Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 620 Obvious Changes

The Ottoman delegation spent two months in the capital, during which Ibrahim and Muhammad went through a mental journey from initial confidence to near despair.

It wasn't until they heard that Jia Lian had returned to the capital that their confidence was restored! They immediately prepared a generous gift and, according to Chinese custom, presented a visiting card.

Jia Lian, left in the palace, secretly became more vigilant in the face of Li Yuan's ambitious gaze.

"The Ottoman Turkish delegation has been in Beijing for over two months, and I observe that you all seem unconcerned, spending your days strolling around in small groups. A report from the European military survey team states that this country's military strength is poor, having been repeatedly defeated by Tsarist Russia for decades. The Prince of Xining has sent word that the situation has been tense with constant fighting in the buffer zone over the past six months. I fear that an alliance with Turkey would provoke Tsarist Russia and invite a counterattack. If the Prince of Xining then seeks help, assisting him would be costly and time-consuming; refusing to assist him might allow Tsarist Russia to take advantage of the situation. I humbly request your analysis of this matter."

Li Yuan had developed a habit of consulting Jia Lian on foreign affairs; it wasn't that Jia Lian wouldn't offer advice, but rather that he couldn't explain it clearly. Li Yuan had also realized that the court officials' minds were entirely focused on internal affairs. After the new emperor ascended the throne, there was little room for change domestically, making significant progress difficult. The only way to achieve anything was through foreign policy. With this basic assessment, Li Yuan's policy direction became essentially clear.

Jia Lian understood Li Yuan's intention. After pondering for a moment and carefully crafting his words, he slowly spoke: "Your Majesty does not consider me dull-witted to have consulted you. I will do my utmost to provide Your Majesty with reference information for decision-making. Please grant me the map!" Li Yuan immediately signaled Hu Min to bring the map, which was then hung on the wall and unfolded.

Jia Lian stood before the map, pointing to it, and said, “Your Majesty, please look. The Ottoman Empire is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, a geographically extremely important position. During its zenith, the Ottoman Empire besieged Vienna thirteen times, approaching Western Europe. The whole of Europe united to ultimately curb its expansion. Only after Europe entered the Age of Exploration and plundered vast amounts of wealth from overseas was it able to repel the Ottoman Empire. After a brief victory, European nations quickly descended into infighting, with Spain, the Netherlands, and England successively becoming maritime superpowers. This coincided with the rise of Tsarist Russia and its westward expansion. Tsarist Russia considered itself the successor to the Eastern Roman Empire, and its Tsar's title means Caesar, one of the ancient Roman emperors. This clearly demonstrates Tsarist Russia's ambitious nature; it is indeed a formidable enemy.”

He paused to observe Li Yuan's reaction, and seeing his intense focus, Jia Lian continued. After all, this was the emperor; once on the throne, his desire for control was immense. Regardless of his words, no one could truly know his thoughts. Trying to fathom the emperor's intentions was best avoided; the best approach was to guide him gradually, as is the case now. It might be slow to show results, but it was a safe and reliable method.

"The most important city of the Ottoman Empire was Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople. It was the symbol of the Eastern Roman Empire, a place that Tsarist Russia was determined to conquer. Because of this place, the war between Russia and Ottomans would last at least another thirty years. At present, the Western European powers were focused on destroying the French Republic and could not attend to the Ottoman Empire for the time being. European countries have no reputation for trust, and so-called contracts are only meant to be torn up. Surrounded by wolves, the Ottoman Empire was severely insecure. Therefore, it sought the East and sought a powerful partner."

Jia Lian listened and looked again, and Li Yuan even took out his notebook. He continued, "In the long run, because European countries are not good at civil administration, their strategies are all about easing domestic conflicts through outward expansion. European royal families intermarry with each other, yet they are also rivals, often fighting each other for interests. Now that France has abolished the monarchy, it is unacceptable to European countries. Once France is defeated and Europe returns to peace, all countries will definitely turn their attention outward and continue their overseas colonial plundering strategies. Therefore, our country and the Western European powers will inevitably have a struggle for overseas interests, and once the conflict intensifies, it will inevitably break out into conflict."

This time, it wasn't just a vague discussion like in the letter; it was quite clear. Even if Li Yuan was foolish, he would understand that unless he abandoned his policies of foreign expansion and colonization, conflict was inevitable.

"I understand. Based on what you said earlier, the strategy of aiding the Ottomans was to delay the expansion of European countries."

