Chapter 115 Bai Gui: Foreigners want money, and the bandits want your life!
Ye Mingchen's attitude was very pessimistic.
Or you could say he was extremely self-aware.
The Battle of Wuzhou killed not only the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Xu Guangjin, but also most of the elite Qing troops in Guangdong.
You know, the total number of Green Camp soldiers in Guangdong is only about 100,000.
Excluding the vacancies created by the generals at all levels who were drawing empty salaries and exploiting the blood of the soldiers, the actual number of soldiers in the entire Guangdong Qing army was no more than 50,000 to 60,000.
The last time Xu Guangjin led his troops eastward, he took away almost half of the troops, and most of them were elite troops drawn from various towns and associations.
After these people were completely wiped out, whether they were willing to admit it or not, the Guangdong Green Camp had almost been defeated.
The remaining troops are not enough to fight a field battle with the bandits in Guangxi!
Mutten was more pessimistic, and spoke with a serious expression.
"Can the city be defended?"
"There are less than 20,000 defenders in Guangzhou now. I'm afraid that even the defenders are no match for the bandits."
After the Battle of Wuzhou, there were only more than 10,000 defenders in Guangzhou.
But during this period of time, Guangzhou has not sat back and waited for death, but has also made certain preparatory work.
For example, another 10,000 people were drawn from various towns and associations in Guangdong to strengthen Guangzhou’s city defense.
Ye Mingchen continued.
"It would be a good idea for the government to come forward and call on the militia to help them defend the city."
"As long as we can hold on to Guangzhou, it will be worth it even if we have to sacrifice some honors and titles."
Unlike the mainland, militia was born in Guangzhou very early.
During the Opium War, the team that repelled the British invasion in Sanyuanli was a militia.
A few years ago, when the British were trying to enter Guangzhou City, the Guangzhou militia also made great efforts.
A large number of militias gathered in Guangzhou, and Xu Guangjin's threat to cut off trade made the British give up the idea of entering Guangzhou.
When it comes to the city of Guangzhou in modern times, the militia is an important force that cannot be avoided in any way.
Ye Mingchen’s current idea is to use the power of the Guangzhou militia to deal with the bandits.
Mutten couldn't help but hesitate when he heard this.
"The militia? Can they be trusted?"
It's no wonder that Muttern was so hesitant. It's just that the Qing Dynasty has been too idle in Guangzhou in recent years.
Once the militia is summoned to Guangzhou, it is hard to say whether they will help the Qing Dynasty defend the city or simply attack the city together with the opposing bandits.
Upon hearing this, Ye Mingchen thought for a while and then spoke.
"should be no problem."
"When the bandits were in Guangxi, they acted tyrannically and forcibly divided the gentry's land among the common people. The gentry hated the bandits very much."
"If the bandits continue to behave in the same way after entering Guangdong, the Guangdong militia will definitely side with the imperial court."
Well, everyone was unhappy with the Qing Dynasty.
But if the bandits want to divide up everyone's land, then everyone will definitely stand up and support the Qing court.
In the face of real interests, a little bit of hatred is nothing.
Upon hearing this, Mutten nodded immediately.
"Okay, let's do as Governor Ye said."
"Call the militia to help the government defend the city."
Upon hearing this, the new Guangdong Governor Bai Gui stood up and spoke.
"General, do you think we can still ask the foreigners for help?"
"The foreigners are strong and powerful. During the Opium War, our Qing army was no match for the foreigners. I'm sure the bandits are no match for the foreigners either."
"If we can get help from foreigners, Guangzhou City will surely be as stable as Mount Tai!"
Bai Gui had the idea of borrowing some troops to help suppress the rebellion.
Upon hearing this, Mutten was undecided for a moment and spoke hesitantly.
"The foreigners are insatiable. If the Qing Dynasty asks them for help, I'm afraid they will ask for too much..."
Upon hearing this, Bai Gui waved his hand indifferently.
"General, no matter how greedy the foreigners are, they are just after the money of our Qing Dynasty. But as long as we can defend Guangzhou, how much money do we need?"
"But if the enemy troops capture Guangzhou, the tragedy of the massacre of the Eight Banners in Jingzhou will probably be repeated in Guangzhou."
Bai Gui was really frightened by Xiao Chaogui's massacre of the entire city of Jingzhou, and he still felt a lingering fear every time he mentioned it.
Mutten's face changed when he heard this, and he made a decision immediately.
"Okay, in that case, you, Bai Gui, will go and contact the British Consul in Guangzhou, Bao Ling, and make sure to ask for reinforcements from the British to help our Qing Dynasty defend the city."
