I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 84

Tianjin Treaty

The day of the meeting.

With the noise of people moving busily for the final check of the meeting as background music, I carefully reviewed the specific clauses that we would demand.

Reparations, territory, opening ports.

And various additional concessions that could be obtained.

I considered numerous possibilities, adding and deleting content repeatedly. I completed it while appropriately referencing and excluding Georgina Charles Elliot’s opinions, but there might be something I missed.

It was the finale of the grand project of establishing myself as the top expert in Asia, so there couldn’t be even one minor mistake.

Knock knock.

Just as I was about to look through it one last time, a knock echoed in my ear. When I told them to come in, a soldier rushed in, saluted, and quickly took out an envelope.

“I apologize for disturbing you while you are preparing for an important matter. However, I thought it should be delivered with the highest priority, so I brought it. Then, I will excuse myself.”

The soldier looked at me with envious eyes and then closed the door again.

If it was such an important letter that it had to be delivered right before meeting the representatives of the opposing country, there was only one person I could guess as the sender.

“…As expected.”

Seeing the emblem of the British Royal Family sealing the letter, I immediately tore open the envelope.

Several pages filled with densely packed lines.

I imagined her diligently pondering over the wording and moving the pen to write this, and then I read the contents.

[Minister Killian. I want to say that by the time you receive this, it will be around when, but I can’t say for sure because it takes so long for letters to arrive. You might be worried about what happened to receive such a letter. But there’s no need to worry too much because it’s not because of any big deal. I’m not like someone who would skip writing about my recent situation because I sent it before.]

The sentences were very polite, but I could clearly feel the barbs hidden within.

In fact, it wasn’t so much intentional push-and-pull… No.

If I say something unnecessary, our emotionally rich Queen might sulk even more later, so it’s better to let her enjoy this for a while.

[Recently, I’ve been hearing a lot about the Minister from various places. An expert in Asia who knows everything about Asia, a patriot who has brought enormous benefits to the British Empire. I told you to produce results, but I didn’t expect things to get this big, and I didn’t know the Minister would play such a big role, but I feel proud. But at the same time, I also reflected on whether I put too much pressure on you.]

I paused for a moment to recall.

Had she ever put too much pressure on me?

Come to think of it, she did tell me to produce results before I left the country, but it wasn’t a matter of choice for me, so I didn’t feel any pressure at all.

If I couldn’t make any contributions here, I would have become a mere figurehead who had to do whatever the Prime Minister told me to do after returning.

[So, I don’t know if this letter will arrive before the war ends, but if it arrives before the war ends, I want to tell you that there’s no need to overdo it. The Minister’s contribution has already been too great. It has already been decided to award a medal in recognition of the Minister’s achievements, so take care of your health instead of overdoing it in the future. I say again, absolutely don’t hurt yourself and come back safely…]

The rest of the letter was about Victoria’s own recent situation and trivial stories about the people around her.

I read it all the way to the end, chuckled, and carefully folded the letter and put it in the storage box.

Sorry, Your Majesty, but usually, if someone receives such a letter from the Queen, they would become even more eager to make more contributions.

Of course, I know what she wants most, so I’m happy, but it doesn’t change my plans.

No, even though I say that, I can see that my motivation is soaring, so I guess I’m an inevitable slave to male hormones.

Just in time, I can hear people outside saying that it’s almost time, so I got up from my seat and stretched once.

Then, in order to make our Queen waiting in Kensington even more satisfied.

I should go and put a splendid end to this war.

* * *

This historic treaty, which would be called the Tianjin Treaty, was naturally agreed to be signed in Tianjin, which was occupied by the British Empire.

The Qing Dynasty’s plenipotentiaries were, as notified in advance, a young man and a middle-aged man.

Usually, in such cases, it’s obvious that the young man is a figurehead and the middle-aged man is in charge of the practical work, and sure enough, the middle-aged man opened his mouth first instead of the young man in fancy clothes.

“As you have heard in advance, the person here is His Highness Prince Huashikehuidan, who is attending as the representative of this meeting. My name is Qiying, and I will assist His Highness in conducting the meeting. In case you don’t know, a prince is…”

“I know. His Highness must be the Emperor’s younger brother. Since such a person has come out as a representative, I know how sincere Qing is. I am Killian Gore, the Foreign Minister of the British Empire, who is in charge of this negotiation.”

