Chapter 84
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: The Treaty of Tientsin
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The day of the conference arrived.
With the bustling noise of people making final checks for the meeting as my background music, I, too, meticulously reviewed the specific articles we would demand one last time.
Reparations, territory, open ports.
And all the various concessions we could obtain on top of that.
Considering countless possibilities, I had added and erased content over and over again.
I had referenced the opinions of George and Charles Elliot, discarding what was unnecessary to complete the draft, but there was always a chance I might have missed something.
This was the grand finale of the monumental task that would establish me as the foremost expert on Asia; there could not be so much as a single minor mistake.
*Knock, knock.*
Just as I was about to give it one final look, a knock echoed in my ears.
When I gave permission to enter, a soldier hurried inside, saluted, and quickly produced an envelope.
“My apologies for interrupting your important preparations. However, I was told this should be delivered with the utmost priority. I will take my leave now.”
After giving me a somewhat envious glance, the soldier closed the door and left.
If it was a letter important enough to be delivered just before meeting the representatives of the opposing nation, there was only one person I could guess as the sender.
“...As I thought.”
Seeing the royal seal of the British Empire on the letter, I immediately tore open the envelope.
Several pages of paper were filled to the brim with text.
For a moment, I pictured her diligently choosing her words and moving her pen to write this, then I began to read.
[Minister Killian. I wish I could say what time it might be when you receive this, but I hear it takes quite a while for letters to arrive, so I cannot presume. You might worry that something has happened upon receiving such a letter. But you need not be too concerned, as it was not written because of any major event. Unlike *someone* I know, I am not the type of person to skip updating you just because I have written recently.]
The sentences were exceedingly polite, but I could feel the barbs hidden within.
Actually, it was less a deliberate push-and-pull and more… no.
Making such excuses might only make our sensitive queen even more cross later, so it was probably better to let her have this one for a while.
[Lately, I have been hearing a great deal about you from all over. An expert on Asia who knows everything there is to know, a patriot who has brought immense profit to the British Empire. I did ask you to produce results, but frankly, I did not expect things to become this significant, nor did I imagine you would play such a major role. It gives me a sense of pride. But at the same time, I have reflected on whether I might have put too much pressure on you.]
I briefly searched my memory.
Had she ever put excessive pressure on me?
I seemed to recall her asking me to achieve something before I left the country, but since I had no choice in the matter, it hadn't felt like pressure at all.
If I failed to make any contribution here, I would have become nothing more than a yes-man for the Prime Minister upon my return.
[So, I do not know whether this letter will arrive before or after the war concludes, but if it does arrive before, I want to tell you that you do not need to push yourself too hard. Your contributions thus far have already been immense. It has been decided that you will be awarded a medal in recognition of your service, so from now on, please take care of your health instead of overexerting yourself. I will say it again: do not, under any circumstances, harm your body, and return safely….]
The rest of the letter was filled with trivial stories about Victoria’s daily life and the people around her.
After reading every single word, I let out a soft chuckle and carefully folded the letter, placing it in my storage box.
I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but most men who receive such a letter from their queen would likely become even more determined to achieve greater glory.
Of course, since I know what she truly wants, I am pleased, but it won’t change my plans.
No, that’s not right. Even as I say that, I can feel my motivation soaring. I suppose I can’t help but be a slave to my male hormones.
Just then, a voice from outside announced that it was time. I stood up and stretched.
All the more reason to make our queen waiting in Kensington even more satisfied.
I suppose I should go put a spectacular end to this war.
***
The historic treaty, which would come to be known as the Treaty of Tientsin, was naturally to be signed in Tianjin, a city occupied by the British Empire.
As previously notified, the plenipotentiaries for the Qing Dynasty were a young man and a middle-aged man.
In such cases, it was typical for the young man to be a figurehead while the middle-aged one handled the actual work. True to form, the middle-aged man, not the splendidly dressed youth, spoke first.
“As you have been informed, this is His Highness, Prince Huashihuiduan, who is attending as the representative for this conference. I am Qiying, and I will be assisting His Highness in these proceedings. In case you are not aware, a Prince of the First Rank is…”
“I am aware. His Highness is the Emperor’s brother, I presume. That such a person has come as a representative shows me how sincere the Qing are. I am Killian Gore, Foreign Secretary of the British Empire, and I have been appointed as the plenipotentiary for these negotiations.”
