Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 658 Li Heng's Journey of the Heart

Hamilton finally met with the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, and after a morning of talks, he learned the attitude of the Zhou Empire.

Because the United States was established after rebelling against Britain as a colony, and given the friendly cooperation agreement signed between Zhou and Britain, Zhou's diplomatic approach towards the United States had to take Britain's attitude into account. Therefore, after comprehensive consideration, the United States was granted third-class diplomatic treatment, meaning its status was undetermined. Adhering to the principle of "guests are always welcome," economic and trade exchanges between the two sides could proceed normally, and an agency was established in the business district.

Hamilton tried very hard to explain the legitimacy of American independence, spouting a lot of rhetoric about fighting oppression and freedom, but to no avail.

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial played the role of a tool very well. You can say whatever you want, and I won't refute you, but the decision was made by those above, and it cannot be changed.

Hamilton cursed Britain inwardly, thinking that the British minister must have ruined his plans, lest he anxiously inquire again about how many countries had third-class diplomatic relations.

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies patiently explained to him that the Zhou Empire's diplomatic system consisted of two types. One was the tributary system, a privilege reserved for many surrounding small states. These states received the Zhou Empire's protection by paying tribute to its emperor. The monarchs of these states only had legitimacy if they received investiture from the Zhou emperor. The other type was the treatment given to Western countries, which was divided into three levels. Finally, he told him that, to date, only the United States held the third-level treatment.

Upon learning the devastating news that there was only one country receiving third-class treatment, Hamilton was thunderstruck and completely dejected.

The original plan was to elevate our status by formally establishing diplomatic relations with the Zhou Empire, but given the current situation, it might be better not to establish diplomatic relations at all.

Unfortunately, he dared not say it aloud, otherwise the entire ship would certainly not have made it back. Throwing them into the sea to feed the sharks would be the least of their worries.

As for how the conclusion that the status of the United States was undetermined came about, and why such a statement was used, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies did not explain, nor did he know; he simply acted according to Jia Lian's arrangements.

After agreeing on the date for the formal signing, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies' work wasn't finished yet. He still had to make a trip to visit the ministers of Britain, France, Russia, and Turkey, and at the same time, send correspondence to the consuls of each country in Guangzhou. The key was to ensure that everyone was properly informed and to avoid any misunderstandings. Due to the revolution, France was temporarily without a minister.

Upon hearing the news, the British minister laughed heartily, abandoning his supposedly gentlemanly humor, and directly stated that the definition of the United States' undetermined status was rational and objective, truly befitting the diplomatic style of an ancient civilization.

The Russian minister stated that the United States was a nation of criminals who should all be hanged. The Zhou Empire was too magnanimous, granting limited recognition to this country.

The Turkish ambassador stated that, as a friendly nation, Turkey fully endorses the views and decisions of the Zhou Empire and wholeheartedly supports them.

Of course, he wouldn't say a single good word for the United States just because Türkiye is now a major opium smuggler to Europe and America.

In this era, opium traffickers did not only harm one country, but they harmed everyone in the world.

Furthermore, Western countries have a long history of drug use and have never banned it; these are all considered chronic diseases.

As for which country in the world completely banned it at which time, can you guess?
Jia Lian abandoned the matter of the American mission, since they were not qualified to meet Emperor Li Yuan, or even the cabinet ministers.

Jia Lian does intend to attend the signing ceremony, not necessarily, but just to satisfy his personal quirky taste.

For Jia Lian now, the most important thing is still the annual shipment of immigrants and supplies to the Xinhua colony to strengthen its power.

As for domestic affairs, it remains the same: development, development at all costs.

The reason is simple. Anyone who has studied Marxist philosophy knows that only when productivity develops to a certain level, and the existing system can no longer meet the needs of productivity and becomes an obstacle, will an internal force of resistance arise.

Therefore, we must not rush things in terms of systems, but we must not be slow in terms of the development of productivity.

Li Heng, far away in Luoyang, had been living a rather boring life for the past year or so. He had no worries about food, drink, or women, but he could only move around within the palace. If he went out on the street, the guards would turn him away.

The prefect of Luoyang and the garrison, like hungry wolves, kept a close watch on his every move, while the unseen Imperial Guards watched him from the shadows.

Li Heng's mindset underwent a tremendous change in response to this situation.

