Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 684 Formal Note
Technological progress cannot be rushed. It has been almost thirty years since the R&D department was established, and Jia Lian is also impatient.

Simply proceed steadily forward along the planned route.

The reorganization of the Statistics Bureau is underway, and a group of newly graduated students from the Engineering College, along with a group of clerks with excellent grassroots work skills, have been brought together for training.

After Jia Lian returned to the capital, he invited Emperor Li Yuan to personally attend the opening ceremony of the training course.

Li Yuanxing went there in high spirits and delivered a half-hour speech. The emperor's arrival made the students excited, and under the guidance of their instructors, they shouted "Long live the emperor!"

More than a thousand people shouted in unison. Li Yuan, who was standing on the platform, felt light as a feather.

Previously, the cabinet's attitude towards the emperor was similar: to keep him confined to the palace as much as possible. After Jia Lian became the Grand Secretary, he loosened the restrictions considerably.

Privately, Jia Lian also told Li Yuan that as an emperor, he should frequently attend occasions where young people gather, so that young officials can see what an emperor should be like.

Li Yuanshen agreed wholeheartedly! And with a wave of his hand, he specially approved 200,000 yuan from the imperial treasury for the living allowance of the study group.

Silver dollars have strong purchasing power; 200,000 yuan can guarantee that these students can have meat at every meal.

After a month of intensive training, this group of trainees, led by elite officials selected from the National Bureau of Statistics, went to various provinces to conduct the first industrial census.

After the news was published, officials across the country breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a general survey of industry, and on the surface, everything seemed fine, but they still needed to be on guard behind the scenes.

The plan for this project is to spend a year understanding the domestic industrial base and, incidentally, learn about the situation at the grassroots level, in order to lay the groundwork for the next step of the work.

This work was carried out jointly by the Ministry of Industry and the National Bureau of Statistics, with Cabinet Minister Wilfred Roy taking full charge.

At the same time, after discussing with the cabinet members, Jia Lian submitted a report to the emperor, stating that after reviewing the existing colonies, it was necessary to determine their official status.

The cabinet recommended that Li Heng, the "New King" (新华王), should be renamed the "Eastern King" (东华王) because the character "New" (新) implies replacement. The Nanyang (Southeast Asia) territories, which had been cultivated for many years, were abolished, and replaced by the provinces of Australia, Java, Borneo, and Malacca, formally and fully integrated into the imperial court's official system. Regarding fiefdoms, Annam was officially established as a province, while the others remained unchanged. This clearly established Annam as part of the national territory.

The territory under the rule of the Prince of Dongping was officially renamed the Far East Province, the territory under the rule of the Prince of Mobei was renamed the Mobei Province, the Prince of Xining was renamed the Prince of Anxi, and his territory was renamed the Anxi Province. Everything else remained unchanged.

These changes, while seemingly not affecting the interests of the fiefdoms, nominally established territorial ownership. Regardless of whether the policy of replacing local chieftains with centrally appointed officials and registering all people was implemented in the future, these areas would remain part of the territory of the Han Chinese.

After legally establishing the territory, the imperial court issued a proclamation to the world and sent diplomatic notes to the embassies and consulates of various countries, along with a newly drawn map.

After receiving the note, diplomats from various countries indicated that they would forward its contents to their respective countries, allowing the countries to decide whether to recognize its contents.

The timing was perfect, coinciding with the European powers being locked in fierce battles and the United States still being weak. No country dared to ignore the window of opportunity presented by the Zhou Empire's inclinations.

Such a formal note was not to be taken lightly by the envoys of various countries; they immediately sent it back to their home countries, demanding a prompt reply.

After the note was sent back to Europe, it sparked a heated debate in the British Parliament, the leading power among the nations, with both sides supporting and opposing recognition. The opposing side even gained a slight advantage.

The opposing viewpoint is as follows: After the new emperor of the Zhou Empire ascended the throne, he did not explicitly express support for the warring parties in Europe, and even reached a military cooperation agreement with the Ottomans. Although the Ottomans had withdrawn from their alliance with France, the Zhou Empire generally harbored ill will towards the British-led anti-French alliance. Most importantly, the Zhou Empire lacked the spirit of free trade; they used legislation to prohibit the entry of British advantageous goods, thereby gaining a huge trade surplus—a grave betrayal of Hayek's principles. Finally, if they were to concede now, they would be at a moral disadvantage when Britain, after disengaging from Europe, further expanded its sphere of influence.

