Wild North America 1846

Chapter 623 Suspicious
Imperial Capital Chang'an
"Naughty..."

After learning the reason for the event at the venue, Emperor Li Cha smiled affectionately and tolerantly, but said a few words dotingly, and stopped paying attention.

The courtiers of the imperial government understood it, and immediately reduced the "venue incident" to a minor one, and turned a deaf ear to the Canadian government's strong protest.

London also remained surprisingly silent. After all, the Royal Navy has been tossing outside the port of Santos in Sao Paulo for so long, without even splashing a little water, and the muscles showed loneliness.

In this case, what other effective measures can be taken?
The good news is that after the summit, the Royal Navy Fleet has received invitations from the Confederate States of America and the United States of America to visit ports. They can visit various ports on the east coast on their return journey, and they will be warmly received.

The ports of the Datang Empire on the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean also welcomed the visit of the British Royal Fleet, showing their intimacy.

But this sense of intimacy makes people feel mixed feelings. After seeing the embarrassing situation where there is almost nowhere to set foot in the entire Americas, the British will no longer arrogantly think that they are invincible in the world.

At least the arrogance of the British Royal Navy doesn't work in America.Without the permission of the Tang Empire, even the supply port could not be found, let alone others?

The confrontation between Tang and Britain was very measured, and they tested the bottom line of the policy by showing each other's muscles, which can be said to be very rewarding.

Emperor Li Cha is in a good mood recently. The 52nd son of the emperor has just been born a few days ago, and several concubines in the palace have given birth. !

Taking advantage of the new gains from the empire's colonial development, Emperor Li Cha ordered a group of concubines and 20 princes to be conferred the title of untitled duke.

Untitled dukes are all second-class dukes, inferior in rank to the titled Grand Duke and the first-class duke of the empire. They only enjoy the noble title of duke and are granted mansions, but they do not have fiefdoms.

After becoming an adult, he can receive the royal family's salary, but his title of nobility will be downgraded from generation to generation, and it is not hereditary.

For example, in a family of second-class dukes, their sons descended to become marquises, and their grandchildren became earls. After descending to the last baron in this way, the next generation is a commoner.

However, if there are outstanding generations among the descendants who are honored with meritorious service, such royal descendants will be more likely to be promoted to titles, and even obtain the honor of hereditary nobility.

Fengqi Palace of the Eastern Palace
This is the residence of Empress Lin. The resplendent hall is spacious and bright. There are priceless treasures placed on the tall archaeological shelves. The ground is paved with top-quality Spanish beige granite slabs, which looks graceful, rich and magnificent.

above the hall
Emperor Li Cha and Empress Lin sat side by side on the dragon and phoenix couch, and the two sides were filled with concubines dressed up as Yingyingyanyan, as well as princes and concubines who entered the palace to pay their respects, a large number of underage princes, princesses, and empresses. Sun Rule stood on the side in a well-behaved manner.

The older ones are in their teens, and the younger ones are only three or four years old, but they already know the etiquette rules very well.

These princes and grandchildren took turns preparing to present their talents to His Majesty the Emperor, recited a few poems, sang a song or danced, which was full of rich royal warmth.

Every month, His Majesty the Emperor will set aside a day to meet with the princes, princesses, and grandchildren, and reward some palace cakes, beauty cream made by the inner secret, various exquisite gadgets, etc. Children are rewarded.

This is a day that all the family members of the palace long for, and it is also a joyful festival for children. Many children can only see Tianyan on this day and enjoy the precious joy of their father's care.

Just now three princesses of different ages sang a chorus of "Spring River Flower Moon Night". After singing, Emperor Li Cha called the three princesses to his side and asked a few words, and rewarded some exquisite gadgets, so that the three little princesses Excited faces glow.

After thanking His Majesty, he bounced back to the side.

"Over the years, Queen Lao has managed all such a large family business in the palace. I am so relieved to see that the princes and grandchildren are very well behaved!" The next prince who performed came up, nodded to indicate that it was time to start, and chatted with Empress Lin in his mouth.

Empress Lin turned sideways for a moment, and said in her mouth;

"The concubine has only done a little bit of duty. Your Majesty has been working day and night on the important affairs of the emperor at home and abroad, making decisions on the well-being of hundreds of millions of people. What he has done are all earth-shattering undertakings.

A courtier and concubine, a mere female stream, anxious but unable to help at all, she can only help His Majesty to recuperate the inner palace and do all her duties.

The sixth house is safe, and His Majesty can concentrate on the big things outside.

