Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 386 Persuasion, Bribery

In the middle of the night, Henry and Sassoon, who were tired after a day's work, were not sleepy. They got together to drink tea and forced themselves to make a summary.

After the two envoys' entourage moved into the mansion one after another, the gifts they brought were also delivered one after another. Everything seemed to be good on the first day of landing, but in fact, the two envoys were in a very bad mood.

The feeling of being pressed to the ground and having the wheel of civilization rolling over your face is really bad.

What makes it even worse is that the young host, Jia Lian, has a deep understanding of European history and culture.

Compared to Sassoon, the opium dealer who got the title of Lord of the British Empire with dirty money, Henry, a nobleman from the Union Jack, felt more shocked.

Although Jia Lian was very polite and had no problems with manners, one could always sense a hint of contempt in him during the conversation.

Yes, I despise you. I am a civilized person. Chinese culture has been passed down for thousands of years. How can you be a civilized person if you are a pirate wearing a tuxedo when you come ashore?
In theory, I didn't have this feeling during my contact with Envoy Zhou. On the contrary, Envoy Zhou didn't look down on Britain during his stay in the UK. Instead, he was shocked by the factory tour he was arranged to visit.

"Perhaps, this is the noble of Zhou Kingdom?" Henry said to himself, but Sassoon showed a little despair. During the dinner, he just mentioned that opium is a miracle drug, and was interrupted by Jia Lian.

Out of politeness, Jia Lian did not scold anyone at that time, but the murderous intent in his eyes could be felt.

“This young man is terrifying, whatever we say, he can take it and make sense and expand on it.”

Sassoon decided to remind Henry that after all, their mission was not just to conduct trade.

"Are you saying that the madman Louis XVI intervened in the rebellion of the Thirteen Continents of North America and sent a request to the Emperor of Zhou for joint intervention? Even if the Emperor of Zhou agreed, how can we get there?" Henry didn't care much about this. After all, the navy of Zhou was not good, and this was obvious. Moreover, if you want to go to the Thirteen Continents of North America, you have to go around a big circle through the Atlantic Ocean, and the Zhou Navy certainly doesn't have the ability to go through the Pacific Ocean. On the first route, let alone going to Europe, India may not be reached. The British Navy will tell the Zhou Navy what a maritime hegemon is.

"Don't forget that the Zhou navy can't go to India, but it can cut off trade with England. If the trade with China is lost, the East India Company's stock price will drop by at least half. The Henry family is also one of the shareholders."

Sassoon's words made Henry unhappy. Although Henry's family was also a shareholder of the East India Company, they were only a small shareholder.

"I can confirm that the young man hates the opium trade. As a major shareholder of the East India Company, you are the one who should be most worried."

"Well, now is not the time to argue. What we need to do is to convince this young official to show kindness to us during the quarantine period."

"Well, go and convince him, Lord Sassoon. You can do it. Then you can buy opium at will."

"Henry, don't be angry. Find a chance to give him a gift tomorrow. I brought 10,000 gold coins. Give him half of them."

Henry hissed. He didn't expect Sassoon to be so costly.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't help you. I can only give you a thousand gold coins."

Sassoon lowered his voice and said, "Your Excellency just needs to create an opportunity for me to be alone with him tomorrow. Even if I run into a wall, there is still room for maneuver."

In the residence of the navy commander, Jia Lian asked directly after entering the door: "Where is Lord Zhou?"

Wei Zian, the Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple, said, "After bathing, he went to sleep. When in Guangzhou, Taiwei Wang did not allow anyone to leave the dock, except to replenish the fleet with fresh water and food. Lord Zhou was very resentful."

Jia Lian sensed Wei Zian's good intentions and smiled, "As long as you don't impeach Wang Ziteng for wanting to be the Southern Heavenly King, that's fine."

Wei Zian smiled and said, "It was the last tremor. It's better to be careful, General Wang. It's not a big mistake."

"I saw that Lord Zhou has four maids with him. They are busy sailing on the sea." Jia Lian teased, and Wei Zi'an immediately said with a playful look: "That's right, Lord Zhou accepted the two girls sent by General Wang. I understand that he complained a few times."

Jia Lian chatted with Wei Zi'an for a long time. Wei Zi'an was also from a noble family, just a side branch. He had earned his current status through his own efforts. He was a brother of the same generation as Wei Zilan.

The next morning, Jia Lian got up early. Zhou Songtao was still sleeping. Jia Lian waited patiently for him to wake up.

Zhou Songtao woke up and learned that Jia Lian had been waiting for almost an hour. He said to Chang Sui beside him unhappily: "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I called, but Lord Jia stopped me. He meant that since you've worked so hard on the journey, it wouldn't be a big deal for him to wait a little longer." Chang Sui explained bitterly. Zhou Songtao shook his head and said, "You've been away for three years and have gained a lot of experience, but you haven't made much progress in your work. After going through so much hardship, if something goes wrong at the last minute, your three years of hard work might be wasted."

