Chapter 231

Hong Tian chose to compromise with Britain, in fact, there was also a reason why the morale of the servants of these subject countries began to collapse.

After counting the casualties and harvests on the battlefield, Liu Changyou's troops took a short rest and continued to go north, which almost became a common practice in the expedition that lasted for more than half a year.

Liu Changyou's unit would never stay in one place for more than ten days before continuing to advance, otherwise with the strength of his army, it would not have been able to achieve such brilliant results.

......

In Tianjing City, in the living room of Tianhou Mansion, the Russian ambassador Uliang Ga Ga received by Hong Tian this time.

"Is your army wantonly attacking our Imperial Russian army in order to provoke a great war between the two countries?" said Ura Ga in the meeting room, and the barbarism of the Russians was fully revealed.

Hong Tian looked quite calm, and said while sipping tea: "Oh? It turns out that those are your country's troops, and Ben Hou thought they were your country's bandits who inadvertently invaded our country's territory!

"Our Russian Empire and the Manchu Qing Dynasty are feuding, they seized Heilongjiang from our Russian Empire, and now our country is just recovering the lost land. ”

Xiao is a cheeky person like Hong Tian, and he also blushes at the shamelessness and barbarism of the Russians, Heilongjiang is actually the homeland of Russia.

During the reign of the puppet emperor (the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's current name for the Manchu emperor), although the Russians once appeared in the Heilongjiang River Valley, they were only active in the north of the Heilongjiang River, and they had never settled in the south of the Heilongjiang River at all.

Hong Tian's face was ugly, because of the relationship between the Russians, he had given up the attack on India, and now the other party still dared to be so arrogant in front of him in the face of defeat, which was really hateful.

"Heilongjiang has been my Chinese territory since ancient times, and no matter who dares to touch it, it will be hit the hardest by our Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Hong Tian glared at Uliang Ga and said, "If you Russians still want to keep the places that you have seized from the Manchus, then stop and stop in the north of our country, otherwise I don't mind taking back all the places you have taken from the Manchus." ”

Ura Ga was full of anger, and he naturally knew what the places Hong Tian was talking about.

It refers to the Outer Northeast and Outer Northwest regions that Russia obtained from the Manchus in the three treaties of the Qing Dynasty's Aihui Treaty, the Qing Russian Treaty of Beijing, and the Qing Russia's Treaty of Survey and Partition of the Northwest, totaling more than one million square kilometers of territory.

When he and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom discussed the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom demanded that the Russians give up the Chinese territories seized in these three treaties before agreeing to the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

This was naturally rejected by the Russian side, this is really the biggest joke in history, how could Russia return such a vast and fertile territory to China in order to establish diplomatic relations with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, even the great leaders of later generations who kept saying that they would abolish all unequal treaties were not stupid enough to return these lands to China, and even the rights and interests of the Middle East Road were firmly held in their hands and refused to relax a little.

Negotiations between the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and Russia directly collapsed, and until now the two countries have not established diplomatic relations, so Russia has become the only Western power other than Britain that has not established diplomatic relations with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

"These treaties have been internationally recognized, these territories have become the territory of our Russian Empire, and it is absolutely impossible to give them up, and if your country wants to challenge international majesty, I am afraid that it will suffer serious consequences. Uliang said.

Hong Tian was noncommittal, and said: "Is it true? Could it be that if our Taiping Heavenly Kingdom recovers its territory, all countries in the world will come to join in the fun? Even your country's army is not our opponent when it comes to Asia, so does the army of other countries have such strength? Don't mention to me the British, they are still too busy to take care of themselves! Even if China ceases war with it, I am afraid that they will have to toss around in India for a year and a half, otherwise our Taiping Army will not be silent when it is stationed in Macao. ”

Yes, but this is actually inaccurate, although Macau is the territory of the Portuguese, but Macao was still the territory of China before, the Ming and Qing dynasties ruled Macao, and the Portuguese in history were in 1887, and the Manchus signed the "Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peace and Commerce" to officially turn Macao into their colony.

Therefore, after the war with the British was suspended, the Taiping Army sent troops into Macao, which can be said to be justified, and the Portuguese soldiers and horses in Macao did not dare to resist at all.

Even the British were defeated at the hands of the Taiping army, and the Portuguese, the old colonizer, did not dare to compete with the Taiping army at all, and retreated in disgrace.

