Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Yi Xin sighed and said, "Liu Ye, it's a good thing you're here. Otherwise, I really don't know what to do. The British Minister Elgin and the French Minister Gros have made extremely harsh and rude demands to the court. I really can't cope with it."

Liu Ye asked, "Although it's harsh, it's not too difficult to deal with, right?"

Yi Xin sighed, "You don't know. Normally, the British and French envoys would have had some room to maneuver. But this time, I don't know where they found Gong Xiaogong. This traitor has truly disgraced his father, Gong Zizhen! He knows our court's strengths and weaknesses like the back of his hand. He took advantage of our weakness—our northern army is completely exhausted, while the southern army is eager to quell the Taiping Rebellion. He instigated the British and French envoys to refrain from giving in and demand that we accept their demands in full. That's why..."

Liu Ye snorted coldly. He had heard of Gong Xiaogong before. This guy was a complete traitor and a traitor to his country. Li Hongzhang and his ilk sold out their country by signing traitorous treaties under pressure from the imperial court and foreign powers, and they also tried their best to reduce the country's losses. Only this guy, not only did he not think about serving his country, but he even colluded with the foreigners. He was really a waste that should be killed and not spared!

Liu Ye asked: "So what are the demands made by Britain and France now?"

Yi Xin replied, "Britain and France demanded compensation of 300,000 taels each for the pensions of the diplomatic corps personnel and 10 million taels each for military expenses. Britain also demanded that we cede the Kowloon Peninsula in Guangdong to them. They also reinstated the unilateral most-favored-nation treatment they had previously proposed revoking. They also demanded the opening of some of our treaty ports."

Liu Ye pondered and said, "Your Highness, forgive me for speaking frankly. When two countries go to war, they don't kill envoys. We have killed more than 20 people from the diplomatic corps, and there are almost no others who are alive. This is really against the will of heaven. We should give some compensation. In the final analysis, it is because we don't understand the diplomatic practices of the countries in the world today that we have suffered such a big loss. I know that there is a Universal Convention in the West that is used to regulate the diplomatic etiquette and affairs of various countries. We can take the time to translate it. When dealing with foreigners in the future, we will not be passive. Xiang Duanhua and others acted so recklessly. It is really helpless. There is also the issue of compensation for military expenses." "Yi, although we were defeated, we are not without the ability to fight. We can negotiate with them on this point. If I suddenly show up during the negotiations, it will have the effect of deterring the foreigners and will definitely cancel the order. At the very least, we can minimize the losses. Opening the ports is nothing. After opening the ports, they can sell us goods, and we can also sell to them. As long as the sale of opium is banned, everything else will be easy to negotiate. As for the Kowloon Peninsula, it must not be ceded. Once the Kowloon Peninsula is ceded, the British can use Kowloon as a springboard to invade us and cover the entire southeast region with their troops. We will be in a very passive position!"

Yi Xin looked embarrassed and replied, "But, Liu Ye, we are now trapped on the board. We don't have any room for resistance..."

Liu Ye sneered, "Who said we're just sitting ducks? Now we don't know who's the one hanging on the board. If they really piss me off, I'll fight them tooth and nail. Even if it means destroying Beijing, I'll still get rid of these 18,000 foreigners!"

Yi Xin couldn't help but shudder and exclaimed in shock, "Liu Ye, are you so sure? This is no joke. Don't let the foreigners fail to kill you and cause even greater trouble. You have to know that the emperor is in Rehe right now, only a few hundred miles away. If they go north and capture the emperor, wouldn't our Qing Dynasty be finished?"

Liu Ye glanced at Yi with a half-smile and replied, "Your Majesty, you are the legitimate son of the late emperor, and the title of Prince Gong was bestowed by the late emperor. What are you afraid of? Haven't you heard of the Battle of Tumu? Haven't you heard of the Jingkang Incident? As the supreme ruler, do you have any interest in this?"

Yi Xin's expression immediately changed. Grand Secretary Wen Xiang was standing beside him! How could he possibly say such a thing? Even if Wen Xiang was his best friend, his confidant, there was absolutely no guarantee of safety. If it were to leak out, the Yi family would be wiped out! Even if his imperial brother couldn't do anything to him, wouldn't it be easy for him to deal with a mere admiral like you?

"Shut up! Liu Ye, how dare you say such outrageous words! Do you want to die?"

Yi Xin's face turned pale and he quickly stopped him.

Wen Xiang on the side also changed his expression. Such words can only be spoken from your mouth and heard by me. It would not be a good thing for any outsider to hear them. If Prince Gong became suspicious, then he would be in trouble both inside and outside!

Wen Xiang hurriedly said, "Master Liu, please stop talking nonsense. This is disobedience and should be stopped right here. We are all first-class descendants of the prince, so it's not a big deal. But if this gets out, no one will be happy!"

Liu Ye looked at the expressions of the two people, and his heart did not harden after all. He then thought that if he promoted Yi Xin now, although it would be beneficial for him to show his talents, it would be more difficult to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Forget it, forget it. Since you don’t have the courage, I don’t want to waste the effort!

Liu Ye chuckled and said, "Your Highness, Master Wen, aren't we all family? We're in a secret room, so only heaven and earth know, and only you and I know. No one else will know. In fact, if Your Highness is truly interested, now is the perfect time..."

Wen Xiang on the side was suddenly moved. If Prince Gong was really allowed to ascend the throne, then with his own abilities and relationship with Prince Gong, it would not be impossible for him to even sit as the chief military advisor!

Unfortunately, Yi Xin did not give them this opportunity. What a joke! Now that the external threat has not been eliminated, he is starting a new business and driving his own brother out of power. The entire Qing Dynasty will be even more chaotic, and the country will be destroyed soon!

Even if Yi Xin coveted that position, as the most talented person in the Qing Dynasty, he knew that he could not act recklessly now. If he destroyed the country of his ancestors, he would be the biggest sinner and would be cursed for thousands of years!

Yi Xin said in a deep voice, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's stop here. No one is allowed to mention it to anyone. You know the consequences! If that day really comes, it's not impossible, but we absolutely cannot push it. If we are not careful, we will become sinners for all eternity! Liu Ye, don't worry about anything else. You just need to handle the matter at hand! This is the most important thing. In a word, capture the British and French envoys for me! Force them to withdraw their troops, and you will be the first hero of the Qing Dynasty!"