Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 454: Crimea ceasefire, Paris Peace Treaty signed (6K)

Looking at the hustle and bustle on the street, Palmerston's face became more and more solemn.

Following the Indian Rebellion, trade between Britain and India plummeted to the bottom.

India is currently the most important market for the UK.

This has caused a large number of factories in the UK to lose orders.

If the factory has no orders, the workers will naturally lose their jobs.

The unemployed workers have no means of livelihood and can only take to the streets to protest.

Looking at these, Palmerston couldn't help but let out a long breath, his expression obviously filled with worry.

"Hey!"

"Oh God, have you stopped caring about Daying?"

Seeing Palmerston's grim expression, the attendant beside him hurried over to ask.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, do you want to call the military and police to disperse the marching crowd?"

Palmerston thought for a moment, then nodded and said.

"Well, disperse them as soon as possible!"

"This place is not far from Buckingham Palace. Don't let these unruly people disturb Her Majesty the Queen."

Upon hearing this, the servant beside him hurriedly responded.

As Palmerston's order was issued, the sound of rumbling horse hooves soon rang out on the streets of London.

British mounted policemen who received the order came riding over on horseback, slightly adjusted their formation, and then lined up and rushed towards the marching workers holding slogans and banners.

In an instant, the workers who had gathered together for the march were dispersed, and screams and curses rang out.

As the horses galloped past, many people were knocked away, breaking their bones and tendons.

Palmerston withdrew his gaze from the outside and said.

"Let's go back to 10 Downing Street."

As soon as he finished speaking, the servant beside him responded immediately.

The carriage continued to move towards 10 Downing Street.

……

In the following period, the situation in Europe changed rapidly.

As Britain threatened to withdraw its troops, France was forced to give up its support for Tsarist Russia and increase its investment in Crimea.

After losing the support of France, Tsarist Russia did not dare to continue to be aggressive at the Vienna Peace Conference.

By the end of September, after several months of fierce tug-of-war, the parties finally reached a consensus and completed the peace talks.

And made public the Treaty of Paris.

Well, originally the negotiations were held in Vienna.

However, Tsarist Russia was very unhappy with Austria, and Napoleon III was a show-off.

Therefore, the location of the later negotiations was changed to Paris.

Naturally, after the peace talks were completed, it was only natural that the treaty was called the "Treaty of Paris".

First of all, the first article of the treaty was that the British and French forces would withdraw from Crimea, and Tsarist Russia would regain its lost territory in Crimea.

The second is that Tsarist Russia will begin to rebuild the Black Sea Fleet.

But the size of the Black Sea Fleet will be limited.

In addition, Britain and France will also send fleets into the Black Sea, build military ports and fortresses along the Black Sea coast, and jointly manage the Black Sea with Tsarist Russia.

The third is the Danube estuary, southern Bessarabia, Kars in the Caucasus and other places, which were jointly managed by Tsarist Russia and the Ottoman Empire.

Fourth, Tsarist Russia gave up its right to protect the Orthodox Church in the Ottoman Empire. However, the Ottoman Empire had to equally guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of believers of all religions in the territory under the supervision of the great powers.

Fifth, freedom of navigation in the Danube River and the Black Sea. All countries will jointly ensure that unarmed ships can navigate freely in the Black Sea and the Danube River.

Sixth, the suzerainty of Serbia, Wallachia and Moldavia was retained by Tsarist Russia.

The conditions agreed upon by the parties were undoubtedly harsh for Tsarist Russia.

For example, several pieces of fat on the Tsarist Russia's plate, such as the mouth of the Danube, southern Bessarabia, and Kars in the Caucasus, were all taken away.

Even the Black Sea, Tsarist Russia's private territory and back garden, was interfered with by Britain and France.

However, compared with the terms agreed upon in the peace talks between the parties in the original time and space, the terms agreed upon in this peace treaty are undoubtedly much more relaxed.

Although Tsarist Russia gave up some of its interests in the Middle East, it still maintained a military presence in the Middle East and along the Black Sea coast.

This is equivalent to giving Tsarist Russia an opportunity to turn the tables in Crimea in the future!

