Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 81
In October 1885, Mr. Horton, who had been handling Sino-British affairs in China since the first Opium War, was already past the age of retirement.But today he has just boarded the ship back to London. Looking at China, where he has lived for more than 10 years, his body is still upright, with a meticulous expression on his face, as if he is still immersed in the situation when the British army invaded China more than 40 years ago. .

Horton used to be the Taxation Department of China Jiang Customs, the translator of the British ambassador in China, the counselor of the embassy in China, the British minister in China, etc., and experienced two Opium Wars. He spent most of his life in China , He even spoke more Chinese than his mother tongue.No foreigner knew China better than him, so when he returned to the UK, he was hired by the cabinet as a consultant on British Far East affairs.

"Welcome back to England, my old friend." British Foreign Secretary David walked over enthusiastically. He still respected this old man who had brought great benefits to the empire in the Far East.

Holden took off his hat very gentlemanly, and looked polite: "It's an honor to meet you."

David said leisurely: "The empire has sent two additional colonial divisions to Burma, but the parliament is still hesitating. Because Burma has agreed to the empire's request, we have no reason to attack Burma anymore."

Horton said sharply: "The parliament must have considered that Myanmar is a vassal state of China after all, so it is so hesitant."

"Based on what you know about China. What is the strength of China? After all, the empire has not had close dealings with this country for 20 years. We only know that they just defeated France and even captured tens of thousands of French soldiers. In addition, Russia People seem to have suffered a bit from the hands of the Chinese." David asked cautiously.

Holden had a faint smile on his face, and said: "When did the parliament become so courageous? Compared with the risks we have to take, the benefits we get are too great. Since the 15th century, we have known that Asia The most fertile places are India and China. Now the empire has fully owned India, so only China is left. Near China, we only have a small area of ​​Hong Kong and a few concessions along the coast, and China also has its vast interior Lu. Now that the French have completely withdrawn from the competition in Southwest China, as long as the empire controls Burma, we can get the three provinces in Southwest China, which will be integrated with our sphere of influence in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. At that time, the whole of South China will be Become the source of raw materials for the empire."

Holden paused, with a nostalgic expression on his face, as if he was thinking about his days in China, "The Chinese are the most complicated nation in the world, and no one can fully understand him, including themselves. China has developed Great development, especially in recent years. They are growing at a terrifying speed. But this is also the reason why we must occupy Myanmar as soon as possible. The Chinese often compare them to animals like dragons. If you want to let the evil The dragon can't come out to hurt people, but lock them in the castle. Now China and the Russians are fighting against each other, and they have built a wall on the north and west. If we build a wall on the south, and unite with a country that has great ambitions for China, China will be surrounded on all sides. A dragon that cannot fly out of the castle. It will only become a treasure for dragon slayers."

David listened carefully, nodding from time to time.

And Horton continued to fight with his understanding of the Far East: "Britain is not France. The reason why France lost to China in Vietnam was because the logistical supplies between them were too far apart, and France's local military strength needed to be reinforced. It is almost halfway around the world, but China's most fertile southeast coast is close at hand. This is different from the war that will take place in Burma. The empire has colonies such as India, Turkey, and Afghanistan near Burma. The ship departs from Chittagong It takes two days and one night to reach Yangon in Myanmar, but China has to cross their mountains in the west, and the advantage of supply has been completely reversed."

"You mean that China will definitely intervene in the war in Myanmar, just like in Vietnam." David asked carefully.

"Yes," Holden nodded affirmatively, and said, "If China was ruled by the former queen mother, as long as the empire does not overly stimulate China, they will definitely not send troops without sending troops. But now the young emperor who controls China, but He is a man with great ambition and desire. He has successfully gathered the forces demanding change in China, and now he has a high reputation in the hearts of the Chinese people. Once the empire provokes a war in Burma, he will not let go of this opportunity to prove himself. That's why we have to take advantage of the entanglement between him and Russia to decisively send troops to control the whole of Myanmar as soon as possible and create a fait accompli."

David was already impressed by Horton's analysis of the Far East, took out a bottle of whiskey and two goblets from the wine cabinet, and said, "You are such an outstanding politician. I am glad that you were born in England."

10月的北京天气已经开始转凉，关绪清在8月8日迎娶自己的正宫皇后之后，又于9月9日正式迎娶了两位妃子。青、蓝两姐妹。

The Forbidden City is still full of cheerful anger, and the eunuchs are cleaning the fallen leaves on the ground.Guan Xuqing was watching the memorials sent by various ministries in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your Majesty, the King of Burma has sent envoys to ask for our assistance." Prince Gong presented a telegram with both hands.

"Oh? What kind of interface are the British looking for this time?" Guan Xuqing took the telegram and read it.

Prince Gong said slowly: "The United Kingdom first protested against Myanmar's trade discrimination against the United Kingdom, and demanded to supervise all foreign affairs activities of Myanmar. The King of Myanmar has agreed to the United Kingdom according to our request, but this time the United Kingdom used the excuse of Burma to take in Afghanistan to resist the United Kingdom." Bandits. Demand troops in Burma!"

Guan Xuqing put down the telegram, looked at Prince Gong in front of him, and said, "Uncle Liu, if the British really stationed troops in Burma, how should I deal with myself?"

Prince Gong pondered for a moment and said: "Return to the emperor, Myanmar is the gateway to the southwest of our Qing Dynasty. It borders Yunnan, Guizhou, and Vietnam Province, and is separated by a mountain. From Thailand in the east, you can directly enter Vietnam Province in the Qing Dynasty. Starting from the Indian Ocean. It is a strategically important place. If the British occupy Burma by force, it is hard to imagine how many troops the Qing Dynasty would need to defend the three southwestern provinces."

Guan Xuqing nodded in relief, and said with a smile: "Uncle Liu can see this layer, I am very relieved. Even if Myanmar is not my vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, I will not let the British take it by force."

"But your majesty, the UK is no better than France. It already has a very large power in the Far East, and India is the logistics base of the UK in the Far East. We are in the Qing Dynasty now," Prince Gong said worriedly.

"Instead of defending the three southwestern provinces after the British occupy Burma in the future, it's better to get rid of the British wolfish ambition now." Guan Xuqing said before Prince Gong could speak.

The uncle and nephew looked at each other, but neither made a sound.In fact, they already had a firm determination in their hearts.

(End of this chapter)