I had a hunch when they said that two members of the imperial family would come out, but I didn’t expect the Daoguang Emperor’s younger brother to actually come out.

Originally, it was during the Second Opium War that a prince-level figure came to the meeting in person, but seeing them doing this already, it seems that the Qing Dynasty is definitely scared.

Qiying, the other representative, also uses the Aisin Gioro surname, which is the Qing Dynasty’s imperial family name, so he must be a member of the imperial family anyway.

I wouldn’t usually call that a royal family, but since a prince came out, I should say that they didn’t lie.

But my interest was focused on the person sitting next to him with a ‘who am I, where am I’ face rather than the prince, who is the Daoguang Emperor’s younger brother.

“But who is that person? I heard that a Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom] official would also be present, is that him?”

“Ah, yes. Kim Jwageun said that he wanted to represent Joseon and talk to our Shangshu [high-ranking official in ancient China]… no, Minister, so we brought him along.”

“Kim Jwageun? Andong Kim clan?”

The Qing Dynasty side didn’t even mention who would participate as a representative from Joseon, so I was curious, but I naturally reacted when I saw an unexpected figure.

A powerful subject who coveted power and had a lot of greed, but wasn’t completely incompetent.

Who would have known that I would see the person who would control Joseon from behind the scenes as the de facto leader of the Andong Kim clan in the late Joseon period here.

As I deliberately let out a natural reaction, a look of astonishment settled on Kim Jwageun’s face, who was half out of his mind.

“D-Do you know me?”

“Who in Joseon doesn’t know the Andong Kim clan?”

Kim Jwageun’s pupils shook violently as he heard my fluent Joseon language.

He must be surprised.

A guy who looks like a foreigner at first glance speaks Qing Dynasty language fluently, and then suddenly speaks Joseon language and pretends to know him, who wouldn’t be surprised?

“Y-You’re really… from Joseon, it seems.”

“Are you still unaware, by any chance?”

I’m a little disappointed that he’s reacting like that even though I kindly wrote that I’m from Joseon on the Netherlands side.

If he hasn’t even climbed the first step yet, he probably doesn’t know exactly what my status was in Joseon.

Regardless of my inner thoughts, which were holding back a smile, Qiying smiled brightly and joined the conversation as if things were going well.

“We hope that this negotiation will be concluded peacefully as the Minister said. Then, shall we start discussing peace? First of all, we have agreed to accept the negotiation contents previously proposed by your country.”

“That’s very fortunate. Then, we can reach an amicable agreement by adding a few more things to it.”

“…Yes?”

Why are you pretending to be surprised so hypocritically?

This side wouldn’t have thought that they would actually reuse the contents that they sent to Lin Zexu before, but if you’re going to act, you have to do it right.

“Since you came to negotiate, shouldn’t you listen to this side’s conditions?”

“Wait, Minister. Can’t we conclude the negotiation with the same contents as we did with Lin Zexu before?”

I gave a definite answer to the prince, who was still unable to give up and was saying ridiculous things, emphasizing each word.

“No. We can’t do that.”

“But…”

“Rather, I would like to ask. Because your country did not accept the proposal at that time, we poured in a lot of additional supplies, and eventually succeeded in occupying not only Nanjing but also Tianjin. So why should we negotiate under the same conditions as then?”

“But if you continue to be so tough, we will have no choice but to fight with the determination to break the jade [a Chinese idiom meaning to fight to the bitter end, even if it means mutual destruction].”

“Then the negotiation is broken. By the way, the home country has already completed preparations to dispatch 20,000 additional troops in preparation for the breakdown of this negotiation. We will also suffer a lot, but we can’t help it if you continue to fight. I heard that envoys from tributary states are in Beijing? Let’s have a do-or-die match in front of them.”

As I got up as if I was about to kick the table and leave, Qiying hurriedly waved his hands and grabbed me.

“No! Breaking the jade is just a figurative expression, and we only want a peaceful solution. Minister, please calm down and sit down again, hahaha…”

“This is the only time. If you give such a warning again, I will have no choice but to take it as a signal that the Qing Dynasty no longer has the will to continue negotiations.”

Breaking the jade, my ass. If you could do that, you would have already done it during the Opium War in the original history, whether it was the first or second.

Of course, if this side is really trying to ruin Qing, they would act like that, but even if it’s a country that’s doomed, it doesn’t usually collapse in an instant.

In particular, a huge country like Qing seems to be running strangely even if one of its important organs, such as its arms and legs, is missing until it really collapses.

