"Master Jiang, please come here." In the old Hengwang Mansion in Yidu County, Qingzhou Prefecture, Jiang Yunfan, a special envoy from Yantai to the Qing State, had just arrived and stayed here. The Qing Imperial Court placed Jiang Yunfan and his entourage in the former Ming Heng Palace, which was cleaned up, and the treatment was enough to explain a lot of problems.

Jiang Yunfan has been by Liu Jianguo's side for several years as a counselor of military aircraft and government affairs, and has a little understanding of the Qing domestic situation, so he does not care about their unusual courtesy, and lives comfortably with his entourage in this old palace that is slightly dilapidated, but still looks very good.

Jiang Yunfan came to Qingzhou Mansion with more than 20 officials from the military, civil affairs, intelligence, commerce, law and other fields of the Denglai Pioneer Team. In the next short period of time, they will work together with Jiang Yunfan and the Qing negotiators to conclude a formal peace treaty.

Jiang Yunfan and his entourage quickly chose their own rooms, and at the same time put the luggage and packages in a room that was temporarily used as a warehouse. More than a dozen hideous-looking and fierce Shandan warriors stood outside these doors with weapons as escorts—the accompanying guards could carry weapons, a right that the people of the East Coast had fought so hard for.

Of course, there are also some guards arranged by the Qing State in the Hengwang Mansion, most of whom are the children of the Manchurian and Mongolian Eight Banners, and they will look at the bearded hair and armor-clad guards brought by the envoys on the east coast. These guys, with a belt around their waists, a quiver and a whetstone, a bow on their left arm, and an arrow in their right hand, are full of wind and frost, and their eyes are blazing.

In the pre-Ming Dynasty, these people were called fishskin tartars, and they had always been the main force in breaking the battle to the death, playing a decisive role. Unexpectedly, the Dongguo people have been operating the old land of Huerha and Sauron for many years, and they have slowly digested and annexed these wild people, and gradually organized into a large army, which has always caused great headaches for the Qing army everywhere.

This matter is actually quite ironic, Guy now has a lot of descendants of the fishskin tartars caught by Huang Taiji from the outer northeast among the so-called Eight Banners disciples now, but these people have lived in Guannai for many years, although they cannot be said to be respectful and superior - the situation in Chinese mainland actually does not allow the Manchu Eight Banners to be honored and live leisurely - but they have long lost the blood and courage of their ancestors, and when they saw these Shandan people who had just come out of the mountains, they were a little afraid to look directly. So, when the officials on the east coast came to protest that they were still staying here, these people seemed to be relieved, and immediately closed the team and left, which made Jiang Yunfan look a little unbearable, these degenerate children of the Eight Banners!

"It's only been half a year since I came back from Shunguo, and I came to the Qing country as an envoy again, and I was regarded as a diplomatic generalist, but I obviously studied law." In the slightly renovated study, as soon as Jiang Yunfan sat down, he talked with Liao Jiangong, the deputy envoy of the trip, who was transferred from Heishui.

Liao Jiangong has served in the jurisdiction of the Heishui Pioneer Team for many years, and previously served as the commissioner of the Sakhalin District Administration, and now he has been transferred to the Denglai Pioneer Team, and is said to be in the position of Dengzhou District Commissioner. However, some people said that his post as Dengzhou District Commissioner was only temporary and temporary, and his final destination should be to go to Ningbo to replace Ma Wenqiang, the captain of the Southern Pioneer Team, who will return to China next year, which can be regarded as the best reward for his efforts in taking root in the Far East for many years.

As for Liu Jianguo, the captain of the Denglai development team, he was supposed to return to China almost next year to take up his post, but it is said that he himself wanted to stay for another year and see with his own eyes the opening of the Jiaoyan Line Railway before leaving. After all, this is the biggest project in his tenure, and it is also the project he is most concerned about, so it is reasonable to wait until everything is in order, and I believe that the upper authorities will also consider this. And his successor has actually been determined, that is, the well-known local lieutenant colonel Guo Handong, who has just left South Africa and returned to the home army department for a transition.

Therefore, although Liao Jiangong was his deputy on this trip, Jiang Yunfan respected him very much. He knew that he would not be able to compete for the position of the captain of any of the pioneer teams of the Far Eastern San Francisco for a while, so he had great respect for Liao Jiangong, who might be in charge of the Southern Pioneer Team, and he even directly ordered the secretary to make a pot of coffee from the East African continent that he treasured for the two, and he was willing to bleed. You must know that these coffee beans from Mount Kilimanjaro (Arabica species, planted by the local natives after being influenced by the East Coast people) were obtained by him at a huge cost and countless favors.

