Master Yuan, start!

After several interactions since the Gapsin Coup in Korea, Yuan Xiangcheng thought he was familiar with Li Hongzhang. Since he was a member of Wu Changqing's army, he was also half of the Huai Army. So he took the initiative to ask Li Hongzhang:

"Lord Li, could you please tell me the truth? What exactly does the imperial court think about this negotiation?" Yuan Xiangcheng was a little unsure whether the Qing court's attitude was to promote peace or to seek peace. Although he was talking to Badno, he was still a little unsure in his heart.

"Weiting, the Empress Dowager and the other princes want peace the most. So whether there's compensation or not, as long as we can sign a peace treaty with the French and avoid starting a war, that's all good."

"Will the imperial court really be willing to pay compensation? The French general Courbet is now in prison. Shouldn't we fight for the French army to withdraw from Taiwan and compensate China for its losses?"

"Then let me ask you, if the French do not agree and send troops to attack again, can you win again?" Li Hongzhang asked back.

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Yuan Shikai was speechless for a moment. This time, he succeeded in launching a surprise attack on the French army because of the right time, place, people and many other factors.

If Yuan Shikai led the Jiashen Right Army to fight another battle against the French, who were full of anger and underestimated the enemy, he would have no chance of winning.

Li Hongzhang saw Yuan Xiangcheng's expression and spoke again: "Weiting, if you do as you say, I will argue with you and not give in an inch.

If the French army attacks, the Jiashen Five Armies and the Zhili Green Camp will probably be unable to resist. If the war continues and disasters escalate, and it provokes a civil uprising, what will be done? "

The difference between Manchus and Han people, the difference between Manchus and Han people!

It's that damn difference between Manchus and Han people again.

China under the rule of the Qing Dynasty naturally lacked one of the sharpest weapons compared to other modern nation-states: nationalism.

清朝统1治下的中0国人0口是7多，即6便经过太9平天国这1一波4折十余省3，延宕十余6年的战乱，人口也不过是从四万万降到三万万，还是当今第一人口大国。

But most of these people are Han people. Even if a people's war is launched, who are the Han people fighting for?

Who can guarantee that after the Han people get the guns, they will not turn the guns around and kill the emperor in the Forbidden City immediately?

As a general who also suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Mongolian Senggelinqin only suppressed a few remnants of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the north, but Emperor Xianfeng was willing to give him the title of prince and also allowed him to inherit the title.

Zeng Guofan, who fought against the main force of the Taiping Army and captured the city of Tianjing, was only awarded the first-class Marquis of Yongyi and did not even become a duke. Not to mention that Emperor Xianfeng had once boasted that whoever captured Tianjing would be made a king.

Didn’t it disappear with the death of Emperor Xianfeng?

The Qing Dynasty feared the Han people more than foreigners.

On the contrary, Cixi was much better than her husband in this regard. As for Han elites, as long as they had talent, she would use them without hesitation regardless of the difference between Manchu and Han.

But in the final analysis, Cixi also had the surname Yehenara and was a Manchu, so she could not escape the influence of the Manchu nobles. Compared with the country's reputation and the Manchu throne, she valued the latter more.

So even when the invaders were at their doorstep, the Qing Dynasty was still worried about whether resistance would provoke a civil uprising, and they were also worried about the throne under their own ass.

Even Yu Qian who lived hundreds of years ago could not compare to him. Yu Qian knew to establish a new emperor to stabilize the people's hearts and resolutely fight a battle to defend the capital.

The more the Qing Dynasty feared provoking civil unrest, the more the foreigners would use this to put pressure on them. No wonder few of the late Qing Dynasty's foreign wars were fought to the end.

They all started off well but ended badly, surrendering after just two rounds.

After all, paying compensation and ceding land would only add a slight burden to the common people. If the war really goes to the end, the throne of the Aisin Gioro family would be in danger.

Having said that, Yuan Xiangcheng no longer had the desire to continue chatting. He excused himself from being exhausted physically and mentally from running around for days, bowed and said goodbye, and went home.

The Qing Dynasty's move was to alienate itself from the people of the world. Li Hongzhang was limited by the times and thoughts and had to be an assistant to the Qing Dynasty, but he could not die with the Qing Dynasty.

After thinking about it, Yuan Xiangcheng couldn't sleep at home. The next morning, with bloodshot eyes, he went to the residence of the British man Robert Hart.

When Yuan Xiangcheng entered the room, he saw Hart sitting on the armchair and drinking tea slowly.

"Sir Yuan, what brings you here? Are you looking to seek help from the British Empire for the Qing Dynasty in this negotiation?" Hart had been in China for many years, and his behavior had long been influenced by the customs of the Manchu officialdom. Naturally, he knew the principle of not visiting someone for no reason.

So he took the initiative to bring up the topic and put Yuan Xiangcheng in a passive position.

"Mr. Hart, I am here not for the negotiations between the court and France, but to defend the interests of the British Empire in the Far East." Yuan Shikai went straight to the point and did not intend to beat around the bush with Hart.

