Chapter 226: The Far East Ambassador
1870, Far East
"Mr. Richard!"
"Yes, Wang?"
"It's only been a few months, and you've changed your signboard again?"
"Haha, let me tell you the truth – I won't be working here anymore," Richard said proudly.
"Ah, Mr. Richard, are you returning to Europa?" Wang Enke asked, somewhat worried. Richard was easy to deal with; he wondered if his replacement would be harder to handle.
"No, no. To use your Far Eastern phrase, I'm being 'promoted.'"
"Then let me congratulate you," Wang Enke said, cupping his hands.
"Thank you, thank you!"
"If I may ask, what is your new position?"
"This time, I'll be representing the Kingdom of East Africa in establishing diplomatic relations with your country, and will be stationed in your capital as East Africa's ambassador to the Far East."
"The Kingdom of East Africa? So you're going to be like Great Britain or France?"
"More or less, more or less," Richard said somewhat self-consciously. Comparing East Africa to the world's supreme naval power and the second-strongest country was quite flattering.
…
"Mr. Lifus, someone outside claims to be from the German-Prussian Principality of Hechingen and requests an audience."
"Hechingen? I'll see him!"
Prussia's minister to the Far East, Mr. Lifus, walked out to meet Richard, who had come from Jiaozhou.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Mr. Lifus, I'm Richard, formerly head of the Hechingen Far East Commercial Liaison Office."
"Ah, I know that. But what do you want from me?"
"I have a personal letter from Prince Constantin," said Richard, taking an envelope from his pocket.
"A letter from Prince Constantin?"
Lifus quickly opened and read it. After a while, he frowned.
"Um, Mr. Richard, Prince Constantin's request puts me in a tough spot. Without confirmation from the Prussian government, I don't have the authority to decide."
"Mr. Lifus, no need to worry about that. In fact, East Africa's founding has already been approved by the Prussian royal family and government – only Europe's news hasn't arrived here yet."
"And how did you get this news?"
"We prepared for the establishment of the East African Kingdom in advance. Actually, I was authorized half a month ago, but the kingdom wasn't formally established yet, so I didn't come."
"Prince Constantin has indeed planned carefully – but why didn't he ask the Prussian government to let us know early, so we'd be prepared? This puts me in a bind."
"Mr. Lifus, you only need to make the introduction. You can do so on your own personal relationship, without formally representing Prussia."
Lifus's eyes lit up. "That's a way around it, then. I'll introduce you personally to your Far Eastern government."
In no time, they arrived at a certain mansion in the capital.
"Mr. Lifus, what brings you here today?" asked the Qing official Chonghou, a bit surprised.
"Your Excellency Chonghou, this gentleman is an envoy of the East African Kingdom, here to establish diplomatic ties with your country. I'm only making introductions."
"The East African Kingdom? Where might that be? Another Western nation?"
"Let Mr. Richard explain. He knows more than I do," Lifus replied.
"Greetings, Lord Chonghou. I'm Richard, representative of the East African Kingdom."
Hearing the man's Shandong-accented Mandarin, Chonghou asked, "Greetings, Mr. Richard. I've never heard of an 'East African Kingdom.' And your dialect has a Shandong ring. Did you reside there?"
"Haha, yes, Lord Chonghou. I came from Jiaozhou, where I used to handle the Hechingen Consortium's trade with your country!"
"Hechingen! I see. That's connected to the newly established Jiaozhou Customs. I heard it's a German-based company? I don't see what it has to do with an East African Kingdom," Chonghou said, turning to Lifus in puzzlement.
Hearing Richard mention the Hechingen Consortium, Chonghou grasped the key point: Hechingen was German, so perhaps a Prussian entity. Lifus always claimed Prussia led the Germans – so was "Hechingen" just Prussia's puppet?
"Previously, I was an employee of the Hechingen Consortium, but now I represent the East African Kingdom. Though the Hechingen Consortium is from German lands, it spans Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the East African Kingdom, doing business across Europe and worldwide."
"Understood: Germany and Austria-Hungary I've heard of, but I know nothing of this East African Kingdom."
"My lord, that's understandable. The East African Kingdom is brand new," Richard said.
"A new country? Another German state?"
"Indeed, but the East African Kingdom is special: it's a new state in eastern Africa, founded by our Prince Constantin," Lifus explained.
"In Africa's east?"
"Exactly – and its ruler is our Prussian Prince Constantin, now King of East Africa."
…
The reason Richard sought Lifus's help is that Austria-Hungary hadn't established relations with the Qing, while Prussia had been recognized since 1861. As early as 1864, amid the Second Schleswig War, Prussian envoy Lifus caused conflict by seizing three Danish ships off Dagu, eventually returning them after strong protests based on international law, also paying 1,500 dollars. It was one of the Qing government's rare diplomatic successes.
Thus, on May 13, the day East Africa declared itself a kingdom, thanks to Chonghou's introduction, the Tongzhi Emperor received Richard, envoy of East Africa.
May 15, 1870:
Richard, Ambassador of the East African Kingdom, and the Qing official Chonghou signed an agreement, known historically as the "Two Easts Treaty," representing East Africa and the Far East. With this treaty, the East African Kingdom and the Qing Empire officially established relations.
The Two Easts Treaty comprises fifty-seven articles, mainly:
East African Kingdom may station an envoy in the imperial capital and travel throughout the Far East;In every open port, East Africa can set up a consulate for its citizens to trade, reside, lease land to build, hire Chinese workers, and buy/sell various books and goods;Duties on East African trade in China follow the usual practice, same as other powers;The Qing shall protect East African citizens' property and debts;East Africa enjoys consular jurisdiction and unilateral "most-favored-nation" status;East Africa may recruit labor from the Far East in any region, with no interference from the Qing. A separate "Commercial Regulations and Customs Tariff" was appended.
Overall, it's a fairly balanced treaty, except for Article Six. The Qing raised no objections, so it passed. By it, besides an East African embassy in the imperial capital, East Africa would set up consulates in Jiaozhou, Shanghai, Xiangshan County (Zhuhai), Xuzhou, and Kaifeng. Chonghou found Jiaozhou and Shanghai understandable, but was puzzled that a Western nation also knew about Xuzhou and Kaifeng, plus a small place like Xiangshan. Where had they gotten that info?
Richard explained those three places had East African commercial dealings. In truth, they were hubs for the migration route from North China to East Africa: Kaifeng and Xuzhou were major traffic points in Henan and across four provinces, making immigration efforts easier. Zhuhai and Jiaozhou had been the Hechingen Consortium's first trade outposts in the Far East, while Shanghai was a universally important port.
Friends, if you enjoyed the novel, you can subscribe to my Patreon channel.
Until November 30th, get 30% off your subscription and the purchase of the novel.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10