"This time, Captain Liu has basically made a plan and made peace with the Qing people." After the secretary put the coffee on the table, Jiang Yunfan first took a sip of the aroma very intoxicated, and then said: "But there are also conditions for peace, first of all, we must ask the Qing people to recognize the current Line of Actual Control between the two sides, and use it as a boundary, and in the future, they must no longer arbitrarily claim sovereignty over the Denglai Second Prefecture, unless the two sides sign another agreement to redefine the status of the Denglai Second Prefecture." ”

"It shouldn't be hard to do." Liao Jiangong also took a sip of coffee, and after admiring it, he looked at Jiang Yunfan and said: "It's just an admission of a fait accompli, the high-level leaders of the Qing State are not so pedantic, so they won't be so secretive." Their willingness to negotiate peace with us already represents an acknowledgment of the current Line of Actual Control between the two sides, and this is not a problem. ”

"Yes, that's a premise, and it doesn't seem to be a problem now. Then, according to Commander Liu's instructions, finding a way for the Qing side to dismantle the military stronghold on the west bank of the Jiaolai New River and make the junction of Laizhou and Qingzhou a buffer zone has become our most important task in this regard. Ah, by the way, there is also the fact that the Qing side should not interfere with the excavation of our Jiaolai Xinhe Canal, which is also very important and must be emphasized. Jiang Yunfan nodded, and then said: "I just don't know what the bottom line of the Qing State side is in this matter." However, if you think about it differently, since they plan to admit the occupation of most of the area of our team's Denglai Second Mansion, then let us dredge the Jiaolai Xinhe River, which should also be a high probability event. As for the demolition of some military forts at the junction of Laizhou and Qingzhou, it is probably difficult for them to do it, and if they die, they can reduce some garrisons, and this is most likely what they are willing to do. ”

The secretary soon brought some special biscuits produced by Dafeng Food Company, and the two chatted while eating and drinking, fully exchanged views on the border issue between the two countries, and had a good idea of the negotiations in the next period of time. After talking about this border issue, Jiang Yunfan naturally turned the topic to commercial trade, which has always been the focus of attention of people on the east coast.

"When it comes to trade, it seems that a lot of people are paying attention to it. Before I left, Han Kim of the Bank of Taiwan made a special trip to visit me, as if to persuade us to try our best to reach an agreement with the Qing people. I was in a hurry and did not have time to discuss it with him, but I felt that there were many businessmen like him. Jiang Yunfan said: "Denglai has developed for so many years, the local economy is prosperous, the commercial capital has accumulated relatively strongly, and there is an impulse to further expand trade." The construction of the Jiaoyan Railway feels like a great promotion of these commercial capitals, and the opening of trade with the Qing State has become an irresistible trend. At this point, our main task is to obtain the most favorable tax rates, more open ports, and more quotas for the import and export of goods from the Qing people. Commissioner Liao, do you have anything to add in this regard? Let's add it up. ”

"That's pretty much it, I don't have anything to add for a while. However, I always feel that the merchants of Denglai are so keen to trade with the Qing Kingdom, I am afraid that they will be disappointed in the future, and the products they deal in are really not marketable in the Qing Kingdom. The real benefits are probably companies such as the Bank of Taiwan that have many high-quality goods in hand, such as high-quality furs, Nanyang curiosities, whale products and other high-end gadgets, there are still some markets, but they are not too big. "Liao Jiangong has been in the Heishui area for many years, and knows how much the Manchu court will lose after losing most of the Northern Manchurians and all of the Outer Northeast, at least the royal family and high-ranking luxury goods such as ginseng, mink, and Dongzhu are much less, and once the trade is opened, this part will be in great demand.