I had suspected it when they said two members of the imperial family would be attending, but I hadn’t expected the Daoguang Emperor’s actual brother.
Historically, a prince of his rank didn’t personally attend talks until the Second Opium War. For this to be happening already, the Qing Dynasty must truly be feeling the pressure.
The other representative, Qiying, also bore the Qing imperial surname, Aisin-Gioro, which meant he was a member of the imperial clan in some capacity.
Though not typically referred to as royalty, with a Prince of the First Rank present, I suppose one could say they hadn’t lied.
However, my attention was drawn not to the Daoguang Emperor’s brother, but to the man sitting beside him with a “who am I, where am I” expression on his face.
“And who might that gentleman be? I was informed that an official from Joseon would also be in attendance. Is that him?”
“Ah, yes. This is Kim Jwa-geun. He represents Joseon and wished to speak with our Minister… no, with you, Secretary, so we brought him along.”
“Kim Jwa-geun? Of the Andong Kim clan?”
The Qing side hadn’t specified who the Joseon representative would be, so I had been curious. Seeing an unexpected figure, my reaction was natural.
A powerful minister who coveted power and was greedy, yet was not entirely incompetent.
Who would have thought I would meet the man who would become the real power behind the Andong Kim clan in the late Joseon period, pulling the strings from behind the scenes?
As I let my reaction flow naturally, a look of astonishment colored the face of Kim Jwa-geun, who had been half-dazed.
“You… you know of me?”
“Who that knows of Joseon would not know of the Andong Kim clan?”
Hearing my fluent Korean, Kim Jwa-geun’s eyes trembled uncontrollably.
He must be shocked.
A man who looked for all the world like a Westerner was speaking fluent Qing Mandarin, and now he was suddenly speaking Korean and acting familiar. It would be inhuman not to be surprised.
“S-so it’s true… you really are from Joseon.”
“Don’t tell me you were still unaware?”
I had kindly written that I was from Joseon in the message to the Dutch, so his reaction was a bit disappointing.
If he hadn't even climbed the first step, it was obvious he wouldn’t know my exact status back in Joseon.
While I suppressed a laugh, Qiying, seeing that the conversation seemed to be flowing well, chimed in with a bright smile.
“As you said, Secretary, it is our hope that these negotiations will conclude peacefully. Shall we begin our discussions for peace? First, we have come to a consensus to accept the terms your country previously proposed.”
“How fortunate. Then we just need to add a few more items, and we can reach an amicable agreement.”
“...Pardon?”
Why the feigned surprise?
He couldn't have seriously thought we would rehash the exact same terms we sent to Lin Zexu. If you’re going to act, at least do it properly.
“You came here to negotiate, so you must hear our terms, must you not?”
“Wait, Secretary. Can we not conclude the negotiations with the terms previously discussed with Lin Zexu?”
To the prince, who still hadn't given up and was spouting nonsense, I replied, emphasizing each and every word.
“No. We cannot.”
“But…”
“On the contrary, I would like to ask you. Because your country did not accept the proposal at that time, we were forced to expend a great deal of additional resources, and we ultimately succeeded in occupying not only Nanjing but also Tianjin. So why should we negotiate on the same terms as before?”
“But if you continue to be so uncompromising, we will have no choice but to fight to the bitter end.”
“Then the negotiations have failed. For your information, my home country has already prepared to dispatch an additional 20,000 troops in case these talks break down. We will suffer losses, but if you wish to continue fighting, we have no choice. I hear the envoys of your tributary states are in Beijing, are they not? Let us have a decisive battle before their very eyes.”
As I made a move to actually stand up and leave, Qiying frantically waved his hands and stopped me.
“No! ‘To the bitter end’ was merely a turn of phrase. We desire nothing more than a peaceful resolution. Secretary, please, calm yourself and sit down again, hahaha…”
“This is the only time. If you make such a warning again, I will have no choice but to take it as a sign that the Qing Dynasty no longer has the will to negotiate.”
Fight to the bitter end, my foot. If you were capable of that, you would have done it during the Opium Wars in the original history, be it the first or the second.
Of course, if we were truly trying to destroy the Qing, they might rise up, but even a decaying nation rarely collapses in an instant.
