Chapter 63

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"Svenson, in terms of the entire world, the Qing Empire is not considered a truly weak country. Moreover, the Far East, where the Qing Empire is located, is far from the European countries' homelands. Apart from Britain and France, which have both powerful navies and armies, and Russia, which shares a land border with the Qing Empire, no other country has the strength to threaten the Qing Empire.

Therefore, the Qing Empire does not need to make concessions to any country outside these three. As for negotiations with France and Russia, there is no need to be overly weak. France has no bases in the Far East, and its colonies in India are very small, making it difficult to support a large expeditionary force. Furthermore, France is currently engaged in a war in North Africa, in Algeria, which has lasted for five or six years, with nearly 100,000 troops deployed. Sending more troops to the Far East would likely exceed the French government's ability to bear the military expenses.

Russia's situation is even worse than France's. They can only threaten the Qing Empire's northern regions through Siberia, but a 20,000-mile land route, without the support of railways, cannot sustain a large army.

As for the United States, Spain, Prussia, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, and other countries, they are not very powerful and cannot possibly go to war with the Qing Empire. Therefore, the Qing Empire can treat them equally in diplomacy and must not follow Britain's example by giving them a lot of benefits.

Additionally, negotiations with Britain and France should not be without principles. The interests that should be fought for must be fought for, especially customs tariffs, which are of great importance. Currently, the tariffs of Western countries are often 30% to 40%. Even if the Qing Empire were to make concessions, they should not be lower than 25%. Moreover, the most-favored-nation treatment should not be easily granted. Britain received it out of necessity, but France must exchange it for benefits, such as helping to establish armories and shipyards, and sending personnel to train the new army. Otherwise, they should not be given this treatment. As for other countries, including the United States and Russia, there is no need to make any concessions regarding most-favored-nation treatment..."

On the large sailboat heading to France's Calais, Zhu Jishi was explaining the international situation and the Qing Empire's possible responses to Bai Siwen with a serious expression. He had been in this era for nearly a year and had gained some understanding of the current situation in Europe and America. He also realized that the Qing Empire's position was not as disadvantageous as people in the future imagined. Imperialism was not a united front; the British Empire would not spend millions of pounds to fight another war with China for the sake of any other Western country. France might still have some strength to fight the Qing Dynasty, but the possibility was very low. As for countries other than Britain and France, they had no power to wage war on the Qing Empire. The Qing Dynasty did not need to make any concessions to them, as it would be extremely difficult to reclaim any rights once they were given away.

Regarding the high tariffs of Western countries, Zhu Jishi had a personal experience. Currently, the products of Hero Pharmaceuticals and Jason-Kosper Rubber Company are sold in various European and American countries, and the tariff barriers they face are often several tens of percent. As a result, the board of directors of Jishi Holdings has already planned to set up factories in France, the United States, Germany, and Russia to achieve localized production. If the Qing Empire foolishly gave Western powers tariffs of 5% or 10% (historically less than 5%), it would be extremely difficult to develop the national industry in the future.

Zhu Jishi spoke earnestly, but Bai Siwen found it a bit boring. He was returning to serve as an official, not to save the country. The key to being an official was to understand the intentions of those above. Understanding the internal affairs of Western countries was just a stepping stone. However, seeing Zhu Jishi's careful explanation, he could only listen with a serious expression.

However, he probably did not realize that Zhu Jishi was also thinking of two things at once. His mind had already flown to the East. His nearly year in Britain had been fruitful in many aspects, exceeding his best expectations when he first arrived in this era. The industrial layout centered on pharmaceuticals, explosives, and rubber products had already been established, though still in its early stages. The prospects were so bright that even a child could see it—Jishi Holdings was almost the largest high-tech monopoly of its time, and making money was not difficult. He had also become famous using his medical knowledge from the future, earning the titles of a member of the French Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the Royal Society, and befriending the most powerful Prince Albert in Britain, earning a baronetcy and becoming a half-noble.

But he was, after all, Chinese! No matter how well he did in the white-dominated world of Europe, this was not his root. Could it be that the heavens sent him to help the British Empire develop the pharmaceutical and rubber industries?

Before his穿越 (time travel), Zhu Jishi was an atheist and never thought about the heavens. But now that such a strange thing had happened, how could he not believe in a higher power?

Since the heavens chose him, there must be responsibilities along with the benefits. There is no free lunch, and there is no free time travel. Therefore, he could not forget his responsibilities and the China thousands of miles away.

This Bai Siwen was sent to the East on his behalf. In dealing with foreigners, he had pounds, the status of a member of the Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society, and Prince Albert as a "backer," so the problems were not too big. But in China... he was completely in the dark, knowing nothing. He didn't want to spend hundreds of thousands or even millions of pounds to set up a university and then find that he couldn't even recruit a single student, which would be a huge embarrassment.

Fortunately, the heavens "sent" Bai Siwen to him. This guy... clearly wasn't a good person! But that was actually better. Dealing with a cunning person was not difficult, and a self-righteous loyalist would be more troublesome. Moreover, loyalists were always hard to promote and could easily be framed by villains, requiring him to rescue them. Bai Siwen, being a traitor, was often very resilient and not easy to get rid of.

"By the way, Siwen, what are your plans for advancing when you return? Do you need my help?" Zhu Jishi asked kindly.

But Bai Siwen muttered to himself, "Actually, you, the rebel against the Ming, are the best way to advance..." However, he put on a grateful expression and said, "Sir, returning to the Qing Empire with the French delegation is the best way to advance. At least I will be considered knowledgeable about the West, and with your guidance, I am sure I can make a name for myself in the Qing Empire. However, the Qing officialdom is full of socializing and networking, and my family is very poor, so..."

"I'll give you 10,000 pounds," Zhu Jishi said, knowing the corruption in the Qing officialdom. He added, "Convert this money into goods to bring back. Western items are very popular in the Qing officialdom."

"I understand, sir. I will consider these pounds as a loan from you, and I will repay them with interest in the future," Bai Siwen stood up and bowed, his face full of gratitude.

Zhu Jishi waved his hand indifferently, "You don't have to repay me, but you must climb the ranks quickly. I will leave Europe and return to the East in two years. By then, you should at least be a third- or fourth-rank official."

"I will do my best to climb the ranks and not disappoint you, sir," Bai Siwen said, but in his heart, he cursed, "Do you know what third- or fourth-rank officials are? How can I, a criminal, climb to such a high position in two years?"

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