Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 293 Chinese people do not have martial ethics

Eric and Brian couldn't help but freeze in surprise when they heard this.

This lame excuse is so visibly perfunctory that it makes people irritated.

However, facing the aggressive Tang army soldiers outside the iron gate, Eric could only patiently explain.

"Britain and France signed a treaty with the Qing Dynasty to lease the Shanghai Concession. Legally speaking, this is the overseas territory of Britain and France."

"The territory is sacred and inviolable. We cannot allow you to enter and search."

"Please forgive me!"

Foreigners always bully the weak and fear the strong. Facing the Tang army that had just fought back and forth with the Allied Forces in Guangzhou, Eric spoke very politely.

The Tang army officer on the opposite side heard this and just spoke in a cold voice.

"No, I brought people here today not to discuss, but to inform!"

"We need to enter the concession to search immediately. Please don't make it difficult for me!"

Brian held down Eric, who had an angry expression, and spoke.

"Please send an official letter to discuss this matter with the ambassadors of our two countries in China."

"Unless we receive orders from above, we have no right to let you enter the concession to search!"

Brian's words were still soft, but his attitude was very clear.

You want to enter the concession, it's not without negotiation.

But you need to communicate with the minister. There is no point in making things difficult for us.

Upon hearing this, the Tang army officer said in a cold voice.

"Half an hour!"

"I'll give you half an hour to report this to the higher-ups."

"I will come back in half an hour, no matter what the result you report!"

After saying this, he turned around and left with his men.

Eric and Brian looked at each other and couldn't help but stare at each other in surprise.

But Eric still said.

"Send someone to inform the leasing department!"

"It can be seen that these Chinese can no longer hold back and want to seize control of the lease."

Brian also nodded in agreement.

However, before they could send anyone to the concession to report, a loud noise was heard.

A shell came from a distance and hit the low wall on the side of the iron gate.

The next moment, there was a loud explosion.

Bricks and stones flew everywhere, the iron gate was instantly engulfed in flames and smoke, and then blown away by the shock wave.

British and French soldiers behind the iron gate were also affected by the explosion.

Eric and Brian didn't have time to react before they were thrown out, and their vision went dark.

When they came to their senses, they felt severe pain all over their bodies and the whole world in front of them was shaking as if the heaven and earth were rocking.

Brian opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Despicable Chinese, didn't you say half an hour?!"

Eric's leg was hit by the fallen iron gate and was visibly deformed.

He opened his mouth and let out wails and curses.

"Shit, shameless!"

"How shameless!"

"These Chinese have no moral principles! They come to cheat and attack!"

He finally realized that the reason these Chinese were making such a fuss was to lure them to the iron gate and then catch them all with a single shot.

However, before they could do anything, they saw a Tang army soldier rushing into the concession through the iron gate that was blown open by a cannonball.

The black muzzle of the gun was pointed at the foreheads of Eric, Brian and others!

The sharp bayonet reflected an unsettling cold light under the sunlight.

The Tang army officer walked up to the confused Eric and Brian, waved his hand and ordered his men to take them down.

Afterwards, he continued to lead the team and rushed towards the depths of the lease.

Along the way, British and French guards attempted to resist, but how could they, who used muzzle-loading rifles, be a match for the Tang army, which used breech-loading rifles?
The Tang army soldiers easily repelled their resistance and quickly seized control of the concession.

……

Guangzhou, the Tang Dynasty Diplomatic Department.

The new British Minister to China, Sir Robert Bruce, and the new French Minister to China, Sir Robert, came to the Tang Dynasty Diplomatic Department together.

And made a stern representation to Guo Songtao, Director of the Tang Dynasty's Diplomatic Department!

Among them, Bruce was the younger brother of Earl Elgin. Earl Elgin made great efforts to ensure that Bruce could stay in the Tang Dynasty and serve as the minister to China.

And Baldmi is Gro's confidant.

After the Guangdong War, officials from several countries who succeeded as ministers to China were basically from the Allied Forces. The reason they came was that they were tasked with serving as ministers.

"Director Guo, I think you should give us an explanation about the Shanghai Concession."

Bruce sat down in front of Guo Songtao and said with a cold face.

Baldmi on the side also spoke in agreement.

"Yes, Director Guo, we need an explanation."

"You have innocently used force against the concession and killed and injured our soldiers. This is a great provocation to the dignity of our French Empire."

"If you cannot give us a satisfactory explanation, perhaps the war will start again."