At first, he was very resentful, feeling that he had only made a small mistake and yet had been stripped of his right to the throne, which he considered an injustice by his father. During this period, he was mostly filled with fear, afraid of dying an unjust death. After arriving in Luoyang, Li Heng finally felt a little safer and entered a phase of reflection, constantly pondering why he had lost. Looking back, Li Heng understood where he had gone wrong; he had simply repeated the mistakes that Li Yuan had made in the past. His biggest mistake was his self-righteous attempt to test Jia Lian.

Li Heng firmly believed that if he hadn't tested Jia Lian, even if he had lost favor with the Emperor because of his money-making scheme, Jia Lian would have helped him recover, and might even have intervened after the Emperor's death to put him on the throne. After all, the Jia family had this tradition; his grandfather had ascended the throne with the support of four princes and eight dukes, and they had firmly supported his grandfather when the Crown Prince rebelled.

In order to escape his current situation, Li Heng decided to test the waters, so he submitted a memorial hoping to have a territory he could control, like the three kings of the Northeast and West. Even if it was far away, it would be much better than being trapped in the palace.

At first, Li Heng hadn't held out much hope, thinking his memorial would simply disappear without a trace. Unexpectedly, half a month later, an imperial edict arrived, approving his request! And he was even granted the title of Prince of Xinhua!

Li Yuan thoughtfully had the eunuch delivering the imperial decree bring him a map showing the location of the Xinhua colony.

After clearly seeing the location of the Xinhua colony on the map, Li Heng finally understood Li Yuan's meaning: get lost and go to the wilderness to rule as kings.

As for why it wasn't Southeast Asia, Li Heng felt that it was probably because Li Yuan was reluctant to give it up. After all, the conditions in Southeast Asia had been too good after more than ten years of development.

In any case, Li Heng's fate was sealed. Whether he would die at sea or live a life of freedom and adventure remained to be seen. His departure from Luoyang in May and his boarding of a ship in Tianjin in June were inevitable.

The fact that he could choose to bring along a thousand men was a pleasant surprise. What did this mean? It meant that Li Yuan didn't intend for him to die.

Li Heng was not in a hurry. Instead, he first presented a memorial to express his gratitude and then requested to see all the information about the new Chinese colonies.

With the existence of the train, travel was very convenient, and Li Heng saw all the information three days later.

The current Xinhua Colony has a total immigrant population of over 15,000. It is located on the coast, surrounded by indigenous people on three sides, and the relationship between them is acceptable, with normal trade relations.

In reality, the profits from trade with the indigenous people were negligible; the main trade partners were the Mexicans who migrated south along the coast. Ships transported people and goods to the new Chinese colonies, leaving half behind and the other half heading south to trade with the Spanish (independence forces). On the return journey, they carried large quantities of silver and copper ingots, generating considerable profits.

Jia Lian attended the signing ceremony of the diplomatic agreement with the United States, and Hamilton finally met a truly important figure. Seeing Hamilton's low spirits, Jia Lian was in high spirits. He felt a kind of exhilarating pleasure, even though being a great power was dishonorable.

Of course, although both were colonies, the immigration policies of Southeast Asia and the colonial policies of Xinhua were different.

The immigration policy in Southeast Asia was relatively strict, given the short distance and rapid migration; however, with a large population, land disputes arose. There was considerable physical interaction between immigrants and indigenous people. The situation in the Xinhua colony was different; it was simply too far away. Current transport capacity could only transport 5,000 people a year, and the Xue family trading company was already operating at full capacity.

Xue Pan's next plan is to suspend immigration from regions outside Australia, and use the freed-up shipping capacity of the Xue family's fleet in the Xinhua Colony as a last resort for both families.

As for Li Heng, he only has a force of a little over a thousand people. How could he possibly turn the world upside down? A hands-off approach to governance suits him perfectly.

Jia Lian's thoughts were racing, completely ignoring that the signing ceremony had ended and the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was presenting the two documents for review.

It wasn't until the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial coughed that Jia Lian realized what was happening. He quickly took the document, glanced at it casually, and said, "Present it to the Emperor for use!"

After saying this, Jia Lian got up and left, completely ignoring the American delegation, which left a deep impression on Hamilton and others.

Is it arrogance? That's not accurate; the accurate word is disregard.

Hamilton did not hold a grudge against Jia Lian, but rather harbored a deep hatred for Britain. He believed that it must have been the British who exerted influence on Jia Lian, such an important figure, since Jia Lian had no way of knowing about the affairs of America.

Afterwards, Hamilton gathered everyone together to coordinate their statements. Due to British interference, the diplomatic operation had nearly failed, but through the tireless efforts of all members, they had finally achieved some results. Despite the uncertainty surrounding their positions, the term "United States" was still used in the contract signing.

