Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 435: A landmark memorandum~
Two light infantry companies of the 5th Corps arrived at the small town of Qingyuan at a trot.

The Qing troops on the city walls desperately beat gongs and shouted:

"The thief Wu is here."

There was chaos in the city.

The guest was brave and fearless.

The Green Camp soldiers were frightened and retreated in fear.

However, the Cantonese militia in the city were united as one, fighting bravely to the death.

There are older people shouting:
"Kill, kill all these Hakkas. We would rather die in the Wu army than let the Hakkas destroy our ancestral hall."

……

The Cantonese young men, who were so bloodthirsty that they wanted to kill, even seized the weapons of the officers and soldiers.

"Leave all your weapons behind."

The Green Camp soldiers obediently handed over their bows and arrows, muskets, swords and spears, as well as two old mountain-splitting cannons.

inside the city,

It completely became a battlefield between Cantonese and Hakka.

The physical fitness of the Cantonese is slightly inferior to that of the Hakka, but in terms of unity and ferocity, they are no less than the Hakka.

The southern clans are particularly daring when it comes to fighting for their interests.

for example:

If a northern man fights a southern man, the northern man has a 1% chance of winning.

If northern men from one village fight with southern men from another village, the chance of winning is less than 3%.

of course,

The South here mainly refers to South China f3: Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi.

……

Hundreds of Green Camp soldiers were suddenly left with nothing in their hands and looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Master Qian, what should we do?"

Qian Zong was confused and had no idea what to do.

"Let's go and ask the county magistrate what to do."

Ran to the county government office,

Everyone witnessed an unforgettable scene.

The magistrate, who was usually dignified and elegant, was now crying loudly and had taken poison!

I don’t know if it’s because the dosage is insufficient or the quality is adulterated, but the drug’s effect is slow to take effect.

He wanted to wipe his neck but was afraid of the pain.

finally,
The magistrate hanged himself from the roof beam with the help of his servants, thus preserving his own reputation in an unbearable way.

Death is the only way through the ages.

Although the magistrate of Qingyuan was unable to turn the tide, he held on to the bottom line and repaid the emperor's kindness with his death.

……

The Green Camp soldiers were dumbfounded.

"Sir, what should we do?"

The captain looked at the corpse dangling from the beam, and then listened to the shouts of "Victory" from the Wu army outside the city.

"Brothers, as the saying goes, a man who knows the times is a hero."

"There's no need for us to get involved in the affairs of the Cantonese and Hakka people."

The Green Camp soldiers nodded their heads in unison.

There are 6 Green Camp soldiers in Guangdong, most of whom are from other provinces, including Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, and even Yunnan.

This is the consistent tradition of the Qing court - recruiting soldiers from other places!
If something happens, people from different places will beat each other's parents or fellow villagers.

Can effectively reduce psychological burden~
Very particular.

……

The commander of Qingyuan County, holding the county magistrate's seal, led his men to avoid the fighting in the city.

They opened the city gates, lowered the drawbridge, and knelt on both sides to welcome the Wu army into the city.

A lieutenant raised his sword,
Shout out:
"Brothers, put on your bayonets and follow me into the city."

A company of soldiers filed in, quickly took control of the four city walls, and raised the military flag.

then,

Only then did the second company enter the city gate and begin to quell the riot with armed forces.

"Listen up, people of Qingyuan. Drop your weapons and go home. When the Wu army enters the city, they will not harm a single person."

"Anyone walking on the street with a weapon will be killed without mercy."

……

however,
The two sides, who were so bloodthirsty that they were unwilling to lay down their weapons.

The corpses were piled up and blood was all over the ground.

Swords and spears clash, the fight continues until death.

Hatred has become unresolved because of the death of relatives. The normal fear of death that humans have has long since disappeared.

This situation,

They are everywhere on the battlefield.

As the cannon sounded, the closest brother around him was blown into two pieces.

The person involved went crazy in an instant. There was no thought in his mind except to kill people!
The lieutenant yelled twice, but to no avail.

There was even a man with a bloody face rushing towards him with a spear in hand.

boom,
Killed by the lieutenant's pistol.

……

"Raise your gun, ready, fire."

At least 50 muskets instantly spewed out flames.