The only thing the concubines are worried about is His Majesty's dragon body, although His Majesty is extremely talented, far beyond what ordinary people can look up to.

But after all, sex is a bone-scraping steel knife, no matter how strong the body is, it can't stand the grind of those vixen, this is what the concubine is most worried about.

Thinking of my Great Tang Empire, which has thousands of miles of territory and is rich in billions of people from all over the world, all of them were developed by the emperor, and it is impossible for your majesty to sit at the center for a moment to stabilize the world.

My concubine hopes that His Majesty will take good care of himself, take care of the world and the great cause of the empire, and take good care of the dragon body! "

Hearing Empress Lin mentioning this matter again, Emperor Li Cha coughed slightly in embarrassment, and then replied;
"What the queen said is very true. I should be more restrained. The weekly tour is reduced from the previous 5 days to three days, and the signs are placed every three to five days. Is that good?"

"Your Majesty accepted advice wisely, and concubines congratulated the subjects of the world and the empire, and they were extremely terrified."

"The empress is too humble, um...hehe...not bad, reward!"

Emperor Li Cha saw that the young prince below had performed, so he rewarded him with a warm smile, and the coaxed child jumped up and left excitedly.

What Empress Lin said was true, although His Majesty the Emperor is over forty years old, he is still fierce, and the lucky concubines are changed every day.

Sometimes, even several young girls and concubines go into battle together, trying their best to make His Majesty happy.

Nowadays, the old concubines no longer serve the emperor. Most of them have raised princes and princesses. The ancient Qingdeng Buddha cultivated their hearts and minds.

The [-] young ladies who were recently drafted into the palace were only fourteen or fifteen years old, and they were all fair-skinned, beautiful, and long-legged types that the emperor liked.Especially the ones with lordosis and back warping are more favored, and I have been lucky enough to go through it in a few months.

With so many little vixens obsessed with him, how many nails can His Majesty beat even if his whole body is covered with iron?

Fortunately, His Majesty and Empress Lin have a deep relationship, and they would come to the East Palace to rest for a day every week, to chat with the Empress, to chat about the family affairs in the palace, and the marriage matters of the prince and princess.

Generally speaking, His Majesty the Emperor would not bother with these trivial matters, and it was all based on Empress Lin's opinion.

This established Empress Lin's lofty prestige in the six palaces, even if she was a favorite concubine, she was unshakable, and there were fewer disputes involving acid and jealousy.

The happy time is always short. After more than two hours, Emperor Li Cha saw that some young princes and grandchildren were starting to doze off, so he raised his hand and said;
"Let's go here, pass on my will to give the banquet, and the queen will share it with all the concubines and children, so there is no need to be restrained.

I am a little tired, so I drive back to the palace. "

"The courtiers and concubines are sending you off to Your Majesty, long live your majesty, long live, long live!" The queen and all the concubines saluted together.

Emperor Li Cha waved his hands, strode away, and then returned to the palace on a lion and tiger cloud chariot.

If Shengjia were here, all the concubines and princes and grandchildren would inevitably be restrained, and the food would be neither happy nor lively.

Sure enough, when the figure of His Majesty the Emperor disappeared outside the hall.From the Fengqi Palace, the children were laughing loudly, even with Queen Lin's majesty, they couldn't suppress it, and the joy filled the entire palace.

after dinner
The twilight reflects the rippling Taiye Pool, and the golden sunset glow adds a royal atmosphere to the beautiful scenery of the palace, making it look solemn and peaceful.

Sitting on the cloud couch next to the Linshui Pavilion, Li Cha was surrounded by only a few white tigers lying prone, including a white liger, all lying lazily on the hall floor.

Since returning to the imperial capital of Chang'an after visiting the Nicaragua canal construction site last year, Emperor Richard has not been out of the palace for more than a year, so he is a little quiet and thinking about moving.

Originally at the Sao Paulo summit, Emperor Li Cha was going to join in the excitement by himself, but he was persuaded by all the courtiers, so he had no choice but to ask His Royal Highness Tang Li Gan to do it for him.

Emperor Li Cha was a restless master. In the past two years, the empire was facing a crisis of global economic recession, and the economic situation at home and abroad was quite severe, so he held his temper and sat in the imperial capital of Chang'an.

In order to stimulate social demand and stimulate consumption, the empire did not hesitate to launch the Second South American War, and vigorously promoted large-scale infrastructure construction, pulling the overall economy out of the quagmire of recession.

In 1872, the overall economy of the Tang Empire showed a rapid growth of 11.2%, and the situation was very good.

