decision, he had to discuss and vote with these five people in advance, and who agreed and who opposed had to be recorded.

To put it bluntly,
These five people are the colonial Censorate, specializing in talking nonsense.

If London wants to impeach itself, the black material is likely to be provided by them.

……

The captain of the flagship "Boyne River" couldn't help but complain:
"Gentlemen, I think it is necessary for the Royal Navy to flex its muscles."

The two generals next to him couldn't help but nodded.

They are all former army officers who command multiple mercenary legions for the company.

The colonial army had a rough style of work. Basically, they would kill anyone who disobeyed them and even destroy villages!

In the absence of intervention from their European counterparts, they privately called themselves the "invincible army."

Adelaide instantly got furious and slammed the table.
Pointing at them, he shouted:

"Are you crazy?"

"There is Dagukou in front and Jinshanwei in the back. First we fell out with the Tatars, then we fell out with the southern Han people. When did our Saxon Kingdom's diplomatic tactics become so wild? Are you the offspring of a Rakshasa woman and a Cossack man?"

"In my opinion, what the minister said is right. Meat eaters are despicable! Very despicable!"

……

Everyone looked at each other,

After thinking about it, I realized that I really can't think of using force at the moment.

The State of Wu was not Mysore, not Maratha, and not Konbaung.

"Okay, gentlemen, let's get back to business. We are serious businessmen, pursuing huge profits. Let's solve the problem from a business perspective, even if it costs a little!"

then,

Dozens of members of the merchant group were temporarily stranded in Suzhou.

Li Yu also tacitly agreed not to summon them again, and just forgot about it~
Adelaide sent out his confidants to carry out activities everywhere.

Public relations!

Saxon is also an expert at interpersonal relationships; after all, that’s how they played it in Guangzhou.

There is no wall in the world that cannot be circumvented.
If there is, build a ladder with gold and walk over there calmly.

Bribe off Li Yu's favorite ministers to speak for him.

The real universal language is gold, not English.
……

Songjiang Prefecture, on the banks of the Huangpu River.

A new cotton mill was built.

There were brand new brick houses, level land, and a road paved with coal slag leading directly to the river.

The Saxons carefully helped to debug the machines and taught the workers how to use the machines and what precautions to take.

Li Yu has high hopes for this factory.

A historian once said:
"Anyone who talks about the Industrial Revolution is talking about cotton."

Cotton spinning is the leader of light industry, and mining and metallurgy are the leaders of heavy industry.

Two sheep go hand in hand.

The rest of the sheep will automatically follow the lead sheep.

Once the power of the machine is demonstrated, merchants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang will follow suit collectively in pursuit of greater profits.

When it comes to accepting new things, businessmen from Jiangsu and Zhejiang are still at the forefront.

...Li Yu’s control of the heat is just right.

He bet that the East India Company would not dare to start a war, but was just flexing its muscles in the hope of gaining greater profits in commercial negotiations.
As a company, profit comes first.

A company that starts a war at every turn is definitely not a legitimate company.

Companies will only go to war if it is profitable.

More than 40 people led by Adelaide ate, drank and visited everywhere in Suzhou Prefecture, which could be regarded as disguised hostages.

With them around, the five powerful warships anchored off the coast of Jinshanwei would never dare to open fire.

As for,
Songjiang Prefecture was prepared for landing and armed rescue.

In short, the advantage is mine.

……

The question now is, just keep acting.

Until a step appears that will allow the Wu State to profit and Adelaide to make concessions.

then,

Everyone is smiling and walking hand in hand towards the future.

What both parties are doing now is really a two-way rush~
If he had to choose between London and the East India Company, Li Yu would rather be an ally of the East India Company.

London is too far away and too useless.

and,

Company is always easier to deal with than country.

As for,
Adelaide refused to kneel on one knee when she first met the emperor. Just regard it as a bit of willful arrogance of an old noble.

First time meeting, want to quickly judge Wu's confidence~
After all the twists and turns, it’s all about money!
……

Daoqian Street, Shunde Restaurant.

Mei Yunsong, the chef and shopkeeper, wiped his hands on his apron and handed out the cooked food wrapped in lotus leaves.

"Top secret information must be sent out as quickly as possible."

The visitor nodded.
Leave quietly after paying the bill~
Jinshanwei is not far from Suzhou City.

The Saxons' visit was no secret, and it was spreading throughout the city.

Mei Yunsong himself couldn't leave, so he asked his wife to secretly go to Jinshanwei. He saw a huge warship floating on the sea, with white sails like clouds, which was shocking.

The spy couple's hearts collapsed a little, and for the first time they became interested in the outside world.

He has been lurking for a long time, and his plan to assassinate the king is still far from being realized, but the restaurant's business is becoming more and more prosperous.

Mei Yunsong felt a little annoyed, regretting that he shouldn't have cooked the dishes too deliciously, which resulted in him being busy and exhausted every day.

……

Nanyang Prefecture, Henan Province.

A retired official gave up his manor house to Qianlong for temporary residence.

