Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Sushun had not expected that the situation in Beijing would become so difficult, and it was actually messed up by a traitor!

Sushun frowned and asked, "Is there no room for maneuver?"

Liu Ye replied, "Master Zhongtang, I have done my best. Either we agree to this condition, or give me 20,000 elite soldiers equipped with sophisticated firearms, and I will send them all into the sea to feed the sharks. There is no other way. We have cut their conditions from 30 million taels of silver to 6 million taels of silver, and we have also rejected their request for most-favored-nation treatment. We have already pressured them to the extreme. If they continue to hold out, the string will break and the war will be restarted. Master Zhongtang, I have no idea what kind of situation our entire north will be in. I am afraid that the whole of Zhili, plus Shandong and Shanxi, will be in chaos. Even Rehe and Henan will be caught in the flames of war. Can we afford such a price?"

Sushun sucked his teeth and said, "Damn, not to mention that the entire north is plunged into war, as long as this situation persists for a period of time, the Qing Dynasty will be finished. The current situation is enough for Zeng Guofan in the south to bear. The money and food from the north cannot be transported there at all, and the Nian bandits are becoming more and more aggressive. It's like adding rain to a rainy day!"

Sushun gritted his teeth and said, "Liu Ye, you are well versed in foreign affairs and have extraordinary wisdom and courage. In your opinion, what else can we do now?"

How to do?

When Liu Ye thought about it, his heart was boiling with anger. He had plenty of abilities and ideas, but he also needed space to display them. Damn it, these bastard bosses in the court had another trick up their sleeve, which was a treaty, and they demoted him two levels!

Liu Ye replied, "Master Zhongtang, the most important thing now is stability. We must do our utmost to eliminate the Taiping and Nian bandits. They burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil wherever they went. Their activities were concentrated in the wealthy areas of the Central Plains and the south of the Yangtze River, which severely damaged the vitality of the entire country. If this continues, we will never have the strength to compete with Western countries. Next, we must focus on learning the Western way of governing. If their firearms are powerful, we should learn from them. If their warships are sturdy, we should learn from them. Only by mastering the advantages of others in our own hands can we achieve the kingly way. Closing ourselves in isolation is tantamount to trapping ourselves in a cocoon."

Sushun's heart trembled, and he replied, "Liu Ye, you said that the country needs stability, which is correct. Your Majesty should keep out foreign aggressors and maintain internal stability. However, the Taiping and Nian banditry is too rampant. If we don't eradicate them, the country will never have peace, and people's livelihood will be even more destitute. But, learning from the West? We are the Celestial Empire, ruled by morality. Do we need to learn from them? What is there to learn? Those iron ships and huge cannons are not the right way after all, Xiao Daoer!"

Liu Ye was speechless. These powerful figures now all held this mindset: rule the country with virtue, win the people over with virtue. Damn it! Who would talk to you about morality? The law of the jungle prevails in every country in the world! And, aren't iron ships and cannons the right path? Then what is the right path? Can you, relying on the Four Books and Five Classics, deter the greedy powers? Isn't that a joke?

"Master Zhongtang, ruling a country with virtue is indeed the kingly way, but ruling a country is not just about the kingly way, there is also the hegemonic way. Looking at the founding emperors of ancient and modern times, which one did not expand the territory and have great military achievements? How did such great military achievements come about? Isn't it because of the powerful military force? Nowadays, iron ships and cannons are extremely powerful, and it has become inevitable to replace swords, spears, and halberds. If you still cling to our swords and spears, that is not the right way, that is the way to death! If we don't want to be bullied by others, then we must have a strong enough military. If we want to have a strong enough military, we must first have money. If we want to be rich, then we must open the sea ban, encourage industry and commerce, sell things, and earn back the foreigners' money. This is the right way!"

There was another thing Liu Ye didn't dare say: the right way, the true right way, was for you Manchu Tartars to give up your throne, end the feudal dynasty, and let the people rule. But if he said that, he would definitely not live to see tomorrow, he would definitely be killed! Better to bear it for now.

"Confused!"

Even if Liu Ye hadn't said that, Sushun would have been furious.

Sushun shouted angrily, "Liu Ye, what you said is that you still want us to lift the ban on sea trade, open up the trading ports, learn Western military weapons, and encourage industry and commerce! Since ancient times, food is the most important thing for the people, and emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce is the foundation! Can't we revive China without those Western things? The foreigners are cunning, greedy, and profit-driven. They rely on the advantages of weapons and armor to bully the weak. If we continue to deal with them, we will be courting disaster! If we are not careful, we will really destroy our country and our race! This idea is absolutely unacceptable!"

I go!

Liu Ye was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He had been talking for a long time, but it was all in vain. Damn Sushun, you still want to be a minister of national rejuvenation? You don’t even have the vision and mind to look at the world. What kind of minister of national rejuvenation is this? It’s a blessing to not be a slave of a conquered country!

Sushun continued with hatred, "Liu Ye, I advise you to give up such thoughts and honestly train the troops for the country and do what you should do. The country's etiquette and principles were set by our ancestors and must not be changed. The sea ban must not be lifted, and industry and commerce will not be encouraged. Some people have already started to impeach the telegraph you suggested building. The telegraph is spreading everywhere and destroying our underground dragon veins and royal energy. That is a great crime to exterminate our entire family! You have to weigh this carefully. There are some things you can do, and some things you absolutely cannot do. You can't even touch them. If it weren't for the fact that I value talent and the emperor loves talent, I'm afraid you would have been torn into pieces long ago!"

These words actually contained some of Sushun's intentions to warn Liu Ye. Liu Ye was too close to Prince Gong and Prince Seng, which was not a good thing. The emperor's health was getting worse day by day. The imperial physician said that it was uncertain whether he could survive for more than half a year. Gong Laoliu was his mortal enemy. If Liu Ye really wanted to stand on his side, that would be fine. But if he wanted to completely side with Gong Laoliu, then he couldn't blame himself for killing him!

After all, Liu Ye is too capable, and he doesn't have any capable general who can control him. Although Zeng Zuoli and others were promoted by him, he cannot be sure that these people are of the same mind as him. They all hold great power and there is no need for them to listen to him completely. But Liu Ye is different. He is just a general now, and he is under his nose. As long as he uses some tricks, he can control this tiger!