Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 455 Alaska Land Purchase and Cars (6K)

Baldmi took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and then asked.

"What exactly does the Tang Dynasty need to do to get rid of India and stop interfering in India's war?"

However, even with the intervention of the Tang Dynasty, Britain was confident that it could quell the Indian rebellion.

However, this would undoubtedly make Britain pay a greater price in the process of suppressing the rebellion, and the timeline for suppressing the Indian rebellion would also be prolonged.

This is not a good thing for Britain, which needs to use India as a pressure valve for domestic conflicts.

Therefore, Britain wanted to negotiate with the Tang Dynasty to make it withdraw from India so that Britain could quell the Indian rebellion as soon as possible.

But what disappointed Baldmi was that the Tang Dynasty had made it clear that it had no intention of withdrawing from India.

This is not good news for the UK.

Upon hearing this, Guo Songtao sneered and spoke in an unquestionable tone.

"Didn't I say that as long as Britain surrenders the culprit of the Opium War, my Tang Dynasty is willing to negotiate peace with Britain."

"Otherwise, there is no need to discuss anything!"

Upon hearing this, Baldmi's face fell, because this was something they could not do.

"Lord Palmerston is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. There is no way that the United Kingdom will hand over its Prime Minister to another country for disposal. This is undoubtedly a slap in the face of the United Kingdom."

"Please don't propose such unrealistic conditions!"

"Besides, it was the Qing Dynasty that was defeated in the Opium War. What does it have to do with your Tang Dynasty?"

"Why do you keep harping on the Opium War?!"

This is something that Baldmi couldn't figure out no matter what.

It was just an Opium War. It’s been almost twenty years. Why do Chinese people still keep thinking about it?

When Guo Songtao heard this, he sneered in his heart.

You British may not think the Opium War was a big deal because it was China, not Britain, that was attacked.

This is the first time in history that the Chinese have been bullied by foreigners and suffered a defeat right at their own doorstep!
How could I not be impressed!
Also, don't forget that the Tang Emperor's father died in the Opium War at the hands of the British.

How can I not avenge my father’s murder?
Therefore, in the current Tang Dynasty court, anti-British is the greatest political correctness.

Even no one dared to speak well of the British openly in the court!
Also, even without the above political correctness, the Tang Dynasty would still find ways to target Britain.

The reason is simple, because Britain is the undisputed world hegemon of this era.

If the Tang Dynasty wants to reach the top of the world, Britain will be the biggest obstacle standing in its way.

Britain must be overthrown before the Tang Dynasty can reach the top of the world.

And in the fight for supremacy, there is never any regret or pause!

Now that it has begun, it can only be declared over when one of the sides is completely defeated.

Baldmi had nothing to say and left Guo Songtao's office with a sullen face.

……

Guo Songtao then turned around and met with the Russian ambassador Gorchakov and the Russian ambassador to China Nicholas.

It was still the same office, filled with the aroma of tea and smoke.

Guo Songtao had a cigar brought by Gorchakov in his mouth, and the cigarette butt flickered.

Gorchakov spoke first.

"Minister Guo, the purpose of our visit is to negotiate with the Tang Dynasty."

"In my opinion, this unnecessary war was a mistake from the beginning."

"We, Russia and the Tang Dynasty, have one enemy, and that is Britain."

"Since we have a common enemy, we should unite and deal with it together!"

"Under this premise, we can put aside the minor disagreements between us."

Upon hearing this, Guo Songtao put out the cigar in his hand into the ashtray and then spoke.

"Negotiation is possible."

"But our Tang Dynasty has taken over the North Sea by itself. I wonder what bargaining chips your country has to negotiate with our Tang Dynasty?"

"If there is no bargaining chip, then why should the Tang Dynasty negotiate with your country?"

Guo Songtao knew what Gorchakov meant. He wanted to expose the North Sea incident and then win over the Tang Dynasty to fight against Britain together.

Guo Songtao naturally had no objection to this.

But as I said, there has to be a benefit!

Without the support of the Tang Dynasty, Tsarist Russia was unable to expand in the Near East, but even without Tsarist Russia, it would not prevent the Tang Dynasty from causing trouble for Britain in India.

Anyway, the Tang Dynasty currently has no intention of entering India completely. If it just causes trouble, the cost will be very low.

Even the Tang Dynasty can make money!
There is definitely money to be made from selling arms.

The latest arms order signed between the Tang Dynasty and India has a total value of 3.2 million silver dollars.

Among them, 2.6 million are pure profit!

Well, this is after deducting labor and shipping costs, otherwise, you can make even more.

Gorchakov took a deep breath.

"As long as the Tang Dynasty supports the Empire's expansion in the Near East, the Empire is willing to sell Alaska in the New World to the Tang Dynasty at a low price."

