Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 702 Return Visit
The British government is fully aware of what is happening in India and how it has escalated to this point.

While the East India Company may have lacked human decency, from the East India Company's perspective, Chinese businessmen were more humane.

In the past, it was considered good if each Indian ruler had a few dozen flintlock muskets, but now that has changed drastically.

If you're a local king, whether you're Hindu or Muslim, you wouldn't dare call yourself a local king if you didn't have a couple thousand guns and a dozen cannons.

In short, domestic businessmen mainly operate on the principle that they will sell anything, as long as you can afford it.

Here's what happened: everyone here was a local tyrant. They would buy a few dozen guns from the British and recruit some people to guard their homes.

Suddenly the local king next door expanded his army, with over a thousand full-time soldiers. Tell me, are you panicking? Are you going to follow him?
Originally, everyone was exploited and oppressed by the East India Company, so it was all the same to them; they could just endure it and it would pass on to the lower classes anyway. Now things are different; there's a risk of being swallowed up by the neighboring company.

Otherwise, why would the fleet stationed in India disguise itself as pirates? Aren't they afraid of offending the Chinese?
The East India Company's business is really not going anywhere. In the past, they could intimidate the local kings with just a few hundred men and guns. Now you try it.
Over the past three years, India under the East India Company's rule has seen tens of thousands of clashes. More than 500 of these were major incidents, resulting in over 30,000 casualties.

Although the vast majority of the casualties were Indians, weapons and ammunition, personnel treatment, and compensation all cost money.

Three years ago, the East India Company's men could roam freely in India, but now they're confined to cities like Mumbai and Delhi. They risk being shot at the slightest provocation if they step outside.

Don't say that Indians don't like resistance; it's that the local kings and chiefs don't resist. Once a local king or chief is willing to stand up and resist, the Indians will eagerly follow suit.

At present, the Mughal emperor is not resisting. Historically, during the great Indian uprising, the Mughal emperor also did not resist, and he was not even as courageous as the Rani of Jhansi.

India's later submission was simply a result of the massacre of those who dared to resist. Gandhi, an eccentric figure, grew up during the colonial era, which is why he employed nonviolent non-cooperation.

Of course, India's resistance is based on the premise that someone at the top takes the lead. Once the top leadership gives up resistance, the lower classes will become as docile as cattle and sheep, and will not resist even if they starve to death.

In this timeline of India, a slight change has occurred: there are now more Chinese businessmen willing to sell anything to make money.

The influx of weapons into the hands of various Indian rulers directly led to a significant increase in their power. With a hammer in hand, everyone looks like a nail.

This is called "possessing a sharp weapon and the desire to kill arises spontaneously."

The mercenaries assembled by the East India Company were not even capable of controlling cities like Delhi and Mumbai, let alone so many local kings.

India was not a country at first, but a geographical name. At this time, it was not a country either, as the Mughal Empire had not yet completely collapsed.

After Prime Minister Earl of Liverpool brokered the Anglo-French-Russian defensive alliance, he could finally step back from Europe and observe the changing world. What he saw there was astonishing: India was on the verge of collapse.

Unable to bear the consequences of losing India, the British government decisively stepped in to take over, transferring a fleet of twenty warships from the Mediterranean Fleet, along with over ten thousand army officers and soldiers, to India.

This fleet is not only tasked with missions in India, but also with a friendly visit to China.

The principle of reciprocity applies to international relations.

Hastings was ordered to lead a naval fleet on a friendly visit to the Chinese Navy. After arriving in India, he was to assume the post of Governor-General of India.

India used to have governors-general, but they were not appointed by the government; they were people from the East India Company.

The current situation is that, due to the involvement of Chinese businessmen, the East India Company was unable to hold on any longer, and the British government was forced to intervene prematurely.

After meeting with the former East India Company executives at the Governor's Palace in Bombay, Hastings felt a deep unease about the Governor-General of India.

Regardless of how India is governed subsequently, a fundamental issue must be addressed: the intervention of a major Eastern power. Aside from other matters, the importation of weapons must be contained.

After resting for ten days in Mumbai, the Marquis of Hastings set off for China. This country was referred to externally as the ancient "China," while internally it called itself the Zhou Dynasty.

