The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 593: Karl Tianshi goes to China, Xianfeng charlatans dig for oil

In the Injeongjeon Hall of Changdeokgung Palace, Yang Xiuqing turned to the last page of the "Chaohe Draft Agreement". On the gold-sprinkled rice paper imported from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the clause "duty-free entry into the Port of Amsterdam" still exuded the scent of fresh ink, and the quill pen signature of Dutch Consul Stirlen and the seal of Chen Chengyong, the Minister of Finance of the Korean Heavenly Kingdom, were particularly conspicuous.

"When will the King of Gan set out for Yizhou?" The King of the East's one eye swept over the King of Gan, Hong Rengan, who was standing beside him. Going from Seoul to Tianjing via Yizhou is a long way around, so if you go directly to Incheon to board the ship, you will be able to see Luo Yaoguo in a day or two.

Hong Rengan immediately understood Yang Xiuqing's intentions - he had already obtained unilateral tariff concessions and given face to his "soul sister" Queen Victoria, but he also had to take care of Wei Changhui's interests! Wei Changhui was his "soul brother" Judas, and Wei Jun, who was in charge of the Java Heavenly Kingdom, was Wei Changhui's brother. He couldn't give up "Judas" just because he had Victoria.

Moreover, isn't it normal for "Wei Judas" not to listen to "Yang Ximen"? Can he still be called "Judas" if he is obedient? So Yang Xiuqing asked "Wei Judas" to spit out Batavia's words, but in fact, he was just talking. If "Wei Judas" felt that he could hold Batavia, he could completely ignore "Yang Ximen" and hold Batavia tightly.

In addition, Yang Xiuqing had already learned about the situation on Java Island from Liu Lichuan, and learned that the Java Island uprising was not carefully planned by Luo Yaoguo and Wei Changhui, but Wei Jun decided to revolt temporarily after learning that the Dutch intended to incite Java natives to resist Chinese. Therefore, the preparations for the uprising were not sufficient, and after the initial victory, they urgently needed the support of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to consolidate the fruits of victory.

When the British fleet in the Straits Settlements learned that the Dutch Navy was defeated by the armed merchant ships of the South Sea Trading Company in the Karitama Strait, it immediately dispatched steam paddle cruisers to blockade the Karitama Strait, prohibiting the merchant ships of the South Sea Trading Company carrying weapons from entering the Java Sea through the strait.

Under such circumstances, Yang Xiuqing decided to pretend to be a good guy and act as a middleman with the British. At the same time, he sent a ship to Java Island to deliver a batch of weapons and ammunition to Wei Jun in the name of "persuading Wei Jun" to help him arm more troops.

Whether Batavia is allowed to leave or not, it all comes down to strength!

If Wei Jun had enough power, he could continue to attack the Dutch strongholds and pro-Dutch indigenous tribes on Java Island until the Dutch were hurt enough to agree to a ceasefire if Wei Jun retained the three major cities of Batavia, Semarang and Surabaya.
In order to buy time for the "persuasion ship" he sent out, and also to give the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom court in Tianjing some time to discuss countermeasures, Hong Ren'gan had to take the British expedition team on a detour and take it slowly.

"We will set out by land at five o'clock tomorrow morning. If we ride at full speed, we can reach the Yalu River in ten days." Although Hong Ren'gan knew that they had to go slowly, he spoke in a hurry.

The Dutch Consul Stirlen was also an expert on East Asia. When he heard what Yang Xiuqing and Hong Rengan were talking about, his expression changed immediately: "Eastern King, it will take at least one or two months to go to Tianjing from Yizhou by land."

Yang Xiuqing raised his eyelids and said, "Why? You can't wait even a month or two? Has the situation on Java Island become so critical?"

"That's not the case," Styron said calmly, "but a large number of people die on the island every day!"

Yang Xiuqing said indifferently: "There is nothing we can do. In fact, even if you go to Tianjing tomorrow, you will not be able to see King Luo Wu."

"Why is that?" Wenxian asked.

"Because King Luo Wu has already set out to attack Sichuan," Maria answered the question in English. "After King Shi Ji conquered Sevastopol, he moved his troops to India to help Queen Victoria suppress the Indian mob uprising. Dysentery is prevalent in India, and a large amount of berberine is needed to ensure the health of all officers and soldiers. That's why King Luo Wu is going to send troops to seize Sichuan, the world's largest producer of berberine! The Sichuan battle will take at least two months. You might as well visit Master Karl along the way. King Luo Wu set up a national manor system in Liaodong last year, giving manors in the northeast to meritorious Taiping officers and soldiers. You can go and investigate and see if there is anything that can be improved."

Moore's gray eyes suddenly lit up: "Is there any unallocated wasteland in the Northeast?"

"Yes! And there are a lot of them. There are newly reclaimed areas in Andong County on the other side of the Yalu River." Hong Rengan also said to Moore in English, "There are a lot of fertile wastelands in the Northeast! The Manchus regarded it as their hometown, and they planned to retreat to the Northeast when they could no longer stay in the interior. So after entering the interior, they sealed off the Northeast and did not allow us Han people to open up the land. As a result, such a vast expanse of black land belonged to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom."