After the end of the Crimean War, after careful consideration, Tsarist Russia decided to change the double-headed eagle policy that it had pursued for hundreds of years.

Suspend the eastward expansion and determine the main expansion direction to the west!

Well, the reason for this is that the core areas of Tsarist Russia are all in the direction of Europe.

Expanding westwards would bring greater benefits to Tsarist Russia.

The second reason is that Siberia is too desolate.

If Tsarist Russia wanted to recapture Lake Baikal that was captured by the Tang Dynasty, it had to transport supplies and troops through the Siberian wilderness.

This loss is something that the Tsarist Russia today cannot afford.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Tsarist Russia decided to expand mainly westwards, while temporarily putting the East aside.

If Tsarist Russia wanted to expand to the West, it would inevitably become an enemy of Britain and France. In this case, Tsarist Russia must obtain the support of the Tang Dynasty before their expansion plan can go forward.

And this enclave of Alaska is Tsarist Russia's token of allegiance to the Tang Dynasty!
Well, after the Crimean War, Tsarist Russia had reduced its influence, and Alaska was too close to British Canadian territory. Once the British took action, it would most likely be lost.

In this case, it would be better to take advantage of the fact that Alaska is still under the control of Tsarist Russia and give it up in exchange for some benefits.

Anyway, the Tang Dynasty and Britain are not in a right relationship, and Canada and Alaska are too close, so the Tang Dynasty and Britain might have to fight in Alaska in the future.

If Britain and the Tang Dynasty fought in Alaska, then Tsarist Russia would be able to reap the benefits.

When Guo Songtao heard this, his expression changed slightly, and then he stroked his beard and said.

“That’s not impossible!”

"But what support do you want?"

Guo Songtao was somewhat tempted because he knew that the emperor had actually been eyeing Alaska for a long time.

Now that Tsarist Russia has taken the initiative to propose it, it is a good thing for the Tang Dynasty.

Gorchakov took a deep breath and put forward his conditions with a serious expression.

"First of all, the arms!"

"The second is financial and technical support."

If Tsarist Russia wanted to expand, the first thing it needed was arms to arm its army.

If Tsarist Russia wanted to reform and develop industry, it had to have corresponding technical and financial support.

However, it was difficult for Tsarist Russia to obtain these things in Europe, so they set their sights on the Tang Dynasty.

I want to get some gold coins from Datang!
Upon hearing this, Guo Songtao did not immediately raise any objection, but instead spoke with his eyes narrowed.

"I wonder how much discount your country is prepared to sell Alaska to the Tang Dynasty?"

Gorchakov heard this and said immediately.

"Alaska covers an area of ​​170 million square kilometers. This land is covered with forests, rich in forest and fishing resources, and also has considerable reserves of zinc, lead, gold, silver, coal and other mineral resources."

"I think two hundred million rubles is a reasonable price."

The current monetary system of Tsarist Russia also adopts the silver standard.

A silver ruble weighs about 20 grams, while a Tang Dynasty silver dollar weighs 50 grams.

Two hundred million rubles is about 8000 million silver dollars. (PS: This is a rough estimate. Don’t be too picky. The author couldn’t find the exchange rate in the th century, so he could only estimate it based on the silver content.)
This is not a small number!

Guo Songtao laughed when he heard this.

“That price is impossible!”

"Don't think that our Tang Dynasty has no knowledge of the situation in Alaska."

"Alaska today is completely a wasteland. Even if the resources are rich, they are worthless if they are not developed."

"More than half of Alaska is located within the Arctic Circle. It is winter for half a year and the land is frozen, which is not suitable for the development of agriculture and animal husbandry."

"Land like this has no value for development!"

"It is impossible for the Tang Dynasty to spend 80 million silver dollars to sell a piece of wasteland!"

You know, in history, when Tsarist Russia sold Alaska to the United States which had just ended the Civil War, the price was only 720 million US dollars.

According to the gold price, the price of gold in this era was about US$20 per ounce, and one ounce was 28 grams.

In total, one US dollar is equivalent to about 1.4 grams of gold.

One Tang Dynasty silver dollar was worth 50 grams of silver. According to the current gold-silver ratio of the Tang Dynasty of 1:8, one silver dollar was worth 6.25 grams of gold.

In other words, one Tang Dynasty silver dollar is worth about 4.5 US dollars.

720 million US dollars is only about 160 million Tang Dynasty silver dollars.

But now the price that Tsarist Russia asked for from the Tang Dynasty was 200 million rubles, or 80 million silver dollars.

You can imagine how dark he is!

There is no way the Tang Dynasty would agree to this price.

Guo Songtao said after a moment of hesitation.

"The most that the Tang Dynasty can offer is two million rubles, or 80 silver dollars."

