The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 867: Alliance with the Kingdom of Britain

"Neither land warfare nor sea interception is feasible! Disputes that can be resolved peacefully must never be resolved by force."

"The cost of war is too great for Great Qi to bear. Besides, the country is not ruled by you and me alone!"

Queen Tianshou's answer was resounding.

The frenzied expansion wave of Taizu's era had ended.

The path of military adventure proved to be absolutely unfeasible, at least it would not be the first choice of the Queen of Heaven.

After careful consideration, Liu Ruolan finally rejected the request of Kang Guangxu and others to go to war with other countries.

Like her father, Emperor Liu Kan, she was not a fanatical warmongerer.

"During my father's reign, he signed agreements with European nations, establishing friendly neighborliness. We must carefully abide by these agreements and not lightly start a war."

Kang Guangxu, Chen Mingxia and others saw that the empress had made up her mind and could not persuade her any further.

The government had to begin a long and arduous journey of repaying its debts in accordance with the debt repayment plan determined by Queen Divine Right.

In early October, Kang Guangxu dragged his aging body and gritted his teeth to negotiate with directors of banks from Britain, France, the Holy Roman Empire and other countries.

Envoys sent by various countries arrived in Tianxin City one after another.

Despite Kang Guangxu's sweet words, the Europeans still insisted that they repay their debts on time, otherwise they would have to cede land and open trading ports as stipulated in the original treaty.

Of course Kang Guangxu refused to give in. If he agreed to cede land, the old prime minister might be killed by the pro-war faction in Tianxin City.

He had no choice but to argue, using the excuse that the extension was not a breach of contract, and told the other countries that when the districts paid their taxes next year, the government would pay back all the money owed to the other countries without a penny less.

However, representatives of banks from various countries believe that the repayment date stipulated when the money was borrowed should never be easily changed.

Negotiations were about to break down when a turning point appeared in mid-October.

On October 15, British envoy James met with Kang Guangxu alone.

Kang Guangxu met this blond, blue-eyed Londoner at the Prime Minister's residence.

"Tianxin City is indeed the greatest city in the world. Even the weather is excellent. I came from Xiangyang and the cool breeze is blowing..."

"Your Excellency, thank you for your compliment. The climate in London is very pleasant this season."

Kang Guangxu narrowed his eyes, and his thoughts instantly returned to the scene of his first trip abroad to the British Isles twenty years ago.

It was the winter of the westerly winds. The west wind was howling, the sky was covered with dark clouds, the waves were surging, and the cold was biting.

Old Kang couldn't help but shudder, his thoughts returned to reality, he personally poured a cup of tea for the British envoy, and looked at James with a kind face:
"Have some tea, please. This is the best tea from Wuyi Mountain this summer. You probably haven't tasted it in London."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries and talked about the weather and food in Tianxin City and London. James suddenly said:

"Prime Minister, I heard that you have been extremely anxious these days because of the debt due."

Kang Guangxu stirred the tea in his cup and said, "It is true."

"How is it? What advice does the envoy have for you?"

James got straight to the point and said, "Prime Minister, can I tell you some good news?"

good news?
Kang Guangxu looked up and down at the dusty James in front of him, and suddenly felt an inexplicable feeling.

"Your Excellency, please speak."

So James read the so-called good news to Kang Guangxu.

King George assured the Prime Minister of Qi that the 80 million taels of silver owed by Qi to Britain could be repaid over a longer period of time, and no additional interest would be paid in the process.

Kang Guangxu was still surprised when he heard James continue:
"In addition, our honorable king is willing to provide your country with an interest-free loan to improve your country's dire financial situation."

"Interest-free loan? How much silver?"

"That's also 80 million taels. Our country is not like Great Qi, and our financial resources are limited."

Kang Guangxu wondered if he had heard it wrong and looked at the translator next to him.

The translator translated the British words again until Prime Minister Kang was sure that he heard every word clearly.

"They agreed to extend the loan and also provided loans to our country."

If this happens, the debt crisis facing Da Qi can be resolved.

