1850 American Gold Tycoon

“Although the United States and Qing Dynasty have established diplomatic relations for many years, and we have sent ministers to the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty has never sent ministers to the United States, and they have no plans to do so.

What is even more troublesome is that our minister in Shanghai is far away from the Qing capital and cannot communicate effectively with the Qing Dynasty. In this case, how should we use diplomatic means to resolve our interests in the Qing Dynasty? ” Buchanan was very confused.

The relationship between the United States and Qing Dynasty is relatively good. Despite this, the two countries are still unable to communicate effectively through normal diplomatic channels.

The U.S. Consul General in Shanghai also complained to the federal government many times that Qing officials were repelled from dealing with them. In many cases, the remaining consul generals and consuls could only conduct briefings and exchanges with Chinese businessmen and local officials who could speak English.

As for direct communication and dialogue with the central government of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, forget it.

In the "Treaty of Tianjin" signed during the Second Drug War, the first article stated that the British envoys to China and their dependents and attachés could live in the capital, or could travel to and from Beijing at any time, and could rent land and houses in Beijing. Hire husband servants. The British side can set up consulates and station consuls at various ports for trade.

It can be seen how much the great powers at that time wanted to establish a permanent embassy in the capital of the Qing Dynasty and establish an effective dialogue mechanism with the central government of the Qing Dynasty.

"What we want is real benefits, and what the Qing Dynasty wants is face. As long as we take care of the Qing Dynasty's face, it is not impossible to send envoys to the capital," Liang Yao said.

"Then how to take care of the face of the Qing Dynasty?" Buchanan asked.

"Sending a Chinese consul-general with a Chinese face, one with braids, will be considered as taking care of the face of the Qing Dynasty." Liang Yao gave the answer.

"If you lower your posture, be more humble, kneel down to the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and respect the Qing Dynasty as the supreme kingdom of heaven, when the emperor of the Qing Dynasty is happy, he will also reward some useless but expensive gifts. The Qing Dynasty sends gifts to its allies. The gifts are always generous.”

"Can an American Consul General with a Chinese face enter the capital? Is it that simple? A Chinese-faced American Consul General is also an American? Is there any essential difference?" Buchanan felt incredible.

Buchanan had rich experience and resume as a diplomat. From 1821 to 1845, Buchanan served as minister to Russia for 24 years. During this period, he promoted the signing of the U.S.-Russian Commerce Convention and the U.S.-Russian Navigation Convention, successfully completing the treaty. tasks assigned to him by the federal government.

Buchanan also relied on his diplomatic contributions to successfully enter the central government of the federal government. Therefore, Buchanan still has a lot of experience in diplomatic work and has his own ideas and opinions.

All countries' diplomacy adheres to the principle of putting interests first. This is the first time for Buchanan to see a country like the Qing Dynasty that puts face first. It makes diplomats like Buchanan who have rich diplomatic experience a little confused.

Buchanan served as the minister of Tsarist Russia for 24 years. He did not learn a few words in Russian, but instead learned to speak authentic and fluent French in St. Petersburg.

He originally thought that Tsarist Russia, as a peripheral country on the European continent, was already different enough, but he never imagined that there was a country in the far east that was even more different and more difficult to deal with than Tsarist Russia.

"Yes, it's that simple. The United States has an advantage over Britain and France in this aspect." Liang Yao said with certainty.

"For other countries, there is no difference in the color and race of American ministers, but for the Qing Dynasty, the difference is huge. This is a very complicated knowledge."

As a country of immigrants, the United States is a melting pot of races. Regardless of race, you can find it in America.

Liang Yao originally hoped that Buchanan would let him recommend another suitable candidate for minister to the Qing Dynasty. Buchanan seemed to have seen Liang Yao's thoughts and had his own concerns and ideas. It may also be the governor of Utah Territory recommended by Liang Yao. At present, Not very successful.

This time, Buchanan did not ask Liang Yao to recommend a candidate for minister to the Qing Dynasty.

