After Wittoma left, Li Yongji called Rong Hong over again and told him about his previous conversation with Wittoma.

This notice does not refer to Li Yongji's own retelling, but directly took out a small digital tape recorder and began to play the recording of his conversation with Wei Tuma just now, as for Li Yongji himself, he sat on the side, under the service of the beautiful female official, and continued to drink tea leisurely.

Although Rong Hong was very curious about this tape recorder, this was a palace after all, and he had seen some novelties before, plus his responsibilities, so he quickly put his energy back into the recording content.

After listening to everything, when Li Yongji asked him what he thought, Rong Hong thought about it first, and then responded: "Your Majesty, it seems that the British just want to take the opportunity to make a war fortune." ”

"That's all you mean?" Li Yongji asked with a smile.

"This ......," Rong Hong paused, "for the rest, I feel from the tone of this Mr. Wittoma that Britain does not seem to be very optimistic about the Russians, but not very optimistic about us either. In other words, he was not optimistic about us before, so he wanted to sell us some weapons and equipment, so as to strengthen our determination to confront the Russians, and not let us give in lightly. ”

"Well, it's pretty good that you can think of that." Li Yongji nodded, "That's right, basically that's what he meant, that is, he wants to strengthen our confidence and continue to confront Russia." ”

"Then why don't you take the opportunity to put forward some conditions?" Rong Hong said, "Although his conditions are a bit harsh, in Weichen's opinion, this is just a trick to ask for money on the spot." Since you already know that he is going to support us, why don't you ask him for more conditions? At least the British weapons are already good, right? Even if you don't like their front-loading guns, you can buy a few British warships? At the very least, we should take the opportunity to abolish the privileges of the British, such as consular jurisdiction, and customs jurisdiction, and so on, those unequal treaties. We should all take the opportunity to take it back. ”

"I'm glad you have these thoughts." Li Yongji smiled, "A country's diplomat must always think about his own national interests, and he must put his national interests first, and he must always find ways to benefit the country, instead of suffering internal losses for the sake of face." Well, it seems that it is right for you to represent my country in the United States, and I am completely relieved now. ”

"Being able to get His Majesty's trust, Wechen is terrified." Rong Hong hurriedly stood up and bowed.

"Alright. It's all said, there's no need to make those false, otherwise you have to be polite and polite when you say a word, so what else to talk about? Sit down, sit down and say. ”

After Rong Hong sat down again, Li Yongji continued to say to him: "You're right, the British minister came here to pay back the money on the spot to ask for a skyscraper, and the essence is to support us. And the reason why I didn't agree to his conditions, I didn't even bargain. I also have my own considerations. ”

After a pause, Li Yongji thought about the wording for a moment, and then continued: "Minister Rong, in fact, state-to-state diplomacy. Just like the interaction between people, it should also be divided into three, six, nine and so on, and it should also be divided into high and low. Or to put it simply, whether you can talk about it on an equal footing. The key depends on whether you have that strength.

Although we have achieved a lot now, the time is too short after all, and the foreigners. In particular, the British and French still have a deep prejudice against us, and they still think that we are just the old poor country we used to be, and still think that we Chinese are an inferior nation, so how can they really be good to us in this situation? After thinking about it this way, it is easy to know the true intentions of the British.

The current British want to help us, but they want to use us, let us drag the Russians' legs, and continue to deteriorate the Russians' finances, but they will definitely not really give up their interests in China for the sake of that.

In other words, they can't give up their privileges with us in order to deal with Russia, they just want to sell us weapons at a little cheaper, but I really don't see their weapons.

Not to mention their obsolete goods that suppressed the Indians, even the active equipment of the British is not good in my place, and the weapons of our militia are better than their regular army. ”

Speaking of this, Li Yongji felt a little dry mouth, picked up the teacup and drank a sip of water, moistened his throat, and then continued: "Just said that? ”

"Speaking of which, our militia is armed with better weapons than the regular British army." Rong Hong answered immediately.

