Chapter 90

Time flies, and before long, several months had passed. The European continent transitioned from spring to summer, with the sun shining brightly. Despite Berlin's higher latitude, it was still uncomfortably hot. Whenever the waiters brought in trays of frozen ice blocks, Qing Ying would particularly miss the air conditioning of the future; however, this invention wouldn't be created until 1904, and even then, it was primarily for machines. Qing Ying could only accept the reality with a sigh.

On May 18, 1896, the coronation ceremony of Tsar Nicholas II was grandly held in Moscow. Although this 28-year-old young man had been the supreme ruler of the Russian Empire for two years, it was only when the Patriarch placed the crown symbolizing supreme imperial power on his head that he truly became the legitimate Tsar of Russia. Since Moscow is inland, unlike St. Petersburg, which can be reached directly by ship, a land journey would take nearly a month. Therefore, Qing Ying did not attend this grand ceremony but remained in the Berlin Palace. However, his peaceful days did not last long. A month later, a special person visited Germany—Li Hongzhang, the top statesman of the Qing Empire.

What? You ask why Li Hongzhang came to Germany?

One and a half years ago, the Triple Intervention led by Russia forced Japan to abandon its occupation of the Liaodong Peninsula. This made the Qing court view Russia as a great savior, and even the famous "Oriental Bismarck" was no exception. After analyzing the reasons for the war's failure, the Qing decided to adjust its current policy from "using barbarians to control barbarians" to "alliance with Russia to control barbarians," aiming to use Russia to resist the threat from Japan. At this time, coinciding with the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II, the Tsar specifically invited the Qing statesman Li Hongzhang to attend the ceremony. In this situation, Li Hongzhang naturally hurried from the capital to attend. After signing the "Sino-Russian Secret Treaty," he immediately set off for the West to negotiate the "tariff increase" with European countries, making Germany his second stop in global diplomacy.

Historically, even though the Qing had to pay 230 million taels of silver to Japan, severely depleting its finances, the German business tycoons knew that this "Oriental Bismarck" still had a large number of military orders in hand. To take full advantage of this golden opportunity, the German side used extremely high etiquette to receive him. Not only did he stay at the most luxurious Kaiser Hotel in Berlin, but the hotel even risked offending the German Emperor by hanging portraits of Li Hongzhang and Bismarck side by side in his room. Every day, German industrial and commercial tycoons visited, either to sell military equipment or to sign trade contracts. Bankers also joined in, assuring Li Hongzhang that their banks had ample funds and that the Qing need not worry, encouraging them to borrow freely.

In this timeline, due to the butterfly effect caused by Qing Ying, the Qing only paid 100 million taels of silver in military expenses to Japan in the First Sino-Japanese War. Additionally, key bases such as Lüshun, Dalian, and Weihaiwei were not damaged, making the Qing's financial situation much more robust than in history. In this context, the German side was even more enthusiastic about the visit of this benefactor, with Wilhelm himself leading a welcoming party at the Brandenburg Gate. As the imperial heir, Qing Ying closely followed Wilhelm II. In this place where he had traveled through time, Qing Ying finally met the figure he had never seen before—the "paperhanger."

Li Hongzhang's appearance was no different from the photos that survived to the present day: high cheekbones, slightly sunken cheeks, and a withered, wrinkled complexion, giving the impression of a man in his twilight years. However, his eyes were sharp and bright, like the vast sea, making it hard to look directly at them. His long experience in wielding power and his adeptness in both domestic and international affairs gave him a refined and commanding presence, inspiring awe. During the German government's welcoming ceremony, he responded appropriately and handled the situation with ease, allowing Qing Ying to witness the true demeanor of a diplomat.

Seeing the Qing statesman surrounded by people, as if he were a visiting foreign head of state, Qing Ying, who was behind, did not share the good mood of the arms dealers. Three months ago, Wilhelm, ignoring his objections, had decided to seize a Qing port. Although his words had shifted Wilhelm's greedy gaze slightly towards the Philippines, it did not change his determination to act against the Qing. Through the corner of the car window, he saw his "father" chatting and laughing with the elderly man, who was twice his age, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for decades. A wry smile involuntarily appeared on Qing Ying's lips. As Wilhelm grew older, he was developing into a skilled actor; his friendly eyes and hearty laughter made people feel as if they were basking in a warm breeze. If someone didn't know the inside story, they would think Wilhelm was sincerely welcoming the distinguished guest from the Far East. In reality, Wilhelm didn't want to see the face of this "Oriental Bismarck" at all; he was just trying to lull the opponent and help the domestic arms dealers secure orders.

