nucmednet Chapter 126 Controlling Li Zhongtang
Chapter 126 Controlling Li Zhongtang
Shen Lian made a move as if he was about to jump out of the car.
"Zhiyuan!" Old Li grabbed Shen Lian's hand urgently. They couldn't let Shen Lian actually investigate; that would only confirm his guilt.
If the whole world knew that he had so much money in the Japanese bank, he would be branded a traitor and a sellout.
Then he'll truly be infamous for eternity!
"Your Excellency need not worry, the Japanese can't cause any trouble. I can just plunder some silver to fund the war effort! Hehe!"
"Zhiyuan, this matter is of great importance. Shall we discuss it further?" Li Zhongtang said, gripping Shen Lian tightly with a pleading expression.
"Your Excellency, you...you really did accept their money?" Shen Lian asked in surprise.
Li Zhongtang's face flushed red and then turned pale, and he lowered his proud head.
"Alas! Your Excellency, do you know how much of an impact this news will have if it gets out? You..." Shen Lian said with great distress.
"Zhiyuan, I was just trying to get the treaty signed as soon as possible. I really had no other choice! Zhiyuan, you must help me suppress this matter." Li Hongzhang cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.
"Sigh! I was thinking of confiscating the Yokohama Specie Bank to get some military funds and train more troops!" Shen Lian shook his head with difficulty.
"Zhiyuan, rest assured, you will be training troops in the future. I will definitely get the court to support you with military expenses. Our Liangjiang region is quite wealthy, and we can also support you with some of our funds!"
"From now on, whether in the court or in our stance towards the foreign powers, I will represent Liangjiang in supporting you. Furthermore, I still have some influence among the other governors-general and governors. I can also contact them to express my support for you."
To get Shen Lian to keep the matter of the silver a secret, Li Hongzhang kept offering conditions. Shen Lian was secretly pleased!
"Alright! I'll do my best to help Your Excellency suppress this matter! It's not good for the overall situation if this gets out now, sigh!" Shen Lian pretended to consider for a while before slowly nodding.
He dared not push Old Man Li too far! He desperately needed his support right now. Besides, even if it were exposed, Old Man Li would vehemently deny it, and no one could do anything about it. At most, the common people would just criticize him.
Seeing that Shen Lian had agreed, Old Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'll leave it to Zhiyuan! I'll definitely repay you handsomely in the future!"
. . . . . .
Now that all the negotiators have arrived, the negotiations should begin immediately, as neither side wants to wait.
Before negotiations, it was essential for both sides to reach a consensus. Shen Lian invited Yikuang and Li Zhongtang to the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry), where the negotiations would be held the following day.
"We are unsure of the court's strategy. We would appreciate your guidance, Your Highness!" After the three bowed and sat down, and dismissed all the irrelevant personnel, Shen Lian nodded and looked at Yi Kuang.
"The court's intention is, of course, to reach an agreement as soon as possible so that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor can return to the capital. As long as the demands of the foreign powers are not too harsh, giving them some benefits is acceptable."
"Our great nation doesn't care about such things! The main thing is to appease them to prevent the foreign powers from sending troops again. Wouldn't that mean another devastation and displacement of the people?" Yikuang said righteously.
Shen Lian curled his lip. To put it bluntly, he just wanted to settle things with money! Anyway, the Qing Dynasty was used to ceding territory and paying reparations whether it won or lost. As long as it didn't affect their ruling position, that was fine.
This was all within Shen Lian's expectations! However, since he was here this time, he certainly couldn't do something so shameless.
Li Zhongtang didn't speak. He had already said he would stand with Shen Lian, so naturally he wanted to hear Shen Lian's opinion first.
"Prince Qing, Minister Li, before we make a decision, I would like you to meet someone. This person is well-versed in both Chinese and Western learning, and has studied in the West for many years, so he has a very good understanding of the great powers."
"Let him give us a briefing on the relationships between the Western powers and the current situation in the West." Shen Lian didn't offer any opinions; instead, he introduced the man.
Oh! My Great Qing Dynasty still has such people? Yikuang and Li Zhongtang exchanged a glance. Then let's meet them!
"Your humble servant Gu Hongming greets Your Highness, Minister Li, and Lord Shen!" Gu Hongming entered and bowed to the three men.
“Mr. Licheng, there’s no need for such formalities. Quickly explain the Western political landscape to the Prince and Li Zhongtang.” Since Yikuang and Li Zhongtang didn’t recognize him, Shen Lian naturally took over the role of greeter.
“Your Highness, gentlemen, why don’t you come over here? I’ll explain it to you using this globe, and you’ll be able to understand it more clearly.” Gu Hongming walked to Shen Lian’s desk, where a globe the size of a person’s embrace was placed.
This thing was made by Emperor Kangxi himself; if it were in modern times, I don't know how much it would fetch at auction. Shen Lian also had several other globes, which he found while inventorying the treasures looted by the Eight-Nation Alliance.
There were even pieces from the Ming and Yuan dynasties. The most magnificent one was a piece made by Emperor Qianlong himself, all gilded bronze, gleaming with gold. It was also inlaid with gemstones and pearls. Such a thing was too conspicuous, so he secretly collected it.
"Your Highness, Your Excellencies, please take a look. The Western powers we are referring to now mainly refer to countries in Europe and the Americas. Among them, the strongest are several powerful nations in Europe..." Gu Hongming spoke eloquently, pointing to the globe.
"Among the great powers, there are strong and weak. The strongest are Britain, Germany, and France. Their army numbers are actually not large; their strongest force is their navy..."
Gu Hongming explained in great detail, detailing the history, strength, and status of various European countries, their relative power and the relationships and conflicts between them. Yikuang and Li Hongzhang listened with great interest. They had no idea they knew so much!
Shen Lian smiled wryly. He and Gu Hongming had discussed this several times over the past few days, using a globe. Shen Lian's extensive knowledge had even impressed the arrogant old man, who repeatedly exclaimed, "The younger generation is truly formidable!"
Gu Hongming was simply recounting what the two had discussed some time ago, and as he spoke, he was inwardly marveling at how Shen Lian, at such a young age, knew such detailed information about various countries.
"I never imagined there were so many twists and turns involved! Zhiyuan, is everything he said true?" An hour later, Yikuang shook his head repeatedly and sat down.
Li Zhongtang listened with great interest, constantly reviewing his own knowledge in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
"Yes, Your Highness, as far as I know, it's roughly the same as what he said! But it's not as detailed as Mr. Gu's account!" Shen Lian nodded.
"Mr. Gu is truly a man of great talent. May I ask where you work?" Li Hongzhang asked, his eyes gleaming. If such a talent were under his command, dealing with foreigners would be much easier in the future.
"Hehe! Mr. Gu was in charge of setting up the arsenal under Governor Zhang, but now he has agreed to come and help me! Hehe!" Shen Lian smiled slightly. He wasn't wrong, but Gu Hongming had insisted on following Shen Lian, wanting to learn Western knowledge from him.