Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

"Peace is the most precious thing. We should make certain concessions to Britain and France to buy time for the imperial court to suppress the rebellion and the Nian bandits in the south. We are not afraid to settle accounts. When we become stronger, we can fight back, right?"

Liu Ye threw out his opinion without thinking. Now Britain and France are powerful, and China is facing internal and external troubles. It is unwise to fight them to death. You have to give up, you have to give up, only by giving up can you gain. If you really let them break into Beijing, it will not only be a matter of compensation and opening ports, but all your face will be lost!

"Liu Ye! What nonsense are you talking about! Peace is the most important thing? Isn't that just kowtow to the foreign devils? A general must have integrity. Don't you even have a little bit of backbone? Asshole!"

Senggelinqin's face flushed red and he shouted angrily, "This kid is such a bastard. He speaks in front of two people without any scruples. He has the heart of a dog!"

"Monk King, please calm down. We are just discussing this privately. There is no need to be so fussy about whether there are any outsiders involved. However, I think what Liu Ye said makes a lot of sense. Liu Ye, please continue..."

Prince Gong listened to Guo Ye's words, his eyes lit up slightly, and he interrupted Senggelinqin lightly.

Liu Ye smiled awkwardly and replied, "Master Monk, peace is the most precious thing, but that doesn't mean we should beg for mercy from those foreign devils. We must prepare for war with the most serious attitude and be ready to fight if negotiations fail. But this is the worst-case scenario. If we can avoid fighting, we won't. There's nothing shameful about both sides stopping the war. Emperor Taizong of Tang was so wise and powerful, didn't he still have the Weishui Alliance? He offered tribute to the Turks every year. As for Emperor Gaozu of Han, he even had the siege of Baima, and only escaped by bribery. To be disrespectful, our Holy Ancestor was a model of forbearance. He dealt with Oboi in his childhood, and after taking power, he married Galdan. However, temporary forbearance and humiliation are only to buy the empire a chance to recuperate. As long as we work hard, give ten years of recovery, and ten years of rest, in twenty years, we can rush back to the peak and beat Britain and France to the ground!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Gong burst into laughter. Liu Ye's words resonated with him perfectly. Wasn't he one of those people who endured and waited for his time? The current emperor was trying every possible way to guard against him, leaving his brilliant talent idle. He could only watch helplessly as a bunch of useless people idly occupied their positions at court. But he knew he could only endure it. Compared to Emperor Xianfeng, Emperor Xianfeng's health was far superior to his own. Wait until Emperor Xianfeng died, and then he'd see who could still suppress him! Just relying on the young emperor, what a joke! He could have captured him with just a little cunning!

Senggelinqin was still a little unhappy. If Liu Ye had said this, it would be fine if it were a scholar, but Guo Ye was a general, a general recently promoted by the emperor. If he said the same thing, what hope was there? A person without blood and courage could never become a qualified general or a qualified commander.

Senggelinqin snorted coldly, "You talk better than you sing. Be patient and wait for the right time? But how long do we have to wait? Are we just going to let the foreigners show off their military might and demand compensation and cede territory? Look at what they've done, especially Tsarist Russia. They're actually asking us to cede thousands of miles of land east of the Ussuri River! This is the legacy our ancestors won with swords and guns. How can we give it to others so easily?"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "What the Monk King said makes sense. That's right. We absolutely cannot surrender. I didn't say we must surrender to the foreign devils, but I said peace is the most valuable. There is a difference, especially now that Britain, the United States, and France are jointly forcing the emperor to abdicate, while Tsarist Russia is only threatening us in the name of reconciliation. We need to treat these four countries separately!"

"Treat them separately?"

Prince Gong's eyes lit up and he asked, "How should we treat them separately?"

Liu Ye replied: "Prince Gong, there are differences between the four countries of Britain, the United States, France and Russia. The Americans only want us to open ports and trade freely. In addition to these two requirements, the British and French also want to set up concessions and consular offices in the country. As for the Russians, they are the most greedy and tyrannical. In addition to these, they also want to annex our land. There is a saying by the monk prince that makes the most sense. The country that our ancestors fought for with swords and guns must not be given to outsiders. Otherwise, we will be sorry for our ancestors and the people. Therefore, the key point of my words is revealed. I believe that our strategy is to make friends with the United States and meet their certain wishes. Trade is allowed, and investment and factory establishment are even more welcome. This will enrich our treasury, so why not do it? Secondly, we must stabilize Britain and France. They also started the war so that they could more freely dump their goods into the country. Their ultimate goal is to make money. So why not give them a way to make money? However, opium must be banned. Mining and setting up factories can be negotiated. As for diplomatic institutions and missionary work, these will not affect us at all and will facilitate our exchanges with other countries. Thirdly, we must sternly reject Tsarist Russia's demands for land and absolutely not make any concessions. If they dare to send troops, we will beat them back mercilessly. If the two princes are willing and the emperor approves, Guo Ye is willing to march his troops to the Ussuri River and fight Tsarist Russia to the bitter end! "

At this time, Senggelinqin's face finally changed, and Prince Gong nodded continuously. "Make friends with distant countries and attack nearby ones, and defeat them one by one." This is the Chinese art of diplomacy. It had reached its peak in the pre-Qin era. It was just that the rise of Neo-Confucianism in the past few hundred years suppressed all other schools of thought. A group of hypocritical Neo-Confucianists always used righteousness to suppress others and claimed to be moral gentlemen. It was really foolish.

Senggelinqin then asked, "Your words make perfect sense, but what makes you so sure of success? Putting everything else aside, the conditions proposed by Britain and France are extremely harsh!"

Liu Ye replied, "If we go to war, the outcome is unpredictable, and if we lose, we will waste our country's people and pay a huge amount of money in compensation, which is even more costly than the gains. If we can resolve this peacefully, it is not impossible. First, the Americans are in a similar situation to us. The domestic situation is tense, and there are signs of rebellion in the South. We can use this as an opportunity to change the Americans' minds. Second, Britain and France have just experienced the so-called economic crisis and are facing financial difficulties. As long as we meet certain conditions, this matter can be negotiated. Finally, there is Tsarist Russia. Tsarist Russia is only strong in military and cavalry, but in fact it is far inferior to Britain and France. At worst, we can just fight them! Give me 30,000 elite soldiers, and I can make them never return!"