The bargaining is not to cut in half, but directly to the ankle.

Well, just cut off two zeros!

Gorchakov said excitedly when he heard this.

"No, that's impossible!"

“This price is too low!”

"You know, Alaska was acquired by Tsarist Russia at a huge cost."

Guo Songtao said expressionlessly.

"But he's worthless!"

Gorchakov:
"We paid a lot of sacrifices to conquer Alaska. Many people died on the road of land expansion and at the hands of the natives."

Guo Songtao:
"But he's worthless!"

Gorchakov:
"That's land in the New World. If the Tang Dynasty can take Alaska, it will have a springboard to enter the New World."

Guo Songtao:
“But it’s a wasteland!”

"He's worthless!"

"..."

The two sides argued back and forth for a while, constantly negotiating the price bit by bit.

……

Beijing, Beijing Suburban Industrial Park! Datang First Automobile Factory.

Factory Director Huang Dongjian and his men stood at the gate, ready to welcome Li Yi.

"Director, everything is ready."

"The car has also been driven to the test site and the corresponding parts have been carefully checked to ensure that there are no problems."

Lin Gang, director of the production workshop, came to Huang Dongjian and started reporting.

Huang Dongjian took a deep breath and nodded slightly.

"very good!"

"Your Majesty will come to inspect in person today. No accidents must happen."

"Whether our factory can get funding and continue to expand production depends on today."

Hearing this, Lin Gang nodded vigorously.

"Don't worry, Director. I understand!"

"I'll check it again..."

Huang Dongjian nodded slightly.

"Well, very good, I'm at ease leaving this to you!"

Lin Gang turned and left, while Huang Dongjian continued to stand at the factory door waiting, his eyes involuntarily looking towards the end of the road.

As if expecting something!
Finally, accompanied by the rumbling sound of horse hooves, a team of horse-riding guards appeared first.

After these soldiers from the Royal Guards appeared, they immediately took over the defense of the automobile factory.

And start maintaining martial law all around!

This is not for the sake of pomp and circumstance, but for the sake of safety.

As the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the helmsman of the empire, Li Yi’s safety is the most important thing for the Tang Dynasty, the only one.

It can never be overemphasized!

Seeing this scene, Huang Dongjian immediately understood that the emperor was coming.

Then, accompanied by the sound of horses and carriages, several carriages of the same style came from the end of the road, surrounded by a group of guards.

In order to ensure safety, Li Yi would prepare several carriages of the same style every time he traveled.

When it's time to set off, he will choose one from them.

In this case, even if there is an assassin, he will not be able to assassinate him because he does not know which car Li Yi is in.

Soon, the convoy arrived at the gate of the car factory.

After the convoy stopped, Li Yi got off one of the carriages.

Huang Dongjian took the initiative to greet him.

"Your Majesty, long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yi reached out and held Huang Dongjian back, preventing him from kneeling down, and said with a smile.

"No need to be so polite, take me to the factory for a look!"

"I want to see what the cars you produce look like!"

Huang Dongjian said immediately after hearing this.

"Your Majesty, please follow me!"

As he spoke, he turned around and led the way for Li Yi.

Li Yi followed Huang Dongjian and walked into the Datang First Automobile Production Plant.

After entering the production plant, Huang Dongjian took Li Yi straight to the test site.

After walking a few steps, the group arrived at the testing site.

After arriving at the test site, the first thing Li Yi saw was a car parked in an open space.

The reason why Li Yi came to inspect the automobile factory this time was because he received a report from his subordinates that Datang had made a major breakthrough in automobile production and had already produced a finished product.

That's why Li Yi came specially to inspect.

What is the most profitable business in the world?
Some people may say luxury goods, some may say finance, some may say gambling or illegal industries such as trafficking in opium and arms.

But in Li Yi's opinion, none of these are actually feasible.

There are only four things that really make money: clothing, food, shelter and transportation!

Needless to say, the most representative industry is the textile industry.

Thanks to the textile industry, the British launched the first industrial revolution and established a global empire.

One can imagine how great the benefits involved are.

Food is grain.

Whoever controls food controls the world. This is no empty statement.

As for housing, the most typical representative is real estate!

It is well known how profitable real estate is, how wide its coverage is, and how many industries it involves.

The years when the rabbit economy took off in later generations were also the years when the real estate industry took off, which shows the driving role of real estate on the economic industry.

The best example of this is automobile manufacturing.

For the two so-called developed countries, Japan and Germany, automobile manufacturing and the related industrial chains are the pillar industries of their countries.

The profits here are also quite amazing!

To put it bluntly, as long as you are alive, you cannot live without food, clothing, housing and transportation.

