Chapter 351 Xianfeng, your Qing Dynasty won so hard! (Please order, please vote)
Late February of the fourth year of Xianfeng Period in the Qing Dynasty.
Shanghai, Yuyuan.
Ronglu and Weng Tong, who had been wandering around Shanghai for almost two months, finally lived up to the expectations of Emperor Xianfeng, who had inexplicably opened up the territory again, and saw the people who had just returned from Japan in this day when everything was full of vitality and everything was flourishing.
Marshal Luo Xueyan returned from the country.
Luo Xueyan's foreign mission lasted for almost two months in total. The reason why it took so long was because the Tokugawa shogunate was very unskilled in the matter of betrayal. Originally, the three countries of England, France, and the Qing Dynasty had already thoughtfully helped them.
We are ready to cede territory, pay compensation, and make treaties that humiliate our country.
Just sign and that's it.
After signing, Japan will be able to transform from a feudal autocratic country to a semi-feudal and semi-colonial country!
What a blessing this was, but the Tokugawa shogunate's Laozhong and the Hakuma princes refused to accept it happily. All seven forts outside Shinagawa Port were captured, and all the towns around Shinagawa Port were burned to the ground.
In a white field, after the four-nation coalition landed at Shinagawa Port, they were still struggling to their death. They also used the peace talks as a cover to mobilize troops and launch successive counterattacks against the coalition camp at Shinagawa Port.
Trying to save some face and give away less benefits through military victory.
Fortunately, Luo Xueyan had a clear understanding of the stubbornness of the Japanese. After the coalition forces landed at Shinagawa Port, he immediately ordered the landing troops to back the harbor and build simple fortresses based on Shinagawa's waterways to guard against Japanese sneak attacks. He also ordered ten generals to
Several twelve-pound cannons originally mounted on warships were brought ashore and set up on the bastion, aiming at the Edo castle town that had not yet been burned.
In addition, while the coalition forces landed, he issued an order to the Governor's Office in Shanghai and mobilized a regiment of reinforcements, increasing the number of coalition forces landing in Japan to 4,000. He also hired 1,500 troops from the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Laborers were used to build and strengthen the bastion of Shinagawa, and they showed their intention to fight a protracted war outside the home of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Seeing that the Allied Forces of the Four Nations, especially the Qing soldiers, were preparing to take root at the doorstep of the Tokugawa shogunate, Abe Masahiro, Tokugawa Qiaki and others finally became unable to hold on any longer. In a panic, they sent troops one after another.
There were several waves of casualties. In the last time, an army of tens of thousands was even organized to storm the simple bastion of Shinagawa. As a result, they suffered heavy losses due to the combined firepower of the opponent's land and sea. Thousands of people lay dead in front of the Shinagawa bastion.
After this battle, the adults of the Tokugawa shogunate finally realized that if this state of fighting and talking continued, it would only further weaken the prestige and force of the shogunate. Although there was a serious surplus of samurai in Japan at this time, with at least a few
One hundred thousand, maybe even hundreds
Thousands of people. But the vast majority of them are "corporals" with no title. They are not even samurai warriors strictly speaking. There are only more than 20,000 direct samurai directly under the Tokugawa shogunate. Even these direct samurai
The retainers of the samurai are the retainers of retainers,
There are over 100,000 people in the sky.
Among them, there will be no more than 50,000 capable people who can actually go to the battlefield. Moreover, most of this group of people have to be stationed in various places. Most of them have official duties to take care of. It is impossible for them all to concentrate on fighting in Edo. This group of people
People are not so much professional soldiers as they are civil servants of the shogunate.
Therefore, the mobile troops that the shogunate can mobilize are very limited.
As for recruiting rogues or corporals from various vassals who have no family income to go into battle, it also involves the expansion of the shogunate's direct staff - recruiting people one by one to join the battlefield to fight against the Qing Dynasty, the French, the British, and the United States. There must always be a direct staff position.
And a family salary, right?
This direct counselor to the shogunate is not someone who can be recruited and left immediately. It is a position that can be passed down to children and grandchildren, similar to the Eight Banners Soldiers of the Qing Dynasty next door.
This requires an expansion of recruitment by 20,000 to 30,000 people at a time. Even if the average salary is only 50 dan, 100 to 1.5 million dan will be spent.
And how many geniuses did the Tokugawa shogunate have? Of the existing 5,000 flags and more than 10,000 non-flag ginseng, a lot has been eaten up. Moreover, the shogunate still has many miscellaneous expenses to deal with. It has long been unable to make ends meet, and there is no surplus at all.
Used to expand direct recruitment.
Moreover, the hastily recruited direct staff would probably not be able to defeat the well-equipped and well-trained Nanyang New Army of the Qing Dynasty. If they lost again, it would be hard to say whether the Tokugawa shogunate could continue to maintain its strength.
So after some calculations, Abe Masahiro, Matsudaira Norizen, Hotta Masumu and other senior middlemen, as well as a group of Hakuma daimyo in Edo headed by Tokugawa Saiaki and Shimazu Saibin finally reached an agreement and agreed to accept
A peace treaty that humiliates the country.
In Yuyuan Dianchun Hall, the freshly baked and somewhat "warm" treasonous treaty was now in the hands of Weng Tong and Ronglu, and their eyes widened.
