1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 325 I only hate the lack of financial resources
Peng Gang calmly stated, "As long as France is willing to establish formal diplomatic relations with us on an equal footing, I support legitimate economic and trade exchanges between the two sides."

As he spoke, Peng Gang reached out and Li Ruzhao, the council member behind him, brought him a draft treaty that he had personally drafted.

None of Peng Gang's associates spoke French, not even Peng Gang himself; the draft treaty was written entirely in Chinese.

Fortunately, although Father Château and Remy's spoken English was only average, their written abilities were quite good, and they could understand the contents of the draft treaty without the help of an interpreter.

In this draft treaty, Peng Gang allowed France to establish a consulate in Wuchang, with the consulate site to be designated by Beidian. The consulate was also permitted to send no more than twenty French military attachés and dedicated guards to be responsible for its security.

Before both sides establish consulates or higher-level overseas missions, consulates shall pay rent according to the local market price of land rent. After both sides establish overseas missions, they may negotiate to waive land rent for embassy land.

French missionaries could rent land in Hankou to build churches and schools.

French merchants were free to conduct business and open trading posts in Hankou.

From the date both sides formally exchanged their credentials and established diplomatic relations, Wuchang granted France a four-year tax exemption on imported goods.

There is a written agreement as proof, not just a verbal promise.

Both Xia Duo and Remy felt much more at ease.

The very first article of the treaty, which permitted France to establish a consulate in Wuchang, exceeded their expectations.

This illustrates the Qing government's evasive attitude towards diplomatic affairs with Western countries other than Tsarist Russia. (After the Treaty of Nerchinsk was signed in 1689, the Russian Orthodox Mission built a Russian Pavilion west of the Yuhe Bridge in Dongjiaomin Lane, Beijing. Although nominally a religious institution, the Russian Orthodox Mission's functions extended beyond religion, encompassing missionary work, overseas study, Sinological research, translation, and intelligence gathering. Before the establishment of the Russian Embassy in 1860, the Orthodox Mission's Russian Pavilion effectively functioned as a diplomatic envoy.)
Peng Gang's diplomatic attitude toward Western countries should be more proactive.

Although Wuchang and Hankou are only separated by a river, setting up a consulate in Wuchang or Hankou is a completely different matter.

After all, one is an administrative center and the other is a commercial center.

Xia Duo and Remy are both seasoned veterans who have been in China for many years, and they understand the difference. In this land, the administrative center holds a far higher status than the commercial center.

Taking the French consulate in Shanghai as an example, it was considered that the Shanghai Daotai's office was located in the Shanghai county town.

France initially hoped to establish a consulate within the Shanghai county seat to facilitate direct and efficient communication with the Shanghai Daotai (local official).

However, the Qing government was very firm in its stance on this matter, only allowing Western countries to build consulates within their concessions.

Even after the Shanghai Daotai was replaced by Wu Jianzhang, a good friend of the foreigners, it was no exception.

Although Wu Jianzhang was accommodating to the requests of foreigners, he never allowed them to enter Shanghai County. Even when meeting, he would choose either the concession or outside Shanghai City as the meeting place.

Peng Gang granted French merchants permission to conduct business freely in Hankou, to open banks and trading posts, and also granted them a four-year tax exemption on imported French goods.

Remy of the Liming & Co. was very satisfied with this. Liming & Co. was the French-owned trading company with the most substantial capital in China, and this clause was extremely advantageous to Liming & Co.

Although he was to give up the opium business, Remy felt that if the legitimate trade with Wuchang could bring far more benefits than the opium trade, it was not unacceptable, given the pressure from the British East India Company's opium, which was of high quality and low price, and the impact of opium that had appeared out of nowhere in recent years.

Although the opium trade of Liming Foreign Firm was still profitable, it was not as profitable as before.

“Your Highness is indeed very sincere in your willingness to cooperate. After returning, I will do my best to persuade Mintini and facilitate our cooperation,” Shado said solemnly as he put away the draft treaty.

“Me too,” Remy chimed in.

"You are the most enlightened leader I have met in China. It is easy and efficient to deal with you."

The draft treaty provided by Peng Gang is conditional on the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with the French government.

Chateau and Remy now have ample incentive to facilitate the establishment of diplomatic relations between Wuchang and Paris.

As for the Qing court, they never wanted to have any contact with them.

Furthermore, British trading companies held absolute dominance in the five coastal ports, accounting for over 80% of the trade volume in each.

Rather than competing with powerful British trading companies, it's better to avoid them and explore the untapped market in inland regions.

“I look forward to seeing you two again, and to seeing your sincerity, as well as that of the Paris side,” Peng Gang said with a slight nod.

