Chapter 412: Loyal Ministers of the Celestial Empire (First update, please subscribe)
In the spring, the Champs-Elysées has lost its former tranquility. Instead, there is only waves of noise, one after another, amid the passionate Marseillaise.
The Champs-Elysees was like a sea of red at this time, with thousands of Parisians gathering on the streets, chanting their slogans.
"Long live the Republic!"
"Long live the Republic!"
Amid the shouts of the people, teams of cuirassiers rode their horses and galloped forward along the Champs-Elysees that runs through Paris.
The breath of the horses was like white mist in the cold air, and the metal decorations of the helmets and breastplates shone silver in the sun. The whips in the hands of the cuirassiers were waving and lashing at the bodies of the people.
The commotion on the street was mixed with roars and hurried footsteps. Soon the people singing the songs were dispersed, leaving only a mess on the ground.
Pedestrians on the roadside stopped to watch the procession and whispered to each other. In the crowd, two Oriental men wearing mandarin jackets and melon-shaped hats stood out.
"No king and no father, really no king and no father..."
This scene on the street made Liu Xihong, who was standing on the roadside, quite excited and said,
"The French people have no intention of repaying their loyalty to their king and father, and have committed such acts of treason. If it were in our Great Qing..."
When the words came to his lips, Liu Xihong said that he could take it back. This is France, not the Qing Dynasty. Of course, he would not be beheaded, let alone exterminate his entire clan.
History has changed a little bit here.
Five years ago, after the "Siege of Tianjing" was broken by King Li Zhong, the Taiping Army went upstream, captured Anqing, Wuhu, and Jiujiang. After controlling the Yangtze River with an "iron armored heavy artillery ship", they advanced to the north of the Yangtze River and approached the Huai River, forming a situation of confrontation between the North and the South.
Facing the threat from the Heavenly Kingdom, Li Zhongtang started his "Westernization Movement" in the north, taking even bigger steps than the other world. After all, the military threat from the Heavenly Kingdom was a reality. He not only built factories and mines, but also repaired railways and trained navy.
Even Liu Xihong was sent abroad a few years in advance to serve as the first Qing Dynasty's minister to the North German Confederation. He came from London to pass through the North German Confederation to present his credentials. Well, he also served as minister to Austria-Hungary and the Netherlands. Despite such heavy responsibilities, he could not speak foreign languages.
Originally, he wanted to pass through France for inspection, but he never expected to encounter this scene as soon as he arrived in Paris. This naturally greatly stimulated Liu Xihong, who regarded himself as a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty.
He couldn't even imagine that there were people in this world as greedy as the French!
That’s right, these people are just toys, not even as good as things!
"These French people really don't know what is good for them. From what we have seen in the past few days, France has a harmonious political system, a wise ruler and honest officials, and the people have no worries about food and clothing. It is such a peaceful and prosperous time, but these French people are not only ungrateful, but they are doing such unruly things. They are simply insane!"
Looking at the messy streets, Liu Xihong felt a little heavy. He couldn't understand why these Westerners were so ignorant of good and evil. If the people of the Qing Dynasty could live and work in peace and contentment like the French people, and have no worries about food and clothing, then the people would definitely be grateful for the court's kindness and grateful to live in a prosperous era.
But here in France there are unruly people everywhere!
With so many unruly people everywhere, the country will surely be doomed to fail!
Thinking of this, Liu Xihong couldn't help but smile, thinking to himself.
At this time, France is in the midst of endless civil strife, with unruly people everywhere. Although there are bandits in our Great Qing, once these bandits are quelled, with the good and obedient people of our Great Qing, the country will surely be revived within a few years. By then, won't our Great Qing be able to surpass France?
It seems that... Ah! The fact that France is full of unruly people is a great thing for the Qing Empire!
God really has eyes!
God bless our Qing Dynasty!
Just as Liu Xihong was secretly delighted, a carriage drove by on the road. On the black carriage, the Chinese-style Vermilion Bird emblem with a red background was very eye-catching. Seeing the Chinese-style emblem in France made Liu Xihong raise his eyebrows, and his eyes showed a little surprise.
"Master Liu, look, that's the carriage from the Nanhua Embassy."
The young man beside him named Yan Fu reported respectfully.
Four years ago, Yan Fu entered the Jiaozhou Naval Academy. He just graduated this year and went to Britain with many classmates to study naval affairs. The reason why he came to France with Liu Xihong this time was that he was instructed by the chief envoy of the diplomatic envoy Guo Songtao to temporarily serve as his interpreter.
“Nanhua!”
Hearing these two words, Liu Xihong raised his eyebrows and said with disdain.
"A bunch of abandoned people of the Celestial Empire who have fallen into depravity and have no king or father. Even if they have made some achievements, it is only because of luck. Once the internal troubles of the Qing Dynasty are settled, it will only take a day for the Qing Dynasty to surpass those abandoned people with its manpower!"
Liu Xihong was not unfamiliar with Nanhua. He had heard of this place when he was in Singapore. After the ship arrived in Europe, the shock that Nanhua brought to him and the accompanying members of the delegation was unprecedented - a group of abandoned people of the Celestial Empire had actually defeated the foreigners and destroyed their country!
How embarrassing it would be for the Qing Dynasty, which had to kneel before foreigners!
However, they soon found the reason. What was the root of all this?
Isn’t it because of the bandits causing chaos?
If there had been no rebellion by bandits, our Qing Empire would have surely been revived.
"Your Excellency is right. Your Excellency has been promoting foreign affairs in Xuzhou. There are many iron factories and coal mines near Xuzhou, and even the railway has been built to Xi'an. Although the bandits in the northwest are very brave, the elite new army of Your Excellency and the armored trains are no match for the bandits..."
When talking about Li Zhongtang's contribution, Yan Fu's tone was full of awe. Ever since his teacher Zeng Lao Zhongtang was defeated in Nanjing, Li Zhongtang and his Huai Army had become the pillars of the empire, resisting bandits in the south and suppressing the Hui rebellion in the west. What did the Qing Dynasty rely on today?
That’s 360,000 Huai Army!
Even Yan Fu's study at Jiaozhou Naval Academy was also initiated by Li Zhongtang. The wings of the butterfly are also reflected here. The Naval Academy, which was originally supposed to be built in Mawei, was moved north to Jiaozhou because Jiangsu and Zhejiang were occupied by the Taiping Army. Even the Beiyang Navy, which was not built until ten years later in history, was put on the agenda in advance.
After all, the real threat cannot be ignored. Compared with the foreign threat at sea, the threat from the Heavenly Kingdom is more direct and more deadly. Even Yan Fu and others came to study in the UK several years in advance.
The changes in history are always so unexpected.
"Humph, Li Hefei's so-called Westernization and business development are nothing but a move of "missing the main point and pursuing the trivial". One more merchant among the officials means one more fool in the country and one more thief among the people. Can it be that he can rule the world without paying attention to government orders and people's livelihood, and only rely on ships, guns and machines? In the past few years, he has opened a government in Xuzhou, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and has been disloyal, just like an emperor. How can such a disloyal thief be a minister of the revival of the country..."
Liu Xihong's accusation frightened the young Yan Fu so much that he was speechless. He rationally chose to keep silent, looking at Lord Liu's indignant expression, and thought to himself.
"Master Zhongtang is really foolish. How can he be an envoy..."
Looking at the carriage going away, Yan Fu was very curious about what Nanhua looked like and how it could defeat the foreign country.
When Yan Fu became curious about Nanhua, he never thought that Nanhua's reputation would eventually reach the imperial court...
(End of this chapter)
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