1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 324 What Happened to Our Promise to Advance and Retreat Together?

Compared to shipbuilding, military industry, steel and other projects that require the support of a huge industrial system, the core of telegraph is to lay cables and set up a network, which is much simpler and easier.

Equipment such as wires, insulators, batteries, and telegraph machines can be purchased directly from abroad as finished products.

Even if it is developed and manufactured in-house, a skilled watchmaker or mechanic is fully capable of replicating a working prototype telegraph machine based on the blueprints.

Peng Gang had just examined the Morse telegraph machine closely. Compared with high-pressure steam engines, precision clocks, machine tools, and optical instruments of the same era, the manufacturing technology of the Morse telegraph machine had a much lower threshold.

With a little effort, components such as the key, voltaic pile, wires, recording mechanism, and electromagnet are not difficult to make.

With sufficient materials, Peng Gang was confident he could produce a prototype telegraph machine. Of course, its quality and stability would certainly not be as good as the telegraph machines commercially mass-produced by the Electromagnetic Telegraph Company.

The difficulty of telegraph lies not in individual devices, but in building a reliable and practical system engineering.

Building a prototype telegraph machine that can operate at short distances in a laboratory is relatively easy; a skilled mechanic can do it.

However, building a telegraph system that can operate stably over hundreds or thousands of kilometers and be used around the clock is a complex and expensive project that requires experience in large-scale project management and maintenance.

Telegraph technology is relatively simple, easy to transfer, has a short construction period, and produces quick results. Once introduced, it can be put into use in a short time and can quickly generate huge economic and strategic benefits.

It can meet the needs of military communications and can also be opened up for civilian use to generate revenue, making it very cost-effective.

Peng Gang quickly finalized the cooperation with Morse's Electromagnetic Telegraph Company, and entrusted Russell & Co. to send a specialist back to the United States to discuss the cooperation with the Electromagnetic Telegraph Company, purchase telegraph machines and parts, and hire technicians.

Immediately afterwards, Peng Gang signed a contract with Jin Nengheng to exchange tea for arms, purchasing all the weapons brought by Russell & Co.

Eight hundred and twenty barrels of gunpowder, along with bullets and shells.

Twelve six-pound Napoleon cannons.

Five boxes containing a total of 120 of the latest .44 caliber Colt revolvers.

One thousand two hundred and fifty-eight Springfield M1842 rifles, of which three hundred and sixty-five were percussion cap firing versions and the rest were flintlock versions.

Of these 1,258 Springfield rifles, 255 were rifled and could fire Minié rounds.

New guns are purchased at the price of new guns, and used handguns are purchased at the price of used handguns.

Peng Gang also collected all 600-plus second-hand Brownbees and Charwell flintlock rifles that the British and French trading companies had orchestrated to sell to Russell & Co.

The last three paddle steamers, along with their cannons, were also given to Peng Gang. The employers of the crew and engineers on board changed from Russell & Co. to Peng Gang, and new employment contracts were signed.

The three paddle steamers were valued at 200,000 taels of silver (equivalent to secondhand ships), and the payment was made entirely in the form of tea.

The muddy waters of the Yangtze River pounded against the iron-clad wooden hull of the British warship HMS Lily, producing an irritating sound.

On the British warship HMS Lily, the officers' lounge, which should have been filled with the aroma of black tea and a cheerful atmosphere, was now replaced by a dull and oppressive one.

With his back to the porthole, British Consul in Shanghai, Alcock, saw the renovated and imposing Hanyang Gate of Wuchang City.

At this moment, however, Alcock had no mind to appreciate the beautiful scenery outside the porthole. Instead, he had his back to a British businessman, James Martinson, a partner at Jardine Matheson & Co., who was dressed in a well-tailored suit but was somewhat agitated.

Madison looked at Aleksandar's retreating figure and said, "Your Excellency Aleksandar, as we sit here drinking red tea and discussing how to deal with that so-called Northern King and force them to accept our treaty..."

Those damned Yang Ji and Dixie guys! They've already demonstrated the telegrams they brought in front of all the short-haired bandit leaders, and it's said that Peng Gang wasn't surprised at all, and immediately ordered people to learn it.

In contrast, the locomotive model we brought had already had its tracks laid out at Yuemachang, ready to be shown to them at any time, but Peng Gang seemed unmoved by it.

I have reason to suspect that Yang Jilao and Dixielao have even reached some shady agreement with Peng Gang regarding railway transportation.

