Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 481 Foreign Affairs

"As far as I know, the Earl of Queensland and the Morgan family, the Wall Street tycoon, have a close relationship. The two sides have close cooperation in various fields. As the second largest shareholder of Detroit Cargill Steam Machinery Company, the Morgan family has further increased its industrial Investment in the field, does this mean an industry opportunity with bright prospects?"

While talking, American Minister Bradley Bill put the almond cookies in his mouth to chew, and nodded in admiration; "Wow, this is a very delicious dessert. The crust is crispy, and the filling is different. A taste, great!"

  "How does it compare to Thanksgiving turkey?" Tian Shan put the last piece of almond cookie in his mouth, then took a sip from the teacup and asked. .

  "These are two completely different things. I don't think they can be compared together."

  "You Americans are really weird animals. While thanking the Indians for their help, hold grand festivals every year, and mercilessly slaughter them at the same time. Does this turkey really taste good?"

   "Oh...Sheet!"

Bradley Bill was eating a cookie, and he almost rolled his eyes because of the sudden questioning. He quickly took a sip of the tea on the table, and then said extremely dissatisfied; "Representative Tian, ​​we have never revealed What you did in Borneo, why did the local indigenous population decrease drastically, and even face the danger of genocide, don’t you want to say anything?"

   "Oh... it's all because of the **** war. I hope to see world peace one day." Tian Shan smiled and picked up a small cookie, saying high-sounding words in his mouth.

"God, I believe you are ghosts!" Bradley Bill did not take advantage of the verbal confrontation, raised his hands and said as if forgiving; "Stop, let's stop talking about these topics, and talk about some:::: The content that both parties are interested in, such as the cooperation between the Morgan family and you, you have not answered my previous question."

"Okay, let me think about it..." Tian Shan took up a hot towel to wipe his hands after eating the cookies in his hands without any haste; "Cargill Steam Machinery Company is seeking to go public again. However, the official name will be changed to the Detroit branch of General Machinery Company, which has independent legal status. Therefore, it is reasonable to strengthen cooperation with Wall Street financial tycoons. This aspect is published in public newspaper reports and is public information. ."

   "So in private, what news can I talk about?"

"I don't know much about this. It is said that Red Fort will release no more than 30% of the equity in the Detroit branch and will be listed in London and New York at the same time. Because of its important leadership in the international machinery industry, it has a huge volume and raised funds. It will reach as much as 20 million pounds. According to the analysis of financial market experts, Detroit and its parent company have thousands of patented technologies in the diesel engine field and are industry leaders. The future market prospects are extremely broad and they are worth investing heavily."

   "Well, it makes sense." Bradley Beal nodded in agreement, and said after thinking about it;

"Diesel engines have a broad application prospect. Prior to this, Detroit and General Motors Australia were ranked first and second in the industry respectively, and they had significant holdings in several agricultural machinery companies in the United Kingdom and the United States, occupying more than 90% of the market share. The status is unshakable.

  The Morgan family on Wall Street has always been known for its precise vision. They had foreseen the victory of the North during the American Civil War. Therefore, they invested 5 million US dollars to buy gold and bet on the rise of gold. They also made a lot of money because of this.

  It is impossible for the Morgan family to lose sight of the bright prospects of Detroit.

  As long as we small and medium investors follow in the footsteps of Wall Street tycoons, it is difficult to lose money. "

   "Mr. Minister's judgment is very accurate, I think so too." Tian Shan echoed.

  The two are talking

  Major General Thomas Gresham, commander of the British Far East ship, came out of the back house with He Fang one after another. He looked gloomy and left with a cold snort.

  Tian Shan cast an inquiring glance, He Fang opened his mouth and answered three words silently; the talk fell apart!

  Only ask carefully to find out;

Major General Thomas Gresham, commander of the British Far East Ship, saw that Fusang had no war, and his mind became alive. He wanted to pull Queensland to form a more powerful combined fleet to cruise Juwen Island, and go to Vladivostok when necessary. Circle and conduct a deterrent cruise.

  This is because since the British occupied Juwen Island in North Korea, the Russian side has shown quite indignation. The Russian warships stationed in Vladivostok have sailed into the waters near Juwen Island from time to time, which is very provocative.

  The British Empire doesn’t want to rub the sand, and is ready to fight back immediately.

The problem is that the Far East fleet stationed in Hong Kong is not a permanent fleet, but a temporary auxiliary fleet. Most of the fleet under its jurisdiction is coal and oil ships. Only a 7000-ton second-class ironclad ship is temporarily prepared, and there are several ships. The cruiser has insufficient deterrence against the Russian fleet.