Hastings couldn't figure out the reason, but one thing was clear: this country had always called itself the "Central Empire" and had built China.

There was another self-proclaimed title, "Celestial Empire," which British newspapers described as revealing the country's immense pride, as if a god were looking down upon humanity. Coincidentally, the emperors of this nation throughout history all claimed to have received the Mandate of Heaven. The interpretation of the Mandate of Heaven varied across dynasties; the current Zhou Dynasty interpreted it as the will of the people.

Hastings was a learned man, but his understanding of China remained superficial. The underlying logics of the two civilizations are different, and trying to understand them too deeply is indeed difficult.

When Hastings first heard the term "Celestial Empire," he felt a deep sense of helplessness.

Regardless of how the Whig Party whitewashes history, and regardless of how powerful Britain was in Europe, the British who actually visited China all held that country in the highest esteem.

The officials in that country are selected through examinations, and the cabinet ministers are a group of people with grassroots work experience who have worked their way up from the bottom and defeated countless opponents to enter the cabinet.

That country also has nobles, but they don't have priority to enter the cabinet. They also have to take exams and start from the bottom.

A similar system has been in place for thousands of years. Compared to the direct link between the British aristocracy and power, Hastings felt a chill run down his spine.

As the fleet approached the Strait of Malacca, Hastings spotted a convoy passing by. The other side displayed its flags, which, when translated, indicated it was a merchant fleet bound for Burma.

Although they were all merchant ships and there were only six of them, each of them opened its gun ports as they passed each other at a distance.

Hastings responded with flag signals, indicating that we were the Royal Navy on a friendly visit to the capital.

The other side recovered quickly. Have a safe journey.

The crossing process didn't last long, only a little over an hour. The other fleet became a small black dot and eventually disappeared on the horizon.

Hastings sensed a surge in activity, meaning that in the twenty years between the beginning and end, the Zhou Empire's maritime trade had grown from nothing to something, from passive to active, developing to a point where it was difficult for British merchants to compete.

The most obvious example is the textile industry. Initially, British cotton cloth dominated the Indian market, but everything changed after Chinese merchants quietly entered the market.

Chinese cotton cloth on the market is cheap and of good quality; if sold at the same price, British merchants would lose money. Who would believe that?

Before coming here, I had heard that twenty years ago China still had to import long-staple cotton seeds, but now it's the other way around, driving British merchants to ruin. Where is justice?!

What Hastings didn't know was that it wasn't just British merchants who were affected, but also cotton plantations in the American South.

Because of the loss of the Indian market, the cotton purchase price at plantations has dropped sharply.

When the fleet passed through the Strait of Malacca, the Penang forts fired a salute to welcome it. When it arrived at Lee Village and docked, it was once again warmly welcomed by Cai Shiba, the commander of the Zhou Empire's Nanyang Fleet.

At the welcoming banquet, the Chinese won over the British Navy with their delicious food. It must be admitted that, compared to the Chinese, the British ate only to avoid starvation, and the taste was not important to them.

Hastings had the privilege of visiting the Legation in London and being treated to such delicacies. Even so, he couldn't stop eating them.

The only thing I couldn't accept was the baijiu (Chinese white liquor); it really tests one's palate. Fortunately, they also had whisky on site, so I quickly switched back to my Hastings, which I couldn't enjoy.

When it comes to trade with China, the British had limited goods to offer, including Scotch whisky. They traded mostly precious metals like gold, silver, and copper.

Cai Shiba reiterated the cabinet's directive to strictly abide by the treaty reached between the two countries and to prohibit warships from entering the Indian Ocean in order to avoid damaging bilateral relations.

As for the actual situation, Cai Shiba knew very well that after solving the problem of mass production of breech-loading cannons, even if ordinary armed merchant ships attacked warships, as long as the distance was well controlled, they would still be fearless.

The advantage of naval guns is already quite significant. The reason why we haven't actively launched an expansion is largely due to the limitations imposed by our national strength.

While both China and Britain engaged in colonization, their strategies were completely different. The Zhou Dynasty's cabinet had a clear stance: once a territory was occupied, it had to be completely seized.