Peng Gang and Russell & Co. had only finalized their cooperation yesterday, yet Alfred, Matthias, and others received the news the very next day. It wasn't that Alfred was particularly well-informed; the spy network had already infiltrated Wuchang.

Instead, Peng Gang deliberately instructed Chen Alin and his fellow villagers to leak the information to the interpreter of the British mission.

The defection of the United States undoubtedly reduced the British mission's leverage significantly.

Two days ago, Peng Gang was very interested in the items brought by their British delegation, especially the quarter-sized train locomotive model originally intended for display to the princely states of India.

Peng Gang's attitude towards them was extremely cold; he didn't even ask them a single question.

Martin had serious doubts that those American country bumpkins might have also reached a preliminary cooperation agreement on railways, or even signed a contract.

Thinking of this, Matthias was extremely anxious. He worried that Hubei, and even the entire inland market along the Yangtze River, would fall into the hands of the United States.

Aleksandr's face was as somber as the gloomy sky outside the ship: "Mr. Martinez, I understand your anxiety. But diplomatic affairs have their procedures and rhythm..."

“Procedures and rhythm?! To hell with procedures and rhythm! You never used those two words when you were dealing with Wu, the Shanghai Daotai, in Shanghai!” Ma Dichen almost roared, but considering the occasion, he forcibly lowered his voice and suppressed his excitement.

"Your Excellency, our tea warehouses in Shanghai are almost empty; we are short at least 50,000 pounds of tea this year. In addition, there are cotton cloth and Indian yarn worth a full 60,000 pounds waiting for buyers in our Shanghai warehouses!"

And what about those country bumpkins in America? They used a small telegraph machine to pry open up the market in Hubei and even the entire heart of the Yangtze River! They seized the initiative! A complete first-mover advantage!
My directors, whether from Hong Kong, Guangzhou, or Shanghai, are all questioning me about why our diplomatic mission was so slow and so...incompetent at such a critical moment!
The Americans actually won! Do you know what this means? It means that in the future, all railroad concessions, mining rights, arms contracts, and even… even access to the opium trade could be snatched up by those nouveau riche with Puritan backgrounds! And we, Your Excellency Consul Alcock, might not even get a sip of the soup!

Every word Martin said was like a whip lashing Aleksandr's face. Although it wasn't directly aimed at him personally, as the highest-ranking diplomatic representative present, it was undoubtedly a sign of dissatisfaction and criticism of his work.

“Mr. Martin.” Aleksandar turned around and said with a stern face.

“I am fully aware of your concerns, as well as those of the trade representatives. Please assure me that I will not stand idly by and allow anything to harm British interests to happen. Now, please calm down. I need to discuss the next steps with my colleagues.”

After speaking, a somewhat impatient Ali made a gesture to send the guest away, his posture extremely forceful.

Martin opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but when his gaze met the coldness in Aleksandr's eyes, he could only snort angrily, slam his hat down on his head, turn around, and slam the door shut as he left.

An awkward and embarrassing silence fell over the officers' lounge. Ali stood there, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the anger and humiliation churning in his chest.

To be publicly rebuked for his incompetence by a representative of his own country's business community was a profound humiliation in his diplomatic career.

And all of this is thanks to that untrustworthy, selfish, and self-righteous American minister, Massali!
What happened to the promise that the British, French, and American missions would stand united and advance or retreat together?
Just then, there was another knock on the door of the officers' lounge, and Lieutenant Colonel Robert led a man in.

The visitor was none other than the French Consul in China, Jean-Michel Mintini.

Mintini, not even having time to take off his gloves, blurted out as soon as he entered, “Alice! My God, have you heard? It’s all over the place! Those Americans, those shrewd Yankee merchants who burrow like moles! They’ve done something good! They actually…”

At this point, Mintin realized that something was off about Aleksandr's expression and the atmosphere in the officers' lounge. Mintin was a smart man and immediately understood what was going on.

“Oh, so you already know, my dear old friend.” Mintini’s tone instantly shifted from excitement to a sense of indignant sympathy. He walked to the liquor cabinet, poured himself a glass of brandy without ceremony, took a big gulp, and continued.

"This is truly a horrifying betrayal. We're still here carefully choosing our words, considering how to establish proper diplomatic relations with this new regime. And they, those American bumpkins whose minds are filled with nothing but gold and silver! They've already sold themselves and their products like shameless prostitutes on the streets of Paris."

“We are now facing that reckless and irresponsible solo operation by that Yankee Mashali, which has completely disrupted our plans and rhythm, and…” Aleksandr paused, glancing towards the hatch. “It has already provoked an extremely strong negative reaction from our business representatives.”

