The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 926 The Center of the World

Inside the new Tongguan Governor's Office, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Yuan Shikai sat in a walnut chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the rim of a celadon teacup, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to the world map in the center of the hall—the territory of the Russian Empire was strikingly outlined in vermilion, stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, with its western core region crisscrossed by a dense network of railway lines.

"Commander-in-Chief Tan," Yuan Shikai put down his teacup, his Henan accent tinged with urgency, "Russia has built tens of thousands of versts of railways in recent years, its steel mills produce millions of tons of steel annually, and Rurik-class ironclad warships are being launched one after another in the St. Petersburg shipyards... But what about our Great Tang?"

Tan Jixun stroked his beard without speaking, but his eyes glanced at the young Tan Sitong standing to the side.

Sixteen-year-old Tan Sitong stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a blue cloth robe. His features were clear and handsome, but he spoke with an air of maturity: "Lord Yuan, although Russia has a vast territory, it is constantly plagued by internal strife; although it has abundant steel, serfs are starving everywhere. Our Great Tang has only been established for a little over twenty years. The most urgent task is to educate people's hearts and minds, not to imitate the methods of barbarians."

Yuan Shikai almost burst out laughing—this young lad probably hadn't even seen a blast furnace in a steel mill! He patiently said, "Young Master Tan, serfdom in Russia was abolished long ago. Nowadays, a worker's monthly salary is fifteen rubles, which is equivalent to that of a county magistrate in our country! Besides, that Rurik warship could blow up the Tongguan city wall with a single shot..."

"Lord Yuan!" Tan Sitong suddenly raised his voice, "As the sage said, 'It is not scarcity that is to be feared, but inequality.' Even if Russia has ironclad warships, its people are nothing more than the Tsar's lackeys. If our Great Tang abandons the foundation of Confucianism, even if it possesses millions of tons of steel, how are we different from beasts?"

Yuan Shikai's face darkened.

This kid spouts platitudes about morality and righteousness, yet he's oblivious to the world having undergone a complete upheaval—the battleships of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the British Empire are already at war in the Pacific; East America's MK.1 tanks have already crushed into West America's "Zhao Si Defense Line"! And what about the Tang Dynasty? Guarding the gold mines and oil wells of the Fergana Basin, it can't even build a decent railway!
"Commander-in-Chief Tan," Yuan Shikai said, too lazy to argue further, turning directly to Tan Jixun, "I returned to China this time intending to submit a memorial to His Majesty requesting the implementation of 'new learning and new policies.' The Russian Tsar also asked me to convey a message that must be presented to him in person as soon as possible..."

Tan Jixun sighed and tapped the table with his withered fingers: "Lord Yuan, I'll give you a piece of advice—'Our Great Tang has its own national conditions.'"

Three days later, in the new Chang'an.

The scorching summer sun beat down on the glazed tiles of the new Daming Palace. Yuan Shikai knelt on the golden bricks with coiled dragons in the Zichen Hall, sweat dripping down his neck and into the collar of his court robe.

Li Hongzhang, seated on the throne, seemed to have aged a few more years, but his spirit was remarkably high. A bright yellow dragon robe adorned his tall and imposing frame, giving Yuan Shikai a tremendous sense of intimidation.

"The Russian Tsar... wants me to be the middleman?" Li Hongzhang asked slowly, his voice still loud and clear.

"Yes!" Yuan Shikai prostrated himself and reported, "The Tsar and the German Emperor wish to secretly ally with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to jointly resist the British. This is a golden opportunity! If we can make this happen, our Great Tang Dynasty may be able to..."

"I understand," Li Hongzhang suddenly interrupted, his large fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. "Minister Yuan, do you think the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would agree to this?"

Yuan Shikai was taken aback.

He suddenly realized that Li Hongzhang was not concerned about Russia or Germany at all, but rather about the "Kingdom of Heaven" in the east, ruled by Prince Wu, Luo Yaoguo!
"Your Majesty," Yuan Shikai carefully chose his words, "the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has been locked in a life-or-death struggle with Britain for years. If Russia and Germany were willing to help them seize hegemony in the Pacific..."

"Heh." Li Hongzhang chuckled and picked up a memorial from his desk. "Look, Luo Yaoguo just wrote to me last month, saying that he wants to 'jointly revitalize China and jointly resist the Western barbarians.'"

Yuan Shikai was completely bewildered—the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had actually taken the initiative to contact the Tang Dynasty to jointly defend against the Western barbarians.
Does this "Western Barbarians" refer to Russia?

However, Russia's million-ton steel and Rurik armored cruisers were a joke in front of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, whose steel was about to exceed 1000 million tons! The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's "Jinghai-class" had defeated the British "Blazing-class" ships. When the "Rurik-class" met the "Jinghai-class", it was easily defeated.

Did the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom need to unite with the Tang Dynasty to deal with Russia?

As for Britain, does the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom intend to join forces with the Tang Dynasty to enter India? This project has potential!

“Minister Yuan,” Li Hongzhang suddenly leaned forward, looking intently at Yuan Shikai, “Do you think that since Empress Ma left, I have been secluded in the palace cultivating my character, ignoring world affairs, and not caring about revitalizing our Great Tang Dynasty?”

"Your Majesty is wise!" Yuan Shikai kowtowed heavily. "Then should we prepare for war...?"

"I have my own plans." Li Hongzhang adopted a somber demeanor and waved his hand. "You must be tired from your journey, you may leave now."

As Yuan Shikai walked out of the Zichen Hall, the setting sun was sinking into the snow-capped peaks of the Tianshan Mountains.

