Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 447: Declare war on England! (6+2K)

These law enforcement officers from the Supervisory Department walked around the screen wall, passed through the courtyard, the corridor, and the inner door with hanging flowers, and came in front of Zhang Erhe.

Leading the way was a middle-aged man with a stern face.

Zhang Erhe recognized the person in front of him. After seeing him, he became visibly nervous.

He said with a trembling voice.

"It turns out...it's Minister Du."

"I wonder if Minister Du has any instructions for me when he comes to your residence?"

Du Shun, as the Minister of the Supervisory Department of the Tang Dynasty and an emperor's lackey who was as famous as Li Liang of the Military Intelligence Department, was naturally famous.

It is impossible for a court official like Zhang Erhe not to know him.

Du Shun looked at Zhang Erhe coldly and said expressionlessly.

"Mr. Anping, your case has been exposed. Please come with us!"

Zhang Erhe's face twitched, but he still said it with a stiff upper lip.

"I, I don't understand what Minister Du means!"

Seeing this, Du Shun didn't bother to be polite with him. He took out a document from his arms and started talking.

"All the drug dealers in Guangdong have confessed, and you, the uncle, are behind them."

"Now, the evidence is solid. This is the arrest warrant issued by the Ministry of Justice of the DPRK. You'd better cooperate with us in investigating the case."

"Don't make it difficult for me!"

As he spoke, Du Shun simply waved his hand, and several law enforcement officers from the Supervision Department came forward and held Zhang Erhe down.

Afterwards, they began to search the entire Bo's house, searching various accounts, etc.

……

Duke Xin’s Mansion!

Since recovering from his last serious illness, Luo Dagang resigned from his military post and only held a sinecure in the Military Affairs Council.

Apart from the need to attend court meetings and various ceremonies regularly, he usually stays at home and recuperates.

Well, it’s not that Luo Dagang is unwilling to make further contributions in the court.

The actual conditions do not allow it!

First, his health collapsed after a serious illness and he could not support the high-intensity work in the court.

The second reason is that his identity is sensitive and he wants to retreat while he is ahead.

His daughter was the queen and his grandson was the crown prince. He did this for the sake of his daughter and grandson, and to avoid arousing the emperor's suspicion.

Retreating at the peak of his career is his best choice!

After all, you are all royal relatives. If you continue to struggle, what are you striving for?
This is worth pondering!
Although Li Yi is not the kind of person who would kill the donkey after it has served its purpose, as a subject, it is always better for him to be more careful and prudent.

The sun was shining brightly overhead. After lunch, Luo Dagang, wearing a thin overall, lay on a lounge chair in the garden for a nap.

He fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan to cool off, looking relaxed.

Having freed himself from worldly affairs, his physical condition is now much better and he has become visibly whiter and fatter.

The smile becomes more amiable!
In the garden, Luo Dagang's son Luo Qingchuan was riding a pony and having fun in the garden.

This dwarf horse is called Guoxiama. It is no taller than three feet and usually only about two feet tall. It was a tribute carefully selected from the southwest.

It has bright fur, is fluffy and cute, and has a gentle temperament, making it a very suitable playmate for children.

But they are scarce and expensive, and you can't get them without some connections.

His wife, Su Sanniang, was also sitting beside them, watching her son playing happily with a motherly smile on her face.

Luo Dagang watched all this and listened to his son's laughter, and felt that all his hard work in the first half of his life was worth it.

However, at this moment, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, a servant came up to Luo Dagang and said.

"My Lord, the Earl of Huaining, the Earl of Dong'an, the Marquis of Pingle and several other gentlemen are outside the palace asking to see you."

Luo Dagang stopped fanning, opened his eyes, and spoke lazily.

"Well, bring the person in!"

After saying that, Su Sanniang on the side continued.

"I'll go get someone to make tea!"

Luo Dagang nodded.

"Thank you Madam!"

After Su Sanniang finished speaking, she turned and left, taking Luo Qingchuan, who was riding a pony around, with her.

Of course, she wasn't really going to make tea.

The maids naturally took care of making tea.

It’s just that the men probably had something to say, so she stepped aside to give them some private space.

Soon after Su Sanniang left, the servants of the mansion brought the visitor in from outside.

When the Earl of Huaining, the Earl of Dong'an, the Marquis of Pingle and others saw Luo Dagang, they all saluted.

