Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 540: The Korean Kaihua Sect's Observations

"Lord Li, Lord Park, the Han Empire is strong, and its army and navy are brave and adept at fighting. Introducing Han forces will greatly benefit the improvement of the situation both inside and outside the kingdom. However, Han and Qing are in a hostile relationship. How to strengthen relations with Han while avoiding provoking Qing is a difficult problem. I wonder if you two lords have an appropriate solution?"

Back at the inn, the man who had just gone out to look for the middle-aged painter spoke.

“Han has established a consulate-general-level diplomatic agency in the Kingdom. Over the past decade, the two countries have also cooperated in a lot of areas such as female immigration and commercial trade. In order to prevent the Qing court from finding an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom, I suggest that cooperation with Han should still be limited to the economic field.

Since 1860, the kingdom has suffered frequent disasters and poor harvests. In addition, the population has increased rapidly, the land has become barren, and food shortages have become a prominent problem. The Immo Rebellion was caused by the halving of the amount of military rations issued.

A Korean named Park said, "We have been in the mainland of South America for more than a month. From Songjiang Prefecture, Huaiyang Prefecture, Yunxi City, all the way to Chang'an, the capital of Han, the land in various regions is fertile. As far as the eye can see, there are endless rice, wheat, and corn. Moreover, on the great plains, more than 80% to 90% of the fertile land is still overgrown with weeds and has not been reclaimed as farmland. Han is vast and sparsely populated, and the price of food is cheap. Take rice as an example. The price of rice in Songjiang Prefecture, Huaiyang Prefecture and other places is only one-fifth of that in the kingdom. I heard from some Han people that the further north you go, the more land the people get and the cheaper the food price. In order to increase income, most people sow grass seeds on the land that they can't cultivate and raise livestock. If it were in the kingdom, such behavior would simply be a waste of natural resources."

"Master Park wants to purchase food directly from the Han Kingdom and transport it back to the Kingdom?"

"Yes, Mr. Jin, you have been engaged in overseas business and trade for many years and are very experienced. Let's do the math. If we purchase grain from the Han Kingdom at the normal export price and then factor in the transportation cost, how much will it cost for the grain to arrive in the Kingdom?"

"Master Park, wait a moment. I will check it again."

The merchant surnamed Jin took out a pen and paper from his luggage, wrote down some numbers, and replied after a while: "If the grain is transported by a 3000-ton ocean-going steamship, taking into account the various costs during transportation, one ton of rice costs about 10 taels of silver. If it is transported by a 5000-ton ocean-going steamship, one ton of rice costs about 8 taels of silver."

"A ton of rice in the kingdom costs 21 taels of silver, and as the food shortage worsens, the price of food has been rising. If we hire a 3000-ton steamship to safely transport food to the kingdom, the cost will be only half of the local food. With food, the food shortage will be alleviated and people's lives will be improved. Lord Li, Mr. Wuyuan, purchasing food is a major event that benefits the country and the people. It is good for both the kingdom and the Han Kingdom. I suggest that we can have a formal private meeting with the Han government to discuss matters such as food and industrial product transactions between the two countries."

“Before leaving, the princess authorized us to act at our own discretion. As long as it does not involve issues related to garrisoning or military alliances, other matters can be decided by us, and then we can submit them for instructions after returning home.

Grain procurement is a normal commercial transaction, which is completely within our authority. You can find opportunities to meet with Han government officials to discuss cooperation matters. "

The Korean surnamed Li nodded and agreed: "Although the kingdom relies on the influence of the Qing court to resist the infiltration and control of the Japanese, it still has complete independence and autonomy in domestic and foreign affairs. This is unanimously recognized and supported by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the United States, and Russia. Foreign cooperation needs to take the Qing court into consideration, but when it comes to the core interests of the kingdom, the kingdom must still come first.

Mr. Park, I think that we should not be timid in cooperating with the Han Empire. On the contrary, the Kingdom should learn from the Han Empire's experience of becoming strong and rejuvenating, and conduct comprehensive imitation and learning. We should learn from the economy, national system reform, army and navy system reform, industrial development planning and other aspects. "

The official surnamed Li was one of the first group of Korean students who went abroad to study. He had visited and studied in Japan and the United States. By comparing the development and changes in various aspects of Japan and the United States, he had a deeper and more shocking understanding of the strength of the Han Dynasty.

"If necessary, I suggest that after returning home, we submit a memorial to the King and the Queen, and select a woman of appropriate age from the royal family to marry into the Han royal family to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries."

"Among the royal family's close relatives, there doesn't seem to be any unmarried, underage women with outstanding looks?"

"If there are no unmarried women from the royal family, you can choose a younger generation of royal family descendants. The Emperor of Han has 8 sons and 5 daughters. (Except for the 3 sons and 2 daughters earlier, the latter ones were born in the last year.) The eldest son Li Jing'an (born in 1881) is 9 years old, the second son Li Jingliang (born in 1882) is 8 years old, and the third son Li Jingying (born in 1882) is 8 years old. The three princes
They are all over the age of juveniles. We can choose a girl of similar age from the royal family and arrange the marriage first. It won’t affect the formal marriage after they reach adulthood.”