Guo Songtao had a faint smile on his face. He did not take the other party's threat seriously. He just waved his hand and ordered the servant to bring tea.

He raised his hand and motioned for the two of them to drink tea, then spoke.

"My two envoys, I do not think that the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty did anything wrong."

"They were only ordered to recover the territory of our Tang Dynasty, that's all!"

Upon hearing this, Baldmi looked unhappy and spoke.

"Legally speaking, the French Concession in Shanghai is an overseas territory belonging to the French Empire."

"The Tang Dynasty's occupation of the French Concession is no different from a direct invasion of France!"

Bruce also said so.

"Britain will not tolerate any infringement on British territory."

"If anyone invades British territory, then Britain will respond with war."

Guo Songtao remained unannoyed.

Because he is very confident, he will not lose his mind because of other people's clamor.

Guo Songtao just said it calmly.

"No, I think what the two ministers said is unreasonable."

"The concession was rented to you by the Qing Dynasty, not by the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty has never accepted a single cent of rent from you, and the Tang Dynasty does not recognize any treaty signed by the Qing Dynasty."

"You can't use the treaty signed by the Qing Dynasty as a constraint on our Tang Dynasty."

"That doesn't make sense!"

Bruce and Baldmi couldn't help but freeze in surprise when they heard this.

But Bruce spoke anyway.

"But even so, the British soldiers cannot die in vain!"

Baldmi nodded immediately.

“Yes, we need compensation!”

In fact, both of them understood that the Tang Dynasty's recovery of the Shanghai Concession was a fait accompli and they could not change anything.

The Tang Dynasty is not the Qing Dynasty, nor is it a weak country that they can take whatever they want, unless they organize a coalition again, declare war on the Tang Dynasty, and win the battle.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to force the Tang Dynasty to make territorial concessions.

The purpose of their coming here today is just to get some benefits from the Tang Dynasty so that they can give an explanation to the country.

Guo Songtao hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

"After the concessions were established in Shanghai, British and French merchants invested a lot in them."

"Although the Tang Dynasty has recovered lost territory, we will not do anything like plundering or robbing merchants of their assets."

"How about this. From now on, we will follow the example of Hong Kong and set up the Shanghai Concession as the Shanghai Economic Development Zone. Merchants from all over the world can enter and exit freely, invest, do business, and buy houses."

"How about this?" Li Yi made such arrangements not only to appease Britain and France, but more because he wanted to introduce foreign investment and promote the development of industry and commerce in the Tang Dynasty.

As for whether the introduction of foreign capital will lead to any serious consequences, such as certain key industries being controlled by foreign capital?

Let me put it this way, Li Yi said that you overestimate the bottom line of me as a feudal ruler.

For Li Yi, foreign investors can come and make money.

I also need investment!
It’s a win-win situation!
But what do you do if you want to control key industries?
Haha, wait until the iron fist of feudal autocracy hits you, then you will know how painful it is.

In China, a country where officials are the most important, businessmen will always be just businessmen. They are just pigs raised by power and can be slaughtered at any time when they are fattened.

Want to retaliate? They almost did.

Bruce heard this and weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

He said after a moment of silence.

“I wonder if we can send officials to participate in the management of the economic development zone?”

Guo Songtao asked back with a sneer.

"Can our Tang Dynasty send officials to participate in the management of Mumbai, India?"

Bruce was obviously stunned when he heard this.

Of course this is not possible!

And this is also the answer given to him by the Tang Dynasty!
Bruce and Baldmi looked at each other and understood the meaning in each other's eyes.

Since the goal has been almost achieved, there is no need to stay any longer.

The two men said goodbye to Guo Songtao and left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

……

The sound of horse hooves!
A team of fast horses galloped along the official road.

Passing by a shady tree, You Feng stopped the warhorse.

Accompanied by a series of neighing sounds, a group of cavalry stopped under the shade of a tree.

You Feng jumped off the horse and turned around to say.

"Take a break. You'll be exhausted if you keep riding."

The warhorse he was riding was extremely tired and was shaking.

You Feng, who was riding on the horse, felt it clearly.

Everyone nodded. Shi Delu, Enming and Youfeng gathered together to discuss things.

The rest of the people took their horses to water and feed them.

"General, we have passed Jinhua Prefecture and arrived in Hangzhou Prefecture. We are not far from Hangzhou City."

Shi Delu sat down on a bluestone under the shade of a tree. Her skin, which was worn by long hours of riding, suddenly felt a stinging pain and she couldn't help but grimace.

Enming also nodded and said.