"This humble servant greets you, sir!"

Luo Dagang nodded slightly and then said.

"Everyone, sit down!"

"Drink tea!"

As they were talking, the maid brought up the best Mingqian Longjing tea.

The tea soup is clear, the tea fragrance is faint, and the fine tea hairs on the tea leaves are clearly visible.

Everyone took their seats, then picked up their teacups and took a sip.

Luo Dagang asked.

"You are so busy with military affairs, why do you think of visiting a retired old man like me?"

"Tell me what's going on!"

Luo Dagang knew that these people would not come to him unless they had something to do.

Lord Huaining spoke first.

"Sir, this is what happened. Something happened to Anping Earl Zhang Erhe. He was arrested by the imperial henchmen of the Ministry of Supervision. Even the Earl's mansion was raided by those henchmen."

"Zhang Erhe has now been imprisoned. I don't know how he will be dealt with."

"Master, we are brothers who fought through blood and fire on the battlefield. You can't just ignore him!"

Seeing this, the others also echoed it.

"Yes, sir, we can't just ignore it!"

"Erhe once saved my life!"

"..."

Luo Dagang couldn't help but frown when he heard this.

"What's going on?"

"Why would the Supervision Department come to Erhe?"

The reason why these people came to Luo Dagang for help after Zhang Erhe got into trouble was because they, like Luo Dagang, were members of the Tiandihui faction in the court.

Luo Dagang was even the core decision-maker of the Tiandihui faction in the Tang Dynasty.

In the past, their faction in the court always huddled together for warmth.

Now that someone is in trouble, it is normal for others to want to lend a hand and ask the boss to help rescue him.

In Luo Dagang's opinion, he would naturally help these brothers from the same faction whenever he could.

Well, one hero needs three helpers!
Upon hearing this, Pingle Hou spoke.

"Sir, as far as I know, Zhang Erhe is involved in an opium smuggling case."

"The court is preparing to punish him severely!"

These people are all powerful and have their own spies and connections in the court.

Many things are no secret to them.

When Luo Dagang heard this, his face immediately turned dark.

"Your mother, dealing in opium?"

"Who gave Zhang Erhe the courage? The imperial court has repeatedly issued orders to ban smoking. Doesn't he know that?"

Although Pingle Hou said that Zhang Erhe was involved, Luo Dagang did not believe it.

No matter what, Zhang Erhe is an earl and a nobleman. If there was no conclusive evidence that he was involved, why would the Supervision Department come to arrest him and confiscate his house?
Also, Luo Dagang knew how much Li Yi hated the opium dealers.

You know, Li Yi's father died in the Opium War.

This is a true blood feud, a true deep hatred!
How could I forget?

Seeing this, Pingle Hou said with an embarrassed look.

"As far as I know, Zhang Erhe was engaged in the opium business before he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. He was the largest opium dealer in Wuzhou Prefecture."

"After surrendering to the Tang Dynasty, he became more restrained, but he still had many employees under him and continued to do business in this area..."

Luo Dagang's face turned frighteningly dark.

"So, what do you want me to do?"

Dong Anbo spoke tentatively.

"We are thinking that you have a lot of face in front of His Majesty, so we should ask for mercy for Zhang Erhe."

"Although Lao Zhang was wrong in selling smuggled opium, he is a nobleman after all. He fought for the Tang Dynasty on the battlefield and shed blood. This is not a crime punishable by death!"

It was obvious that none of them took Zhang Erhe's opium trafficking seriously.

On the contrary, he felt that the imperial court was making a fuss out of nothing by calling for the killing of a nobleman over such a small matter.

It was because of the great prestige of Li Yi, the founding emperor, that they dared not offend him. Otherwise, they might have said some nonsense.

Hearing this, Luo Dagang looked at Pingle Hou in front of him thoughtfully.

"So, you are not also involved in the opium trafficking?"

Upon hearing this, several people looked at each other in bewilderment. When they looked at Luo Dagang, their eyes couldn't help but show some guilt and lack of confidence.

How could Luo Dagang not understand after seeing this?

He was almost laughed out of anger by the idiots in front of him.

But in the end he did not get angry. He just took a deep breath and pointed in the direction of the mansion gate and spoke.

"Let's go!"

"Let's go, I can't handle this, you should find someone else to help!"