However, the Portuguese did turn to the British for help, because the Portuguese and the British had a treaty of alliance, which was arguably the longest alliance in history, established by the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373, the Treaty of Windsor of 1386, and treaties of 1643, 1654, 1660, 1661, 1703, 1815, and the successive treaties of 1899, 1904 and 1914, which had existed for six centuries.

With the exception of the 60-year hiatus between Portugal and Spain from 1580 to 1640, Portugal fought faithfully on the side of the British in the War of the Spanish Succession, the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, and the First World War.

However, this follower signed not a deed of sale, this so-called alliance treaty was actually a mutually beneficial treaty, Portugal used its own and the colony's market openness, in exchange for the protection of the British, so that Portugal could get help from the British when it was threatened.

As for the threat to the British, it depends on the actual situation in Portugal, in the recent Crimean War such a brutal war, the Portuguese stayed out of the matter, and this war between the British and the Chinese, the Portuguese also chose to stand in a neutral position.

The Portuguese knew very well that with their little strength, it would be impossible to resist the Taiping army, and once they announced that they were on the side of the British, Macao would fall, and perhaps the British might take it back after their victory, but if they did not join the war, would Macao be lost from their hands after the British victory? Obviously, no.

Therefore, whether they participated in the war or not, as long as the British won, then Macao would still be in their hands, so the Portuguese had no intention of participating in the war.

As for the possibility of defeat for the British, they did not think about it at all, although this turned out to be a fact.

When Hong Tian and the British reached an armistice, they immediately sent troops to take control of Macau and expel the Portuguese colonists.

For the Portuguese colonists who expelled Macao, Hong Tian had already had such thoughts, if it weren't for the war with the British and unwilling to make trouble, Hong Tian would have acted a long time ago, so after the war between the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the British was temporarily over, he couldn't wait to act.

The recovery of Macao, compared to the defeat of the British, rampant in Southeast Asia and South Asia, is naturally not worth mentioning, but it also shows the arrogance of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, no matter which country touches its territory, it will unscrupulously send troops to attack.

For the arrogant Hongtian, Uliang Gaura appeared very passive, although quite angry, but also had to face a reality, that is, the Russian army in the Far East, is not as good as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, especially in the northeast, in the case of Hongtian's refusal to compromise, Russia's best decision is to retreat.

In this negotiation, the Uliang Gage finally left angrily, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and Russia did not make any substantial progress, so the war could only continue.

......

Aihui City, here Aihui City refers to the new Aihui, also known as Heilongjiang City, located in the south of Heilongjiang, which has been mastered by the Taiping Army not long ago, and is the forefront of the confrontation between the Taiping Army and the Russian army.

Because on the other side of the new Aihui City, there is the old Aihui City, which is the garrison of the Russian army, and the Governor of Eastern Siberia, Muravyov, is there at this time.

On this day, Liu Changyou and Muravyov made an appointment to meet on Heilongjiang, which was the first meeting between the frontline commanders of the two countries in this Sino-Russian war.

In the Heilongjiang River, a Russian warship and a Taiping warship slowly approached.

Russia's dispatch of warships is naturally to discourage the Taiping Army, as for the Taiping Army, they actually want to show off, but there are not many warships on the southeast coast to defend the British Navy, and it is naturally impossible for warships to appear in the Heilongjiang inland river area, so the Celestial Empire seems to have lost face on the stage.

This is only a face, and there is no real threat.

Because the Russian warship is a third-class warship, a few small-caliber guns, and it does not have too strong combat effectiveness, and the artillery on the city of Xinaihui is pointed directly at it, if it makes any rash moves, it will be sunk immediately.

In the same way, the Russian army in the old Aihui City also aimed its artillery at the side of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and as long as there is any change in the new Aihui City, it will counterattack.

Liu Changyou and Muravyov met for the first time, which was a very important moment in history.

"I am Liu Changyou, Marshal of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's expedition to the north. Liu Changyou said.

"I am Muravyov, Governor-General of Eastern Siberia of the Russian Empire. Muravyov looked at the warship on the other side and said, "I heard that your country's navy was completely wiped out in the Battle of Malacca, it seems that the rumors are true!"

"In the war with the world's number one naval power, although the Strait of Malacca suffered setbacks, the British navy also suffered heavy losses, otherwise our coastal areas would have been unstable, and our navy would still be glorious despite defeat. Liu Changyou said.