In the fight between the two sides, more than a dozen people were shot and fell to the ground.

This time,
The hatred was drawn to Wu Jun.

Both sides rushed towards the Wu army that was firing.

Fortunately, Wu's army was well-trained. The soldiers who had emptied their guns bent down and retreated through the gap with their guns in hand.

Leave space for your comrades.

Another neat volley,

He knocked down more than 20 people who rushed in front of him one after another.

Now, the others finally woke up.

The lieutenant brandished his sword and shouted:

"Put down your weapons and go home."

"After a quarter of an hour, the whole city was under martial law, and anyone walking outside would be shot."

……

The light cavalry company outside the city finally came on the scene.

They rushed into the city, brandishing their sabers.

Run slowly down the street to exert deterrence.

The sound of gunfire and horse hooves injected a shot of tranquilizer into the small town of Qingyuan. The whole city was quiet, and behind the cracks of the door were pairs of peeping eyes, terrified and fearful.
The main force of the 5th Army did not enter the city.

Miao Youlin ordered the arrest and execution of many Cantonese gentry in the city.

The legion's chief military judge, Xue Chen, came to the door upon hearing the news:

"Commander-in-chief, I think this is an inappropriate approach. His Majesty has ordered that our army should not show obvious bias. And the commander-in-chief is now clearly supporting Ke and suppressing Guang."

……

Miao Youlin asked back:

"How can I deal with it impartially? Ke Yong actively assisted in the seizure of the city. Should I turn hostile and kill them as soon as I enter the city?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Are you suggesting that I handle this matter calmly? Neither kill the Cantonese gentry nor the Hakka leaders."

Military judge Xue Chen looked grim, but nodded firmly.

Miao Youlin sneered:
"If I do nothing, the Cantonese gentry in the city will still be dissatisfied with our army, and the Hakka civilians accompanying the army will also be dissatisfied with our army. I can ignore the dispute between the natives and the Hakkas, but I can never sit idly by and watch hatred grow."

"The army is about to cross the river and attack Guangzhou. Qingyuan is located in the middle of the logistics route. If there is any mistake, our logistics will be in jeopardy."

"Captain, you are not ruthless enough. You always try to smooth things over. You are a scholar, so I don't blame you. Now, get out!"

……

"Yes."

Xue Chen left the central military tent in embarrassment.

He felt vaguely that
The boss is sliding towards "supporting the guests and suppressing the generals" and may very likely disobey Your Majesty's instructions.

But he couldn't come up with any reason to refute his boss.

If the Cantonese gentry is not suppressed, Qingyuan County will still be a powder keg that can explode at any time. Once it explodes, the logistics of the 5th Corps will collapse.

Executing the leading gentry and suppressing Guangyong did not solve the root cause, but it was a way to remove the fuel from under the cauldron and stop the boiling water from boiling.

The brave soldiers accompanying the army will also work harder.

……

Miao Youlin looked at the surface of the Beijiang River and remained silent for a long time.

Feeling in my heart:

If a navy entered Guangdong, the chances of attacking Guangzhou would be much greater.

As the river widens,

The warships of the Qing army in Guangdong have appeared three times.

All of them are fast crab boats, with sails and oars, coming and going quickly.

Although it did not pose any actual threat to the legion, it was still disturbing.

He was in the tent.

In the military report document, it was written:

"I have only two concerns when I attack Guangdong. One is the threat from the water, and the other is the threat from the natives. I hope Your Majesty will send people to Guangdong as soon as possible to form an inland navy to drive out pirates and the remaining navy of the Qing army. I also hope Your Majesty will appoint a senior civil servant to lead the civil affairs of this province as soon as possible. The dispute between the natives and the immigrants has put me in a dilemma."

...Military reports from the front line came one after another, and Li Yu finally could not sit still in Suzhou Prefecture and decided to lead the army again.

He is not worried about Guangdong's military situation.

He is very worried about Guangdong's balance.

In addition to the natives and Hakkas, there was another potential hidden danger - an accidental shooting between Wu's army and the colonists.

The French have occupied Macau for too long, and this has become a chronic disease.