“Not that serious, right?” Chang Sui still didn’t take it too seriously. Zhou Songtao smiled bitterly and shook his head. They grew up together and had been through life and death together, so it was impossible for him to say anything harsh to them.

"Whether it's serious or not, it's already like this. Change your clothes, I'm going to see Jia Lian."

Jia Lian was sitting quietly in the hall, showing no sign of impatience. Zhou Songtao stepped forward immediately and said, "Master Jia, I've troubled you to wait for an hour. Please forgive me for my negligence!"

Jia Lian stood up and greeted him with a smile: "If you want to say that I am neglectful, I should be the one. I didn't have enough time yesterday. Considering that Mr. Zhou had returned from a long voyage, I was unable to personally come out to receive him. I apologize, I apologize."

After exchanging polite words, the two men sat down, and Jia Lian got straight to the point: "The memorial that Lord Zhou brought back said that the King of France wanted to contact Your Majesty and interfere in North America together. Tell me the specific details."

Zhou Songtao paused and organized his words: "Before returning, I was in London and the King of France sent someone to deliver a message, saying that the thirteen colonies in North America were making trouble. He has decided to intervene and hopes that Your Majesty can also help. I replied at the time that I needed to report to Your Majesty, but considering the long journey, I might not be able to catch up in time. Even if I could catch up, I am afraid it would be difficult to do anything." Jia Lian pondered for a moment and said: "The British government has financial problems and is carrying out tax reforms. The thirteen colonies in North America are well-established and do not want to pay taxes to the British government. On a deeper level, it is still the trade dumping of Britain on the North American colonies, which has greatly damaged the interests of industry and commerce in the North American colonies. The invitation of the King of France can be used as a bargaining chip in the hands of this dynasty in exchange for some technology needed by this dynasty."

Zhou Songtao asked in surprise: "My Celestial Empire is vast and rich in resources, and we have everything. England is just a barbarian land, and only machinery is commendable. Your Majesty is interested in machinery?"

Jia Lian paused as Chang Sui came in, saying, "Master Zhou, please have breakfast first, and we will talk slowly after that."

Zhou Songtao felt the kindness in Jia Lian's words and expression, and felt a little relieved. He apologized and went downstairs to eat. He thought silently in his heart that Jia Lian must have something to discuss.

After eating something quickly, Zhou Songtao came out without daring to delay. When he learned that Jia Lian was waiting in the study, he hurried over.

Tea was set up in the study. After the greetings, Jia Lian personally made a cup of tea. Zhou Songtao was surprised. The sons of noble families always liked to put on airs. Jia Lian was like this. As the saying goes, when you are polite to others, you must have something to ask for. I need to be on guard. After Jia Lian thanked him, he said very directly: "I hope that when you meet the emperor, you will emphasize England's large-scale mechanized industrial production model. If you fail to attract your majesty's attention and take corresponding measures, Western countries will sooner or later become the biggest threat to our dynasty."

Jia Lian knew it would be difficult to convince Zhou Songtao. After all, the idea of ​​the Celestial Empire was deeply rooted in people's minds. For a long time, the threat to national security came from the north. Since the large-scale equipment of firearms, the threat of nomadic peoples has been greatly reduced. Even if they could not be completely wiped out, they just had to hold on to the city and wait for reinforcements.

"Lord Zhou, do you know how long our dynasty's coastline is?" Jia Lian began to persuade him patiently.

"I really don't know! There must be a way within ten thousand miles." Zhou Songtao thought about it for a while but did not have a clear answer.

"More than 10,000 miles, at least 20,000 miles. The long coastline, without enough navy, and the powerful navy outside, relying on the last support point of the offshore islands, concentrates its forces and can attack wherever it wants. Lord Zhou has also seen the cannons on the warships. Do you think the existing cities can be defended? Let's not talk about the current sailing warships. Lord Zhou has seen the steam engine. That thing can be used to drive textile machines and pump water in mines. It has many uses. Lord Zhou, if it is installed on the warships, so that they no longer need to rely on wind power to sail, then no matter how much our coastal defense is done, where will it start? I heard that Lord Zhou is from Songjiang Prefecture. May I ask Lord Zhou, how many warships and troops are needed to raid Songjiang Prefecture?"

This was a painful statement. Other ministers did not understand this. Zhou Songtao's trip to Europe was an eye-opener. He encountered many pirates along the way and watched many naval battles. He had a deep memory of the spectacular scene of warships firing cannons. Then think about Songjiang. How many troops does a garrison have? A thousand people, empty salaries, and a few broken ships. Chongming Island at the mouth of the Yangtze River is now occupied by pirates. The Songjiang garrison dare not touch it at all. It is difficult to defend the Yangtze River channel. If they really encounter warships like the English, they will fight.

