Beiyang Dream

Chapter 92 Eight Banners Disciples

March 20th, 1888 (the 17th year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign), signed by the Zhili Governor-General's Office.

Chang Desheng followed Yuan Shikai through the door, feeling extremely uncomfortable in his newly made fourth-rank official robe with its cloud-and-goose insignia. He inwardly grumbled: "A fourth-rank circuit intendant, a prefecture-level official, and I have to pay dozens of taels for this robe! And this Qing Dynasty's reserve official position is practically 'unpaid labor,' no salary! Even worse, becoming a circuit intendant requires 'waiting in another region,' and Yuan Shikai just said he'd been assigned to Hubei! What does that mean? It means I have to go to Hubei to work for Zhang Zhidong for free... This system is a total rip-off!"

Yuan Shikai, who was walking in front, had also changed into new clothes today, with a pheasant insignia (second rank), which was very eye-catching. Well, Yuan Shikai has been promoted to Provincial Treasurer, and from now on, his official rank in Korea will definitely surpass Chang Desheng's by one head.

Li Hongzhang sat behind his large desk, dressed in a casual silk robe without his official hat. Standing beside him was Zhang Peilun, a former upright official who was now a commoner.

"Your Excellency." The two bowed.

"Youqiao, read it aloud." Li Hongzhang was still reviewing documents, his pen never stopping.

Zhang Peilun unfolded the yellowed official document and said in a hoarse voice: "Ministry of Personnel: It has been found that Chang Desheng, a native of Tianjin Prefecture, Zhili Province... is hereby appointed as a Circuit Intendant and assigned to Hubei Province, to be placed on probation for future appointment..."

Chang Desheng quickly knelt down – this was the rule, Yuan Shikai had just instructed.

After the reading was finished, seats were arranged and tea was served.

Li Hongzhang blew on the tea foam: "The title of 'Hubei Candidate Circuit Intendant' is a prestigious honor bestowed upon you by the court, with regulations governing your clothing and sedan chair. However..." He put down his teacup, "This title is empty and has no real power."

He pointed to the sandalwood box that Zhang Peilun had just brought out.

Inside were two items: a dispatch from the Zhili Governor-General's Office and a heavy brass official seal.

"This seal, which reads 'Imperial Appointment to Handle Affairs of the Korean Camp,' is yours." Li Hongzhang handed over the seal.

Chang Desheng accepted it with both hands and examined the seal, which read "Imperial Decree"!

Good heavens, a low-end version of the imperial sword! With this, we can finally start work legitimately when we go to North Korea.

"From now on, you will be in Korea, in charge of training troops, building fortifications, supplying weapons and supplies, and defense." Li Hongzhang's gaze swept over the two men. "Weiting is the 'Prime Minister,' overseeing the overall situation. Zhenbang, you are his deputy in charge of camp affairs. Weiting is in charge of overall operations, and you will handle specific tasks. Consult with him frequently and seek his instructions." "We will remember!" the two replied in unison.

Chang Desheng knew perfectly well: Old Li was using him while keeping an eye on him, afraid he'd try to go it alone like he did in Pontianak. Fine, for now I'm all alone, I don't have the resources to go it alone. I'll just stay here as the "Deputy Chief Technology Officer" for now.

He thought it was all over and was about to get up.

Li Hongzhang pulled a yellow silk envelope from the top of the pile of official documents and handed it to him: "There's another small matter. It's a message from the Grand Council; the Empress Dowager wants to see you. Go back and get ready; you'll be on your way in a couple of days."

Imperial decree! Empress Dowager!

Chang Desheng took it, his mind racing to calculate the days: Today is the 20th, he'll arrive in Beijing on the 22nd or 23rd, and the Empress Dowager's summons will be at least by the end of the month... Luo Xinglan's money, Natalie's blueprints—the timing is perfect. Old Li's process control is damn smooth.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Li Hongzhang waved his hand and finally said to Yuan Shikai, "Weiting, you accompany Zhenbang on this trip and keep an eye on him."

Yuan Shikai put on his signature honest smile: "Your Excellency, rest assured! Zhenbang is my right-hand man, and even more so, a brother. I will never let him suffer any loss." Stepping out of the signing room, the sunlight was a bit dazzling.

