The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 394: The Qi-France War
"I heard that your brother-in-law's job has been decided?" Cao Xuan put down the teacup in his hand and finally couldn't help asking.

"Well, it's settled." Cao Xi looked up at his second brother with a hint of helplessness on his face. "The Privy Council issued a document to send him to India to serve as the deputy chief training officer of the Indian garrison and the commander of the Shanghai (now Mumbai) pacification garrison. ... I don't know how many years it will take for him to come back after this trip."

"In the Indian garrison, officers above the rank of major can bring their families with them." Cao Xuan said with a smile, "If you are reluctant to be separated from Yanliang, you might as well go to India with him. Although the inland areas of India are in a mess, the coastal colonial towns of our Great Qi have been developed and constructed for decades. Not only is the public security stable, but the living conditions are not much worse than those in the mainland."

"...Go to India with them?" Cao Xi was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The three children are still young and have just adapted to the local living environment. How can they go to India? Not to mention, Peilun and Peiming are in elementary school. Wouldn't it be a waste of time if they went to India?"

"Fifth sister, you are a little ignorant. There are also schools in India." Cao Xuan said, "There are not only relatively complete primary and secondary schools, but also three universities. So, in India, you can also receive the complete system education of our Great Qi, and there is no need to worry about the children."

"Go on." Cao Xi listened without commenting. He turned his head and continued to look out the window, watching the children playing in the yard.

It has been several months since my husband returned from Yinzhou. In addition to being busy with military affairs, he seemed to have become a little absent-minded. Even when reading books and newspapers, he was often in a daze, and from time to time he had an inexplicable smile on his face. I don't know what he was thinking.

Occasionally, when he was playing with his three children, he seemed absent-minded.

Sometimes, he would leave home for several days under the pretext of visiting his superiors and colleagues in the army.

As a woman, especially a meticulous doctor, Cao Xi had a bad feeling.

Her husband might be doing something shady behind her back!

"Fifth sister..." Cao Xuan hesitated for a moment and whispered, "When Yanliang comes back, can you tell him that my trading company wants to do trade with India? When he takes office, can he help me with some convenience?"

"Second brother, aren't you doing business in Qin?" Cao Xi looked at his second brother in confusion.

"Alas, business in Qin is getting harder and harder." Cao Xuan sighed, shook his head and said, "Since the Annan War, the relationship between our Great Qi and Qin has become increasingly distant and alienated. The Qin State Maritime Customs has also set up various obstacles for our Great Qi merchants and imported goods, and has also increased tariffs on many commodities, making trade profits even thinner. So, I'm thinking about whether I can find another way out so that my company can be better maintained."

"Yanliang is just a soldier, how can he take care of your business?" Cao Xi said, "You need to know that in India, there are local governors, the Department of Colonial Affairs, and the General Administration of Customs. Above Yanliang is the garrison headquarters. I'm afraid it's beyond his ability to expect him to help you."

"Fifth sister, you don't know this." Cao Xuan smiled and whispered, "The Indian region has long been open to the outside world. Almost all coastal areas are controlled by Da Qi, and the customs are controlled by Da Qi. Economic and trade exchanges are becoming more and more active. More than a decade ago, after the trade monopoly of Indian and Bangladeshi trading companies was abolished, domestic traders were further encouraged to expand into the Indian market."

"However, it is precisely because of this that market competition is very fierce. If we only do some simple coastal import and export trade, the profit is not too lucrative compared to Qin, and it is just hard-earned money. But if we go deep into the hinterland of India, it will be different. The trade profit will at least increase several times. However, as I said just now, the situation in the interior of India is in chaos. The Maratha Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Sikh Kingdom, the newly rising Mysore Kingdom, and the large and small princely states are fighting for territory and population. Safety is really not guaranteed."

"Now, Yanliang's brother-in-law has been transferred to India and has taken up the post of commander of the Shanghai Pacification Garrison. He has several regiments of troops under his command to protect the peace around Shanghai. So, I am thinking whether I can use Yanliang's military protection to expand my business to the hinterland to maximize trade profits."

"..." Cao Xi frowned after hearing this, "Second brother, with the help of the relationship and connections between the Song family and the Prince of Lu, our Cao family can make a lot of money by doing some business in our home country or the nearby Nanyang region. Why do you have to go to such a far place as India? Moreover, you want to drag Yanliang into this, using public power for personal gain, and give people a handle."

