Chapter 74
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Curtain Rises (2)
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In the long history of the Central Plains, the land of the Son of Heaven was not always the world's strongest power.
It was a tradition stretching back to ancient times for the dynasties of the Central Plains to fear invasions from the northern peoples.
After all, if the dynasties had always been the strongest, there would have been no need to go to such lengths to build fortifications like the Great Wall.
This pattern wasn't limited to ancient times; it was similar when the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties were established.
Whether it was the Khitans, Jurchens, or Mongols, when the power of these foreign peoples reached its zenith, even the dynasties of the Central Plains could not help but be overwhelmed by their momentum.
But that was always fleeting.
Though the Sinic order might crumble for a time, it always endured, eventually absorbing the foreign peoples into its fold.
Power and military might were ultimately secondary factors; the true strength lay in the superior culture and technology of the Central Plains.
Even the current ruling dynasty, the Qing, had assimilated into the Celestial Order of their own accord, without any coercion.
For this reason, the leaders of the Qing did not take the threat from the Western powers too seriously.
The cumulative weight of history proved their case.
The only difference was that the barbarians who once came from the north on horseback now came from the west on ships.
Of course, not everyone in the Qing underestimated Britain.
The Son of Heaven himself, the Daoguang Emperor, was well aware that the military strength of the Western barbarians was dangerously formidable in a direct confrontation.
That was why he wanted to avoid armed conflict if possible and resolve the situation by skillfully managing them.
But that logic only applied if they were merely barbarians with brute strength.
Now, with suspicions that the Westerners’ goal was to dismantle the Celestial Order itself, this could not be overlooked.
The biggest problem was the mounting evidence that Lin Zexu, the Viceroy of Liangguang responsible for resolving this issue, was being absurdly lenient with the British.
“Viceroy, is it true that an edict has just arrived from the Son of Heaven?”
“...Yes. I have just received the decree.”
Seeing the Daoguang Emperor’s edict in Lin Zexu’s hand, Yang Seong-won hastily knelt and showed his respects.
An unexpected decree at a time like this was more likely a bad omen than a good one, and his eyes trembled with anxiety.
Under normal circumstances, Lin Zexu might have offered a bitter smile at his sharp-witted subordinate’s reaction, but he had no such luxury now.
“His Majesty... seems to be concerned that I am being too lenient.”
“What? Lenient? You are confiscating all the opium from the merchants in Guangdong and Guangxi. You’ve even issued a stern warning that anyone caught smuggling will face imprisonment. How could you possibly be more forceful...?”
“I know. But it seems His Majesty is not the only one who thinks so. Even my acquaintances in Beijing are sending letters of concern.”
Lin Zexu sighed, looking at the pile of letters on his desk.
From close friends to casual acquaintances, it seemed there was no one who was not worried about the current situation.
Even the ministers of the Grand Council were hounding him, questioning if he was handling things properly.
At first, he had suspected these treacherous ministers were up to some scheme, but looking at the situation, that wasn't the case.
“His Majesty has ordered me to confiscate all opium, not just on the mainland but also on the islands, and to uncover in detail what sort of conspiracies they are plotting with Joseon or Wa. He must believe the opium sales and the latter are closely intertwined.”
In truth, Lin Zexu himself suspected the same, so he couldn't say the Emperor’s response was excessive.
But no matter how much he investigated the British minister, Killian, he couldn't find anything suspicious. What was he supposed to do?
Frankly, he was at his wit's end as well.
The rumors from outside suggested something was afoot, yet no matter how deep he dug, nothing came up.
No matter how many times he met and spoke with Killian, the man was unfailingly cooperative, making Lin Zexu feel like a fool for his own suspicions.
“If we take an even harder line in this situation, it could be taken as a signal that we do not desire a peaceful resolution...”
“Perhaps His Majesty believes that a war with them wouldn’t be a problem?”
“It's not a matter of ‘perhaps.’ We must assume that is the case.”
“But... but is it truly alright to go to war? We do not know the exact extent of the Westerners’ military power.”
“Nonsense! How could the imperial army of the Great Qing possibly lose to mere barbarians? Their strange technology may be slightly ahead of ours, but wars are not fought with weapons alone. Besides, how many soldiers can they send from a place so far away it takes half a year to reach by ship?”
Even if a war were to break out, the Qing Dynasty would not be fighting the entirety of Britain, but merely a small expeditionary force.
The only enemies who had ever defeated a dynasty of the Central Plains were those who shared a border, those who could continuously send troops from their home base.