Kang Guangxu suppressed his inner excitement. Based on his experience, he knew that there must be more to come.

As expected, James directly stated King George's request to the Great Qi. "The Cossack cavalry is wreaking havoc in Western Europe, and Peter the Great's military adventures pose a serious threat to the interests of the British Kingdom in Europe. King George hopes that your country will launch an offensive in the Sakhalin area to assist the civilized world in resisting the Slavic barbarians."

Kang Guangxu was slightly stunned. He didn't expect that at this time, the Russian Kingdom would still want to take advantage of the situation and provoke border conflicts.

Many years ago, Emperor Gaozu said that the Rakshasas were full of plunder and cruelty in their bones.

"I must report this matter to the Emperor."

~~~~~~~~~~~
Kang Guangxu reported to the Queen that Britain had taken the initiative to seek peace.

When Emperor Tianshou heard about it, he immediately summoned his ministers to discuss the matter.

Many ministers believed that this was an opportunity, a chance to gain leverage, and they suggested immediately forming an alliance with Britain to deal with the Rakshasa demons.

During the Taizu era, Da Qi and Luosha cooperated a lot. Although the relationship between the two sides was not harmonious at that time, they could coexist peacefully.

However, the Rakshasa ghost's desire for land is beyond imagination.

They did not even let go of Qi, their quasi-ally.

After Taizu's death, Peter I Alexeevich, the young emperor of Russia, repeatedly sent troops to invade the border of Qi.

The Cossack cavalry caused many border conflicts in Kuyi Island, the North Sea and other places.

After Emperor Guangde Liu Kan ascended the throne, he focused his main energy on domestic affairs and adopted a tolerant attitude towards the intrusion of Rakshasa demons.

It was not until the 15th year of Guangde that Crown Prince Liu Wuji sent troops to Beihai, defeated the Cossack cavalry in one fell swoop, and beheaded hundreds of them. This slightly curbed the expansion of the Rakshasa ghosts.

During the Guangde period, the relationship between Qi and Rakshasa was lukewarm.

Until Empress Tianshou ascended the throne, the two sides maintained superficial peace.

The young and ambitious Peter I formed an alliance with Denmark and Saxony against Sweden after he came to the throne, which later formed the so-called "Northern Alliance".

And in 1700 formally declared war on Sweden.

In 1704, Russia captured the city of Ivan on the Baltic coast, thus opening a passage to the west.

In 1711, Russia and Sweden signed the Treaty of Nishtadt, which enabled Russia to gain dominance in Northern Europe and began to join the ranks of European powers.

The raging Northern War caused concerns among countries such as Britain, France and the Netherlands.

In the West, the three powers and Sweden encouraged the Ottoman Empire to oppose the Russian Empire.

In the East, the British turned their attention to the Great Qi.

The British forced Qi to choose sides.

Either support the Western European countries or repay the debt immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Discussions on whether to form an alliance with Britain to fight against the Russians were going on vigorously in Tianxin City.

The results of the discussion speak for themselves.

No one wants to be neighbors with a bandit like Rakshasa.

Moreover, the debts of various countries are already pressing.

Then the members of the House and the Senate began to vote.

In the end, the parliamentarians voted overwhelmingly in favor of military action against the Rakshasa Kingdom with 382 votes in favor, 10 abstentions, and zero votes against.

This marked the official start of the first war during the Tianshou period.

Faced with this voting result, Empress Tianshou could not help but sigh: "Da Qi hates war, but war follows us everywhere."

The Rakshasas once ate the local natives alive in the North Sea. They were brutal by nature and behaved like savages.

Kang Guangxu then proposed to call this local war:

"De-barbarization Military Operation"

Although Congress has passed the "de-barbarization military action", when it comes to local implementation, whether troops can be sent to contain the Rakshasa Kingdom will depend on the voting results in each district.

In his letter urging the governors of the various regions to join the war, Kang Guangxu described the enemy they would face as follows:

"When shaking hands with a Rakshasa, be careful. Make sure your gloves are still on after shaking hands."

“Sometimes, you have to pay attention to whether your fingers are still there.”

(End of this chapter)