This is thoroughly reflected throughout Southeast Asia, where children are required to receive Confucian education from a young age, thus nationalizing the local indigenous population. No cost is spared in this process.

In key areas like Borneo, Java, Penang, and Kampung Baru, boys of school age are now required to attend school. This is mandatory!

In Australia, it's even more of a different story. There aren't many indigenous people there; the vast majority are Chinese immigrants.

In Southeast Asia today, it's not hard to find many place names like Li Family Village and Zhang Family Village by simply looking at a map.

Hastings felt somewhat relieved after finding the Chinese to be cooperative, but that was about it. After all, no one would feel at ease with such a powerful country bordering India.

Well, the potential threat already exists. Hastings' only hope is that the crisis won't erupt during his term.

As for the previous crisis, if British merchants could do business in Guangzhou, why couldn't Chinese merchants do business in India?

If you insist on saying it this way, then we'll just have to see who has the bigger fist.

Clearly, the answer is clear and precise. We cannot only talk about free trade when Hayek's hand is in your favor.

It was half a month later when the fleet arrived in Guangzhou. After docking, while traveling by carriage through the streets, Hastings saw a large number of Europeans on the streets.

This shows that Europeans had the right to move freely within Guangzhou. From this perspective, the Chinese were more particular; at least their merchants didn't go to London.

Don't talk about whether it's necessary or not; the principle of free trade is reciprocity.

Upon his arrival in Guangzhou, Hastings received a warm welcome from local officials, who were very polite in the way.

The last stop was Tianjin. As they entered the Bohai Bay, the newly-built cruisers that came to greet them fired a salute, and three Royal Navy warships returned the salute.

Hastings was received not by a cabinet minister, but by the Minister of the Navy, since the Chief of the General Staff after the military reforms was now a cabinet minister.

If Yue Qi was appointed as a cabinet minister in the past to facilitate military reform, then the Chief of the General Staff after the military reform is now officially recognized as a member of the cabinet.

The current British Minister George was also present in the welcoming party, and Hastings had a long and in-depth conversation with him after checking into his hotel.

George made it very clear to Hastings not to worry about the Chinese intervening in Indian affairs. If they wanted to intervene, they would have done so long ago, especially during Napoleon's rampage in Europe, which would have been the best time.

This shows that the Chinese emperor and cabinet were still focused on the land. As a continental country, they were more worried about the threat from the bear in the north.

George repeatedly emphasized this point in his work report to the cabinet, otherwise the military aid to the Ottoman Empire could not be explained.

Reliable intelligence has confirmed that a large-scale military conflict occurred between Tsarist Russia and Chinese troops in Central Asia. In retaliation against Tsarist Russia, taking advantage of the Franco-Russian War, the Chinese army launched an operation in Central Asia, effectively severing Tsarist Russia's southward expansion. In fact, China now possesses the strength to threaten the Caucasus and Ural regions.

George judged that the future direction of Tsarist Russia would definitely be Türkiye, and the Orthodox Church was obsessed with reclaiming Constantinople.

In the struggle for legitimacy in Rome, the Tsar meant Caesar. The British government should seize the opportunity presented by the potential eruption of tensions between China and Russia to rapidly expand and establish a global presence.

Given the sheer size of these two superpowers, a large-scale war is inevitable sooner or later. The location will likely be either the Balkans or the Caucasus.

It is highly likely that Türkiye will strike first.

Hastings deeply agreed with George's assessment. Intelligence prior to his departure indicated that the Ottoman Empire was continuously increasing its garrison and fleet presence in Crimea.

The struggle between the two countries for control of the Black Sea has intensified tensions, making another war almost inevitable.

The British government must maintain a neutral stance on the surface, but what it does behind the scenes is another matter.

Hastings was stunned when he heard this. The Anglo-French-Russian defense agreement signed at the Congress of Vienna was intended to limit Prussian and Austrian encroachment on French territory.

If Tsarist Russia and Türkiye were to actually go to war, would Britain help or not? If it did help, it would anger China, and then what would happen to India?
International relations are indeed complex, especially in this era of the law of the jungle, where a single move can have far-reaching consequences.

Hastings could only hope that the cabinet officials wouldn't have a brain fart.

(End of this chapter)