Beiyang Dream

Chapter 91 Natalie: Between us, anything is possible

March 16th, 1888, morning.

In the British Concession of Tianjin, beside Victoria Road, lies a quiet little street. The street is narrow, and the plane trees on both sides are just sprouting new buds, casting sparse shadows on the ground. Beside the street stands a two-story brick and wood building in the British style, its red brick walls half-covered with ivy, looking rather unremarkable. A horse-drawn carriage slowly comes to a stop in front of the building.

The coachman was a foreigner, tall and thin with a high nose and deep-set eyes—it was Wolfgang. This former German sergeant was now Chang Desheng's personal bodyguard; of course, he was publicly known as a hired "Western coachman," earning a monthly salary of one hundred taels of silver, including room and board—far more expensive than hiring a bodyguard from Tianjin. But the money had to be spent!

Leaving aside how much Wolfgang's experience as a sergeant major would help him when he was building his own unit, the fact that he carried two Austrian Gasser M1870 pistols on his belt was enough to prove his worth. Those things were incredibly powerful; a single shot could blast a hole the size of a bowl in a person's chest. On the Britannia, it was with one of those pistols that he killed two white assassins employed by the Genyosha!

Two riders followed in front of and behind the carriage.

The rider in front was of medium build, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a neck almost as thick as his head. He had a square face, a thick, bluish-gray beard, and a face full of fierce features. This man was Liu Tonghai, a disciple of the Tong generation in the Green Gang, whose master was Wang Datong, an old man who ran a security escort agency in Tianjin. Wang Datong and Chang Fuhai were sworn brothers who had exchanged vows, and Liu Tonghai and Chang Dequan were also sworn brothers. In fact, Chang Dequan had to call him "Brother Liu."

This relationship was the path Chang Fuhai paved for his son. In Tianjin, getting things done required more than just the authority of the Beiyang government; one also needed a strong sense of brotherhood and loyalty. Liu Tonghai embodied that loyalty.

The rider behind was thinner, in his early thirties, wearing round-framed tortoiseshell glasses and a gray cloth long gown, looking like an accountant. His name was Li Yantang, a fellow student of Liu Tonghai, and also a disciple of Wang Datong. This man was well-educated, having attended a foreign church school, and was familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics. He had even passed the preliminary imperial examination—but couldn't advance further, so he could only "make his way in the world." In the underworld of Tianjin, he was known as "Scholar Li." He was an excellent marksman, carrying a British-made Webley MkI revolver on his belt, known for its near-perfect accuracy.

Chang Desheng employed him because he understood foreign languages, could read foreign newspapers, and could even help with accounting. He was capable in both literary and martial arts, though not particularly skilled in either. However, his learning ability was good, and with proper training, he might become a military leader. At the very least, he could serve as a secretary.

Liu Tonghai dismounted, walked to the carriage, and opened the door.

Chang Desheng crawled out from inside.

Today he wore a navy blue three-piece Western suit, the fabric crisp and well-tailored. He wore a black top hat, his braid coiled up and tucked inside; from a distance, he looked like a comprador from some foreign firm. He carried a walking stick in one hand and a leather briefcase in the other. Li Yantang didn't dismount; one hand rested on the hilt of his rifle, and he sat on horseback, looking around with eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

Chang Desheng walked to the gate of the small building and knocked.

The door opened a crack, and a foreign face peeked out—it was Sergeant Müller, one of Wolfgang's men.

"Commissioner," Müller said in German, his voice low, "Madam is waiting for you in her studio on the second floor. Go up the stairs, it's the second door on the left, just push it open."

Chang Desheng nodded and asked in German, "Where is Mr. Bello?"

"That old man is at the consulate," Muller said, pursing his lips and switching to Chinese with a hint of disdain, "he doesn't live here at all."

Chang Desheng silently said "Oh" to himself and walked into the small building. Well, working couples, each doing their own thing. This foreign woman is certainly carefree. Good, saves me the trouble of dealing with that old man.

The small building was quiet, with a dark red carpet that made no sound when stepped on. The stairs were wooden, and the handrails were polished to a shine.

Chang Desheng went up to the second floor, found the second door on the left, knocked on it, and then pushed it open.

When the door opened, he was stunned for a moment.

On the wall directly opposite the door hangs an oil painting.

It depicts a woman, naked. Her blonde hair is loose, and she lies on her side, her curves fully exposed. Her breasts, waist, and hips… are all clearly visible. The painting is extremely realistic, with excellent handling of light and shadow; the texture of her skin looks incredibly lifelike. In the lower right corner, there's a signature: N. vB, meaning Nathalie von Bülow.

Chang Desheng swallowed hard. This was a self-portrait. This foreign woman… she really dared to paint.

But her figure is damn good!

"Zhenbang," a voice came from inside the house, sounding lazy and with a magnetic, husky tone. His Chinese was broken, but each word was fairly clear. "My painting, is it beautiful?"

Chang Desheng turned his head to look.

Natalie stood by the window at the other end of the studio. She wore an ivory-white silk nightgown, the belt loosely tied, the neckline low, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin. Her blonde hair was unkempt, simply draped over her shoulders. Her face was lightly made up, her features sharply defined like a sculpture, and her blue eyes were large and captivating.

She was holding a cup of coffee, looking at him with a half-smile.

"The painting is so-so," Chang Desheng said, closing the door behind him and leaning his cane and briefcase against the doorway. "It's not as pretty as you in person." Natalie laughed, her laughter like a feather tickling the tip of one's heart.

Chang Desheng didn't dare to look too much and turned his head to survey the art studio.

There's more than just this one painting in the studio. Several other landscapes hang on the four walls—Penang's George Harbour, Singapore's harbor, Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour, Shanghai's Huangpu River… There's also one with a preliminary sketch, not yet colored, but the outline looks like Dagu Port in Tianjin.