"The marriage between the two royal families is of great importance, and it is not something we can decide lightly. Lord Li, let's discuss this matter in detail after we return home."

"nature."

The Korean surnamed Li nodded in agreement, and then said solemnly: "Lord Park, Mr. Wuyuan, Mr. Jin. I believe you can see that in recent years, the Japanese have been infiltrating and controlling the kingdom more and more urgently. In Seoul, Busan, Incheon and other places, Japanese ronin have oppressed the people and committed lawlessness. The king wants the land, and the Japanese have increased their garrison forces year by year under various excuses. Yu Jijun, Park Yongxiu, Xu Guangfan, Zhang Bo and other traitors have disregarded the grace of the country and surrendered to the Japanese. With the help of the Japanese power, they have disrupted the court and sold out the interests of the country. The internal evil is rampant and the external enemies are rampant. There is not much time left for the kingdom to respond. If we cannot put aside our differences, reach a consensus, and seize the rare opportunity to reform and enrich the country and strengthen the army, I am afraid that the situation in the kingdom will deteriorate completely."

"Don't worry, Lord Li. Your Majesty is obedient and obedient, the Princess is capable and talented, and all the lords are broad-minded and dedicated to serving the country. With such wise rulers and loyal ministers, the kingdom will surely be able to turn danger into safety."

"The Japanese have always been greedy. Four hundred years ago, the Japanese overestimated their own strength and invaded the kingdom. Under the attack of Lord Ruxie and the Ming Dynasty's army, they retreated to Japan in disgrace. The situation now is different from four hundred years ago. They have the guarantee of Britain, Germany, France, Russia and other countries outside, and the support of the Qing court inside. If the Han Dynasty is introduced, the Japanese plan will certainly be impossible to achieve, just like four hundred years ago."

Several people at the table tried to persuade him.

"I hope the situation in the kingdom is as you said." The Korean named Li drank a glass of wine, but his mood was still depressed.

Everyone knew that Japan had the ambition to annex Korea, but most Koreans, including the King of Korea, were unaware of the changes and misalignments in power among Korea, Japan, and the Qing court. Only a very small number of people, such as the Korean queen and the Kaihua official Lee Wanyong, sensed the danger and began to explore various ways to save themselves and respond.

Queen Min of Korea first placed her hopes on the interference of the Qing court and Russia. Later, she realized the Qing court and Russia's attempt to directly control Korea, as well as the chain reaction brought about by the rise of the Han Kingdom. Min then placed part of her hopes on the Han Kingdom and actively sent personnel to explore the strength of the Han Kingdom, hoping to introduce the Han Kingdom's forces to resolve the crisis.

Li Wanyong was sent to the Han Kingdom by Queen Min. He was deeply shocked by what he saw and heard. At this moment, he was already eager to use the power given to him by Queen Min to have formal contact and negotiations with the Han officials.

On the street near the inn, when the storyteller reached the climax, the Han people around him burst into warm applause. The applause was crisp and full of vitality, but when Li Wanyong heard it, he only felt irritated and anxious because he was worried about the state affairs of Korea.

"Waiter, waiter! Come here!" Li Wanyong slammed the table heavily, frowned, and impatiently accused the inn waiter who came over: "Where did this storyteller come from? He's making so much noise and ruining our mood. How can we have a good meal? Go, chase the storyteller away!"

"Excuse me, gentlemen. Please forgive me for disturbing you."

The inn waiter saw that the people were dressed in gorgeous Korean clothes and spoke fluent Chinese. He realized that they were not ordinary people. He smiled and said, "You may have just arrived here and don't know much about local policies and customs. The streets are public activity areas. There are often street performers such as storytellers, jugglers, and face-changing artists performing on the streets. The city management regulations promulgated by the imperial government also allow them to move around normally. Unless they disturb the public during rest time, not only the inn, but also the Chang'an City Police Department has no right to drive them away. How about this? I will give you two more special dishes for free as compensation after consulting with the shopkeeper."

"You" Li Wanyong wanted to say more, but was stopped by a Korean named Park.

"Little Second Brother, I'm new to your precious place and don't know your rules. Here's 1 tael of silver. Please be flexible and talk to the storyteller to ask him to move to another place."

"This"

The waiter looked at the bright silver in his hand and said hesitantly, "Please wait a moment, I will ask the shopkeeper for instructions."

The waiter turned and left, and came back to the second floor after a while.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. This is your money. The shopkeeper has ordered that the inn and the street are unrelated. We cannot break the rules and affect the reputation of our shop. Please forgive me."

"Okay, thank you for your help, little brother." The Korean named Park took back the silver, turned to the crowd, and said with a wry smile: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Let's hurry up and finish our meal, then go into the city to rest."

(End of this chapter)