Ten Dragons Take the Inheritance

Chapter 436

The former Dutch ambassador mentioned in the words of the Dutch ambassador Count Van Horn Cage involves a dusty past - in 1656, the Dutch mission arrived in Beijing.The Qing court, which had just entered the Central Plains for eight years, received them with an excited attitude.But the Dutch encountered a problem that all diplomatic missions to China at that time would encounter, that is, they had to bow three times and kowtow nine times when they had an audience with the emperor.

In fact, until the end of the 18th century, almost no diplomat from a European country was willing to accept such harsh Chinese rules, but the Dutch agreed without hesitation. For this reason, the Qing Emperor Shunzhi was very happy The Dutch agreed to the request of the Dutch and allowed the Dutch to set up trading firms in Guangzhou for a generation to engage in commercial activities. However, during the Kangxi period, due to the chaos of San Francisco and the needs of the platform, the Qing Dynasty locked the country again and moved to Jinghai, thus suspending the The right of the Dutch to open a commercial firm in Guangzhou. In the 27th year of Kangxi, the old man of Kangxi ordered to open part of the sea ban, allowing a small number of foreign merchant ships to call at a few ports such as Guangzhou. However, he did not agree to the Dutch’s request for the establishment of a commercial firm. After Yinzuo started large-scale overseas trade, even the right of foreign fleets to enter Chinese ports was cancelled.

Whether it is according to the European diplomatic practices at the time or according to Chinese ethics, no matter how you look at it, the Qing owed the Dutch people. After all, the Dutch completely gave up their so-called dignity and agreed to the conditions of the Qing Dynasty, and Emperor Shunzhi also gave up. Mingzhao agreed to the request of the Dutch, but it was only in the hands of Mr. Kangxi that the Dutch were kicked out of China without even an explanation.This point is no stranger to officials of the Qing Dynasty who have studied the history of exchanges between the Qing Dynasty and the Netherlands. Therefore, when Earl Van Horn Cage made this promise, the officials of the Qing Dynasty could not help but feel a little resentful. However, they couldn't find a good explanation for a while, and the negotiation scene suddenly fell silent.

It stands to reason that what the Dutch did was a betrayal of England, but the British ambassador, Van Foster Green, looked indifferently, with a professional smile on his face, silently watching the somewhat overwhelmed adults. Qing officials.Prince Cheng Yunzhi has long been an old fox who has cultivated to become a master. He can see at a glance that this is one of the countermeasures negotiated by Britain and the Netherlands. Don't mind coming to Dongshi to imitate, and also play such a move, so, in the end, the Qing Dynasty can only fall into a situation where all games are lost.If this negotiation is lost, others may be fine, but Yunzhi's own ass will not be able to keep it. Once Yin Zuo is defeated, maybe Yunzhi will have to go with Lao Ba as a company. This is not the result of Yunzhi want.

As soon as the interpreter finished his translation, Yun Zhi rolled his eyes and pondered for a while, and said, "Your Excellency Earl Van Horn, regarding the promise you mentioned, I welcome you in Qing Dynasty. The mutual establishment of embassies is the consensus between you and us. Of course, I have no objection to this point. Well, considering the traditional friendship between your two countries, the distance between your two countries and the difficult sea routes, I really can't bear the businessman from your country to travel across the ocean, so , for the sake of being kind to others, my Qing Dynasty has decided to set up a trading firm in your country, so that the two sides can communicate with each other and maintain a good and harmonious relationship. This is my duty to my friends, and please don’t mind, Ambassador .”

Yunzhi's words went around and around, and at the end he turned back to the plan proposed by the Qing side, and he looked like he was completely thinking about the Netherlands, and immediately choked Earl Van Horn Cage enough , his face was flushed, and he couldn't find a reason to object, so he had no choice but to sit down dejectedly.Van Foster Green saw that the situation was not good, so he hurriedly said: "His Royal Highness, I am very glad that you and I have reached the first consensus on the mutual establishment of embassies. With this good start, our side I believe that you and I can reach all the consensus, and we propose to move on to the next topic: We ask you to agree to open the three ports of Guangzhou, Qingdao, and Tianjin as a place for friendly trade between the two sides. Please forward it to the Qing Emperor Your Majesty's approval is much appreciated."

