Beiyang Dream

Chapter 41 William II: Happy Birthday, Dear Empress Dowager Cixi

December 28, 1889, Saturday, 10:00 AM.

Leipzig Place, Berlin.

A four-wheeled carriage was parked in front of the German naval headquarters.

Chang Desheng and Guo Shigui got into the car first and sat in the soft seats on the inside. Chang Desheng was wearing a newly made dark blue satin mandarin jacket, while Guo Shigui was wearing a brand-new indigo official robe. The two of them were dressed as if they were going to a wedding.

"Zhenbang," Guo Shigui lowered his voice, speaking in Tianjin dialect, "do you think this German... won't change his mind?"

"What's the big deal?" Chang Desheng asked, legs crossed. "The letter of intent has been signed, the technical specifications have been set, and they've even started using the term 'stepped-ship.' What more could they want?"

Guo Shigui swallowed hard: "I meant the 'birthday celebration' title..."

Just then, the car door opened.

Colonel Tirpitz climbed into the carriage, his sharp, dark blue naval uniform gleaming in the winter sunlight. Behind him followed Captain Hasse, carrying a bulging leather bag.

"Committee Member Chang, Counselor Guo." Tirpitz nodded and sat down opposite him. Captain Hasser sat next to him, his briefcase on his lap, his hands pressed against it as if protecting some precious treasure.

The carriage started moving, clattering as it drove out of the square.

Tirpitz didn't speak immediately. He first glanced out the window, then at Chang Desheng, and then gave his adjutant, Captain Hasser, a wink.

Captain Hasser understood, opened his briefcase, and took something out.

It is not a file.

It was a large, thick envelope, embossed with gold, and printed with a black eagle with outstretched wings, holding a scepter and a sword in its claws.

Royal coat of arms of the Hohenzollern dynasty.

Tirpitz took the envelope and carefully pulled a card out of it with his white-gloved fingers.

A greeting card.

Chang Desheng had never seen such an elaborate greeting card in his life (actually, in both his lives). The paper was thick and sturdy, with gold thread trim on all four sides, and a gold-stamped Hohenzollern emblem in the center, with a line of cursive German below that read: Happy Birthday.

The greeting card was opened to reveal beautifully handwritten cursive script in dark brown ink, the strokes flowing so smoothly they looked like they had been printed.

"Committee Member Chang, Counselor Guo," Tirpitz cleared his throat, his face solemn, "This is a 60th birthday greeting card entrusted by His Majesty the Emperor to be delivered to Empress Dowager Cixi of the Great Qing Dynasty."

He paused, then handed the greeting card forward so that Chang and Guo could see the words on it.

"It reads," Tirpitz read in perfect Hanoverian German, "'On the occasion of the sixtieth birthday of the Queen Mother, I extend my sincerest blessings and wish that the friendship between our two nations may last forever... Wilhelm II.'"

Chang Desheng squinted at him.

The handwriting was indeed beautiful; the cursive German was written like a work of art, with each line arranged neatly, suggesting it was written by a court secretary. The last signature—"Wilhelm II"—was noticeably different, more hasty, more forceful, and the ink was deeper.

He glanced at Guo Shigui.

Old Guo's eyes were practically glued to the greeting card, staring at it as if it were some precious treasure. Chang Desheng knew what he was thinking—this deal was done! With the German Emperor's handwritten (though only signed) greeting card delivered, Empress Dowager Cixi would be overjoyed, and the coastal defense donation…wouldn't it obediently be allocated to the Beiyang Army?

Chang Desheng's lips curled up.

She thought to herself: "Your Majesty, you're really going to have to spend a fortune this time. Two million three hundred thousand taels to buy a new 8,200-ton ironclad warship. With this ship, what are those few Japanese cruisers compared to that?"

If we could postpone the Sino-Japanese War by a few years, until after the battleship "Fuji" entered service... I might be able to train a new army in Korea. A new army, new guns, new cannons, plus this new ship...

Just as he was feeling quite pleased with himself, Captain Hasser made another move.

As if by magic, the adjutant pulled something out of his bag.

This time it's a photograph.

A black and white photograph, six inches in size. Captain Hasser handed the photograph to Tirpitz, who took it, glanced at it, and then passed it to Chang Desheng.

“Committee Member,” Tirpitz said, his tone more casual than before, “this is a way for European monarchs to...maintain good relations. His Majesty the Emperor specifically instructed that this photograph be given to the Empress Dowager as a token of his affection.”

Chang Desheng took the photo and looked down at it.

The photo shows a man dressed in a Prussian general's uniform, riding a tall black horse.

It was William II.

The background features the gardens of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, with the palace's silhouette visible in the distance.

Chang Desheng thought to himself: Wilhelm II and Empress Dowager Cixi were in contact... about a relationship? This sounds so awkward.

As he pondered the photo, he habitually flipped it over to look at the back.

There are words on the back.

The German writing was messy, and the handwriting was exactly the same as the signature on the greeting card, so it must have been written by Wilhelm II himself.

The translation is: Happy Birthday, dear Empress Dowager Cixi... William.

Dear Empress Dowager Cixi.

"Honey".

Chang Desheng couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He quickly covered his mouth, but his shoulders were still trembling. He thought to himself: "Emperor Xianfeng, look at this! Your Lan'er has now become the German Emperor's 'Dear Empress Dowager Cixi'..."

