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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 614: There is no other way

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    Negotiation is a face-to-face game. It is very necessary to test each other at the beginning. If you can test the depth of the other party from the beginning, then you will be able to gain the upper hand in the subsequent negotiations. Of course, a weak country is  Not diplomatic.

    Xiao Yungui's departure was a kind of test. He had already learned from the intelligence what the Manchu rebels had done. At the same time, he also roughly understood the conservative Manchu aristocrats headed by Mianyu, Ronglu and others.  What do they want to do? They just want to overthrow the rule of the Empress Dowager Cixi, who is very different from history, and then use the power of foreigners to cross the Yellow River with the Taiping Army to rule the country, so as to have a chance to breathe.  Xiao Yungui's use of Ronglu and Gong Cheng's identities to get angry was originally a test. He was testing to what extent Britain and France would support the rebels.

    Xiao Yungui ignored Elgin's roar behind him. Venting his anger was of no use. What the minister should consider was how to deal with the difficult problem presented by the King of the West. Before any negotiations with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom on the war in the capital,  Falling out with the Taiping Army over the identities of Ronglu and Ronglu was obviously not in line with the actual situation.

    So, while Xiao Yungui was leisurely sipping tea in another tent, members of the British and French missions urgently began consultations.  Britain and France spent huge sums of money to launch this war. Their original intention was to make the Manchu Qing government in the north surrender through the war, and then Britain and France established a pro-British and French regime in the north, and then confronted the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, so that they could maximize their interests in China.  The purpose is that by that time, whether it is the Manchu Qing Dynasty or the Taiping Rebellion, Britain and France will be able to have both sides, as long as the war continues.  The needs of both sides for arms and other supplies will not be reduced, and by controlling the output of arms and other supplies.  Britain and France can better obtain the precious resources and markets of both parties.

    But the appearance of the Taiping Army on the outskirts of Beijing almost shattered the good wishes of Britain and France, and the hugely expensive expedition would have died because of this.  Then the British and French cabinets at home will collapse instantly, and the war will be unsustainable.  Therefore, Elgin and Geluo must weigh the current situation, and it may be a good choice to take the next best option and jointly occupy Beijing with the Taiping Army. As long as a certain amount of Qing power can be preserved, Britain and France will have more options by then.  , if we start a war with the Taiping Army now, the chance of failure will be very high.

    ??The goals that cannot be achieved militarily can only be achieved through negotiation, but currently the negotiations cannot continue due to the identity of the two people.  As a wise and seasoned diplomat, he naturally knows how to choose.  So after calming down, Elgin and Geluo reached an agreement to let Ronglu and Gong Cheng, the two "hateful" people of the Western King, withdraw from the negotiations.

    Half an hour later, the King of the West returned to the negotiating table again. Xiao Yungui smiled with satisfaction. He already knew where the limits of Britain and France were. The Manchu rebels were not indispensable to them, so what happened next?  Negotiations will be easier.

    At the beginning of the negotiations, Britain and France still assumed their usual boss posture.  The Taiping Army was required to abandon military operations against the capital. As compensation, Britain and France could give the Taiping Army a portion of the Qing's war reparations after the war as military compensation.

    For this unreasonable request.  The Chinese personnel represented by Xiao Yungui naturally sneered. The Taiping Army repeatedly emphasized that the ultimate political goal of the Taiping Rebellion was to overthrow the decadent Manchu Qing government.  A multi-ethnic country headed by the Han nation was re-established, and the Taiping Army was on its own land.  It has the power to attack any Qing army entrenched anywhere, with the Manchu capital as the most important target.  The Taiping Army could not give up its attack on Beijing.

    The two sides argued endlessly, and in the end the British and French ministers became angry and threatened that if the Taiping Army did not give in, Britain and France would impose sanctions in the Jiangnan area, including divestment of projects under construction and about to be constructed, as well as the withdrawal of all technical forces and personnel, and carry out  Trade embargoes and other measures.

    Xiao Yungui naturally knew the consequences of the British and French blackmail, but he still said with a smile: "Without your British and French goods and those so-called industrial forces, the people on this land lived very well. The embargo imposed on us  We are not afraid, we are not afraid of divestment, and we are not afraid of technological restrictions. The diplomatic strategy you believe in is that justice is only within the range of the cannon. If this is the case, let us not talk about a trade embargo. Let us simply fight it.  How about fighting to decide everything?"

    Elgin and Geluo were stunned for a moment. King Xi's reputation for perseverance was already well-known. This was evident when he insisted on not agreeing to withdraw the Taiping Army from the north. However, they did not expect that he would use this method at this moment.  Speaking such words in such a calm tone, it was obvious that he was not speaking impulsively, but that he had already made up his mind.

    If the current problem could be solved by simple warfare, Elgin and Geluo would not be sitting here arguing with Xiao Yungui. The current problem is that the British and French expeditionary forces have the ability to defeat the Manchu army and capture the capital.  , but to deal with more than twice the Taiping Army, Elgin?Gero didn't even know what he was doing.