"Your suggestions are very useful. I will consider this issue carefully and choose a suitable minister." Buchanan said calmly.

"At the same time, I also hope that the Qing Dynasty can also send a minister to the United States and establish formal bilateral diplomatic relations. In this regard, can you provide some effective suggestions?"

"This is much more difficult than sending an envoy to the capital of the Qing Dynasty." Liang Yao shook his head and said.

"I'm afraid no officials in the Qing Dynasty are willing to come to the United States to serve as ministers, but I can work hard."

Letting officials of the Qing Dynasty go to the United States to serve as ministers would be more uncomfortable than exiling them to Ningguta. Ninggu Pagoda is only more than 1,200 kilometers away from the capital, while the straight-line distance between Washington and the capital is tens of thousands of kilometers.

"gentlemen!"

While Liang Yao and Buchanan were talking, Chase hurried in and said.

"Madam is giving birth!"

Hearing that Elizabeth was going to give birth, Liang Yao didn't care much, said sorry to Buchanan and left.

Many people gathered in front of Elizabeth's room, including Weixiuju's servants, Liang Yao's father, Elizabeth's brother Kony and others.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the closed door, and Elizabeth's painful shouts could be heard from inside the door.

Liang Yao's heart was in his throat.

It was raining moderately in the sky, and the raindrops drifted in the wind, hitting the windows with a crisp knocking sound.

The noise from the raindrops hitting the window made Liang Yao uneasy.

Maternal childbirth is still a very dangerous thing in the 21st century with relatively advanced medical technology.

In the 19th century, when the level of medical care was relatively low, the danger was no less than walking near the gate of hell.

Suddenly, the room fell silent.

Liang Yao turned anxiously and pressed his ear against the cold glass window, trying to hear the sounds coming from the delivery room, but he could only hear his own rapid breathing and heartbeat.

He felt his palms were wet, and there was a cigarette in his palm that he had taken out at some point but had never been lit. Time seemed to slow down extremely slowly at this moment, and every second seemed as long as a year.

This rare feeling of powerlessness flooded into his brain. As a human being, there were not many things that could make him feel powerless.

He did not believe in ghosts and gods, but at this time, the only thing he could do was to pray silently for Elizabeth, praying that God would bless her through this difficult ordeal, and that she and her children would be healthy and safe.

Suddenly, a baby's cry came from the room, the door slowly opened, and a doctor came out with a gentle smile on his face and nodded towards Liang Yao.

Liang Yao, who was so excited, rushed in with a quick stride, almost tripping over the threshold and not caring.

When he came to the bed and saw the sweat and exhaustion on his face, Elizabeth was holding the child in her hands and her eyes were shining with satisfaction and joy. Liang Yao's heart was finally relieved.

At this moment, anxiety and uneasiness finally turned into happiness and joy.

"Give our child a name." Elizabeth said tiredly but with joy.

"It's a boy." His mother, standing beside the bed, reminded him, "It's a boy."

Hearing that it was a boy, Liang Yao's mood did not fluctuate much, but his father Liang Shaochen shouted excitedly, saying that his ancestors would bless him and that the Liang family would have an heir.

"How can the name be so casual?! I have written down the child's birth date. We must first pay homage to our ancestors and choose an auspicious day to name the child!" Liang Shaochen interjected.

"Isn't it better that Mr. President is here with us? Wouldn't it be better if we let Mr. President stay here for a few days and ask Mr. President to give our little grandson a name?"

"You asked the president of the United States, who can't even recognize a single Chinese character, to name our child?"

Liang Yao was a little speechless. Buchanan knew English, French, and a little bit of Russian, but he didn't know Chinese. How could this old boy know the Chinese way of naming names?

"Just listen to Dad." Elizabeth said when she saw that the father and son were in a stalemate.

"It is better to follow the traditional Chinese etiquette and give the child a name."

While she was talking, Elizabeth poked Liang Yao, made a gesture to Liang Yao, and pointed at Zoe who was about to leave the room.

Liang Yao looked at Zoe who looked a little lonely from behind, carefully handed the infant baby into Elizabeth's arms, got up and chased after her.

