Reincarnated as Napoleon II-Chapter 157: The Qing Reaction

Villeneuve repeated the words slowly.

"The Viceroy of Liangguang? Did I pronounce that right?"

Beauvilliers allowed a small smile.

"Close enough."

Villeneuve looked back toward the city where the river widened near the busy docks of Canton.

"And this man governs the entire region?"

"Yes," Beauvilliers said. "Guangdong and Guangxi. Canton falls under his authority, so every foreign merchant and diplomat who arrives here eventually answers to him."

Villeneuve nodded slowly.

"So he is our doorway to the Qing court."

"Exactly."

Beauvilliers leaned slightly on the railing and pointed toward the busy stretch of waterfront ahead.

"The Viceroy rarely deals directly with foreigners. Normally the local governor of Canton or the customs officials handle all matters involving trade."

"And we are not here for trade," Villeneuve said.

"No," Beauvilliers replied. "Which is precisely why this will become complicated."

Villeneuve watched several Chinese junks turning away from the channel as the French warships advanced upriver.

The crews aboard those wooden ships stared openly at the massive fleet passing through their waters.

"How long before the Viceroy hears about our arrival?" