The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 939
"London has extended an olive branch to Daqi for peace talks, which I consider a victory!"

Emperor Liu Xuan's resounding voice echoed throughout the hall.

It was another tedious and boring session of the imperial council.

If it weren't for the Prime Minister's important announcement today, the ministers in Tianxin City wouldn't have arrived in such a complete assembly.

"While I do not agree with resolving disputes between the two countries through non-military means, for the well-being of trillions of people, the Empire should demonstrate its sincerity in seeking peace!"

The emperor's power was not as great as he wished, and he could not control the entire war situation.

Under current law, the emperor is able to influence parliament to make final decisions.

"As the Emperor of Great Qi, I suggest that Parliament hold another vote to decide on the next stage of foreign policy! Most importantly, a bill should be passed as soon as possible to purge traitors throughout the country."

People hoped that the Great Qi would enter a peaceful era, and that the empire's energy should no longer be wasted on this foolish war.

However, it is clear that catching the traitor is an urgent matter.

As the saying goes, before fighting against the outside world, you must first make peace with the inside.

In any case, when the contents of the Imperial Conference spread throughout the country, many people optimistically believed that peace had arrived.

The wartime economic policies are finally over.

The arduous march is over.

Everything will return to normal.

Starting tomorrow, people will have bread and beef on their tables, and there will be no restrictions on the supply of alcoholic beverages.

Just like before the war, everyone could easily eat the freshest fruit and enjoy Korean apples, Russian fish sauce, French red wine, and Annam durians at the lowest prices.

However, it turns out that everyone was overthinking it.

Since Liu Zhaosun founded the State of Qi, the successive emperors of Qi have been far ahead in terms of tormenting the people, deeply inheriting the true teachings of Legalist sages such as Shang Yang and Han Feizi.

Although the war has come to an end, another large-scale war is quietly brewing.

~~~~~~~
The British plenipotentiary ambassador, who had traveled from London, was surprised to find that the ceasefire offer from Tianxin City was extremely low.

That's outrageously low!

The people of Qi did not even demand war reparations from the British!

The war took place in the southeast of the State of Qi. For a full year, the flames of war spread to several of the most prosperous provinces in the southeast of the empire. Thousands of houses were burned down, and tens of thousands of farmers lost their land.

The number of civilians who died because of this war was at least 30,000, and at least 50,000.

It should be noted that in the war to conquer Annam, the Qi army suffered a total of only 15,000 casualties.

Faced with the losses in the Annam War, Emperor Liu Kan at the time actually issued three edicts of self-reproach, apologizing to his subjects.

The tens of thousands of dead and injured, and the billions of yuan in losses, are being downplayed by diplomatic officials, who simply wave their sleeves and leave without a trace.

In the words of an official from the Imperial Ministry of Defense: "Although the war has caused enormous losses to both countries, let's move forward. Between Qi and Ying, let's let bygones be bygones and let bygones be bygones."

Smile away grudges.

Then, in front of the ambassadors of various countries, he raised a toast with the British to celebrate and wish the peace talks between the two countries a success.

Yes, Daqi is either successful or on its way to success.

The British envoy raised his wine cup, but hesitated for a long time before asking in surprise, "Is it the will of the people of Qi to waive compensation?"

"Hahahaha!"

The official laughed so hard he bent over, as if he had heard a very funny joke.

He waved his hand dismissively and said with great enthusiasm, "Mr. Thomas, I find it laughable that you talk about the will of the people of Qi!"

Thomas asked in surprise, "Why is it funny?"

"Because you can't emphasize something that doesn't exist at all!"

Realizing he had somewhat lost his composure, diplomat Zhao Dun paused for a moment before continuing:
"Our country is a parliamentary system, and the decisions of the parliament are the will of the people. To be honest, the decision to waive the indemnity was made jointly by the emperor and the prime minister. There is no doubt that this is the will of the Great Qi."

"Unquestionable!" Zhao Dun emphasized again.

The Englishman shrugged: "I just hope you won't regret it later."

Zhao Dun said in an unquestionable tone, "No!"

The two sides then discussed other aspects of the peace agreement.

First, all war forces under the British King and major European countries should immediately withdraw from the Qi State's sphere of influence.

Secondly, in order to protect the legitimate rights and interests of nationals from various countries in Qi, each country is allowed to send a garrison force of no more than 10,000 people.

Zhao Dun gasped in shock. The Empire could accept reparations, but stationing troops there? That was utterly outrageous. To put it nicely, it was stationing troops; in reality, it was seizing Qi territory.

Zhao Dun said indignantly:
"Where should we station our troops? Your country's intention is to cede another piece of our territory; this precedent must not be set!"

"Minister Zhao is overthinking it!" Thomas quickly reassured the Qi people, seeing their agitated state.
"Please lease the Zhoushan Islands to Britain for 99 years. As for the rent, it shall be calculated at £50,000 per year, no bargaining!"

Zhao Dun was dumbfounded.

"This matter needs to be discussed further with the Emperor and the Prime Minister before a decision can be made."

Thomas pressed on: "I need to tell you that your country only has three days to consider! Today is the third day. If King George has not received the message he wants by tomorrow, a larger-scale war will probably be unavoidable."

Zhao Dun gasped and quickly whispered a few words to his attendant, who then left to carry out the order.

A moment later, the attendant returned and, in full view of everyone, whispered something in Minister Zhao's ear.

Zhao Dun's furrowed brows immediately relaxed.

The Englishman quickly asked, "Is there any result?"

Zhao Dun made a concerted effort to maintain the composure of a high-ranking official of the Celestial Empire, and said slowly, "We can station troops, but we have one condition."

Zhao Dun speaks English clearly, pronouncing each letter precisely, with a rich London accent.

The British ambassador then remembered that the Qi official in front of him had lived in London for twenty years.

"please say."

Zhao Dun took a deep breath, as if he was about to say something earth-shattering.

"The parliament will next conduct trials of some of our citizens. We hope that your country and other European countries will not interfere in our internal affairs!"

Thomas blurted out, "Are they arresting spies? Are they eliminating dissidents? This is probably contrary to fairness and justice."

Zhao Dun tried to change the subject, but under Thomas's sharp gaze, he stammered, "That's not how it works."

"This is our internal affair, and your country has no right to interfere."

A trial by the entire population is just another way of saying catching spies.

This is something the empire often liked to do, though the British have always been nosy.

Zhao Dun somewhat regretted saying those things to the British.

However, Thomas's next words completely reassured Zhao Dun: "Please tell His Majesty the Emperor and the Prime Minister that as long as you don't go too far, King George will not interfere."

