Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Sinophile Arthur Lee (2)

1854.

The heart of the British Empire London was turning breathlessly.

“War expenses! Securing war expenses is urgent!”

“Our fleet’s position?”

“How far did the frog bastards move?”

The war between Russia and Ottoman Turkey that broke out last year.

Britain and France united in the European way of thinking of blocking Russia’s expansion and protecting their commercial interests.

They participated on Turkey’s side together and threw a declaration of war at Russia.

The start of the Crimean War.

And now, to face the huge country Russia spanning the Eurasian continent they literally had to prepare a grand plan spanning the whole world.

“Russia intimidated Qing and tore off the Maritime Province land at the end of the Pacific.”

“Russia always coveted ice-free ports that do not freeze. The next target is definitely Joseon and Japan.”

“If Russians win over Japan that knows nothing and make them cooperate with themselves this is a diplomatic disaster! Must make Japan cooperate with us!”

“There is no room for doubt that the Far East Russian fleet will target our trade routes and conduct commerce destruction operations. We must first annihilate the Russian fleet.”

“Since Joseon received great help from us now must pay the price. Tell the Joseon army to attack the Maritime Province.”

Omit the explanation of why the Crimean War broke out and what is happening on the main battlefield Crimean Peninsula.

The important thing is the fact that the Far East also suddenly became a battlefield.

The British Empire parliament and cabinet quickly gathered consensus.

“Japan concluded a commerce treaty with Joseon a while ago.”

“Must not hesitate more. Must awaken the fact to Japanese that if not concluding a commerce treaty there will be bad results.”

Conclude a commerce treaty with Japan. Here even gunboat diplomacy is not hesitated.

If gunboat diplomacy finishes successfully the fleet immediately proceeds to the next mission, annihilating the Russian fleet.

If there is room also occupy the settlements in places like Kamchatka and Sakhalin Peninsula, Maritime Province where Russia is gradually extending hands.

In addition to this.

A new agenda had also come up.

“Joseon sepoys?”

“Arthur Lee warned of the possibility of a large-scale rebellion occurring in India, and proposed organizing religiously close to atheist Joseon people as new sepoys.”

“If keeping the Maritime Province attack in mind Joseon sepoys don’t seem a greatly bad choice...”

The money problem considering Joseon people’s labor costs that are cheap beyond compare was not greatly pondered. If money is really precious the form of forgiving the loans the Joseon government is shouldering is also possible.

Rather the East India Company had dissatisfaction with other matters than the Joseon sepoys themselves.

“Is the Burma conquest postponed again?”

“Burma is a weak country but has quite big interests. If we just shoot one gun can obtain Burma’s vast jade mining areas!”

Burma that will later be more known by the country name Myanmar.

Burma is the land where the most jade in the world is produced, and Chinese people coveted Burmese jade enough to start wars several times.

If securing Burma can solve the East India Company’s financial difficulties and the trade balance deficit occurring in China!

“Organize new Joseon sepoys even small and input into the Maritime Province direction front, and input Indian sepoys into the Burma conquest.”

“In the situation war with Russia broke out now war with Burma too? Are you in right mind?”

“Warring to sell opium was fine and securing Burma jade mines is hard? That... perhaps where did shame go?”

“I firmly opposed that war!”

Gladstone who took a seat in the cabinet as Chancellor of the Exchequer seemed like rats would fly from the head.

No one was reluctant to confront Russia.

But Gladstone who believes can obtain semi-permanent peace with dialogue and compromise was fed up with the reality that headache things like religious problems advance even to war.

“To dispatch 25,000 to the battlefield immediately needs additional 1.25 million pounds. Also this year’s budget will be a deficit budget reaching 3 million pounds.”

“Then meaning must additionally borrow 1.25 million pounds plus 3 million pounds?”

“No! 1.25 million pounds is funds needed immediately now! To conduct the war needs 7 million pounds more!”

War does not make money.

While performing the Chancellor of the Exchequer work Gladstone further solidified anti-war beliefs.