"Huh? Aren't you and I currently trading? My Qing Dynasty trades nearly a thousand ships with you every year. I'm afraid it's unnecessary to open the port. Why bother? My direction is to do my best for my friends. Since the principle of sparing no effort, I would rather suffer a little loss than let my friends be wronged. Mumbai and Batavia are close to our country, but far away from your country. Fang can send a fleet to your country to trade directly, what do you think, Ambassador?" Yun Zhi pretended to be confused with understanding.

What are you kidding?As far as the current trading model is concerned, the East India Company can still make some money anyway. Once the huge fleet of the Qing Dynasty arrives in Europe, let alone the newly emerging industrialized production in England will go bankrupt, the East India Company may not be able to survive. up.Van Foster Green was going crazy. If he hadn't worried that this was the Qing Dynasty, he would have asked Yunzhi for a duel long ago, but facing Yunzhi's smiling face, Van Foster Green There was really nothing to do. I really couldn't find a good reason to reject Yunzhi's "good intentions", so I had to make a look at my deputy, Captain Cannington Quinning, and let Cannington Colonel Quinning confronts Yun-ji's "reasonable demands."

Colonel Cannington Quining is a tall man in his early forties, with blond hair and a dark complexion. As a captain of the Great England Advance Fleet dispatched to the Far East this time, he has experienced countless naval battles. With the attitude of coming to travel, in his opinion, those so-called warships in the Far East are just children's tricks. As soon as a few squadrons from Great England arrive, they can chop melons and vegetables and wipe out the Qing Dynasty's navy. Of course, after seeing the exercises of the First Fleet of the Qing Dynasty, this unrealistic idea has long been thrown into the Pacific Ocean by himself. However, Colonel Cannington did not think that the huge Qing Dynasty fleet The naval fleet must be able to beat the battle-hardened fleet of Great England. Colonel Cannington has a strong sense of pride in the strength of the English navy. In his heart, no navy in the world will belong to the English navy. opponent.At this moment, seeing Van Foster Green sending a signal for help, Colonel Cannington stood up abruptly, and the sudden action shocked the negotiators on both sides.

"His Royal Highness, please remember that the sea is the sea of ​​England. There is no place that my Great England Navy cannot reach. The reason why we come here to negotiate, rather than choose to use force, is out of respect for your country, yes Respect for the long-term friendship between your two countries, of course, if your country insists on despising the sincerity of my Great England, please consider the position of my Great England Navy." Colonel Cannington stared at Yunzhi intently, Said loudly.

"presumptuous!"

"Bullshit!"

"court death!"

……

After listening to the interpreter's translation, the officials of the Ministry of Rites who participated in the negotiations immediately yelled angrily. If they were not in the way of the Holy Majesty, they would go to the inner hall. I am afraid that these enraged officials of the Ministry of Rites would shake their old fists at Colonel Cannington. It's good to beat.With a sullen face, Hongyang waved his hand to signal the officials on the Qing side to keep quiet. He stared at Colonel Cannington with sharp eyes like knives for a long time, until Colonel Cannington felt guilty.

"Colonel Cannington, please pay attention to your words and deeds. If you don't take back your words and apologize, we will regard you as preparing to declare war on us, and you will be responsible for all consequences." Hongyang sneered Said.

Van Foster Green originally thought that the Qing Dynasty would be afraid of war, but he didn't expect Hongyang to say harsh words. Not to mention that Van Foster Green didn't want to fight, even if he wanted to, he didn't have the right to declare war. With aggressive words, Van Foster Green hurriedly said: "His Royal Highness, the differences between you and me are too great. We propose to temporarily adjourn the meeting and discuss it at another day."

"Sorry, before we received your apology, we considered that you had already made a declaration of war. There is no need to proceed with this negotiation. Please leave all your personnel immediately, and we can send someone to Escort, if you don’t leave within three days, we can’t guarantee the safety of your embassy, ​​and besides, please go back and prepare for war.” Hongyang unflinchingly pushed back Van Foster Green’s words, with a trace of emotion Don't talk face to face.