The emperor hated the opium dealers so much. Now he went to the emperor to plead for mercy on behalf of the opium dealers. What was the difference between this and walking into the muzzle of a gun?
Luo Dagang would never do such a stupid thing!

Upon hearing this, the Earl of Huaining, the Earl of Dong'an, and the Marquis of Pingle could not help but look at each other in surprise.

"Master..."

Luo Dagang couldn't help but throw the teacup in his hand and shout angrily.

"roll!"

When several people saw this, their faces twitched. They all stood up, bowed, and turned to leave.

After the few people left, Luo Dagang still looked angry.

"You are a bunch of bastards. You are so dirty and yet you want to drag me down with you!"

Luo Dagang was really angry about this.

Originally, if Zhang Erhe's matter was not serious, he was really prepared to risk his old face and help plead for mercy.

But who could have thought that these bastards wanted to drag themselves down with them!

By then, even if I am clean, I can get away from this matter.

However, it is inevitable that it will leave a bad impression in front of the emperor.

If this affects his daughter and grandson, then Luo Dagang would be guilty of a crime worthy of death!

Su Sanniang walked over from a distance and came to Luo Dagang and said.

"It's right for you not to get involved in this matter, sir."

"Otherwise, if you get stuck, even if you can get out, you'll probably end up dying."

"These people in the Tiandihui are of mixed quality. There is no need for you to be angry over them."

Although Su Sanniang also came from the Tiandihui, she did not hesitate to comment on the Tiandihui.

It is precisely because of her origin in the Tiandihui that she knows what kind of group the Tiandihui is.

The Tiandihui, to put it nicely, was an anti-Qing organization, but in reality it was just a group of gangsters.

Do you still expect there to be any good people in the underworld?

Luo Dagang sighed helplessly and then asked.

"Madam, how do you think His Majesty will deal with these guys?"

Su Sanniang shook her head.

"Hard to say."

"Given your majesty's temper, he might punish me severely..."

"But that's none of our business. It has nothing to do with us anyway."

Luo Dagang nodded and then continued.

"How about this, Madam, tell everyone to get ready. Let's go to the Old Summer Palace and ask for an audience with the Empress..."

The reason why Luo Dagang did this was not only because he wanted to see his daughter and keep in touch with her.

It was also to show his loyalty to Li Yi, to show that he did not form a clique for personal gain and that he stood on the side of the emperor.

Su Sanniang heard this and said with a smile.

"What the lord said is very true."

"Qingchuan hasn't seen sister for such a long time, he must be missing her now."

Luo Dagang nodded.

“That’s right!”

Luo Dagang was very fortunate to have married Su Sanniang, a virtuous wife.

……

Marquis Pingle, Earl Huaining, Earl Dong'an and others left the palace.

They boarded a large four-wheeled carriage pulled by two horses.

After getting on the carriage, I couldn't help but start a conversation.

"Zhang Erhe is in trouble. What should we do?"

Huai Ningbo was obviously a little flustered, fearing that the law enforcement officers from the Supervision Department would come looking for him in the next second.

Dong Anbo wanted to be calmer, but still said.

"Don't overthink it. It's just that Zhang Erhe has been caught in the act, and nothing has happened to our people."

"We are nobles after all. If there is no sufficient and decisive evidence, those lackeys will not dare to provoke us."

Pingle Hou said with a serious expression.

"Notify everyone as soon as possible and suspend business for the time being until this storm is over."

Upon hearing this, although they were reluctant to give up the profits from smuggling opium, they could only nod their heads obediently.

However, at this moment, the moving carriage suddenly stopped.

Huai Ningbo couldn't help but ask.

"Why did the carriage stop?"

Soon, the driver replied with a trembling voice.

"Reply...Reply to Master Bo, our road is blocked!"

When Lord Huaining heard this, he, who was already in a bad mood, instantly exploded.

"Damn it, which blind and unruly person dares to block my way?"

"grass!"

As he spoke, he lifted the car curtain and looked out.

But as soon as the car curtain was opened, he couldn't help but pause in his movements.

Because the person who appeared before him was not the blind and unruly person he had imagined.

Instead, it was a team of law enforcement officers from the Supervision Department wearing black clothes and armbands on their arms.

He was very familiar with the leader!

Minister of Supervision, the Emperor's lackey, Dushun!
Seeing that Earl Huaining stood there in a daze and stopped moving, the remaining Earl Dong'an and Marquis Pingle also leaned out to check.

