Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 616 Forced to Bow Down
Mulligan was telling the truth, that much is certain. During Britain's global colonial period, it was initially the work of private merchants, but later the government decided whether to intervene based on its own interests.

The Opium War, for example, was the result of a group of merchants pushing through Parliament.

Of course, the trade deficit is a very real problem. The British government hasn't felt the pressure yet, but it's hard to say what will happen in the future.

Jia Lian didn't care about the problems that followed, since the signs of Britain's rise to power were India and opening the doors of the Qing Dynasty through war.

I dare not say anything else, but Britain would absolutely not dare to act against China. Not only would it not dare, it would also worry that the Zhou Empire might covet India.

Aside from commercial interests, Jia Lian had absolutely no interest in India. After all, those local kings were truly wealthy!

"I personally am willing to respect the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between our two countries. If your government fails to handle the illegal activities of your businessmen properly, thereby affecting the friendly relations between our two countries, this is an outcome that neither of our countries wants to see. I have invited you here today to reiterate the principles of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between our two countries and to clarify our position. As the special envoy (imperial commissioner) with full authority to handle this matter, I have an obligation to inform your side of our position and to solemnly declare that the subsequent consequences are your fault and you bear full responsibility."

Jia Lian spoke in a low, rhythmic voice, delivering his words in a measured and unhurried manner.

Mulligan sensed immense pressure from Jia Lian's tone and expression, as if he could feel the power hidden beneath the calm surface of the water.

As a China expert and a representative stationed in Guangzhou's business district for many years, Mulligan knew this was an ultimatum; the most illustrious nobleman of the Zhou Empire was running out of patience.

"Please rest assured, Your Grace, I will convey your opinion back to the country in a timely manner. I also ask that your country exercise restraint to avoid unnecessary friction between the two sides." Mulligan was panicking inside and tried his best to reassure them.

Jia Lian waved his hand: "I have other official business to attend to, so I won't see you out!"

This meant they didn't want to continue the conversation. Mulligan was disappointed. He didn't want to leave, but the two burly men standing in front of him used body language to tell him that he had to go.

On the way back, Mulligan cursed and swore, cursing Sassoon, that damned guy.

Unfortunately, his curse would have no effect. The squid had already established itself in Britain and would gradually erode the host until he died.

Jia Lian had no intention of firing him. He would never forget that there was a group of people who were generously accepted by this country, yet more than a thousand years later they still did not consider themselves citizens of this country.

Jia Lian had an extremely negative impression of this group that considered themselves Celestial Dragons.

After numerous unsuccessful attempts, and realizing that the situation was beyond repair, Governor Maduro convened a meeting and announced that the efforts had failed and it was time to withdraw.

The meeting erupted into chaos, with almost all the merchants cursing the opium dealers, which quickly escalated into a brawl. Several merchants involved in the opium trade were beaten to death by a group of other merchants right there at the meeting, while Governor Maduro sat calmly, watching them being killed.

After venting their emotions, they still had to face the challenges ahead. The merchants began packing their belongings and leaving. It can only be said that the Zhou Empire was relatively lenient, giving them the opportunity to leave with their wealth.

Some businessmen with huge interests in Macau are still unwilling to give up, so they have chosen to move out of Macau and into the overseas business district in Guangzhou.

Rich people can leave whenever they want, but it's much harder for poor people to do so, since they're the kind of people who can't make a living in the country anyway.

It's impossible for these people to stay inland. Finding work in Southeast Asia isn't too difficult, since there's a demand for people everywhere. Large numbers of Spanish prisoners of war were able to survive in various parts of Southeast Asia back then.

For Europeans who remained in Southeast Asia, life wasn't too difficult. The Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry) had always welcomed non-natives. However, it wasn't easy either. Although they weren't subjected to systemic discrimination, the experience of being treated superior by the natives was gone.

Once the evacuation from Macau began, it couldn't be stopped. Ships left one after another, taking with them their accumulated wealth over the years.

The Governor of Macau requested that it take six months for the entire withdrawal to take place, which was considered a final effort to secure benefits for the local colonists and to fulfill the Governor's duty.

Having witnessed the Spanish suffer in Manila, the Portuguese had no courage to resist. Resistance meant losing everything!
Jia Lian agreed to the request, setting a six-month deadline, starting from the date the notice was issued, at which point the troops would enter Macau.