As officials of the Qing Dynasty, they had seen all kinds of unequal treaties, but this was the first time they had seen an unequal treaty in which the Qing Dynasty was the beneficiary!
"Japan paid an indemnity of 300,000 taels of gold to the Qing Dynasty...:.:" When Rong Lu read out this sentence, his voice trembled a little, "Xue Shuai, did you really get the gold?"
"Of course!" Luo Xueyan said with a smile, "Can we retreat without getting the gold?"
"That gold...\n." Ronglu asked tentatively.
"All the gold was paid to England and France to buy machinery and equipment for steel plants and shipyards, and to hire craftsmen." Luo Xueyan said with a smile, "When the steel plants and shipyards in Shanghai are completed, we will have the people to build railways in the Qing Dynasty.
Railroads, materials for making guns, cannons, and ships are also available, and you can also make your own steam gunboats! Even if our Qing Dynasty embarks on the road of self-improvement, sooner or later we will become a real great power!"
In other words, the imperial court cannot touch even a tael of gold...
1
Ronglu suppressed this thought that was not conducive to unity, and then looked down.
"Japan handed over all the territory on South Sakhalin Island to the Qing Dynasty and recognized that the sovereignty of Sakhalin Island belonged to the Qing Dynasty...:::. South Sakhalin Island was occupied by Japan?"
Hearing Ronglu's question, Luo Xueyan was a little bit dumbfounded. He didn't even know that his land was occupied by the Japanese!
How did you become officials of the Eight Banners?
"They have been occupied for more than a hundred years!" Luo Xueyan said calmly, "This Sakhalin Island is occupied by Russia in the north and Japan in the south...\n.:... Now South Sakhalin Island can be taken back
Yes, but we have to send troops to garrison it. Sakhalin Island is Beiyang’s territory, right? Zhonghua,
When you go back, talk to Prince Gong and ask him to send troops there quickly!"
"We still have to send troops...
Ronglu thought to himself: "Where can we send troops? And you don't have to spend money to send troops?"
"Of course we have to send troops! That is the territory of the Qing Dynasty, an inheritance passed down from our ancestors!" Weng Tongyi said sternly on the side, "What if we don't send troops, and the Russians will occupy it later?"
It is indeed Qingliu....\n.\n. No, he is not Qingliu now, he is the leader of the donation class!
But this makes sense!
"Yes, yes, we must send...
Ronglu didn't dare to say that we don't want the inheritance of our ancestors anymore. What would he do if Luo Xueyan took part in his book?
It's just that we won the battle with Japan...\n. There was no gold to be found, but there was an extra Sakhalin Island to garrison!
"And...:.\n. The Qing Dynasty wants to set up concessions in Nagasaki and Osaka?" Ronglu saw another strange thing, "And it also wants to send consuls to manage these two concessions?"
This one seems good!
Ronglu has also been asking people about some things in Japan these days, and he knows that Nagasaki and Osaka are good places, and he should be able to make money by enclosing a concession.
"The Nanyang Minister's Office will handle this matter," Luo Xueyan said with a smile, "The court doesn't have to worry about it."
Of course, the benefits cannot be ceded to the court....
Ronglu looked back at Weng Tong, asking him to help him say something.
Weng Tong nodded and said: "The Japanese Concession and the sending of consuls to Japan are indeed matters that should be handled by the Minister of Nanyang...:.\n.\n. Such matters should not trouble the Emperor and Prince Gong."
If there is oil and water, give it to Nanyang. If there is trouble, the court will take responsibility?
Ronglu thought of this and glanced at Weng Tongjue and Qian Zhenlun who were accompanying him, and seemed to understand something.
This Weng Tong...it seems he has no plans to return to Beijing to become an official!
However, Ronglu is not the kind of rotten official who can't figure things out. His purpose of coming south this time was not to compete with Luo Xueyan for Japan's interests. He was working as a messenger for Concubine Yi.
"Xue Shuai," he handed the treaty text in his hand to Weng Tong, then took out the autographed letter from Concubine Yi that he had been holding in his hand for several months, and handed it over with both hands, "This is the autographed letter from Concubine Yi to you.
.\n...\n. Concubine Yi's sister will be coming to the south this year, so she wrote you this letter first and asked me to bring it to you in Shanghai. It should have been handed over to you a long time ago.
, I didn’t expect that because of the war with Japan, it has been delayed until now.”
"Oh?" Luo Xueyanyi, "Concubine Yi, did you write to me?"
Isn’t Concubine Yi Cixi?
Luo Xueyan said in her heart: "Cixi wrote to me...is this appropriate?"
It’s up to you to see if it’s suitable or not! They’ve all been sent to you.
So Luo Xueyan gave his aide Zhao Liewen a wink, and the latter immediately took the envelope, took out the letter paper inside, and handed it to Marshal Luo with both hands.
Luo Xueyan took the letter and looked at it, her eyebrows slightly raised: "What? Concubine Yi wants me to report to the court to invite the Eight Banners soldiers to go south? She also wants me to spend money to buy the position of governor of Jiangsu? This...\n
.\n.\n”
Ronglu smiled and said: "Xue Shuai, this is also the emperor's intention! Concubine Yi just sent a message for the emperor. It is a good thing to buy the governor of Jiangsu, you can go ahead. This invites the Eight Banners soldiers to go south...\n. It's not true.
Chapter completed!