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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 642: Two Tigers Fighting

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    The chiming clock in Ziguang Pavilion has pointed to the twelve o'clock position and started to chime. The history of the chiming clock in the Forbidden City can be traced back to the era of Matteo Ricci. This old man is still regarded as the ancestor of Chinese watchmakers in later generations.  But at this moment, Parkes, who was restless in the main hall of Ziguang Pavilion, was not in such a good mood to remember this sage. He was walking around restlessly. He had been waiting for several hours and had lost his patience.

    Yesterday, after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom declared war on Britain and France, Parkes volunteered to negotiate with the Manchus. After a thrilling day's journey, Parkes followed almost the same path as Prince Gong to the capital of the Qing Empire that he dreamed of.  Of course, he returned to Beijing much later than Prince Gong, so he, Gong Cheng and other entourage took a gondola up the city wall of Beijing and then entered the city.

    Parkes was frustrated by this. As a diplomatic envoy, he should not be treated like this. However, he cheered up slightly after being relieved by Gong Cheng. Gong Cheng told him that the capital of the Qing Dynasty was now occupied by the Taiping Army and the Allied Forces.  Naturally, he did not dare to open the city gates in the dark due to threats. This had been the case for envoys coming in and out of besieged cities during wars since ancient times, so Parkes was relieved.

    The person who received them was an official from the Ministry of Rites, with the title of Minister of Rites. He was very polite, and the place to live was not bad. However, Parkes could not meet with the more senior Manchu officials overnight. Prince Gong asked the Minister of Rites to bring them.  Let them wait for an audience at Ziguang Pavilion tomorrow morning.

    According to the regulations of the Qing Dynasty, every year the new emperor routinely gave banquets to foreign vassals and Mongolian princes. In the past, they were mostly held in Nanhai Fengze Garden. After the 26th year of Qianlong's reign, they were moved to Ziguang Pavilion until the end of the Qing Dynasty.  Ziguang Pavilion has always been the place where the Manchu emperors received foreign envoys.  This was still the case even after the founding of New China in later generations.

    But Parkes¡¯ journey to see him did not go smoothly. He waited all morning in Ziguang Pavilion.  He still couldn't wait for the interview between the Qing Emperor and the powerful Queen Mother, and he didn't know.  During his first night and morning in Beijing, the coalition forces were attacked by the Taiping Army.

    Just when Parkali couldn't help but ask Gong Cheng to ask the young eunuch outside the palace when he could have an audience, a eunuch came in and said loudly: "The British envoys Parkel and Gong Cheng have an audience in Qianqing Palace!"

    After listening to the translation, Parkes couldn't wait to follow the eunuch. He didn't have time to appreciate the royal palaces and gardens along the way. He just wanted to see the people he should meet quickly.

    When we arrived at the Dongnuan Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, we saw that more than a dozen Manchu ministers were already sitting inside, with a screen blocking them in the middle.  Someone could vaguely be seen behind the screen. Pasha Li stepped forward, took off his hat, bowed, and sent his blessings to the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty and the Queen Mother according to etiquette.  But a bearded Manchu minister next to him glared angrily and shouted loudly: "You are an envoy from a small country, why don't you kneel down and salute me when you see me, the Queen Mother of the Qing Dynasty?!"

    After listening to Gong Cheng¡¯s translation, Parkesli replied: ¡°We in the British Empire do not have the etiquette of kneeling down. Even when we see our own Queen, we don¡¯t need to kneel down.¡±

    After hearing the interpretation, the minister became even more furious. He rolled up his sleeves and seemed about to come up to beat Parkes, but Parkes was shocked.  Fortunately, Prince Gong stopped him in time: "Prince Monk, don't be reckless!"

    After Gong Cheng heard the name of the minister, he whispered to Parkali, and Parkale finally understood.  It turned out that this Manchu minister who seemed to have a deep hatred against him turned out to be Prince Senggelinqin, who had been fighting fierce battles with the coalition forces in the Jintang area for a long time.

    Although Seng Gelinqin really wanted to give Parkel this foreigner a good beating, he still wanted to do it in front of the emperor, so he endured this tone.  After Prince Gong stopped Seng Gelinqin.  He bowed to the person behind the screen and said: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, the British do not have the ritual of kneeling, and during the Qianlong period, the British envoy Margeni came to see him. In the end, he reluctantly knelt down on one knee.  According to the etiquette, they were also received by Lord Qianlong, so I begged the Queen Mother to spare them the courtesy of kneeling down."

    A Manchu and Qing minister immediately stood up and said: "Your Majesty, what you said is wrong. Since ancient times, China has been a country where all nations come to court. It has its own etiquette and rules" Regarding the issue of meeting etiquette, the Manchu and Qing minister in the Nuan Pavilion has since  A lengthy argument began, which made Parkes eyes widen. Does this etiquette issue need to be argued for so long?

    The ministers in the palace were divided into two factions, one was headed by Prince Gong, and the other was headed by Seng Gelinqin. The two sides couldn't argue. At this moment, a eunuch hurriedly came to report: "The Queen Mother, Mr. Li Hongzhang has an urgent military situation."  Report." Then, the room suddenly became quiet.

    I saw Li Hongzhang walking quickly into Dongnuan Pavilion, and after a hurried salute, he said loudly: "Queen Mother, Changmao and foreigners are fighting in Tongzhou, and the momentum is quite huge!" As soon as this statement came out, the ministers in the room suddenly started talking.