"Zoe, yes."

"No need to say this, I'm fine. It's just that I felt a little uncomfortable when I saw so many people around sister Elizabeth when she gave birth, and you were also around." Zoe said trying to control her emotions.

"I was sorry for you in the past, but I will always be by your side and your child's side in the future." Liang Yao took a step forward and hugged Zoe and said.

Zoe didn't say anything, just sobbed softly on Liang Yao's shoulder.

I don't know when, Liang Qianqian ran up, pulled Liang Yao's clothes, Taizhou head, blinked his big eyes, and asked helplessly and pitifully: "Dad, grandpa didn't like Qianqian anymore after he had a younger brother. Just now I only have eyes for my younger brother and ignore Qianqian. Maybe my father doesn’t like Qianqian anymore after he has a younger brother.”

Hearing Liang Qianqian's unintentional words, Zoe sobbed louder.

Children's senses are very keen. Zoe has lived in California for so long, so it is impossible that she is unaware of China's bad tradition of favoring sons over daughters.

"How could that happen, silly boy?" Liang Yao knelt down and hugged Liang Qianqian tightly.

"My younger brother is my father's good boy, and Qianqian is also my father's good boy."

"Qianqian just heard what grandpa said he was going to hold a banquet for his brother and entertain the guests." Liang Qianqian said with a tearful voice.

"When Qianqian's birthday comes, dad will also hold a banquet and dance for Qianqian, and invite many, many guests to celebrate Qianqian's birthday, okay?" Liang Yao scratched Liang Qianqian's nose and said.

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“If you don’t enter Guangzhou City, you don’t enter China!”

"Go to the city! You must go to the city! The Qing government delayed the establishment of embassies in each other's country from 1842 to 1857 with no result. I think they just want to cheat!"

"We must give these QINGCHONG some color and let them know the consequences of ignoring the British Empire!"

"We not only want to enter Guangzhou City! We also need to set up an embassy in the capital of the Qing Dynasty! To prevent similar things from happening again!"

"There is also the mainland market! In addition to the five ports, we also need the Qing Dynasty to open up the mainland market!"

"The navy of the Qing Dynasty attacked our fleet in Hong Kong and killed two brave English soldiers in public!"

"This is an insult to the British Empire!"

At the same time, in the Houses of Parliament at Westminster Palace in London, England, a group of well-dressed British gentlemen were furious, denouncing the Qing Dynasty and enumerating the Qing Dynasty's "crimes" against the British Empire. It was very lively.

Originally, there were some untimely voices in the parliament that opposed directly declaring war on the Qing Dynasty and sending troops.

These dovish MPs believe that the British Empire has just experienced the Crimean War and needs to recuperate and should not send troops.

However, with the hawkish representative Palmerston taking office as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and a series of confusing behaviors and operations by the Guangzhou authorities.

The influence of dovish MPs in parliament is gradually declining.

Especially when the news of the Battle of Humen reached London, it can be said that the whole country was shocked.

The total number of British soldiers killed and injured in the first trade war with China was not as many as this battle.

Major newspapers, led by The Times, also feared that the world would be unstable and criticized and accused the government of inaction on the Far East issue. As a result, the country's "legitimate businessmen" doing business in the Qing Dynasty could not even obtain basic personal safety protection.

Fueled by the media, British people's voices demanding the dispatch of troops to wash away the shame of the Battle of Humen became increasingly louder.

This is exactly what Prime Minister Palmerston wants to see.

Palmerston can be said to be an old acquaintance of the Qing people.

Before the first trade war with China, Palmerston was the British Empire's Foreign Secretary.

At that time, Palmerston was known for his tough attitude towards China.

When the Parliament was still debating whether to solve the trade problem with China through diplomacy or to send troops directly, Palmerston rejected all opinions and shouted that the only way to deal with the Qing Empire was to beat it first. .

Before 1840, Britain had not had a direct military conflict with the Eastern super empire, which had one-third of the world's population, and little was known about the military strength of the Qing Dynasty.

