The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 932 Five Victory Points

Tianjin, Tanggu Port.

Two Jingyuan-class armored cruisers slowly entered the harbor, their massive silhouettes appearing and disappearing in the morning mist. On the dock, Li Xiucheng, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, stood upright, leaning on his cane. He was sixty years old this year and had just retired from the rank of Army General last year. Now, dressed in a moon-white robe, he appeared calm and dignified.

Behind him stood several young officers, including Colonel Zhang Decheng of the Navy. He came from a family of canal merchants in Tianjin. He entered the Shanghai Naval Academy in the sixteenth year of the Tianli era and served as a naval attaché in Germany, where he was responsible for the introduction of several key technologies, such as steam turbines and Krupp gun steel.

Lieutenant Zhu Hongdeng, a native of Shandong, is a young officer in the Taiping Navy and is fluent in English and French.

Yan Shuqin, a major in the army, is from Shandong and comes from a family of martial artists. After graduating from the army academy, he was assigned to serve in the cavalry stationed on the Mongolian grasslands. He had long-term dealings with the Russians in Siberia and was fluent in Russian.

Captain Cao Futian, an army captain, was Zhang Decheng's fellow townsman and also a native of Tianjin. He was eloquent and had just graduated from the Army Staff College a few months ago. He was also an elite of the Taiping Army! Yang Rui, the Prime Minister's Office Secretary, and Major Feng Guozhang, the Prime Minister's Office Deputy, were also with Li Xiucheng.

In addition, there was Colonel Wang Zhengyi, who accompanied the Russian envoy Alexeyev, and Wu Tingfang and Kang Youwei, who accompanied the German delegation.

These people together formed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's negotiation team responsible for secret negotiations with Germany and Russia!

Waldersee stood on the deck of the "Jingyuan" ship, looking at Tanggu Port in front of him, and felt a strange sense of oppression.

The port was far more modern than he had imagined—huge steam cranes, neat warehouses, docks with laid rails, and even several shipyards under construction. In the distance, a train was puffing steam as it pulled into the station.

"This...is this really a Chinese port?" Waldersee asked in a low voice.

Baron Klind frowned as well: "It seems to be more advanced than our port of Hamburg."

Kang Youwei smiled slightly: "General, Baron, we have arrived at Tanggu Port in Tianjin. Our Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, General Li Xiucheng, is waiting at the dock."

Waldersee took a deep breath, straightened his uniform (although he was still wearing an Ottoman uniform), and followed Kang Youwei and Wu Tingfang down the gangway.

Klind stood frozen on the gangway, his gaze fixed on the Taiping Army and Navy officers accompanying Li Xiucheng—for some reason, these men gave him a very dangerous feeling! But he couldn't quite put his finger on what made them so dangerous. After pondering for a while, he finally followed them down the gangway.

At the same time, Alekseev also stepped off the Dingyuan, accompanied by Colonel Wang Zhengyi, who said in fluent Russian, "General Alekseev, welcome to China."

Alekseev nodded, but his gaze involuntarily drifted towards Li Xiucheng and his group on the dock.

"These Chinese people... they look so dangerous!"

Li Xiucheng remained standing, only nodding slightly in acknowledgment. Yan Shuqin and Cao Futian quickly walked down the gangway and gave Waldersee and Ketteler a standard military salute.

“General Waldersee, Baron Klinders, welcome to China,” Yan Shuqin said in fluent French.

Waldersee sized up the two Taiping Army officers before him—Yan Shuqin, nearly 1.9 meters tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp eyes and a noticeable callus on his right hand. Cao Futian, though slightly shorter, walked with a steady gait, the saber at his waist swaying slightly with each step, clearly a seasoned veteran. These two Taiping Army officers looked formidable; no wonder the white armies of the Eastern United States could never defeat the yellow-skinned tigers of the Western United States!
Baron Ketteler whispered to Waldersee, "General, it seems the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's army is quite strong!"

Waldersee nodded. Of course! Such vicious officers, a population of 600 million, and a crude steel output of seven or eight million tons—that's the real Yellow Peril, and a huge one at that!
Fortunately, Germany and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were far apart!

At the same time, Zhang Decheng and Zhu Hongdeng also walked up to Alekseev.

“General Alekseev,” Zhang Decheng said in Russian, “I am Zhang Decheng, a captain in the Taiping Navy, and this is Lieutenant Zhu Hongdeng.”

For some reason, Alekseev, nicknamed "Red Lantern," felt a surge of hostility upon hearing the name. However, no matter how much hostility he felt, he had to endure it.

This Zhu Hongdeng is a navy man!
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's navy had just given the British navy a sound thrashing on Saipan! As for the Russian navy, saying that the "Jingyuan" killed the whole family would be an exaggeration, but if the 2-ton "Qianlong" that he saw at Port Arthur were to sail to Europe, the Baltic Fleet and the Black Sea Fleet combined would definitely not be enough to defeat it!
Ultimately, the navy is all about shipbuilding and steel production. Russia's industry is still too backward!