This move had a huge impact on European merchants in overseas business districts, as Portugal lost a leased territory that had existed for three hundred years simply because it had helped opium traffickers.

This punishment can be considered finalized! It also fully demonstrates the Zhou Empire's resolute attitude towards cracking down on the opium trade.

Some European businessmen wrote back home about this, and their business representatives sent the letters back as quickly as possible.

As for Europe's reaction, there was, of course, no reaction. Europe is currently busy uniting to deal with France.

The French Revolution had such a profound impact on Europe that the great powers had no time to spare for anything else. Even Tsarist Russia was temporarily unable to attend to Türkiye, its attention shifting to France.

The Ottoman Empire had not forgotten the grievances between the two countries. The new Pasha initiated reforms and made a series of demands on the Zhou Empire.

In other words, while Jia Lian was handling affairs in Macau and cracking down on the opium trade in mainland China, Ibrahim's fleet arrived in Guangzhou and was overjoyed to learn that Jia Lian was in Guangzhou.

When Ibrahim requested an audience, Jia Lian received him with relative warmth.

When Ibrahim met Jia Lian, he thought a lot, but he never expected that Jia Lian's cold smile would make it seem like he was about to stuff him into a sack and throw him into the sea.

"Friend! What's wrong with you? Don't you welcome me?" Ibrahim was flustered and his legs were trembling.

Jia Lian, of course, didn't give him a friendly look; this guy had done so many swindling and cheating things.

"Now that you are an envoy of your country, I will spare your life to avoid damaging relations between our two nations. Sit down and tell me what you need me for."

Having narrowly escaped death, Ibrahim's eyes darted around. He knew why Jalian was angry. As Pasha's most trusted Minister of Foreign Affairs and Commerce, he had indeed taken a little extra and harmed his friend's interests.

“My friend, I bring you Pasha’s latest will to strengthen cooperation and trade between our two countries and bring you greater business.” Seeing the man’s cunning eyes, Jia Lian’s expression grew even colder. He lazily waved his hand from his chair: “If you continue with your nonsense, please leave. I don’t have the energy to deal with you.”

Seeing this, Ibrahim dared not maintain his airs any longer. He quickly took out a translated document and handed it to Jia Lian, saying, "Please take a look, Your Excellency!"

Jia Lian took the document, casually opened it and glanced at it. Gradually, his expression softened, and he sat up straight, placing the document on the coffee table to examine it carefully.

The content is extensive, but the core idea is as follows: The two countries signed a further friendly cooperation agreement. The Ottoman Empire hoped to receive comprehensive military assistance from the Zhou Empire, including sending a military delegation to assist the Ottoman Empire in training a new type of army, a larger military procurement plan, a purchase order for up to 50,000 rifled flintlock muskets and 200 field guns, as well as production technology. There was also a purchase order from the navy for 200 naval guns of various calibers, and the production technology for naval guns.

However, it was difficult for private trade to proceed, mainly because the Ottoman Empire did not have a strong navy and could hardly guarantee its own maritime security. It could only rely on the Zhou Empire's merchant ships for transportation.

After reading the document, Jia Lian looked up with a much gentler expression, only asking with a hint of doubt, "Why doesn't your country's navy directly purchase warships?"

Ibrahim shook his head after hearing this: "It's not that I haven't thought about it, but the internal and external pressures are just too great."

After gesturing for tea to be served, Jia Lian said, "Tell me in detail."

Ibrahim was then certain that he wouldn't be thrown out the door today.

"Your Excellency is unaware that while our country possesses certain shipbuilding capabilities, what we lack is advanced naval gun manufacturing technology and processes. Therefore, the navy has proposed procuring a number of naval guns to acquire their production technology. In my opinion, their idea is extremely naive. If advanced production technology could be sold, we wouldn't even need to ask your country; the British have it..."

Ibrahim was telling the truth. Europe is still in the accumulation stage of technological explosion. After entering the 19th century, other aspects of Europe also improved, which led to a hundred years of technological explosion.

During the Napoleonic Wars, flintlock muskets were still in use. In the latter half of the 19th century, breech-loading rifles, Maxim guns, breech-loading cannons, and ironclad warships emerged, resulting in a dazzling explosion of military technology.

