The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 986 Luo Yaoguo's "Fourteen Points of Opinion"

A dark cloud hung over the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., where President Grover Cleveland remained silent. Outside, the April rain pattered against the glass, blurring the outline of Capitol Hill. Cabinet members on either side of the long table held their breath, the air thick with the aroma of cigars and coffee.

“Gentlemen,” Cleveland finally spoke, his voice deep and resonant, “we are sending a delegation to Rome, but before that—” he paused, his gaze sweeping over the wrinkled face of Secretary of State Thomas F. Bayard, “I need to have a secret meeting with British Prime Minister Gladstone.”

Bayard leaned forward slightly, a worn national emblem pinned to his dark blue diplomatic uniform—a memento from his father's time in the Civil War. "Mr. President, at what level do you intend to make contact?"

Cleveland took a pre-prepared document with a gold-embossed cover from a drawer, his fingers lightly tracing the sealing wax. "Mr. Bayard, you go to London yourself." He untied the ribbon, unfolded the document, and said, "Tell Gladstone that the United States has three bottom lines—"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop suddenly. Secretary of the Navy William C. Whitney unconsciously touched his bow tie, while Secretary of the Army William C. Endicott tensed his shoulders.

“First,” Cleveland’s voice was low and cold, “the North American battlefield has been restored to its state before the outbreak of the war in 1882, including twelve military outposts along the Canadian border.”

"Second," the president said, his finger pausing on the second paragraph of the document, "we can recognize the independence of the twelve western states, but in return we must receive the plains surrounding the Gulf of Mexico in eastern Mexico—the entire coastline from Tampico to Veracruz."

Finance Minister John G. Carlisle gasped: "That's equivalent to taking away a third of Mexico's territory!"

Cleveland ignored him and continued, "Third, the eastern section of the Nicaragua Canal is jointly controlled by the United States and the United Kingdom, but management rights must belong to us." He closed the document. "Remember, Bayard, these three are bottom lines, not starting points for negotiations."

Bayard nodded solemnly: "Mr. President, I understand. I will depart secretly aboard the USS Dolphin destroyer."

Cleveland looked out the window; raindrops meandered down the glass. He knew that the four-year war had exhausted the nation's strength, and the price of peace might be even heavier than the war itself. In his desk drawer, locked away, was another document—a secret letter from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, bearing Luo Yaoguo's personal seal.

At the Royal Pier in San Francisco, a veil of morning mist hung in the air. A sea breeze swept across the steel deck of the battleship USS California, ruffling the dragon-patterned cloak of Emperor Hong Tiangui of the American Empire. The nearly 40-year-old monarch stood before the gangway, his gaze piercing the morning mist as he looked eastward. Sunlight pierced the clouds, casting dappled gold shadows on the black, red, and yellow tricolor flag fluttering at the bow.

"Your Majesty, it's time to depart," Admiral Luo Zhongtian, the First Minister of the Navy of the United States, reminded him in a low voice.

Hong Tiangui nodded slightly, turned, and climbed the gangway. His boots echoed dully on the steel steps, behind him the Imperial Navy honor guard stood in neat salute, and the San Francisco citizens chanted "Long live the Emperor!" in waves. The brass band on the dock played "Heavenly Father, Heavenly Brother, Heavenly King, Bless the Emperor," the melody appearing and disappearing amidst the ship's whistles.

Thick smoke billowed from the smokestacks of the battleship USS California, its massive propellers churning the seawater as it slowly pulled away from the dock. Hong Tiangui stood on the bridge, watching the San Francisco skyline recede into the distance—the steel framework of the Golden Gate Bridge was only one-fifth complete. Construction of it had begun when he ascended the throne in San Francisco, and if it weren't for this war, it would almost be finished by now.