“Our Britain’s voters have the habit of believing if winning in war they will become richer through those interests. But even just looking at this vast war expenses now, no matter how bravely Her Majesty the Queen’s soldiers fight wars that leave profits enough to bear this vast funds are extremely rare.”

“That is so but.”

“If the Lord truly wanted creatures to war no way war is such a painful and expensive thing. War expenses are His will to punish the ambition and conquest desire boiling in our hearts. Must clearly show our voters how much war steals their property and these will also definitely ponder war once more!”

His solution was simple.

Raise taxes.

Raise income tax, and impose taxes even on alcohol and sugar.

“If war is that good of course must willingly enjoy tax increases too.”

“Minister. Complaints are coming out that the minister is protecting Joseon-”

“Joseon is not even our colony from the beginning what nonsense sound!”

He also received and read Arthur Lee’s request, and the pamphlet about the Indian great rebellion he prophesied.

Because Gladstone was a moral figure he naturally thought ‘Britain oppressing and exploiting locals this much if rebellion doesn’t occur that’s more strange’, but unfortunately not so for most British people.

“Arthur Lee is clearly inciting Indians’ rebellion!”

“Right!”

“How well did we treat those Indians, rebellion? A great uprising Hindus and Muslims holding hands and raising? Does that make sense!”

Arthur’s pamphlet that landed in London briefly received fierce criticism then was forgotten in everyone’s heads.

But Joseon sepoys had nothing bad so were accepted. From the beginning the party employing sepoys was not the British Empire government but the East India Company, and that East India Company was precisely Arthur’s front yard.

“Even if increasing sepoy employment places no particular loss.”

“The cabinet also hopes to expand our influence through sepoy employment.”

“If doing well might even incorporate Joseon into East India Company territory.”

In such expectations.

There was also a person who hit the jackpot completely out of the blue.

“Bring out the goods!”

“Bring out immediately!!”

“E, e, everyone calm a bit. Still under development-”

“Said explodes well! Then fine!”

“Stability problem a bit-”

“Know! Will buy more expensive so just sell! Shut up and sell!”

“Giving more money why so many complaints!!”

Nobel & Lee Chemical Factory.

Mysterious stock price surge.

***

The meeting with Zeng Guofan I originally set as goal fell through. Because the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was so rampant could not go see him on the battlefield.

And for me also a bit uneasy.

Must necessarily keep the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom alive.

If these guys collapse easily the next target is of course Joseon. To suck Qing for a long long time the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom must hold out.

Me doing various behind-the-scenes work for the preservation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom meeting the suppression army commander Zeng Guofan? If unluckily caught that day beheading or arrest ending on the spot.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is idiots.

This cannot be denied.

These guys are <​pseudo-religion theme based rebel armies> that bloom on the Central Plains continent whenever cooldown fills, unlike other rebels the anti-foreign power tendency is very strong so hostility toward Westerners is very strong.

Moreover not even won the war yet and swept in internal strife among themselves... keeping these guys alive is honestly speaking impossible impossible.

So I decided to do just one thing.

“Shi Dakai’s army is heading toward Sichuan direction?”

“Yes. Zeng Guofan is attempting pursuit but not going well.”

The land of jjajang, Sichuan.

Like Liu Bei’s Shu Han did early, if holing up in the Sichuan region and unfolding universe defense truly hard to attack from the Central Plains.

Instead aiming at the Central Plains from Sichuan is also very hard because the weight class difference is too big, but that is not my concern. I want the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to survive not hoping those guys unify the world.

After confirming the news that one group of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom army is crawling toward Sichuan, I proceeded to Beijing holding countless introduction letters received while exchanging with Qing intellectuals until now.

And.

“Daring shamelessly Joseon bastards sending envoys!”

“Prince Gong Your Highness. Behead the necks of those ungrateful Joseon bastards and declare war!!”

“No. Now must bestow grace on them and soothe with virtue. How can wage war with Joseon stuck in a mountain remote place now that the Central Plains is noisy?”

Eum.

Quite a fuss.

- Of course fuss! Then did you think those guys would welcome saying irasshaimase?

No. Why would Qing guys use Japanese.