"Yes, General, we are not far from Hangzhou."

"Once we get to Hangzhou, we can breathe a sigh of relief."

This journey of escape was not only tiring, but also a great torture to their psychology.

They knew that nearly all the people of Fuzhou had fallen into the hands of the thieves, but they could do nothing.

This feeling of powerlessness and despair is constantly tormenting their minds.

Youfeng nodded with a serious expression.

"Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Fujian, almost all of them fell."

"In the southeastern half of the country, the Qing dynasty only has Zhejiang province left. I am afraid that Zhejiang cannot be saved."

Since the Tang army had conquered Jiangxi, Jiangsu and Fujian, how could they let go of Zhejiang?
Zhejiang is the essence of the Jiangnan region.

This place has been a fertile land throughout the dynasties.

It was also one of the most important sources of money and grain for the Qing Dynasty.

The Tang army will never let go!

In other words, even if they arrived in Hangzhou City, they could only breathe a sigh of relief at most.

In the long run, it is still dangerous!

The more critical issue is that although these people successfully escaped from Fuzhou, they left the Eight Banners of Fuzhou to the Tang army.

This news can't be kept secret!

Once the news reaches the capital, it will inevitably cause an uproar. How could the relatives and friends of the Eight Banners of Fuzhou in the capital let them go?

These people are bound to be arrested and punished, and their fate is obvious.

Shi Delu and En Ming were both stunned when they heard this.

Nothing can be said!
Because this is indeed the situation today.

But Enming still spoke.

"Let's go to Hangzhou first."

"We'll talk about other things when we get to Hangzhou."

"There is always a way out when the car reaches the mountain. Our Qing Dynasty still has the province of Zhejiang in its hands. The situation is far from hopeless..."

Enming comforted him.

You Feng and Shi Delu both smiled bitterly and nodded.

Although they all disagreed with Enming's statement.

But they would not pour cold water on Enming at this juncture.

The group rested in the shade of the trees for half a day, and then continued their journey towards Hangzhou.

After another half day, they finally arrived outside Hangzhou.

Led by You Feng, a group of people headed towards Yongjin Gate.

When they arrived at the Hangzhou city gate, Hangzhou General Ruichang, Zhejiang Governor He Yun and others were already there to greet them.

Seeing Youfeng and others coming on horseback, Ruichang stepped forward a few steps and greeted them.

"You have come a long way, thank you for your hard work, and please follow me into the city first!"

Zhejiang Governor He Yun also stepped forward and spoke.

"Yes, this official and the general have already arranged a welcoming banquet in the city. You gentlemen are welcome to join us."

From the guest suite, the group entered Hangzhou City together, and then entered the Hangzhou General's Mansion.

Everyone took their seats. You Feng raised his glass and drank a drink, then asked.

"General Ruichang, Governor He, what is the current situation in Zhejiang?"

Ruichang just spoke after hearing this.

"Hey, the situation is critical!"

"Ever since the Tang thieves began their eastward expedition, Jiangsu and Jiangxi have fallen one after another, and many people in Zhejiang have begun to get restless."

"With the situation at this point, Zhejiang may be hard to defend!"

Ruichang is very pessimistic about the current situation.

The reason is not anything else, but the fighting power displayed by the Tang army is too strong.

Jiangxi and Jiangsu surrendered!

Now, some people from Zhejiang have also started to collude with the Tang army, and traitors are emerging in large numbers.

Ruichang had a hunch that the reason Zhejiang was temporarily stable now was because the Tang army did not attack Zhejiang.

Once the Tang army launched an offensive towards Zhejiang, Zhejiang would fall in the blink of an eye.

Everyone couldn't help but sigh when they heard this.

Their expressions were all solemn.

Just at this moment, He Yun on the side spoke up and made a suggestion.

"My Lords, in my opinion, if the imperial court wants to keep Zhejiang and the Eight Banners in Hangzhou, the only way now is to negotiate with the Tang thieves."

"If the peace talks can be successful, then perhaps there is still hope for Zhejiang..."

He Yun's words were obviously nonsense. Not to mention that the Tang Dynasty was not prepared to negotiate, even if it did, it would not let Zhejiang go.

What he really meant was to negotiate peace with the Tang Dynasty, exchange land for the Eight Banners, and use the province of Zhejiang in exchange for the Tang Dynasty allowing the Eight Banners of Hangzhou to cross the river and escape.

This matter doesn't have to be negotiable!
……

PS: I have to go out soon, so there will only be one update today. I will return the chapter I owe tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)