"This..." Van Foster Green pondered for a while, and finally let go of his arrogance, stood up, bowed, and said with a pious look: "His Royal Highness, we take back what we just said , and sincerely apologize to you. Due to some misunderstandings between the two parties, in line with the principle of friendly negotiation, we propose to adjourn the meeting and continue the talks in the afternoon. Your Highness, please forgive me."

"We accept your apology and agree to your request for a temporary adjournment." Hongyang nodded, waved his hand, and signaled the officials of the Ministry of Rites to see off the guests.A group of more than a dozen members of the British and Dutch diplomatic missions left the Yunya Pavilion in a state of embarrassment.

"Very good." In the inner hall of Yunya Hall, Yinzuo looked at Yunzhi and Hongyang who were standing at the bottom with satisfaction, smiled and said: "Be reasonable and restrained, neither humble nor overbearing, this is what I should do in the Qing Dynasty." Some demeanor, as I said, I am not afraid of war in the Qing Dynasty, but I need time. The matter of establishing embassies between each other can be settled first, and the rest of the conditions will not be accepted. Well, if they want to talk, then bring up the issue of Japan After the negotiation, the Dongpu port can be opened as a place for transactions between the two parties, and you can grasp the specific details, and I will not ask about this matter anymore, and you can report to me when the negotiation comes to a result."

"Yes, ministers and others would like to obey the holy order." Yunzhi and Hongyang hurriedly bowed and agreed.

"That's it, you should go and rest first. You should know that the negotiation is not something that can be settled in ten or eight days. Well, let's talk first. After a few days, Hongyang might as well visit that place. A Dutch ambassador, let’s find out what the Dutch are doing before discussing. If I guess correctly, the Dutch are still very unconvinced by the rise of the English. This is a loophole that can be exploited. Well, I will go first, Er Just wait until you discuss it yourself." Yinzuo confessed a few words, nodded his head, ignored Yunzhi and Hongyang's kneeling and sending him off, strode out of Yunya Pavilion, and turned back to his own residence, Yanbozhishuang Pavilion went.

"The ministers are waiting to greet the Holy One." Prince Yong Yunzhen, elder brother Hongli, Shangshu Shi Shilun, servant minister Yang Mingshi, who had been waiting outside Yanbo Zhishuang Pavilion for a long time, and a group of people walked over when they saw Yinzuo , hurriedly knelt down on the ground and kowtowed to pay their respects.

"Oh, the fourth brother is here, let's get up, let's go to the inner hall and talk about it in detail." Yinzuo didn't stop, just raised his hand, said something calmly, and walked into Yanbozhi without looking back. Shuang Court.

"Your Majesty, I have already sorted out the regulations for the reform of the currency system. Please have a look." Yun Zhen took out a booklet from his big sleeve, bowed his head, and respectfully raised the booklet above his head with both hands.Yinzuo didn't say a word, but just waved his hand, motioning for the eunuch Gao Nianying to take the zhezi, held it in his hand and looked at it carefully.

"Okay, that's right. It seems that the fourth brother has put in a lot of painstaking efforts. I am very satisfied with this charter. Well, it's just that December is the new year. It may be a bit difficult for those bank managers to come to Beijing at this time of year." Inconvenient, what do you think of the fourth brother?" After reading the excerpt, Yinzuo said with a satisfied smile on his face.

"I don't dare to be honored by the saints. The credit for this regulation should be to promote the history and fame. The minister is just a name, and I don't dare to claim credit. As for the bank manager's entry into Beijing, I think it is not very inconvenient. Well, these shopkeepers of the bank originally sent people or things to Beijing to send ice gifts in person at this time of year. Moreover, as soon as the news of such a big profit came out, they would definitely gather here. The Ministry needs to set a budget, if it cannot be completed before the end of the year, I am afraid it will affect the normal operation of the Ministry of Accounts, so it is not beautiful." Yun Zhen said with a bow.

Hmm, that makes sense.Yinzuo thought for a while, but didn't insist anymore, nodded and said: "Yes, this matter will be done quickly. Later, I will give the fourth brother a decree, and I will make it clear to the world that the new currency system will be officially launched on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month next year." gone."

_
The second update is here! Brothers, there is only one and a half hours left for the double monthly pass, and Xiaoliu is begging for the support of the monthly pass!
(End of this chapter)