Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 443 Li Yi: Just ask the British if they are numb? (6K)

After a moment of boredom, Li Yi spoke.

"No matter what the final outcome of the Indian uprising is, it will be beneficial to our Tang Dynasty."

"If we can keep the British trapped in India, then the strategic opportunity for the Tang Dynasty to take Malacca will come."

Li Liang heard this and said immediately.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

After a moment of hesitation, Li Yi made arrangements.

"Let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs send an envoy to India to discuss the arms trade with the Indian rebels."

"Also, tell the leaders of the rebels that if they are defeated in India, our Tang Dynasty can provide them with political asylum and allow them to come to the Tang Dynasty with their families to live."

"Yes, including the emperor of the Mughal Empire!"

To put it bluntly, Li Yi was preparing to do something bad to the British.

Well, he would give his full support to India and Britain to fight till the last Indian blood was shed.

The purpose of selling arms is to enhance the fighting capacity of the rebels.

The willingness to provide political asylum to the leaders of the rebels was to allow them to fight the British to the death without any worries.

These things are of great benefit to the Tang Dynasty, so Li Yi will naturally promote them actively.

Take the sale of arms, for example.

The arms sold by the Tang Dynasty are not cheap. If the rebels want to get enough arms from the Tang Dynasty, they will have to pay for it with gold coins.

The same is true for providing politics to the leaders of the rebels.

The leader of the rebel army wants to seek refuge in the Tang Dynasty. You can't possibly come here empty-handed, right?

As long as these people arrive in the Tang Dynasty, they will consume and invest, and their money can be used to stimulate and support the industrial and commercial development of the Tang Dynasty.

What’s more important is the political significance!
Take the example of the Mughal emperors.

If the emperor of the Mughal Empire was in the hands of the Tang Dynasty, he would become an extremely important political trump card for the Tang Dynasty to deal with Britain.

As long as the British dared to provoke the Tang Dynasty, Li Yi would release the Mughal emperor and let him make a public speech, asking to return to India to restore his country.

Just ask the British if it’s okay?

As for whether Tang Dynasty’s actions would damage its friendship with Britain?

Haha, the two sides have been mortal enemies for a long time, okay?
It's just that we haven't fallen out yet!

Do you really think it's so easy to swallow the humiliation that Britain organized the Eight-Nation Alliance but was beaten back by the Tang Dynasty?
In other words, Britain is currently stuck in Crimea and has no spare energy to move eastward. Otherwise, Britain would definitely not mind finding any reason to declare war on the Tang Dynasty.

Besides, even if the British don’t have this idea, Li Yi does.

Don't forget that Li Yi's biological father died in the Opium War.

Although Li Yi has not deliberately mentioned this matter over the years, it does not mean that he has forgotten it.

Even without mentioning all this, it was just a fight for world hegemony and overseas colonies.

Sooner or later, there will be a war between the Tang Dynasty and Britain!
And it is a world war level war!
It will definitely not be wrong to prepare for the future now.

Upon hearing this, Li Liang immediately clasped his fists in agreement, and then continued speaking.

"By the way, Your Majesty, the latest news has come from Mobei. The envoys sent by the Russian Empire have arrived in Kulun."

"Emissary Gorchakov requests to come to the capital to see the emperor!"

Last year, the Russian envoy set out from St. Petersburg. After a difficult journey that took several months, they finally arrived in the Tang Dynasty by land.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi pondered for a while and then spoke.

"Well, I agree. Let the Russian delegation enter the country."

"It's just right. Let the Russian envoys and the Chechen Khan and his men enter Beijing together."

Upon hearing this, Li Liang agreed again, then turned around and left.

Li Yi was preparing to take a rest!

……

Cullen!

Gorchakov walked out of the residence arranged for him by the Tang Dynasty and walked on the streets of Kulun with several followers.

As the most important city in the northern desert of the Tang Dynasty, merchants and goods from all over the country gather here, making Kulun extremely prosperous.