"We must make good use of it!" Friedrich said with a smile, "A large area of ​​uncultivated black soil is an opportunity to develop a rich peasant economy. If it is used well, it will provide a large amount of food and raw materials for China's industrialization!"

Moore made up his mind: "I must go and see it!"

"It's also good to go by land!" Wen Xian immediately echoed after hearing "John the Baptist" speak, "It's a good opportunity to inspect the steel mill in Xuzhou!"

Prince Albert personally instructed the Director of Oriental Mysteries of the British Magic Council to find out the technology of the Xuzhou Iron and Steel Plant!
Maria smiled and said, "Let's go to Shandong by the way. The land is being distributed there. The millions of acres of land of the Yansheng family will be redistributed!"

Moore nodded gently: "I really have to see it with my own eyes!" Early the next morning, six four-wheeled carriages were waiting outside the Seoul Guest House. Yang Xiuqing personally came to the Guest House in a sedan chair carried by 10 people to see everyone off. When he watched the six carriages disappear in the early morning rain, he suddenly said to Maria who appeared beside him at some point: "Go tell the King of Wu that I have 5 British-made composite steam engines, and I can allow him 5 of them. He can use them to manufacture 10 Guokang-class steam engines. When the steam engine factory he and the British jointly established is put into production, return me of the best ones!"

"Now that you know that 5 spot units can be exchanged for 10 futures units, King Dong, you are getting better and better at doing business!" Maria glanced at Yang Xiuqing and found that he was smiling particularly arrogantly.

Yang Xiuqing looked at the carriage going away and said with a smile: "Tell Luo Yaoguo that he is just the adopted son of God, and I am the reincarnation of God's fourth son Ximen, and I have the support of my sister Victoria! I want the whole of Japan, tell him to stop interfering!"

On the muddy North Korean highway, Friedrich looked out the window at the endless paddy fields and suddenly wrote in his notebook: "When the storm of capitalism sweeps across the ancient and peaceful land of East Asia, the whole world will tremble."

He caught a glimpse of Moore studying The Land System of the Celestial Empire. Revised Northeast Edition by the kerosene lamp. Suddenly, Moore uttered a German word that was very familiar to Friedrich: "Junker!"

Titusville, Venango County, Pennsylvania.

In the July heat, Xianfeng used a boxwood stick to push aside the dense brush. Behind him came two federal senators, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi and Jamie O'Connor of California, their boots stained with Pennsylvania dust.

"It's right here!" Xianfeng suddenly shouted in English, poking the tip of his walking stick at the flint half-buried in the mud. "The youngest son of the Heavenly Father said that black blood will flow out from between the flint and the pine resin!"

Senator Davis's hand trembled slightly as he held the gold-plated pocket watch. This Capitol Hill gentleman with a carefully trimmed beard had just mortgaged his cotton plantation in Mississippi to the True York Bank three months ago in exchange for this steam drilling machine. At this moment, the brass nameplate of "Davis-O'Connor Oil Company" on the cast iron support of the drilling tower was reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun.

"We're almost a hundred feet," the engineer said, wiping the rosin sweat from his forehead. "Mr. Drake said we should stop."

"Don't stop!" Xianfeng raised the cross in his hand and interrupted loudly, "The black blood is there, keep digging! Dig a few more feet and you'll find it."

Before Xianfeng finished speaking, the drill pipe suddenly made a strange hissing sound. As the ground shook, dark brown liquid gushed out, dyeing the oak derrick black. Senator Davis' silver pocket watch fell to the ground with a clang, and the photo of his wife and children on the inside of the watch cover was instantly submerged in black gold.

"Oh my God!" Senator O'Connor fell to his knees. His experience in the gold rush in California made him instantly judge the value of this oil well. "This is more turbulent than the golden stream at Sutter's Mill! We are rich!"

Zhao Si's cross swayed in the rain of oil, and he kept muttering: "The black blood of Pennsylvania shall crown the king of the South."

O'Connor's ledger was soaked with grease, and his pen nib poked holes in the estimated number of "thousand barrels per day": "Jefferson, we must immediately buy 3,000 acres of surrounding forest land!"

"Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Senator Davis seemed not to hear O'Connor's words. He suddenly made the sign of the cross in the oil. "Father Zhao, no, spokesman for the Son of God, please accept my offering. I will give you one-third of the profits of the oil company!"

Zhao Si wiped the cross with his greasy sleeve: "Matthew says that tithing is enough." He suddenly lowered his voice, "The mission given to you by God's youngest son is much more valuable than a few barrels of black oil."

Senator Davis's gray-blue pupils suddenly contracted. He had often heard Xianfeng mutter about "sacred mission" and "black blood will crown the Southern King" during this period. Before, his mind was on oil, but now that he had oil, he wanted something else.

The federal senator from Mississippi asked: "Father, who is the 'King of the South' you are talking about?"

Xianfeng leaned over, helped Senator Davis up, and whispered in English: "The Pennsylvania oil fields can support an army of 100,000. The cotton of the South, when combined with crude oil, will crown the King of the South!"

(End of this chapter)