"Also, the British and the Dutch can only sell military products to the Qing people, and the sales of other goods are really miserable, and some cheap rough tweed has a certain market in the port city because of its durability. Their trade with the Qing State must export a large amount of precious metals to balance, otherwise it will not be able to continue. So we trade with the Qing Kingdom, is it really good, I'm afraid that it will also lose a lot of precious metals, and it will be an enemy in disguise. Jiang Yunfan smiled helplessly and said: "But it doesn't matter, opening up trade is everyone's consensus, and no one can stop it, so let's talk about it, and we have to see if it's good or bad." ”

Later, the two talked about the possible impact of large-scale trade with the Qing State, such as whether it would increase the financial strength of the Qing State. However, in the end, the two felt that they should not worry too much, because the current trouble of the Qing Kingdom is really not ordinary, even if it increases its financial strength a little, it may not help to improve the overall situation.

The biggest trouble they are facing at the moment is probably the war against Shunguo. They had already been defeated in Sichuan and were expelled to northern Sichuan and Hanzhong, and the situation was precarious; As for the Huguang front, because of the human factor, the water is vertical and horizontal, and the fortress is numerous, which is not suitable for the deployment of a large-scale army at all, and it is also facing the threat of naval gunboats on the east coast, so it is basically frozen, just like the confrontation between the Jiangnan side and the Shun State on the Jiangxi border. According to conservative estimates, Shunguo has probably attracted more than sixty percent of the Qing troops, which is really the first major disaster.

In addition to the Shun Kingdom, the Manchus also smelled a hint of danger in the Western Regions, that is, Galdan who had unified the Oirat Mongol tribes. The ruler of Dzungaria destroyed the Yarkand Khanate in the south and took control of the north, and at the same time started a Hundred Years War with the Kazakhs in Central Asia and initially gained the upper hand. Now, the dangerous man turned his gaze to the east, interested in the vast Qing Kingdom.

Of course, he has not yet been arrogant until now, and he has waved his army to attack the Qing Kingdom, which is no different from looking for death. Galdan's first step of strategy was to march into Mobei Mongolia, which was under the control of the Manchurians, to conquer it first, integrate the men and horses on the steppe, and strengthen his own strength - this was particularly crucial, because Gayin Mobei Mongolia was able to provide Galdan with a large number of "native" people, which was essential for him to control the Moors in southern Xinjiang (here referred to as Moors, you know...... It is very important to subdue the Kazakhs of Central Asia. But there is no doubt that this strategy of Galdan is also digging into the corners of the Manchu Qing and disintegrating their Manchu and Mongolian strategies, so it will inevitably lead to a fierce conflict with the Beijing court.

The conflict with the Dzungar Mongols is not something that can be dealt with casually. The Mongol regime, which dominated the Western Regions, had its own arsenal, was familiar with the use of firearms, especially artillery, and was so effective that even the Russians did not dare to do anything to them. The only drawback is probably that there are fewer troops, but it is not difficult to pull out tens of thousands of elite cavalry, which requires the Manchu Qing to mobilize several times the infantry to deal with it, after all, the defense is always relatively passive.

To sum up, the Manchu court was now facing the attack of the Dashun regime in the southwest, and the strong challenge of the emerging Dzungar Mongols in the northwest, and the continuous harassment and attacks of the people from the east coast in the east. Jiang Yunfan and Liao Jiangong felt that the most realistic choice for the Manchus was to negotiate peace with the people on the east coast, and then decisively end the endgame in Sichuan, take advantage of the advantages in northern Sichuan and Hanzhong that were still in their hands, shrink their forces to defend, curb the passage of the Shun army to the north and out of Shu, and concentrate on solving the threat of Dzungar Mongolia first.

And only by solving the threat of the Dzungar Mongols can the Manchu court stabilize its own foundation, and then slowly make plans to the south. Otherwise, once Mongolia is lost, how can it control the huge China by relying on the Manchurian Eight Banners alone? Do you rely on Han Chinese officials and generals? That's unimaginable, I'm afraid that the mountains and rivers will change color not far away.

"Now I just don't know what the Manchu Qing plan is in the southwest, and there is no sure letter whether to fight or defend. Our intelligence and diplomatic personnel have only just been allowed to enter Sichuan, and relations have not yet been established, and the information sent back is often vague and even contradictory, and it will probably be better in another year and a half. Putting down the white porcelain coffee cup in his hand, Jiang Yunfan said with a smile: "Now it is Wei Boqiu's student Chen Ming, the son of Chen Shuo, the former boss of the East Coast North Korean Company, who is in charge, and he was just appointed as the head of the Chengdu Commercial Station two months ago, and is fully responsible for the diplomatic, commercial and intelligence affairs of the Sichuan Central Industries, I hope he can jump up the burden there." ”