Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Prince Gong was startled and said slowly, "Liu Ye, have you discovered something?"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Your Highness, do you know why my negotiations with the foreigners were always smooth? Although the foreigners were very arrogant, they could never gain the upper hand, and in the end they had to agree to our plan?"

Prince Gong was stunned for a moment, then slowly said, "Perhaps it's because you are resourceful and insightful..."

Liu Ye shook his head and replied, "Your Majesty, when it comes to far-sightedness, there are many people in our court who are very far-sighted. Even that Su Zhongtang is well-known for his insight. However, this alone is not enough. If you want to gain the upper hand in negotiations, you must first know yourself and your enemy. Knowing yourself is something many people can do, but knowing your enemy is far from enough. Few of these princes and ministers in our court understand the West. They have no idea about Western history, Western political systems, Western economics and development status. When the foreigners put forward their opinions, regardless of whether they are reasonable or not, these great men will not listen to them. "Men, you only know how to oppose and resist, but you never think about why others would put forward such a request, why there is such a request. This is not enough. There is another thing, that is, they have never seen Western diplomatic etiquette. If you ask those foreigners to follow the diplomatic etiquette of the dynasty, they will definitely be furious. Just wait and see, when the Western envoys come to Beijing again to exchange the treaty, it will be a big joke. That Prince Zaiyuan doesn't have such ability. If he insists on stopping such an errand, it is not a blessing, but a landmine that can explode at any time!"

Prince Gong was shocked and asked, "Liu Ye, are you telling the truth?"

Liu Ye nodded and replied, "That's absolutely true. I understand Western culture. Their etiquette is completely different from ours. For example, when they meet the emperor, they only need to bow, but when foreign envoys come to see the emperor, we have to kowtow three times and kowtow nine times. This is a great insult to foreigners and they will never accept it. This is the difference. If it is not handled properly, there may even be another war. However, Your Highness, these things are no longer within our control. What we can do now is to reach an agreement with Tsarist Russia as soon as possible and drive them back to the Far North. We must not let them take the land east of the Ussuri River. If Tsarist Russia does not understand, then we will have a good fight with them to teach them a lesson. We must not let them succeed!"

Prince Gong looked at Liu Ye with admiration. This boy was soft but strong. When he was soft, even steel could be turned into something as soft as silk, and when he was hard, even a diamond could hardly move his heart. I wonder if the future Qing Dynasty can accommodate this boy!

Yi Yi said in a deep voice, "If that's the case, then I will petition the Emperor tomorrow to open peace talks with Tsarist Russia as soon as possible! Everything else can be discussed, but we absolutely will not yield on the issue of land. We cannot allow the empire our ancestors conquered to fall into our hands like this!"

While Liu Ye was counseling Yi Xin, Prince Yi Zaiyuan was summoned to the Qianqing Palace by Emperor Xianfeng.

The emperor and his minister sat opposite each other, and Prince Yi Zaiyuan was feeling very proud. It seems that the emperor still trusts me more. Even if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was proposed by Guizi Liu, the position of the Prime Minister would still fall on his head. Guizi Liu has done nothing but draw water with a bamboo basket. He has made a wedding dress for himself in vain.

"Zaiyuan!"

Xianfeng shouted in a deep voice.

Zaiyuan quickly stood up and knelt, answering: "Your Majesty, I am here!"

"Do you know why I put the position of Prime Minister in your hands?"

Zai Yuan quickly replied, "This is due to the emperor's great grace. Hehe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds considerable power and a distinguished position. Of course, the emperor would place such authority in the hands of the person he trusts most. Although I am not a talented servant, my loyalty is unwavering!"

Xianfeng nodded. Zaiyuan was right. Although this kid sometimes made mistakes, he was very loyal. He was much more reliable than the sixth brother. However, his ability was far behind the sixth brother.

Xianfeng continued, "Zaiyuan, it's good that you know this. When I appoint talents, the first thing I look for is loyalty. Without loyalty, this position will never fall into your hands. You should know that Lao Liu has racked his brains for this task, but I can't give it to him. Lao Liu is too cunning and it's hard to figure out his true intentions, hehe..."

Zai Yuan quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, you have a keen eye and can see far and wide! The Sixth Brother is just too cunning. Anyone who deals with him has to be cautious. How can such a person be reused? He will ruin things at the critical moment..."

Xianfeng continued, "Being too thoughtful is a shortcoming, but the sixth brother is quite talented. Without him, this negotiation would not have gone so smoothly. In the future, you must learn a little bit. When dealing with foreigners, you can't be as unscrupulous as when dealing with those Han officials. After all, there is still a big difference. The Han officials are just watchdogs of our Qing Dynasty, they are slaves. We have to wield a big stick with one hand and give them sweet dates with the other. But foreigners are different. They have strong soldiers and powerful strength. Once a war breaks out, it will be a disaster for all people. We must be cautious. In other aspects, you are reassuring, but you have never dealt with foreigners. Handling this task really makes me a little worried. You must be careful and attentive."

Zai Yuan smiled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey your command!"

"Liu Ye is a man of character and talent. I specifically transferred him from the Lifanyuan to the Zongli Yamen. In the future, you must listen to his opinions on matters concerning foreign affairs. Don't be careless, and don't make decisions on your own. Remember, you are only in charge of the overall affairs. Leave the specific matters to the people below. As the head of a department, you must learn to use people's strengths. As long as you can use Liu Ye, then all matters concerning foreign affairs will be easy."

Xianfeng was afraid that this fool would cause trouble for him, so he broke down his experience and passed it on to Zaiyuan. It was because there was no trivial matter in the Westernization Affairs, and if one was not careful, it would cause a big disaster!

Zaiyuan felt a little unhappy. What? He was supposed to rely more on Liu Ye and listen to his advice on foreign affairs. Then who was in charge of the Zongli Yamen, me or that Zhang Jing? He was just a brat, lucky enough to have fooled the foreigners with his clever tricks. I wasn't that easy to fool. In the Zongli Yamen, everyone had to listen to me. I was the official Prime Minister. Not to mention Liu Ye, even Gui Liang and Wen Xiang had to obey me! I wasn't going to hang him!