Gorchakov walked along the street and saw shops filled with goods and merchants selecting goods everywhere.

Among these merchants, some came from various tribes in the northern desert, some came from faraway Siberia, and he even saw quite a few Tsarist Russians with blond hair, blue eyes and thick hair among them.

Inside the city of Kulun, these merchants from all over the place were quite honest. Order could be seen everywhere in the city of Kulun, and there was no chaos.

The reason for this is not that these merchants and guests from all over the place are well-educated and civilized, but because there are troops stationed in Kulun.

Feng Zicai and Zhang Lexing thought that they were doing nothing in Kulun anyway, so they simply sent troops to patrol the city of Kulun in turns to maintain order.

Therefore, merchants entering and leaving Kulun would behave themselves and not dare to cause trouble.

Because no one dares to cause trouble under the nose of the garrison!
Looking at the prosperity of Kulun City, Gorchakov couldn't help but sigh in a low voice.

"My God, this Kulun is such a prosperous city."

"How great would it be if he belonged to Tsarist Russia?"

As soon as Gorchakov finished speaking, a servant immediately replied.

"Your Excellency the Ambassador, there will be a chance."

"Once the Empire wins the Crimea, it will certainly choose to withdraw and continue to expand eastward. Kulun will be ours sooner or later."

The Russians are extremely greedy for territorial expansion, which is really normal.

But Gorchakov did not answer.

His eyes turned to a patrol garrison passing by the roadside.

The Tang army soldiers were dressed in neat uniforms, belts around their waists, helmets and leather shoes, marching in formation through the streets.

An elite and powerful aura is overwhelming!

One glance at them tells you that this is an elite force.

More importantly, the rifles carried by these Tang troops were all breech-loading rifles.

With the Tang Dynasty having such an elite army stationed at its border, how could it be easy for Tsarist Russia to expand eastwards?
Tsarist Russia was no match for Britain and France in Crimea. If it sent an army on a long expedition to the Far East, how could it be a match for the Tang army?
Gorchakov's emotions were quite complicated.

Because, as far as he knew, His Majesty the Tsar now had the idea of ​​​​reform.

His Majesty the Tsar was preparing to carry out large-scale reforms in the country after the end of the Crimean War.

However, reforms are supported by funding and political prestige.

If His Majesty the Tsar had won the Crimean War, he might have gained political prestige.

But where should the funds come from?

Historically, the reason why Tsarist Russia's reforms were successful was actually entirely due to the explosion of the Qing Dynasty's gold coins.

After the Second Opium War, the Qing Dynasty was completely defeated. The British and French allied forces entered the capital and burned down the Old Summer Palace. The Qing Dynasty’s top leaders were terrified.

At this moment, the Russians, who had just been beaten up by Britain and France in Crimea, stood up and said they would help the Qing Dynasty mediate between Britain and France.

Then, Tsarist Russia took advantage of this mediation opportunity to deceive the Qing Dynasty into signing unequal treaties such as the Treaty of Aihui, the Treaty of Beijing, and the Treaty of the Northwest Boundary, and took away millions of square kilometers of Chinese land.

This directly won Alexander II the political prestige and funds to promote reforms.

However, the current situation is that Tsarist Russia needs help from the Tang Dynasty. Let alone exploding Tang Dynasty's gold coins, it would be good enough if it is not exploding by Tang Dynasty.

Under such circumstances, Gorchakov also had no idea where the Tsarist Russia could get enough funds for reforms.

Thinking of this, Gorchakov couldn't help but sigh.

"Alas, the state affairs are difficult!"

At this moment, a servant strode up to Gorchakov and said.

"Your Excellency, there is news from the Tang capital. The Emperor of Tang has ordered our delegation to enter the capital."

Upon hearing this, Gorchakov couldn't help but clapped his hands.

"it is good!"

"Hurry, let's go back to our residence, pack up, and prepare to set off as soon as possible to the capital of the Tang Kingdom."