During his trip to Japan, he will hold a four-way meeting with Luo Yaoguo, the Prime Minister of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom; Yang Chengtian, the King of the Korean Heavenly Kingdom; and Takako Kusumoto, the High Priestess of the Shingon Shrine in Japan, to discuss the Warsaw Pact's position at the Rome Peace Conference. But at this moment, he is more concerned about the secret talks that are waiting for him in the command cabin of the USS California.

The hatch closed gently behind him, and Hong Tiangui loosened his cloak and draped it over the high back of the chair. Lieutenant General Luo Xinzhong immediately stood up and saluted, the medals on his chest gleaming under the bamboo lamp—the most conspicuous being the gold star medal that read "Hero of America."

“Your Majesty,” Luo Xinzhong said respectfully, taking out a sandalwood box from his bosom, “my father asked me to send his regards and this small gift to you.”

Hong Tiangui opened the box, inside was a gilded pocket watch, the cover engraved with a verse from the True Testament: "There is nothing new under the sun." He smiled slightly: "Premier Luo is very thoughtful."

Luo Xinzhong took out a map wrapped in silk and slowly unfolded it on the mahogany table: "Father hopes that the Western American Empire can ensure the ownership of the three states of East Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri, as well as the Dominion of Tianwang City (the Vancouver area)." His finger traced the area marked in red on the map, "Chinese immigrants and their descendants make up half of these areas, and they are rich in mineral resources."

Hong Tiangui examined the detailed markings on the map with a magnifying glass—each town was marked with its population composition and resource reserves. He nodded: "These conditions are acceptable to me."

Luo Xinzhong's eyes flickered slightly as he continued, "As for the suggestion from the Mexican father to retain its independent status, but for His Majesty to concurrently serve as the Emperor of Mexico..."

Hong Tiangui frowned slightly: "Oh? Prime Minister Luo doesn't want the United States to merge with Mexico?"

“Your Majesty is wise,” Luo Xinzhong said in a deep voice, “Mexico has a population of eleven million. If it were to merge with the American Empire, the Native Americans would make up 63% of the new empire’s total population. At that time, the empire’s political landscape would undergo a dramatic change.” He pointed to the statistical table on the last page of the document, “This is the latest model prediction from the Sociology Department of Tianjing University.”

Hong Tiangui stared at the complex graphs and suddenly chuckled: "Prime Minister Luo has even calculated how long I can sit on the dragon throne?"

Luo Xinzhong knelt on one knee: "My father often said that His Majesty is a wise ruler, one in a hundred years. Precisely because of this, we must plan ahead. We must not let ourselves be used as stepping stones for others."

The muffled sound of waves crashing against the ship's hull came from outside the cabin. Hong Tiangui looked out the porthole at the rolling Pacific Ocean and slowly nodded: "Tell Prime Minister Luo that I can accept this proposal."

“Father also said,” Luo Xinzhong smiled, “that if His Majesty is willing to accept this arrangement, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is willing to fully support the position of the American Empire at the Rome Peace Conference.”

Hong Tiangui forced a satisfied smile: "Very good." He pressed the silver bell on the table, and a servant immediately brought two glasses of amber liquid. "Try this, Scotch whisky, seized from a British cargo ship."

The East China Sea was turbulent, and the bow of the "Taiping" cruise ship cleaved through the gray waves. This luxury cruise ship, specially built by Jiangnan Shipyard, boasted the most advanced triple-expansion design available today and was currently sailing at 18 knots towards Osaka, Japan. Two armored cruisers, the "Zhenyuan" and the "Jingyuan," escorted it on either side.

On the top deck, Luo Yaoguo stood leaning against the railing. The sea breeze ruffled his graying temples, but the fifty-something-year-old Taiping Heavenly Kingdom prime minister still stood straight as a pine tree. His third wife, Maria Clementine de Doria, draped a mink cloak over him. "Your Highness, it's windy outside," Maria said softly in Chinese without a trace of a foreign accent.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Chaoyue and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Tingfang stood three steps away, each holding a thick stack of documents. Wu Chaoyue's glasses were fogged up, forcing him to wipe them repeatedly.

