Chapter 129 Li Yi: Who is in favor? Who is against?
At Li Yi's invitation, French Minister Bourboulon, American Minister Marsali, Portuguese Governor of Macau, Jadoso and others arrived at the Grand Governor's Palace on time.
The Netherlands, Spain and other countries also sent business representatives.
The reason for this is not that they do not value Li Yi or the Restoration Army.
This is because at present, only Britain, France and the United States have formally established diplomatic relations with the Qing government and sent envoys to China.
The Netherlands, Spain, and even Tsarist Russia in the north have not yet obtained the qualifications to send ambassadors to China.
In the original history, it must have come after the Second Crow!
Li Yi met with Bulbulon, Mashali, Jia Duosu and others in the meeting hall of the Grand Marshal's Mansion.
After everyone saluted Li Yi, Li Yi raised his hand to signal them to take a seat. Then, without any intention of beating around the bush, he spoke directly.
"Today, the Governor has summoned all the ministers, governors, and commercial representatives to announce five things."
"First, from now on, all unequal treaties signed between the Qing Dynasty and other countries within the sphere of influence of our Restoration Army will be abolished."
"All privileges enjoyed by foreigners, including extraterritoriality, immunity, freedom of religion, agreed tariffs, etc., are abolished."
"I don't care who you are or what your status is. Since you have come to the Restoration Army's territory, you must abide by the rules of our Restoration Army."
"The Qing dynasty is afraid of you foreigners and dares not go to war with you, but I am not afraid!"
Li Yi’s attitude is very clear: foreigners should not want any privileges on Chinese soil.
Before he traveled through time, the Chinese were bullied by foreigners and had to give them privileges on their own land; now that he traveled through time, if he still had to give foreigners privileges, then wouldn't it be a waste for Li Yi to travel through time?
As soon as Li Yi said this, Bulbulon, Marsali and others all changed their expressions slightly.
They finally took advantage of the Opium War and gained the opportunity to engage in free trade with China.
They really don't want to go back to the old model of public transactions.
But before they could say anything, Li Yi raised his second finger and said.
"Second, since the Opium War, a huge amount of opium has flowed into China through various trading ports through the hands of merchants from various countries."
"It harms the bodies of our people and destroys their spirits. Its harmful effects are so deep that they must be treated."
"Therefore, this Governor has decided to implement a comprehensive ban on smoking within the sphere of influence of our Restoration Army starting from three days later."
"Anyone who dares to sell opium on the land of our Restoration Army will be killed, regardless of whether you are a foreign merchant or a Chinese merchant!"
"Those with huge amounts of money will be punished without mercy!"
When saying this, Li Yi's attitude was quite firm.
For the opium traffickers, let alone just punishing their entire clan, even if it means killing nine or ten generations of their clan, as long as one is Chinese, no one will have any objection.
If he has any opinions, then he is not a Chinese, or even a human being!
If foreigners dared to interfere with the ban on smoking, Li Yi really wouldn't mind going to war with them.
After a slight pause, Li Yi continued.
"I will give you three days. You must notify the merchants in your own countries to hand over all the opium you have on hand to our Restoration Army so that we can destroy it in a centralized manner. No mistakes will be made."
"After three days, if my Restoration Army finds anyone still holding opium, they will bear the consequences themselves!"
As for compensation?
Of course not.
A group of damn foreign devils sold opium to China and harmed the Chinese people physically and mentally, but Li Yi did not kill them all directly to commemorate Lin Zexu.
Instead, he gave them a chance to hand over opium to save their lives, which could be considered a great act of kindness.
Still want compensation?
Do you want to go to heaven?
After that, Li Yi continued.
"What do you think, everyone? Who is in favor? Who is against?"
Bulbrunn, Marsali and others looked at each other, but in the end, they said nothing and could only nod in agreement.
The British troops stationed in the Far East were defeated, and even the British ambassador to China became a prisoner of war. What could they do without any troops stationed there?
Seeing this, Li Yi nodded slightly, then raised his third finger.
"Third, Portugal must return the sovereignty of Macau within one month, otherwise, our Restoration Army will send troops to take it."