~~~~~~~~~
The war between Daqi and Britain has come to a standstill due to the influence of the Yalenjikun virus.

Compared to "justice and fairness throughout the world," the British are clearly more concerned about the lives of their own people.

Whether the war can be defeated is another matter, but Yalengji Kongkun will take their lives first.

Therefore, negotiating peace is the optimal solution.

Following the peace agreement, the British garrisoned the Zhoushan Islands and had no intention of continuing the war in the short term.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

War is a money-devouring beast, and Liu Xuan could no longer remember how much money and resources the council had invested in the southeastern battlefield.

The emperor's personal guard was constantly weakened, while the various vassal states took the opportunity to strengthen their power.

Liu Xuan worried that as the power of the various vassal states weakened, they would gradually break free from the control of Tianxin City. These arrogant and fierce generals would inevitably fight each other, dragging hundreds of millions of people into hell.

~~~~~~~~
The war is over.

Europeans wanted to save this land, using their ideals of freedom, democracy, and justice.

The terms for the ceasefire offered by the British were quite simple: comprehensive institutional reforms in Qi, granting the people more freedom and allowing foreign merchants to enter key sectors of the empire's economy, such as oil refining, carriage transportation, and media management.

This is undoubtedly a pipe dream.

If Liu Xuan were to adopt European rules and regulations to reform the Great Qi, he would inevitably face overwhelming opposition from the entire nation.

Dilemma.

Tianxin City's focus has shifted from the outside to the inside.

The war was not yet over when the Great Qi began a large-scale crackdown on spies.

Whether there were spies or not is not important; what matters is that the emperor and his confidants believed someone was poisoning the emperor.

Otherwise, why would the epidemic have spread so quickly?
Otherwise, why did the southeastern battlefield suffer such a crushing defeat?
Catching spies is undoubtedly the fastest way to unite people's hearts and minds.

The people need hatred.