Chapter 89

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London, Buckingham Palace.

Today, the foggy city of London is enjoying a rare clear and sunny day, with the Union Jack fluttering in the wind on the tall flagpole in the palace's outer garden. A long row of carriages has already parked in the palace garden. It seems that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert have already arrived, and these carriages belong to the important figures who have come to pay their respects. Among these carriages, there is a rather inconspicuous and somewhat old black carriage, which belongs to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Robert Peel.

The conversation between the British Prime Minister and the Queen and Prince Consort, of course, revolves around matters of state. In the audience hall, only a few people, such as the Duke of Wellington, who is regarded by Her Majesty as a senior statesman and Commander-in-Chief of the Army, can participate in the discussion. Today, the main topic of discussion is related to China and Zhu Jishi!

First, it is not about the recently exposed identity of Zhu Jishi as a member of the Ming royal family. Whether it is the British Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington, or the Queen and Prince Consort, their thinking is rooted in the European nation-state model. No one believes that a dynasty that has been extinct for 200 years has any possibility of revival—Victoria of the Hanover dynasty would not view people with ties to the Stuart dynasty as a thorn in her side. Of course, Zhu Jishi's identity as a member of the Ming royal family is indeed a problem, and the British government should reconsider its support for his establishment of a university in Hong Kong...

However, this is not the primary issue. Because just yesterday afternoon, the latest report from Sir Henry Pottinger, the British Envoy and Governor of Hong Kong, had already been sent to London—and the news was not good.

Qing dynasty's Viceroy of Liangguang and Minister of Foreign Trade, Aisin Gioro Qiying, once again refused to fulfill the obligations of the recently signed Treaty of the Five Ports, which stipulates the opening of Guangzhou, and refused to allow British officials and merchants to enter Guangzhou. As a result, Sir Henry Pottinger, the British Envoy to China, was unable to enter Guangzhou to conduct diplomatic negotiations with Qiying. Additionally, Qiying refused to discuss the legalization of the opium trade—this means that opium, the only commodity that allows Britain to achieve a trade surplus with China, can still only be smuggled into China illegally!

This not only tarnishes the international image of the British Empire but also means that this business, which brings in at least several million pounds annually for the British Empire, could be legally banned by the Chinese at any time... In the view of the British government in London, this is not difficult to achieve, as long as the Qing government truly decides to strictly prohibit opium use and trade within the country.

What worries the British government even more is that France's diplomatic policy toward China seems to have undergone a significant change! According to reports from the British Embassy in Paris, French Foreign Minister Guizot has decided to abandon the plan to force China to sign unequal treaties. The La Bourdonnais mission, which set out for China a few months ago, will now engage in equal diplomacy with China based on the diplomatic achievements of the earlier mission!

In the understanding of Robert Peel and the Duke of Wellington, this means that France is likely to provide military and scientific technology to China, helping the Chinese establish a European-style army—considering China's huge population base, this country is naturally the most suitable for the "line infantry" tactics. Just thinking about the next "Opium War," where the British Army, arrayed in three lines, would face off against a well-organized Chinese Army using the same tactics and muskets, makes the elderly and talkative Duke of Wellington unable to resist complaining.

"The last war was a mistake, a huge mistake... We woke up a country with 400 million people! God, Britain has less than 20 million people! How can we fight a war against an enemy twenty times our size? Even if we win a temporary victory, what about the next time? No matter how brave our soldiers are, they cannot defeat an enemy twenty times their size in a line infantry battle; it's impossible! In the next war, we will certainly be the losers... Wouldn't it be better to let them continue to sleep?"

Regarding the last Opium War, the British Parliament was deeply divided, with the anti-war faction led by the Duke of Wellington even in the majority. However, the newly crowned Queen Victoria, to demonstrate her iron fist, delivered a speech in the House of Commons supporting the war, which ultimately led to the House of Commons narrowly passing the resolution to start the war. The war was indeed won, but now it seems to have left endless aftereffects.

Queen Victoria looked at Prince Albert and thought to herself, "If I had married dear Albert earlier, he would have certainly prevented me from doing something foolish... Sigh, those old MPs are not good either, why did they let the nonsense of a young and ignorant girl influence them?"

"Your Grace, as far as I know, the Qing dynasty will not undergo thorough reforms..." Prime Minister Robert Peel's words were interrupted by the somewhat agitated Duke of Wellington.

"Yes, Prime Minister, you are right, there will be no thorough reforms, but to what extent do you think the Qing dynasty will reform? Similar to Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, the Sikh Empire, or the Kingdom of Mysore?"

"Perhaps it will be similar to the Ottoman Empire. However, considering the Qing dynasty's population, wealth, and the great distance from Britain, even if the Qing army has half the combat effectiveness of the Ottoman army, it will still be an enemy we cannot easily deal with." Prince Albert frowned and interjected, "That is why we must actively participate in the Qing dynasty's reforms and cultivate pro-British forces within the Qing government..."

At this point, the Prince sighed lightly, clearly aware that this plan might also fail due to the issue of Zhu Jishi's identity.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness," Robert Peel, seeing Albert's serious expression, paused and said, "Actually, we are not familiar with the internal affairs of the Qing dynasty. I think we need to listen to the opinions of politicians who truly understand the Qing dynasty before we can make the right decision."

"Politicians who truly understand the Qing dynasty?" The Duke of Wellington snorted, "Prime Minister, you mean William Jardine, the smuggler?"

"Your Grace, he is a Member of Parliament and is currently in the waiting room."

Victoria looked at Albert again and, seeing him nod slightly, said solemnly, "Please bring Mr. William Jardine in."

...

William Jardine sat in a high-backed armchair that had been prepared in advance, far from the Queen, Prince Albert, the Duke of Wellington, and Prime Minister Robert Peel. This was because, with the development of bacteriology, the transmission methods of tuberculosis had been revealed (of course, this was also a scientific achievement of Zhu Jishi), and Jardine, who suffered from tuberculosis, could not get too close to the esteemed Queen.

"Your Majesty, I believe the core issue of future Sino-British relations is not China's reforms but the opium trade..."

"Was our empire originally serving a group of opium smugglers?" the Duke of Wellington interjected disdainfully.

William Jardine replied solemnly, "We, the opium smugglers, are eliminating the greatest threat to the empire." A slight smile appeared on his lips, "In fact, the strict anti-opium policies previously implemented by the Chinese emperor already indicate the problem! Opium has already threatened the stability of China and the rule of the Chinese court, which is why the Chinese emperor decided to ban opium."

"Can opium have such an effect?" Prince Albert asked.

William Jardine raised his eyebrows proudly. "Of course, the impact of the opium trade on the Qing dynasty is much greater than anyone in London can imagine! The opium trade is destroying the ruling foundation and economy of the Qing dynasty!

First, the outflow of more than 6 million taels of silver annually, with silver being the base currency of the Qing dynasty, used for taxation and the salaries of officials and the military. The continuous large-scale outflow of silver has already caused a severe silver shortage in the Qing dynasty, leading to a significant drop in the prices of grain and handicrafts relative to silver. This has greatly increased the tax and rent burdens on Qing farmers and handicraft workers, making life difficult for the people and increasing social instability.

Second, the abuse of opium causes severe physical and mental damage, but this is not the main issue. After all, the number of long-term opium users in China is only a few million, a small proportion of the population. However, these few million addicts are mostly Qing officials, gentry, and the so-called Manchu bannermen! These people are the ruling foundation of the Qing dynasty!"