"Yes, that's right." Li Yongji nodded, "In short, until we show enough strength, until the British admit that we are a great power that can be equal to them, we will not have a real equal status with the British, and there will be no real equal deals, and the discriminatory treatment will not disappear."

In the present situation, they could not agree to our conditions, and I did not like their conditions, and I did not want to accommodate the British, so there was basically no need to talk about them.

But at the same time, our economic and trade exchanges with the British people are becoming more and more frequent, and the trade volume is getting bigger and bigger, so I don't want to tear my face with him, because tearing my face is not good for both sides.

Although in comparison, even if we tear our faces with the British, it is more uncomfortable for the British, after all, our things are not worried about selling, not to mention the vast domestic market, and the American market is waiting for us to develop. But the British market is currently the largest market in the world, and it is also the richest country in the world, and I am not happy to see the loss of such a large financier.

So, after thinking about it, I think it's better not to talk nonsense with them, talk about what kind of deal between countries is better, just keep it as it is. ”

"But, you're finally talking harshly." Rong Hong said, "Aren't you afraid that the British will be angry and really go all out to help the Russians?" What if they really intervene with the Russians by force? ”

"First of all, that guy is an old fritter, and it is impossible to impulsively get angry because of a few cruel words and take national affairs as a child's play." Li Yongji smiled, "Besides, Britain's foreign policy is not the final say of a small minister to China, even if he can say bad things about us to the British government, the British government will not be able to help the Russians deal with us for the sake of a small report by the minister."

The current person at the helm of Britain is not Queen Victoria, nor their prime minister, but the uncrowned king, Prince Albert. And this Prince Albert has always been known for his calm and wise, or very good at weighing the pros and cons. The British Empire was so prosperous, and his wise decisions also contributed a lot.

Therefore, as long as the British do not brainstorm, they will not help the Russians, because the British know better than anyone that once the Russians defeat us and get enough benefits to relieve their breath, then with the urine nature of the Russian Tsar, they must want to return to Europe, and Europe will suffer first. This is absolutely not allowed by the British.

Therefore, the British are definitely not with the Russians and the French, and it is certain that the Russians will be pitted, so in this case, if we reject his kindness and put on an attitude of ignorance, the British will not be able to carry out the established plan, and they will definitely find another way to deal with Russia and France, do you know what I mean? ”

"This ......," Rong Hong frowned, thought about it again. Finally rounded the corner, "Your Majesty, you mean to say that you are deliberately pretending to be arrogant. Let the British abandon the idea of cooperating with you and find another way to deal with the Russians? ”

"That's pretty much what it means." Li Yongji smiled.

In fact, Li Yongji was talking nonsense, and at that time he said cruel words purely because he was unhappy with the attitude of the British envoy and because he was unhappy with the conditions he proposed. Therefore, it is a momentary advantage of tongue, and this great truth is just an afterthought.

"But what if your attitude misunderstands the British?" Rong Hong said. "What if the British think that you are a proud person, a regime that cannot communicate, and then really attack us?

Although the British fought with the Qing court under the pretext of opium, as far as I know, the British wanted to discuss trade with the Qing people before, and at first they also thought about banning the opium trade and opening up new trade, but the Qing Dynasty was too arrogant and completely unreasonable.

It's the same now, what if your attitude misunderstands the British and thinks that we are an unreasonable, uncommunicative regime, and then really supports others, such as really making great efforts to intervene in us with arms?

You know, as Your Majesty said, between countries is the same as between people, but people's hearts are unpredictable, and no one dares to say that the British must deal with the Russians, at least in terms of bullying us, they may not be able to join forces with the Russians, compared to the Russians, the British actually have many means. ”

"You're right, what the British think, I really can't make the decision," Li Yongji nodded, "but I know how much strength I have, at least I can be my own master." ”

After a pause, Li Yongji continued: "In fact, what I am most afraid of now is their armed intervention, if they really come all the way to me to find a smoke, I just beat me violently, and then naturally rise as a victorious country, abolish the unequal treaties, and then ask for benefits or something, how much trouble can I solve."

