The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 515 Go to America and Find Lincoln

At the end of Saint-Germain Boulevard in Paris, gilded candlelight flickered between Gothic pointed arch window frames. Archbishop Paul held a telegram he had just received from a French military chaplain, and the silver cross swayed with his trembling voice: "After a week of hard fighting, more than 8,000 brave French and British soldiers died on the Kerch Peninsula, more than 1,000 were captured, and 3,000 were seriously injured, but the Russians had the last laugh, and Alexander II got the victory he needed most."

Grand Duchess Natalia, who was leaning against the window, turned around suddenly. Her malachite earrings hit the stained glass, making a crisp sound. She saw an unconcealable smug smile on Wu Chongyao's face, and his left hand was tightly holding the enamel tobacco box.

"Oh my God—" the Slavic girl whimpered, and a diamond cross in her hand fell to the ground with a clang, "We are finally saved!"

Suddenly, the twelve bells of the Tuileries Palace rang from outside the window, and the Venetian glass pieces hanging from the crystal chandelier trembled. Archbishop Paul suddenly thought of something, and waved his big hand towards the two servants in the reception room, shouting in Italian: "Get out!"

The servant from Genoa, who had served the Doria family for generations, was stunned for a moment, bowed to the cardinal, and then ran out without looking back, not forgetting to close the door.

Seeing that there were no more strangers in the living room, Archbishop Paul made the sign of the cross on his chest, and then said to Wu Chongyao: "Mr. Wu, the owner of the Tuileries Palace should summon you soon. The delegation going to the East to explore the truth of magic will definitely be ready in the shortest time. Do you have anything else to say before leaving?"

Wu Chongyao glanced at the enamel tobacco box in his hand with some reluctance, and then placed it on the table. "Your Excellency, after I leave, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's envoys to Britain, France, Prussia, Austria and the Holy See will be represented by my brother Wu Yuanfang until the new envoy arrives. However, he can't take care of major matters, so I'll leave everything to you, Your Excellency."

Archbishop Paul glanced at the enamel tobacco box and smiled. "No problem. Your Prime Minister has already told me about this. Is there anything else you need help with as a cardinal? I am now the most trusted archbishop of the Holy See."

"Do you have any friends on the other side of the Atlantic?" Wu Chongyao took out a Cuban cigar from the sleeve pocket of his official robe and lit a yellow phosphorus match. The rich aroma of tobacco instantly filled the air. "It would be best if it was a friend who could talk to the congressmen in Washington."

"You're going to the United States?" Archbishop Paul was stunned. "I thought you were going back to China right away."

Wu Chongyao took a puff of Cuban cigar. He seemed not to be used to the taste of cigars. He coughed lightly and said, "The United States will be very important in the future. The Prime Minister asked me to meet a future president!"

"Future president?" Archbishop Paul hesitated for a moment. "Well, I can write a letter of introduction to Cardinal John Joseph Hughes of New York. He is an Irishman. I promoted him to be the bishop of the New York Diocese. Later, when the New York Diocese was upgraded to an archdiocese, I also made a lot of efforts."

"Thank you very much," Wu Chongyao looked at Grand Duchess Natalia, who had regained her composure. "Grand Duchess, would you like to go to the United States with me, or go directly to China with the others?"

Natalia bent down to pick up her diamond cross, and then spoke in fluent Oxford English: "I also want to visit the United States. Looking at the world map, it is also a vast country. Maybe it will be comparable to Russia in the future."

Suddenly, the sound of carriage wheels rolling came from outside the window. Natalia glanced outside and said to Wu Chongyao with a smile: "Mr. Wu, the carriage from the Tuileries Palace has arrived."

Wu Chongyao stood up, straightened his official uniform, and said with a smile: "It seems that I have to go and comfort the French emperor!" Then he walked out quickly, and the enamel tobacco box remained there motionless until Archbishop Paul put it into his robe.
"It's the flag of Saint Andrew! It's our Russian fleet! Hurrah! Hurrah!"

When the morning mist in Queen Charlotte Strait was torn apart by the roar of steam turbines, the "Natalia" and "Diana" flying the St. Andrew's flag, as well as the sailing ship "Amur" towed by the "Diana", finally appeared in the sight of Popov and Alexander on the watchtower of Fort Victoria.

Seeing the Saint Andrew flags flying on the three warships, young Alexander shouted "Ura" loudly. Popov, who was ready to hoist the white flag, grabbed the white flag and threw it down the watchtower, then took out a double-headed eagle flag and hung it on the flagpole on the watchtower.

Governor Muravyov stood on the deck of the "Natalia" and looked at the double-headed eagle flag rising over Fort Victoria with an expression of incredible surprise.