Then they were all stunned.

There was only one thought left in my mind.

It's over, it's over!

Their story has probably already been published!
Dushun came forward and said expressionlessly.

"My Lords and Marquises, His Majesty invites you to come with me!"

As he spoke, Du Shun waved his hand and ordered his law enforcement officers to step forward and control the few people and their attendants. Then, he forced them to walk towards the Old Summer Palace.

……

The Old Summer Palace, a peaceful and tranquil place for the whole country!

Li Yi was wearing casual clothes and sitting at the top seat.

The air pressure all over his body was extremely low, and his eyes were flashing with murderous intent and anger.

The entire Jiuzhou Qingyan was filled with depression and solemnity, and the palace maids and eunuchs moved very cautiously.

Afraid of accidentally angering the emperor!

Li Yi was indeed very kind at ordinary times. He would not deliberately put on airs like an emperor towards the palace maids and eunuchs around him, and he would even often ask about their well-being.

However, when he was really angry, his majesty was chilling.

The sound of footsteps broke the solemn atmosphere in the hall.

Wang Zhong cautiously came to Li Yi and began to report.

"Your Majesty, the people have been brought here!"

Li Yi nodded slightly, his expression cold and hard, with murderous intent evident in his eyes.

"Bring the person in to me!"

Soon, Earl Huaining, Earl Dong'an, Marquis Pingle and others came and were brought in front of Li Yi.

Among them was Zhang Erhe, the first person to be arrested, the Earl of Anping!
As soon as they entered the hall, they looked up and saw Li Yi sitting on a chair, looking at them with a cold expression.

Looking at Li Yi's expressionless face, several people couldn't help but feel frightened.

"I will see you, Your Majesty!"

"May your Majesty be blessed!"

Several people knelt down in front of Li Yi and kowtowed.

His head hit the ground, making the gold bricks on the floor twang.

Li Yi's face twitched noticeably, but he asked expressionlessly.

"Tell me, have I ever treated you unfairly?"

"Official positions, titles, gold, silver, land, wealth and splendor that should have been given to you, have you received them?"

Upon hearing this, several people said no.

Li Yi continued to ask in a cold voice.

"If that's the case, then why do you want to sell opium? Do you really have to make this kind of unscrupulous money?"

Upon hearing this, several people could not help but look at each other, but did not dare to say anything. They just kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, we know we are wrong!"

"Your Majesty, please give me another chance."

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong, please forgive me..."

"..."

Seeing this scene, Li Yi's eyes were full of sarcasm and he sneered.

"hehe!"

"You don't know you're wrong at all, you obviously know you're going to die!"

"I didn't give you a chance!"

"Before I officially issued the ban on smoking, I never pursued your crimes or past conduct, and I never reduced the rewards I deserved from you."

"But, I have already issued an order to ban smoking, but you still don't repent and break the law knowing it. Don't blame me for being merciless to you!"

With a cold snort, Li Yi waved his hand.

"Take these bastards who disregarded my trust away and put them in jail to await trial."

Upon hearing this, several people's faces were filled with fear and they continued to kowtow.

"Your Majesty, we know we are wrong!"

"Your Majesty, please give me another chance!"

"Your Majesty, please spare my life!"

"..."

At this moment, they really felt fear.

This was because the murderous intent in Li Yi was almost becoming reality, and facing the murderous intent of a founding emperor, no one could help but be afraid.

After several people were taken away, Li Yi looked at Zhang Zhidong standing aside and gave instructions.

"Send a message to the Ministry of Supervision and the Ministry of Justice to set up a special task force to conduct a thorough investigation of this opium smuggling case."

“No matter who is involved, we will investigate it thoroughly.”

"Those who can be arrested or not must be arrested, and those who can be killed or not must be killed!"

"No mistakes!"

Although Li Yi is a little narrow-minded, his temper is actually okay.

If it was just an ordinary case, he wouldn't be so angry.

But opium smuggling was different.

This kind of thing really touched Li Yi's bottom line.

Since some people in the court do not take Li Yi's words to heart, don't blame Li Yi for using their heads to make an example of them and shock people.

A bunch of damn things!

Zhang Zhidong's expression immediately became stern when he heard this.

"Wei Chen understands!"