In any case, it is better than the original time and space where Tsarist Russia was completely driven out of the Black Sea, was not allowed to build arsenals on the Black Sea coast, was not allowed to rebuild the Black Sea Fleet, and was not allowed to retain a military presence.

After the ceasefire in Crimea, Britain began to focus its main attention on India.

After the armistice in Crimea, the main force of the British army in Crimea was immediately transferred towards India.

The route they took was across the Middle East.

Starting from Crimea, passing through Georgia and other countries that have now been annexed by Tsarist Russia, and crossing Iran, you can reach India (don’t criticize me, this is what the British army did in history, crossing the Middle East directly from Crimea to India).

Well, Pakistan and India are still one country today.

Although the cost of land transportation is higher, what Britain needs most now is not to worry about the cost, but to quell the rebellion in India as soon as possible.

Apart from this, nothing else matters!
……

The capital city is peaceful and tranquil throughout the country!
"Your Majesty, the latest news comes from Europe."

Li Liang walked up to Li Yi and bowed to report.

Li Yi nodded slightly and then asked.

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

Li Liang took a deep breath and said with a slightly serious expression.

"In reply to your Majesty, the latest news came back from Paris, France. Britain, France and Tsarist Russia have completed the peace talks in Paris."

"Now, Britain has withdrawn from Crimea and is preparing to mobilize the main force of its army to go to India to quell the rebellion."

Li Yi raised his eyebrows when he heard this.

"Oh, it looks like India is going to have a hard time next."

Historically, the Indian national uprising lasted only two or three years. It broke out in 1857 and was completely suppressed by the British in 1859.

But in this time and space, with the involvement of the Tang Dynasty, it may not be the case...

"By the way, what is the current situation in India?"

Li Yi continued to ask.

Li Liang in front of him replied.

"In reply to your Majesty, the Indian rebels are currently making good progress."

"The British are losing power. Currently, the only places under British control are coastal areas such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Silvassa, Panaji, Bangalore, and other inland cities."

"However, as the British forces were reduced, the progress of the Indian rebels began to slow down significantly."

"According to the news sent back by our people, they don't think highly of the Indian rebels and think that they are just a bunch of rabble."

"Once the British army launches a counterattack, the rebels may not be able to defeat them!"

Li Liang's words sound very pessimistic, but they are true.

Hearing this, Li Yi stroked his chin and fell into deep thought, with a look of deep thought on his face.

Li Liang continued.

"Also, Your Majesty, the Mughal Khan of India wants the Tang Dynasty to send troops to reinforce the war in India."

"The Mughal Empire is willing to bear the military expenses and supplies needed for the army to go out, and pay a loan of troops to the Tang Dynasty."

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn't help but think about it, but finally shook his head and said.

"Now is not the time."

"For now, we won't send troops to India, we'll just sell arms to them."

The Indian rebels have never suffered any loss at the hands of the British army. It would be a thankless task for the Tang Dynasty to send troops there now.

After the Indian rebels suffered losses at the hands of the British army, it would not be too late for the Tang army to send reinforcements.

Li Yi’s latest idea is to split India. After the rebels are defeated, the Tang Dynasty will lend a helping hand so that the rebels will not be completely wiped out but will be able to establish their own territory in India.

In this way, the hidden dangers of division and civil strife can be avoided for India at the lowest cost, and even India can be kept in war for a long time.

This would prevent the British from plundering India at their leisure to maintain their global empire!

Isn't it just stirring up trouble and disgusting people?
This is not exclusive to Britain, the Tang Dynasty can do it too!
Suddenly, Li Yi seemed to remember something and asked.

"By the way, has there been any reply from Myanmar?"

When the Tang Dynasty declared war on Britain, its original plan was simply to take over Malacca and call it a day.

But unexpectedly, the battle in Malacca went too smoothly.

Therefore, the Tang army on the front line wanted to push the front line forward and then set their sights on Myanmar.

As early as 1852, Britain invaded the entire Lower Burma through the Anglo-Burmese War and turned Myanmar into its colony.

This time, the Tang Dynasty was preparing to clear the British forces out of Lower Burma.

