lovenovelstory Chapter 24 Why did the emperor know these things?
Chapter 24 Why did the emperor know these things?
Liu Yulong found it somewhat amusing to hear Staunton's slurred translation; the translated passage was indeed rather abstract.
However, I have decided not to kill you now, but only to make things difficult for you, which is quite merciful.
Since it wasn't a formal meeting in the imperial court, Liu Yulong wasn't particularly serious.
After Staunton finally finished reciting that passage, Liu Yulong casually continued with the main point:
"Hard to understand, right? Your translator is talking a lot, but others probably still won't understand a word."
"For example, according to the patriarchal system of our Han Dynasty, even if Princess Victoria of Britain were a boy, his line of succession would be after his uncle."
"If his uncle inherits the throne, then the co-rulership of the Kingdom of Britain and the Kingdom of Hanover will not need to be broken up."
"Britain can still easily use Hanover as a bridge to export goods to the Independent Regions."
Although the translation of the first part by Staunton was difficult, there wasn't much tension.
This passage is easy to translate, but Staunton became more and more puzzled and nervous as he spoke. How could the Emperor of Han know these things?
At this time, the royal family of Britain was known as the Hanoverian House. They originated from the Kingdom of Hanover, a state in the region of the Independent Will. The current king also served as the king of the Kingdom of Hanover. The two countries were currently in a monarchical federation.
One monarch, two countries, two governments, two legal systems – this is a normal phenomenon in Europe.
Hanover only allowed male succession, while Britain allowed female succession. Therefore, when Victoria inherited the British throne, the Commonwealth of Kings would be broken up, and Victoria's uncle would inherit the Hanoverian throne.
When Staunton first heard these words, he was clearly surprised, and at the same time felt that the emperor seemed to have some ill intentions, possibly intending to create a rift within the British royal family and Parliament.
However, the power of the British king was limited, and the key was that there was a very clear law of succession. Even if this Eastern custom were to be transmitted back to Britain, it would not have any real impact on Britain.
However, the example given by the emperor demonstrates that he was extremely knowledgeable about the situation in Britain.
He knew Princess Victoria and the inner workings of the British royal family.
They knew about the situation in the region of the One Will, and also about the differences in the succession systems between Britain and Hanover.
They knew the relationship between the Kingdom of Britain and the Kingdom of Hanover, and even the business logic of British merchants in their independent will.
Even in Europe, only learned nobles and merchants could understand these relationships.
How could the eighteen-year-old emperor of the Han Dynasty, who was far away on the other side of the continent, know all this?
Furthermore, this eighteen-year-old emperor could understand the British language!
Apart from the British and Americans who use it as their native language, not many people on the European continent are willing to learn and use this language.
Staunton himself claimed to be the Briton who knew the East best, but his understanding of the current situation and cultural system of the Han Dynasty was far less than that of the Han emperor's understanding of Britain.
But the Han Dynasty never sent any missions to Europe, so how did the Han emperor know about this?
Looking at the emperor's ambiguous smile, he said that the Han Dynasty and Britain were completely unable to understand each other, while at the same time showing off his profound understanding of Britain.
It's like a scholar studying plants and animals talking to himself while looking at the specimens on the lab table.
Staunton felt increasingly uneasy as he thought about it, and a strange sense of unease began to grow within him. He didn't know when, but he started sweating profusely on his back.
Liu Yulong was actually reciting history verbatim, almost as if he were talking to a specimen or record.
With deep concern, Staunton translated Liu Yulong's meaning to his companions.
After listening, Palmerston and the other three looked solemn, and had thoughts quite similar to Staunton's.
This might be considered a good thing, as it eliminates concerns that the emperor might not understand Britain's demands, making communication between the two sides easier.
But it also means that when Britain clashes with the Han, the Han can quickly exploit Britain's weaknesses.
He knew Britain and Europe very well, but Europe did not know him or the Han Dynasty.
When Palmerston and the others first learned that the new emperor of the Great Han was a teenager, they were initially somewhat dismissive of him.
As a result, my mindset has become extremely serious.
The proceedings of this meeting, and the content of my discussion with this young emperor, were completely different from what I had prepared.
I had no initiative and didn't even understand the other party's intentions.
After a brief pause, Palmerzun offered Liu Yulong very earnest compliments, then tried to steer the conversation back to the objective:
"Your Majesty is truly learned and wise, which explains why it is so difficult for Britain and the Han Dynasty to communicate."
"Since Your Majesty is wise and benevolent, we sincerely hope to negotiate trade matters directly with Your Majesty."
Liu Yulong beckoned to Wu Qijun, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, and Wu Qijun immediately took out the documents he had prepared in advance and handed them over.
Palmerston took a look and found that it was all in Chinese characters, so he immediately passed it on to Staunton.
Staunton glanced at it and was slightly at a loss. Did the contents of this kind of letter also need to be translated on the spot?
While Staunton hesitated, Wu Qijun continued to clarify his position:
"The Emperor of the Han Dynasty has listed his demands. Take them back to your king and parliament."
"If you can accept this, you can continue to trade with the Han Dynasty. If you cannot accept it, then please do not come here again."
Staunton was stunned again; this emperor was completely unpredictable.
They haven't discussed any actual details with him yet, and the other party is already trying to kick him out?
Staunton stopped translating, instinctively trying to calm Liu Yulong down, at least to prevent him from being kicked out like this:
"Your Majesty, please wait a moment. Since Your Majesty is so knowledgeable about Europe, we can have a more in-depth discussion right here."