If the Mongols or the Khitans had been in a distant land that took six months to reach by horse, would they have ever dared to covet the Central Plains?
“So you’re saying that even if a war happens, it will be a small-scale, localized conflict.”
“Correct. I had my officials run a rough calculation. Even if they were to wage war against us, they could send at most a few warships and between ten to twenty thousand soldiers.”
“In that case, it seems there is little to fear.”
“Indeed. So you need not question His Majesty’s words.”
No matter how strong or brave, it was an absolute truth, then and now, that one hand could not defeat ten.
Their smoke-belching ironclad ships were indeed threatening, but what could one of their ships do against twenty of ours?
“Hearing your words, Viceroy, feels as if a weight has been lifted from my heart. I will immediately tell the British minister to come here. Even if we confiscate the opium, we should give them prior notice to avoid any trouble later.”
As Yang Seong-won departed with a relieved expression, Lin Zexu, now alone, silently took out a wine cup he hadn't touched in a long time.
‘This is insane. What do I do now?’
This is a dream, right? It must be a dream. It has to be.
If it’s a dream, please, let me wake up.
Sail out beyond the territorial waters where the British merchants are, force our way in, and seize the opium?
How?
If we send our ships, will they just step aside and say, “Welcome”?
And if we really do push our way to the island and take all the opium, will they just stand by and watch?
This is no different from a declaration of war. Does Beijing truly want this?
If the treacherous ministers of the Grand Council weren't blinding the Son of Heaven, but the Son of Heaven himself desired this situation, then he had no choice.
Though he had acted strong in front of his subordinate, deep down, Lin Zexu completely agreed with his subordinate’s opinion.
He was, of course, aware that their military technology was superior to ours, but he didn't know the exact extent of the gap.
It was only natural.
How could one gauge who was stronger without ever having fought a proper battle?
All he knew was that their cannons looked bigger, their ships seemed faster and sturdier, and their guns had a longer range and faster reloading speed.
This alone was a tremendous difference, but on the other hand, he couldn't deny the thought that they could still be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
But…
‘What if we fight and the gap is too large to be overcome by numbers?’
Should he buy some cannons from the American merchants now?
But Beijing considers all Westerners to be our enemies. What if he gets into trouble for buying cannons from the Americans?
Right. First, let’s talk.
If Killian truly has no other ulterior motives, he would want to avoid war and would be sympathetic to my situation.
Lin Zexu downed the wine in his cup in one go and began to rack his brain with all his might.
***
By the time the reply to the report I had sent to the home country arrived, the atmosphere surrounding Guangzhou was spiraling further into chaos.
With the Guangdong region blocked, the opium merchants desperately tried to smuggle their goods wherever they could dock their ships, be it Fujian or Zhejiang province.
But as the Qing Dynasty intensified its crackdown, the merchants found it increasingly difficult to operate. I, in turn, had my fake merchants pretend to sail for Joseon and Wa with greater frequency.
At the same time, I didn't forget to funnel bribes through local back channels to ensure the Emperor in Beijing perceived Britain as an ever-growing threat.
After months of diligently sowing these seeds, the results finally began to show. Lin Zexu urgently summoned me.
I had anticipated the reason, so as soon as I received the message, I went to meet the man who was caught in the middle, bleeding his guts out.
“Viceroy, how are you... well, I was about to ask, but you don’t look well.”
“Minister, you must be well aware that my heart has not been at ease lately. But today, I’m afraid I must deliver even more regrettable news.”
I looked at Lin Zexu’s troubled face and asked, feigning ignorance.
“Regrettable news?”
“Well... it seems His Majesty in Beijing does not believe the negotiations with your country are proceeding properly. In fact, while you say you will take measures, opium smuggling continues.”
“That is a bit unfair from our perspective. We are participating in the negotiations in good faith, and while opium smuggling has not disappeared entirely, I understand the volume has certainly decreased.”
“But you continue to refuse our demand for the trade records with Joseon and Wa.”
“That is because no matter how much we investigate, we cannot find any records of such trade. Didn't you receive the same answer from Joseon?”
Of course, there was no proof of contact, since we only pretended to go before turning back.
No matter how hard they searched, they would never find anything, because it never actually happened.
“But in Beijing, malicious rumors about your country continue to circulate. Even as Viceroy, I cannot ignore His Majesty's command, so from now on, more stringent measures will be taken.”
“My... We have truly done everything your country has asked, so to be met with even more pressure is both baffling and disappointing. What are these stringent measures?”
“Well, it’s...”