However, the Tang Dynasty had some concerns. If it relied solely on the Tang army, it might not be able to fight in Myanmar.

Well, the cost of tropical jungle warfare is just too high.

Therefore, after careful consideration, the Tang Dynasty decided to drag Myanmar into the water.

Use Myanmar's power to eliminate the British troops!

To sum it up simply, the Tang army only took care of the main British forces stationed in coastal ports or important towns. As for the British troops in the deep mountains and forests, they were left to the Burmese to deal with.

The most the Tang Dynasty could do was sell arms to Myanmar to strengthen Myanmar's armaments.

In return, Britain's interests in Burma would naturally be transferred to the Tang Dynasty.

Myanmar recovered the land occupied by Britain, and the Tang Dynasty obtained the commodity dumping market originally occupied by Britain, the ports along the Indian Ocean coast, and Myanmar's mines and other resources.

This is called a win-win situation!
As for what reason is there to continue expanding the war?
Haha, as the Celestial Empire and the suzerain state of Myanmar, isn’t it natural for the Tang Dynasty to stand up for Myanmar and help it resist aggression?
As for the benefits that the Tang Dynasty gained in this process?
It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter at all!
However, Myanmar is still considering this matter and has not rashly agreed to the Tang Dynasty’s request.

Li Liang said after hearing this.

"Your Majesty, according to the latest news from Myanmar, King Mindon of Myanmar is very interested, but there are many pro-British factions in his court, so it has not been passed yet."

Li Yi heard this and nodded slightly.

"Since Myanmar can't make up their minds, let the Tang Dynasty help them!"

"Order the Yunnan garrison to conduct military exercises on the border to deter Myanmar!"

Upon hearing this, Li Liang nodded to show that he understood.

Li Yi continued.

"If we can get help from Myanmar, our Tang Dynasty can use Myanmar's land to reach out to India..."

"Perhaps, we can also dispatch Burmese soldiers to fight in India and assist the Indians in their fight against the British." Li Yi couldn't help but daydream.

Unlike the Indians whose fighting capacity is very poor, the Burmese are still somewhat stronger than the Indians.

If Myanmar also gets involved in the war in India, the British will be in trouble!

Well, as long as he can cause trouble for the British, Li Yi is happy to do it.

After saying this, Li Liang turned around and left.

Soon, Zhang Zhidong came again to ask for a meeting.

"Your Majesty, the British Minister Baldwin and the Russian Minister Nicholas have successively submitted their credentials to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

"They want to negotiate with the Tang Dynasty!"

Hearing this, Li Yi stroked his chin and began to think deeply.

After a moment, he spoke again.

"Well, since the other party wants to talk, let's talk!"

"Let Minister Guo come forward to talk to the other party!"

"As for the Russian Empire, all the Tang Dynasty needs to do is take over the North Sea."

"As long as the Tang Dynasty holds the North Sea, it will be equivalent to holding the lifeline of the entire Siberia. From now on, the Russian Empire in Siberia will have to rely on the Tang Dynasty."

"As for England?"

"Tell the British to hand over the culprit who started the First Opium War first, and then we can continue the talks."

"Otherwise, there's no point in talking!"

Who started the First Opium War?

It's Palmerston!

Palmerston is currently the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

How could the British possibly hand over their Prime Minister?
To put it bluntly, the Tang Dynasty was not prepared to negotiate with Britain at all.

After all, the Tang Dynasty is still planning to march into Lower Burma, so how could it possibly negotiate with Britain now?
Besides, the Tang army now has an overall advantage on the battlefield.

If that's the case, then why negotiate?

Anyway, it is Britain that is anxious, not the Tang Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhidong clasped his fists in agreement, then turned around and said goodbye.

Li Yi continued to look through the documents on his desk.

This is an official document submitted by the Ministry of Railways. This document records in detail the Tang Dynasty's upcoming plan to build a railway connecting Guannei and Beihai.

The starting point of this railway is Zhangjiakou, passing through the Chahar grassland and heading west to Guihua City, which is Hohhot in later generations.