  The Royal Third Battle Fleet of the British Empire stationed in Calcutta, India, is extremely powerful, has no rivals in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific, and is capable of deterring the port of Vladivostok in the north of Tsarist Russia.

   However, considering the long distance, the voyage of a large number of main iron armored ships is extremely expensive, and they burn a lot of pounds every minute. One trip will burn a half of the annual budget of the Royal Third Battle Fleet, which is expensive.

  Therefore, Major General Thomas Gresham targeted the Kunshan Fleet and wanted to take where to cruise in the northern waters, but was flatly rejected.

  "Don't look at him, this is a stick." Tian Shan comforted, then pointed to the exquisite cakes on the table and said; "Taste the authentic Gusu-style desserts, and give you a pertinent evaluation."

"what do you mean…"

   "If everyone feels good, I think there should be such a dim sum chef in the Red Fort. When we are courtiers, we must not forget Lord Earl. This is our duty."

  "Tian represents this statement is reasonable."

  He Fang is an old-fashioned person. He picked up a small plate and filled a few exquisite cakes to eat, chewing slowly and calmly. Seeing his serious expression, he was as meticulous as he was studying the naval combat plan.

Tian Shan saw Du Huaiqing, the Minister of the Qing Dynasty stationed in Japan, not far from him, and had the intention to say hello, but seeing Du Huaiqing cautious in words and deeds could not help but stop, Geng Guigui smiled and teased; "What's wrong... Tian" Representative, is it timid to be close to hometown?"

"You and my overseas wanderers have found their roots. If you talk about your hometown, it is only Queensland. Looking back at the land of China, I feel a lot of emotion!" Tian Shan replied without thinking, and continued in a low voice; "Chief Geng, you don't know anything, Qing Guo The minister looks beautiful on the surface. In fact, everyone in the court is a pile of offensive memorials. Every word and deed is a crime, so I dare not make any mistakes. This errand is not easy to do!"

  Geng Zhenbao asked in surprise; "Is there such a thing?"

"The Manchu Qing court is rotten and faint, and has always regarded itself as a kingdom of heaven. During the Jiaqing period, many countries sent diplomatic envoys to China, but the Manchu Dynasty was unwilling to send a member to China. The reason is very strange, and the words are very strange. He wants to be from the heavens, so he sends an envoy to China, but I don’t want to be in the barbarians, why bother?” Tian Shan shook his head with a wry smile, and explained in detail when Geng Baogui looked very interested;

  "Master Guo Songtao was the first minister abroad. In 1875, the British Embassy in China interpreter Ma Jiali was killed in Yunnan. After the negotiation, the Qing dynasty's minister was required to send a minister to Britain to make a payment. The court thought of Guo Songtao.

  It is easy to be scolded by traitors when traveling to the UK at this time.

  But Guo Songtao said:

  As a minister, he has been studying and thinking for sixty years, he is responsible for the affairs, he is wisely concerned, he is in the country's safety and interests, and is particularly relevant to the drama.

  At the same moment when Lord Earl set foot on Australia for the first time, in 1876, Guo Songtao arrived in the UK by boat for more than a month.

  In the UK, he handled official affairs according to Western etiquette, listened to concerts, shook hands with foreigners, took his wife to banquets and so on. He wrote what he saw and heard as a diary and sent it back to China, engraved "Journey to the West", praised the development of the British steam industry, praised the improvement of the British government and church, and returned to the sea. The minister of the court blatantly praised foreigners. There was an uproar in the country.

  Liu Xihong, the deputy envoy of the Qing Dynasty to Britain, wrote a letter to the court, accusing him of "three major crimes."

   First, the Yujiadun Fort wears foreign clothes, even if it freezes to death, it is improper to wear it.

  The second is "Seeing that the Brazilian country's lord stands up without authorization and is dignified, how can we pay tribute to the small country lord?

  The third is that the Birkin Palace listens to music repeatedly and reads the music list, imitating the actions of foreigners.

  What is going on in detail?

  Once Guo Songtao was invited to visit the Portsmouth Fort, England. Because the wind on the fort was relatively strong, an Englishman took off his clothes and placed it on Guo Songtao. This was a trivial matter.

  Liu Xihong doesn’t think so. He thinks that even if it freezes to death, don’t criticize British clothes. The so-called; starvation is a small thing, but it’s a big loss.

  The second most serious crime was that when Guo Songtao participated in the activities of the Brazilian Embassy in the UK, when the King of Brazil entered the venue, everyone stood up and applauded, showing respect.