On the contrary, what I am most afraid of is that they will impose an economic blockade on me and continue to shut us off from the country, then my goods will not be able to sell, and if I can't sell them, I will have no money, and if I don't have money, I will not be able to promote our social reform. ”

Speaking of this, Li Yongji looked at Rong Hong again: "Although that kind of economic blockade is difficult to happen, but just in case, we can't put all our eggs in one basket, we can't completely count on the British market and the French market, and the markets of other countries must also be sought, and the most important overseas market at present is the United States."

Although the industry in the United States is not as good as that of the United Kingdom, it is already stronger than that of France, and it is on the rise. In addition, the United States has a large population and resources, and the demand for consumption is also very strong, and it has a vast market and abundant resources, and it implements a free trade policy, which is the most suitable target for development.

Therefore, your trip to the United States is very important, and it is important to make sure that Americans have a good impression of us and our goods.

You went to the United States this time for three main purposes:

First, on behalf of the Chinese Empire, it is necessary to formally establish diplomatic relations with the United States at the ambassadorial level, obtain the recognition of the United States Government, and establish normal exchanges between the two countries.

The second is to take down the US market for me, and try to promote free trade between the two sides, and it is better to negotiate a most-favored-nation treatment back.

The last and most important one is to go to the American South to spend money, not only to make friends, such as Jefferson. Hamilton. Davis is a guy who wants to buy me all the land on my list for you.

In places like California, Texas, and Oklahoma, you have to buy the land I've marked, especially Dallas, Texas. Houston, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, these two places, must be in your hands, do you hear clearly? ”

"This, yes, understood, Your Majesty." Rong Hong nodded.

After Rong Hong retreated, Li Yongji reached out and took the world map, and found the place in the United States, and had fun while looking at it. Even the beautiful and quiet female official was stunned.

Of course, she didn't understand that Li Yongji was rejoicing in the upcoming US intervention plan, especially those oil fields, which were even more covetous.

The current southern part of the United States is still vast and sparsely populated, especially the places selected by Li Yongji, not to mention California, which is rich in gold and oil, and is a grain-producing area, and on the west coast of the United States. It was originally in Li Yongji's colonial plan.

Others, such as Dallas, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, are barren lands that seem to have little value on the surface. But it is rich in oil, especially in Dallas, where the initial estimate was more than 680 million when the oil field was discovered in 1930. It was once the largest oil producer in the United States, and it was easy to extract and of good quality. It is a well-known light oil, which is also known as a sweet oil.

Although the Middle East is also a good place for oil production, whether it is distance, oil quality or difficulty of extraction, it is better than the American oil fields, but it is temporarily the sphere of influence of the British Empire, and it is better not to mess around rashly until it is strong enough to challenge the British.

On the contrary, the United States is about to start the Civil War, even if he does not go to the oil fields, Li Yongji will go to the United States to make trouble, and it is also a matter of accident to get some oil and water by the way.

In short, Texas and Oklahoma are one of the places with the highest oil production in the United States, in fact, the only place that can be compared is North Dakota, but it is in the north of the United States, and the transportation is not convenient, so I didn't choose there for the time being, but it was a matter of time before I started.

Li Yongji didn't think about waiting for the Civil War to start before spending money to buy it, and it was estimated that it would be cheaper at that time, but some things cannot be calculated only from the immediate benefits, but also have to take a long-term view and look at it from a political perspective.

If you buy it now, it's a normal transaction, and if you buy it after the war, it will inevitably give people the taste of taking advantage of the fire, and in addition to California, those places in Texas and Oklahoma are already barren, and the price of buying them now is also cheap to death, 10,000 dollars can buy 10,000 acres of land, and how much less can it cost after the war?

Buy it now, you can deal with the local government in advance, you can immigrate in advance, and prepare for settlement in advance.

In this way, with half a year to prepare, at least at least 30,000 troops can be secretly organized in the local area, and once something happens, it is necessary to open a film with the north, and these people can justifiably participate in the war in the name of protecting private property, which is much better morally.

