Beiyang Dream

July 20, 1891, the eighth day after the Wonsan Incident.

The British Consul General in Seoul was named Walter Hill, whose Chinese name was Xi Zaiming. He was a China expert who had lived in China for over twenty years, and his Chinese was better than that of most Manchu officials. At this moment, he was riding a pony, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

In July, North Korea was sweltering, like a sauna. He was wearing a formal suit, trying to act like a gentleman—it was unbearably hot! "Minister Daishi, is Wonsan just ahead?"

On another horse beside him, the Japanese Minister to Korea, Oishi Masami, was also sweltering in the heat. If it weren't for the British gentleman beside him, he would have already changed into a loose-sleeved, drafty kimono. Hearing Lord Xi's question, he quickly replied, "It should be there. Judging by the distance, we should arrive by noon today. Wonsan is by the sea, so it should be cooler there."

Behind the two men were two hundred of Yuan Shikai's bodyguards, led by Lei Zhenchun. They were all dressed in gray cloth uniforms, carrying Mauser rifles without bayonets, and lined up in two columns, their steps relatively orderly.

Hill glanced back and scoffed inwardly.

Yuan Shikai's soldiers looked a bit more spirited than the old Huai Army, but that was all. Two hundred guns was a considerable force in Korea, but compared to the powerful Russian army, they were nothing.

Now, the Russian Trans-Siberian Railway has just started construction, and the Qing Dynasty can still act as a paper tiger for a while. But once the railway is completed, what will the Qing Dynasty use to resist it?

In the Far East, the only country that could shield Britain from Russia was Japan…

As he was thinking this, the horse caravan rounded a bend in the mountain pass, and suddenly the view opened up before him.

A three-way intersection.

One road to the left leads to the Japanese concession, where hundreds of buildings of all sizes have already been constructed. The other road to the right leads to the Qing concession, which has only three buildings.

Hill reined in his horse and squinted as he looked toward the Qing concession.

Then his brows furrowed.

Those three solitary houses are now surrounded by a newly built rammed earth wall. Outside the wall, a winding, zigzag trench has been dug most of the way through.

Outside the trenches, countless wooden stakes were being driven into the ground. A group of Japanese residents dressed in kimonos were swinging sledgehammers, working hard to drive the stakes in. Several Qing soldiers in gray uniforms stood nearby, holding blueprints and gesturing as they directed the work.

"That is..." Hill's voice was a little strained.

Daishi saw it too, and his face immediately darkened: "The Qing people...are building a fortress?"

Hill didn't reply. He raised his small binoculars and looked carefully in that direction.

The trenches have been dug for almost a mile, and at least a thousand stakes have been driven in. People are wrapping barbed wire around them. They are some short Qing soldiers, skillfully wrapping barbed wire around the stakes... What kind of tactic is this?

Hill put down his binoculars and pondered for a moment.

Did these Qing soldiers really think they could stop the Russian "steam bulldozer" with these thin iron wires? What a pipe dream!

As he was thinking, a series of gunshots rang out in the distance. He turned his head sharply and looked in the direction of the sound.

All that could be seen was an open field outside the Qing concession, where about 150 Qing soldiers were divided into two groups. One group was practicing target practice, still in prone positions, lying on the ground, holding rifles, aiming at targets in the distance, with gunshots rising and falling. The other group was practicing bayonet fighting, two people in a group, holding rifles with bayonets fixed, poking at scarecrows back and forth.

Hill's eyelids twitched as he watched... The Qing army is making rapid progress!

"Minister Oishi," he lowered his voice, "did you see that?"

Daishi's face turned ashen: "I see! This isn't an embassy guard; it's clearly a field army!"

The two looked at each other but neither spoke.

Then they saw a group of soldiers patrolling the streets of the Japanese concession.

The soldiers wore strange uniforms: dark blue, short-sleeved jackets resembling Qing Dynasty uniforms, but wide-legged white breeches like those worn by Koreans, with white leggings at the cuffs. They wore black, brimless round caps on their heads, looking completely out of place. The rifles they carried, however, were legitimate American Lyndon rifles.

At the front of the procession, a yellow dragon flag of the Qing Dynasty was being flown.

The leader was a middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of a Qing Dynasty officer, with a command sword at his waist, strutting arrogantly through the streets of the Japanese concession. Hill's fingers tightened around the reins.

"Minister Oishi," his voice turned cold, "if I'm not mistaken, those are the newly formed Imperial Guard of Korea, aren't they?"

Da Shi gritted his teeth: "That's right. And they're flying the flag of the Qing Dynasty!"

"In the Japanese concession, Korean troops are patrolling under Qing Dynasty flags." Hill frowned. "What kind of nonsense is that?"

Daishi did not answer; his ashen face said it all.

After a moment of silence, Daishi spoke first, in English. He knew Hill was a sinologist, but some things were better said in English.