The whole family temporarily lives in an ordinary two-story courtyard, but they have no complaints.

For himself and his family,

It is a great honor, and smoke is coming out of our ancestral graves.

"Master, how about I send someone to build a temporary palace? I feel uncomfortable for your Majesty to live in this small place."

Qianlong waved his hand:
"No need. State affairs are more important. Things are not as good as before. The treasury is short of money and grain. Any surplus should be provided to the soldiers on the front line first~"

He Shen was so moved that he shed tears.

Outside the door, Zhang Jing from the Temporary Military Affairs Office was walking hurriedly.

"There is an urgent report."

"Send it over quickly."

Qianlong opened it, his palms trembling slightly.

"~ Your servant, Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Yi Erhang, bows down. The Wu bandits are attacking rapidly and have occupied the entire Jiangxi province. Ma Zhongyi, the governor and general of Nangan Town, and his 2 soldiers went down the mountain to harass on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, but unfortunately they were ambushed and all died. The Wu bandits broke through Meiguan and occupied Nanxiong, but their front was temporarily blocked by the wind and snow. As winter turns to spring, the Wu bandits will surely re-encircle Guangzhou City. In recent days, there have been many foreign warships from various countries at sea harassing the Pearl River to cooperate with the Wu bandits' actions. Your servant learned from merchants in Southeast Asia that the fake Wu Li rebels secretly formed an alliance with many countries overseas, signed treaties to cede territory and pay compensation, and recognized many foreign monarchs as co-parents, which in return won the strong support of the foreign people."

"The prices of goods are soaring, the people are unstable, and clans are banding together to resist the taxation.

"Guangzhou is in danger, Guangdong and Guangxi are in danger, millions of officials and civilians are eagerly waiting for the imperial court's reinforcements. Your servant Yi Erhang and his colleagues from Guangdong and Guangxi are crying and bleeding."

……

The folds are falling,

Qianlong looked at the wind and snow outside the window and muttered to himself.

"Ma Zhongyi is dead?"

"I praised him a few days ago for his quick wit. He thought it was right to save his strength and go into the mountains. It has only been a short time. God is jealous of talents and God does not bless horses."

He Shen's eyes were slightly red.

But I was thinking quickly in my mind that if 2 people hid in the mountains, they would have enough food and drink and could be stationed in different places.

Flexible guerrilla warfare could at least hold back Wu’s tens of thousands of elite troops for a year or two.

There must be a traitor. Lao Ma has been sold out.

What a pity!

……

"Decree that Jiangxi Provincial Governor Ma Zhongyi was brave and resourceful, and died heroically for his country, and be posthumously named Wuwei, and announce it to the world. If everyone was as loyal as he was, how could our Qing Dynasty have come to this?"

"Whoo."

Ma Zhongyi's death was considered a fatal one, but the war in Guangdong remained difficult.

"Heshen, what do you think of Yierhang's urgent plan?"

"Master, are you saying that the government offices in Guangdong and Guangxi have secretly opened up militia training?"

"Ah."

"I am overstepping my authority. I think Yi Erhang is right. Now that Wu is powerful, Guangzhou is in imminent danger. If we continue to stick to the old ways, I'm afraid~"

Seeing that Qianlong had no anger on his face,

Heshen gritted his teeth and fell to his knees.

"I feel that it is better to share it with the local gentry and powerful people than to lose it to the Wu bandits."

"Be bold!"

Qianlong shouted angrily, his face instantly turning red.

……

"You, you are simply rebellious. Do you think I don't understand what you mean? Is this something you can say in front of the emperor? If those people in the Censorate hear it, even I can't protect you."

Under heavy pressure,

He Shen was not in a hurry and kowtowed devoutly:
"If I die, the world will be at peace. I am willing to be killed and smile in my grave."

Qianlong's arrogance suddenly disappeared by half and he sat back in his chair.

Actually,
Even though he angrily scolded Heshen just now, he had actually been thinking about whether to give the South a drastic measure - opening up militia training!
Qianlong was an emperor who was well-versed in history and Confucian classics.

Except for his poor poetry writing skills, everything else is good, especially his political wisdom. 300 years ago, only the Taoist priest could compete with him.

Moreover, he has a very good psychological quality, rarely gets angry, rarely acts impulsively. He is always calm, neither happy nor sad, holding the supreme scepter, looking down on the common people.

……

Open group training - this is a strong medicine,
I wouldn't dare prescribe this prescription easily, let alone let the patient drink more.

Because this prescription has too many side effects, and the sequelae are likely to be lifelong~
Heshen simply saw through Qianlong's thoughts and served as the emperor's mouthpiece.

If the emperor were to propose opening up militia training first, it would damage his prestige and easily cause panic.

As the saying goes:
Jiajing had Yan Song, and Qianlong had Heshen.

……

Heshen just knelt there silently, and Qianlong just sat there silently.

The two looked at each other for a long time.

Finally someone broke the unbearable silence.

"Heshen, do you know that once power is delegated, it is very difficult to regain it~"

(End of this chapter)