"Fifth sister, although we are from the Lu Palace, we are a distant branch after all. How much power and glory can we get?" Cao Xuan said with a wry smile: "From our grandfather's generation to our generation, the blood relationship has long faded a lot. Do you think the Lu Palace is really willing to care about our wealth, life and death? Their main branch is still in constant dispute, how can they care about us! Therefore, we should work hard and make our branch as big as possible, so that they can see that we can live better without relying on them! Back then, didn't you marry Yanliang because you saw that he had the background and strength of the Song family? Now, he is gradually emerging in the army and his position is constantly promoted. It is time for him to give back to our Cao family and do more for us!"

"Second brother!..." Cao Xi's face immediately showed some anger after hearing this, "Back then, my father and grandfather married me to Yanliang just to realize what you said about reviving the family business?"

"What else?" Cao Xuan responded subconsciously, but when he saw his sister's expression change, he immediately changed his words and said, "Well, it's not like that. ... Fifth sister, you were married to Yanliang because grandpa and father thought he was a good match for you, and he was considered a rare young talent. ... Oh, of course, the most important thing is that Emperor Ruizong (Tai Ping Emperor's temple name) also acted as a matchmaker for you two and made this marriage come true. ... What I mean is that Yanliang's status is gradually rising now, can he help our Cao family a little? After all, we are all family, and we should take care of each other and help each other, isn't it our duty?"

"Should we share? If Yanliang is unwilling to take care of my second brother's Indian business, then we are no longer a family?" Cao Xi asked coldly.

"Fifth sister..." Cao Xuan looked at his sister with some dissatisfaction.

You can't write two Caos with one stroke. Why do you become so disloyal and loyal to your husband's family after getting married?
However, facing this girl, he still felt a little guilty.

Except for his father who enjoyed the lowest title of viscount due to the influence of his ancestors, their generation was almost no different from ordinary people and could not even get into the circle of aristocrats.

What was even more pitiful was that his father was still engaged in medical research, and he did not accumulate any political connections for them. As a result, in the initial stage, they all relied on and flattered the main branch of the Lu Palace, eating the leftovers from others, and their lives were always "ordinary".

However, their turning point came when his sister Cao Xi got married.

Emperor Ruizong, out of consideration for their former relationship, showed more compassion and care to Li Yanliang, and even arranged a marriage for him with Cao Xi.

When she married Li Yanliang, this ignorant and naive sister was actually granted the title of Princess Wen'an by Emperor Ruizong and was awarded the princess's wedding ceremony, which was extremely honorable.

Suddenly, Cao Xi became the most honorable person in the entire Cao family.

More importantly, after their Cao family married into the Song family, Li Yanliang's maternal family, they suddenly gained countless political and economic resources, which greatly benefited the Cao brothers.

Over the years, Cao Xuan has been engaged in import and export trade between Qin and Qi through the relationship with the Song family. Although the scale of the business is not large, the business is stable and the profits are moderate, and he has gradually accumulated a huge fortune.

A few years ago, through the relationship of his brother-in-law Li Yanliang, the commander of the Xuanzhou garrison, he participated in the booming trans-Pacific triangular trade - that is, carrying industrial products and Nanyang specialties from Hanzhou or Nanyang to Qin, Korea, and Japan for sale, and then purchasing tea, medicinal materials, coarse cotton cloth, and women from the above-mentioned regions for resale to Yinzhou and Spanish Mexico, and finally returning to Hanzhou with gold, silver, minerals, furs and other materials - making a fortune.

Now, after hearing that his brother-in-law was about to go to India to take up a post, Cao Xuan wanted to get involved in the lucrative Indian trade and was ready to continue to use Li Yanliang's relationship to make a big profit. In the fiercely competitive Indian market, if you don't have a strong and reliable arm, how can you grab food from those old-fashioned trading companies that have been cultivating for many years?
But looking at the girl's attitude, it was obvious that she didn't want Li Yanliang's reputation to be tarnished and affect his military career development.

But the problem is that in many overseas colonial territories, the governors, civil affairs officers, and garrison generals all provide a certain degree of trade convenience and policy care to their relatives or forces with deep backgrounds.