    After hearing Gong Cheng's translation, Parkes was shocked. He immediately said to Gong Cheng: "Tell them not to worry about this etiquette issue. I can give it to the Manchu Emperor."After that, he knelt down on one knee and saluted. We want to start negotiations immediately!  "

    After Gong Cheng explained the meaning of Pasha's ceremony, the person behind the screen spoke for the first time: "In that case, let's salute according to Emperor Qianlong's old rules, and so do you, and let people come all the way to see the joke.  ." Seeing what the Queen Mother said, the ministers stopped arguing.

    When Pashali endured his anger and bowed on one knee, and Li Lianying said goodbye, Pashali immediately stood up and said: "Your Highness the Queen Mother of the Qing Dynasty, now that your country's rebels have attacked your capital, our British and French coalition forces can fight with you  The Qing Dynasty joined forces to fight against the rebels"

    After Parkes explained the conditions of the British and French coalition forces, the man behind the screen hummed softly and said: "Sixth Master, please also tell us our conditions."

    At that moment, Prince Gong coughed, and with a slight embarrassment, stated the conditions discussed in advance. The first was to hand over several rebellious officials and traitors such as Mianyu, Ronglu, and Hengfu, and the second was to show the world what the foreigners had previously said.  It was wrong to raise troops to appease the Qing Dynasty. The foreigners still supported the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which was the legitimate government of China. The third was to return the previously captured soldiers, and the fourth was to return the Jintang and other places currently occupied so that the court could dispatch officials.  To re-administer these places, foreign soldiers can only temporarily station in these places. The fifth is to promise to compensate us five million silver, which will be used to compensate our military expenses, provide compensation for the dead and wounded soldiers, and appease the people in the Jintang area who were devastated by the war.

    After hearing this condition, Parkes was very angry. He said loudly: "Impossible. The British Empire has not been defeated and it is impossible to pay any compensation!"

    Before Gong Cheng could translate what Parkes said in English, the person behind the screen had already said loudly in English: "Then there is no need to continue talking. These five conditions are the basis for us to restart negotiations and cooperation, otherwise I will not be able to  Account to the soldiers and civilians all over the world!"

    All the ministers and Parkes in the room were stunned. The Queen Mother could actually speak English?  Before Parkes could recover, the Queen Mother shouted in Chinese again: "Take the British envoy down. Today's negotiation ends here. If Britain and France do not agree to this condition, there will be no need to negotiate again!"

    At the moment, amidst Park Li's loud protest, he and Gong Cheng were forced out by several wolf-like Qing palace guards. Prince Gong wanted to stop them but failed.  After Parkes was taken away, Prince Gong asked angrily: "Queen Mother, is this a little too arbitrary? The British envoy only objected. We can continue to talk, but we can't just talk about it."  So full."

    The person behind the screen sneered and said: "England and France are all jackals. Now they are very anxious to be attacked by Changmao, so they are so eager to negotiate. I am just using this opportunity to make them surrender so that I, the Qing Dynasty, can get the maximum benefit."  What¡¯s wrong with interests?¡±

    When Seng Gelinqin saw Pashali being carried out, he was very happy and echoed: "That's it, we also let these foreigners know how powerful we are!" Prince Gong stamped his feet and said: "You are confused! If there are no foreigners,  If there are no constraints, Changmao's troops will come to the city in the blink of an eye, the two Huaihe lines of defense will not be able to be defended, and the Qing Dynasty will not be far away!"

    The person behind the screen seemed unhappy and put the teacup on the table. Li Hongzhang listened and said coldly: "Prince Gong, why do you say such depressing words? And you curse me for the fall of the Qing Dynasty? Is this true?  Is this what a prince should say again?"

    Prince Gong's face changed color slightly. What he said in a moment of impatience was indeed a bit treasonous. Just when he was about to open his mouth to defend himself, the person behind the screen also said coldly: "It's extremely treasonous! Prince Gong, are you worried about the recent heavy state affairs?"  Is your mind unclear? You should go home and reflect on it first, and don¡¯t get involved in state affairs recently!"

    As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the room was shocked. It was rare to see the Queen Mother get so angry. However, Guiliang and others still tried to persuade him, but the Queen Mother still refused.  Take it home and take care of it.

    When Prince Gong walked out of the Qianqing Palace with a sneer, he murmured to himself: "It's over, it's over, the Qing Dynasty will die at the hands of this woman"

    After Prince Gong was taken away, Li Hongzhang stepped forward and asked: "Queen Mother, now that Changmao is at war with the foreigners, what should we do? If Changmao is at war with the foreigners, Changmao's three camps outside the capital must be empty. Should we send troops to capture them first?"  These three camps?¡±

    The person behind the screen said calmly: "When two tigers fight, one of them will be injured. It could also be a fight between snipe and clam, and the fisherman will gain. What's the rush? It's only the first day of the war. We've sent more people to find out the news. We're waiting for both sides."  When you are exhausted from fighting, it is not too late to attack the three camps! The British envoy Parkali will also wait for now, but don't let him leave the capital. We will make further calculations after the situation becomes clearer."

    ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????At this time, it is impossible for me to stop those people. They will definitely demand to capture your three camps first and lift the siege of the capital" (To be continued, please search Piao Tian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster.  !
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