Especially a massive country like the Qing Dynasty, which can appear to function strangely even after losing important limbs, right up until it truly falls.
In other words, as long as I didn’t look like I was about to plunge a knife into the heart of the Qing, they would have no choice but to concede as much as possible.
We had crossed half the globe and were treating the long coastline from Guangzhou to Tianjin like our playground, delivering a one-sided beatdown with our unbelievable military might.
On top of that, I was threatening to send as many troops again. For them, who couldn't even properly muster an army, the thought of fighting was out of the question.
“The Great Qing is an empire that loves peace. For the sake of a peaceful resolution, we are prepared to endure a great deal. Please state your demands.”
“Very well, then let us begin by looking at this. Many parts will be unfamiliar, so I will go through them one by one.”
Putting aside the detailed figures and trivial diplomatic rhetoric, the core content of the Treaty of Tientsin was essentially an expanded version of the proposal offered through Lin Zexu.
Great Britain and the Qing Dynasty would foster peaceful relations. The Queen of the British Empire would be the equal of the Qing Son of Heaven, and other officials would interact as equals according to their respective ranks.
The Qing side breezed through these clauses without much thought, but their reaction was immediate when the key articles were presented.
“Cede Hong Kong and the Kowloon Peninsula, and on top of that, add Shanghai and Tainan in Taiwan?”
“Yes. They are just rural fishing villages, are they not?”
“But their location… no, yes. I understand. Let us continue for now.”
Following that were demands to abolish the Cohong system, pay off debts, pay reparations for the costs of the war thus far, and compensate for the losses the British Empire suffered from the fire on Lintin Island.
This part was similar to before, but as the war had dragged on and our expenses had mounted, the amount of reparations had doubled.
With several additional items, the total sum easily surpassed tens of millions of Spanish silver dollars, the currency used by the Qing at the time.
“It will be impossible to pay such a massive amount in a lump sum, so we will accept it in installments over four years. Ah, and in addition to the five previously designated ports, we will require the opening of ten more, including Niuzhuang, Dengzhou, Hankou, and Zhenjiang. As mentioned before, we will establish legations and station diplomats. Furthermore, you must grant freedom of religion and missionary work, and tariffs must be either abolished or set only at levels agreed upon with us. Do you agree?”
“…”
The desire to shout that he could not agree was written all over his face, but what could he do about it?
I saw Qiying shoot a glance at Kim Jwa-geun, as if pleading for some help, but what brilliant move could he possibly have?
On the contrary, he was staring with a shocked expression as the prince of the Qing Dynasty, which he had thought to be the center of the world, listened to my uncompromising proposals without a single word of protest.
In truth, they couldn't have been unaware that being so thoroughly dismantled in front of an envoy from a tributary state would damage the prestige of the Celestial Empire.
Still, they must have judged it far more important to shift some of the responsibility to Joseon to save their own necks.
“Since you seem to agree, let’s move on. Consular jurisdiction will be established in the opened ports. This means that a British consul will adjudicate lawsuits involving our citizens in your country, according to the laws of the British Empire.”
“What kind of absurd clause is that!”
“But your country has already crossed into our territory and set fire to our merchant ships and property. Given your prior conduct, we have no choice but to establish measures to protect our own citizens.”
“Th-that is, that was…”
“Ah, and one more thing. This clause here, stating that if a railway is built in the future, the right to construct the first line must be given to the British Empire, may not make sense to you. To put it simply, a railway is a great iron carriage that runs on a fixed path. It allows for transport on a scale incomparable to horse-drawn carriages. Your country will surely build these railways one day, and since the British Empire currently possesses the most advanced railway technology in the world, this is not such a disadvantageous proposal.”
What could they possibly know, having never even seen a railway?
Qiying and the prince asked various questions, wary of hidden traps, but the gap created by the asymmetry of information could not be bridged by such things.
Under my dazzling sweet talk, they dazedly agreed to all the subsequent articles.
In addition to the railway rights, I had also slyly inserted a clause about surveying the coast and land as a preliminary step for port openings and railway construction.
It was nothing compared to getting seasoned swindlers in 21st-century South Korea to sign a contract, but I had managed to clear the final hurdle.
With this single war, I had obtained far more than what was gained in both the First and Second Opium Wars of the original history combined.