(PS: The United States was initially referred to as "Flower Flag Country" and "Mi Country," with the term "United States" appearing later. It was finally determined during the Republic of China era.)
Jia Lian stopped paying attention to the US mission. After getting off work and returning home, he received a letter from Xue Pan.

The letter mainly mentioned one thing: the Portuguese man Oliveira took the initiative to contact the Xue family business and promote their specialty product, Kunlun slaves.

Oliveira also stated that he could provide a long-term, stable supply of goods, provided the price was right.

This letter made Jia Lian laugh in anger. What did this guy want? He immediately replied, refusing the business.

Judging from the letter, Oliveira came from the Goa colony, the one that Nehru forcibly recaptured.

In his reply, Jia Lian told Xue Pan that instead of wasting time discussing the human trade with the Portuguese, they should focus on creating more trouble for the British in India. Furthermore, they should invest more effort in Burma, since, according to the treaty, northern Burma was now part of the Great Zhou territory. They could strengthen civilian trade between the two sides, using trade to reinforce control over Burma, and at least ensure the proper establishment of the concessions.

After replying to the letter, Jia Rong from the East Mansion came to visit. This guy looked sallow, with obvious bags under his eyes, and was suffering from severe kidney deficiency.

Jia Lian didn't try to persuade him, since Jia Rong was in charge of the Jia family's business anyway. The growth in the Beijing-Tianjin area hadn't been much in recent years, but the growth in Liaodong had been rapid, especially after the railway was completed.

The two plots of land that Emperor Chenghui exchanged back then have now become a treasure trove outside the Great Wall. Not only are there fertile fields, but large coal and iron mines have also been discovered – this is truly a windfall.

The coal mines primarily supply the needs of areas outside the Great Wall, as well as for steelmaking. The steel produced there is in short supply outside the Great Wall, because, no matter what, the price is still far lower than that inside the Great Wall.

The Jia family's Ansteel also sold steel to North Korea and Japan, occupying more than half of the market share.

Through this deal, the shareholding percentage in businesses in the capital city kept shrinking, thereby binding the interests of a certain group together. One can only say that Jia Rong did a very good job, and without being conspicuous.

After Jia Rong invited them to the East Mansion for a meal, and after several rounds of drinks, he revealed the purpose of the invitation.

After the reform of the Jia family clan school, a group of talents were cultivated. Although most of them went to manage the territory of Anshan outside the Great Wall, some people were still unwilling to go outside the Great Wall because they felt it was too hard.

Of course, this is just an excuse. Given Jia Rong's current control over the Jia clan, how could he simply refuse to go?

The real reason was the sons of Madam You and Madam Qin. The two children were getting older, and their future needed to be planned.

Lady You's attitude was very clear: she wanted Jia Lian to make the arrangements. Lady Qin echoed this sentiment, so what could Jia Rong possibly say?

The two children stood in front of Jia Lian, one calling him Second Uncle and the other Grandpa. Jia Lian looked at them in a daze for a moment.

Jia Lian asked each of them about their interests. The son of the You family replied that he liked martial arts and hoped to join the army. Jia Lian said that the military academy had an affiliated primary school, and he could send him there. The son of the Qin family replied that he liked practical learning, and he didn't know if Qin Keqing had taught him. Jia Lian was very pleased with this; it was a good thing that he liked science and engineering, and he could send him to the primary school affiliated with the engineering college.

After dealing with the children's matter, Jia Rong withdrew at some point, and Qin Shi made her appearance with a look of eager anticipation.

The news that Jia Lian had sent his children to engineering colleges and military academy-affiliated primary schools spread quickly throughout the capital.

But it was just circulated and didn't cause much of a stir.

In contrast, after his military reform proposals were rejected several times, Yue Qi submitted another proposal, requesting to complete the unfinished work of the late emperor.

This time, Li Yuan's approval was quite blunt. Was the plan for military reform, or was it just a pretext to ask for money?
Yue Qi was terrified and submitted several memorials to defend himself.

Li Yuan then granted him an audience with the emperor to explain the so-called military reform plan in person.

According to Yue Qi's plan, the old system in each province will remain unchanged for the time being. Instead, a new mixed brigade-level army will be established to replace the old army after its completion. At the same time, the size of the provincial governor's standard soldiers will be reduced to five hundred people.

Li Yuan was greatly disappointed with this plan, pointing out that if military reform was to be carried out, the Ministry of War should be reformed first. He instructed that the specifics of the reform should be carefully considered before submitting a memorial.

(End of this chapter)