Two Troubled Nations, Yet the Strongest

The 1860s were originally a time of tremendous upheaval for both Asia and Europe.

The Qing Dynasty, already on the brink of collapse due to the Taiping Rebellion, was pushed to the very edge of total ruin. In the midst of that chaos, the Second Opium War allowed Europe to openly sink its fangs into the empire.

At first glance, one might think Britain would have been frolicking like a fish in water. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The British textile industry—the very heart that sucked in Asian wealth and the engine driving the global economy—had suffered a devastating blow.

The American Civil War had cut off the supply of American cotton, which accounted for eighty percent of Britain’s raw material. As a result, seventy-five percent of the workers in Manchester and Lancashire saw their incomes plummet.

When people think of the nineteenth-century industrial revolution, they tend to imagine something more modern, heavy with the smell of steel and smokestacks. The reality, however, was entirely different.

Textiles accounted for no less than forty percent—and sometimes as much as fifty percent—of the British Empire’s total exports.

In other words, in this era, textiles were the British Empire’s exports.

Because of this situation, Britain’s textile offensive slowed after the outbreak of the American Civil War, unintentionally delaying its takeover of the Chinese market.

Japan, seizing the opportunity while the United States had no bandwidth to focus on Asian affairs, was able to lay the groundwork for its own modernization.

What began as a civil war over the continuation of slavery ended up exerting an enormous influence on world history. The butterfly effect created by the war ending so quickly was far greater than anyone could have predicted.

Meanwhile, the British Empire—its shackles loosened in the worst possible way—grew feverish with the desire to truly devour the Qing.

“We must cooperate with the United States and advance into China immediately!”

“What is Parliament doing? If we increase exports, won’t the economy improve?”

“Prepare the guns and cannons! It is time for our heroes to bring home foreign currency!”

One did not need to pull out a calculator to understand instinctively.

A market of four hundred million people.

A vast consumer market that had been stripped bare, starved, and left with almost no domestic production capacity was waiting with its mouth wide open.

Until now, even if they had wanted to devour it, the lack of raw material supply had forced them to suck their thumbs. That was no longer the case.

“Share the low-end market with the Americans? Go ahead! I’d do it ten times over!”

“Making cheap cloth with our machines was a losing business anyway. Let the Yankees handle the annoying stuff while we take the juicy parts.”

The factory owners of Manchester hummed cheerful tunes, and the financiers of London burst into cheers.

If they could eat this enormous pie, handing the Americans a few crumbs was hardly an insult to their pride.

Parliament moved with lightning speed.

The ruling Liberal Party submitted an additional commercial treaty with the Qing under the banner of “expanding free trade,” and even the opposition Conservatives—who usually nitpicked every proposal—welcomed it with open arms this time.

“Behold. Is this not the result of the ‘harmony between landlords and capital’ that our Conservative Party has long pursued?”

In the lobby of the House of Commons, Benjamin Disraeli arrogantly adjusted his collar and subtly let it be known that all of this was the Conservatives’ achievement.

“Do you know why the Americans are showing such nimble movement? It is because they trust the dignity of our Conservative Party more than the hypocrisy of the Liberals. After all, diplomacy is built on trust, is it not?”

Even if few people took those words seriously, providing supporters with a rallying point was important.

Besides, it was an undeniable fact that the Southern planters admired the British aristocracy.

Even Gladstone, the living conscience of the British Empire, kept his mouth shut on this matter.

“Exchanging goods through commerce is far more in line with God’s will than shedding blood in war.”

Of course, that “exchange” was an economic massacre that would strangle China’s domestic handicraft industry. Still, it was better than invading with guns and swords just because they could no longer sell opium.

As the two Anglo-Saxon nations cheerfully approached their prey called the Qing, forks and knives in hand—

“Wait, has the Qing become a British vassal without us noticing?”

A clearly furious voice rang out from across the Strait of Dover.

The speaker was, of course, Napoleon III’s France, which could not stand to watch Britain succeed alone.

Despite poking around everywhere in an attempt to restore the glory of the Second Empire, France had achieved little. Yet these Anglo-Saxon bastards were about to rake in an enormous fortune with a single snap of their fingers.

His stomach burned with envy.