Everyone needs food, clothing, housing and transportation, so you can imagine how wide the scope of these four major industries is and how huge the benefits are.

What Li Yi wants to do now is to support the development of Datang's automobile manufacturing industry.

He wanted to expand the scale of Datang's industrial development by establishing an industrial chain for automobile production and manufacturing.

This will also help train a group of high-level technical workers, further boost Datang's industrial development and put Datang's industrial development truly on the fast track.

Soon, the group arrived in front of the parked car.

Unlike the convertibles common in this era, this car adopts a fully wrapped design.

The entire body is painted black and the wheels use pneumatic rubber tires.

The directional control system uses a steering wheel rather than the joystick used in traditional steam locomotives.

There is no need to mention the accelerator, brake, gear lever, etc.

Moreover, the power system used by this car is not the traditional steam power, but a new reciprocating piston gasoline internal combustion engine with a maximum speed of 800 revolutions per minute.

The technical level has probably reached that of the late nineteenth century.

Although viewed from the perspective of later generations, this is still a very primitive car.

But in this era, it is already a fairly mature product.

At the very least, it is more reliable than the steam locomotives that were popular in various countries at the same time.

Well, Datang First Automobile Production Plant reported the matter to Li Yi only after it had produced mature products.

They didn't dare to bother Li Yi with experimental products that had basically no practical value.

Huang Dongjian started to introduce the relevant data of this car to Li Yi.

"Your Majesty, this car is our latest product. It weighs 3.3 tons, has four-wheel front-wheel drive, and can carry four people."

"On a smooth asphalt road, the car can travel at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour."

While saying this, Hwang Dong-gun looked very proud.

Although Li Yi wanted to complain in his heart, he looked very satisfied.

To be honest, Li Yi was not surprised at all when he saw the car in front of him.

The car weighs 3.3 tons and can reach a speed of 30 kilometers per hour, and that's on a flat road.

Is this a car or a tractor?

The reason why the car weighs 4.3 tons is mainly because the lathe technology is lagging behind, so that the weight of the internal combustion engine is somewhat exceeded, otherwise it would not be so heavy.

If a car like this were placed in the future, it would be a definite industrial waste.

However, if it is placed in this era, it is still very good.

Li Yi touched the car paint himself, then opened the door and sat in the car, searching around.

A moment later, Li Yi got off the driveway.

"Let's drive it and run two laps!"

Huang Dongjian immediately agreed. Beside him, the production workshop director Lin Gang came forward to take the key and started the car.

As the engine roared, Lin Gang started to shift the car into gear.

Immediately, the car started and began to move forward slowly.

As time passed, the speed of the car became faster and faster, and gradually it was almost as fast as a person running.

Moreover, the various turns, uphill and downhill performances are also very good.

Li Yi looked through the telescope and nodded slightly.

Watching the car driving on the test field, Li Yi couldn't help but ask.

“What is the capacity of car production plants today?”

Huang Dongjian heard this and responded quickly.

"In reply to your Majesty, as long as the engine plant's production capacity can keep up, our production capacity can reach 30 cars per month."

When saying this, Hwang Dong-gun looked very confident.

But Li Yi glanced at him and said.

"30 vehicles is still a little too few. We should continue to expand production capacity and strive to produce vehicles per month within this year."

"As long as cars can be produced, there will be no shortage of markets for them."

Li Yi planned to equip himself with one first, and then give one to the king of each vassal state of the Tang Dynasty.

After these people use it, each of them will become a living advertisement and a living advertisement with super strong ability to bring goods.

Take the Tang Dynasty as an example. How could his subordinates not be curious about the things that Li Yi used?
I'm curious, isn't this the sales volume?

Upon hearing this, Huang Dongjian immediately nodded to show that he understood.

"I understand. I promise to complete the task!"

Li Yi nodded slightly, and then prepared to leave the car factory.

When he left, he took away the first car of the Tang Dynasty and added it to his own fleet.

Li Yi is preparing to take a car back to the palace!
Sitting on the leather seat, feeling the slight vibration of the car body when it started, Li Yi felt a little nervous.

He hasn't ridden in a car for a long time since he traveled through time.

Sitting there again now, he was actually quite emotionally touched.

After all, this world has been transformed by him to become more and more like his previous life.

Following Li Yi's order, the convoy set off.

Following the road, we soon returned to the Old Summer Palace.

After the car arrived outside the Old Summer Palace, Li Yi opened the door and got out.

Then he walked into the garden and returned to his residence.

As a result, just as he sat down, Guo Songtao came to report.

"Your Majesty, I have been negotiating with the Russian ambassador, and the Russian side has expressed its willingness to sell Alaska to the Tang Dynasty."

"As long as the Tang Dynasty is willing to support their expansion in Europe..."

(End of this chapter)