"What are you laughing at?" Guo Shigui nudged him from the side, lowering his voice to speak in Tianjin dialect, "Colonel Tirpitz is watching!"

Chang Desheng handed the photo to Guo Shigui and pointed to the back: "Old Guo, look here."

Guo Shigui took the photo, squinted at the German text on the back, and his face changed instantly. He looked up at Chang Desheng, his eyes filled with "Is this...is this appropriate?"

"Oh dear, this..." Guo Shigui lowered his voice, "Emperor William and the Empress Dowager... are intimate? Isn't that inappropriate?"

Chang Desheng smiled and took the photo back, then glanced at the text again, secretly delighted. He turned to Tirpitz and spoke in German, trying to be as serious as possible:

"Colonel, is 'dear'... a formal form of address in German?"

Tirpitz paused for a moment, then replied, "Committee Member, in German, the word 'dear'... when used at the beginning of a letter, is a friendly yet polite form of address. His Majesty the Emperor used this word to express his respect and friendliness towards Her Majesty the Empress Dowager."

Chang Desheng thought to himself: Respect and friendliness? Fine, whatever you say. Anyway, the Empress Dowager Cixi doesn't understand German.

He returned the photo to Tirpitz, laughing and saying, "I see, we were just being naive."

Then he turned to Guo Shigui and said in a low voice in Tianjin dialect, "Old Guo, don't be so surprised. This is how foreigners greet each other, it's similar to how we say 'hello'."

Guo Shigui's expression was still somewhat unnatural: "But this photo... if it were sent to the Empress Dowager..."

"The Empress Dowager doesn't understand German," Chang Desheng interrupted him casually. "Besides, why don't we find a frame, put the photo in it, front facing out, back pressed tightly together? Who can see what's written on the back then?"

Guo Shigui thought for a moment, found it reasonable, and his expression softened slightly: "What about Lord Hong..."

"Lord Hong?" Chang Desheng laughed. "I wonder how shocked Scholar Hong will be later. Does he have time to care about Emperor William and Empress Dowager Cixi's 'intimate' affair?"

Guo Shigui thought about Hong Jun's personality and nodded: "That's true."

......

Half an hour later, in Berlin, at the Qing Dynasty's embassy in Germany, in the small living room.

The room was warm and cozy, with a fireplace burning. Hong Jun, dressed in a casual silk robe, sat in the main chair, holding a cup of tea and slowly blowing on it to warm it. Sai Jinhua stood behind him, wearing a light green cheongsam, a polite smile on her face.

Tirpitz and Captain Hasse sat in the guest seats. Chang Desheng and Guo Shigui did not sit, but stood on either side of Hong Jun, their faces beaming with smiles.

"Your Excellency," Tirpitz said in German, with Captain Hasser translating beside him, "in accordance with His Majesty the Emperor's instructions and the agreements reached with Commissioner Chang and Counselor Guo, our Navy has completed the preliminary design of the 'new ironclad warship'."

Captain Hasse opened his briefcase, and this time, instead of a greeting card, he took out a thick roll of blueprints. He spread them out on the coffee table—a general layout plan, with clear lines and detailed annotations.

Tirpitz stood up, walked to the coffee table, pointed to the blueprints, and began to explain:

"Your Excellency, please take a look. This ship has a standard displacement of 8,200 tons, a length of 112 meters, a beam of 18 meters, and a draft of 6 meters. It is armed with three twin 240mm/35-caliber semi-rapid-fire guns as its main armament, arranged with two forward and one aft, providing excellent firing arc..."

Hong Jun put down his teacup, leaned forward, and squinted at the blueprints. He didn't understand naval technology, but seeing that the blueprints were neatly drawn and detailed, he was already somewhat convinced.

Chang Desheng chimed in at the opportune moment, his tone sincere: "Sir, the design of this ship incorporates the latest German technology. The recoil-operated rapid-fire guns have a high rate of fire and high accuracy; the new Krupp armor steel provides strong protection; and the high-pressure ventilation allows the boilers to maintain maximum output during wartime, enabling a maximum speed of eighteen knots..."

Guo Shigui chimed in, "Sir, if this ship is built, those Japanese cruisers will be no match for it."

Hong Jun nodded repeatedly as he listened, but it was unclear whether he truly understood.

Tirpitz waited a while, and seeing that Hong Jun had looked at it enough, he continued, "Your Excellency, the original cost of this ship was 4.6 million taels of silver."

Hong Jun shuddered.

"Four, four million six hundred thousand taels?" His voice changed.

"Yes," Tirpitz nodded, "but His Majesty the Emperor specially gave a 'birthday gift price' to express his congratulations to Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty on her sixtieth birthday."

He paused, looked into Hong Jun's eyes, and said, slowly and deliberately:

"Two million three hundred thousand taels, half the original price."

Hong Jun was stunned.

Birthday gift price?

Two million three hundred thousand?

"Furthermore," Tirpitz winked at Captain Hather, who took the gold-embossed envelope from his briefcase and handed it to Tirpitz. Tirpitz, holding the envelope with both hands, walked up to Hong Jun and bowed slightly.

"Your Excellency, this is a 60th birthday greeting card personally signed by His Majesty the Emperor and presented to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. His Majesty also included a photograph of himself riding a horse as a token of his affection."