“The Qing is a sovereign state. Forcing an unequal treaty filled with unfair conditions is morally unacceptable.”

A strong signal that said: Let us in, or we will cause trouble.

If France threw a wrench into the works, things would become troublesome. However, the seasoned Palmerston and William Seward did not panic.

They had already prepared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the sweetest and most lethal candy to silence France.

“Now, now, calm down. How could we possibly forget our ally France?”

Palmerston knew that the French would shut up if given a suitable share of the profits.

This time, however, American approval was essential. Fortunately, Seward, whose eyes had already gone bloodshot at the prospect of advancing into Northeast Asia, gladly accepted Palmerston’s proposal.

Secret diplomatic documents flew back and forth between Washington, London, and Paris.

“Mexico…”

The reason for this exchange was the foreign venture France was currently focused on.

At the time, France had used Mexico’s suspension of debt repayments as a pretext to send troops and was attempting to install Archduke Maximilian of Austria as a puppet emperor.

Normally, the United States—champion of the Monroe Doctrine—should have foamed at the mouth in opposition.

But Lincoln and Seward coldly ran the numbers and concluded there was no need to clash with France at this moment.

“Our more urgent task is to plant the Stars and Stripes in Northeast Asia. We do not have the capacity to send a fleet to Northeast Asia while simultaneously fighting a full-scale war against France in Mexico.”

The United States had only just ended its civil war.

The military had grown stronger, but the nation needed to restore its finances and pacify the South.

Above all, a golden opportunity called Asia lay before them—one that made Mexico look like pocket change.

“The frogs are willing to pour money and troops into Mexico for us. In the meantime, we can simply accumulate strength with the money we earn from Asia.”

If it ever became too annoying later, they could simply use their swollen power to tell France to get out.

By then, France would likely still be floundering in the Mexican swamp anyway.

“Very well! We agree.”

Of course, France—which desperately needed stability in Mexico right away—eagerly accepted this poisoned chalice.

If the United States decided to make trouble, not only would the Mexican expedition be endangered, but the lives of French citizens already there would be at risk as well.

With that, every obstacle had vanished.

Britain, the United States, and France. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ The two strongest great powers of the age and a promising new rising power had joined hands to target East Asia.

The war had simply ended a little earlier than in the original timeline, yet the wave crashing toward Asia had grown dozens of times more violent.

Surprisingly and mysteriously, the Qing Dynasty of 1862 was still technically a sovereign and independent nation.

Britain, France, and Russia beat it up whenever they felt like it and stole concessions, so everyone tended to overlook this fact. Nevertheless, if Britain wanted to do anything, it still needed the Qing’s formal consent.

Naturally, the Qing court was utterly dumbfounded by Britain’s attitude of suddenly demanding yet another treaty.

“What? We signed the Treaty of Tianjin only two years ago, and now you want a supplementary protocol? Are these bastards even human?”

“They still have more to squeeze out of us? How vicious…”

No matter how much they ate, the British Empire always seemed hungry. The Qing officials exploded with rage at its astonishing appetite.

Of course, they could neither tell Britain to get lost nor openly act uncooperative.

In the Forbidden City, they could roar that they would slaughter the shameless Western barbarians with a single stroke, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but in front of the British envoy, the only words they could manage were the pathetic evasion: “We currently lack ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the capacity…”

Fortunately, even Britain had not completely lost all sense of shame. This time, they did not spout completely insane nonsense.

“Ah, there is no need to worry so much. The proposal we wish to make this time is not a grand treaty like before. On the contrary, it will benefit your esteemed country as well.”

“I see.”

Of course, if any fool in the Qing court actually believed the British envoy’s words, Prince Gong—the real power behind the throne—would have had his head chopped off on the spot.

After the Xinyou Coup, the two people who held real power in the Qing, ruling in place of the young Tongzhi Emperor, were clear.

Empress Dowager Cixi, who as regent approved the general direction of state affairs, and Prince Gong, who actually designed and implemented policy.

The Empress Dowager disliked foreign powers but had no alternative, so she reluctantly tolerated Prince Gong’s Self-Strengthening Movement. Prince Gong, for his part, was desperately struggling to keep the dying empire breathing.