“Prime Minister,” Wu Chaoyue asked in a low voice, “do you want to discuss with Britain the conditions for dividing the world?”

Luo Yaoguo waved his hand, and amidst the cries of seagulls, his laughter was particularly clear: "What partition? How awful! We, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, are a civilized nation that should win people over with virtue. How could we discuss partition with the British at the Rome Peace Conference?"

Wu Tingfang said, "But according to the Vienna System..."

"Vienna?" Luo Yaoguo turned to look west, his gaze seemingly piercing the horizon to see distant Europe. "That's seventy years ago." He pointed to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom flag fluttering on the mast. "See that dragon on it? We're establishing a new order under the dragon flag!"

Maria gently patted her husband's shoulder: "What Your Highness means is that instead of fighting over the scraps of the old world, we should reshape the rules."

Wu Chaoyue's pen suddenly slipped from his fingers and fell onto the teak deck with a crisp sound. He hurriedly bent down to pick it up, but heard Luo Yaoguo say, "Don't pick it up, I'll give you a new one." The Prime Minister took out a pen inlaid with pearls from his pocket. "This is a gift from the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. It is said that the nib is made of Damascus steel."

"This is too valuable." Wu Chaoyue's hands trembled slightly.

Luo Yaoguo shoved the pen into his hand: "Take this. Soon you'll be writing history with it." He turned to Wu Tingfang, "Go ask Secretary Yang to bring that document, and also, prepare a secure meeting room."

In the "Number One in the Sky" conference room in the center of the cruise ship, twelve crystal chandeliers illuminated the ivory-inlaid round table.

Luo Yaoguo unfolded a document sheet covered with writing on the conference table.

"Gentlemen," Luo Yaoguo's voice resonated strangely in the teak-paneled room, "this is the position of our Taiping Heavenly Kingdom at the Rome Peace Conference—the 'Fourteen Points'."

He read them aloud one by one, pausing briefly after each one so that his secretary, Yang Rui, could copy them down with a pen:
"First, abolish secret diplomacy and conclude peace treaties openly. All treaties between nations must be put to the test in the sunlight, just like the Bible."

"Second, the limited application of the principle of freedom of the seas. Merchant ships are free to pass through during peacetime, but warships of belligerent nations must be subject to the supervision of neutral nations when passing through."

"Third, abolish colonial trade barriers. No mother country shall impose discriminatory tariffs on its colonies."

Luo Yaoguo continued, "Fourth, restrict the armaments of the great powers, especially their naval armaments."

Fifth, define the scope of the British Empire's sovereignty after the war.

When reading the sixth point, Luo Yaoguo's voice suddenly became more forceful: "Determine the post-war sovereign territorial boundaries of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!"

The meeting room suddenly fell silent. Everyone knew that these fifth and sixth points were actually the key to the Rome Peace Conference!
"Seventh, the delineation of the territorial boundaries of the German Empire, the French Republic, and the Russian Empire in Europe."

"Eighth, the boundaries of the American Empire, the United States of America, and the Mexican Empire."

"Ninth, redivide the spheres of influence of various countries in Africa."

"Tenth, Russia withdrew from Asia Minor. The territorial boundaries of the Ottoman Empire were demarcated."

"Eleventh, the Nicaragua Canal will be internationalized and jointly administered by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the American Empire, Great Britain, and the United States of America."

"Twelfth, the League of Nations. We can first establish an Eastern League of Nations headquartered in Tianjing to mediate regional disputes."

"Thirteenth, technology sharing and industrial support. Countries must disclose patents for twelve core technologies, such as steam turbines and smokeless gunpowder."

"Fourteenth, the principle of anti-interventionism. No country is allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of another country for any reason, unless authorized by the League of Nations."

As the last word fell, Yang Rui had filled an entire page. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Wu Chaoyue's forehead; he realized this document would determine the world order for the next decades, even centuries!

(End of this chapter)