If it was an order from an enraged Son of Heaven, it was bound to be something spectacular. Was the big one finally coming?
“Opium is an illegal substance that cannot be distributed in Qing. Therefore, we will confiscate all the opium held by your country's merchants.”
“Aren't you already doing that? I believe all the goods in the Guangdong factories have been handed over to you.”
“Not just the mainland, but the islands as well. We will seize the entire stock of your merchants' opium stored on Lintin Island. We will be dispatching ships soon, so your cooperation would make things go smoothly for both sides.”
Wow, our Son of Heaven sure is fiery.
Honestly, I didn’t expect him to come on this strong from the start.
Contrary to the joy I felt inside, I stared blankly at Lin Zexu with a look of utter bewilderment.
“You want us to hand over all the opium stored on Lintin Island? Do you have any idea how much that is?”
“Yes... I do. In the first place, that island is strictly Qing territory which your side is illegally occupying, so it is only proper to confiscate all the opium in accordance with our laws... probably.”
His voice trailed off, as if he himself realized how absurd the situation was.
It seemed he wasn't carrying this out without understanding its implications.
Lintin Island was a kind of massive warehouse where British merchants stored their goods and opium.
Since they couldn't keep large quantities of opium in Guangzhou, where Qing's influence was strong, they had been using a nearby island beyond their reach as a substitute warehouse.
Strictly speaking, this island was also Qing territory, but at the time, Europe was asserting an absurd piece of international customary law called the "canon shot rule" and using the island for themselves.
This international customary law was the astounding assertion that a nation could only claim territorial waters within the range of a cannon shot from its own land.
Of course, from a modern perspective, it was brilliant nonsense, but surprisingly, people of that era interpreted and applied this rule quite flexibly.
In that respect, most Western nations did not consider Lintin Island to be Qing's territorial waters, and Qing, unable to do anything about the island with its pathetic naval power, simply pretended to ignore Europe's claim.
For them to now declare that Lintin Island was Qing territory and all opium would be confiscated could only be taken as a challenge: "Fight us if you dare."
“What happens if I do not accept the Viceroy’s request?”
“Then we will proceed with forcible enforcement.”
“That would be absolutely impossible for the Qing navy.”
“A force capable of the task will be mobilized.”
Sorry to say, but for your navy to push its way to an island guarded by the East India Company's warships, you'd have to throw in every ship in Guangdong, and it still probably wouldn't be enough.
If anyone other than me were in this position, they would have scoffed and said, "Try it if you can."
Lin Zexu, too, seemed convinced I would react that way and was mentally preparing himself.
But what can you do? I want to raise the stakes much, much higher.
“In that case, we must first hear the opinion of the merchant representatives, so let us hold discussions on Lintin Island. I will do my best to arrange a meeting, taking the Viceroy's position into consideration.”
“...What? Are you saying you will actually consider it?”
“For starters, you, Viceroy, do not know the quantity that is there, do you? Let’s have you see for yourself the extent of the damages we would have to endure, and then we can try to mediate a solution that is acceptable to both sides.”
It would be troublesome if the Qing Dynasty found out right now just how pathetic they were compared to the British military.
If our merchant ships were to effortlessly crush the Qing's junk ships, they would inevitably become suspicious.
Here, it was necessary to give them the impression that our side was intimidated and backing down because of their pressure.
“I thank you for your cooperation, Minister.”
Thinking that perhaps our side would meekly comply with the Son of Heaven’s coercive demands, Lin Zexu’s complexion brightened noticeably.
But I'm so sorry.
How could I not take advantage of this golden opportunity for Qing forces to enter the warehouse where most of the opium merchants' stock is stored?
The timing was perfect, as the orders from the Prime Minister and Parliament were due to arrive. Once I bankrupted the opium cartel and pinned all the blame on the Daoguang Emperor, the stage would be set for the play to begin.
The opposition party might criticize me, asking what I was doing getting into a war when I was sent to find a diplomatic solution, but I had sent a lengthy report in advance to prevent just that.
Thus, the British Empire would avoid being recorded as the worst rogue nation in history for starting a war over a ban on drug sales, but this, of course, did not come for free.
Having worked so hard for the good of my country, shouldn't I receive a fitting reward?
Of course, as a public servant, I have no intention of asking the government for concessions.
So, it should be fine if I help myself, right?
The opium cartel will be completely wiped out by this war anyway. If I put the money they've amassed to good use before some other fool grabs it, it's good for me and good for the nation. A win-win.
I really am a patriot to the bone.