"Did Your Highness also grant Washington the same, or even better, preferential treatment?" Remy couldn't help but ask.

"If French products can't compete with English products, don't they have the confidence to beat the industrial waste produced by those American country bumpkins?" Peng Gang retorted.

Firearms are the foundation and soul of the United States. Americans are very concerned about the right to bear arms, and the domestic demand for weapons, especially small arms, is enormous.

American arms dealers have ample motivation and sufficient resources to develop weapons.

Therefore, American military products are not inferior to the mainstream level in Europe, and some products are even superior to those in Europe. For example, the 120 state-of-the-art .44 caliber Colt revolvers that Russell & Co. gave to Peng Gang were very advanced handguns in Europe.

This is also why Peng Gang is willing to cooperate with the United States in the military industry.

Before the Second Industrial Revolution, the gap between the United States and European industrial countries was mainly concentrated in industrial sectors other than military industry.

In industrial sectors outside of military industry, Peng Gang prefers to cooperate with European countries with stronger technological capabilities, such as France, while the United States exists as a bargaining chip and a backup option when there is no other choice.

Remy was an extremely shrewd man. Peng Gang had already made his point clear, and Remy already had the answer in his mind, so he didn't press the matter further.

"I have another personal request. I heard that the Pavilion has already sold a large quantity of tea to the Qichang Trading Company." Remy wanted some tangible benefits that he could immediately realize.

"Could Your Highness also generously sell some tea to our Liming Trading Company?"

"Tea may not be suitable, but I can provide you with some silk fabrics, including some high-quality silks that are rarely seen on the European market." As he spoke, Peng Gang clapped his hands.

Peng Gang has already signed a large order for 30,000 dan of tea with the Jardine Matheson & Co., and it is certain that he will not be able to supply tea to the Liming & Co. in the short term.

However, they can provide silk and raw silk.

Soon, to Remy's expectant gaze, Cheng Lingnan, accompanied by several maids, came out carrying samples of silk fabrics and presented them to Remy for inspection.

Although Hubei's textile industry is not as famous as that of the Jiangnan region, it still has some local fabrics that are of good quality.

For example, Jiangling satin (Jing satin) is one of the best, known for its tight texture, smooth surface, exquisite patterns, and gorgeous colors.

Jiangling satin was as famous as Yun brocade from Jiangning and Song brocade from Suzhou, and was one of the tribute items.

The Jiangling satin that Peng Gang had was obtained last year when he attacked Jiangling City and Mancheng in Jingzhou.

Hankou was the largest silk distribution center and trade market in Central China.

The surrounding areas of Hanyang and Wuchang also have a well-developed silk weaving industry.

Silk produced in Wuhan was sold throughout the country through the Hankou market, and some was also resold overseas by local merchants through the open ports.

However, the lion's share of the profits was mostly taken by officials along the route and local merchants with connections to foreign firms in the open ports.

Local businessmen in Wuhan's three towns earned relatively limited profits.

Xiangyang and Mianyang are traditional silkworm breeding areas and are the main source of raw silk for Hubei Province's silk weaving industry.

However, the silk products that Peng Gang is going to sell to Liming Foreign Firm this time include not only local Hankou silk products and raw silk.

There was also a route that led from Guangxi to the three towns of Wuhan, where over 68,000 bolts of various silk fabrics were seized from local landlords or merchants along the way.

These silk fabrics can be sold to Liming Trading Company at a premium.

“This is the finest Jiangling satin, specially made as tribute to the royal family. I am now giving ten bolts each to you two and Consul Mintini as a return gift for the gifts you gave me. In addition, I will give eighty bolts of the finest Jiangling satin and two pieces of imperial porcelain to His Majesty Napoleon III,” Peng Gang said.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Highness. It is our honor to receive your gift."

"But Your Highness, France is a republic, not an empire. Our head of state is the president," Rémy corrected. "A man of the Bonaparte family would not be content with just being a president," Peng Gang laughed.

Working with those scoundrels of the Republic will not make France great again. Napoleon III is an extremely ambitious man, and he is currently revising the constitution to pave the way for his restoration and becoming emperor.

At this moment, France is a republic; once the members of the French delegation return to Paris, it will become the Second French Empire.

"Does Your Highness have an inventory list? May I go to the warehouse to take a look at Your Highness's batch of silk?" Remy changed the subject and asked Peng Gang.

The high-end silk fabrics among these items are quite rare in the European market, and Remy was very interested in the batch of silk fabrics in Peng Gang's possession.

Peng Gang gave Li Ruzhao a wink, and Li Ruzhao quickly presented a list of supplies written in Arabic numerals, the quantities of which were clear at a glance.

After looking at the list, Remy couldn't help but gasp.