"Regarding issues of trade coordination, and matters concerning the principles of judicial adjudication..."
Liu Yulong chuckled helplessly and waved his hand.
"Although I understand Britain, how much do you understand about the Han Dynasty?"
"You will try to persuade me to change the traditions that are taken for granted in the Han Dynasty."
"You insist on doing things that are impossible in the Han Dynasty. Your behavior makes me think you are idiots."
"If I were to ask you to grant the King unlimited powers and to classify any act of adultery as a serious crime, would the British Parliament accept that?"
"You can't possibly implement Hanover's system in Britain, yet you dare to try to change the system of the Han Dynasty, which is so far away?"
"It is precisely because I understand the situation in Britain, and I know all the fantasies of your merchants, that I know such a discussion is meaningless."
"Your demands are unacceptable to the Great Han, so don't waste my time. Take this reply and go back."
After hearing such an exaggerated analogy, Staunton felt that he finally understood how big the differences were between the two sides.
If neither side uses force, it is impossible for them to change each other, but Britain cannot use force against the Han Dynasty now.
Staunton was unsure how to respond, realizing that Palmerston and the others were still waiting nearby for the translator.
First, translate what Wu Qijun had just told them, as well as what Liu Yulong had said, to Palmerston and the others.
The process of translating these words also served to delay things.
Palmerston felt particularly melancholy upon hearing this, as all the preparations his group had made yesterday had not been used at all.
After Staunton finished translating, the room fell silent for a few seconds.
Palmerston was exhausted and finally realized that all his ideas were meaningless.
Palmerston delivered his planned final words upon leaving:
"Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Han, we five have been entrusted by the King and Parliament of Britain to come to the Great Han to present Your Majesty with congratulatory gifts and to discuss the issue of trade coordination."
"We have gained nothing now, and we fear we will be unable to report back to the King and Parliament upon our return. We beg Your Majesty to have mercy on us..."
Palmerston's meaning was, to put it bluntly, to beg for a reward, to shamelessly ask for something to take back and hand over, though he put it more euphemistically.
Liu Yulong pondered for a few seconds, preparing to give a seemingly genuine false requirement:
"You have come from afar and brought quite a few gifts. I really shouldn't let you leave empty-handed."
"Since you have established your nation on commerce, it is of little significance for me to bestow some gold and silver upon you."
"What you really want is business opportunities, right?"
Staunton realized that things had taken a turn for the better, so he quickly translated Liu Yulong's words.
Palmerston immediately asked Staunton to answer and followed up with further questions:
"Your Majesty's wisdom is admirable. Our greatest hope is to gain commercial opportunities in the Han Dynasty."
Liu Yulong continued:
"Have you considered how much cost and expense it would take to transport your goods from Britain to the Great Han?"
"Even if all the hundreds of millions of people in the Han Dynasty were willing to buy your goods, could you really transport them all?"
"Even if it could be transported over, with the shipping costs spanning half the world, would it still be able to sell in the Great Han?"
"Only luxury goods can be sold like this, but what luxury goods do you Britons have?"
Staunton thought Liu Yulong's words made sense, but he didn't understand Liu Yulong's intention, so he quickly translated them.
Palmerston didn't understand immediately either, so he quickly asked more directly:
"We are very sorry, we did not understand Your Majesty's intentions well. Could Your Majesty please explain it more clearly?"
Liu Yulong picked up the letter from the King of Britain and turned to the last item on the gift list:
"Some of the gifts you have given me are also useful in our Great Han, such as Stephenson's steam locomotive."
"I am preparing to build many railways, starting from our city of Jingzhao and connecting it to Bao'an County on the South China Sea coast."
"The length of this railway is approximately 5.5 million Chinese feet (2200 kilometers), and 10,000 Chinese feet is exactly one ten-thousandth of the Earth's circumference."
"Converted to miles in your currency, it should be around 1,400, which is about three times the total length of all railways in your British territory."
"If it continues to extend into the northern grasslands or the northeastern region, the total length of this railway will certainly exceed three thousand miles."
"Just imagine how vast the territory of the Han Dynasty was, and how many miles of railway could it build?"
"I need steam locomotives with the highest possible performance, and the required quantity is very large."
"To build railways, we need enough steel, and I need to continuously develop the coal and iron mines in the Han Dynasty."
"Developing coal and iron mines requires a large number of steam engines, several times more than all the steam engines in your own Britain combined."
"I can purchase steam engines produced in Britain, but I cannot allow you to transport them from Britain by sailing ships to sell to the Han Dynasty."
"The steam engine is a mass-produced industrial product, not a luxury item. I cannot accept such costs and efficiency."
"Then the only solution is to have Stephenson and his team come to the Han Dynasty and build large-scale factories on Han territory to produce goods in order to meet the Han Dynasty's needs."
"You should also have a chemist named Talbot, who seems to have developed a negative film technology."
"Once this camera technology matures, it will perfectly align with the trade management methods I have devised."
"In the future, every foreigner entering the Han Dynasty will have their photo taken for record-keeping. What a huge potential market this is!"
"There are many similar things. You can send your engineers to Dahan for a group visit and research."
"After discussing with my engineers, we discovered the products that the Han Dynasty truly needs."
"Then we can build factories in Dahan to produce goods and sell them to Dahan at relatively low prices, so that we can establish a stable and long-term trade relationship."