"Far Eastern interests?" Hurd put down the teacup in his hand and became interested.

He didn't know why a small commander of the Far East Empire's army could make such a joke as "defending the British Empire's Far East interests."

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"Mr. Hurd, I know that the British Empire is worried about the situation on the European continent. After Germany, Italy and Austria signed the alliance treaty, it is impossible for those in Whitehall to allow Europe to maintain the previous continental balance policy.

Germany was stirring up trouble in western Europe, while Tsarist Russia in eastern Europe was also restless. After conquering Central Asia, the greedy polar bear began to salivate over the nearby Afghanistan.

Mr. Hurd, I am sure you know, without my telling me, how much money and resources the gentlemen of Whitehall in London have invested in Afghanistan to deal with polar bears in order to protect India.

This evil hero even coveted the cake of the Far East. Not only did he seize a large piece of land in our Northeast, he even eyed the territory of North Korea.

Didn’t the British Empire occupy Geomun Island in Korea just to deal with pressure from Russia?

In recent years, the British Empire has been on a tear: dealing with the Boers in South Africa, fighting the Germans for the Great Lakes region in East Africa, dealing with indigenous independence movements in Egypt, wrestling with the Russians in Afghanistan, and even having to distract itself with North Korea in the Far East.

Having said that, Yuan Xiangcheng paused, drank a sip of water, and then slowly spoke under Hurd's gaze.

"Although Yuan is not talented, he also wants to share some of the responsibilities of the British Empire."

The chirping of summer cicadas, a noise that is usually annoying, was not noticed by the two people in the hall at all.

After several discussions, Yuan Xiangcheng stood up and left with satisfaction.

...

After walking out of Hed's residence, Yuan Xiangcheng felt refreshed, the sun was shining, and the future was bright.

He was no longer worried about the second round of negotiations between China and France that would begin in a few days. Let Cixi sell it if she wanted to. He would get it back eventually anyway.

Yuan Xiangcheng came to Hurd's residence in a hurry today. He did not ride a horse, but walked here without any ostentation.

Therefore, on his way home, he met many people who greeted him. Most of them had been to the Nanyuan Parade Ground and had a deep impression of the muscular but short stature of Yuan Shikai.

"Oh, isn't this Lord Yuan? You really made our Qing Dynasty proud this time by capturing the French general alive.

This is much better than the great victory at Zhennan Pass that the court had boasted about before. What great victory was that? Only dozens of French were killed.

I went outside the city and saw that there were more than a thousand French people lying on the ground.

Even so, someone in the newspaper referred to Feng Zicai and you as "the two pavilions of the north and south, Feng in the south and Yuan in the north." Feng Zicai's courtesy name was Cuiting, while Yuan Xiangcheng's courtesy name was Weiting.

I see, how can he compare to you, you are really this." A man with a red ribbon holding a bird cage gave Yuan Xiangcheng a thumbs-up.

Yuan Xiangcheng waved his hand and said modestly, "Lord Feng and I are both loyal to our country. There is no distinction between superior and inferior. Please do not praise one at the expense of the other."

"Master Yuan, please don't refuse. Even without mentioning Master Feng, your achievements are rare in the Qing Dynasty.

The last time someone achieved such a feat was during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, when Fu Kang'an marched his army to Gurkha and forced it to surrender. More and more people gathered around, and a young man who looked like a scholar pointed out the magnitude of Yuan Shikai's achievement.

"How can one compare to the size of a giant? I've seen the Kunyu Wanguo Tu. How big is Gurkha? This time, Master Yuan captured the commander of the French, a great Western power.

Did you know that France was unrivaled in Europe? Its emperor, Napoleon the Great, conquered Europe several times, just like the Qin Emperor conquered the world. Someone immediately objected, arguing that Yuan Shikai's contributions were greater than Fu Kang'an's.

"But I heard that France was invaded a few years ago and even Emperor Napoleon was captured."

"Master Yuan, please don't go. You must try my latest fried noodles with soybean paste. This is authentic old Beijing fried noodles with soybean paste. It's very authentic!"

He waved his hand to say goodbye, the arguing voices gradually faded away, and Yuan Xiangcheng slowly walked out of the crowded crowd.

Among the people in the capital, quite a number of them were concerned about national affairs. They even knew about Napoleon. Yuan Shikai felt that the literacy rate in the capital should be quite high, otherwise people talking about the Franco-Prussian War would not be seen on the streets.

Feilu Group

Little did he know that this was all thanks to him. It was the article "German Survival" he wrote during those days in Seoul that caused the Dong-A Ilbo in Seoul to be sold out several times and even reached Shanghai.

Shenbao also reprinted an article on German survival written under the pseudonym East Asian Nationalist, so domestic readers are not unfamiliar with the Franco-Prussian War.

I just don't know how long the joy and cheers of the people in the city can last. Yuan Xiangcheng rubbed his swollen head and couldn't help thinking.