Yuan Shikai patted him on the shoulder: "Zhenbang, go back and prepare well. We brothers must do a good job on this trip to Beijing."

"It was all thanks to Brother Weiting's guidance."

Chang Desheng squinted and looked north.

The Forbidden City, you old hag, here I come.

The first day of the fourth month of the seventeenth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign.

Beijing, Zhengyangmenwai Street, Tianxingju Teahouse.

This place is bustling. There are street performers, crosstalk singers, drum singers, and vendors selling soy milk and fried dough rings. People are packed together, and the noise is deafening. The elegant seats by the window on the second floor of Tianxingju are currently booked by seven or eight Manchu men.

These gentlemen were all dressed respectably. They wore robes of fine silk and satin, with jade pendants and purses hanging from their waists, and their braids gleamed. But upon closer inspection, the edges of their robes were slightly frayed, the jade pendants were of mediocre quality, and their purses were empty. This was a group of Manchus who, though outwardly respectable, were inwardly impoverished, living off the meager harvests inherited from their ancestors. Their greatest pleasures were frequenting teahouses, playing with birds, and discussing politics.

"Have you heard?" A tall, thin Manchu man surnamed Fucha, with prominent cheekbones, lowered his voice mysteriously, "That affair in Pontianak is really strange!"

"Third Master Fu, what news have you gotten this time?" A round-faced fat man leaned over. He was from the Suwan Guwalgiya family and people called him "Guan Qi." "What protection of overseas Chinese?" Third Master Fu scoffed. "My cousin who works in the Imperial Household Department said it's not like that at all! The Beiyang Army has their eyes on the gold mines in Borneo belonging to the Dutch-protected Pontianak king, and they sent troops to rob them! I heard they killed a mountain of corpses! To find an excuse, they called it 'protection of overseas Chinese,' and they even extorted 500,000 taels of silver from a wealthy merchant in Southeast Asia... That silver probably went into Li Hongzhang's own pocket!" "Really?" Guwalgiya's eyes widened.

"Is that even a lie?" Master Fu said confidently. "My cousin is incredibly well-informed in the Imperial Household Department, with eyes and ears everywhere!" In the corner, a middle-aged man wearing tortoiseshell glasses and a slightly worn silk shirt coughed softly. This man, surnamed Wen, was a clerk, making a living in a lowly government office. He was somewhat literate and liked to put on an act of "being the only one sober in a world of drunks."

"What Master Fu said is probably only part of the story, not the whole truth," Wenbi Tieshi said slowly, adjusting his glasses.

"Master Wen, do you have any brilliant ideas?" Master Fu glanced at him sideways.

"Gold mines? That's a small fry." Wenbi Tieshi lowered his voice, sounding even more profound. "I heard that Li Hongzhang opened a bank in Southeast Asia, called... 'Nanyang Bank'? He's trying to steal business from HSBC and Deutsche Bank. The Dutch are shareholders in HSBC, so they wouldn't be happy about that, which is why the conflict arose. That 500,000 taels of silver is probably the bank's dividend to Li Hongzhang!"

"Dong..." Several Manchus around gasped. Silver, foreign firms, dividends... they only half understood these words, but put them together, and they felt that "the water was very deep."

"Arrogant! Utterly arrogant!" A Manchu man with a pockmarked face, whom everyone called Ma Wu, slammed his fist on the table in anger. "Without the approval of the court, he mobilized troops and started a war against the foreigners! Does Li Hefei have no respect for the law? Does he have no regard for the Empress Dowager or the Emperor?"

"Exactly! This time it's the Netherlands, next time will it be England or France? They've ruined the peaceful years of our Great Qing, can they afford to take responsibility?" Gua Er chimed in.

"If you ask me, it's a good thing the court stopped funding his purchases of ships and cannons in Beiyang!" The third master of the house cracked open another melon seed, his tone tinged with satisfaction. "It prevents him from growing too powerful and becoming uncontrollable!"

The topic naturally shifted to "buying a boat".

This is currently a hot topic in Beijing.

An elderly man, who had been silent until now, wearing an old royal blue satin robe and holding two walnuts in his hands, sighed and spoke. His surname was Hesheli, and his ancestors had once been prominent, but now they had fallen on hard times. However, he still maintained his airs and was known as "Fourth Master He".