However, at the beginning of 1873, the world economic crisis suddenly hit. In the first quarter, the national economic growth fell precipitously to about 1%, facing the danger of continuing to fall to negative growth.

Through various favorable measures, the annual economic growth in 1873 was barely maintained at 4.33%. Compared with the negative growth of a large number of European countries, including Britain and France, this is already a very impressive achievement.

Only Germany can be compared with it. After paying a large sum of 50 billion francs in war reparations, Germany has made great efforts to develop infrastructure, industry and agriculture. In the case of a severe economic crisis, its economic growth has reached 7.3%, which is unique in the world.

Entering 1874, the imperial economy remained stable despite the intensifying world economic crisis, with an average growth rate of 4.75% in the first, second, and third quarters, showing signs of a steady improvement.

Another outstanding performer is still Germany. The economic growth in the first three quarters of 1874 was as high as 11.7%.

This is because the German economy is relatively small, and the degree of industrialization is still in its infancy. After receiving massive capital injections, the entire industrial and agricultural development began to take off, and the economy was extremely hot.

It is estimated that within two to three years, it will soon exceed the overall level of the French national economy.

in comparison

The British Empire actually fell into recession. From 1873 to the first three quarters of 1874, the overall economic recession ranged from -3.1% to -3.42%, and foreign trade exports in particular suffered a heavy blow.

According to the estimates of the Ministry of Finance of the Datang Empire, at some point in the second quarter of 1875, the overall economic level of the Datang Empire will surpass that of the United Kingdom, and thus sit on the throne of the world's largest economic power and achieve the first historic breakthrough.

By the end of 1875, the total population of the entire empire would exceed the 2 million mark, achieving the second historic breakthrough.

After nearly 30 years of struggle, the Datang Empire has finally achieved brilliant achievements that have attracted the attention of the world in the two fields of population and economic aggregate.

This made Li Cha feel sincerely proud. Over the past 30 years, he has overcome obstacles and led the Tang Empire to rise in North America, which has changed the situation in the entire America.

Next, what he wants to change is the world situation.

Time to early October 1874
Now Emperor Li Cha is most concerned about the 10-year turmoil in Xinjiang. Just like in the past, the cancer in Xinjiang has reached the point where it cannot be eradicated.

The Manchu Qing court also realized this, and planned to use the elite troops of Zuo Zongtang, governor of Shaanxi and Gansu Province, as the core, to enter Xinjiang to suppress the bandits and quell the chaos, drive out the Russians who made trouble in Xinjiang, and regain full control of this land.

The Xinjiang Rebellion originally originated from the Uyghur and Hui turmoil in 1864 (the third year of Tongzhi), which fragmented the rule of the Qing Dynasty.Five separatist regimes emerged in Ili, Kuqa, Urumqi, Kashgar and Hotan.

Coupled with the Agubai invasion in 1865, the Anglo-Russian forces were successively involved in the Xinjiang Rebellion, making the original situation even more complicated.

The weakness of the Qing court further contributed to the rampant rebellion. In 1865 (the fourth year of Tongzhi), the most powerful Yagubo first expelled Sidike, forcibly occupied the new city of Kashgar, and then captured Yingjisar.

In the same year, a 7000-strong Kokand defeated army defected to Yagubo, further strengthening its strength.

At the end of 1866 (the fifth year of Tongzhi), Yagubo trapped and killed Habibullah and annexed the separatist regime centered on Hotan.

In 1867 (the sixth year of Tongzhi rule), Yagubo eliminated the regime centered on Kuqa, and his forces reached Karashar (now Yanqi) and Korla, established the "Jedshar Khanate" and established himself as a khan.

In 1870 (the ninth year of Tongzhi), Aguba once again invaded northern Xinjiang and occupied Urumqi, Turpan and other places.So far, all of southern Xinjiang and parts of northern Xinjiang have been invaded by Agubai.

at the same time
In 1864 (the third year of Tongzhi), Tsarist Russia took advantage of the uprising of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang and forced the Qing court to sign the "Sino-Russian Exploration and Division of the Northwest Boundary", and occupied more than 44 square kilometers of territory in Northwest China.

Tsarist Russia launched a massive conquest against the Kokand Khanate, the Bukhara Khanate and the Khiva Khanate, and destroyed the above three countries in Central Asia successively.Then aggressively invaded the Yili area and tried to occupy Urumqi.

Tsarist Russia was attacking cities and territories in Central Asia, and the British were not idle. After completely conquering the Indian subcontinent, the British then turned their attention to Tibet and southern Xinjiang north of the Karakorum Mountains.