Wenxiang, who was negotiating with the great powers on Prince Gong’s behalf, studied the British envoy Frederick Bruce’s expression and the conditions he presented without pause, trying to read his true intentions.

- Reconfirmation of the five percent ceiling on import tariffs for cotton yarn and textiles. - Tax and income tax reductions for foreign-established textile mills aimed at modern industrial development. - At the Qing government’s request, Western-style textile mills will be established in Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, and other locations. A portion of the products may be sold domestically.

Up to this point, the terms were typically British—completely devoid of conscience.

Building factories on another country’s land and demanding tax breaks? It was the very definition of thievery.

However, the following clauses were enough to make Wenxiang tilt his head in confusion.

- However, Western parties must hold more than fifty-one percent of the capital. Raw cotton shall be supplied at international market prices.

What? Was that all?

Normally, such agreements should have been plastered with territorial concessions, massive indemnities, unlimited extraterritoriality, or all sorts of poisonous trap clauses.

Yet all they were asking for was permission to build a few factories?

Even the accompanying military and diplomatic package was suspiciously sweet.

- The Anglo-American navies will support the bombardment of coastal cities occupied by the Taiping rebels under the pretext of “mediation.” - They will guarantee safe navigation on the Yangtze River. To that end, customs duties at certain ports will be placed under foreign supervision.

“So… you are saying you will support the suppression of the rebels even more actively than before? All in exchange for selling us some cloth?”

“We are not merely helping. This is for mutual benefit. Goods cannot be transported if the Yangtze is unstable, can they? Moreover, once your country has these factories, you will achieve modernization, collect taxes, and create jobs. Is that not beneficial?”

Bruce added with a kindly smile.

“After all, your esteemed country will eventually need to introduce such state-of-the-art machinery and technology. We provide the capital and technology while you simply provide the land. It is a transaction in which you cannot possibly lose.”

There was no logical way to refute it.

The Qing court’s treasury was already drained dry from fighting the Taiping Rebellion.

If they could build factories and employ the lower classes—who paid no taxes—as laborers, they could kill two birds with one stone: stabilizing the economy and securing tax revenue.

“……”

There was nothing bad about it.

In fact, it was so perfectly reasonable that… it felt insanely suspicious.

“That’s impossible! There must be something missing!”

Upon hearing the full details of the negotiations, Prince Gong reacted in exactly the same way as Wenxiang.

“Those hyenas said they would be satisfied with just a few pelts after going on a hunt?”

“Even this servant finds it hard to believe, Your Highness, but the treaty text is clear. There were no particularly suspicious clauses. They simply asked to be allowed to build factories.”

Prince Gong paced back and forth in his office.

It made no sense by any standard of reason.

These were the same barbarians who had burned Beijing just two years earlier and looted the Emperor’s own garden at the Old Summer Palace.

And now they had suddenly seen the light and decided to engage in charity?

“There must be some scheme behind this. Factories? Unless they plan to hide cannons inside them…”

“However, Your Highness, we cannot simply reject their proposal out of hand. With their support, we could suppress the rebels much faster, and it would greatly aid in securing tax revenue.”

Wenxiang’s point was painfully sharp.

Yet the apple was clearly poisoned. The problem was that they could not see where the poison had been applied, which only made the situation more frustrating.

“Then we must verify it. We cannot stamp our seal based solely on the words of some minor envoy. Bring the people who will actually provide the money and sell the goods.”

“You wish to meet them once more and hear a detailed explanation. If there is any trickery, it will surely show.”

“Exactly. No matter how tightly they try to hide it, a long tongue will eventually reveal the lies concealed within.”

Wenxiang immediately rushed to the British legation and conveyed Prince Gong’s wishes.

“His Highness finds the diplomat’s explanation too abstract to grasp. Please have the person actually responsible for operating the factories and the American representative in charge of raw materials attend. We must hear the explanation directly from their own mouths.”

There was no reason for Envoy Bruce to refuse.

In fact, it was a welcome development.

After all, he was a diplomat and weak on economic or technical details.

If real experts came and explained just how profitable this business was, it would be far easier to persuade the Qing officials.

Thus, urgent telegrams and dispatches raced across the Pacific and Atlantic.

After a flurry of high-speed communications, the White House responded to its ally’s call with unusual speed.