The Dutch fleet tasted the sweetness of attacking the Guangdong Navy of the Qing Dynasty and occupied Lantau Island, which was an acute disease.

The Wu Kingdom will sooner or later deal with the Southeast Asian colonists, but not now.

because,

It is also necessary to ensure the smooth flow and safety of maritime trade routes.

fight,

What they are fighting for is money and food.

Given the current model of the Wu State, as long as there is sufficient money and food, it is only a matter of time before the Qing government is crushed.

……

These few days,
Li Yu summoned Fan Jing, Du Ren, and Hu Xueyu one after another, and granted each of them authority to ensure that everything operated normally during his absence.

Today, the business is very big and there are many tasks that need breakthroughs urgently.

The silver flowers roared like a tsunami.

Fortunately, Li Yu had a way of making money, combining maritime trade with house raiding.

The current Wu Kingdom has gradually fallen out with the stubborn gentry under its rule, and as a result, an unknown number of gentry in the south of the Yangtze River have fallen from power.

Silver is as vast as the sea~
The fields are connected to each other and the manors are lined up one after another.

So that
A new tenancy room was added under the Department of Agriculture.

It is responsible for the management of the state-owned land belonging to Wu Ting and leasing it to landless or land-poor farmers in the form of permanent tenancy, with each household not exceeding 10 mu.

……

Before the Emperor personally led the army,

Li Yu still needs to do one big thing and one small thing.

"Your Excellency, His Majesty has summoned you today."

"Great."

Adelaide was excited, and everyone in the East India Company was even more excited.

Is English the universal language?

No,

It's gold.

They gave away 2500 taels of gold and dozens of exquisite clocks, and opened up connections with many important officials of the Wu State.

at this time,

Li Yu was playing with an exquisite pocket watch given to Fucheng by the Saxon.

……

"Your Majesty, I have already revealed that meaning to Adelaide in advance."

"Yes. By the way, I want you to stay in Guangdong for a while."

"My ability is limited, and I am afraid I can't do it well."

"That's fine. You can take your father back to visit the old place. Use Guangzhou as your base, use the ships as tentacles, and deal with the various forces in Southeast Asia."

"Your Majesty, please tell me what principles I should follow?"

"The principle can be summed up in eight words: be good at dancing with long sleeves and don't suffer losses. Make friends with all parties, no matter they are Yi and Han, soldiers and bandits, red-haired, black-haired, yellow-haired, or bald."

"Sir, obey the order."

Fucheng understood.
Your Majesty will have his hand in the South Pacific sooner or later, so let me take the lead in collecting intelligence and making connections with all parties.

This job is particularly suitable for me.

……

Adelaide, the Saxon Earl and Governor of India, led a delegation of 10 people to pay respectful audience to His Majesty.

This time,
Everyone knelt on one knee, showing great respect.

Even though he did not kneel on the ground, His Majesty was magnanimous and could accept the grievance for the sake of the silver.

Li Yu's generous sermon:
"I may have had some misunderstandings before. Although you do not represent the London Center, you are also a local lord. The emperor is far away and you have a lot of autonomy."

Adelaide hurriedly said respectfully:

"Your Majesty is wise. I am willing to sign an additional commercial memorandum with the Wu Kingdom in the name of the East India Company. This is the draft I have prepared."

Li Yu took it, glanced at it briefly, and then handed it to the guard secretary beside him to review it word by word.

……

After a quarter of an hour, the guard whispered:
"Your Majesty, no problem."

"it is good."

Li Yu stood up, smiling.

That's what negotiation is.

Bargaining and intrigue are all done before negotiations.

Formal negotiations,

It's just a formality.

Everyone pretended to be of one mind, friendly and polite.

……

Adelaide signed a memorandum with the Wu Kingdom in the official name of the East India Company.