Alexeyev sighed inwardly.

Seeing that everyone had disembarked, Li Xiucheng stepped forward and bowed to Waldersee, Klind, and Alekseev.

“The three of you have come from afar, and the journey has been arduous and full of hardships.” His voice was deep and powerful. “The special train is ready. Let’s get on the train and we will arrive in Beijing today.”

Li Xiucheng, of course, couldn't speak any foreign languages, but fortunately, there were people on site who could translate. His words were immediately translated into German by Zhang Decheng, who had served as a military attaché in Germany, and then into Russian by Yuan Shikai.

Waldersee nodded: "Thank you for the arrangements, General Li." The group boarded a luxury train. The carriage was carpeted with red carpet, the seats were made of fine sandalwood, and the tables were set with exquisite tea sets and snacks.

This train was clearly a "diplomatic train" specially used by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to receive foreign envoys.

The train slowly started moving, and the scenery outside the window began to recede. Li Xiucheng sat in the main seat, with Waldersee, Ketteler, and Alekseev on either side.

“The three of you,” Li Xiucheng said, picking up his teacup and taking a small sip, “I have invited you to Beijing to discuss a major matter concerning the fate of our nation over the next century.”

Zhang Decheng and Yuan Shikai continued to act as interpreters on site.

Waldersee, Ketteler, and Alekseev exchanged glances, and the same thought flashed through their minds at the same time: they were going to discuss how to divide the world.
As the train traveled across the North China Plain, the scenery outside the window changed from the port to vast farmlands.

Li Xiucheng put down his teacup and slowly said, "The British have too many interests in the world, which is not commensurate with their domestic population size. Do you think this is fair?"

Waldersee frowned: "General Li means...?"

Li Xiucheng smiled slightly: "Germany, Russia, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the three countries join forces to weaken Britain, and share the territories that the British can no longer use."

Alekseev's pupils contracted slightly: "This... might trigger a major war in Europe."

Waldersee nodded: "General Lee, we are allies with Britain. Are you asking us to betray our allies?"

Li Xiucheng shrugged: "That can't be considered betrayal, can it? If my intelligence is correct, your German goal is to defeat Red France and become the absolute hegemon of Central and Western Europe. Red France is neither an ally of Britain nor part of Britain. Even if you swallow up France, it doesn't mean you've betrayed Britain, right? As for Russia, you are the Third Rome, and it's only natural for you to restore Constantinople, the capital of the Second Rome. Although the British Empire and the Ottoman Empire have a protectorate treaty, Russia and Britain are also allies! Why should the British stop you from recovering your former capital? It's probably not morally sound, is it?"

These words were translated into German and Russian, and Waldersee, Ketteler, and Alexei all nodded in agreement—they had come to betray Britain! As long as the reason was plausible, it didn't matter.

Seeing that the three foreigners had accepted his point of view, Li Xiucheng stood up, walked to the center of the carriage, took a map from Yang Rui, and spread it on the table.

"Britain's maritime supremacy depends on five key points: the Suez Canal, the Strait of Malacca, the Nicaragua Canal, Gibraltar, and the Cape of Good Hope. These are also roughly the five points of victory in this world war! If we capture all five of these points, then global maritime supremacy will belong to us, and Britain will lose the war!"

Li Xiucheng tapped on the map: "The Strait of Malacca, the Nicaragua Canal, and the Cape of Good Hope—we, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, will take them! Gibraltar and Suez will be the responsibility of Germany and Russia. What do you think?"

Waldersee's breathing quickened slightly: "This... is too risky."

Li Xiucheng stared at him: "General, does the German Empire really want to be suppressed by Britain forever?"

Waldersee fell silent.

Baron Klind said in a low voice in Chinese, "But we need a more specific plan."

Li Xiucheng shook his head: "It's not a plan, but when you should stand with us and challenge Britain's global hegemony!"

Russian envoy Alekseyev said, "General, we need at least 18 months for military preparations!"

Li Xiucheng shook his head again: "We believe the key is not how much time you need to prepare, but that the German Empire and the Russian Empire should take action after we have captured one or two points of victory, or achieved an overwhelming victory on a key battlefield!"

Waldersee, Ketteler, and Alekseev all fell silent—this was a matter that needed careful consideration, and they needed to consult with their superiors.

Li Xiucheng glanced at the three of them and said with a smile, "We will discuss this in detail when we get to Beijing."

As evening fell, the special train pulled into Beijing Station.

On the platform, a troop of Taiping soldiers stood in neat rows, their military bearing solemn. In the distance, the outline of the Forbidden City appeared exceptionally majestic in the setting sun.

Waldersee, Ketteler, and Alekseev stepped out of the station and looked at the ancient city that was both strange and familiar to them. A strange sense of oppression welled up in their hearts—the oppression of the empire!
"This place... will be the place that decides the fate of the world."

Li Xiucheng stood beside them and said softly, "Welcome to Beijing."

(End of this chapter)