Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

When he returned to the capital, it was already time for lighting the lamps. At this time, Liu Ye would definitely not be able to enter the Forbidden City with his identity.

Liu Ye helplessly circled his horse and strolled towards Prince Gong's mansion. Senggelinqin was far away in Tianjin, and the only dignitary in the capital that he could have influence with was Prince Gong. Yi Xin had recommended him to Emperor Xianfeng, so he had to go and pay a visit.

Liu Ye arrived at the door and knocked on it. Not long after, the door opened and the steward Ejier came out. Seeing Liu Ye leading the horse, his eyes lit up immediately. He hurried out and said with a smile: "General Liu, you are finally here. Our prince has been waiting in the mansion for a long time. Come in with me!"

After saying this, Ejier welcomed Liu Ye into the palace, and the horse was led away by a servant.

Liu Ye arrived in front of Yi Xin's study, and Ejier beside him whispered, "Your Highness, General Liu Ye is here!"

"come in!"

Yi Yi's voice came from the room.

Liu Ye pushed the door open and saw Yi Xin sitting on the sofa in the middle, fiddling with a Ruyi in his hand.

Liu Ye quickly bowed, "I, Liu Ye, pay my respects to His Majesty!"

Yi Yi gently placed Ruyi on the desk and said, "Alright, Liu Ye, we're family, so don't be polite. Ejier, Liu Ye has come a long way and probably hasn't had his meal yet. Tell them to prepare some food and wine. We'll have a couple of drinks together."

Ejier hurried to prepare, and Liu Ye thanked him, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."

Yi Yi smiled and said, "Alright, Liu Ye, do it. Last time, you boasted a lot in front of me. Now the envoys of the four countries are forcing the palace together. We are under tremendous pressure. Whether you can realize your ambitions depends on you!"

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, I was just impulsive last time and spoke nonsense. You actually pushed me out in front of the Emperor. Didn't you and the Monk King say that you didn't want me to show off too soon?"

Yi Xin replied, "I originally intended to have you train the Firearms Battalion well, but unfortunately, the foreign envoys won't give us this opportunity and have united to force the emperor to abdicate. There's nothing we can do about it. Among the civil and military officials in the court, there's not a single person proficient in foreign affairs. Look at Gui Liang and Wo Ren. They couldn't come up with anything useful in front of the foreigners and were completely suppressed by them. Now it's all up to you!"

Liu Ye nodded. Woren and Guiliang? What did they know about foreign affairs? What did they know about diplomacy? They always boasted about being the Celestial Empire, putting on airs. It would be a miracle if the foreigners would treat them well!

Yi Yi asked, "Liu Ye, if you were to personally take action this time, how confident would you be?"

Liu Ye pondered for a moment and replied, "Your Highness, the Americans are easy to deal with. I can persuade them to withdraw with my eloquence, but I still have to promise them some benefits, otherwise, it will be embarrassing for the United States. As for Russia, don't worry. As I said before, the Russian devils are extremely greedy. We must not give them any chance. If they behave themselves, it's fine. But if they don't, then it's a good opportunity for them to practice. I am not talented enough, but I am willing to lead an expedition and fight them on the Ussuri River! As for the British and the French, I don't have a complete plan right now. I can only take one step at a time and see what happens. However, I really don't have a bottom line in my heart as to the extent of some of the compromises and concessions. I don't know what the emperor means."

Yi Yi smiled bitterly and said, "We have already signed several treaties with the four countries and made all the necessary concessions. The difficulty now lies in implementation! Implementation! The emperor does not want envoys from various countries to be stationed in Beijing, nor does he want foreigners to spread foreign religions in the country. There are also territorial and trade issues. The court is in turmoil and no one dares to express opinions carelessly. It is actually not appropriate to push you out at this time, but it has to be done. Liu Ye, you must be careful in the court and don't let those bigwigs pinch your weaknesses!"

Liu Ye said sternly, "Your Highness, I regard you as both a teacher and a friend, but I must tell you something. Some of our court's systems are truly no longer suitable for existence. They have reached a point where they must be changed. If we continue to delay, we will suffer greatly in the future when we deal with foreign affairs!"

Yi Yi was stunned and asked, "Boy, since the monk king has solemnly recommended you to me, just say whatever you want to say!"

Liu Ye looked around. Yi Xin frowned and shouted, "Everyone, get out! Post guards outside. No one is allowed to get within ten steps!"

All the servants retreated, and Liu Ye just said: "First, it is natural for ministers from various countries to be stationed in Beijing. In Western countries, Britain, the United States, France, as well as Tsarist Russia, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal and other countries, each country sends ministers to each other, just to be able to communicate and resolve frictions as soon as possible. In addition, the handling of affairs of foreign nationals will also be handed over to the ministers. Not only do all countries need to send ministers to Beijing, we also need to send ministers to other countries to be stationed permanently. This is the general trend. Why are we so stubborn?"

Yi Xin said helplessly, "Since ancient times, the Qing Dynasty has been the Celestial Empire. All other countries are either internal vassal states or external vassal states. The imperial court still uses the ancient system of vassalage. If we establish envoys, wouldn't that mean that their status is equal to ours? This is a matter of the imperial court's reputation, so the important officials in the court have to fight for it."

Liu Ye was almost amused as he replied, "Your Highness? Countries like Vietnam and Korea are our outer vassal states, while Mongolia and Japan are our inner vassal states. However, the Western countries have nothing to do with us. We didn't conquer them, and they don't consider themselves subordinate to the Qing. We have always been equals. To be honest, we lost the Opium War a few years ago, but those stubborn people in the court still cling to this attitude when interacting with them. Of course, they are dissatisfied. This is almost the least of our worries!"

"System, system! This is the law passed down by our ancestors! How can we change it just like that?" Yi? said in distress.

Liu Ye replied, "Your Highness, let's put this aside for now. Secondly, the West and the Qing are now interacting more and more, and trade is booming. We must also set up an agency to be responsible for negotiating with foreigners. The Lifanyuan is only responsible for vassal affairs and knows nothing about the affairs of Western countries. Putting them in charge of negotiations will only make things more chaotic. At the same time, we should also set up an agency to teach various languages ​​and translate books from various countries for future use! These are all things we urgently need to do."

Yi Xin nodded and said, "Yes, Lord Wenxiang has mentioned this matter to me many times. Unfortunately, we are hindered by many obstacles in the court!"