In other words, unless I show that I’m really trying to stab a knife into Qing’s heart, they have no choice but to concede to the maximum extent.

In the first place, they are boasting an absurd military power that has traveled half the globe and is unilaterally beating them up, going in and out of the long coastline from Guangzhou to Tianjin like a playground.

In addition, they say that they will send more troops than they are sending now, so those who can’t even properly summon the army have no choice but to be unable to dare to fight.

“The Great Qing is an empire that loves peace. We are willing to endure a lot for a peaceful solution, so please tell us your requirements.”

“Yes, then let’s take a look at this first. There are many unfamiliar parts, so I will point them out one by one because explanations are needed.”

Leaving aside the detailed figures and trivial diplomatic rhetoric, the content of the Tianjin Treaty, to put it simply, is a version that adds several things to the negotiation plan proposed through Lin Zexu.

Great Britain and Qing Dynasty seek peaceful relations, the Queen of Great Britain is equal to the Emperor of Qing Dynasty, and other officials also have equal exchanges according to their respective ranks.

The Qing Dynasty side passed these clauses without much thought, but when the key items came out, they immediately reacted.

“You’re saying you’ll cede Hong Kong and the Kowloon Peninsula, and add Shanghai and Tainan in Taiwan here?”

“Yes. Aren’t they just rural fishing villages anyway?”

“But the location here is… No, yes. I understand. Let’s keep looking for now.”

After that, the contents of abolishing the Cohong [the system of Chinese merchant guilds which held a monopoly on trade with foreigners] and paying the debt, paying the cost of the war so far as reparations, and compensating for the losses suffered by the British Empire due to the arson on Lintin Island continued in a row.

This part was similar to before, but as the war dragged on and this side’s consumption increased, the amount of reparations also doubled.

As several items were added here, an enormous amount of money, easily exceeding tens of millions of Spanish silver dollars, the currency that Qing was dealing with at the time, was calculated.

“It will be impossible to pay this huge amount in a lump sum, so we will receive it in installments over four years. Ah, and in addition to the five designated ports, we will add 10 more ports, such as Niuzhuang, Dengzhou, Hankou, and Zhenjiang, and establish consulates and station diplomats as I said before. In addition, there are clauses that freedom of faith and evangelism must be given, and tariffs can only be abolished or designated to the level agreed upon with us. Do you agree?”

“…”

The expression that he wanted to shout that he couldn’t agree was revealed as it was, but what can you do about it?

I could see Qiying sending a signal to Kim Jwageun to do something, but in the first place, what kind of trick would he have?

Rather, he was watching with a shocking expression as the prince of the Qing Dynasty, who thought he was the center of the world, couldn’t say a word and only listened to my strong proposal.

In fact, they probably knew that showing such a completely helpless 모습 in front of the envoys of the tributary states would damage the dignity of the Celestial Dynasty.

Still, they must have judged that it was much more important to transfer some of this responsibility to Joseon to avoid their necks from being cut off.

“It seems that you agree, so let’s move on to the next one. Consular jurisdiction is established in the opened ports. This means that the British consul will try lawsuits related to his own people in your country according to the laws of the British Empire.”

“What kind of ridiculous clause is that!”

“But your country has already crossed over to this side’s territory, which is not your country, and set fire to merchant ships and property. Since there is a past record, this side has no choice but to prepare a means to protect its own people.”

“T-That’s…”

“Ah, and in addition, you may not understand the clause here that if we build a railroad in the future, the first line will unconditionally give the right to lay the railroad to the British Empire. Simply put, a railroad is a huge iron cart that runs on a certain path. It is capable of transportation on a scale that cannot be compared to horse-drawn carriages. In the future, your country will definitely lay this railroad, and the British Empire currently has the most superior railroad technology in the world, so this will not be a losing proposal either.”

In the first place, what would those who have never even seen a railroad know?

Qiying and the prince asked questions about this and that in case there was a trap, but the difference from the asymmetry of information cannot be filled with such things.

In my brilliant sweet talk, they agreed to all the following items while stammering.

In addition to the railroad construction rights, I also subtly inserted a clause that I would measure the coast and land to prepare for the opening of ports and railroad construction.

It was nothing compared to making the con artists of the 21st century Republic of Korea stamp their seals on the contract, but still, I managed to get over the last hurdle well.

