Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

"Nonsense! Are we going to throw away our dignity just for a little bit of tax revenue? Are we going to ignore the national policy set by our ancestors? Closing our country to the outside world is for the sake of peace in the vast seas and for the eternal rule of the Qing Dynasty!"

Su Shun, who was standing by, couldn't help it any longer, so he jumped out and scolded him harshly. Although Su Shun admired Liu Ye, he would never be polite to him on such a "major issue of right and wrong". Su Shun was a well-known xenophobe.

Liu Ye had just heard one sentence and had already blacklisted Sushun. Damn, is this guy an out-and-out conservative? I don't want to create a strong enemy for myself in the future. Since you don't want to live, I don't want you to survive the Xinyou Coup!

Liu Ye sneered, "Mr. Su, you can't say that. As the saying goes, times have changed, things have changed, and when things have changed, we must be prepared for change. Two hundred years ago, we only had Japanese pirates wreaking havoc on our sea borders, and we blockaded the coast to keep the foreigners out. But now, it's not a question of whether we want to stop them or not, but that we can't stop them at all by relying on our closed-door policy! Just last year, the British and French allied forces sent warships into the Pearl River and occupied Guangzhou! Twenty years ago, during the Opium War, the British pushed the flames of war to the gates of Nanjing. Even not long ago, if it weren't for our fierce fighting, Dagukou and Tianjin would probably have been lost. If we want to keep the Qing Dynasty peaceful and prosperous forever, we rely on our strong soldiers and horses, powerful ships and artillery, not on banning trade! It is because we ban trade that Britain and France have repeatedly pointed their artillery at us!"

Woren sneered, "What a joke! Banning trade is wrong, but how can we just relax it? How can you not know how much silver the foreigners take from the Qing Dynasty every year because of trade? I'm afraid that in a few years, we will have no silver left!"

Such a bunch of old antiques!

Liu Ye was so angry that he saw stars. He finally realized how hard the Westernization Movement had to fight a few years later. They were a group of old stubborn people who would not turn back even if they hit the wall!

Liu Ye said angrily, "Lord Woren, are you going to stop eating forever just because you got a mouthful of porridge burnt on it yesterday? The foreigners are now taking away a large amount of silver from the Qing Dynasty. Don't we encourage industry and commerce, encourage foreign trade, and make back the lost silver? As long as the foreigners don't import opium into us, and we encourage trade, I'm afraid we can turn losses into profits in a few years! By then, it won't be them who make money from us, but we who make money from them. Our tea, silk, and porcelain, which one won't be sold at home and abroad?"

Woren was repeatedly choked by Liu Ye's words, his face flushed red, and he was really embarrassed. He roared, "Your Majesty, I beg your Majesty to execute Liu Ye!"

Xianfeng's head was already spinning with their arguing. Although he thought Liu Ye's contract was still somewhat inappropriate, he could still persuade the United States to withdraw and abolish Liu Ye's contract. Under the pressure of Britain, France and other countries, the contract might become even more outrageous. At this time, if Liu Ye was beheaded, not to mention that no one was proficient in foreign affairs, but if Britain and France attacked again, he would have cut off one of his arms. Such a thing was unacceptable no matter what. Moreover, Xianfeng agreed with the advice of guarding against Tsarist Russia. If he spent some money to keep Tsarist Russia west of the Ussuri River, it would be a good deal. There was a thousand miles of land there, and Tsarist Russia must not be occupied. Even after the failure of the Opium War, the late emperor did not cede territory. If he lost land and humiliated the country, he would truly be ashamed of his ancestors.

Liu Ye, standing aside, said to Emperor Xianfeng, "Your Majesty, every word I say is from the bottom of my heart. If we want to repel the ferocious Western powers like Britain and France, we must work hard to govern the country and train elite troops. If we have an army and fleet equipped with a large number of Western firearms like the foreigners, then defeating the Taiping Rebellion will be a matter of a moment, and there is no need to work so hard! What's more, I have already ordered a set of steel production equipment and a set of coal production equipment from the Americans in the contract. Once these two factories and mines are built, they will provide us with 20 million kilograms of steel and 50 million kilograms of coal every year. The quality is incomparable to the current steel workshops and coal mines. Once these are produced, they can generate more than 2 million taels of silver for us every year! We let the Americans earn only a few hundred thousand taels of equipment money. This is absolutely a great thing! A business that is sure to make money!"

Liu Ye went on to say, "There's also the matter of the telegraph. It's now widespread in Western countries. All military strategies are transmitted via telegraph, which can travel thousands of miles in an instant. As the saying goes, speed is of the essence in war. If the Qing army were equipped with a telegraph, it would dramatically change the speed at which we transmit military intelligence and orders. Originally, even an expedited 700-li journey from Liangjiang to the capital would take several days. But with a telegraph, it would only take the blink of an eye, saving us a tremendous amount of time!"

Woren shouted, "Liu Ye, we know about the telegraph. Burying or laying cables underground or above ground will completely destroy the dragon veins and feng shui of our Qing Dynasty. This will ruin our thousand-year foundation. You are courting death!"

Xianfeng was also quite tempted. 20 million catties of steel and 50 million catties of coal—how much steel and coal could the Qing Dynasty produce in a year? This was almost 30% of the Qing Dynasty's annual output! It was definitely a good deal!

Xianfeng replied calmly, "Alright, let's do this. Although the contract signed by Prince Gong and Liu Ye is slightly inappropriate, I think it is still a good deal. It can give the Qing Dynasty a breathing space to deal with the Taiping rebels with all our strength. We must do our utmost to wipe out the Taiping rebels. Everything else is secondary."

As soon as Xianfeng finished speaking, the conservative officials below were dissatisfied and united to oppose him. Even Xianfeng, the emperor, felt passive and unable to resist.

Just as the dispute was getting heated, a eunuch hurried in and said, "Your Majesty, the Governor-General of Suzhou and Liangjiang, Zeng Guofan, has reported!"

Everyone immediately quieted down. Zeng Guofan and the Taiping Army were fighting fiercely in the Liangjiang area, which was related to the life and death of the Qing Dynasty. When Zeng Guofan's report arrived, it must be something important, and everything else had to be put aside. The affairs of Liangjiang were the top priority of the court. Even when the British and French troops threatened the capital, Xianfeng did not recall Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army to defend the king, in order to encircle and annihilate the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which was gradually showing signs of decline, in one fell swoop!

Xianfeng was also stunned. What? Zeng Guofan's report? Could it be some important military intelligence from Nanjing? Was it good or bad? He suddenly became nervous.

Xianfeng shouted, "Send it up!"