He glanced at it, and the mental tally was instantly flipped open.

Good heavens, these are all port and fortress maps. Dock locations, cannon orientations, warehouse layouts, channel depths… all clearly marked. Is this some kind of landscape painting? This is a military reconnaissance map drawn for the German General Staff!

But then I thought, Natalie was the wife of the German consul, and had diplomatic immunity, so drawing these things wasn't a big deal. If the Qing Dynasty diplomats had put in half the effort, they wouldn't have lost the First Sino-Japanese War so badly.

When I was in Germany, I secretly drew plenty of diagrams of German weapons and even copied their military academy textbooks. In this line of work, nobody should laugh at anyone else. Everyone's just working for their own side!

"Coffee?" Natalie walked over and handed him the cup she was holding.

"Thanks." Chang Desheng took it and took a sip. Bitter, and no sugar added…

Natalie walked to the small table, picked up the roll of blueprints that Chang Desheng had just taken out of his briefcase, and began to look at it.

These are renderings and design drawings of the "Summer Palace Waterworks".

"It's beautifully drawn..." Natalie looked at the drawings, her blue eyes sparkling. This time it wasn't flirting, but a very professional appreciation. "The perspective is accurate, the annotations are detailed, and the hydraulic calculations are reasonable. Did you draw this?"

"That's also possible," Chang Desheng put down his coffee cup, looked at her, and got to the point, "Dr. Speer, the German royal garden designer, designed the fountain for the Summer Palace of the Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty by order of His Majesty the German Emperor."

Natalie paused, blinked, and looked at him: "Are you trying to deceive your Empress Dowager again by using His Majesty the Emperor's name?"

"How is this considered deception?" Chang Desheng laughed. "This is help. Promoting friendship between our two countries. Or..." He took two steps closer, his voice lowered, laced with temptation, "Madam, this is your ticket to the Forbidden City. Don't you want to go in and have a look? Don't you want to sit next to the Empress Dowager, have a cup of tea, chat, and let her tell you herself, 'Natalie, you are truly a good friend of our Great Qing Dynasty'?"

Natalie didn't speak, she just looked at him, the smile in her blue eyes slowly fading.

"Zhenbang," she spoke again, her voice deliberately turning colder, "you made me lie to your Empress Dowager. If I'm exposed, my reputation in diplomatic circles will be ruined, and my husband's position might be at risk."

She paused, took a step forward, and the aroma was irresistible:

"The price you offered... is too low."

Well, Natalie has learned to "get extra money" too.

Chang Desheng's heart tightened, but his face remained calm: "Then, Madam, what price do you think would be enough?"

Natalie extended two fingers, long and slender, with light pink nail polish on her nails.

"First," she said, "I need your commitment that German companies will have priority in any future military or commercial opportunities in North Korea. It must be in black and white, and you must sign it."

Chang Desheng cursed inwardly: This foreign woman is really ruthless! The North Korean issue hasn't even been resolved yet, and she wants to sign an exclusive agreement? This is equivalent to locking up the subcontracting rights for the next ten years as soon as the project is approved!

"Secondly," Natalie's finger almost touched his chest, and he could feel the pressure even through his suit, "I heard that your court is going to stop purchasing foreign ships and weapons for several years... So, how will you guarantee the military cooperation projects between your Beiyang Army and our country? I need your written explanation!" Chang Desheng's mind raced.

The first one is just wishful thinking, which can fool people.

The second crucial point is that this foreign woman's intelligence is incredibly accurate! He can't stop the imperial court from halting the purchase of ships and weapons... and with Beiyang's financial resources cut off, continuing cooperation on military projects requires finding external funding.

If all these ways of making foreign money are reported to the Germans, wouldn't that be tantamount to handing over trade secrets?

After all, the money has to be found in Southeast Asia.

The wealthy men of Southeast Asia wouldn't give up easily; they'd need the Beiyang government's help to deal with the natives and foreign devils... This couldn't be discussed further with Natalie. He took a deep breath, then pondered for a moment, and held up two fingers as well.

"Madam, I'd also like to say two things."

"First, we can discuss the priority of North Korea, but it must be based on mutual benefit, not a free gift. We can discuss the specific terms in detail once I'm actually in North Korea and have real power."

"Secondly," he paused deliberately, lowering his voice with a hint of mystery, "as for the matter of our imperial court ceasing the purchase of ships and weapons, it hasn't been finalized yet! Even if it is, only the Ministry of Revenue's appropriations will be stopped. The imperial court can't control the funds raised by the Beiyang Fleet. The funding for the Beiyang Fleet's military cooperation project with Germany... is absolutely guaranteed!!"

Because our Beiyang clique isn't just a military group, but a complex of military, political, and economic forces... We hold the rights to build railways, mines, and approve factories! Now, we also have the capital from Southeast Asia... Money is no problem! Moreover, we're planning three major projects with a total investment exceeding twenty million taels of silver..."

He's making empty promises again, bringing up projects like the Tangshan Iron and Steel Plant, the Guandong Railway, and the Dalian Shipyard—all projects that are barely even started. He even made up a baseless claim of a "total investment of 20 million!"

But his heart was pounding: He hoped this woman wouldn't see through him...

Natalie narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a full five breaths, her blue eyes shifting between light and shadow.

Then, she suddenly laughed.

Her smile is still so charming.

"Zhenbang," she said, "you're more cunning than you seem."

She turned and walked to the easel, picked up a charcoal pencil, and twirled it in her hand.

"Okay, we can talk about that later." Her voice drifted over as she turned her back to him, "But right now, if you want me to take risks to help you, I need to see some... sincerity."

She turned around and handed him the charcoal pencil.