As a result, with this one war alone, I have obtained more than the treaties torn off through the 1st and 2nd Opium Wars of the original history combined.

In addition, this achievement stands out above all else in that it is a result unilaterally obtained by the British Empire alone, leaving France and Russia behind.

After several hours like that.

I gave a sincere smile and reached out my hand to the two people who stood up with almost possessed expressions in the end.

“From today, a true day of peace will begin between the British Empire and the Great Qing Dynasty. It’s a historic day.”

“…Yes…”

Right up to the point where the country would really fall apart if they listened to this.

I didn’t cross that precarious line, but I pushed it almost to the point where it was about to step on the line.

The parties to the treaty also had expressions that made them wonder if this was right, but who told them to be so reckless without understanding the situation and saying things like breaking the jade?

Anyone would think they had a choice.

* * *

Even after the prince and Qiying were thoroughly defeated and returned, Kim Jwageun did not leave his seat.

To be exact, it was because he had requested a conversation with me.

I also wanted to hear his impressions, so I didn’t bother to refuse.

“How was it? What are your thoughts on seeing the negotiation process?”

“…I can only say that it’s complicated.”

“Are you going to tell the court everything you saw, heard, and felt in this place?”

“The envoy has a duty to do so. It’s not a matter of what I think or not.”

“I see. Then what is the reason why you asked to see me?”

Kim Jwageun hesitated and sighed a couple of times, then carefully looked me straight in the eye and asked.

“Is the Minister really from Joseon?”

“Are you still doubting it?”

“But we couldn’t find any records in Joseon that a person like the Minister was born.”

That’s natural.

They must have been desperately looking for only a nobleman from Yeonggil, Kirian Gwa, who is fluent in three languages, so there’s no way data would come out.

But I thought someone might have thought of the possibility of a slave, but it seems that such a miracle did not happen.

“Then there’s nothing I can do. In fact, I don’t really care whether Joseon knows about me or not.”

“But…”

“Rather, Joseon should think more about the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire, and the political situation surrounding them, not me. I think you have a lot to feel in this delegation, but feelings are different for each person, aren’t they? There is no guarantee that your thoughts and the thoughts of the people in charge of the delegation will match.”

“That’s right. If the Minister returns to his home country, will he think about coming back here again? Or maybe not only the Qing Dynasty but also Joseon…”

I chuckled and shook my head.

The part that I was worried about putting in until the end in the negotiations with the Qing Dynasty was to clearly establish the relationship between the tributary states and the Qing Dynasty.

I was worried about whether to pressure them to recognize that all tributary states are independent countries, or to clearly state that they are vassal states if they are vassal states, but in the end, I decided not to.

If this side gave the feeling that it was intentionally trying to break the Qing’s 천조질서 [Sino-centric tributary system], there was a possibility that they would really 달려들 [charge/attack] to the death.

Even if the military power cannot be compared, if Qing really says they will die, this side has no choice but to endure enormous damage.

Besides.

“It’s not now, but there may come a day when I will visit Asia again as a representative of the British Empire. What kind of actions the home country will take at that time depends entirely on the countries of Asia.”

I’ve already planted seeds not only in Joseon but also in all directions, so there’s no need for this side to fan the flames.

In 10 years at the shortest, and 20 years at the longest, the order of Northeast Asia will face a great upheaval.

Whether to be swept away together or to ride the trend is a problem that you have to decide, not me.

Why are you trying to beg me to feed you?

The greatest goodwill I can give is at most to make sure that you don’t become a colony of China or Japan.

That’s also because the result of the Korean Peninsula being eaten by China, Russia, or Japan should never come out, and as for the rest, whether you fall apart or not is your choice.

Still, Kim Jwageun, who is a seed of a fairly outstanding powerful subject, understood the meaning of my words, sighed deeply, and nodded.

And, he asked the question that he probably wanted to ask the most from the beginning.

“I want to ask just one last question. Does the Minister… think of himself as a Joseon person?”

I probably know what kind of answer will come back when I look at the conversations I’ve had so far, right?

So I added a little seasoning to the expected answer and returned it.

“I heard when I was in Joseon. You are not a Joseon person. Does this explain it?”

“No, wait… Who the hell said such 망언 [outrageous remark]…!”

“It was fun. Then goodbye.”

I got up from my seat, leaving Kim Jwageun, who was dumbfounded.

I should have treated him well when I had him.

I guess I had a lot pent up in my heart when I was there.

This is so refreshing.