"Your Majesty is wise and insightful. The current window of opportunity will not last long, at most twenty years. France alone will eventually be defeated. From a national strategic perspective, we should make full use of this window of opportunity to strengthen the Ottoman military and weaken the European powers. At the same time, we should accelerate the pace of immigration and assimilation of various parts of Southeast Asia, make full use of the strategic advantage of the Strait of Malacca for defense, and send caravans to provide military assistance to various parts of India, thus bogging down the British. If all goes well, our country will enjoy a hundred years of peace."

Li Yuan couldn't help but clap his hands in praise: "Sir, your insight is brilliant! I know what to do now."

Jia Lian humbly replied, "Your Majesty has merely spent some time mastering external information. Your Majesty makes decisions based on the information I possess; this is simply the system of our dynasty."

The last sentence silenced Li Yuan. He stood with one hand in front of him and the other behind his back, staring blankly at the map, his mind already wandering far away.

At this moment, Li Yuan's heart was extremely unsettled, mainly because he was provoked by Jia Lian's last words.

The current dynasty's system sounds simple, but how many of the officials in the court actually act within the framework of the system?
Since ascending the throne, the cabinet has handled most government affairs by processing them first and then reporting them to higher authorities. If it cannot handle a matter, it will have Lee Yuan Lai stamp it before it is implemented.

If it weren't for Jia Lian's series of actions, Emperor Li Yuan wouldn't have had much of the pleasure that comes with power.

After a long while, Li Yuan lowered his head and saw Jia Lian standing solemnly to the side. His heart stirred slightly. At any time, the Master would be the same, and it would not change because I am a prince or the emperor.

Yes, there have been changes, but Li Yuan didn't notice them. Or rather, the cabinet members, out of habit, did many things that displeased Li Yuan, and the emperor didn't feel respected enough.

"Sir, you've mentioned the external, but what about the internal? Don't you want to talk about it?" Li Yuan asked with a half-smile.

"Your Majesty, I can only do my duty in domestic affairs. I will resolutely carry out orders from above and will not interfere in court politics. Doing so would be disrespectful to Your Majesty and the Grand Secretaries, and would not be conducive to harmonious coexistence."

The phrase "mingling with the world" silenced Li Yuangan; so many rotten things were covered up by these four words.

"Sir, you know me, and I trust you! I await the day you join the cabinet." Li Yuan realized that Jia Lian was truly unwilling to offer any opinions on the existing cabinet, so he could only hold Jia Lian's hand and try to appeal to his emotions first.

Jia Lian's acting skills were superb; his eyes instantly reddened, and he bowed deeply, clasping his hands: "Your humble servant is willing to follow the example of Marquis Wu!"

"Good, good, good! In that case, I entrust the matter of cooperation with the Ottomans to you, sir." Jia Lian is now the only minister Li Yuan can trust.

"Your humble servant obeys, but Minister Li of the Cabinet..." Jia Lian began, but Li Yuan interrupted him, "Rest assured, my dear minister, I have my own arrangements. I grant you a ten-day leave, and we will discuss it further after that."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will take my leave now!"

Watching Jia Lian leave, Li Yuan recalled the previous scene and couldn't help but secretly say to Hu Min with satisfaction, "Hu Min, I have won Jia Lian's heart!"

"This servant congratulates Your Majesty! From now on, you can rest easy!" Hu Min understood Li Yuan and knew that what he had always worried about was gaining and losing the throne. Now that he had Jia Lian's loyalty, his throne was truly secure.

Most importantly, Jia Lian wasn't particularly ambitious for power; he was a capable minister. This was a consensus among both emperors.

When Li Qing received Li Yuan's message, he didn't hesitate at all and immediately complied. He issued an official document, went through the cabinet procedures, and then submitted it to Li Yuan for his seal.

During Jia Lian's vacation at home, Li Yuan noticed some changes in the cabinet, especially in Fang Song's department. Now, for any major issues, they were no longer handled first and then submitted, but were submitted first with several proposed solutions for the emperor to choose from.

This change was very pleasing. Li Yuan even deliberately made a small move: on a certain matter, he didn't choose Fang Song's advice but made a decision according to his own ideas. He thought Fang Song would come and cause trouble, but to his surprise, Fang Song didn't resist at all and simply did as he was told.

With Fang Song taking the lead, the other cabinet ministers, who were not fools, immediately saw through the scheme and followed suit.

As a result, Li Yuan recently discovered that the work attitude of the cabinet ministers has changed; they are asking for instructions more often and acting on their own initiative less.

Because this change occurred after Jia Lian returned and was kept behind for a long talk by Li Yuan, Li Yuan couldn't help but wonder if the cabinet ministers were worried that Jia Lian had reached an agreement with them, which was why they made the change.

Regardless, Li Yuan was pleasantly surprised and became even more certain of his strategy of using Jia Lian to check and balance the cabinet.

