Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Liu Ye replied calmly, "Your Highness, there are some things you don't need to hesitate about. When the time comes, just do it. In an emergency, why bother with so much? Even if we can't set up something right away, we can still make preparations. For example, we can look for talent in the Tongwenguan and the Westernization Office. Once the time is right, we can launch it immediately so we won't be caught off guard."

Prince Gong nodded without saying anything.

Liu Ye continued, "Also, for this peace talk, we must first communicate with the Emperor. Once we reach an agreement with the Emperor, we can then proceed to negotiate with the four countries. This will be a more targeted approach. We don't understand the Emperor's intentions yet, and if we rashly go to negotiate with the four countries, we might end up thinking the Emperor will agree, only to find him dissatisfied. This is a thankless task. There are many examples like this!"

Prince Gong replied, "If that's the case, then we'll go to the palace tonight and I'll bring you to an audience!"

Liu Ye didn't expect Prince Gong to be so anxious and was stunned.

Yi Yi replied, "Liu Ye, the news of your arrival in Beijing hasn't spread yet. Once everyone knows you've arrived tomorrow, it will be extremely difficult to communicate. As the saying goes, it's hard to please everyone."

Liu Ye nodded and said, "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Your Highness!"

With Yi Xin leading the way, it would be much easier for Liu Ye to enter the palace. After all, Prince Gong was the emperor's biological brother. Even if there was some estrangement between them, he was still a prince, and an iron-hat prince, the first prince of the Qing Dynasty.

Soon, he met Emperor Xianfeng.

At this time, Emperor Xianfeng had just finished his imperial meal and had not yet rested. He summoned the two men to the imperial study.

Entering the imperial study, Liu Ye hurriedly saluted: "Your humble servant Liu Ye greets the emperor!"

Emperor Xianfeng looked very unhappy. Seeing Liu Ye, he forced a smile and said, "Liu Qing, please stand up. During the morning court today, the ministers were at a loss as to how to proceed with the negotiations with the four countries. Prince Gong specially recommended you to return to the capital. I want to ask you, are you confident that you can complete this peace negotiation?"

Liu Ye whispered, "In reply to the emperor, my position is low and I am not suitable to participate in government affairs. Since the emperor asked, I rashly gave advice. I beg your forgiveness for any inappropriateness!"

Emperor Xianfeng, looking slightly exhausted, replied, "Okay, just go ahead and speak. Being able to speak well is better than those ministers who can't say anything at all."

Liu Ye replied, "Your Majesty, we can first determine the strategy, then the tactics. Now that the envoys of the four countries have entered the capital and are jointly pressing us, we are alone and weak. If we want to seize the initiative, it would be best to defeat them one by one, so that they cannot successfully unite! This is what I mean by strategy."

Xianfeng was shocked. Liu Ye was really not a simple person. He set the tone very high from the beginning. He had a broad vision and his insights were much higher than others.

Xianfeng asked, "How do we defeat them one by one?"

Liu Ye replied, "Your Majesty, I suggest starting with America. I've received intelligence that America is currently experiencing unrest. Local forces in the south are restless and could fall into the same civil unrest we've experienced at any time. In other words, within a year, they could very well erupt into a major rebellion like the Taiping rebels. As long as we have the right strategy, taking America won't be a big problem."

Xianfeng nodded. He had never heard of this news before.

Liu Ye continued, "Your Majesty, there are also Britain and France. Besides economic interests, they simply want to spread their religion and request embassies to be stationed in Beijing. Compared to us having to pay a large amount of gold and silver, these two conditions are nothing. As long as we limit their missionary work to a certain area, it's not a bad idea. Didn't Buddhism also spread from India to the Central Plains over a thousand years ago? It has been popular in China for over a thousand years, and it hasn't shaken the rule of the empire. Don't worry too much about it. As for embassies stationed in Beijing, I think we can exchange embassies. This will not only facilitate negotiations when problems arise, but also help us understand these Western countries. As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. Our two defeats may have been due to this. The Western countries understand us far better than we do them. As long as we agree to these two items, we can waive the indemnity, or pay as little as possible! Why not trade a little face for a lot of benefits?"

Xianfeng's face darkened, and he replied, "Liu Ye, missionary work is a matter of national dignity. How can we agree to this so easily?"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Your Majesty, China has a long and glorious history of 5,000 years. When we had great poets like Li, Du, and Bai Juyi, the West was still in a state of barbarism. Can a mere foreign religion shake the foundation of our country? How could it be so easy? What about the 480 temples in the Southern Dynasty? In the blink of an eye, they were all reduced to ashes. They could not shake our rule. As for the envoys, this situation is the same in all Western countries. Moreover, they are not vassal states of our dynasty, so naturally they cannot be treated the same as Korea, Japan, or Mongolia. What do you think?"

Although Xianfeng felt something was wrong, what Liu Ye said was not unreasonable. It had been nearly five thousand years since the emperor had ruled the Celestial Empire. How could it be broken off so easily?

Xianfeng frowned and replied, "Liu Ye, do you think it's feasible?"

Liu Ye pondered and said, "There is another point, and that is the commercial ports. Your Majesty, opening commercial ports is really a double-edged sword. On the one hand, trade will generate a large amount of tax revenue, which can enrich our national treasury. Now there are frequent wars in the south, and the Nian bandits are being suppressed repeatedly. It is a time when we need money and food. Secondly, the products produced by Western countries will have a great impact on us and easily cause social chaos. However, I think it is better to open more commercial ports. As long as we collect more taxes and use them for the country, what's wrong with that? We will give them two more commercial ports, but cancel their privileges. At the same time, we will require them to stop trafficking in opium and cancel war reparations! I think they will consider it."

Xianfeng's brain was a little overwhelmed at this time. What Liu Ye said was almost unheard of to him!

Prince Gong standing by was also a little overwhelmed. It turned out that this kid had more in his stomach that hadn't been revealed. It really is true that you can't judge a person by his appearance!

Xianfeng was a little confused and said, "Well, since you think your strategy is feasible, then I will leave it to you. You will be in charge of all matters. Please make sure it is done well for me. I will definitely reward you generously!"

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, I am only a third-rank official, and a military officer at that. I really cannot take charge of such matters. I think Prince Gong can take charge of the overall situation. I am willing to follow in his footsteps and serve you like a dog!"

Yi? His heart skipped a beat. Damn, this kid went off track while talking, and now he drags me into this. Then we both will have no good days in the future!