Then go north from Guihua City, pass the foot of Yinshan Mountain, extend towards Kulun, and then to Kyakhta, Chukubaixing, Wudebaixing, to Beihai.

The total length of the entire railway is about 2300 kilometers. Based on the construction cost of 5000 silver dollars per kilometer, the total investment is about 1200 million silver dollars, and the construction period is expected to be five years.

(PS: When I wrote about the cost of building the east-west and north-south railways in Chapter 20 of this volume, I added an extra zero. It was silver dollars per kilometer. The cost of kilometers should be million. I wrote it as million, but now I can't change it. I'm sorry.)
Also, the construction cost of 5,000 silver dollars per kilometer is actually very normal.

Because, when the Manchus built the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway in the late Qing Dynasty, the 370-kilometer railway only cost a total of 5 million taels of silver.

It comes down to less than 14,000 taels per kilometer.

You have to know that the price of silver had depreciated greatly at that time. Coupled with the corruption of the Qing Dynasty and the premium of purchasing equipment and hiring personnel from foreign countries, the cost per kilometer was less than 14,000 taels of silver.

But in today's Tang Dynasty, the price of silver has not plummeted.

Second, the corruption situation is much better than in the late Qing Dynasty. The administration in the early days of the founding of the country was relatively clean, which is easy to understand.

In addition, the Tang Dynasty used its own equipment and workers to build the railways, so the prices were relatively cheap and it did not have to be ripped off by foreigners.

So, five thousand yuan is definitely within a reasonable range.

According to the plan, the railway will start construction next year and is expected to be completed and accepted in the seventh year of Kaitai in the Tang Dynasty.

Although it cost a lot, Li Yi expressed satisfaction.

Because this railway is not being built by the Tang Dynasty court, but has been handed over to Shanxi merchants.

Li Yi believed that the Shanxi merchants would definitely give him a satisfactory answer.

In return, the third banking license of the Tang Dynasty was successfully obtained by the Shanxi merchants.

As far as Li Yi knew, Shanxi merchants were already preparing to integrate various money houses and establish the third bank of the Tang Dynasty, the Shanxi Merchants Bank.

With the power that Shanxi merchants have, as well as the resources and management experience they have accumulated from years of involvement in the money-lending industry, Li Yi believes that the size of Shanxi Merchants Bank will soon surpass that of Guangzhou-based China Guangfa Bank.

Guangdong and Guangxi Development Bank, abbreviated as CGB.

Although China Guangfa Bank had the foundation of the Thirteen Hongs and the support of many nobles in the court, the Shanxi merchants were really rich.

While building railways, they can also afford to bid for a banking license. They are a real fat sheep.

Except for the Zhangbei Railway connecting Zhangjiakou and Beihai.

In addition, the Liangjing Railway connecting Nanjing and Beijing, the Nanning-Guangzhou Railway connecting Nanjing and Guangzhou, and the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Fujian Railway connecting Shanghai and Hangzhou and the Fujian coast are also currently being planned.

These three railways were also not built by the imperial court, but were contracted to the Yangzhou merchant group, the Jiangnan merchant group and the Huizhou merchant group respectively.

After failing to compete with Shanxi merchants for the third banking license in the Tang Dynasty, the Huizhou merchants reflected deeply and felt that the reason why Shanxi merchants won over them was because they helped the court build a railway connecting the interior of the country and the northern desert.

Therefore, Shanxi merchants were able to surpass them and successfully obtain the third banking license.

Then, the Huizhou merchants realized that it was not only the Shanxi merchants who could build this railway.

Hui merchants are not short of money, right?

Therefore, Huizhou merchants took the initiative to apply to the imperial court, expressing their willingness to contract the two capitals of the north and the south.

However, the Huizhou merchants were obviously slow to react, as the Yangzhou business group had already submitted their application before the Huizhou merchants did.

Therefore, the Huizhou merchants had to settle for the second best and prepare to contract to build the Nanning-Guangzhou Railway connecting Nanjing and Guangzhou.

The Nanning-Guangzhou Railway passes through four provinces: Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi and Guangzhou.