Suddenly, Li Yi seemed to remember something, called Zhang Zhidong again and spoke.

"By the way, if I remember correctly, according to the files sent back from Guangdong, the people who smuggled opium to our Tang Dynasty this time were British merchants, right?"

Zhang Zhidong recalled for a moment and then said with certainty.

"Yes, Your Majesty, according to the files sent back by Guangdong, this matter is indeed related to the British."

"Besides, there are several British prisoners among the prisoners we caught!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yi snorted coldly.

"These damn British guys really want to destroy us!"

"It just so happens that the Tang Dynasty is about to launch an attack on Malacca. Isn't it lacking a suitable reason to declare war on the British?"

"Just use this!"

"Since this war was also caused by opium, let's call it the Second Opium War!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhidong agreed again.

As he turned to leave, he couldn't help but be amazed.

Our emperor is really petty!
China suffered losses in the Opium War and was even forced by foreigners to sign the humiliating Treaty of Nanjing.

If he wanted to take revenge, he would also use the Opium War as an excuse!

……

British Embassy!

Baldwin was discussing matters with the French Minister Bruce.

"Minister Bruce, due to the Indian rebellion, the situation in India is extremely tense now. Britain needs France to stand with Britain again."

Baldemi said solemnly.

Bruce raised his glass in response.

"Of course!"

"France is willing to work with the UK to maintain the international order in South Asia."

"However, in return, France hopes that Britain can support France's interests in Egypt and support France in building the Suez Canal..."

Upon hearing this, Baldemi nodded immediately.

"Of course!"

"Who says Britain and France are the best allies?"

The two looked at each other and couldn't help laughing out loud.

Due to recent changes in the international situation, most importantly, France has shown a certain degree of autonomy in Crimea, and the meeting showed its dissatisfaction with Britain.

Therefore, Britain began to further woo France, fearing that France would stand against Britain.

Otherwise, Britain would not allow French influence to return to Africa.

As for the construction of the Suez Canal, France started work as early as 1854.

However, due to the extremely harsh local natural environment, progress has been slow and there has been considerable resistance from all sides.

Therefore, France wants to get support from Britain.

In today's world, as long as Britain and France reach an agreement, most things can be smoothly promoted.

But at this moment, footsteps suddenly came from outside the reception room of the British Embassy.

A servant came in hurriedly from outside.

"Your Excellency, something terrible has happened!"

"Look at this!"

As he spoke, the servant handed a newspaper to Baldmi.

Baldmi took the newspaper and began to read it.

Soon, his expression turned quite ugly.

Because, on the cover of the first page of this newspaper, there are several large bold and black words.

[The imperial court has uncovered another major opium smuggling case. The British are involved and their intention to destroy us is undiminished! ]

When Baldwin read on, he saw the detailed report of the Tang Dynasty on the opium smuggling case, as well as the exposure and condemnation of the British's evil ambitions.

Although the newspaper scolded the British, this was not the reason why Baldwin was in a heavy mood.

What really made Baldmi feel heavy-hearted was that he saw through this newspaper that the Tang Dynasty had no good intentions towards Britain.

He realized that the Tang Kingdom might take action against the Straits Settlements.

And this newspaper is doing public opinion propaganda!

Once the propaganda has been laid, it may be time for the Tang Dynasty to send troops to the Straits Settlements.

At this moment, Baldmi couldn't help but feel a dryness in his throat, and the expression on his face was extremely ugly.

Just at this moment, footsteps were heard outside again.

A servant stumbled in from outside.

"Your Excellency, the Tang...Tang's Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note, asking Great Britain to respond as soon as possible!"

As they were talking, an official document was handed to Baldmi.

Baldemi's hand trembled slightly as he took the document, opened it and read it, and his expression changed visibly.

In this note, the Tang Dynasty not only demanded that Britain hand over all British suspects involved in the opium smuggling case, but also demanded that Britain hand over the war criminals who launched the last Opium War against China and hold a public trial.

Well, there is no doubt that we are talking about the warmongerer Palmerston!
Although the Tang Dynasty replaced the Qing Dynasty, just as Zhu Yuanzhang recognized the Mongols, Li Yi also recognized the legitimacy of the Qing Dynasty.

Therefore, it is actually reasonable to use the last Opium War as a reason for war.

This is clearly a humiliation to the British.

How could Baldmi not be angry?
But while he was angry, he was more afraid.