After Jia Lian's holiday ended, he took the official documents to the Court of State Ceremonial, where they had been notified in advance and were prepared to receive him.

"Gentlemen, His Majesty's trust is something I am deeply grateful for. I humbly request your full assistance in handling this matter." Jia Lian said politely, and the entire Honglu Temple responded in unison.

Even those who had ideas dared not express them. Jia Lian's past record is well-documented; no troublemaker escaped being dealt with severely.

The worst fears of the Honglu Temple did not materialize. Jia Lian did not immediately begin auditing the accounts, but instead focused solely on negotiating and cooperating with the Ottoman Empire.

Having waited for over two months, Ibrahim was now even more anxious. He had accepted the generous gifts, but received no response to the visiting card. He wondered if Jia Lian had managed to persuade the cabinet and the emperor; it was truly a difficult situation.

The key figure is the emperor; in this country, the emperor holds the greatest power.

Upon receiving the notification from the Court of State Ceremonial, Ibrahim immediately convened a meeting and ordered everyone not to go out.

After arriving in the capital, the members of the delegation really let loose, revealing their ugly, country bumpkin-like behavior in the city.

There's really nothing we can do about it. Whether it's the Ottoman Empire or Europe, sewage and unidentified objects everywhere are just normal occurrences.

In contrast, the capital of the Zhou Empire had neat, clean, and hygienic streets, with no pungent odors when walking through them.

What attracted the delegation members the most was the variety of delicious food; they simply couldn't resist it.

It can only be said that the members of the Ottoman Empire's delegation were quite restrained; none of them ate forty apples in one meal and died from overeating.

The next morning, the delegation members boarded the chariots that had been brought to the main hall of the Honglu Temple, where a negotiating table had been set up.

Jia Lian greeted him with a smile, took Ibrahim's hand and said, "Old friend, leave the negotiations to your subordinates. As a friend, it is my duty to treat you well."

After saying this, Jia Lian took Ibrahim away and left the negotiations to others.

The two went to a nearby restaurant, went up to the second floor that Jia Lian had booked, and after dismissing all outsiders, Jia Lian invited Ibrahim to sit down.

Such a large-scale operation made Ibrahim's scalp tingle instantly. Could it be that there was enormous resistance?

"I have met with His Majesty and we talked for three hours. It is difficult to meet all of your country's demands, and I regret that." Jia Lian's opening remarks left Ibrahim somewhat disappointed.

"Could you tell me more details?" Ibrahim asked cautiously, still clinging to a sliver of hope.

"The main obstacle comes from the cabinet, which lacks confidence in your country's ability to pay. Secondly, there is the issue of technology transfer, which the cabinet cannot agree with. The biggest obstacle is the issue of military alliances, which all the cabinet ministers oppose, believing that our country does not need to participate in European affairs and should just focus on doing business and making money."

The words "military alliance" immediately made Ibrahim's eyes light up. "I didn't make that request," he thought. "I made a request for military cooperation."

Suppressing his excitement, Ibrahim slowly asked in a low voice, "My friend, please do your best in the matter of the military alliance. Our country will not treat its friends unfairly."

Jia Lian waved his hand casually: "Don't even think about an alliance. His Majesty has already explicitly rejected it. Unless Russia goes to war with our country, there is no possibility. The reason I brought up an alliance was simply to set a higher bar for the cabinet and the emperor. It was just a little trick. Now, let alone an alliance, even military cooperation faces great resistance, and it will be difficult to reach a good result."

Ibrahim said somewhat dejectedly, "It seems I was overthinking it."

Jia Lian nodded: "Let's take it slow. The main problem is that our military inspection team did not give a high evaluation of your country's naval and army capabilities. The cabinet is worried that the investment will be too large and the costs will not be recovered."

Ibrahim sat up straight again: "Our country has achieved many victories on the battlefield using the weapons provided by your country. How can your inspection team make such irresponsible statements?"

Jia Lian sneered dismissively, "How could I possibly make things up? Based on what our personnel have seen and heard on the battlefield, their assessment is that your navy would crumble at the first contact with the Russian navy, its combat effectiveness is extremely low. Your army is poorly trained, lacks fighting spirit, and has low tactical capabilities. These are conclusions drawn by a group of professional military personnel, and I trust their judgment. To put it bluntly, with the same equipment, our army would achieve far greater results on the battlefield than yours."

Seeing Ibrahim's defiant look, Jia Lian continued to stab him in the back: "Let's not talk about anything else. If your country's army marches 30 kilometers fully armed, can it quickly deploy for combat after arriving at its destination? Let me tell you the truth, this is one of the most basic capabilities we train!"

(End of this chapter)