As for whether 30,000 people is less, this Li Yongji has never been worried, hehe, Li Yongji has prepared so many big killing weapons, such as poison gas bombs, etc., and has some scruples about using them on his own heads, but it is better to use them on the heads of the American people.

As for the land in Houston, it is all excellent ports by the sea, and these ports have not yet been fully developed at this time, so Li Yongji bought it with the intention of building a good port as a shipping base and submarine base in the future.

All in all, Li Yongji has already made up his mind that the United States cannot let it go no matter what, because the geographical advantage of the United States is too great, and if the United States is allowed to truly complete reunification, then it will be the biggest enemy of the Chinese Empire in the future, and there is no one!

Therefore, even if China's domestic development lags behind first, even if it continues to maintain the domestic split situation first, even if it is with the foreign powers, it is necessary to pull the United States into the water first, let the United States continue to be divided, and prevent them from completing reunification!

China's great reunification is a matter of time, but the United States is different, the United States is still a federal country, and the separatist ideology is relatively strong, and there is still a chance that they will be torn apart.

It is said that the Civil War created the modern United States, which is true, but war is a double-edged sword, which can not only make the country more cohesive, but also make the country irreversible, and the key point in this is who can win!

If the North wins and unifies the whole country, the United States will degenerate, the power of the government will increase, and the momentum of development will not be able to be stopped.

But if the South wins, it will be different, because the South wants to be an independent country.

Although the government of the North is strong in all respects. But that's in the case of not hanging, if the south has its own help, it is equivalent to getting its own golden finger help, and who wins and who loses at that time is not necessarily!

Moreover, when the time comes, not only will he be interested in helping the South, but the British will also be interested, and they will not even have to do anything else, but only to fight the blockade of warships in the North and maintain the sea lines in the South. Britain's support will be endless, and with its own help, sooner or later the North will be consumed.

"If I want to interfere in the United States, I must personally intervene, otherwise my golden finger will be greatly discounted by such a long distance between China and the United States." Li Yongji frowned, "But in this case, I will have to stay in the United States for a while, and I want to be away for a long time." In order to maintain the stability of the domestic political power, it is necessary to settle the affairs of Russia as soon as possible, and it is also necessary to stabilize the domestic political situation first, at least not to let some people make up their minds.

That's right. There is also a need for transoceanic communication between China and the United States, and radio calls can be carried out in the early stage, and long-wave will be forgotten. If you can't do it, you can do it with medium-wave short-wave communication. If it really doesn't work, you can also arrange some radio relay equipment in Japan, Hawaii and other places. First, transoceanic radio communication is realized. As for the future, it is still necessary to lay submarine cables or fiber optic cables, but those things are not urgent. ”

Thinking of this, Li Yongji sighed again: "Talent, talent, now I find out that I am extremely thirsty for talent." Look, I have to do almost everything myself now, and there are few people who can really take the lead. Forget it, this matter is in a hurry, so I can only take my time.

Well, it's not right, the internal training is too slow, you can find foreign aid first, although the Americans are almost good, but the middle-class engineers, architects and the like are not bad, and the middle class hates war the most, and you can also take the opportunity to pull people, haha, yes, it's a good way. ”

Immediately afterwards, Li Yongji tapped his finger on the place of the United States on the map and nodded: "Well, it's the end of 1860, and it's about to enter 1861, and it's time to attack the United States!" ”

Speaking of this, Li Yongji remembered one more thing, that is, in the future, if he wants to engage in oil and other materials from the United States, or to immigrate there, transportation will also be a big problem.

I looked at the map again and found that there seemed to be only two ways to solve this problem.

The first option is to open the Panama Canal as soon as possible.

At this time, the Panama Canal was the territory of the New Granada, which was actually a split regime from the Republic of Gran Colombia, and it would not be until next year, in 1861, that the New Granada would become the United States of Colombia.