The foreigners want money, the bandits want lives, but Mutteen can still distinguish such simple things clearly.
The reason for contacting the British was because there were one and a half troops stationed in the East at that time.
After the Opium War, although the main force of the British army withdrew, they still retained a considerable number of troops stationed in Hong Kong, which can be counted as one.
Apart from this, Portugal barely counts as half!
However, Macau’s military strength is too weak and almost negligible, and it will be useless even if it is borrowed.
Therefore, if the Qing government wanted to borrow troops, it could only contact the British!
Upon hearing this, Bai Gui immediately nodded with a look of joy on his face.
……
Governor's House, Hong Kong.
The current British Governor of Hong Kong, Sir John Smith, is leisurely eating his breakfast.
There is peanut butter on the toast and ham slices in between. It is so delicious when you take a bite.
A maid in a maid outfit prepared a cup of coffee for him.
The mellow South American black coffee in the cup is still steaming.
A bite of toast and a sip of coffee as Wenhan enjoyed his breakfast.
There was a knock on his bedroom door.
Boom boom boom!
"Your Excellency, the Guangzhou Consul Bao Ling has brought an envoy from the Guangzhou General of the Qing Dynasty, who is seeking an audience outside the Governor's Mansion."
A servant stood outside the door and spoke loudly.
When Wenhan heard this, he was stunned at first, then replied casually.
"Call Bao Ling in and ask the messenger to wait!"
Then he continued to eat breakfast slowly.
Upon hearing this, the attendant responded and turned to leave.
To be honest, Wenhan could probably guess why the Guangzhou general sent the envoy.
At present, the Qing Dynasty was caught in a large-scale rebellion, and most of southern China was ravaged by the rebels.
Even the city of Guangzhou is in danger.
The Guangzhou general sent someone to see him just to ask for help.
But precisely because he knows all this, Wenhan is prepared to leave the other party alone.
Well, anyway, he’s not the one who’s anxious!
Before negotiating, give the other party some time to think, and then you can raise your price!
……
After bringing Wu Chongyao to the Governor's Mansion, Bao Ling turned around and left to meet Wenhan.
Only Wu Chongyao was left waiting in the reception room of the Governor's Mansion for a long time.
But Wenhan never came to meet him. He gradually became a little anxious, pacing in the reception room, with a lot on his mind.
He came to Hong Kong this time on the orders of the Guangzhou general to seek help from the British.
The enemy troops are approaching Zhaoqing, and Zhaoqing is in danger. The enemy troops may break through Zhaoqing at any time and reach the city of Guangzhou. Then Guangzhou will be in real danger.
And all the belongings of his Wu family are in Guangzhou city.
If the enemy soldiers were to reach Guangzhou or even capture Guangzhou, his Wu family would be finished.
Given the current situation, Wu Chongyao cannot help but be anxious!
Finally, after the tea in the cup was changed several times, Wenhan, wearing a tuxedo and a courtesy cane, appeared in front of Wu Chongyao.
"Oh, Wu, my dear friend, why did you think of coming to Hong Kong today?"
"I'm so sorry, I was busy with official business just now and neglected you."
Wenhan speaks fluent Chinese. Although he has an accent, his pronunciation is basically accurate.
Upon hearing this, Wu Chongyao forced a smile on his face and said.
"I am here today on behalf of the Guangzhou General to meet the Governor-General. I want to borrow troops from the Governor-General to help the Qing Dynasty put down the rebellion."
Wu Chongyao did not beat around the bush and stated his purpose very directly.
Because, there is no telling when Zhaoqing might be lost.
By then, the bandits would be able to go downstream and reach Guangzhou in a day or two at most, and would not have time to beat around the bush with official jargon.
Wenhan heard this and shook his head to refuse.
"I'm sorry my friend, the British have few troops stationed in Hong Kong. The first priority is to ensure that His Majesty's territory is not violated, and the second is to ensure the stability of Hong Kong."
"There are no extra troops to lend to you to quell the rebellion."
"Also, Britain will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries at will."
"So, I can only say sorry to you for borrowing troops."
Of course, Wenhan didn't really refuse, he just said that to raise the price.
As for Britain not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries?
Haha, this is as funny as saying that all the prostitutes in brothels are virgins.
Also, although the number of British troops stationed in Hong Kong is not large, it is still considerable.
In terms of infantry alone, there is a British infantry battalion, plus three Indian battalions composed of Indians recruited from India, with a total of nearly three thousand people.
Together with the fleet sailors and marines stationed in Hong Kong, the total number is almost four thousand.
This can definitely be considered a strong force.
If the Qing Dynasty could offer an affordable price, Wenhan would not mind sending troops to help the Qing Dynasty quell the rebellion.
