EBE Chapter 227: War and Peace
Chapter 227: War and Peace
Chapter 227: War and Peace
When Yinreng and his companions returned, the turmoil in the capital had come to an end. However, with their return, another major event alarmed the court, which was how to deal with these foreigners.
As for Shi Tingzhu and the Shi family behind him, it was very simple. All those who had ulterior motives and were involved were thrown into prison and executed in the autumn. The only one who made Kangxi a little worried was Shi Wenbing.
He made great contributions to the court and discovered cowpox, for which he was granted the title of Duke Yongyi. However, in the case of Seok Tingju, very little was found about him, and there was almost no clear evidence pointing to the cause.
They couldn't let down the heart of a meritorious official, nor could they punish him directly based on a slight suspicion. After all, Shi Wenbing's reputation among the people was still quite good due to the cowpox outbreak, and with the help of the Guarjia clan behind the scenes, it was only Shi Wenbing's branch that was ultimately abandoned.
After the three princes who had gone south returned to the capital, Kangxi also recalled the remaining princes to the capital. It was at this time that everyone in the capital knew what the princes who had not been seen for a while had been doing.
Since they were caught red-handed, Kangxi directly ordered that all these foreigners be imprisoned. At this time, the court was discussing whether to send troops to attack these foreigners.
They were divided into two factions, one for attack and the other for peace talks.
The main attacking faction’s opinion was that since these foreigners came to steal things from the Qing Dynasty and sold hibiscus cream to harm the people of the Qing Dynasty and make money, we should attack them directly, teach them a lesson, and enhance the prestige of the Qing Dynasty.
The peace talks faction believed that the current situation was unclear. The Qing Dynasty had only heard what the foreign countries said about their strength, but no one had actually conducted on-site inspections. If they rashly declared war, once the gap in strength between them became too great and they were much stronger than the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty would be faced with internal and external troubles. How could they stop them?
You must know that Xinjiang and Baiyue have always been eyeing the Central Plains. Even the Russians to the north have always been eyeing the Qing Dynasty. If it weren't for Mongolia supporting them over the years, they would have invaded long ago.
Therefore, the peace faction thought that the main focus should be on peace talks, and they should try to negotiate conditions. If necessary, they could use these imprisoned foreigners as bargaining chips to negotiate a policy of non-invasion for a hundred years or fifty years. At that time, the Qing Dynasty would simply close its doors to the outside world, and talk about war only after stable development and increased national strength.
There was nothing wrong with either side's stance, but neither satisfied Kangxi. Would he be willing to attack? Of course he was, but war required money, men, and weapons. As the peace advocates argued, one needed to understand the enemy's background beforehand.
However, the Qing Dynasty had very few of these. There was no shortage of soldiers and military personnel on land, but attacking foreigners required more experience in naval warfare. The Qing soldiers were all landlubbers, and it was difficult for them to fight on the lake, let alone on the ocean.
There are also warships. The existing warships are basically converted from long-distance sailing ships requisitioned from Qing Dynasty merchants. They are still some distance away from real warships, and the weapons of mass destruction on them are still the red cannons from the Ming Dynasty.
The Red Cannon is powerful, but it is large in size, heavy in weight, and most importantly, its range is not that far. If it had been made a few decades ago, it might have been considered advanced, but today, when foreigners have improved their methods, it is not certain whether it can still be compared.
There is still money. In recent years, due to the recovery of debts, trade with Mongolia, and Yinzhen's many initiatives in the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Revenue is no longer short of silver. However, that is only when the country is at peace. If a war breaks out suddenly, this amount of silver will not last long.
As for the peace advocates, Kangxi wasn't entirely satisfied. If they followed their lead, it would be a cowardly move. It would take decades before the Qing could send troops to fight. By then, would he still be able to vent his anger and witness such a scene? Furthermore, if the other side disagreed, how could they negotiate peace? Would they have to pay compensation or territorial damage?
He has been strong all his life and has held all the power all his life. How could he allow others to snore beside his bed?
The two sides of the court argued back and forth, with no conclusion. Kangxi was annoyed by the argument and had no good ideas. When they started arguing again, he simply announced the adjournment of the court and retreated to the back hall to rest.
When Yinreng returned to the palace, he also frowned. To be honest, this incident had never happened before he closed his eyes in his previous life. Maybe it happened, but he didn't find out at the time, so he didn't know about it. This made him really at a loss for a moment.
Both sides have their own reasons, and there is nothing wrong with either. The problem is that the Qing Dynasty is not strong enough now. It is not as strong as it was when the country was first founded, so even if they want to send troops, they cannot immediately form a sufficient army.
He told Buerhe about his troubles, and Buerhe was silent for a while.
In fact, Bullhe had a premonition from the very beginning of the translation. As she translated more and more, her feelings became deeper and deeper. She came from modern society and still dared not forget the century-long humiliation. Those so-called "Nanjing Treaty", "Beijing Treaty", "Shimonoseki Treaty", "Xin Chou Treaty" and other treaties that lost sovereignty and humiliated the country, weren't they caused by the inaction of many people today?
There was also the future invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance and the Japanese invasion of China. Thinking of these, Boer and others felt so angry that their teeth itched. This is the hatred that is deep in the bones of every Chinese.
She has not been idle these days, but has been trying hard to recall the history she had learned before. She has compiled a lot of notes and maps, including world maps, maps of the Qing Dynasty, and maps of the surrounding areas of the Qing Dynasty, such as the Russians, the Koreans, and Japan. She even marked down many mineral resources in her memory.
So, when Yinreng brought it up, Buerhe hesitated for a moment before finally taking out the items she had prepared. This was a risky move for her, as she had no explanation for the origin of these items, nor even any way to prove their accuracy. If they were proven to be authentic, how would the Emperor and Yinreng view her? Would they arrest her as a demon? Would they slice her up for research?
After all, humans are afraid of the unknown, and things that exceed the limits of human understanding make people unwilling to accept them. Those who are not of our race must have different hearts. This is the common understanding of every person on the Chinese land.
When Yinreng saw these things, he was surprised at first, but the more he looked at them, the more excited he became. He felt heroic and prepared to do something big.
But then, his face quickly turned pale, because he soon realized that these things were of unknown origin. Once confirmed, the person who provided these things would become the target of public criticism.
The most important thing is that this thing was taken out by his wife, and it seems that the person is his wife. For a moment, Yinreng wanted to burn all these things, pretend that he didn't see them, and live his life again. He thought about being selfish and just wanting to live his own life.
But soon his conscience could not bear it anymore. That was a treasure related to the future development of the Qing Dynasty and the basis for the survival of tens of millions of families in the future. With these, the Qing Dynasty would be able to last longer and make further progress.
Buerhe saw Yinreng's dilemma. To be honest, if Yinreng had destroyed these things directly at the beginning, although she would be happy that this man was protecting her, she would also think that her man was spineless and be sad about the future humiliation.
If Yinreng had handed over all these things without caring about anything at the beginning, she would have hated Yinreng because this man did not take her seriously and only cared about his country;
But the man in front of him chose the third option. He was thinking and weighing how to make the information public without exposing himself.
Buerhe stepped forward and grasped Yinreng's clenched fist. "Your Highness, there's no need to hesitate. Since I'm able to take these things out, it means I'm fully prepared. Go ahead and do what you want to do. No matter what the consequences, I won't blame you."