"Lord Hill, have you noticed? According to the Treaty of Tianjin, the Qing embassy guard in Korea should not exceed four hundred men. But now..." He held up his fingers, counting one by one: "There are two hundred in Wonsan, two hundred who escorted us here, and at least two hundred more in Seoul. That makes six hundred. Add to that the newly formed Korean imperial guards, and they are clearly under direct Qing control..." "This is a serious breach of contract!" Hill interrupted, his brow furrowed. "No civilized nation would tolerate such a breach." Daishi nodded, leaned forward, and lowered his voice: "Lord Hill, have you considered... if the Qing army's presence in Wonsan becomes legal and permanent, then the Treaty of Tianjin will become a worthless piece of paper. Qing control over Korea will be greatly strengthened. Korea will return to the state it was in before the Treaty of Tianjin was signed, or even worse!"

Hill paused for a few seconds, then slowly said, "Don't worry. Britain won't allow this to happen. When I meet with that Mr. Chang later, I'll ask him to promise that all personnel who violated the agreement will be withdrawn once the situation in Yuanshan calms down."

Daishi bowed deeply: "Thank you very much, Lord Hill."

As the two were talking, a series of hurried footsteps came from afar. A short man in a black suit came running over, sweating profusely and panting heavily.

This man was none other than Hashiguchi Naoemon.

He ran to Hill and Oishi, bowed deeply, and said breathlessly, "Your Excellency Hill! Minister Oishi! I am truly sorry for being late in welcoming you!"

Oishi, his face stern, scolded, "Hashiguchi-kun! Why are you so late? You've kept Lord Hill waiting for so long!"

Qiaokou wiped his sweat and quickly explained, "I'm so sorry! Just now... just now I went with Lord Chang to negotiate with the Russians..." Hill frowned: "Negotiate what?"

After catching his breath, Qiaokou replied, "Your Jardine Matheson's merchant ship 'Hong Kong' has delivered three 12-centimeter cannons to the Qing army. They need to be unloaded at the Russian-controlled dock, so I accompanied Lord Chang to negotiate the unloading arrangements with the Russians."

Hill paused for a moment, then asked, "The Russians would agree?"

"Agreed." Hashiguchi nodded. "On the condition that the Russians are allowed to use the Qing Dynasty's telegraph office to contact Vladivostok. In addition, a damaged warehouse near the dock will be handed over to the Russians for their use."

Hill and Big Rock exchanged a glance.

They both understood the signal.

The Russians no longer intend to escalate the situation further; otherwise, they would not have allowed the Qing army to bring three cannons into the Qing concession.

Daishi then asked, "Are there any soldiers accompanying us?"

Qiaokou hesitated for a moment: "There are... about two hundred people."

"Another two hundred." Daishi turned to Hill, his voice tinged with bitterness. "Your Excellency Hill, the Qing troops stationed in Korea probably number more than eight hundred."

Hill's brow furrowed even more.

Eight hundred men. While not a large number, this meant that the Qing Dynasty had begun blatantly violating the Treaty of Tianjin. If it wasn't stopped now, once the Qing Dynasty tasted the sweetness of breach of contract... they would breach it again and again! As he was thinking this, a series of labor chants, "Heave-ho, heave-ho," drifted from afar.

He looked up and saw a troop of Qing soldiers pulling three cannons, walking along the dirt road from the direction of the dock. Leading them was a young man wearing the robes of a fourth-rank official, and beside him was a middle-aged man in the uniform of a Huai Army officer. The two were talking as they walked.

Pointing to the young man at the bridgehead, he said, "That's Lord Chang Desheng. The one next to him is Tian Zhongyu, a captain in the Huai Army's artillery unit. He was just transferred from the Qing Dynasty, and I heard he and Lord Chang are old classmates."

Daishi squinted for a few seconds, then said to Hashiguchi, "Hashiguchi-kun, go and inform Chang Desheng immediately that the British Consul General in Seoul and I have arrived and wish to meet with him immediately to discuss the issue of Qing troops stationed there and negotiations with Russia."

He bowed at the bridgehead, then turned and ran.

Hill watched the retreating figure at the bridgehead, then lowered his voice and said to Daishi, "When you meet that guy surnamed Chang later, you'll be mainly responsible for discussing the negotiations with Russia. I'll bring up the issue of Qing troops stationed in Korea."

Daishi nodded: "Thank you very much, Lord Hill."

Clearing out the concession, second floor of the telegraph office.

The meeting room was small, containing a square table, a few chairs, and a map of North Korea's east coast hanging on the wall. Several cups of freshly brewed tea sat on the table, steam rising gently.

Chang Desheng sat in the main seat, with Duan Qirui beside him. Opposite them sat Hill and Da Shi, while Qiaokou sat at the lower end, head bowed, barely daring to breathe. Hill picked up his teacup, took a sip, then looked at Chang Desheng and began to speak fluent Chinese:

"Officer Chang, when I entered Yuanshan just now, I noticed that the number of Qing troops stationed here seems to exceed six hundred. This is probably a violation of the provisions of the Tianjin Convention... a clear breach of contract."