"Speaking of buying a ship... that 'Changyuan' warship cost over two million taels of silver." Master He's voice was heavy, and it was heartbreaking to hear. "Our entire year's iron ore harvest for the Manchus is only about 22 million taels of silver. This one ship alone wipes out more than one-tenth of our Manchu salary!" The teahouse fell silent for a moment.

"How...how much?" Gua Er's tongue was a little tied.

"One-tenth!" Master He repeated emphatically. "In other words, the silver that we Manchu brothers tightened our belts to save was taken by Li Hongzhang to buy a ship! And he named it 'Changyuan'? I think it should be 'Changyuan' (meaning 'always wronged'). The wrong of a sucker!"

"Son of a bitch!"

"There isn't a single good Han Chinese! All they know is how to swindle money from us Manchus!"

"Was the Empress Dowager... deceived by Li Hongzhang? That birthday celebration for the German Emperor might just be a fabrication by Li Hongzhang to swindle money from buying ships!" The crowd was indignant. The rumors, embellished and exaggerated in the closed pot of the teahouse, had turned into a huge black pot of "Li Hongzhang's deceitful and domineering behavior and the Beiyang Army's disastrous influence on the country and its people."

Just then, a young Manchu man who had been silent in the corner suddenly spoke up. His name was Rong Qing, in his early twenties, a squad leader in the Shenji Battalion. He had studied at the Tongwen Guan for a few days and seemed somewhat out of place among the group of men carrying birdcages.

"Gentlemen, what's the use of just cursing?" Rongqing's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and lucid. "We Manchus, our ancestors also gained the world through bows, horses, swords, and spears. Now our swords and spears are rusted, our horses are useless, and we're just relying on this meager iron stalks and crops, at the mercy of the Han governors. They're arrogant because they have soldiers and guns. What about us?"

He paused, looking at the faces around him—some puzzled, some dissatisfied, some thoughtful—and said, "If you ask me, the Manchus still need their own sword. Not the Green Standard Army, not the Huai Army, but our own New Army? With foreign guns, foreign cannons, and foreign training!"

These words elicited a collective gasp from those around them.

"Rongqing, what nonsense are you spouting!" Fourth Master He shouted sternly. "Have you forgotten the Battle of Baliqiao? Have you forgotten how Prince Seng died in battle? Have you forgotten how the Taiping rebels broke through those southern banner cities one by one during the Xianfeng era?"

"That's right! That's right! We Manchus are few in number, and we can't fight easily! Nowadays, we rely on foreign guns and cannons to fight, and killing people is as easy as harvesting wheat..." Ma Wu shouted.

But Fu Sanye, Wenbi Tieshi, and a few others did not immediately refute, their eyes flickering.

Rongqing's words really hit the nail on the head for these people.

They say let them go themselves... ...Look at how badly they fought against the Taiping Rebellion and the Khitans back then! Not to mention the Anglo-French invasion of Beijing. Now they have Krupp cannons and Mauser rifles; when they start firing, how can the Taiping Rebellion's homemade guns and cannons compare? These hundred thousand or so Manchu bannermen are hardly enough to kill!

But if he doesn't step up and relies on the Huai Army... Li Zhongtang has become increasingly arrogant these past two years! I don't know when, but he gave his group of proud and fierce soldiers "a new coat"—yellow!

The argument in the teahouse was about to escalate...

"Eyeballs! Eyeballs! Eyeballs!"

Suddenly, a heavy, orderly, and rhythmic gong sound, like muffled thunder, rolled in from afar, instantly drowning out all the noise in the teahouse.

Immediately following was the thunderous rumble of wheels crushing the bluestone slabs, and the dense, heavy sound of horses' hooves, which grew ever closer.

"What's going on? What happened?" Gua Er shuddered in fright.

Everyone froze, and the argument abruptly stopped. Master Fu, Wenbi Tieshi, Master He, Rongqing... all the dozens of people in the teahouse subconsciously turned their heads, craned their necks, and looked towards the windows facing the street.

The third master of the rich man darted to the window, pushed it open, and leaned half his body out.

I only glanced at it.

Just one glance.

He froze there, completely still.

"Third Master Fu? What did you see?" Gua Er asked anxiously, squeezing through the crowd.

Then, he froze.

Wenbi Tieshi, Ma Wu, He Ye... the people in the teahouse flocked to the windows and doorways.