On the streets of the new Chang'an, Sogdian caravans slowly carried Persian carpets, Uyghur craftsmen clattered and hammered bronzeware, and several imperial guards, carrying Colt revolvers, squatted at roadside stalls slurping mutton noodles—this imperial capital, a blend of Han and Tang dynasty traditions and Central Asian heritage, seemed to be a corner forgotten by time.

"Lord Yuan!" A clear voice suddenly rang out. Yuan Shikai turned around and saw Tan Sitong standing under the palace wall, holding a copy of the *Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals*. The young man smiled gently: "I have come to apologize for my offensive words that day."

Yuan Shikai narrowed his eyes: "Does Young Master Tan have any further instructions?"

"The student simply wants to ask—" Tan Sitong pointed to the majestic Tianshan Mountains in the west, "Where do you think the center of the world is?"

Yuan Shikai was taken aback.

The young man had already answered his own question: "His Majesty once lectured at the Imperial Academy. He said that the civilized world is based on Eurasia, and the center of Eurasia is the center of the world. Our Great Tang Dynasty now occupies the center of the world, with a vast territory of thousands of miles and a population of tens of millions. As long as we hold on to this foundation, we will surely become one of the great powers in the future."

A gentle evening breeze stirred, lifting the hem of Tan Sitong's robes. He said softly, "Lord Yuan, His Majesty said that the key to maintaining the center of the world lies in the hearts of the people! Only by rectifying people's hearts and promoting Confucianism can we maintain the center of the world."

As Yuan Shikai watched the boy's departing figure, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have stayed in Russia for too long and no longer understood this Tang Dynasty that was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.

In the stillness of the night, the candlelight in the rear hall of the Zichen Palace still flickered.

Li Hongzhang stood alone in front of a huge map, his finger slowly tracing the outline of the Fergana Basin.

"Your Majesty, are you still worried about the matter of Russia and Germany?" asked Li Lianying, the personal eunuch, in a soft voice.

"Worried?" Li Hongzhang shook his head, a smile appearing on his lips. "I am thinking that the center of this 'World Island' will ultimately belong to me and the Tang people."

He pointed to the Fergana Valley on the map: "Twenty years ago, this place had only four or five million people; now, the Chinese make up half of them. If I were given another twenty years..."

Li Lianying understood: "Does Your Majesty intend to emulate Emperor Taizong of Tang, expanding the territory and educating the people?"

“No.” Li Hongzhang’s gaze was as deep as an abyss. “What I want to do is to completely transform this ‘center of the world’ into a world ruled by the ‘Confucianism of the Tang Dynasty’! At that time, how could my achievements be inferior to those of Emperor Taizong of Tang?”

He turned and took a secret letter from the table—it was in Luo Yaoguo's own handwriting. In the letter, the Wu King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom clearly stated his willingness to join forces with the Tang Dynasty to fight against the Western barbarians—but only Li Hongzhang understood that these "Western barbarians" were not Russia, not England, and certainly not France, but some other barbarian tribe!

“Luo Yaoguo is indeed a skilled strategist,” Li Hongzhang murmured. “My Great Tang Dynasty is ultimately just a pawn in his game of controlling the center of the world.”

Inside Yuan Shikai's Earl's Mansion, the lights were on, and several old classmates sat around a round walnut table. On the table was a yellowed map of Central Asia, with the locations of mines and imagined railway lines marked in vermilion.

"Gentlemen," Yuan Shikai tapped the Fergana Valley on the map, "our Great Tang Dynasty possesses the vast lands and rivers of Central Asia, yet we can't even build a decent railway. Look at Russia's steel production, and then look at the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's military industry."

Xu Shichang stroked his beard and interrupted, "Weiting, what you say makes sense. But the Emperor is also right; we must first stabilize people's hearts."

Duan Qirui suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Nonsense! Without guns and cannons, how can we protect the hearts and minds of our people across this vast land? In my opinion, we should first seize India's access to the sea!" He pointed heavily at the southern end of the map, "The British fleet that was in India has now gone to Singapore."

Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. Li Lianying strode in with four Imperial Guards, the yellow silk imperial edict in his hand particularly eye-catching.

"Lord Yuan, receive the imperial decree!"

Everyone hurriedly knelt down. Li Lianying's shrill voice echoed in the hall: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Yuan Shikai is hereby appointed immediately to the new Chang'an as the diplomatic military attaché stationed in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, to assist in handling military negotiations between the two countries. So be it."

When Yuan Shikai received the imperial edict, he found a secret letter hidden under the silk cloth. After Li Lianying left, he unfolded it and saw that it contained only a line of small characters written by Li Hongzhang: "On this journey, Weiting should observe their steely resolve and examine their hearts."

Duan Qirui suddenly laughed and said, "What a fine 'observe its steel'! His Majesty wants you to learn from it."

Wang Shizhen frowned: "I'm afraid the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is the worst offender." He made a throat-slitting gesture, "I've heard they hate us 'remnants of Confucianism' the most."

Yuan Shikai laughed, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained! If we want to implement new learning and policies in Central Asia and seek to enrich the country and strengthen its military, we can't do without the capital and technology of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. At the very least, we need to bring the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Northwest Railway to the new Guanzhong Plain. Besides, I have a particularly important matter to attend to this time!" He turned to look at Duan Qirui, the youngest among them who had just graduated from the Army Military Academy, and said, "Zhiquan, as is customary for me as a foreign military attaché, I can bring an assistant. You've just graduated from the academy; you should go out and broaden your horizons. How about we go to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom together?"

(End of this chapter)