The total quantity of over 49,000 bolts of plain silk and over 19,000 bolts of various high-quality brocades and satins exceeded the total annual output of finished silk products at the Shanghai port.

In the silk industry, there's a saying that silk becomes double its value when woven into silk fabric.

The list provided by Peng Gang included high-end silk fabrics that were explicitly prohibited from export by the Qing government. These high-end silk fabrics were extremely rare and expensive in Europe.

In addition, the list also includes 4,355 dan of raw silk.

During the Daoguang and Xianfeng reigns, the price of raw silk sold domestically fluctuated around 240 taels per dan (a unit of weight), while the price sold abroad was around 500 taels.

I can't eat, I simply can't eat.

The raw silk alone, even at the lowest purchase price, is worth more than a million taels of silver.

Remy's only regret now is that he doesn't have enough money.

If they had enough funds to acquire Peng Gang's batch of silk, Liming Trading Company would undoubtedly have become one of the top trading companies in China. He himself would have become one of the wealthiest men in France!
Thinking of this, Remy's chest heaved violently with excitement.

“Mr. Remy?” Peng Gang called out to Remy, who was engrossed in looking at the list.

"Your Highness, may I prepay a deposit to reserve this batch of goods?" Remy asked in a trembling voice after regaining his senses. He wished he could sign the contract right now.

"If there isn't enough gold and silver, we can use shares of Liming Trading Company, paddle steamers, and arms to pay in kind," Peng Gang said casually. Monopolistic trading, with no middlemen taking a cut, this feeling of making money while lying down is too comfortable.

“Yes! Yes! Good! Good! Your Highness, give me a few months, and I will definitely raise the funds to buy this batch of fine goods.” Remy said through gritted teeth.

With such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a fortune right in front of them, they were willing to mortgage their entire fortune and borrow money from Americans and Englishmen at exorbitant interest rates to acquire this batch of goods.

“Since Mr. Remy is interested in this shipment, I’ll reserve half for him. Tomorrow, I’ll have my brother take you to Hankou to see the goods,” Peng Gang said slowly and deliberately.

"Half? What about the other half?" Remy asked, unwilling to give up.

“The remaining half has already been snapped up by Russell & Co.,” Peng Gang said meaningfully. “Mr. Remy, time and opportunity wait for no one.”

"Oh dear!" Remy was filled with regret and couldn't help but stamp his foot and blame the leader of the French delegation, Consul in Shanghai, Mintini.

“Mintin was the dumbest diplomat I’ve ever met in my trading career!”

If it weren't for that idiot Mintini following the Englishmen like a lapdog, this whole batch of goods would have been his!
Remy grew angrier the more he thought about it, and muttered complaints and insults about Mintini in his native language for a while.

“Mr. Remy, don’t be discouraged. As long as I establish formal diplomatic relations with France and trade between the two sides proceeds smoothly, there will be plenty of opportunities to do business in the future.” With that, Peng Gang took out the invitations he had prepared and handed them to them.

"My wedding is next month, and I welcome members of the French delegation to attend."

"It is an honor to receive Your Highness's invitation. I will certainly bring all members of my delegation to Your Highness's wedding to offer my sincerest and warmest blessings!" Remy stood up, bowed, and accepted the invitation, saying.

"Your Highness, rest assured, if Mintin insists on being a lackey of the English and disregards French interests in China, I will use all the resources at my disposal to win over a diplomat who prioritizes French interests to facilitate the establishment of diplomatic relations and cooperation between you and France."

"There's another matter," Peng Gang said. "My younger siblings, some students, and I would like to learn French. We would appreciate it if your country could provide a group of bilingual (Chinese and French) professionals to teach us French."

None of Peng Gang's associates were proficient in foreign languages. Since they had decided to take the path of industrialization and wanted to absorb the existing advanced scientific and technological achievements of the West, language was an unavoidable hurdle.

This foreign language needs to be learned.

Peng Gang, the English tutor, has already asked Russell & Co. to help him find a replacement, so the only French tutor they can rely on are these two.

“We have some students at the church school in Xiangshan, Guangzhou who are quite proficient in French, and I think they can handle the job,” Xia Duo agreed.

Guangzhou has a long history of opening up to foreign trade, and the people of Guangdong, who live on the coast, have a broad perspective. Missionaries from Britain, France and the United States established church schools in Xiangshan County (now Zhongshan and Zhuhai) of Guangzhou Prefecture very early on, attracting poor children from the area to study and training interpreters for foreign firms.

Currently, most interpreters in Western countries come from Guangdong, and a small number come from Fujian.

After seeing Xia Duo and Remy off, Peng Gang went to Xihua Hall to hear his staff and Qiu Ersao and Liu Tongwei from the intelligence bureau report on the recent situation.