    Even the Manchu and Qing armies with backward weapons were able to show very tenacious combat effectiveness in previous battles. Based on this assessment, the Taiping Army, which was able to defeat the Manchu and Qing armies, may not necessarily have the same combat effectiveness as the British and French armies.  , but at least the gap is not big. The 20,000 expeditionary force has to deal with the more than 40,000 elite soldiers known as the First Army of the Taiping Rebellion. The British and French commanders all know that the battle will not be easier than the Crimean War.

    "This is Xiao Yungui's second test. He is testing the limits of the British and French coalition forces to start a war, and he is also expressing his attitude. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will not agree to Britain and France occupying the capital alone.  But he knew that since Britain and France were willing to sit at the negotiating table, it meant that they would not easily go to war. As expected, he expected it again this time.

    Both Elgin and Groud were livid, and the accompanying British and French military attaches were also calmly analyzing. The military attaches who followed them this time were all officers of the staff. One of their most important duties was to observe what they could see.  The combat effectiveness of the Taiping Army.  From the moment they entered the Taiping Army's defense line, the officers noticed the weapons and equipment of the Taiping Army and the mental outlook of the soldiers. They all used hot weapons, and basically did not see the broadswords, spears, bows and arrows equipped by the Manchu Army.  There are also a lot of artillery in the military camp, of various types, and even rocket launchers. The British are very familiar with this kind of rocket, which is very similar to the Congreve rocket.

    As for the morale and quality of the soldiers, it goes without saying. Soldiers carrying supplies with their bare upper bodies can be seen everywhere in the military camp. They are strong, energetic, and have high morale. They are definitely not comparable to the old Manchu troops.  Wu Shili heard the slogan shouted by many soldiers, "Strike the capital and destroy the Manchus!" It can be seen that the Taiping soldiers were very enthusiastic about capturing Beijing. Anyone who dared to stand in front of them would be torn apart.  Gotta smash.

    After a simple assessment, Wu Shili and other officers from the British and French Allied Forces Staff all agreed that this Taiping Army was difficult to deal with. In other words, the British and French Allied Forces were not sure of victory.  When discussing candidates for negotiation, Wu Shili had a brief exchange of views with Elgin and Ge Luo. War was the next best option.

    However, due to political negotiation considerations, Elgin did not give in easily. He still exaggerated the facts and threatened that Britain could send a fleet to attack any Taiping Army port and send troops to land at any point along the long Jiangnan coastline defended by the Taiping Army.

    Finally, Xiao Yungui said slowly: "The people of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom hate war but are not afraid of it. We are not the weak Manchus. Although the British fleet is very powerful, we have a complete local military system and a complete military garrison.  Strength, I believe that our army and people will destroy all enemies who dare to land in the mainland! If Britain and France go to war with us because of Beijing, the first thing you have to consider is how to safely withdraw the coalition soldiers from Tongzhou to Tianjin and Dagu to the ships.  , I believe that once the war starts, these armies will be wiped out in a very short time!"

    It was still a tough response without any intention of giving in. Elgin and Geluo were very frustrated, but they obviously downplayed the actual content of Xiao Yungui's words and believed that his remarks were just false threats, because at this time they still  They did not realize what people's war was, and after the Taiping Army's effective rule in Jiangnan, they already had the basis for launching people's war.

    The quarrel continued in the evening. There was no substantive progress in the negotiations throughout the day. The two sides suggested adjourning the meeting, and then the envoys were arranged to have separate tents for dinner and rest.  After dinner, the members of the envoy gathered in Elgin's camp to discuss countermeasures.

    Parkes believed it was time to teach the Taipings a lesson. Although this might bring losses to the British merchants in the Jiangnan region, it must be done.  Wu Shili believed that we should proceed with caution. It would be very unwise to launch a war when the military strength is not superior.

    Elgin was silent, only listening to the quarrels and discussions among his men. Finally, Lord Gero said: "Gentlemen, maybe we should try to change the negotiation strategy tomorrow. We should be more realistic and negotiate with the Taiping Army to jointly occupy Beijing.  It¡¯s possible.¡±

    Sir Elgin said somewhat depressedly: "Your Excellency, Minister, our ultimate goal of occupying Beijing is different from that of the Taiping Army. There is a very big gap in between. They want to eliminate the Manchu Qing regime in Beijing, but we want to support it.  With a new government in the north, the gap makes it difficult for us to reach a consensus on jointly occupying Beijing."

    Lord Gero said: "Since we are talking about joint occupation with the Taiping Army, we have to make some concessions, and they also have to compromise on some things. For example, they occupy Beijing, and we take over all the royal family members and officials of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.  Then we can escort them to the Northeast and re-establish the government, which will still achieve our desired goals."

    Wu Shili agreed with this idea, while Parkes remained silent. Sir Elgin was somewhat moved.Finally he saw Rong Lu standing behind him and asked, "What does General Rong think?"

    Ronglu still smiled so gloomily, shook his head and said: "According to my understanding of the King of the West, he will not let go of the Manchu royal family, let alone those officials. We should still consider starting a war. In addition,  , there is no other way." After saying that, Ronglu smiled and turned around and left the camp.  (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature. The novels will be better and updated faster!
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