Now that we have recovered Hong Kong, we will naturally not forget Macau.
Although the Portuguese have been quite honest over the years, Portugal is still an ally of Britain, and an old ally for hundreds of years.
Since Li Yi had offended the British so much, he would naturally not continue to tolerate the British keeping such a thorn by his side.
The best option for Li Yi is to recapture Macau while the British army is defeated and Macau is isolated and powerless.
As I said, how can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed!
Li Yi didn't want to gamble on whether the Portuguese in Macau would choose to stand on the side of Britain if China and Britain went to war again in the future.
This time, Jia Duosu finally couldn't help it and asked.
"Grand Commander, both the Ming and Qing governments agreed to lease Macau to Portugal, and Portugal has also paid the rent."
"Isn't it unreasonable for the Grand Commander to suddenly take it back?"
Li Yi heard this and shook his head.
"It was the Qing Dynasty that collected rent from you Portuguese people, not our Restoration Army."
"If it weren't for the fact that you Portuguese people are always honest, I would have already sent troops to attack instead of discussing it with you in a friendly manner."
Upon hearing this, Jia Duosu was speechless for a while, then began to speak in a pitiful manner.
"Grand Commander, what about the many Portuguese who have settled in Macau?"
"The Portuguese have settled in Macau for hundreds of years and have long regarded Macau as their home. If you suddenly want to expel me, we Portuguese Macau people will be homeless..."
"I hope the Grand Commander will show mercy!"
After hearing this, Li Yi thought for a while and then said.
"As long as you Portuguese disarm Macao within one month, our Restoration Army will move in and transfer the civil administration, judicial, taxation and other powers of Macao to our Restoration Army."
“I can show some leniency and allow the Portuguese to continue to live in Macau, and everything else will remain the same as before.”
All Li Yi wants is to disarm Macau and restore its sovereignty. As for the Portuguese living in Macau?
That doesn’t matter!
The Portuguese are serious and honest.
In addition, Li Yi had an idea to hire a group of scholars and craftsmen from Europe through Portugal to fill the vacancies in this regard in the Restoration Army.
When Jia Duosu heard this, his expression changed from gloomy to bright. After a moment, he took a deep breath and continued.
"We need time to think about it!"
Li Yi continued speaking with a smile.
"One month. I will only give you Portuguese one month to think and act."
"If you can't make a decision after one month, I will make it for you!"
Although he was laughing, Li Yi's attitude was still quite tough.
After that, Li Yi continued.
"Haha, everyone, stop looking sour and smile. The next two things are good things for both you and my Restoration Army." Li Yi knew very well that after a big blow, he had to give a sweet treat, so after talking about the three "bad things", he started talking about the good things.
It is worth mentioning that he put the bad things first and the good things later.
To put it bluntly, he did this in order to maintain his strong stance and lower the psychological expectations of these foreigners.
In order to maintain an advantageous position in negotiations.
Bulbrunn, Marsali, and others all laughed dryly and looked at Li Yi with some expectation in their eyes.
Li Yi didn't keep the audience in suspense and continued.
"The fourth thing is that I will open a port in Guangzhou."
"From now on, merchants from all countries are allowed to come to our Restoration Army to conduct free trade, commerce, travel and other activities."
"Of course, except for Britain, which is still at war with our Restoration Army."
"However, I want to make it clear here. I don't care what status the merchants from your country have in their own country. Since you have come to the territory of my Restoration Army, you must abide by the rules of my Restoration Army."
It is obvious that Li Yi is targeting the British.
After hearing this, the few people felt relieved and their faces showed some relief.
French Minister Bourboulon spoke even more.
"I believe the Grand Admiral will be our France's best friend in the Far East."
Mashali also spoke up.
"I am willing to establish friendship with the Grand Admiral on behalf of the United States."
Li Yi said with a still gentle expression.
"I love making friends the most."
Although he said this, Li Yi didn't care in his heart.
Foreigners are profit-driven and betrayal is the norm.
If you can bring them enough benefits, then you are a friend.
Not to mention that you cannot bring them benefits, even if the benefits are not enough, you are still an enemy.