In fact, many countries have long been interested in the Panama Canal, and have long done detailed exploration and research, and the only thing restricting the construction of this canal is not the problem of funding, but the political problem. In other words, it is not because of the problem of the weak Granada government, but because of the political game of the great powers such as Britain, France, the United States, and the West.

There are many benefits to building the Panama Canal, but Li Yongji doesn't dare to mess around casually now, at least for the time being, he doesn't have the strength to participate in the game, so this plan looks beautiful, but in fact, it is the most difficult to implement.

The second way is to build a railway.

To put it simply, it is to build a railroad from Texas to San Diego, California, and then load it at the port of San Diego to China. In fact, this method is not a large amount of work, it does not take a long time, and it can also be used to recruit Chinese laborers to immigrate to the local area, which is considered to be the most cost-effective solution.

At a simple glance, Li Yongji immediately decided to take the second way, that is, to build a railroad in the United States and immigrate to the United States in the name of building a railway.

Although the American Civil War was about to break out, according to historical records, the Civil War was mainly fought in the north, that is, near Virginia, and although there were battles in places like Texas, they were relatively poor.

Besides, the Americans have gone to war, and there is a shortage of labor in the local area, so it is just right to import labor to the United States.

Railroad construction was originally a labor-intensive industry at this time, and many cities and towns in the United States were born because of the construction of railroads.

"If it is sent in the name of the railway company in the form of Chinese labor, and then formed into a production and construction corps, hey, no." Why do you want to set it up again, just set up a production and construction corps directly in China, and then pack it and send it over. ”

"In the name of overseas labor export, and then we are self-contained, building Chinatowns and Chinatowns with Chinese flavor, and then all of them are militarized, and we carry out military training while working, and hold a certain amount of armament. Then, the American Civil War is also a favorable time, and it is completely possible for them to participate in the war in the name of volunteers, and the demand is to exercise autonomy! Yes, ask for the autonomous state! ”

"I'm a genius!" Thinking of this, Li Yongji opened his eyebrows and smiled, "With the fertility of Chinese, it will not take thirty years, and the southwest of the United States will be the world of our Chinese, ahaha." ”

But soon he frowned again: "No, most of the production and construction corps I have in hand now are composed of urban handicraftsmen, and the main body is not farmers, and most of my current production and construction corps are living a good life, but they are by no means ordinary, I am afraid I am not happy to let them go to the United States." ”

It is true that Li Yongji currently has nine production and construction corps, but the main body is urban residents, and they are all residents of wealthy places. What's more, Li Yongji's current policy is quite good, as long as he is diligent and willing to work, it is no longer an illusion to live a good life with time, so the people's desire to immigrate is not high, which is completely different from the situation of later generations of Chinese crying and shouting for immigration to the United States.

Although forced immigration is possible, it will inevitably cause resistance, once you are sent to the United States with this feeling, you will suffer a little setback, and it is easy to have problems.

From this point of view, it is necessary to fight a few places with large populations and relatively poor people, and then continue to recruit those poor people in the form of recruiting laborers, and then transfer the construction corps composed of the poor to the past.

At the first time, Li Yongji thought of Henan, and the concept of poverty among the people in Henan has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, even now.

But when he saw the Yellow River, Li Yongji was stunned.

Yes, the Yellow River, this thing is not a mother river at this time, it is simply a disaster river, it will flood almost once a year, if he takes Henan, he has to make great efforts to rectify the Yellow River, and the money will be great.

The Yellow River will have to be governed sooner or later, but not now, so for the time being, Henan will forget about it first.

After watching for a long time, Li Yongji finally chose a place - Fujian!

That's right, Fujian has a lot of mountains and few places, but it has a large population, and the people are fierce, there is a custom of going out since ancient times, and it is close to itself, it is indeed a good place.

"Moreover, Fujian seems to be obeying the orders of the Qing court." Li Yongji smiled, "It seems that the governor of Fujian is still a banner man?" It's called Rui or something? Haha, okay, it's up to you, I'll cut you next! (To be continued......)