Beiyang Dream

On the morning of the seventh day of the sixth month of the seventeenth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign.

Tianjin, the Governor-General's Office of Zhili.

Governor-General Li Hongzhang hadn't slept soundly for several days.

It's not that he's physically weak; Old Li is in good health. He can't sleep soundly because there's been another anti-revolutionary incident in the Qing Dynasty recently!

During this period, cases of foreign missionaries spread like a plague in the Yangtze River basin. In Wuhu, Zhenjiang, Danyang, Wuxi and other places, people dug up children's corpses in foreign churches, and rumors spread that "foreign devils gouged out eyes to make medicine."

Old Li knew nothing about "Lolita Island" or anything like that, and didn't know much about the crooked practices of Western religions. He just thought that Westerners couldn't possibly go that far... Even their "Chinese brother," the leader of the cult, only had eighty-eight wives...

Therefore, he believed that most of the corpses were abandoned infants taken in by the church's orphanage, who died of illness, were hastily buried, and then dug up again... But he couldn't tell the common people, nor could he tell the corrupt officials. He could only pressure the local officials to close the case as soon as possible and settle the matter with compensation.

But the British minister, Walter, was still not satisfied!

They complained that he was pressing too slowly, and that the Qing court was using messengers instead of telegrams to issue imperial edicts, which was giving local people time to cause unrest!

These days, the British minister is staying in Tianjin, seemingly supervising Li's handling of the missionary case... and also cleaning up Japan's mess from the Otsu Incident. It's a real headache!

Li Hongzhang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and sighed.

Sitting at the other end of the flower hall, Zhang Peilun fanned himself, seemingly understanding his father-in-law's feelings, and said with a smile, "Hua Er just left, and then handed over a note saying he'll be coming again this afternoon."

"Let him come," Li Hongzhang snorted. "What new things can he possibly say? Nothing but the missionary case, Korea, and sending a fleet. The missionary case is urging me to kill people, and Korea is urging me to send warships. This British minister is trying to teach me, the Governor-General of Zhili, how to do my job!"

Zhang Peilun turned his face, a half-smile on his face: "Your Excellency, you said he is the British Minister, but to me... he looks more like the Japanese Minister?" Li Hongzhang did not reply.

Footsteps sounded outside the door. Li Jingfang, Li Hongzhang's adopted son, entered, his face pale—not from illness, but from "filial piety." His biological mother was critically ill, and he had just returned from his post as minister to Japan. He was passing through Tianjin to hand over some official business with his adoptive father, and then he had to return to his hometown to see his mother one last time. Next, he would have to observe three years of mourning... and this was only the first three years! He also had the mourning period for his adoptive mother and adoptive father (Li Hongzhang) to observe. Fortunately, his biological father had died early. Otherwise, the four of them would have had to observe twelve years of mourning together... where would he find the time to be an official?

"Father."

Li Hongzhang glanced at him: "Sit down. How is your mother doing?"

"I'm still holding on." Li Jingfang sat down and rubbed his temples. "The doctor said it'll only take ten days to two weeks."

Li Hongzhang remained silent for a while, then didn't ask any further questions. He changed the subject: "Warden is coming again. This time it's not just about the missionary case; he says that the Japanese and Russians are at odds in Korea, and he wants us to send a fleet to Wonsan to intimidate the Russians."

Li Jingfang was taken aback: "Send a fleet? To Dingyuan and Zhenyuan?"

"He might as well," Li Hongzhang sneered, "but are my Beiyang's ironclad warships just there to guard the British's homes?" Li Jingfang thought for a moment and said, "Father, I think... since we can't compromise on the missionary case, we might as well agree to his terms with Korea. After all, Korea is our vassal state, and sending a fleet to intimidate the Russians would be justifiable in name."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Hongzhang waved his hand and said, "Is that reasonable? If the Russian ironclad warships were to fire on our Beiyang Fleet and launch a preemptive strike, how could our Beiyang Fleet return unscathed? This conflict was originally triggered by the Japanese attacking the Russian Crown Prince, yet Ward wants our Beiyang Fleet to send out a flotilla to intimidate the Russians... What are his intentions?"

Zhang Peilun interjected, "I'm afraid the Russians will use the pretext of fighting the Japanese to seize the port of Yuanshan. If that happens, the upright officials in the court will rise up against them again." Li Jingfang frowned, "The Russians wouldn't go to war with my Beiyang Army, would they?"

He had barely finished speaking...

"Grand Master! Grand Master!"

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by panting shouts. It was the voice of Master Yu Shimei.

Li Hongzhang and Zhang Peilun exchanged a glance. Li Jingfang stood up.