Because he understood that judging from the current attitude of the Tang Dynasty, war might really be coming!

With a loud bang, Baldmi angrily threw the note in his hand to the ground.

"Insanity!"

"These damn Tang people are so arrogant!"

"God will never let them go!"

Bruce, who was standing by, couldn't help but look over and asked.

"Mr. Minister, what happened? Why are you so angry?"

Baldwin picked up the note he had dropped on the ground and handed it to Bruce for inspection.

Soon, Bruce couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise.

"Oh my God, this is terrible news."

"It seems that the Tang Kingdom has made up its mind to take action against the Straits Settlements!"

Bruce could also see the meaning behind this note from the Tang Dynasty.

Taking a deep breath, Bruce asked.

"So, what is your Excellency going to do?"

Baldmi smiled bitterly and then said.

"I need to report this matter to the mainland as soon as possible and remind the Straits Settlements to prepare for war..."

"Besides that, there's nothing else to do!"

Baldmi is feeling somewhat desperate now.

Because he was able to realize that the Straits Settlements were about to be lost.

Although the war in Crimea is about to end, Britain's main focus will still be on suppressing the rebellion in India.

It is impossible to dispatch troops to reinforce the Straits Settlements!

This undoubtedly means that the Straits Settlements will be isolated and helpless.

With the current British military strength in the Straits Settlements, it is impossible to stop the offensive of the Tang army. The result is obvious.

Taking a deep breath, Baldmi said to his servant.

"Go and reply to the Tang Kingdom's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and tell them that what our British merchants are doing is just normal trade and there is nothing wrong with it."

To some extent, what Baldemi said was actually correct.

Because the British did not ban the opium trade.

Therefore, from the British perspective, it is certainly true that British opium merchants were doing legal business.

However, let’s look at it from the perspective of the Tang Dynasty.

It was definitely wrong for the British to sell opium to the Tang Dynasty, which was banned by the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty wanted to settle accounts with the British for this. Who can say that the Tang Dynasty did something wrong?
Therefore, for many things, right or wrong cannot be simply generalized.

In other words, right or wrong is not important.

The bigger the fist, the more truth there is!
As long as you are strong enough, even if what you do is wrong, there will be countless people speaking up for you and finding reasons to prove that you are right.

But if you are weak, even your breathing is wrong.

Soon, as Baldmi responded, the Tang Dynasty also quickly took new actions.

An article entitled "An Imperial Edict to the British Authorities" was published in the official mouthpiece, the Datang Daily.

[The British barbarians are arrogant and greedy. They sell opium for profit and poison the bodies and minds of the people of the Tang Dynasty. They are despicable...]

[In the seventh month of the second year of Kaitai in the Tang Dynasty, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict declaring war on England!]

At the same time, the Tang Dynasty's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also handed over the declaration of war to the British Minister to Britain, Baldwin.

Baldemi's face twitched as he looked at the declaration of war that was sent to him, but he had no choice but to accept it.

……

The Russian Legation!
Gorchakov and Nicholas looked at the Tang Dynasty's declaration of war against Britain in the Tang Daily, and both of them couldn't help laughing.

"Hahaha!"

"This is a toast to our friends from the Tang Kingdom!"

"Hahaha, they finally declared war on Britain!"

Nicholas said this very happily, with a genuine smile on his face.

Gorchakov on the side also said with a smile.

"Yes, since Tang has declared war on Britain, we can gain more benefits for ourselves in Crimea..."

Originally, Tsarist Russia did not have an advantage in the peace talks in Vienna.

Although France, Austria and Prussia secretly helped, Tsarist Russia still had to cut its interests.

Although Britain could not take Crimea, it was preparing to completely clear the Tsarist Russia's influence from the Black Sea.

But now it’s different!

As the Tang Dynasty declared war on Britain, Britain would inevitably have to focus more of its energy on India and the Far East, and naturally would have no spare energy to argue with the Russians in Crimea.

In this way, the Russians will be able to gain more benefits for themselves at the Vienna Peace Conference.

That is why Nicholas and Gorchakov were very happy and excited about the Tang Dynasty declaring war on Britain.

……

PS: This chapter has been updated, and the extra update for the 600 monthly tickets this month has also been repaid.

Next, I can prepare to save some manuscripts for the New Year.

(End of this chapter)