But old men raising veins on the neck like that is embarrassing.

Here time to use <​symbol of friendship>.

- Symbol of friendship?

The sparkling and heavy guy.

[Hello? I am a silver bottle!]

[I am a gold ingot! Let’s get along!]

Under my instructions heavy boxes slyly entered all sorts of high officials’ mansions in Qing.

Those who received the symbol of friendship could not refuse my meeting request at all, and I immediately returned to sales warrior Park In-ho after a long time on the spot.

“Much hard work looking after military state affairs. I brought a bit of ginseng and cheongsimhwan from Joseon so please use comfortably looking after state affairs.”

“Aheo. Daring trying to bribe me with bribes?!”

What sound. Already bribed.

“This is to the end only small human feelings I brought from the heart admiring the great person.”

“Keuheum... where, then will just taste seeing the sincerity.”

British Empire citizenship is truly like invincible bulletproof armor, no matter how much Prince Gong rampages no matter of a knife sticking into my neck.

And I did not utilize the position of envoy directly either.

I visited holding the qualification of Joseon’s plenipotentiary, but a body holding no official post whatsoever except honorary posts for title decoration.

I who visited in pure personal qualification went around meeting other figures first instead of Prince Gong.

“Are you the British Lee Aseul who recently is making literary fame?”

“Just an insignificant student not worthy of literary fame.”

Confucian scholars.

Figures shouting Self-Strengthening under Prince Gong no answer no matter how much insert bribes.

But what about Confucian scholars who cannot help but be conservative inevitably?

A bit absurd, but the Confucian scholar with the highest fame in current Qing was neither Manchu nor Han.

“Heum. Your learning is much deeper than idiots only busy memorizing eight-legged essays.”

“Thanks to having a good teacher. From ancient times Joseon accepted the profound rites and music of the Central Plains first since Gija came east, how would I who grew there and learned learning look down on Chinese civilization?”

Ojegeolli Waein (Wo Ren).

How can a person’s name be Waein.

The name is Waein but he was not Japanese but Mongolian.

And not just Confucianism but Neo-Confucian scholar. Ultra-hardline conservative Taliban.

“But I also read that <​Japan Strategy> you wrote. Wrote a book clearly inciting hostility to Qing yet daring come all the way here. In right mind?”

“What I hope is only one. Peace and harmony of the East. Because the only way Eastern countries can endure invasion from Western powers is unity.”

“But?”

“However Qing as a great country not only not protecting vassals but ignored Joseon and Japan being trampled by the invasion of Britain, America, France like watching a fire across the river. And despite making the outrageous choice of submitting to invaders instead of displaying the majesty of the Middle Kingdom, did not sternly question the West’s sins and rather blamed the trampled Joseon. How can this be called a matter befitting the dignity of the celestial empire governing the world order?”

You guys first abandoned the lackeys and why bullshit.

Waein did not get angry.

Instead sighed long and clutched his head.

“The king was not like a king, that words.”

“<​Japan Strategy> is a book written for Japan that was abandoned by the parent and doesn’t know what to do. If Qing recovers the parent’s appearance of course must write a new book for them.”

“Unfortunately, Prince Gong who sold the country for his power then imprisoned the older brother and slaughtered the subjects his momentum is high so I who am just a commoner cannot help.”

Calling Prince Gong who grasped all power and only has ascending the emperor’s seat left a crazy traitor.

As expected Neo-Confucianism.

Whether you behead my neck or not say what to say holy cola. This is Confucianism. This is precisely civilization!

I immediately stood up from the chair and knelt with a thud.

“What are you doing!”

“Knowing that there is a person like the great person Qing’s national fortune has not yet declined. If just a few more persons like the great person Qing of course and Eastern countries will definitely be able to avoid miserable situations. Please introduce persons like the great person to me.”

Bind those opposing Prince Gong’s Self-Strengthening Movement into one and form a huge faction.

The start was very smooth.

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Author's note

Thank you to Bijinbu for your sponsorships!!

Tomorrow rest due to university hospital treatment 8ㅅ8