Yu Shimei practically burst in; the elderly man's hat was askew from running, and he clutched a newly translated telegram in his hand. "Huiruo, what's going on?" Li Hongzhang stood up. "Who's fighting with whom?"

Yu Shimei, panting heavily, handed over the telegram: "A telegram from Yuan Weiting! This morning, fighting broke out in Yuanshan! The Russians sent troops to land and exchanged fire with the Japanese police. Russian ironclad warships even bombarded the Japanese concession... The Japanese burned down the Russian consulate!"

Li Hongzhang took the telegram and quickly glanced at it.

Then he gasped.

I had only one thought in my mind: What a close call!

The Russians... they really dare to do things!

If the Beiyang Fleet went there, they might get bombarded by the Russian ironclad warships, which would be a huge loss.

Thinking of this, he raised his head and asked again, "What about Yuanshan? Has it been occupied by the Russians?"

Li Jingfang leaned over to glance at the telegram and replied, "Not yet. Chang Zhenbang has sent troops to the Japanese concession, separating the Russians and the Japanese. It seems the Russians don't really want to fight; they're just trying to scare the Japanese."

Li Hongzhang breathed a sigh of relief: "Regardless of whether they are really fighting or not, our ironclad warships cannot go."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Luo Fenglu's voice came from outside the door: "Your Excellency, the British Minister, Frederick Townsend, urgently requests an audience."

Li Hongzhang gritted his teeth: "They've come just in time."

Zhang Peilun shook his fan and added sarcastically, "He must have received news of the Yuanshan Incident and is here to do business for the Japanese!" In the flower hall, Hua Ershen was already getting impatient.

He was walking back and forth in the hall, leaning on his cane, seemingly worried about someone.

When Li Hongzhang entered, Ward didn't even bother to bow, and went straight to the point: "Your Excellency, you must have already received the news from Wonsan. The Russians have landed and bombarded the Japanese concession. If you don't send a fleet to deter the Russians, once Wonsan is occupied by the Russians, it will probably only be a matter of time before Korea begins to doubt the Qing Dynasty's suzerainty."

As he spoke, his dissatisfaction almost spilled from his face. This Governor-General of Zhili of the Qing Dynasty, guarding such a vast territory and such a powerful fleet, was simply cowering and motionless... It was utterly a waste.

Li Hongzhang snorted inwardly.

Although he couldn't understand Walter's English, he knew what the other person was saying.

Trying to trick me into taking an ironclad warship on an adventure? I'm not falling for it!

If it gets damaged, you British won't pay for it!

Furthermore, you even sold a 10,000-ton ironclad warship to Japan... What are you trying to do?

His face remained impassive as he waited for Li Jingfang to finish translating before slowly speaking: "Your Excellency, our country has dispatched two hundred guards from the Prime Minister's Guard in Korea to the Wonsan Japanese Concession port area this morning to isolate both Russia and Japan and maintain peace. Furthermore, we have invited representatives from both Japan and Russia to board your country's Kowshing for negotiations."

He paused, then said, "If your country is worried that Wonsan will be occupied by the Russians... our country can send more troops to Korea."

Li Jingfang translated this into English. Hua Ershen listened, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Reinforcements? Reinforcements for what? The army?

What he wanted were ironclad warships! The kind of behemoths like the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, capable of intimidating the Russians at sea! Not a few bumpkins carrying broken rifles! Moreover, ironclad warships couldn't stay in Wonsan indefinitely, while the Qing army's ground forces could linger there.

If possible, Ward really didn't want the Qing army to go to Yuanshan to fight against the Russians.

But he had no choice.

Allowing the Russians to occupy Motoyama was absolutely unacceptable to London. As for sending Japan to fight Russia... the Japanese navy didn't even have a single decent ironclad warship; how could they possibly fight the Russian Pacific Fleet? And for Britain to intervene directly... that was even more impossible. Napoleon III was no longer around; the British army simply couldn't defeat the superior Russian army. Furthermore, Britain couldn't possibly form an anti-Russian alliance with the ambitious Wilhelm II. After all, Germany and Russia shared a border, and if Germany won, it would annex Russian territory, completely shattering the balance of power in Europe.

Therefore, Britain could only find a proxy in the Far East to contain Russia.

Prime Minister Lord Salisbury chose Japan over Qing Dynasty.

The problem is that the Japanese Navy is currently no match for the Russian Far East Fleet.

Therefore, Ward had no choice but to grit his teeth and cooperate with the irresponsible Li Hongzhang, using the Qing Dynasty's navy to protect Japan's growth! He suppressed his anger and changed his tone: "Your Excellency, Britain can mediate. How about having our ambassador to Korea preside over the negotiations? But if mediation fails, the Beiyang Fleet should still send out ironclad warships as a show of force."