The supporting side argued very clearly that the anti-French coalition in Europe was currently at a disadvantage, and if Britain refused to recognize the Zhou Empire's note, causing the Zhou Empire to side with France, the consequences would be unbearable. They also pointed out without hesitation that the Indian colony was already in dire straits, and if the Zhou Empire joined in, Great Britain might completely lose its opportunity to exert influence in Asia. Considering the relatively good relationship between the Zhou Empire and the Ottoman Empire, angering the Zhou Empire might lead to an alliance with the Ottoman Empire, in which case Great Britain would lose its opportunity to gain influence in North Africa.

It can only be said that Britain is currently only a maritime hegemon, and is far from being a land power. Looking at the world, the Zhou Empire was the strongest power in Eurasia.

The two houses argued for half a month without reaching a conclusion, until finally a piece of intelligence came in and became the decisive factor.

The British Prime Minister summoned First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill to confirm the accuracy of the intelligence in person.

"Are you sure there's no mistake about the news that the French arrived at the South Pacific islands aboard ships belonging to merchants of the Zhou Empire?"

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, a cruiser from the Indian fleet witnessed a French delegation of thirty people disembarking from a merchant ship. Under no circumstances should the Zhou Empire be allowed to side with the French. That would be a catastrophe."

The Prime Minister remained silent for a long time, then muttered, "Damn squid."

After confirming the authenticity of the intelligence, the Prime Minister reported to the Queen, and it was ultimately decided that both sides would step in to persuade some important members of parliament.

At the Prime Minister's request, the Foreign Secretary urgently produced a proposal. The British government acknowledged the contents of the Zhou Empire's note and, based on the principle of mutual respect, demanded that the Zhou Empire not interfere in India, Africa, Europe, or British colonies. It also proposed that in the future, should the two countries exercise restraint in the event of conflicts over colonies, and resolve disputes through negotiation.

After the plan was submitted to the parliament, it was successfully passed, forming a note that was then returned to the Zhou Empire.

After Britain acknowledged the Zhou Empire's note, it relayed it to various European countries to inquire about their attitudes. Smaller European nations such as Prussia and Austria expressed their recognition, while Tsarist Russia did not follow suit for the time being, citing the Russo-Turkish War as its reason for remaining silent.

Given Tsarist Russia's attitude, the British government didn't have many good options. Relations between the two countries constantly shifted, and in another timeline, Britain frequently dealt with Tsarist Russia, curbing its expansionist ambitions.

Because Tsarist Russia did not express its stance, the observer group deployed within the Russian army announced its withdrawal and went directly to Paris. This event caused considerable shock among European countries, with many fearing that the Zhou Empire was abandoning its principle of neutrality.

After being pressured by various countries, Tsarist Russia was forced to announce that it would send a delegation to the Zhou Empire to negotiate parts of the note and determine the spheres of influence of both sides.

The British Prime Minister privately told Churchill that if the Zhou people taught those rude and arrogant Cossacks a good lesson, they would behave.

Napoleon's delegation arrived in Tianjin after many hardships, with a clear objective: to establish diplomatic relations and ensure the Zhou Empire's neutrality in the European wars. Ideally, they could also put some pressure on Tsarist Russia.

Therefore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Executive Government, Talleran, risked his life and traveled to the Zhou Empire.

This move yielded great rewards. Upon hearing the news, Jia Lian sent Cabinet Minister Wei Rui to Tianjin to give the foreign minister a high-level reception.

Talleran did his best to learn about the Zhou Empire, and with the help of a translator, he ascertained Wei Rui's identity and assisted the emperor in managing the cabinet ministers of various departments.

Talleyrand understood this cabinet system, different from that of Europe, as a necessary form of government for the efficient management of a vast and populous nation. Indeed, at that time, Europe generally believed that the Zhou Empire's political structure was more complete and efficient. The reason, naturally, was the foundation of a unified empire spanning two thousand years.

At that time, only China selected its civil servants through examinations, which put it ahead of the world in this respect.

At this time, Western countries would not have any sense of institutional superiority towards the Zhou Empire.

Accompanied by Wei Rui, after inspecting the guard of honor, they checked into their hotel. That evening, while taking a bath, they scrubbed off half a pound of dirt, feeling refreshed and sleeping soundly.

The next morning, after dressing neatly and enjoying a varied and delicious breakfast, I took a car to the train station and boarded the train.

Because Tianjin frequently hosts diplomatic vessels, it maintains very strict standards in sanitation, and its urban development is comparable to that of Beijing.

Along the way, Talleyrand realized that the gap between Paris and Tianjin was not only due to the superior infrastructure, but also to the smell in the air.

After boarding the train, Talleyrand's impression of the Zhou Empire's power was further deepened.

Imagine how swift the troop movements would be if the entire country of France were connected by train, and how His Excellency's military talent would truly shine.

In any case, France has fallen far behind and must catch up as soon as possible. It is said that the British are also preparing to build railways.