Mintin put down his glass, took a step closer, and said, "So what? What should we do? Are we just going to sit idly by and watch Yang Ji use a small telegraph machine to exchange for all the commercial licenses and political influence in Hubei? Let that Peng Gang think that the Western world is just a bunch of opportunistic speculators who can be picked off one by one?"

No sooner had Mintini finished speaking than Matthias, who had not long left the officers' lounge, returned with a sour face and questioned Mintini: "Your Excellency! Your Father Chateau and your business representative Mr. Remy just visited Peng Gang's residence at his invitation. I hope you can give me a reasonable explanation for this."

This unexpected news left Mintini feeling extremely embarrassed, standing there speechless.

He hadn't expected Peng Gang to bypass him and directly contact the missionaries and business representatives of their French mission.

What was even more unexpected was that Xia Duo and Remy would be so impatient. Peng Gang invited them, and they actually went directly without even informing him, the leader of the delegation.

This was completely unexpected by Mintini, and he really had no way to explain it to the British representatives, such as Alcock and Mattison.

Al-Ali's face was extremely ugly. He sarcastically said to Mintini, "Consul Mintini, I don't know how Peng Gang views us, but you certainly have a very clear self-awareness."

Peng Gang received Father Chateau, a missionary from the French delegation, and Remy, the owner of the largest French-owned trading company in China, at the Northern Prince's Mansion.

Compared to the British diplomatic mission, the French mission also appeared somewhat unprofessional, lacking highly professional diplomats.

The head of the mission, Consul General Mintini in Shanghai, was a Hamburg native who served in the French Navy and was a diplomat who came to the profession later in life.

Moreover, his diplomatic career was entirely spent in China, dealing with local officials of the Qing government.

Dealing with local officials of the Qing government was such a simple diplomatic task that even a barking, snarling foreign dog could handle it, so it did not help Mindy develop her diplomatic skills much.

Peng Gang extended an invitation to the missionary and merchant representatives of the French delegation, and the two representatives came to the Northern Prince's Mansion without much hesitation.

This suggests that Mindini did not strictly control the members of his mission, or that he was unable to control them.

Indeed, this was the case; even the land for the French Consulate in Shanghai was provided free of charge by the Liming & Co.

With his limited influence, Mintini could not control Parisian merchants like Rémy in the same way that Alec Sussex controlled the representatives of British trading companies, such as Martinez.

Peng Gang gestured for Xia Duo and Remy to sit down: "You two have come from afar, you must be tired. I saw you two in the main hall the day before yesterday, and I really wanted to talk to you, but the representative of the English delegation was too self-righteous, aggressive and impolite, and even unwilling to give your French representative a chance to speak, so I had no way of knowing what your French delegation members were thinking. Therefore, I specially invited you two here for a heart-to-heart talk."

France is a great country with a glorious history. During Napoleon's era, it once unified Europe, but unfortunately, it suffered a crushing defeat at Waterloo. The post-war Vienna system, like shackles on a prisoner, binds France to this day. Such a great nation should not be a shadow of any other country.

Father Chadeau nodded and said in slightly broken Chinese, “Your Highness is the Chinese person I know who knows the most about European history. His Majesty Napoleon was indeed a great man. It’s just a pity that I am not interested in politics, but only in spreading the gospel of God.”

"I am very grateful to Your Highness for giving me this opportunity to speak directly. I have heard that you had a very pleasant conversation with the American delegation, and I think we may have much in common."

Chateau was a devout missionary who had little interest in politics.

Xia Duo knew that Peng Gang's words were meant to sow discord between the British and French missions.

However, he still agreed with Peng Gang's statement that the British delegation had indeed been speaking at length about their demands in the main hall of the Northern Prince's Mansion the day before, while the French and American representatives did not even have a chance to speak.

The British delegation's actions were too domineering, which had long made him uncomfortable and displeased.

Especially after witnessing the pleasant contact between the American delegation and the North Palace, and after today's inspection in Hankou, Xia Duo became even more determined to find an opportunity to have direct contact with Peng Gang.

Therefore, upon receiving Peng Gang's invitation, Xia Duo was afraid of missing this great opportunity to meet Peng Gang alone, so he immediately accepted the invitation.

Remy, standing nearby, interjected, "Your Highness, we French merchants have always valued the potential of the market in the heart of the Yangtze River. If Hankou can be opened as a treaty port, I think it would be very beneficial for both of us."