On Zhengyangmen Outer Street, the once bustling crowds seemed to have been parted, automatically splitting to both sides. Everyone was standing on tiptoe, craning their necks, looking at the center of the street.

on the street.

Ten large, double-horse-drawn carts, adorned with red ribbons and colorful decorations, were slowly approaching. On each cart were four large mahogany chests with heavy copper corners, their lids wide open. Under the early morning sun, the gleaming, white silver dollars were piled high, almost blindingly so.

This is not finished.

Those silver dollars that had protruded were all sealed with red strips that were a foot wide and three feet long, and there were words on the strips.

Right line: Overseas Chinese businessmen in Southeast Asia repay their country

Left line: Wishing the Empress Dowager a long and healthy life

Below that is a line of slightly smaller regular script, stamped with a bright red square seal: "Supervised by Nanyang Bank Draft Company".

On both sides of the box, large red paper with black characters read: "Nanyang Bank, Connecting the World" and "Nanyang's First, Outstanding Reputation." Along both sides of the convoy stood about twenty strong men, all dressed in short blue cloth jackets with belts around their waists. Each carried a jujube wood stick, its tip covered with iron. Embroidered on their chests was a small circle containing the character "同" (tong, meaning "together").

These are people from the Datong Escort Agency in Tianjin.

In the middle of the convoy, Luo Xinglan rode a white horse, wearing a brand-new royal blue silk robe and a black satin jacket. He faced the stunned crowd on both sides of the street, occasionally clasping his hands in a gesture of respect.

At the head of the convoy, two men held up a tall wooden sign with black lettering on a white background:

"The Chinese merchants of Borneo, deeply grateful for the grace of the Emperor and admiring the virtue of the Empress Dowager, hereby present two hundred thousand silver dollars in pure silver to wish the Empress Dowager a long life." On the shaft of each vehicle, there was also a small flag with white characters on a blue background, fluttering in the wind: Nanyang Bank.

"Two or two hundred thousand... and they even gave it away with drums and gongs?" Gua Er stammered. "These rich guys from Southeast Asia really know how to flatter the Empress Dowager!" "...This isn't flattery at all," Fu Sanye stared at the dazzling mountain of silver downstairs, gritting his teeth, his voice trembling, "This is throwing money around! Throwing real gold and silver at the faces of us Manchus!"

His fingers trembled as he pointed to the long line of cars on the street, to the open silver chests: "Look, look! Two hundred thousand silver dollars! Cash! Just like that, openly parading through the streets! Damn it, a Borneo merchant can casually pull out two hundred thousand silver dollars to build a garden for the Empress Dowager... And what about us? Huh?"

He turned abruptly, his eyes bloodshot as he scanned the envious, jealous, and hateful faces in the teahouse:

"In the entire Qing Dynasty, all the Manchus, young and old, everyone who can breathe, how much ironclad grain does the court distribute in a year? At most, twenty-two or thirty million taels! Divided among the people, how much is that per person? Yet this scoundrel from Southeast Asia throws out two hundred thousand! That's equivalent to how many Manchus's annual living expenses? And that doesn't even include what Li Hongzhang is doing..."

He suddenly stopped talking, as if he was startled by the thought that had popped into his head.

The teahouse was deathly silent.

The scribe's face turned pale as he muttered, "...The Beiyang, the Nanyang...when did they get involved? This 200,000 is a tribute to the Empress Dowager. How much was paid to the Beiyang, to Li Hongzhang? 500,000? 1 million?"

"It's over..." Master Hao's lips moved, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "The court... what will the court use to control the Beiyang government from now on?" Yes, why has the court been able to barely control the increasingly powerful Beiyang government all these years? Isn't it just because it controls the annual allocation of more than two million taels of silver? Although the Beiyang government can raise money on its own, the bulk of the money still comes from the court.

But what if... what if the Beiyang government found an "overseas gold mine" on its own?

No, not if.

It has been found!

These 200,000 gleaming silver dollars, the banner of "Nanyang Bank," the smiling face of the wealthy young master from Southeast Asia... all seem to be telling everyone this fact:

Beiyang, they're flush with cash!