He spoke in a gentlemanly tone, but his condescending air was impossible to hide.

Chang Desheng nodded, a sincere smile on his face: "You're right, we did indeed violate the Tianjin Special Regulations."

Hill paused for a moment.

He didn't expect Chang Desheng to admit it so readily.

Daishi was also taken aback for a moment, then immediately seized the opportunity and leaned forward: "Lord Chang! Since you also acknowledge that this is a breach of contract, then I hope that your country can abide by the treaty and immediately withdraw all personnel stationed in violation of the agreement after the situation in Yuanshan has calmed down!"

Chang Desheng glanced at him, but didn't respond. Instead, he turned to Hill and said, "Your Excellency Consul General, I need a written protest." Hill thought he had misheard: "What?"

"A written protest," Chang Desheng repeated, then winked at Duan Qirui. "Zhiquan, get some paper."

Without a word, Duan Qirui got up, walked to the cabinet, took out a stack of official documents, and neatly placed them in front of Hill and Da Shi. Chang Desheng smiled and said to the two of them, "Write it down. Write down any breaches of contract we have made. At least it needs to be a formal note, right? Otherwise, how can I report it to my superiors? I can't just make empty promises, can I?"

Hill and Big Rock exchanged a glance.

That makes some sense...

But Hill felt something was amiss. He hesitated for a moment: "The Standing Committee has already issued a diplomatic note; the Russians haven't withdrawn yet. Isn't it too early?"

"Not too early, not too early. What the Russians want is nothing more than money and face. It's only a matter of time before they withdraw their troops." Chang Desheng waved his hand. "But it's not so easy for me to withdraw... If you two could give me a written note, I would have someone take it back to Li Hongzhang. He would naturally order us to return home."

Duan Qirui, having also followed suit, chimed in, "That's right. We're just following orders. Who wants to stay in this godforsaken place? A notification would help us report back."

Hill pondered for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Big Stone.

It seems... there really isn't anything wrong with it.

Wonsan was indeed not as prosperous as Seoul, let alone Tianjin.

Moreover, officials in the Qing Dynasty preferred to stay in places that were both prosperous and lucrative...

"Okay." Hill nodded. "Then let's draft a joint note."

He dictated the message, and Daishi wrote it down on the spot. It was a carefully worded diplomatic note in both Chinese and English. The gist of it was that the Qing army's garrison at Yuanshan violated the relevant provisions of the Tianjin Convention and should withdraw as soon as possible after the situation at Yuanshan calmed down, restoring the original state of the treaty.

After writing it down, Oishi made two more copies, then signed and stamped them. Finally, one copy was kept by the British and one by the Japanese, and the other was given to Chang Desheng. Chang Desheng took it, read it carefully, and his finger paused on the line "They should withdraw as soon as the situation in Wonsan calms down." Then he smiled and nodded: "Good, good, good. It's all in black and white, clear as day, and it even has the seals of the British Consul General and the Japanese Minister... Good, very good!" He folded the note, carefully put it into his briefcase, and patted the briefcase as if afraid of losing it.

Then he turned to Duan Qirui and said, "Zhiquan, pass on my order: the entire army must pack up its equipment and prepare to withdraw from Yuanshan."

Duan Qirui paused for a moment, then asked, "Now?"

"Now," Chang Desheng's voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard throughout the room, "pack up immediately. Meet at the crossroads in one hour." Hill jumped to his feet: "Chairman Chang! The Russians haven't retreated yet! If you evacuate Yuanshan and it falls into Russian hands, you'll be fully responsible!"

Da Shi also stood up, his face ashen: "Lord Chang! You cannot withdraw your troops at this time!"

Chang Desheng turned his head and looked at them with a serious expression: "You don't know yet, do you? Last night, the Beiyang Merchant Protection Commissioner stationed in Vladivostok sent a telegram... The main force of the Russian Pacific Fleet stationed in Vladivostok set sail yesterday afternoon. According to the voyage calculation, they will arrive at Yuanshan Sea today."

He paused, spread his hands, and said with a helpless expression, "The main Russian fleet is coming soon. With so few men here, we're just a waste of their time. You two have already said that we've breached the agreement and shouldn't be here. So we'll be leaving now... You two should talk to the Russians!" With that, he turned and walked out.

Hill stood there, stunned, his mind buzzing.

The main force of the Pacific Fleet... is arriving today?

He suddenly turned his head and looked out the window.

In the distance, on the sea, a column of smoke could be faintly seen.

One, two, three...

The Russian Pacific Fleet is here!

No wonder the Russians agreed to let the Qing army transport those three cannons ashore. What use were three twelve-centimeter cannons against the entire Russian Pacific Fleet?

And now, the six hundred Qing soldiers and five hundred Korean soldiers are about to... Is Wonsan about to fall into the hands of the Russians?