Gorchakov was unaware of the large-scale anti-British uprising that had broken out in India. In his opinion, it was now quite difficult for Tsarist Russia to support Crimea.

The offensives of Britain and France were becoming more and more fierce, and it was unknown when Tsarist Russia would be unable to hold on.

He must drag the Tang Dynasty into the water as soon as possible and gain its support!

……

The next day, it was just dawn.

Gorchakov set out from his residence, ready to lead his team to the interior of the country.

But before he could even go out, he was told to wait.

Chechen Khan, Zasaktu Khan, Tushetu Khan, Sanying Noyan Khan and others from Mobei also wanted to come to Beijing to pay homage to the emperor, and the Tang Dynasty was preparing to let them go together.

Upon hearing this, Gorchakov agreed on the spot without any hesitation.

Because in his opinion, this was actually a good thing. He could take the opportunity to get some news or intelligence from the khans.

There is no need to refuse!

However, after the Tang army soldiers who came to inform him left, Gorchakov fell into deep thought.

The Khans of all the Mobei tribes had to come to Beijing to meet the Tang emperor. Doesn't this mean that the Tang Dynasty has already completed its control over Mobei?
In this case, it would not be easy for Tsarist Russia to expand eastwards.

Thinking of this, Gorchakov couldn't help but sigh, his expression quite solemn.

Soon, Gorchakov didn't have to wait long before someone came to tell him that he could get ready to leave.

Immediately, Gorchakov led his team out of Kulun and headed towards the capital together with Chechen Khan and others.

The team set out from Kulun and headed south.

When we first started traveling in the northern desert, the surroundings were visibly desolate.

However, when the delegation arrived in the south of the desert, the desolation of the surroundings changed.

The withered and yellow land began to turn green.

Green grass covers the ground and the air is full of freshness.

When passing by lakes and streams, you can often see herds of cattle and sheep, and you can often see herdsmen shouting and singing as they ride their horses past.

Compared with the desolate, dilapidated and sparsely populated Mobei, the entire Monan is more prosperous than ever before.

In fact, these herdsmen had some doubts about the rule of the Tang Dynasty at the beginning, fearing that the Han emperor would target them, the Mongols.

But as time passed, they discovered that there was actually no difference between the Tang Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty.

Life on the grassland continues to go on as usual!
The Tang Dynasty did not increase taxes or recruit soldiers, but simply replaced the officials above them, and everything else remained the same.

Maybe they can graze the livestock when it’s time to graze, or build temples when it’s time to build temples. Even the Tang Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty are helping them build temples.

The interests of the herdsmen were not harmed, and the princes and nobles even received a reward after surrendering to the Tang Dynasty, which was considered some benefit.

The only difference is that the flag with the word "Qing" was replaced by the flag with the word "Tang".

Naturally, the grassland settled down!

After passing through the south of the desert, the delegation soon arrived at the Great Wall. Looking at the huge wall that stretched for thousands of miles ahead and divided the inside and outside of the Great Wall into two worlds, Gorchakov's eyes flashed with shock that was difficult to conceal.

"This...how long is this wall?"

"It's really spectacular!"

Seeing this, Chechen Khan said with a smile.

“How long is the Great Wall?”

"We don't know the details, but it must be 10,000 miles long. Otherwise, why is it called the Great Wall?"

After saying this, Chechen Khan continued.

"This Great Wall was built by the Han people to defend against our Mongolian ancestors..."

When saying this, Chechen Khan's face was full of pride and arrogance, and he felt proud of the strength of his ancestors.

Gorchakov heard this and said with a smile.

"Genghis Khan's fame is not only known in the East."

"In the West, he is also a first-class great king and an unparalleled ruler!"

Zasaktuhan on the side also said so.

"Of course, Genghis Khan is the most respected ancestor of us Mongolians!"

After traveling together for this period of time, Gorchakov and Chechen Khan and others have become very familiar with each other.

