Beiyang Dream

July 20, 1891, afternoon.

Yuanshan Qing Concession.

Chang Desheng, carrying the leather briefcase he had brought back from Germany, stood at the entrance of the telegraph office, watching the soldiers busy in the courtyard, and felt quite emotional.

This bag was given to him during his brief internship at the German General Staff. It was dark red and of exceptionally high quality; it could hold hundreds of pages of blueprints without any seams coming undone. Right now, the bag didn't contain any blueprints, only one thing—a joint Anglo-Japanese protest note.

As he was going downstairs, he patted his bag and said to Duan Qirui with a smile, "Now we can leave openly... and then we'll be invited back openly later!"

Duan Qirui, standing beside him, was also carrying a briefcase, bought in Germany for five marks. His face was tense, his expression unreadable, but his eyes kept glancing towards the dock; on the sea there, a gray column of smoke was getting closer and closer...

"Zhenbang," Duan Qirui lowered his voice, "the Russian fleet is getting closer and closer. Should we really leave?"

"Let's go." Chang Desheng said decisively, "We've already received the diplomatic note, what else are we going to do but leave? But don't go too far... just one step!" One step?

Duan Qirui opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but then he didn't say anything.

He thought to himself: "Your feigned indifference is brilliant! First, you tricked the foreigners into issuing a protest note, which is a perfect excuse to shift the blame... You're taking the fall for them, and then you get kicked out. Xi is really going too far in Ming and Dashi! With this note in hand, even if Yuanshan is occupied by the Russians, we won't be afraid to take the case to the Emperor or Empress Dowager!"

Thinking this through, he nodded and said, "Alright, if you say so, then go!"

Outside the courtyard, Cao Kun was shouting at the top of his lungs, "Left scout! Pack up the tents! Stack the ammunition boxes properly! Don't forget anything!" Lei Zhenchun, leading his two hundred Yuan Shikai guards, was also organizing their ranks. They had come to escort the British and Japanese envoys and hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath before having to leave again. However, Lei Zhenchun didn't say much to his old classmate, Chang Desheng.

Before he arrived, Yuan Shikai had instructed him: "Once you get to Yuanshan, listen to Chang Zhenbang. Do whatever he tells you to do, and you won't go wrong." Was he really right?

Why are you leaving so soon after you arrived?

On the other side, Tanaka Yu, along with his dozens of artillerymen, was loading the three 12-centimeter cannons onto the wagon. The cannons were still covered in their protective covers, having just been unloaded from the cannon cart. As Tanaka Yu directed his men to tidy up the three cannons, he wondered to himself: These cannons just arrived, haven't even been set up yet, why are they being taken away already?

Luo Shijie's twenty veterans from Southeast Asia were also packing their things. The two Maxim guns were carefully wrapped in tarpaulins and loaded onto the wagons. The two mortars and dozens of boxes of ammunition were also loaded onto the wagons that had just been requisitioned from the Japanese concession a couple of days earlier.

And at the main gate of the Qing Concession.

Hill, Oishi, and Qiaokou were standing there, each with an increasingly grim expression.

Hill tapped his cane twice on the ground, his brow furrowed. Oishi's forehead was covered in sweat, his handkerchief soaked through, which he kept wiping. Hashiguchi stood behind them, his face deathly pale, as if he could already see the Japanese concession in Yuanshan fall.

Before them stood the Qing army, assembling in preparation for departure. On the distant sea, the Russian fleet drew ever closer.

Chang Desheng and Duan Qirui, carrying bags, walked towards them with measured steps.

"My lords," Chang Desheng said with a smile as he reached the door, bowing slightly to the two men. "Thank you for your concern. I'll be leaving now. Farewell."

After he finished speaking, he lifted his foot to walk out.

Hill stepped forward and blocked his way.

"The office is always busy," Hill's voice was a little tense, "you can't leave."

Chang Desheng stopped and tilted his head to look at him: "Can't leave? Your Excellency, I don't understand what you mean. You were the ones who issued me a protest note demanding that I withdraw my troops. I've complied now, so why can't I leave?"