As the days passed and the news of victory spread more and more widely, people all over the world were eagerly looking forward to the content of the negotiations, from Beijing to Guangzhou, from Seoul to Shanghai.

People of insight in the north and south all hoped that the court and Lord Li would bring about a promise of "avengement" for the Qing Dynasty and demonstrate the majesty of the Celestial Empire.

The East Asian countries also wanted to see what the Qing Dynasty, which seemed to be returning to its peak, would do.

Scholars all over the world, whether they are old scholars who have devoted their lives to studying classics, or new scholars who are proficient in Western affairs; no matter whether their ideals were to learn literary and martial arts and sell them to the imperial family, or to fight against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty and drive out the Tartars.

At this moment, they all hoped that China could avenge its previous humiliation, hold its head high, and let the Chinese vent their anger in front of foreigners.

Chapter 64 Negotiations End

Soon, the day of the second round of negotiations arrived. More than ten days had passed, and everyone, whether in the court or the people, or Chinese and foreign officials, were looking forward to the negotiations.

French Minister Badno also brought Japanese people to this negotiation.

The reason was that after the news of the defense of the capital spread, the Japanese government headed by Ito Hirobumi and others was forced to inform the public that it had also participated in the French expeditionary force.

This is a big deal. The Japanese people have never been against war, but only against defeat.

They have no objection to sending troops, and they can pretend to be unaware if troops are sent behind their backs, as long as we can win.

However, the more than 2000 Ryukyu Expeditionary Force led by Taro Kobayashi failed to achieve any success, and nearly 1000 people were captured, with more than 1000 killed or injured.

As soon as the news came out, students and people in Tokyo were outraged and clamored for punishment against the Qing Dynasty.

Although the Satsuma and Choshu clans behind Saigo Jōmichi and Ito Hirobumi briefly merged, they were unable to suppress the surging anti-Qing demonstrations in the country.

The Japanese liberal bureaucrats who had been driven out of power in the political struggle of 1881, the th year of the Meiji era, became disloyal and began to unite. An important figure among them, Okuma Shigenobu, frequently gave speeches in public places.

Japan is currently in a critical period of transition to a cabinet system, and political stability is extremely important. Therefore, in order to calm the domestic political trends, after learning the news, Ito Hirobumi immediately sent Foreign Secretary Inoue Kaoru and others to China to participate in the talks.

Although the number of negotiators increased, China and France were not as confrontational as last time. The reason was that Yuan Shikai saw Li Hongzhang's attitude and gave up the principle of fighting for every inch of land and not giving up an inch. It was impossible for the Qing Dynasty not to bleed.

Therefore, Yuan Xiangcheng only had a brief argument with Badno, Inoue Kaoru and others, and made concessions in terms of compensation and waiver.

But Badno was still not satisfied, and repeatedly and forcefully asked Li Hongzhang to make greater concessions.

After some bargaining, Li Hongzhang stroked his beard and said in a deep voice: "Minister Badno, the compensation of 500 francs for each French soldier killed in the battle and 100 francs for each of the other nationalities, totaling about 1500 million taels of silver, is truly unacceptable.

"The Qing dynasty's customs duties last year were only 1400 million taels. Your country's demand for compensation for the Qing dynasty's annual customs duties is truly outrageous."

Badno, with an unsettled confidence, said arrogantly, "It's OK if there's no compensation. Just use Vietnam and Taiwan as compensation. The French government can waive its demand for war reparations from China, but it must receive adequate compensation!"

Japanese envoy Inoue Kaoru also interjected, "The Great Japanese Empire must also give an explanation for the casualties and captured soldiers this time. If the Qing Empire's sincerity is insufficient and other incidents arise, our government will not be able to suppress the overwhelming public opinion."

"Japanese soldiers attacked our country first, killing hundreds of Zhenhai soldiers. Our country was only forced to fight back. Your Excellency Inoue Kaoru, you are the first to complain. This is a provocation to the Qing Dynasty. Our country is currently dealing with a diplomatic dispute with France and has no intention of dealing with the Japan-Qing issue!"

M Yuan Xiangcheng directly retorted Inoue Xin's words, saying that a big country has no right for a small country like you from the East to interfere.

Shu Songbainao Xiangcheng is no longer the man who wanted to feign conciliation with the Japanese last year. He has 10,000 elite soldiers who have experienced war, and the army can be expanded to 20,000 in an instant. Japan's current standing army has only a few divisions.

I don't know where they got the confidence to threaten him. If they have the guts, just invade Korea and see whether the Meiji government goes bankrupt first or he, Yuan, collapses first.

San Yuan and Li spoke to the French Minister Badno again, but Badno refused to give in.

The three disagreements focused on three main points. First, Li Hongzhang said compensation was acceptable, but not as indemnity. Yuan Xiangcheng suggested renaming it "humanitarian pension." Badno said he didn't seem too forceful on this point, so Yuan Xiangcheng felt a strong likelihood of reaching an agreement.

Second, Li Hongzhang said that he would no longer interfere in Vietnam's sovereignty, but China and France should divide the country based on the actually occupied areas.