Fearing the huge size of the Qing Empire, there were not many British politicians at that time who strongly advocated war against China like Palmerston.

The reason is self-evident. Conservative British politicians who did not understand the Qing Empire were unwilling to embark on a military adventure, let alone bear the consequences of a failed war.

The process of voting on the bill to declare war on China in the British Parliament was also full of twists and turns, and finally took three days of discussion. The main war faction only won by a narrow margin of 271 votes to 262 votes and approved the proposal to start a war with China.

It can be seen that before the war began, British politicians did not have a full chance of defeating the mysterious and huge super empire of the Qing Dynasty. Many MPs believed that this was a military adventure.

Victory in the trade war with China brought Palmerston great political prestige and influence.

As a result, Palmerston's reputation in political circles and among the people increased, and he naturally entered the cabinet.

It's just that the benefits brought by the victory of the war to the subjects of the British Empire were not as generous as the politicians had promised.

The claim that every inch of lengthening at the hem of Chinese clothes is enough to keep all British textile factories busy for decades now seems to be an outright lie.

With the exception of Fu Shou ointment, British products do not seem to be popular in China.

Voices in the UK questioning the trade war with China have also risen.

More and more British people are also puzzled as to why the Qing Empire still cannot occupy this huge market with high-quality and low-priced industrial products after the Qing Empire opened up its market and even gave up its tariff autonomy.

The first trade war against China was promoted by Palmerston. It is naturally impossible for Palmerston to deny the necessity of this war. To deny the trade war against China is to deny himself.

In this regard, the explanation given by the British cabinet headed by Palmerston to the people was that the Qing government was obstructing it and organizing legal trade between Britain and Qing. The fact that British residents were not allowed to enter Guangzhou to do business was ironclad evidence of this!

Therefore, it is necessary for Britain to end this unfinished trade war and force the Qing government to completely open the door to Britain's high-quality and low-priced industrial and commercial products!

"Gentlemen, please be quiet!"

In the center of the parliament building, Palmerston made a sound like a bell. He pressed his hands to signal the members in the building to quiet down.

Soon, the noise stopped.

The parliament hall looked solemn and solemn. A huge vault hangs high, and the golden chandelier shines with warm light, illuminating the meeting place brightly and magnificently.

On the seats, the congressmen sat in silence, waiting for the arrival of this historic moment with a heavy and expectant heart.

Palmerston stood on the podium in the center of the forum. Wearing an elegant black dress and a dazzling badge, he looked solemnly at the audience. His voice was majestic, firm and sonorous, echoing in every corner of the hall.

"Dear Members, today we stand at a crossroads in history and face a difficult and important decision."

Palmerston's vulture-like eyes glanced at the seats. He paused and continued: "Our great motherland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as a civilized and just country, has tried many times to peacefully Diplomacy reached an agreement with the Qing Dynasty to resolve the drug and its series of trade issues."

At this point, Palmerston's face darkened, and his voice suddenly became firm and tough: "However, distinguished members, the indifference and unreasonableness of the Qing government have left us with no choice. In order to defend our rights to free trade, defend our Our dignity, we must take military action against the Qing Empire."

The air in the hall was almost solid, and there was so much tension that the congressmen could hardly breathe.

Palmerston looked at the members of the House of Representatives, his eyes were decisive and arrogant: "Now I am here to announce to you the voting results of the "British Action Bill against China". The bill received 497 votes in favor and 36 votes against. Get a pass!

We will declare war on the Qing Empire! This will be a difficult battle. What we have to defend is not only our own interests, but also justice and morality. "

Palmerston's voice became more and more passionate. He raised his right hand and vowed: "We will defend our great Queen Victoria, our homeland, and the people of the British Empire from generation to generation with tenacity and courage. Defend freedom and justice!"

For a moment, thunderous applause and cheers erupted throughout the parliament hall. People raised their arms and shouted long live. The excited members threw their hats into the air.

Palmerston's declaration of war once again activated the huge war machine of the British Empire.