"Maybe!" said Muravyov with a nonchalant look, "but then the navy of the Russian Empire will be able to crisscross the coast of your country." ”

"Then my troops can also go north to the outer northeast and regain the lost territory. Liu Changyou said.

Muravyov's expression became cold, and he said: "Do you think that the army of our Russian Empire is inferior to the army of your country? ”

Liu Changyou said: "The strength of your army, I have already learned it not long ago, it is really just like that, maybe the number is too small, and it is not fun to kill, does His Excellency the Governor plan to send some more?"

"General Liu, you will pay for your rampantness. Muravyov said.

"I don't know who is rampant? If you dare to offend my Celestial Empire, even if you are as far away as the end of the world, I will kill it in the kingdom. Liu Changyou said.

Whether it is Liu Changyou or Muravyov, both sides are ruthless.

Liu Changyou overthrew the Manchu Qing Dynasty, slaughtered the Manchus, swept through the northeast, and killed thousands of miles of blood.

Muravyov ran Eastern Siberia and invaded China's outer northeast, sparing no effort, and everywhere he passed, corpses piled up like mountains.

They had no intention of compromising with each other at all, and the negotiations soon broke down.

However, after both sides went back, they were quite restrained.

Because both the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Russian side are trying to avoid large-scale conflicts, hoping to minimize the conflict between China and Russia.

Liu Changyou then began his westward expedition, swimming up the Heilongjiang River and heading towards Outer Mongolia, clearing out the Russian strongholds one by one along the way.

Muravyov followed Liu Changyou and ordered the troops who had already invaded China to step up their looting and obtain the maximum benefits, and strive to evacuate before Liu Changyou's troops approached.

......

St. Petersburg, Russia.

Tsar Alexander II and Prime Minister Gorchakov sat across from each other.

"Do you really want to give up the invasion of China?" said Alexander II, whose expression was full of pain, and not long ago he had the ambition to order his Asian troops to enter China in a big way, to create a huge Yellow Russia.

"China's new ruler is too strong to compromise, and we don't have enough troops to compete with them in Asia, and we're going to lose if we continue like this. Gorchakov said.

Hearing Gorchakov's words, Alexander II was a little depressed, he trusted the words of the prime minister very much, the other party was old-fashioned, Russia could recover from the Crimean War so quickly, and implement serfdom reforms, so that Russia's strength was greatly improved, Gorchakov's best efforts to help were indispensable.

However, Alexander II was still unwilling, and said: "But the plan to invade China was suggested to me by you before. ”

"That's because I think the Manchu Qing Dynasty collapsed, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is still weak, and there is an opportunity to take advantage of it. And they were at war with the British at that time, which led to a war, and I thought that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would be defeated, but Your Majesty, you can also see that the British suffered defeat in this war, and even India was almost lost. Gorchakov said.

"In fact, we can try to unite with the British, so that the Chinese are fighting on two fronts and are doomed to failure." Alexander II said.

The Chinese will lose, but as long as they have a strong enough will, then their losses will not be too great. They may spit out of Bangladesh and withdraw from India, but the countries of Indochina are its vassals, and the British cannot destroy the Chinese control there. Gorchakov said: "Just as we are fighting in the Chinese region, we will have to pay a heavy price to win, especially in the Far East and Mongolia, where our forces are weak and it is impossible to resist the attack of the Chinese." ”

"Then there is Xinjiang, and our forces in Central Asia are enough to maintain our superiority over the Chinese." Alexander II said.

Xinjiang is close to Central Asia, and compared with Outer Mongolia and Northeast China, Xinjiang is quite close to Europe, the core region of Russia, where Russia can devote nearly 200,000 troops.

"It is a battle in which the outcome of the battle is unknown, and if the battle goes on for too long, the small countries in Central Asia that have been suppressed by us may rebel against us, as the Gorkhas, Tsemengxiong and Bhutan in the north of British India, and our rule in Central Asia will be in jeopardy. Gorchakov said.

"What will we gain by withdrawing from China?" Alexander II asked the most crucial question.

"Constantinople! Gorchakov said, his eyes full of light, and although he was old, he seemed to be rejuvenated when he spoke of it.

Alexander II's eyes also lit up: "You mean the time has come for us to take revenge?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, we can act. Gorchakov said.