Peng Gang's eyes flickered slightly as he said, "That's why I invited you here. The British have not only monopolized the markets of the five coastal ports, squeezing out honest merchants from other countries who do legitimate business, but now they also want to monopolize the inland market, and they've put forward such unequal and harsh conditions."

Even if they sailed their fleet to the Yangtze River near Wuchang, I would never accept such conditions. I only wish to cooperate with sincere and genuine friends.

Father Chateau stared at Peng Gang and asked the question that concerned him most: "Your Highness, in the Qing government's territory, we are often driven away and prevented from spreading the Gospel of God, and the same is true in the open ports. If France establishes diplomatic relations and cooperation with us, can Your Highness guarantee that we can truly preach freely under Your Highness's rule and no longer be harassed by officials and soldiers?"

Peng Gang pondered for a moment and said, "If France has its own opinion and concludes a mutually beneficial and equal treaty with me independently, without submitting to England, I can allow you to rent land in Hankou to build a school. You don't have to do it secretly; you can do it openly and honestly."

Most Chinese people have a utilitarian attitude towards religion, and joining a religion is often driven by a strong purpose.

The saying that "if rice, flour, and cooking oil stop, faith returns to zero" is not a joke, but a true reflection of reality.

Furthermore, traditional Chinese society was built upon Confucian ethics, and the worship of Heaven and ancestors was a core ritual for maintaining social order and family ethical identity.

The Catholicism that Chadeau wanted to promote is a religion that strictly adheres to monotheism. In the eyes of Catholics, Chinese rituals such as worshipping Heaven and ancestors are heretical acts of idol worship. Once a Chinese person converts to Catholicism, they cannot participate in family ancestral worship, village fundraising activities for gods, opera performances, and other public activities.

This means that once Chinese people convert to Catholicism, their social identity will inevitably be fractured, and they will be seen as aliens who have forgotten their roots, and will be ostracized and ridiculed.

This is unacceptable and unbearable for Chinese people who are currently very dependent on collective living.

Even if Peng Gang allows Chateau to preach in Hankou, as long as Chateau doesn't abandon monotheism and doesn't adapt Catholicism to the local context like Feng Yunshan did, making it a religion suitable for Chinese babies, Catholicism won't have many followers.

At most, it will attract some scoundrels and ruffians who are burdened with debt or have committed crimes and want to seek refuge in the church, but as long as Peng Gang does not grant French missionaries extraterritorial rights or give them preferential treatment beyond that of ordinary citizens.

The Catholic Church would then be unable to provide protection for land scoundrels, and would not be attractive to them.

Father Chateau's eyes lit up, but he wanted more: "If Your Highness opens the door to the eastward spread of the Gospel and allows our Catholic missionaries to preach freely in Your Highness's territory, I can persuade Consul Mintini and write to the Paris authorities to facilitate the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between Your Highness and our country."

What Xia Duo wanted was not to preach in Hanyang alone, but to preach freely under Peng Gang's rule and even throughout the entire inland region of China.

Peng Gang naturally couldn't agree to this request: "The situation in other regions is chaotic, and some areas are still front-line war zones. I cannot guarantee your personal safety. Hankou is a large city with a population of over 100,000, almost comparable to Lyon and Marseille."

Furthermore, if you cannot develop a following in a relatively open commercial port like Hankou, then opening up more mission areas to you will be futile. For your safety, and the safety of the French missionaries, I suggest you begin your missionary work in Hankou first.”

By the mid-19th century, the urban landscape of France was dominated by Paris, to the point that it was no exaggeration to say that the country supported the city.

Paris is the only megacity in France with a population of over one million, and it leads all other cities by a significant margin.

Lyon and Marseille, the second and third largest cities in France, follow closely behind, with populations of only a few hundred thousand.

Although France had already begun to slowly advance industrialization at this time, it was during the Second Empire (1852-1870), the reign of Napoleon III, that France truly entered the fast lane of industrialization and began to industrialize on a large scale.

In 1852, France, apart from a few major cities, was still largely an agricultural society.

Currently, only two countries in Europe have completed industrialization: England and Belgium. However, due to limitations in size, market, and national strength, Belgium's industrial system is not as comprehensive as England's.

Remy wasn't particularly enthusiastic about missionary work; his interests were more at stake. He was more concerned with the commercial gains of the Liming Trading Company. Seizing the opportunity, he interjected, "Your Highness, if missionary work can be opened up and protected, I think trade should also receive the same openness and protection."

(End of this chapter)