As the best diplomat in Tsarist Russia at the time, when Gorchakov wanted to establish a good relationship with someone, it was actually very simple.

With his emotional intelligence, he can easily get closer to people.

Well, Genghis Khan is the pride of the Mongols.

If you want to establish good relations with the Mongols, it’s definitely a good idea to talk about Genghis Khan.

Of course, if you want to talk to the Mongols about Kublai Khan, that's another matter.

As the first Mongolian emperor (Han Khan) who led the Han army into his hometown, massacred his own people, and established the Xuanwei Office, Kublai Khan's reputation among the Mongols was probably not much better than that of Wu Sangui and Qin Hui on the Han side.

After establishing good relations with several khans, Gorchakov also learned what had happened in Mobei.

As far as he knew, Mobei had now been truly conquered by the Tang army.

Otherwise, the khans would not have surrendered directly.

However, this further proves that the Tang army's combat effectiveness is strong enough.

Soon, the delegation entered the country from Zhangjiakou, and then headed towards the capital along the official road.

After entering the interior, Gorchakov discovered that the interior and exterior of the Tang Dynasty were simply two different worlds.

There are densely distributed villages on both sides of the official road.

The village is crowded with people, farmers are busy in the fields, and the fields are full of lush crops.

The green wheat seedlings swaying in the wind are so attractive that one can't take their eyes away.

Although most of these farmers were dressed in rags and looked pale and thin, their faces were full of hope.

This is because after the Tang Dynasty took over the local areas, it organized the distribution of land locally, and the land cultivated by the farmers belonged to them.

In addition, the Tang Dynasty also carried out tax reforms, reducing taxes and levies to give the people a rest.

Therefore, even though the work is very tiring now, farmers are still full of hope.

They believe that under the emperor's wise leadership, their lives will get better and better!

Although Gorchakov did not know this, he was able to make a simple judgment on the national strength of the Tang Dynasty based on the population size.

In this era when industrial development is just beginning, a large population actually represents a country's strength.

The larger the population, the stronger a country will be!

As for how the people are living?
This is actually not important, because the people of other countries on the earth at the same time were actually like this.

Being hungry is almost a constant state!
I can only eat my fill occasionally.

Take Tsarist Russia as an example. The lives of the serfs in Tsarist Russia were much more miserable than those of the common people in the Tang Dynasty, but this did not affect Tsarist Russia from continuing to serve as its own European gendarme.

Even fought a deadly battle with the British and French forces in Crimea!

Taking a deep breath, Gorchakov withdrew his gaze from the surroundings and the delegation continued to move forward.

The delegation set out from Kulun at the end of April and finally arrived outside the capital city in early June.

Different from the Tang Dynasty's changes to rural areas which were merely the distribution of land and the reduction of taxes and levies, as the court vigorously promoted the development of industry and commerce, the changes in cities were much more direct.

Factories appeared out of nowhere around the city, with chimneys everywhere. The newly built factories brought a large number of jobs and solved the livelihood problems of many people.

Large numbers of people began to gather in cities!

Old buildings were demolished, new high-rise buildings were built, roads were widened, and pedestrians and caravans could be seen coming and going everywhere on the roads.

The entire city and country are full of hope and development opportunities.

When he arrived in the capital, looking at the wide asphalt road in front of him, the well-dressed pedestrians on both sides of the road, and the vehicles and people coming and going, Gorchakov's expression was obviously complicated.

Compared with the lifeless capital of Tsarist Russia, St. Petersburg, the capital of the Tang Dynasty was a completely different scene.

The delegation continued to move forward along the asphalt road and soon stopped in front of a city gate.

Today, although the capital of the Tang Dynasty is undergoing urban transformation, many of the city walls have been demolished.

However, part of the city gate was still preserved and prepared to be treated as a cultural relic.

Well, if foreign envoys want to enter the capital, they naturally have to go through the city gate.