At the same time, the Jiangnan business group won the right to contract the coastal railway connecting Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangzhou.

Datang has officially entered the era of large-scale infrastructure!

In this regard, Li Yi just wanted to say, what a bunch of bastards, it’s strange that they would choose!

Damn, they only chose the good places. No one chose the places that were difficult to repair.

These three newly planned railways are either along the canal, in the hinterland of Jiangnan, or in the best areas along the coast.

They are all typical fertile lands with dense populations and developed commerce. After the railways are built, it is easy to recoup the investment and make a profit.

As for places like the northwest, southwest, northeast, and outside the Great Wall, no one mentioned them at all.

It shows how good these businessmen are at choosing places!
However, although Li Yi was dissatisfied with this, he had no choice but to accept it and even expressed his praise for these businessmen.

The reason is simple, because the Tang Dynasty currently does not have the ability to build railways on a large scale.

In this case, it is necessary to introduce private capital.

As long as these businessmen are willing to participate in the railway construction project, it will be a good thing for the Tang Dynasty and will help promote the development of its industry and commerce.

In this case, Li Yi naturally has to reward them.

What about those railways that are difficult to build or that take a long time to pay back after construction?
What else can I do?
Of course, it can only be repaired by the Tang Dynasty court.

Thinking about this, Li Yi let out a sigh of relief. He still had no money.

Suddenly, Li Yi remembered something. When it comes to building railways, it is not only possible to introduce private capital, but foreign capital can also be used.

For example, the Tang Dynasty could issue railway construction bonds in various vassal states, raise funds through bonds, and build railways.

The more Li Yi thought about it, the more he felt it was feasible. He could definitely give it a try!

Anyway, there is nothing to lose even if you try.

Well, especially for vassal states like North Korea or Thailand which have always been very sensible, you can give it a try.

No matter what they really think in their hearts, as long as the Tang Dynasty’s bonds are issued, their authorities will buy them in order to please the Tang Dynasty’s suzerain state, and they will even issue administrative orders for the people to buy them.

Thinking about these, Li Yi couldn't help but smile.

……

Tang Dynasty, Ministry of Foreign Affairs!

British Minister to China Baldwin is meeting with Guo Songtao.

"Minister Guo, the war has come to this point. There is no need to continue fighting!"

"I think it's time for us to talk, end the hostility and restore peace!"

Baldmi took a deep breath and spoke in a serious tone.

Guo Songtao said expressionlessly upon hearing this.

"talk?"

"I don't think that's necessary!"

"Unless you, the British side, hand over the culprit who started the Opium War, otherwise, there is no need to talk!"

Upon hearing this, Baldemi took a deep breath.

"Does the Tang Dynasty really want to take things to this extent?"

"The Paris Peace Conference has ended, Great Britain has signed a peace treaty with Tsarist Russia, and the Crimean War is completely over."

"Great Britain will soon be able to devote its energy to India. India's rebellion will be quelled by Great Britain sooner or later!"

"Is the Tang Kingdom really ready for a full-scale war with Great Britain?!"

While saying this, Baldemi stared at Guo Songtao without blinking, as if expecting Guo Songtao to react.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Guo Songtao just sneered.

"What's wrong with starting a war?"

"Aren't we already at war now?"

"Opium is the bottom line of our Tang Dynasty. Anyone who touches it will die!"

Guo Songtao knew how much the emperor hated opium, a harmful substance.

A marquis and three earls all lost their heads for selling opium.

As the saying goes, what the superiors like, the subordinates will like even more. Guo Songtao also hated opium very much, and he was also very unhappy with the British.

Well, because of the two Opium Wars, the British have now been labeled as opium traffickers in the Tang Dynasty.

When it comes to the British, the first reaction of the Tang Dynasty is: Aren’t they opium dealers?

Well, I can only say that the inherent impression is deeply rooted in people’s minds!

……

PS: I have 800 monthly tickets, but there is still half a month before the Chinese New Year, so the author has to save up some manuscripts to prepare for the New Year.

So, I won’t add more chapters for now. I’ll keep it as an obligation and pay it back slowly after the New Year.

(End of this chapter)