"Yes, we are guarding everywhere and being attacked everywhere." Zhou Songtao was unwilling to openly admit the problems in Songjiang. After all, he knew very well how the problems arose.

He is a civil servant, and he has long suppressed military officers. That is ZZZQ. This is a question of stance.

"I'll tell Lord Zhou one more thing. Your Majesty is already planning to build a powerful navy. If it weren't for the internal troubles in the past two years, Lord Zhou would have been able to see the outline of the navy. The world is so big, and if our dynasty continues to sit in the well and watch the sky, the destiny will not be in our hands." Jia Lian further pointed out to him, hinting at the emperor's true thoughts.

When Zhou Songtao heard this, he was immediately shocked: "I see, I will consider Mr. Jia's suggestion as appropriate."

Having said that, Jia Lian couldn't go on any further. If he continued, it would be like forcing others instead of negotiating.

"While we are free this morning, I will have a good chat with Lord Zhou about the current situation in the court and the major events that have taken place in the country in the past two years." Jia Lian changed the subject and Zhou Songtao also listened attentively.

Jia Lian had no ulterior motives. He just told the truth and let Zhou Songtao, who received the information, judge for himself what happened and when.

"I learned about the incident in Guangzhou, that Lord Jia had defeated the bandits in the grasslands, but I didn't know the root cause. Now I know that so many major events have happened in the court. Li Ni, you deserve to die." Zhou Songtao suppressed his curse and expressed his attitude. Jia Lian said: "Lord Zhou visited as the Minister of Rites, and he will have great potential after returning to Beijing."

Zhou Songtao understood and nodded, saying, "It's just a temporary title when I was on a visit. It would be great if it can be confirmed after I return safely. The Ministry of Rites is a key government office, so I don't dare to ask for it."

Jia Lian pointed at him again: "The cabinet minister Guo was originally the Minister of Rites, but because of some things that offended Your Majesty, he will not be the Minister of Rites for the time being. The former Left Vice Minister will temporarily take over the post of Minister."

After hearing this, Zhou Songtao's heart was stirred. How could he not have some ideas? He was only a fourth-rank official before the visit, and he was satisfied with being a third-rank official after returning. How could he dare to think about the second-rank minister? That was a concurrent position for the first-rank cabinet minister. Now after hearing what Jia Lian said, it's not impossible to think about it. Not for the time being, what about three years later? Of course, we can't just listen to Jia Lian's one-sided words, we have to ask more people who are familiar with the situation.

Seeing that he remained silent, Jia Lian stood up and said goodbye, giving him time to ask other people for news.

After leaving the house, Jia Lian ran towards the messenger's house.

Upon hearing the news, Henry and Sassoon lined up to wait on the steps of the central hall. When Jia Lian walked around the screen, the two were already standing in the courtyard to greet him.

After another round of politeness, the three of them went inside together, sat down in the main hall, and were served tea.

After chatting for a while, Jia Lian told them to wait patiently as officials from the Honglu Temple would come to teach them the etiquette of the dynasty. He would return to the capital tomorrow to report on his work to the emperor, and would try to contact Wei Zian in the next few days.

When Sassoon learned that Jia Lian was going to be away for a few days, he immediately became a little anxious and said, "Master Jia, I have something I want to talk to you about alone, is that ok?"

Jia Lian listened and looked at Henry, and found that he was looking around, so he nodded and said, "Then let's talk."

Sassoon stood up and led Jia Lian to the back. In a room, Sassoon pointed to five large boxes on the ground and said, "Master Jia, there are one thousand gold coins in each box. Five thousand gold coins in total can buy a mansion in London. I know Master Jia is very rich, but who would dislike a little more money? Isn't it, Master Jia?"

Jia Lian walked up calmly, opened a box and took a look, and inside was full of glittering gold coins. It was really shocking!
After closing the lid, Jia Lian turned around and said, "Sir, such a valuable gift must have a request. I am not capable enough to accept it."

Sassoon felt a little disappointed when he saw this. His expression did not change despite such a valuable gift. Even though he said it was a valuable gift, his hands did not even shake.

"As long as Lord Jia can say a few words to help with the opium trade, these gold coins will be yours regardless of success or failure. If it succeeds, I will give you another 5,000 gold coins, and another 5,000 gold coins every year." Sassoon would certainly not give up and continued to increase the bet.

Jia Lian's face suddenly changed, and he glanced at him fiercely. Sassoon's heart was shaken. Murderous aura! He could really feel the murderous aura.

(End of this chapter)