In the current situation, the Zhou Empire is undoubtedly ahead, which is due to its superior power. Because of internal wars, European countries are wary of the Zhou Empire.

The Ottoman Empire's ideas undoubtedly aligned with Jia Lian's meddling. A powerful Ottoman Empire would have been a significant constraint on the whole of Europe.

The Sixth Russo-Turkish War ended with the Ottoman Empire managing a stalemate thanks to the Zhou Dynasty's superior weaponry, a fact that greatly alarmed the Ottoman Empire. They had initially believed that with sufficient preparation, the Ottoman army would achieve a great victory. However, they nearly lost the war. It was only due to the outbreak of the French Revolution and the intervention of European powers that a ceasefire was reached.

Remember, it's just a ceasefire, not a treaty.

Türkiye doesn't not want to continue fighting; it's just that it sees it can't win if it continues.

Having realized the country's military weakness, Ottoman Pasha decided to implement reforms, primarily targeting the military.

How should we view this reform? It can be seen as an Ottoman version of the Self-Strengthening Movement.

This time, however, the Ottoman Pasha approached the Eastern Empire for a simple reason: the goods were of high quality, the distance was great, and there was no conflict of geopolitical interests.

While there were geographical advantages, the desert region itself didn't offer much benefit. Besides, the Persians on the other side weren't exactly benevolent either. The local natives frequently rebelled.

Ottoman Pasha repeatedly instructed that every effort must be made to promote the desert to the Eastern Empire, emphasizing its geographical value. After all, the indigenous people of that desert were unruly; nominally acknowledging Pasha as their master, the local chieftains were the true rulers. If the price was right, Ottoman Pasha wouldn't mind ceding suzerainty to the entire peninsula.

At present, the merchants of the Eastern Empire have not ventured deep into Europe; their ships have only reached the Persian Gulf. Their trading partners are still mainly the Ottomans. They have not abandoned Ottoman merchants and have not directly engaged in trade with the countries of Southern Europe.

Ibrahim was well aware that merchants from the Eastern Empire were not incapable of bypassing the Cape of Good Hope, entering the Mediterranean, and reaching Europe directly.

The reason for not doing so was probably due to considerations of friendly relations with various European countries. Even so, Eastern merchants took a significant step forward, trading directly with the Ottoman Empire and even initiating trade with the Persians. Entering the Mediterranean was only a matter of time.

The Ottoman Empire had to seize this window of opportunity to strive for deeper cooperation with the Eastern empire and to gain greater benefits through its own geographical advantages.

Ottoman strategists judged that the Eastern Empire's willingness to sell advanced weapons was not simply for commercial gain.

It was precisely because of this that Ibrahim brought a friendly delegation to visit, seeking military cooperation.

Ibrahim said a lot, he said everything he needed to say, and he talked non-stop for about half an hour before finally stopping.

Jia Lian listened patiently to him finish speaking, knowing that he had concealed a lot and was acting entirely out of interest to the Ottoman Empire.

Jia Lian didn't care about this and even deliberately pretended to be confused.

"I am personally very interested in military cooperation with your country, but that does not mean I can persuade the Imperial Cabinet. Our country has just experienced a period of national mourning, and the attitude of the new monarch will determine whether your country can achieve its goals."

Ibrahim immediately perked up, knowing that Jia Lian's attitude would have a huge impact on the subsequent negotiations.

"I know your attitude is important. May I ask what price our country will have to pay?"

Jia Lian smiled and shook his head: "Your understanding of our country is still far from sufficient. There is a powerful force within our country that opposes external expansion and cares more about internal governance and national stability. This force's almost obsessive resistance to external expansion is essentially because they cannot profit from it. Don't underestimate this force; their influence on the emperor is considerable."

Ibrahim was immediately taken aback, but after calming down, he cautiously asked, "Then, Your Excellency, what should I do? Or rather, what can the delegation do?"

Jia Lian shook his head: "I don't know either. I can only tell you one thing: I have a big conflict with the cabinet right now. Because of this, I was temporarily exiled here. Ostensibly, it was to deal with the illegal opium trafficking by European merchants, but in reality, the cabinet sent me away. My presence is preventing them from influencing His Majesty to accept their views."

These words left Ibrahim dumbfounded; he had no influence whatsoever in the internal struggles of the Eastern Empire.

(End of this chapter)