He pulled the note from his bag, unfolded it, and pointed to the words: "It's written in black and white: 'Withdrawal should be made as soon as possible after the situation in Wonsan subsides.' Now that the Russians aren't firing anymore, the situation is considered settled. What's the problem with me withdrawing my troops as you demand?"

Hill was speechless.

Daishi stepped forward, his tone much more urgent than Hill's: "Lord Chang! The Russian fleet is already in the open sea! If you withdraw your troops now, what will happen to Yuanshan?"

"Yuanshan?" Chang Desheng folded the note and put it back in his bag. "With you two gentlemen here, and the Japanese minister also here, what does Yuanshan have to do with a Qing official like me who's about to leave?"

Da Shi became anxious: "Lord Chang! Once Wonsan falls into Russian hands, pro-Russian forces in Korea will surely rise up! If Korea breaks away from the Qing Dynasty's tributary system, can you bear the responsibility?"

Chang Desheng laughed: "Your Excellency, do you now realize that the Qing Dynasty is the suzerain state of Korea? Is a suzerain state bound by the Treaty of Tianjin for stationing troops in its vassal state? Besides, I withdrew my troops because of protest notes from Britain and Japan, in order to avoid offending friendly nations. I have the official text of the notes as proof."

He patted his bag: "When the court asks, I'll just present the note and say, 'Your Majesty, it's not that I don't want to defend it, it's that the British and Japanese won't let me.' Tell me, who will Your Majesty blame?"

Daishi's face turned pale.

Hill also fell silent.

Qiaokou whispered from behind, "Lord Chang, if you leave, the Russians will occupy Yuanshan, and then what about the Qingliu..." "Qingliu?" Chang Desheng interrupted him, "Consul Qiaokou, what do you think those Qingliu people can do to me? The Russians have an entire fleet, while I only have six hundred Qing soldiers under my command, and we're even violating international law by stationing ourselves in Yuanshan. Even the British Empire and Japan have submitted protest notes. If I still refuse to leave, won't that just cause trouble for the court?"

He sighed, his face earnest: "Perhaps we should first abide by international law and treaties, withdraw to Seoul, and then discuss other options. If Great Britain and Japan change their stance and allow our troops to be stationed in Seoul, Korea will naturally not secede from the Qing Dynasty. If Great Britain and Japan continue to protest, then our Qing Dynasty will certainly abide by treaties and international law, and strive to be a civilized nation!"

He paused, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Hill and Daishi: "Gentlemen, please don't stop Chang from being a civilized person!"

Duan Qirui, standing to the side with a stern face, solemnly echoed, "Yes, we should be civilized people."

Hill's face turned bright red.

He had been a diplomat for over twenty years and had seen all sorts of Qing officials—some were cowardly, some were greedy, some were incompetent, and some were stubborn. But he had never seen anyone like this, using the other side's protest note as a shield and then silencing them with the other side's words.

And they keep saying they want to be civilized people!

You call yourself a civilized person? You yellow-skinned monkey, you don't even deserve to be called one!

Li Hongzhang was already irresponsible enough, but this Chang Desheng... was even more shameless, barbaric, and cunning than Li Hongzhang!

Daishi was frantic, practically jumping up and down in panic. Only one thought occupied his mind: Yuanshan couldn't be lost. If Yuanshan fell, he wouldn't be able to explain himself when he returned. It wasn't just a matter of being dismissed; it was a matter of possibly committing seppuku!

He glanced at the approaching plumes of smoke on the sea, then at the Qing troops assembling in the courtyard. Though few in number, they were undeniably elite. And then there were the trenches, the barbed wire, the artillery positions… If Chang Desheng was willing to defend, the Russians would have to fight a tough battle to take Yuanshan. More importantly, the two ironclad warships of the Qing Beiyang Fleet were truly capable of defeating the Russian Pacific Fleet. If the Russians saw the Qing army's serious defenses at Yuanshan, they might calm down, demand some reparations from the Japanese, and then withdraw…

Daishi gritted his teeth and stepped forward: "Chairman Chang! What do you want in exchange for staying?"

