King of Beiyang

"Third brother, the Eastern Empire is just a tiny little country. Can it really defeat our Great Qing?"

I acknowledge that Westerners are very powerful. It's also true that the Qing Dynasty suffered greatly at the hands of Westerners.

But the Japanese can defeat us? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?

Li Jingshu looked incredulous.

Li Hongzhang nodded repeatedly, agreeing with the view.

"Father, Second Brother. The Eastern Empire is indeed a tiny country, with a total land area of ​​only a little over 300,000 square kilometers, which is only equivalent to a medium-sized province of the Qing Dynasty."

The total population of the Japanese was also only 40 million, which was only one-tenth of that of the Qing Dynasty.

However, a nation's strength is not solely determined by its land area and population.

The British Empire, as the world's leading power and global hegemon, had a homeland area roughly equivalent to that of the Japanese. In terms of population, it was even smaller than that of the Japanese.

But that doesn’t stop them from having the world’s most powerful navy and the most colonies in the world!

Technological development, especially industrial strength, has become a true standard for measuring a country's power.

Looking at all the powerful Western nations, which one isn't an industrial powerhouse?

Although the Qing Dynasty initiated the Self-Strengthening Movement and established some factories, the gap with Western powers was still too large.

In terms of fundamental resources, the Japanese were indeed far inferior to the Qing Dynasty.

But they have been working diligently on development for twenty years since the Meiji Restoration.

Over the past two decades, they have sent a large number of students to the West to learn about Western science, technology, industry, military, and systems. At the same time, they have also actively developed industry, education, science and technology, and the military on their own soil.

During this period, the Qing Dynasty had unknowingly fallen behind the Japanese.

Furthermore, the Qing Dynasty continued its stagnation and self-imposed isolation.

This will only widen the gap between us and the Japanese!

Li Jingyuan explained.

Li Hongzhang and Li Jingshu had to admit that Li Jingyuan's words made a lot of sense.

But deep down they were unwilling to admit that the Qing Empire was not even as good as the Japanese.

"Father, Second Brother. There is another very important reason why I am so certain that the Japanese will not be able to defeat our Great Qing."

That means the Japanese have someone backing them.

The Japanese had a small land area, scarce resources, and a weak foundation. Without external support, it wouldn't be easy for them to grow and expand.

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But they were fortunate to receive the support of the British.

The British Empire provided substantial loans to the Japanese, enabling them to develop industry and the economy. They also purchased numerous warships from the British Empire to enhance their naval strength.

This is enough to allow the Japanese to grow strong in a short period of time and become a major threat to us!

Li Jingyuan continued.

"The British? Why would they so strongly support the Japanese?" Li Hongzhang was very puzzled.

It should be noted that Li Hongzhang was in charge of the Qing Empire's foreign affairs at the time, and he had dealt with foreigners quite a bit.

Furthermore, Li Hongzhang had a good relationship with Sir John Walter, the British envoy to the Qing Empire.

Last year, Li Hongzhang, on behalf of the Beiyang Fleet, purchased the warships "Zhiyuan" and "Jingyuan" from the British Empire.

"Father, this involves the conflicts between the countries of the European continent."

The British Empire, as the world's superpower, has always wanted to avoid the emergence of too powerful a nation on the European continent in order to consolidate its hegemony.

Furthermore, once a powerful nation emerges on the European continent, they will unite with other countries to launch a siege against it. They are truly the troublemakers of Europe!

This was once the first Gallo-British Empire.

After the collapse of the First Gallo-Russian Empire, the Russian Empire virtually dominated the European continent.

The British have always tried to contain the development of the Russian Empire.

The Russian Empire had an extremely vast territory and a large population. However, they had one major weakness: a lack of excellent ice-free harbors.

This is something that the Russian Empire has been tirelessly pursuing for hundreds of years, starting from the time of Peter the Great.

While possessing an extremely large army, the Russian Empire also increased its investment in the navy.

The British, on which the sun never sets, naturally did not want the Russian Empire to have a powerful navy again.

Therefore, they have been constantly encircling and suppressing the Russian Empire.

More than 30 years ago, the British, in alliance with the Gallic people, launched the Crimean War, which severely damaged the Russian Empire. Even Tsar Nicholas I, unable to bear the humiliation, chose to commit suicide.

Afterwards, the Russian Empire expanded into Central Asia, attempting to extend all the way to the Indian Ocean coast. However, it was similarly blocked by the British Empire.

After several failures, the Russian Empire had no choice but to turn its attention to the East.

Forcibly ceding the land north of the Heilongjiang River and east of the Ussuri River to them was a manifestation of the Russian Empire's search for ice-free ports.

The Far East was too far from Europe. The British Empire, on which the sun never sets, was powerless to contain the Russian Empire in that direction.

Therefore, they chose to support the Japanese, using them as their proxies to block the expansion of the Russian Empire in the Far East!

Li Jingyuan recounted all of this in detail.

Why did the British choose the Japanese instead of my Great Qing? Whether it is land area, population, or strength, my Great Qing is far stronger than the Japanese.

"If the British Empire supports the Qing Dynasty, we will surely be able to quickly become powerful and defeat the Russians!"

Li Jingshu was very indignant, seemingly believing that the British were blind.

Li Jingyuan shook his head: "The British never looked down on the Qing Dynasty. Or rather, they believed that the Japanese had more potential than the Qing Dynasty."

Li Hongzhang remained silent. Although the Qing Dynasty was vast, it was actually in constant decline.

At the same time, there are a whole host of internal problems.

It was a wise move for the British to choose the Japanese over the Qing Dynasty.

It must be admitted that the British Empire, as the world's superpower, had a very unique vision.

"Perhaps the Li family really needs a representative in the military. Only in this way can the Li family's interests be guaranteed!"

At this moment, Li Hongzhang seemed less opposed to Li Jingyuan's decision to abandon his studies and join the army.

Or rather, Li Hongzhang was impressed by this conversation with Li Jingyuan, especially by Li Jingyuan's international perspective.

"Alright, third brother, I agree to let you join the army. However, do you want to go directly to the training camp or the Beiyang Fleet? Or, do you want to study at the military academy or naval academy for a while before joining the army? That way, you'll have a higher starting point!" Li Hongzhang asked.

"Father, I want to study in the German Empire. If I could get into the Kiel Naval Academy, that would be ideal. If that's not possible, a naval school would also be fine."

Furthermore, I hope that this time it won't just be me going, but also that a group of outstanding talents be selected from the Naval Academy and the Military Academy to go together.

When you all return after completing your studies, you will surely become the backbone of the Beiyang Fleet and its training forces!

Li Jingyuan put forward his own ideas.