Upon hearing this, Wu Chongyao also understood what Wenhan meant and spoke immediately.
"Your Excellency the Governor, the General said that if you can send troops to help the Qing Dynasty quell the rebellion this time."
"Then the general can decide to allow British merchants to enter and leave Guangzhou freely after the war."
Wenhan heard this and continued to shake his head like a rattle.
"No, no, no, my friend."
"Allowing our British merchants to enter Guangzhou is not enough to be used as a bargaining chip at the negotiation table."
"Because this is what your Qing emperor promised us when the Treaty of Nanjing was signed. The four cities of Xiamen, Fuzhou, Shanghai, and Ningbo have already been implemented."
"It's just that you Guangzhou are disobeying orders alone!"
Wu Chongyao couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard this, and then said.
"In addition, the general can also promise to give you a sum of money, a total of 500,000 taels of silver, to be used as military expenses for borrowing troops to help suppress the rebellion."
Wenhan heard this and still shook his head.
"No, no, no, my friend."
"It's not enough. Five hundred thousand taels of silver is not enough for me to take the Hong Kong garrison on an adventure."
Upon hearing this, Wu Chongyao couldn't help but take a deep breath and then asked.
"Then may I ask, Your Excellency the Governor, what exactly do you want? Please speak clearly!"
Wenhan heard this and said with a very gentlemanly smile on his face.
"First, Hong Kong needs to expand its boundaries."
"Hong Kong is currently too small to accommodate the British expatriates and troops stationed in the East."
"I hope that the Qing Dynasty can include Kowloon, Tuen Mun, and Lantau Island into Hong Kong."
"Secondly, the Qing Dynasty wants to open more trading ports. I hope that British merchants can not only enter Guangzhou to do business, but also freely enter the inland areas of the Qing Dynasty."
"Third, I hope that my British missionaries can preach freely in the land of Qing Dynasty without any hindrance."
"Fourth, the British should be allowed to purchase and employ Han Chinese laborers from the Qing mainland to work overseas."
"Fifth, from today on, the British will have consular jurisdiction in Qing. Even if someone commits a crime, the Qing government will hand him over to Britain for trial."
"Sixth, from now on, Great Britain will provide unilateral most-favored-nation treatment to the Qing Dynasty..."
The reason why Wenhan left Wu Chongyao alone for such a long time just now was not only to control Wu Chongyao, but in fact he went to summon British officials in Hong Kong such as Bowring to discuss these conditions.
Well, these conditions are pretty much the same as the demands put forward by the British in the Treaty of Beijing and the Treaty of Tianjin after the Second Opium War.
Having said this, Wenhan continued.
"If Guangzhou can agree to these conditions, then I can take the initiative to agree to lend you troops to help suppress the rebellion."
"Of course, the Qing Dynasty will have to pay for the military expenses!"
Wu Chongyao couldn't help but twitch his lips when he heard this.
Such harsh conditions were not something that a businessman like him could decide whether to agree to.
Even the Guangzhou general may not be able to make the decision...
Taking a deep breath, Wu Chongyao just spoke.
"I hope Your Excellency the Governor will wait for a moment. This matter is of great importance and I cannot take charge of it. I still need to consult the General."
Upon hearing this, Wenhan picked up the coffee cup in front of him, took a sip, and then spoke.
"Please!"
Wu Chongyao bowed and said goodbye.
……
After Wu Chongyao left, Wenhan summoned important officials including the political officer Midler, the garrison commander He Bo, and the Guangzhou consul Bao Ling to discuss matters.
"Sir Wenhan, do you think the Qing Dynasty will agree to our request?"
Guangzhou Consul Bao Ling asked.
Wenhan said confidently.
"Of course. As far as I know, the rebels have already reached Zhaoqing, which is only a stone's throw away from Guangzhou."
"If the Qing general in Guangzhou does not want to lose his base, he has no choice but to agree to our request."
"What we need to do now is not whether the Qing Dynasty will agree to our request, but to make military preparations to intervene in the situation in Guangzhou as soon as possible."
"Colonel He Bo, you must go to the barracks immediately to gather the troops and be ready to intervene in the situation in Guangzhou at any time."
Upon hearing this, Uncle He nodded immediately.
"Don't worry, sir. I understand!"
Wenhan nodded, and suddenly seemed to remember something, then turned to Bao Ling and said.
"Consul Bao Ling, please send someone to contact the rebels."
"Let's try to put forward our demands to the rebels and see what they say."
"Although the Qing Dynasty is likely to agree to our request, we'd better make preparations for both scenarios."
(End of this chapter)