It’s also a sense of ritual!
Guo Songtao said to Gorchakov in front of him with a smile.

"I am Guo Songtao, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Tang Dynasty, and I have been ordered to come and greet His Excellency the Ambassador!"

As for Chechen Khan and others, they were taken to the mansion and settled as soon as they arrived in Beijing.

In order to appease Chechen Khan and others, Li Yi specially granted them a mansion in the capital.

For a long time to come, Chechen Khan and others will need to stay in the capital.

At least, that was the case before the railway to Mobei was built.

Who told them to lead the army to resist the king's army?
Although several khans eventually surrendered, before they did so, they had fought against the royal army.

Although Li Yi would not settle accounts with them or carry out any post-war settlement.

But it’s normal to be on guard!
Upon hearing this, Gorchakov replied with a smile on his face.

"Meet Minister Guo!"

"When can we go to see His Majesty the Emperor?"

"Here I have greetings and a personal letter from the Tsar, and I want to personally hand them over to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Songtao did not respond, but continued to speak with a smile.

"Don't worry, Ambassador!"

"The delegation came to the capital in a hurry, so they should rest first and then talk about meeting His Majesty after welcoming them."

Li Yi is actually not busy now. The reason why he refused to meet with Gorchakov immediately was mainly to leave him alone.

And, let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs talk to Gorchakov first.

It won’t be too late for Li Yi to come out after they have reached an agreement.

He was the emperor and had to save his reputation. There was no way he could go in person to negotiate with foreign envoys.

Once things are finalized, he will come forward and order the contract to be signed.

A superior person should naturally have the tone of a superior person.

……

British Embassy in Beijing.

British Minister Baldwin is enjoying a British-style fish and chips.

Although he had eaten enough fish and chips when he was in the UK.

However, now that he is far away from home and in a foreign land, Baldmi actually begins to reminisce.

I feel like fish and chips aren’t that bad after all!

Pick up a French fry, dip it in ketchup, then put it in your mouth and chew it carefully.

While eating fish and chips, Baldwin poured himself a glass of brandy to go with his meal.

With a bite of French fries, a bite of fried fish and a sip of wine, Baldmi enjoyed his meal very much.

However, at this moment, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, an attendant of the embassy walked in from outside with an anxious look on his face.

"Your Excellency, something terrible has happened!"

"The Russian envoy arrived in the Tang capital today. The Tang foreign minister went out of the city to meet the Russian ambassador, Gorchakov."

Upon hearing this, Baldemi subconsciously paused in his movements.

A look of shock flashed across his face!

His brows furrowed subconsciously.

Because he knew that once any agreement was reached between the Tang Dynasty and Tsarist Russia, Britain would be in trouble.

You know, the situation Britain is facing now is not very good!

On the one hand, the situation in Crimea was tense, and the British and French forces had been unable to make a breakthrough on the battlefield.

On the other hand, an uprising broke out in India recently, catching Britain off guard!
It goes without saying how important India is to Britain.

Just from the fact that India is hailed as the brightest jewel in the crown of the Queen of Great Britain, one can imagine its status.

Therefore, India will never allow any mistakes.

Britain will definitely send more troops to India to quell the rebellion!

In other words, in a short period of time, Britain will be deeply involved in two wars.

And the scale of these two wars is not small!
It can even be said to be quite large!

It is conceivable how difficult it is for the UK now.

If the Tang Dynasty interferes in Crimea again at this time, Britain may really be defeated in Crimea.

By then, the situation that Britain will face will be a significant weakening of its influence in the Middle East.

The consequence is really too serious!

The fact that the Tang Dynasty was able to send a high-ranking official of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to meet with the Russian envoys was actually very capable and showed its attitude.

Therefore, Baldmi couldn't help but feel solemn about this.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and then spoke.

"What did the Emperor of Tang say?"

"Have you made any statement?"

……

PS: I can’t add more content anymore. I’ll take a day off and continue tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)