The Beiyang government colluded with the incredibly wealthy "scoundrels" of Southeast Asia. These were the Southeast Asian Chinese merchants who mined tin, cultivated rubber, and traded in Borneo, Java, and Singapore, and whose homes were said to be piled high with silver!

The imperial court only gave Beiyang a little over two million taels a year, and even that depended on the Ministry of Revenue and the attitude of Master Weng, with deductions at every level, resulting in annual delays.

But what about the South Seas? They casually offered 200,000 silver dollars to the Empress Dowager. How much did they secretly "fund" the Beiyang Army's training of new troops, the purchase of guns and cannons, and the construction of ships? It was probably more than, if not more than, what the imperial court gave them!

Even if the imperial court cut off the Beiyang Army's funding, the Beiyang Army could still make ends meet by relying on the Nanyang Army's money.

The problem is... try stopping the court for a second!

Try it and you'll die!

"Li Hongzhang... he's trying to emulate the Tang Dynasty's regional military governors!" The scribe was the first to realize this. "Raising funds locally and building up elite troops... the imperial decrees will be nothing to him in the future!"

"No wonder he dared to fight the Dutch in Southeast Asia! No wonder he dared to mobilize troops without authorization!" Ma Wu slapped his thigh, his face contorted with rage. "So, it turns out he'd already paved the way! The Southeast Asia is providing the money, the Germans are manufacturing the guns, and the soldiers are his own! Well, soldiers, pay, and equipment—everything's taken care of! The imperial court? It's just a name now!"

"Then what about us Manchus..." Gua Er stammered, his voice trembling, "What will we do from now on?"

Yeah, what should we do?

With the money from the South China Sea, the Beiyang government was no longer a weapon held by the imperial court.

What could it be?

No one dared to think further.

But I can't help but think about it!

The Hall of Joyful Longevity in the Summer Palace.

Outside the hall, under the eaves, Li Lianying stood with his hands at his sides, his slightly high-pitched voice drifting through the curtain:

"Your Majesty, the silver from Southeast Asia has arrived. Two hundred thousand pure silver dollars. I personally led the men to open the chests and inspect them. The purity is excellent, each dollar is dazzlingly bright. The seals read 'Southeast Asian Merchants' Contribution' and 'Wishing Your Majesty a Long Life,' and are stamped by the 'Southeast Asian Bank.' It was escorted all the way by the Datong Escort Agency in Tianjin and is now in the garden's storeroom. All the account books and documents are complete."

Inside the brocade curtain, all was silent.

Only the faint sound of Kunming Lake's water could be heard outside the window, along with noises from the construction site to the east of the garden.

This silence lasted longer than when Li Lianying usually announced any "good news."

Finally, a sound came from inside the curtain.

The voice was calm and even, revealing no trace of joy or anger.

"Two hundred thousand... silver dollars. And they're even operating under the guise of a 'bank,' protected by a security escort agency, parading around town." Empress Dowager Cixi paused, "Li Hongzhang, this time you've really given me... face."

Li Lianying bent over even deeper, holding his breath and listening intently.

"Those merchants in Southeast Asia," Cixi's voice continued slowly and calmly, "are certainly generous. But this 'generosity'... why didn't it show up earlier or later, but just when the court discussed postponing the purchase of ships and cannons, this money... arrived?"

She didn't wait for Li Lianying's reply, nor did she need him to.

"I've accepted the silver. It'll be just what I need for repairing the garden." Cixi's tone softened slightly. "Li Hongzhang is telling the court, and also me, that the Beiyang Army's pay isn't just coming from the Ministry of Revenue's meager resources. The South Seas have mountains of gold and seas of silver; we're happy to feed him." "With the South Seas' silver backing him up, Li Hongzhang's backing is even stronger." Cixi's last sentence was almost inaudible. "I just don't know... whether this increased backing is a blessing or a curse."

Li Lianying lowered his head even further and replied softly, "Your Majesty is wise and insightful. Then… regarding Li Zhongtang of the Beiyang Army, should this servant convey a message…?" "No need." The voice from behind the curtain regained its condescending tone. "Since he's allowed the Nanyang people to stage this show right at my doorstep, I'll see what other tricks he has up his sleeve. That Chang Desheng… isn't he about to enter the capital?"

"Your Majesty, according to the schedule, it will be in the next day or two."

"Hmm." Empress Dowager Cixi said no more.