Qiu Ersao has been collecting intelligence in Yuezhou Prefecture for a long time, and her special trip to Wuchang today must mean she has important information.

Peng Gang gestured for Qiu Ersao to report first.

"Your Highness, Zeng Guofan, the assistant commander of the Hunan militia, set up a trial bureau in Changsha. After raising money and grain, with the help of Luo Zenan and his students, he set up a general training bureau in the Hunan provincial capital to coordinate the Hunan militia. The bureau was divided into branches in the prefectures, counties and districts under its jurisdiction. The Hunan soldiers were encouraged to 'kill bandits and eliminate thieves' with a reward of six taels of silver for each 'bandit's' head in an attempt to suppress and eliminate the so-called Hunan banditry," Qiu Ersao stepped forward and reported to Peng Gang in detail.

After Peng Gang violently enforced the "Land to the Tillers" decree, local militias rose up in the four prefectures of the Northern Palace, forcing the deployment of mobile troops to suppress and eliminate the militias under his jurisdiction.

The situation in Hunan, the Qing court's backyard, was even worse than in the north. Inspired by the success of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Hunan was a vibrant and thriving place, with various anti-Qing secret societies and armed forces joining forces.

Anti-Qing secret societies sprang up like mushrooms after rain, including He Jiangou, the King of Punan of the Heaven and Earth Society in Daozhou, the Yiguxiang Society in Yongzhou, the Honghei Society in Youxian, the Chuanzi Society in Lantian, Anhua, and the Banbianqian Society in Guiyang.

These anti-Qing secret societies were mostly active in southern Hunan. When the Hunan authorities tried to suppress them too hard, they couldn't win and fled to Guangxi and Guangdong, making them impossible to eradicate completely.

Small groups of secret society militias attacked and plundered the already dwindling Green Standard Army strongholds and passes in Hunan, seizing weapons.

Large armed secret societies, such as the forces of He Jiangou, the "Southern King" of the Heaven and Earth Society, are said to have amassed tens of thousands of followers. They have captured Daozhou City and twice besieged Lingling City, the capital of Yongzhou Prefecture.

The Qing government's elite troops in Hunan were stationed in Yuezhou and Changsha prefectures to guard against the Northern Palace's forces and dared not make any moves.

As a result, anti-Qing secret societies in Hunan flourished.

However, since Zeng Guofan recruited Luo Zenan, Peng Yulin, and others this year.

Since Jiang Zhongyuan of Chu Yong sent his capable subordinate Liu Changyou to guide and assist Zeng Guofan in training the Xiang Army.

The anti-Qing secret society armed forces in Hunan were having an increasingly difficult time.

When Peng Gang was in Guangxi and southern Hunan, he had direct contact with the armed secret society of the Heaven and Earth Society. The members of the Heaven and Earth Society came from all walks of life, and the internal factions were complicated, making it like a disorganized mess.

The Heaven and Earth Society excels at intelligence gathering, but when it comes to combat, especially large-scale operations that require a high degree of organization, they are not as adept.

The Heaven and Earth Society couldn't even gain an advantage against ordinary local militias, let alone elite ones.

Even so, the Heaven and Earth Society was already a top-tier fighting force among secret society armed forces, so one can imagine what kind of people the other anti-Qing secret society armed forces in Hunan were.

"He Jiangou of the Daozhou Heaven and Earth Society, along with other secret societies in the Hunan region, are still in Hunan. Recently, they have been sending people to us for help. He Jiangou has expressed his willingness to give up his title of king and submit to our Northern Palace."

After Qiu Ersao finished reporting the situation in Hunan to Peng Gang, Liu Tongwei added.

"In the past, when the Qing army intensified its encirclement and suppression efforts in Hunan, He Jiangou of the Heaven and Earth Society in Daozhou, as well as other secret societies in southern Hunan, would retreat to Guilin Prefecture and Pingluo Prefecture in Guangxi, and Lianzhou and Shaozhou Prefecture in Guangdong, to temporarily avoid the Qing army's sharp edge. Why is it that this time, after the Qing army in Hunan strengthened its encirclement and suppression efforts, they are still in Hunan and not going to Guangxi or Guangdong?" Qiu Zhongmin asked, puzzled.

“Is that even a question? It must be that the Hunan secret society’s escape route to Guangxi and Guangdong has been blocked, leaving them with no way to retreat,” Huang Bingxian said after thinking for a moment.

“He Jian Gou is arrogant and conceited. He has already declared himself king without having conquered a single city or territory, and wants to be on equal footing with our prince. This man is extremely arrogant and will not back down until he is driven to the brink of despair.”

(End of this chapter)