After listening to the interpreter, Li Hongzhang slowly said, "Your Excellency, if your country is willing to mediate, that would naturally be a good thing. As for deploying the fleet… how about this: the Qing Dynasty, Japan, and Great Britain jointly deploy their fleets?"

Hua Er cursed inwardly: "Old fox!"

He outwardly said, "This matter can be discussed later. However, one point needs to be made clear: Britain hopes that the status quo in Korea can be maintained for a long time. The Treaty of Tianjin is the cornerstone of the status quo in Korea. If the Qing Dynasty needs to send more troops to Korea, it must also abide by the Treaty of Tianjin."

Li Hongzhang nodded: "That's natural."

He said that, but what he was thinking was something else entirely: the "Tianjin Special Treaty"? Once that kid Chang Desheng has established himself in Yuanshan, this special treaty will probably have to be rewritten.

After seeing Ward off, Li Hongzhang returned to the signing room and took out the Yuanshan telegram again to read it over.

"Chang Zhenbang sent troops to the Japanese concession, separating the Russians from the Japanese."

He paused his finger over the words "separated".

Then he said to Shi Mei, "Reply to Yuan Weiting... Huai Changdesheng, act according to the situation. Also, transfer some troops from Seoul to him, specifically the troops under the embassy guard."

Yu Shimei paused for a moment: "Your Excellency, is Hancheng Taixu...?"

"I know," Li Hongzhang sighed. "Who told us to be bound by the Tianjin Treaty? We only have this many people in Korea." He paused, then added, "Tell Chang Zhenbang... I've given him the cannons and the men. How he uses them is up to him... I'll be waiting for his good news in Tianjin!"

Vladivostok, the Governor-General's Office for the Far East.

Crown Prince Nikolai Alexandrovich stood by the window, looking at the masts of warships in the harbor, his face ashen.

On the table behind him lay a telegram, sent by Colonel Leontiev, reporting on the events of the Yuanshan conflict.

"Japanese...it's Japanese again!"

He suddenly turned around, grabbed the teacup on the table, and smashed it to pieces on the ground.

Baron Kolf, the Governor-General of the Far East, stood to the side without speaking, only taking a small step back, waiting for the Crown Prince to finish venting his anger. He had seen it too many times; ever since the Otsu incident, the Crown Prince's temper had become more and more volatile.

"In Japan, they wanted to chop off my head! Now they're bombing our consulate in Korea!" Nikolai's chest heaved violently. "This is a provocation against the Russian Empire! We should declare war immediately and wipe that damned island nation off the map!"

Baron Kolf paused for a moment, then cautiously began, "Your Highness, Colonel Leontiev has taken control of the docks. The Qing people have also intervened to mediate..."

"Mediation?" Nikolai sneered. "Who needs mediation? What can those Qing monkeys do? They just sit on the shore and watch the show!" He walked to the table, picked up the telegram, and read it again. When he saw the sentence, "Qing troops have entered the Japanese concession port area, separating the two sides," he frowned.

"What's the name of this Qing Dynasty officer? How do you pronounce it?"

Baron Kolf leaned over and glanced at the name of Chang Desheng, spelled out in Russian letters on the telegram translation, and read aloud: "Chang... Desheng, Your Highness, he is the Qing Dynasty's liaison officer in Korea."

"Chang Desheng..." Nikolai muttered the three words in his mouth, then snorted, "That name sounds like a peasant's. Does he think he can stop the Russian fleet?"

He slammed the telegram on the table, turned around, and looked at the Far East map on the wall.

There was silence for a moment.

Then he said, "Reply to Leontiev: Hold the dock, do not retreat a single step."

Baron Kolf hesitated for a moment: "Your Highness, but the Qing people have already intervened to mediate..."

“Mediation is a diplomat’s job,” Nikolai interrupted him. “You’re a soldier. Soldiers only care about one thing… letting the enemy know that Russia is not to be trifled with.”

He paused, his voice turning cold: "Furthermore, order the main force of the Pacific Fleet to set sail for the waters off Wonsan."

Baron Kolf was taken aback: "Your Highness! The main force of the Pacific Fleet has been mobilized...that's a signal of war! Should we consult His Majesty first...?" "I'll send a telegram to my father to explain." Nikolai turned to look at Baron Kolf. "We Russians lost face at Wonsan, and we must regain it there. If we back down, the Japanese will think we're afraid of them. The Qing people will also think we're weak and easily bullied!" He walked to the window, looking at the gray warships on the sea: "We have to show those yellow-skinned people what a real navy is."