The British and Indian authorities sent people into southern Xinjiang many times to carry out activities. Aquba had doubts about Tsarist Russia and hoped to get British asylum.

As a result, the two sides hit it off, and on February 1874, 2, the British Mission of Sisses signed a formal treaty with Al Quebec, and the British traded in the area ruled by Al Quebec, stationed there and obtained many privileges.

The above circumstances show that
The ulcer in Xinjiang is getting worse and bigger, and it has already formed a serious threat to the rule of the Qing court. If the ulcer cannot be removed, it will spread from Xinjiang to Tibet, Qinghai and Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia regions, which may lead to the complete collapse of the Qing court's rule .

In particular, the insatiable desire of the Russians aroused the high vigilance of the Qing court. The Qing court ordered Jing Lian, Cheng Lu and others to lead the army to try to recover Urumqi and other places as soon as possible. take into account".

Zuo Zongtang, governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, was the main fighting faction in the Qing court. He had already been preparing for the possible recovery of Xinjiang. The emergency situation in Ili and Urumqi made him determined to open the road to Xinjiang in advance.

As early as January 1872, Xu Zhanbiao marched into Suzhou under Zuo Zongtang's order to open the way for marching into Xinjiang.

On November 1873, 11, the Qing army captured Suzhou and finally opened the way for the Qing government to send troops to Xinjiang.

At the beginning of 1874, Zuo Zongtang further dispatched Zhang Yao's "Songwu Army" to Yumen Pass, and dispatched Zhang Yao's troops to Hami to prepare for the army to enter Xinjiang.

many years ago
The Tang Empire has already granted kerosene monopoly rights to Shaanxi, Gansu, Huguang and other provinces, and through Hu Xueyan to transfer benefits to the Hunan Army, reaching a huge amount of 440 million taels of silver a year.

After 6 years of accumulation, the strength of Zuo Zongtang's troops has greatly increased, and the elite battalion heads have used smoothbore muskets. Among them, there are many core elites equipped with Mini rifles, and their combat effectiveness is quite impressive.

But what troubled Zuo Zongtang's efforts to regain Xinjiang's heart was the imperial court. The Qing court had a fierce party and government and serious internal strife.

The Qing court traditionally favored the "Fenghao old family" (mainly referring to the Manchu dignitaries) in the appointment of frontier officials, and still could not fully trust Han ministers like Zuo Zongtang, fearing that the tail would not be lost.

so far

Jing Lian and Jin Shun were still in charge of supervising the military affairs in Xinjiang. Zuo Zongtang, governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, was only in charge of transshipment of food and payment, and could not fully act as agent for frontier affairs.

Coupled with the lack of food and money in the imperial court, it was extremely difficult for the provinces to cooperate in payment, and it was impossible for Zuo Zongtang to make wedding clothes for others, so the matter was delayed.

This is the virtue of an agricultural country. Fighting a battle is like vomiting two liters of blood, which is extremely debilitating.

There is neither money nor food, and corruption and internal conflicts are serious. It can be said that every step is difficult, which makes people anxious and angry.

An example like the Tang Empire, the Manchu Qing could not learn from it at all.

The Tang Empire produced too much food, too many industrial products, and too many agricultural and animal husbandry products.However, due to the international economic crisis, the export volume has been greatly reduced.

This requires large-scale consumption of production capacity through wars to ensure that factories are open, agricultural and animal husbandry products can be sold, and the overall economy maintains stable operation, so as not to fall into the quagmire.

Some people may question why the extra agricultural and animal husbandry products produced by the Tang Empire were not supported by the Qing Dynasty?
Since the end of 1874 in Shenzhou, there has been a great famine throughout the country. Insect plagues and plagues coupled with spring droughts and autumn floods have made the situation more and more serious.

This severe famine that has almost swept across most of the provinces of the country will last for several years, displacing tens of millions of people and killing countless people on the way.

It's not that simple

If you want to say which great power the Manchus fear most in today's world, it must be the Great Tang Empire at the head. The Great Tang, which guards against the Han Dynasty in everything, regards it as a serious threat to life.

From the perspective of the Manchu Qing court, Tsarist Russia wanted the land in the northwest, the British wanted benefits, and the Tang Dynasty wanted the life of the Qing court!
If Datang supported tens of thousands of tons of grain, I am afraid that the rulers of the Qing court would not be able to sleep. They would rather starve to death under their rule than accept such kindness.

(End of this chapter)