"Double-headed eagle flag." Vice Admiral Putyatin exclaimed, and raised the telescope to look again and again, "It is really a double-headed eagle flag. Why would the British Vancouver Island fly the flag of our Russian Empire?"

"Could it be that the Cossack warriors of the Russian North American Company occupied that place?" Major General Vasily Zavoyko was so happy that he almost cried. "Is this the Savior Jesus showing us a miracle?"

Muravyov quickly made the sign of the cross on his chest and ordered Lieutenant General Putyatin: "Lieutenant General, get everyone ready for battle. Maybe it was a trap! But we have no choice. We need to take Vancouver Island. We still have more than a thousand army officers and thousands of civilians to be resettled. They can't keep drifting on the sea." He then said in a trembling voice: "If it is not a trap, then the war in the Pacific has just begun!" On the banks of the Fraser River, at the red pine logging site.

In just a few days, a fortress built of red pine appeared next to the logging camp, enclosing the dock, Chinese workers' shacks, warehouses, the True Jesuit church, and the small building where the logging camp manager worked. Several brand new log houses stood in the center of the fortress.

Five hundred Chinese lumberjacks and five hundred Taiping soldiers carrying Tianli Year 3 rifles gathered outside the largest wooden house. All of them stretched their necks, anxiously waiting for something.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from the lower reaches of the Fraser River, which sounded extremely disturbing.

The large wooden house was filled with the smell of cigarettes, coffee and strong tea mixed together to form an indescribable "strange fragrance". Yu Dabao and Wang Tieniu sat side by side on one side of the conference table, just puffing on their pipes, their two cups of black tea almost going cold.

Richard Douglas and Chen Ji were sitting on the other side of the negotiation table. The young Richard had a furious look on his face, and no one knew who he was angry at. Chen Ji, on the other hand, had a gloomy face and said nothing.

The negotiations appear to have reached an impasse.

Yu Dabao's pipe knocked out a few sparks on the oak table, and he showed an impatient look on his face: "No more talk, no more talk. It's just a concession of a piece of land to build a castle. In return, we have to help you fight the Russians! If we don't fight this battle, you will have to. If you can't win, the Russians will kill you all!"

Chen Ji smiled bitterly and said, "Master Yu, there are not many Russian soldiers in Fort Victoria, only about a hundred in total. The Governor is willing to hire you to drive them away at the price of ten ounces of gold per Russian soldier, a thousand ounces of gold. It's such a good deal. After the deal is done, Fort Victoria will be given to you to station troops! With such favorable conditions, why don't you agree? How many troops do you want in exchange for sending them?"

Of course, we can't send out soldiers! These two are small Chinese military leaders. Don't they understand the principle of keeping the enemy at bay?

If the troops were sent out, wouldn't Popov's dozens of men be killed? Without them, how could Yu Dabao and Wang Tieniu stay on the British territory? Don't underestimate these hundreds of people and guns. They are the regular army of the Taiping Army, and they are all elite. As long as guns and ammunition can be supplied, they can expand their army to thousands in a matter of seconds!
With this army in place, Archbishop Hong Renzheng will be even more confident. Even California Governor John Bigler may have to go to the cathedral in San Francisco to celebrate Christmas this year.

The sound of horse hooves stopped abruptly in front of the oak gate of the Red Pine Fort. An Indian messenger, soaked in sweat, got off his horse. On his buckskin coat was printed the sea otter emblem of the Hudson's Bay Company.

This was an Indian who worked for the Hudson's Bay Company. The Taiping Army guarding the gate did not stop him and allowed him to rush in.

“White Bear Ships!” He roared in a mixture of Chinook and English, and made a double-headed eagle shape on his chest with his sweaty fingers. “Three White Bear ships are parked at the dock of Fort Victoria, and each one is very big!”

Yu Dabao stood up suddenly, also with a look of astonishment on his face - although the Russian army breaking out of the Petropavlovsk Fortress and running to North America had long been included in the staff group's plan, he did not think that such a low-probability event would come true.

Wang Tieniu's eyes rolled, and he immediately slammed the table and said to Yu Dabao: "Commander-in-chief, the Russian army is coming. We have few soldiers and cannot defeat them. It is better to retreat south to the United States and surrender to Bishop Hong."

Yu Dabao looked at Richard Douglas with burning eyes.

Chen Ji was very anxious when he heard this, and he quickly said to Richard Douglas in English: "Mr. Richard, just rent the Red Pine Forest to them. Now the only ones who can stop the Russians from seizing the entire colony are these few hundred Taiping troops. If they leave, Fort Langley will not be able to be defended."

The Scottish young man thought about it and finally nodded: "It seems that this is the only way!"

(End of this chapter)