Chapter 43

Itō Hirobumi smiled and said, "Lord Rosebery, it's time we joined forces against our common enemy."

Rosebery said, "We both know the situation in the Qing Empire. How could they possibly build such an advanced ship?"

Itō Hirobumi smiled and said, "This ship was probably not built by the Qing Empire. It is controlled by a man named Lin Yuan, but that's not important. What's important is that Lin Yuan is helping the Qing Empire!"

Rosebery asked, "Who is this Lin Yuan?"

Itō Hirobumi smiled and said, "This Lin Yuan seems to have appeared out of nowhere. We don't know his background, but we can be sure that he is currently in Okinawa."

Rosebery said, "Although Okinawa has declared independence, the British Empire has not yet recognized the Ryukyu Kingdom. Please rest assured, Mr. Itō, we will not recognize the independence of Ryukyu, nor will we have any economic dealings with them."

Itō Hirobumi gave a cold laugh in his heart. Having seen many storms, he naturally understood that the British were not engaging in economic dealings with Ryukyu mainly because of its small population and limited market. However, Rosebery's words made it seem like support for Japan.

Itō Hirobumi smiled and said, "Lord Rosebery, I thank your country for not recognizing the Ryukyu Kingdom, but economically, I hope your country can 'help' the Ryukyu Kingdom." When Itō Hirobumi said the word "help," he deliberately changed his tone. Rosebery, not knowing why he said it that way, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Itō Hirobumi smiled and said, "Lord Rosebery, you and I both know that to win a war, one needs a strong industry. I believe Lin Yuan understands this as well. I know the situation in Ryukyu very well. The people there live by farming and fishing; they can't even produce a single piece of decent steel."

Rosebery's eyes twinkled, and he smiled understandingly, "Mr. Itō, you hope that our British Empire will help Ryukyu develop its industry. We will sell them equipment and help train their personnel. This way, their industrial foundation will be firmly in our hands, and we will know exactly what they can produce!"

Itō Hirobumi laughed heartily and said, "I enjoy speaking with intelligent people like you!"

Rosebery also laughed heartily. Itō Hirobumi smiled and said, "This will also benefit you. I know your wife is a prominent member of the Rothschild family, which controls the largest financial capital in Europe. For the Ryukyu people to buy your country's equipment, they need money, which they will have to borrow from the Rothschild family. But to borrow money, they need collateral, which can only be the country's tax revenue. This way, economic power will also fall into your country's hands."

Rosebery smiled slyly and said, "Mr. Itō, we are both intelligent people. Let's be straightforward. What benefits does your country want?"

Itō Hirobumi smiled and said, "Since the Prime Minister is being open, I have nothing to hide. We hope to purchase your country's latest warships at a reasonable price."

Rosebery said, "Lord Itō, you come to me and with a few words, you want to take away millions of pounds from us?"

Itō Hirobumi smiled and said, "Of course not. I have prepared a generous gift for the British Empire. First, I guarantee that the import of British goods will double in the next five years. Second," he paused deliberately and continued, "How many valuable resources are buried under the ground in Northeast China, such as gold and coal. I believe Lord Rosebery is aware of this. The Russians are already devouring it. Doesn't it pain you?"

Rosebery smiled and said, "Very well, I guarantee that you will purchase our warships at the lowest price, and the difference will be covered by our shipyards."

Itō Hirobumi said, "Our people are secretly entering Northeast China to investigate the specific conditions of these resources. The Russians are already ahead of us in this regard, and we will share our findings with your country."

Rosebery nodded and smiled, "Very well, let's settle on this. We will choose an appropriate time to sign the specific legal documents for economic trade."

When Itō Hirobumi left Rosebery's place, it was already getting dark. A servant said, "Sir, you should find a place to eat."

Itō Hirobumi coughed twice and said, "No need. I still have to visit a few more important people. I'll eat in the carriage."

A silent and invisible net was quietly being cast over Lin Yuan and the Beijing warship.

After capturing Okinawa, the Beijing warship temporarily anchored in Naha Military Port. The crew members took turns on leave to go ashore. Many of the young officers and men, feeling the novelty of the world after the穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" in this context, which can be translated as "time travel" or "穿越" depending on the context, but it's not clear what the exact term should be in this context, so I'll leave it as "time travel"), were excited to take leave and explore the shore, even though there were no familiar skyscrapers.

Lin Yuan, however, had no time to rest when he returned to the Beijing warship. He was thinking about the strategic direction for the Beijing warship. Ryukyu was too small, not only lacking an industrial foundation but also the essential resources needed for industrial development, such as iron ore, which is crucial for the steel industry, from the transmission shafts of aircraft carriers to the firing pins of guns.

Therefore, the Beijing warship needed to find a new base for development!

He opened a map on his computer. It was a map of China and its surrounding areas, drawn by later generations based on historical records. The map showed the territory of China during the 25th year of the Jiaqing era. At that time, Outer Mongolia had not yet become independent, and the more than 1.5 million square kilometers of land east of the Heilongjiang (Amur) and Ussuri (Wusuli) rivers had not yet fallen into Russian hands!

Once upon a time, we said with shameless pride, "China's territory is like a rooster standing in the East!" Our territory was not a sick rooster! We were once a plump phoenix, but the enemy cut us piece by piece into a scrawny rooster!

His gaze fell on a name: Vladivostok. These three characters, in later maps, could only be marked in parentheses because this place had another name—Vladivostok. This place later became the home port of the Russian Pacific Fleet.

Looking further up, the Heilongjiang (Amur) River meandered into the East Sea (in Qing Dynasty records, the current East Sea was called the South Ocean, and the current East Sea was called the Tartar Strait). This river, which later became the border between China and Russia, was still an internal river of China at that time, and the vast land to the east of it was still Chinese territory!

Lin Yuan's heart stirred, and he thought to himself, "This is it!"