Chapter 15

"Etel, it turns out you were here. I wasted a full ten minutes looking for you." A deep voice sounded behind him, tinged with a hint of displeasure. Qing Ying, who had been in this world for half a year, was all too familiar with this voice. He turned around, shrugged at his adoptive father, and spread his hands, saying, "I wonder what Father needs me for this time?"

A dozen feet away, Wilhelm II, dressed in a British Army Marshal's uniform, walked over with his hands behind his back. This emperor, apart from his navy, had a particular fondness for collecting military uniforms from various countries and eras. It was said that his private wardrobe contained over a thousand outfits, representing the military attire of different countries and periods. Qing Ying was no longer surprised by Wilhelm II's unique hobby; he slightly stepped aside to make way for Wilhelm II.

"Smack." A stack of papers was slapped onto Qing Ying's head, making a loud noise. Qing Ying's head ached, and he let out a startled cry. A stack of white papers was already in his hands. Seeing his reaction, Wilhelm II couldn't help but snort, saying, "Although you made many mistakes on the test, you barely met the minimum requirements I set. I always keep my word! When do you want to leave, and have you planned your journey?"

Qing Ying was taken aback, then overjoyed, saying, "I've already planned it. I can leave immediately after packing! First, I'll go to London, then cross the ocean to German West Africa, next stop will be Qing China, then cross Siberia to reach St. Petersburg, and finally return to Berlin from there!"

Wilhelm II's brows gradually furrowed, and he slowly said, "Qing China? Etel, either wait a year or two, or don't go to Qing China and choose another route. Chaos is already brewing there, and a war between Qing China and Japan is likely to break out."

Seeing Qing Ying's puzzled and confused expression, Wilhelm II briefly explained the situation.

It turned out that the ruling group in the Korean Peninsula was imposing heavy taxes and living in luxury, leading to an increasingly empty treasury and a growing deficit. In 1889, due to Japanese plunder and frequent natural disasters, Korea implemented a "grain embargo," prohibiting the export of soybeans and rice to Japan. The Japanese, however, threatened with force, forcing the Korean government to immediately revoke the grain embargo and pay a large indemnity. The Korean feudal ruling group, ignoring the interests of the Korean people, yielded to Japanese pressure, immediately revoking the grain embargo and paying over 110,000 yuan in compensation. These actions of the Korean rulers, who were internally luxurious and externally compromising and selling out the country, greatly intensified the class contradictions between the landlord and peasant classes. On February 15, 1894, the Donghak Party uprising broke out in Korea. Within 50 days, Donghak followers across Korea rose up, and the Donghak Army, with over 100,000 armed forces, had already swept through three-fifths of Korea.

"Korea, although a vassal state of the Qing Court, has been a target of Japanese expansion for the past decade. The Donghak Party uprising has caused chaos in Korea, providing Japan with the best opportunity to intervene in the region. For the Qing, Korea is not only a vassal state of hundreds of years but also a gateway and shield in the northeastern region. They will not sit idly by and let Japan annex this area. According to the General Staff's analysis, a war between Qing and Japan is almost inevitable!" Wilhelm II did not miss any opportunity to teach Qing Ying about international affairs. After saying this, he deliberately gave Qing Ying a few minutes to think, then said, "So, you should choose another route. Otherwise, wait a couple of years until you grow up and go then."

Qing Ying definitely would not consider either of Wilhelm II's suggestions. The First Sino-Japanese War was less than three months away, and once it started, there would be no such opportunity again. Qing Ying had long been prepared for this. He pretended to think for a moment and said, "Father, I still want to go to Qing China!"

Wilhelm II's face darkened, and his voice turned cold, "Etel, do you think war is a child's game? The scale of the war is yet unknown. If Qing China is affected by the war, no one will care about your status; you will be no different from an ant in the eyes of the chaotic soldiers! Besides, what's so good about Qing China? Listen to me, either change the time or the route!"

"Father, I seem to remember that Qing China hasn't purchased weapons from Germany for a long time, right?" Qing Ying did not respond to Wilhelm II's words but suddenly changed the topic.

Although he didn't know why Qing Ying suddenly brought up this topic, Wilhelm II still nodded, saying, "You're absolutely right. The last batch of warships Qing China ordered from Germany dates back to the reign of the Holy Emperor. When I ascended the throne, they didn't place any more orders with our shipyards. Not only that, but for the past few years, Qing China hasn't even purchased any guns or ammunition from us, which has made our military factories quite unhappy. But what does this have to do with your trip to Qing China?"

Qing Ying nodded firmly, saying, "Of course it does. With a war imminent between Qing China and Japan, why don't we take the opportunity to sell them warships and reopen the military sales market? If I go with them, it will show our sincerity even more! This kind of action, like offering a fire hose during a fire, they will certainly not refuse. Therefore, although the situation there is chaotic, it is highly advantageous for arms sales! As for safety, I'm not foolish. If the war spreads to the interior of Qing China, I will leave the area in advance."

Hearing Qing Ying's words, Wilhelm II's expression gradually became serious. He rarely raised his gloved left hand, slowly pushing it forward, signaling that he needed to think and for Qing Ying to stop talking.

The spring breeze was gentle and warm. The white and light purple cornflowers danced and swayed, displaying their unique charm. Qing Ying was confident and in high spirits. He didn't pay attention to the silent Wilhelm II and began to enjoy the scenery and flowers on his own.

Wilhelm II carefully pondered Qing Ying's words, his brows furrowed, and he remained silent. In his view, the points Qing Ying had raised were not significant; the key was the series of issues that followed.

Taking advantage of the tense situation to sell a few warships to the Qing Court? Oh, Almighty Lord, how many marks would that earn? Given the Qing Court's financial situation, they couldn't buy much. Compared to Germany's annual substantial fiscal revenue, Wilhelm II didn't care much for such a small profit. Moreover, in terms of naval ship purchasing power, he alone could almost match the entire Qing.

This wealthy man, with assets worth over 200 million marks (approximately 10 million pounds), had an annual income of 22 million marks, more than enough to build a battleship. In comparison, the meager funds the Qing allocated to the navy each year were insignificant. However, through Qing Ying's seemingly petty business, Wilhelm II, who had long held power in the empire, saw a path to wealth.

Currently, with Germany's rapidly growing productivity, the market for German goods in Central Europe was becoming increasingly saturated. To achieve economic leapfrog growth, new markets needed to be opened. For this reason, Wilhelm II, from the moment he ascended the throne, began to vigorously develop maritime trade, exporting German goods to countries like the Americas, Sweden, and Portugal. Although Germany's maritime trade had already taken shape, the ambitious Wilhelm II was not satisfied; he wanted to open more overseas markets to boost the empire's economic output.

Selling warships to Qing China wouldn't earn much, but what about selling goods?

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Yesterday was Qiuyue's graduation ceremony, which took up a lot of time. Today, I'll update twice to make up for it. Please follow and recommend!