When dealing with them, just talk about interests. As for friendship, forget it!
Li Yi continued.
"The fifth thing is that under the rule of my Restoration Army, we will open up to merchants and capital from friendly countries."
"Allow merchants from all countries to come to our Restoration Army to set up factories and enterprises to operate and make profits."
"I know that all of you Western countries are industrializing, and what industrialization needs most is the market, and what China lacks the least is the market."
"However, since China is so far away from your homeland, even if you can produce high-quality and low-priced goods, after transporting them across the ocean, the freight and costs will make your goods uncompetitive in China."
"Therefore, this Governor has decided to open the market and investment to all countries, and allow you to open factories, establish enterprises, and operate in my Restoration Army."
"If we produce and sell nearby, we can make more profit!"
To put it simply, this move is to attract investment.
Exchange markets for capital and technology in order to achieve industrial development.
Although Li Yi's system can provide technology, it can only provide technology and cannot provide qualified workers.
Therefore, Li Yi wanted to attract foreign workers to work in China by attracting investment, and use these foreigners to train a large number of qualified technical workers for the Chinese.
Use this to promote industrial development!
In addition, Li Yi actually wants to use the catfish effect to force industrial development.
The life of China's landlords and gentry was really comfortable. Once they owned the land, they could collect rent with no loss.
Under such circumstances, even if they have money, they will only use it for land acquisition instead of investing elsewhere.
This is extremely fatal to industrial development.
Although Li Yi was preparing to divide the land and restrict land annexation, he was trying to force the landlords and gentry to transfer their funds to other places other than land annexation.
However, this did not prevent Li Yi from introducing a catfish from outside while dividing the land, in order to force China's industrial development.
The two are not in conflict!
Several ministers and business representatives stationed in China were shocked when they heard this. What Li Yi said made sense. Why didn't they think of this?
Since freight costs are high, it is better to build a factory where the market is located, produce and sell at the same time, so as to maximize profits.
Li Yi's words inspired them and opened the door to a new world for them...
……
"Boss, I heard from our neighbor Uncle Zhou that the war in Guangzhou should be over."
"Our mother's illness is getting worse day by day. We can't delay any longer. Please go to the city as soon as possible to get some medicine and boil it for her."
He Liu's wife found her husband worriedly and spoke.
Hearing this, He Liu yawned, revealing a mouthful of black and yellow rotten teeth. He looked listless and lazy, and stretched out his hand and said.
"Give me money. How can I get the medicine if I don't pay?"
"Should I steal or rob?"
He Zheng showed a conflicted expression when she heard this, but she finally took out a purse from her bosom and told He Liu.
"Master, this year's new grain has not been sold yet, and this is all the money we have left, a total of one ounce and two cents."
"The medicine mother takes costs one penny per set, and she needs to take ten sets in total, which costs one ounce of silver. Besides that, we have run out of salt at home, so you have to sell some for her."
“This amount of money should be just right!”
"You can't use your money to smoke opium anymore."
"If you use this money to smoke opium, our family won't be able to survive..."
He Liu took the purse, opened it, poured a few loose silver pieces and copper coins into his palm, counted them carefully several times, and then said.
"I know, I know!"
"Get medicine, buy salt, and don't smoke opium."
Having said that, He Liu rushed out of the house like a gust of wind and headed towards Guangzhou City.
As soon as he left the house, He Liu started thinking about how to spend the money.
First of all, not smoking opium is definitely not an option.
Due to the recent military unrest in Guangzhou, He Liu has been staying at home for several days and has not dared to go out. He has long been craving for cigarettes.
If it weren't for the terrifying chaos in Guangzhou with gunfire and cannon fire, He Liu would have been unable to hold back and would have gone into the city to find an opium den to have some fun.
What should he do with his seriously ill mother?
He Liu thought that he should try to control the amount he smoked opium and save a tael of silver to buy medicine for his mother.
As for salt, just eat bland food at home for two days.
Anyway, in He Liu's eyes, no matter how big the problem is, it is not as big as him smoking opium...
(End of this chapter)