Furthermore, Li Yanliang is no longer as "pure and flawless" as he was when he first joined the army. He has become a mid- to high-level military officer who is flexible and understands human nature.

"Brother, you probably don't know." Seeing his brother was about to leave in displeasure, Cao Xi said in a deep voice behind him: "After your majesty has vigorously rectified the administration of officials at home and punished corrupt officials, he has set his sights on overseas territories. The Supervisory Council and the military inspection system will soon be established in many overseas territories such as India. As your majesty's confidant, how can Yanliang break the law and give others an excuse to accuse him?"

Cao Xuan paused slightly, looked back at his sister, wanted to say something, but opened his mouth, finally sighed, and walked out of the room.

"…Big news, big news! France has declared war on Da Qi and attacked Da Qi's overseas territories!…"

"…Today's special issue: The Cabinet officially responded to France's provocation and declared war on France at 10 a.m. today!…"

"…Special news: The Imperial Privy Council, the Imperial General Staff, and the Army and Navy Commands, under the order of His Majesty the Emperor, will send troops to the Atlantic to deal with France's shameless invasion!…"

"..."

As soon as he got on the carriage, Cao Xuan heard the loud shouts of newsboys on the street. Many citizens stopped, took out a few coins, bought one or several copies, and directly spread out the newspapers, eagerly reading the latest news inside.

"Oh my! France has actually declared war on our Great Qi!"

"Damn it! After continuous provocation, these barbarians finally couldn't help themselves and started to attack!"

"Fight back! These barbarians are afraid of power but not morality. They actually dare to cause trouble. We must make them pay a heavy price!"

"That's right, little France actually dares to challenge our Great Qi. Why should we be polite to them? We should destroy them!"

"…It is ridiculous and lamentable that a country that is small does not humble itself and has little power does not fear the strong!"

Cao Xuan stopped the carriage, asked the driver to buy him a few newspapers, and sat in the carriage to read them carefully.

"Oh, I'm afraid the French were forced by our Great Qi to declare war! Otherwise, France will lose all its face." Cao Xuan said to himself as he watched.

Three months ago, after obtaining support from the mainland and Qianzhou, the Hailing Governorate of Qi State dispatched more than 5,000 troops, which wiped out all the remaining forces of the Kingdom of Merina in one fell swoop and completely took over the rich central plateau.

While strangling the Melina people, the Qi army captured several French Catholic priests and more than a hundred French mercenaries.

Perhaps annoyed by the casualties caused to their own troops by these people, the Qi soldiers imposed extremely severe punishment on these French prisoners, killing most of them in a cruel way, and sending the rest to hard labor camps to build roads and improve water conservancy.

In less than a month, all the prisoners were tortured to death due to the harsh working conditions and frequent injuries.

Originally, the Qi people completely controlled Hailing Island. Even if a few people were killed, it would not be a big deal as long as the news was blocked.

But for some unknown reason, the French government actually learned of this news, which immediately caused an uproar in the country, demanding that Qi give a reasonable and clear response.

It is certainly not a good thing to torture prisoners and torment coolies. The diplomatic officials of Qi denied it without even a second thought, and even accused the French of spreading rumors and damaging Qi's international reputation.

But the French said that they had sufficient evidence to prove that the Qi people had indeed killed more than one hundred of their French subjects, and they lodged a solemn protest with Qi.

The two sides engaged in a war of words, arguing back and forth until their faces turned red.

When a French priest who had managed to escape from Hailing Island tearfully denounced the atrocities of the Qi people in front of countless people and exposed the misfortunes suffered by his French compatriots, it immediately aroused strong anti-Qi sentiment among some French "people", and they petitioned King Louis XV and the ruling Cardinal Fleury to declare war on Qi.

Under such circumstances, if the French government still wanted to forcibly suppress the increasingly acute contradictions between France and France, it would probably be backlashed by many nobles and clergy, triggering fierce political conflicts in the country.

Therefore, under the influence of strong "public opinion", France declared war on Qi.

Although Qi had not made full preparations for war, after receiving the French declaration of war, it was "forced" to respond and declared a state of war with France.

Subsequently, Qi's loyal allies Ireland, Persia, Morocco, and the Xia Alliance also declared war on France.

Ten years later, Qi State faced the challenge of a new European power.

(End of this chapter)