The regulations are as follows:

Both sides set up trading houses
There are no restrictions on the types of trade between the two sides (except for warships)

Both sides pledged not to participate in any hostile military action against each other by any force

吴国承诺每年向东印度公司进口轧棉不少于40万担，棉纱不少于60万担（每担各3、5两，视收成上下浮动20%）

Wu promised to export no less than 70 dan of tea to the East India Company every year (19 liang per dan, fluctuating by 20% depending on the harvest)

Wu promised the East India Company the right of first refusal to buy top-quality silk and top-quality porcelain

……

The East India Company promised to provide Wu with no less than 20 pounds of high-quality saltpeter each year.
The East India Company promised to provide humanitarian assistance (free of charge) and armed hired escorts (for a fee) to ships and personnel in distress overseas flying the flag of the Wu Kingdom.
The East India Company promised to cut off all contacts with the Qing court (commercial, military, religious, diplomatic) and support Wu in destroying the Qing.

The East India Company promised to provide Wu with nautical charts of some routes in the South China Sea (Guangzhou - Luzon Island, Borneo, Java Island, Sulawesi)
The East India Company promised to send no less than 200 retired naval officers, ship engineers, and ocean-going sailors to the State of Wu. The wages of the above hired personnel would be paid by the State of Wu.
The East India Company promised that all the above commercial terms would not be interfered with by London. And all the armed forces of the East India Company would never engage in war with the Wu army under any circumstances and any instructions, and would remain neutral.
After the East India Company paid a trade deposit of 50 taels of silver, this memorandum took effect immediately (valid for 5 years)
~
At last,
Long live His Majesty Li Yu, long live George III, and long live world peace!

……

The above terms can all be put on paper.

There is also a hidden clause that both parties understand tacitly and only agree upon verbally to make it easier to deny it later.

When the fleet left Jinshanwei,

The Wu navy would send personnel on board to supervise the implementation of this verbal clause, and then land in Guangzhou to report.

By then,

Li Yu's imperial carriage should also be in Guangzhou~
……

After the memorandum was signed, both sides breathed a sigh of relief.

Tea from southern Anhui, silk from Suzhou and Songjiang, and porcelain from Jingdezhen arrived at Jinshanwei by water one after another and were packed into cabins.

Adelaide is in a good mood.

He even took a trip to Hangzhou along the Grand Canal and bought himself a box of top-quality embroidered silk robes and three boxes of fruit wine.

On the return trip,
He wrote in his diary:
This is a rich land with vast plains and scattered rivers.

Every inch of land has an owner, and the land within the city walls is especially valuable. Every inch of land is worth a lot of money.

According to my observation,

The urban population of Suzhou and Hangzhou was between 50 and 80. The city was overcrowded, and many people lived outside the city walls. War had not come for a long time.

……

On the market,
Tobacco, alcohol, sugar, tea, cotton cloth, silk, ironware, and rice are all in abundant supply.

I was deeply impressed by the gambling houses, brothels, wine shops, restaurants, theaters, bathhouses, intermediaries, and various associations.

all in all,
This was an emerging empire with extremely developed agriculture, extremely rich commerce, and quite powerful industry.

Among the people, cotton spinning and silk weaving on a family basis was very common.

hard to imagine,

Girls aged 8 to 14 can support themselves with a spinning wheel, which reminds me of the little things in London chimneys.
……

Frankly speaking,

If the State of Wu was not in the East but in Europe, it would have become the Saxons' biggest enemy.

Because this kingdom possesses both the vast potential of Russia and the elite army of Frank, and now seems to be focusing on overseas business development.

During my stay in Suzhou, I met with the young monarch many times.

I think beneath his arrogant face lies an elusive heart, shrewd and ruthless.

IMHO,

He seemed to be a descendant of the empire's top nobles, not the miserable failure as rumored.
That must be a rumor spread by those despicable Tatars.

……

Adelaide put down her quill, took a sip,

After thinking for a moment, he continued writing:
Although I have many concerns, perhaps one day the Wu Navy and the Royal Navy will go to war for hegemony, but that should be a very distant thing in the future.

The two countries are separated by tens of thousands of miles of sea, and there are countless obstacles on land.

I don't like the Louis family, but I admire what His Majesty Louis XV said - after I die, even if there is a flood.

As the governor, I should consider the current interests of the company and actively embrace the two-thirds share of the world's maritime trade, rather than worrying about the hegemony that may or may not happen a hundred years later.

Besides,

The world is so big,

There should be enough colonies to be divided.

The East and the West can each have a hegemon.

God bless you, I have created a new era! My name will be engraved in history forever!

Amen
(End of this chapter)