"But those countries won't allow it. Alexander II said.

"Britain is powerless to stop us after this crushing defeat, and now Prussia is ready to deal with Austria, and if one of the two countries stops us, the other country will be our ally. As for the Frenchman, that straw bag Bonaparte was too far from his uncle to be of any concern, and even if he still chose to stand against us this time, he would not be able to stop us. Gorchakov said.

"Which of the two countries, Prussia or Austria, would be better for us?" said Alexander II.

Gorchakov's expression was a little excited, and Alexander II's words were actually acquiescing in his plan.

"Prussia! Austria is decaying, and it is doomed to defeat if it easily falls into the trap of the Prussians in the war against Denmark. Gorchakov said.

It's time for it to pay for what happened back then. "Alexander II harshly said that his father, Tsar Nicholas I, had always supported Austria, but was betrayed in the Crimean War, so much so that before committing suicide, he cried out, 'I am the greatest fool in the world, and I expect others to repay me.'"

Prussian Berlin.

At this time, Berlin was not the capital of Germany, but the predecessor of Germany, and now the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia, one of the many states in Germany.

Moreover, Prussia at this time was not the most powerful of the states in Germany, the most powerful was the Austrian Empire.

One is called an empire and the other is called a kingdom, and it is clear which is stronger and which is weaker, and the status of the two countries in Europe is not the same.

The influence of the Kingdom of Prussia was mainly in the North German states.

The Austrian Empire, on the other hand, had a strong influence in the southern German states, the northern Italian states, and even in the Balkans, and was a strong competitor to Tsarist Russia, eyeing the Balkans, where Turkish rule was on the verge of collapse.

It can be said that the strength of the Austrian Empire is far above that of the Kingdom of Prussia, and if the Austrian Empire is considered a first-class power in Europe, Prussia can only be regarded as a second-rate country, even if he is the most powerful of the second-rate countries, but it cannot change this fact.

The unification of Germany is a long-standing problem, and it can be said that the Germans began to work for it since the weakening of centralized control in the era of the Holy Roman Empire, but it has not been achieved until the complete collapse of the Holy Roman Empire and the establishment of the Austrian Empire.

In the current German Confederation, dozens of states of large and small coexisted side by side, the most powerful of which was the Austrian Empire, followed by the Kingdom of Prussia, and the other states were extremely weak and could only become vassals of the two.

Both the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia were desperate to unify Germany, but this was an extremely difficult task, and aside from the resistance of the states within the German Confederation, the European powers would not allow a unified Germany to emerge, because all the history of Europe proved that a united Germany would be the most powerful country in Europe, and the shadow of the Holy Roman Empire would hang over Europe.

No European country wants to have a unified Germany, so this has become the biggest obstacle to the unification of Germany, and because of its geographical relationship, Germany is located in Central Europe, is the central hinterland of Europe, and is extremely vulnerable to interference by various countries, so the task of unifying Germany has become more difficult.

Therefore, the unification of Germany has been a utopian dream since a long time ago, but at this time it seems to have seen a hint of it.

The emergence of the German Customs Union can be said to be the clarion call for the unification of Germany, which was formed in 1834 by 38 states of the German Confederation, and was formed by Prussia and other states to remove trade barriers between them.

The establishment of the German Customs Union, which united most of the states in Germany into a close trade and economic zone, was an important step towards economic and political unification of Germany, and it also contributed to the development of the German Industrial Revolution in the 19th century.

It is worth mentioning that the Austrian Empire refused to join it, which historically led Austria to finally isolate itself from the German family.

The German Customs Union is a freak that was supposed to exist in Germany, but because of the coexistence of various states, Germany has not been able to achieve political unification, and as a result, it can only tend to economic unity.

After more than 30 years of efforts, Prussia has integrated most of the German states except the Austrian Empire into this customs union, so that the states tend to unite economically and become a whole, which can be said to be a clever trick of Prussia.

Prussia was in action, and all European countries were watching, but because after the destruction of the Corsican monster Napoleon, the whole of Europe was in a period of traumatic recovery, and Prussia's initial actions were too obscure, so no country stopped it, and the result evolved into an unstoppable trend.

In fact, a deeper reason is that after knowing that the growth of Prussia could not be suppressed, the countries decided to use the strength of Prussia to contain the Austrian Empire and prevent the Austrian Empire from unifying Germany.