Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

"Sincerity?"

Liu Ye turned around and said a few words to Prince Gong. Prince Gong nodded and replied, "Liu Ye, just go ahead and talk. According to our previous arrangements, I will naturally shoulder the pressure from the court!"

Liu Ye nodded, raised a finger toward Hua Ruohan, and replied, "First, we are willing to open an area to your country and allow you to invest and set up a factory there. Of course, within this area, you will need to pay taxes according to our country's laws."

Hua Ruohan was shocked. This offer was quite interesting. It bypassed the issue of opening a treaty port and directly allowed American businessmen to invest and set up factories in China! China's labor force is the cheapest in the world. Once implemented, it could greatly reduce the production costs of American companies. Moreover, China has vast resources. This is definitely an attractive offer!

Hua Ruohan nodded and motioned Liu Ye to continue.

Liu Ye raised his second finger and said, "Secondly, we hope to strengthen trade with your country. We are willing to conduct an arms trade with you, including 200 artillery pieces, 50,000 rounds of ammunition, 10,000 breech-loading muskets, and 20,000 boxes of bullets. If we still need them, we have the right to continue with the second transaction with your country. At the same time, if we need to make military purchases again, your country will have priority supply at the same price!"

Two hundred cannons, ten thousand rifles, plus shells and bullets!

This is a considerable amount. Hua Ruohan roughly estimated that the total price involved in this trade will exceed two million taels of silver. If there is more to come, it will bring millions of dollars in profits to the Americans!

Whoever gives you milk is your mother. A smile appeared on Hua Ruohan’s face.

Liu Ye continued, "Third, we are willing to allow your country to station an envoy in the capital to communicate with the Qing government on relevant matters between the two countries. Fourth, our two countries are in a similar situation. The Qing Dynasty is struggling to suppress a rebellion in the south, and I'm afraid your country will also face a similar situation. The Qing Dynasty is willing to go all out to help you suppress the rebellion! Fifth, we hope to build a coal mine and an ironworks for the Qing Dynasty with your help. As for the relevant equipment and technology, of course, we will purchase them from your country..."

Liu Ye proposed ten clauses to Hua Ruohan, each of which made Hua Ruohan very satisfied. These were all carefully prepared by Liu Ye. They were either exchanges of interests or insignificant face issues. They were beneficial to both parties.

At the end, Liu Ye's face darkened and he said, "Mr. Minister, the conditions we have offered are already very generous, and we have shown our sincerity. However, we also have two conditions that we hope you can agree to."

Hua Ruohan, in a cheerful mood, nodded and said, "Tell me about it."

Liu Ye replied, "Mr. Minister, the harmful effects of opium on the human body have long been recognized abroad. In America, the public sale of opium has long been banned to protect human health. Therefore, I demand that your country must suspend the opium trade with the Qing Dynasty and include this in our negotiation charter!"

Hua Ruohan frowned and replied, "General Liu, the opium trade is an important commodity for our country's export. If it is banned, it will cause great losses to our country..."

Liu Ye said in a deep voice: "Mr. Minister, since he is illegal in your country and in my Qing Dynasty, why should we allow them to sell it? This is a ridiculous decision! You must understand that I am only twenty years old. What kind of status will I have in our country in the next twenty years? Do you want to deal with people like me in the future, or do you want to continue dealing with those old stubborn people? We Chinese have a saying that it is better to look at the long-term situation and look forward to everything. Once this agreement is reached, my status will be greatly improved. In the future, we can even open up more places to your country. At that time, you can bring all kinds of goods to China for trade, and even open mines, factories, and operate railways everywhere. Aren’t these benefits more desirable than a small amount of opium?"

Liu Ye smiled secretly in his heart, let them fool you first, as for the future, that is a matter for the future. Twenty years later, you only need to give me ten years to make China increasingly powerful, so that you great powers will never dare to covet Chinese territory easily!

However, Liu Ye's words touched Hua Ruohan. After all, as Liu Ye said, the envoys from various countries are fed up with the bigwigs in the court. They are too damn stubborn. No matter whether it is a legitimate request or an illegitimate request, they will not agree. Only when they are beaten hard will they be honest. They are just a group of stubborn donkeys who will not move unless they are beaten!

Hua Ruohan fell into deep thought. Liu Ye turned around and introduced his price to Prince Gong Yixin who was standing beside him. Prince Gong frowned, then nodded and said, "Since you feel confident, then proceed as planned. I will find a solution at the court..."

After a long pause, Hua Ruohan finally said, "General Liu, I wonder if what you said earlier can be realized? I know that your ministers are more stubborn than each other. It's not easy to sign a contract smoothly..."

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Minister. Since Prince Gong and I have come forward, it means that we are plenipotentiary ministers. Once the contract is signed, no one can overturn it. It is binding under international law. If we go back on our word, where is the trust?"

Hua Ruohan nodded and replied, "General Liu, from my side, I am willing to sign such an agreement with your country. However, I need to report to our government, and it will take about ten days to get the news back..."

Liu Ye replied, "No problem. We can draft an agreement like this first, and then formalize it once the two governments approve it. Of course, in order to promote our cooperation as quickly as possible, I hope to implement our agreement from now on!"

Hua Ruohan was stunned and looked at Liu Ye. Liu Ye replied, "First, we will formally propose our military trade to your country. All the silver will be squeezed out of the customs duties. We will pay you a deposit of 500,000 taels of silver in advance. You have three to five months to complete the delivery. When the delivery is completed, we will settle all the accounts! At the same time, we hope that your country can withdraw from the five-nation negotiations first!"

Hua Ruohan frowned and replied, "General Liu, if we withdraw from the negotiations now, we will face tremendous pressure from the other four countries! This is inappropriate!"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "That's fine. I'll propose suspending the negotiations for half a month and waiting for your country's reply before making a formal announcement. By then, the other three countries will have nothing to say."