  Guo Songtao stood up and applauded with everyone. This was originally the most basic diplomatic etiquette, but Liu Xihong thought it was an act of losing the country.

  To pay tribute to a small country leader, he has lost the dignity of the country, this crime is unforgivable

  Finally, let’s talk about the third sin. The Birkin Palace in the secret compromise is the Buckingham Palace, and the transliteration is different.

  When Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom held a concert at Buckingham Palace, Guo Songtao was invited to participate.

  A music list was placed in front of the guest seats, with a detailed list of music tracks. Guo Songtao read the music list like other guests. So Liu Xihong grasped the "handle" again. He believed that by doing so, he was imitating foreigners and humiliating his status as the envoy of the Qing Dynasty.

  This is also the "three major sins". "

"Is this too outrageous?" Geng Baogui said in surprise, turning his face to look at Du Huaiqing, who was like an old monk, his face was full of sympathy; "This official is too difficult to do, it's just an egg. Pick the bones!"

   "Do you think it's over? This is just the beginning."

"what…"

   Now, the precious mouth is open so that it can swallow a duck egg, and he asks with a strange expression on his face; "What else is there?"

  Tian Shan sighed slightly and continued;

  "On May 6, 1878, Liu Xihong wrote a memorial with thousands of words to the Prime Minister’s Office of National Affairs, enumerating Guo Songtao’s "Ten Crimes" in Britain.

  It is nothing more than the Guo Songtao and his wife learning foreign languages, instead of tea, they use silver plate to hold sugar cheese to greet foreigners, shake hands when meeting with foreign officials, and attend the tea party held by the embassy with his wife, and other trivial things.

  The court ministers divided into two factions and argued fiercely. The Westernization faction headed by Li Hongzhang naturally supported Guo Songtao, while the conservative faction headed by Li Hongzao strongly opposed it and demanded that he be recalled immediately for investigation of the crimes and severely punished in order to maintain the dignity of the heavenly kingdom.

  The so-called;

   Out of its kind, outstanding, not tolerant of Yao and Shun's world; if you can't care for people, you can care for ghosts, why go to the state of your parents.

  Guo Songtao’s hometown burned the temple he donated, and impeachment by the imperial court continued. There was a version of the Hanlin composing a memorial to the court to destroy the diary, which was listed as a banned book. Guo Songtao was recalled from the United Kingdom for questioning, and he was finally dismissed from office and returned to his hometown to reflect. "

   "This is too exaggerated, right?" Geng Baogui was speechless.

"What's so strange about this. The Manchu and Qing dynasties have come to a dead end. The decadent scenes of these dynasties are endless. It's no surprise." He Fang walked over and said that he was once a senior high school scholar, and he was a member of the seventh rank of the county. He knew very much about the officialdom. Shen, I am also the loser of the imperial court's struggle, and I feel especially deeply.

  Geng Baobao said; “It’s purely for the sake of attacking, don’t all the princes of the Manchu Qing court have anything serious to do?”

"Master Geng's words are wrong, the two sides are fighting so fiercely, because the four characters "cultural orthodoxy", this is the foundation of the country, the opportunity for the survival of the Qing Dynasty, we have to be cautious. In the cause.

   "Oh...sir, please make it clear." Geng Baogui asked.

  He Fang glanced across Tian Shan, and saw his silent look, and he knew that Hongbao had studied this very deeply and had already made a conclusion, so he explained;

   "The reason why Guo Songtao caused domestic offense was not only the informality in the UK, but more importantly, the highly praised and praised words of the West. He praised the West for its strong ships and guns, developed industries, and a wealth of the world. It is no problem.

  But it is unacceptable to praise foreigners morally, culturally, and institutionally. This is shaking the foundation of the people of the country and the foundation of the court’s survival.

  One way of ritual is the first of the six ways.

  The way to build a country is to give courtesy and righteousness instead of tactics; the fundamental plan lies in people’s hearts, not in skills.

  In modern times, in the process of dealing with foreigners, the Qing court has been defeated again and again in the military, leaving only cultural and moral self-confidence. Now Guo Songtao’s remarks have also obliterated the last layer of fig leaf, can he not be angry?

  If the war is lost, the country will not be subjugated and the species will not be subjugated. What is left if cultural confidence is destroyed? "

   "Oh... that's the case, I didn't think of this level." Geng Baogui is a qualified soldier, but he is not a qualified politician, so he is inevitably biased in his consideration of issues. He immediately remembered something, and blurted out; "Fusang is now a popular argument that denies its own culture. What do you think of this?"

  "A nation without its own unique culture, like a walking dead, has no soul." He Fang replied coldly.

  (End of this chapter)