Chang Desheng glanced at him, then at Hill, and said solemnly, "Your Excellency, first of all, it wasn't me who stayed. I had already left. It was your protest note that drove me away."

With that, he stepped out of the Qing concession gate, stood outside the threshold, and turned to look at the two people inside: "So, it's not that I'm staying. It's that you asked me to bring troops to protect Yuanshan."

Duan Qirui was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening and took a step forward as well: "Yes, we've already left... left the Qing Concession."

Taking one step is still taking a step!

Hill and Big Rock looked at each other in bewilderment.

What kind of logic is that?

But it seems... there's nothing wrong with it?

Hill opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Da Shi spoke first: "Alright, alright! We invited you here! Please, Lord Chang, stay!" Chang Desheng stretched out his hand: "Give it to me."

Hill was taken aback: "Take what?"

"A diplomatic note," Chang Desheng said matter-of-factly. "An invitation note. Clearly written in black and white, it's from the British and Japanese envoys to Korea, inviting Chang Desheng, the Qing Dynasty's garrison commander in Korea, to lead his troops to garrison Wonsan to defend against a possible Russian invasion… And the note cannot contain the specific number of our troops stationed in Wonsan or the deadline!"

Hill was dumbfounded.

Another diplomatic note?

He glanced at the large stone, and the large stone was also stunned.

But after a few seconds of stunned silence, Da Shi suddenly realized, "That's right! Chang Desheng was previously 'in breach of contract by stationing troops in Yuanshan,' but if he now receives an 'invitation note,' then it's no longer a breach! Britain and Japan invited him to garrison here! This way, it will be difficult for Britain and Japan to expel the Qing troops from Yuanshan in the future... They can simply say that the Russians might still invade, and the task of defending against Russia is not yet complete, then they can legitimately stay." Duan Qirui also understood, exclaiming inwardly, "Brilliant! International law can be used like this!"

Da Shi leaned close to Hill's ear and whispered, "Your Excellency Hill, this Chang Desheng... I heard he was once the chief of the Beiyang Army, went to Germany to study military affairs, and was admitted to the Prussian War Academy..."

Hill thought to himself: Do the Prussian War College still teach international law these days? These Germans, why do they teach everything?!

But he didn't say it aloud. He just stared at Chang Desheng's smiling face, only one thought swirling in his mind: this "cunning barbarian" had been plotting from the very beginning. He wanted that protest note not to fulfill a formality, but to create a "proof of immunity" for himself, thus gaining an advantageous position in the game between him and Da Shi... Now he was inviting a note again, this time to circumvent the Treaty of Tianjin and legally station troops in Korea!

That's so cunning!

Seeing that the two men remained silent, Chang Desheng asked with a smile, "Gentlemen, if you don't intend to send me an 'invitation note,' then I'll really be leaving."

He made a gesture as if to turn around.

Daishi couldn't hold back any longer.

"Give it to us!" Daishi practically shouted. "We'll give it to you! Write it right now!"

He couldn't help but be anxious. If he lost Yuanshan because of his mistake, he would really have to commit seppuku when he got back. That would be incredibly painful!

Hill looked at Da Shi, then at Chang Desheng, and finally sighed, "Okay. Let's write."

Chang Desheng smiled and pointed to the second floor of the telegraph office: "Gentlemen, please go upstairs... to the meeting room."

After an incense stick has burned.

Chang Desheng received another note.

It was still a joint venture between Britain and Japan, and it was all in black and white, with signatures, official seals, and all the formalities.

He read it carefully, his finger pausing on the line that read, "At the request of the British Consul General in Seoul and the Japanese Minister to Korea, troops are to be stationed in Wonsan, Korea, to guard against Russia..." Then he smiled and nodded: "Very 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 and placed it in his bag, next to the protest note. Then he patted his bag, looked up, and smiled at Hill and Big Rock:

"I have received the note. Now we can discuss some specific issues."

Hill and Big Rock exchanged a glance.

Hill asked, "What specific problem?"

Chang Desheng stretched out his hand, rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, and made a gesture that is universally understood.

"Money".