Moreover, this achievement was all the more remarkable for being a unilateral gain by the British Empire, having sidelined France and Russia.
Several hours later.
Toward the two men who stood up with expressions as if they had been possessed by ghosts, I offered a sincere smile and extended my hand.
“With this, a day of true peace begins between the British Empire and the Great Qing Dynasty. This is a historic day.”
“...Yes…”
I had pushed them right up to the point just before they would think, “If we agree to this, our country will truly fall.”
I hadn't crossed that precarious line, but I had come close enough to be stepping on it.
The signatories themselves looked as if they were questioning if this was right, but who told them to act tough with talk of fighting to the bitter end when they couldn't even grasp the situation?
Anyone watching would think they actually had a choice.
***
After the prince and Qiying departed, their souls thoroughly shaken, Kim Jwa-geun remained.
To be precise, he had proposed that he and I have a word.
I was curious to hear his impressions as well, so I saw no reason to refuse.
“What did you think? Your impressions, having witnessed the entire negotiation process.”
“...I can only say that my thoughts are complicated.”
“Do you intend to report everything you have seen, heard, and felt here today to your court?”
“An envoy has that duty. It is not a matter for me to decide.”
“I see. Then what is your reason for wishing to speak with me?”
Kim Jwa-geun hesitated, letting out a few sighs, before finally looking me straight in the eye and asking cautiously.
“My lord, are you truly from Joseon?”
“Are you still in doubt?”
“But we could find no record in Joseon of a person such as yourself ever being born.”
Of course you couldn’t.
You must have been desperately searching for a British nobleman named Killian Gore who was fluent in three languages. There was no way you’d find any records.
I thought someone might have considered the possibility of me being a slave, but it seems such a miracle did not occur.
“Then it cannot be helped. Frankly, it matters little to me whether Joseon knows of me or not.”
“But…”
“Rather, it would be better for Joseon to contemplate its own situation in relation to the Qing, the British Empire, and itself. I imagine you have learned much from this delegation, but impressions vary from person to person. There is no guarantee that your thoughts will align with those of the delegation’s leaders.”
“You speak the truth. My lord, if you return to your home country, do you have any intention of coming back here? Or perhaps, not only to the Qing, but also to Joseon…”
I let out a soft laugh and shook my head.
One point I had debated including in the treaty with the Qing until the very end was to clearly define the relationship between the Qing and its tributary states.
I had considered demanding that they recognize all tributary states as independent nations, or if they were vassals, to state so explicitly, but in the end, I decided against it.
If I gave the impression that I was deliberately trying to shatter the Qing’s Celestial Order, there was a non-zero chance they would truly fight to the death.
Even with our incomparable military might, if the Qing truly decided to go down fighting, we would have to accept immense losses.
Besides.
“Not now, but the day may come when I visit Asia again as a representative of the British Empire. What actions my country takes then will depend entirely on the nations of Asia.”
I had already planted seeds not just in Joseon but in all directions. There was no need for me to fan the flames myself.
In as little as ten years, or twenty at the most, the order in Northeast Asia would undergo a cataclysmic shift.
Whether they would be swept away or ride the current was a decision for them to make, not me.
As if I would spoon-feed them.
The greatest goodwill I could offer was, at best, to see to it that they didn't become a colony of China or Japan.
That was mainly because the Korean peninsula falling to China, Russia, or Japan was an absolutely unacceptable outcome. Beyond that, whether they perished or not was their own choice.
Still, Kim Jwa-geun, a promising seed of a powerful minister, seemed to understand the meaning behind my words. He let out a long sigh and nodded.
Then, he asked the question he had likely wanted to ask from the very beginning.
“I would like to ask one last thing. My lord… do you consider yourself a man of Joseon?”
Based on our conversation so far, you must know what kind of answer you’ll get, right?
So, I gave him the expected answer, with a little extra spice.
“I was once told, back when I was in Joseon, that I was not a man of Joseon. Does that answer your question?”
“No, wait… who on earth would utter such nonsense…!”
“It was a pleasure. I will take my leave now.”
I rose from my seat, leaving a dumbfounded Kim Jwa-geun behind.
If you regretted it, you should have treated me better when I was there.
It seems I had quite a bit of resentment built up from my time there.
How utterly satisfying. Ah, that felt good.