The special train can reach a speed of 50 kilometers per hour, and Talleran truly felt the thrill of speed.

Before the train arrived at the station, the towering city walls made a strong visual impact on Talleyrand. He had also seen city walls in Tianjin and Guangzhou, but they were far smaller than those in Beijing.

According to reliable sources, even a county in the Zhou Empire had city walls, a practice that had been maintained for over two thousand years, or even longer.

Although Wei Rui, who was accompanying them, looked down on the foreigners, he maintained good manners and did not reveal his contempt.

Talleyrand made some probes along the way, but did not receive a positive response. Instead, he was told to remain neutral.

Talleyrand strongly disagreed with this, arguing that if the goal was neutrality, why engage in military cooperation with the Ottoman Empire? Why send military observer missions to Europe?
It's just that the distance was too great; otherwise, the Zhou Empire's ambitions would have been far greater than what European countries see today.

Overall, the lack of a clear response is indeed good news. After all, Tsarist Russia and the Zhou Empire share a land border, and it's impossible to have no conflicts with such an aggressive neighbor.

After settling the person in the Court of State Ceremonial, Wei Rui returned to the cabinet to report to Jia Lian.

From a historical perspective, if Napoleon had not launched the expedition to Moscow and lost 700,000 elite troops, he would not have suffered a crushing defeat and been imprisoned on a small island, nor would he have been defeated at Waterloo.

The British continental balancing strategy did not harm the Zhou Empire, so there was no need to change Napoleon's fate. On the contrary, this opportunity could be used to compress the Caucasus region.

If they could extend their sphere of influence to the vicinity of the Urals and achieve the goal of threatening the heartland of Tsarist Russia, they would gain absolute initiative in the conflict between the two countries.

Taking all these considerations into account, the basic diplomatic strategy remained unchanged: not to interfere in the war in Europe, but to launch an attack from Central Asia to contain Tsarist Russia.

As for the Ottoman Empire, it wouldn't be fair to say it was utterly incompetent; it was definitely opportunistic. It wasn't suitable to be an ally. In fact, it didn't need any allies.

The Celestial Empire has always been like this; everything else is considered foreign. We must always be prepared to fight against everything outside of China—how exciting!

After resting for three days at the Honglu Temple, Jia Lian came to discuss the matter with Talleran in person.

The meeting between the two was conducted in a friendly atmosphere. After Jia Lian repeatedly emphasized his stance of not interfering in French internal affairs and European affairs, Talleyrand asked tactfully, "The relationship between the Zhou Empire and Tsarist Russia is not something your country can control. Tsarist Russia has been expanding, and the two countries are destined to have conflicts."

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Thank you for your reminder. Our country will certainly try its best to exercise restraint. If Tsarist Russia insists on starting a war, the Zhou Empire will not be afraid. We are confident that we will eliminate any invaders."

After the two sides signed a friendship agreement that stipulated some basic principles, they resumed trade between the two countries, which had been previously suspended.

The French side also endorsed the contents of the note issued by the Zhou Empire, and Talleyrand signed it on behalf of the Executive Government, thus legally recognizing the division of this territory.

After signing, Talleyrand "kindly" reminded Jia Lian that the Sassoon financiers wielded enormous influence in Europe, and that the Zhou Empire had issued an arrest warrant for the Sassoon family, warning him to be wary of retaliation from the Sassoon.

Jia Lian stated that the Zhou Empire prohibited all opium trade and established severe penalties in law. This was not aimed at squid, but at all opium traffickers.

During the banquet, Talleyrand subtly indicated that returning to his country might be difficult and that he hoped to receive assistance from the Zhou Empire.

Jia Lian gave a clear answer: the Zhou Empire would send a fleet to visit Europe, with France as the first stop, and that they would be able to escort him back safely.

A month later, Talleyrand met the fleet that was visiting Europe in Tianjin and expressed great curiosity about the fleet's warships.

The fleet consisted entirely of cruisers, each equipped with only two ships carrying ten guns. Talleyrand immediately requested permission from the Zhou Empire to board one of the ships, a request that was granted.

After boarding the warship, Talleyrand understood why, while warships around the world could carry as many cannons as possible, the Zhou Empire's new warships had adopted a configuration with fewer cannons.

The reason is very strong: all the naval guns of the Zhou Empire were breech-loading cannons, and their caliber was not large, only 75 millimeters.

Although this new type of naval gun has a small caliber, it has a long range and great power. At a distance of 1,500 meters, it can penetrate the wooden armor of any type of warship in the world today.

Another advantage became apparent after departure: its high speed, averaging nine to ten knots, which exceeded Taleland's understanding of warships.

He was even more surprised if he hadn't seen the little steamer!

(End of this chapter)