To be honest, if there were a port on Qing territory where only the Qing people lived, Qing Ying wouldn't mind letting Wilhelm send troops to occupy it and enslave, trample, and even eliminate these people. However, the Qing coastline was originally all Han territory, and the Qing people were a small minority. The local Han people would still be the ones ruled. Although Qing Ying had been in this era for nearly three years and was no longer the young man from his previous life, the idea of his country repeating the historical scene of the lease of Jiaozhou Bay still felt like a heavy stone in his heart, making him feel stifled.

"Your Highness, what's wrong? Why do you look so serious?" In the back seat of the car, Chancellor Hellingsteiner, who was sitting next to him, noticed Qing Ying's unusual demeanor and asked with some confusion, "The Qing has always been a major customer in our arms industry and has close ties with us. This visit by their prime minister will bring at least 50 million marks in military orders. Along with various trade investments and bank loans, this is a very favorable news for us Germans!"

Qing Ying collected his thoughts, turned his head, and his face showed no trace of worry. He smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Chancellor, I have no worries. I was just thinking about how to extract more money from this Qing prime minister's pocket. Although they lost the war against Japan and paid over 300 million marks in reparations, this country has a population of over 400 million. As long as they implement a national debt system, they can still gather an enormous amount of wealth. It would be a waste if we didn't get this money into our German hands."

Hellingsteiner nodded and said, "Your Highness is absolutely right. That's why the Emperor received Premier Li with such high honors, and we were all included in the welcoming party. According to the secret reports we received a few days ago, during his time in Moscow for the Tsar's coronation, Li signed a secret treaty with Russia and received a substantial payment. Although we don't know the specific content of the treaty, it's clear that the Russians have already taken a piece of the Qing pie. Therefore, we must redouble our efforts to empty Li's pockets and leave nothing for the French and British!"

Qing Ying understood that the secret treaty Hellingsteiner mentioned was likely the "Sino-Russian Secret Treaty" signed in Moscow on June 3, 1896. The treaty had six articles, mainly allowing all Chinese ports to be open to Russian warships and permitting the Russo-Chinese Bank to build a railway from Heilongjiang and Jilin to Vladivostok. Russia had the right to use this railway to transport troops, food, and military equipment during both war and peace. After hearing Hellingsteiner's explanation, he nodded and asked, "Mr. Chancellor, do you have any plans?"

"From what I know, the Qing is currently forming a new army near their capital, with about 50,000 troops, which will have a huge demand for weapons and ammunition. With the capabilities of our German arms dealers and the Qing prime minister's preference for Krupp, it's almost certain that no other country will be involved in this market. In terms of loans, although we Germans do not advocate using our domestic funds for foreign investments, which would compete with our own industries, we still need to offer them a high-interest loan to prevent the French from benefiting. This will ensure they provide us with raw materials and strengthen our relationship. As for naval sales, we don't need to worry much. In the first steam-powered naval battle in history, the German-built warships performed excellently, far surpassing those built by the old naval powers of Britain and France. Even if they want to maintain relations with Britain and France, they will only order small ships from them. The main warships will still be chosen from our designs," Hellingsteiner said confidently.

"But isn't Father planning to seize a port from the Qing? Won't selling them warships increase the difficulty of this action?" Qing Ying asked with some confusion.

Hellingsteiner smiled slyly and said, "That's exactly why we need to help them build warships, and a lot of them! Since the construction of warships takes at least two years, and large warships take three years, there is a time gap. During this period, we will propose the lease of a port to the Qing. If they dare not lease the port to us, they won't get the warships they are building on our shipyards!"

Thank you to Mei Yu-senpai and book friend 130718201716475 for your support! Please add to your collection!~

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends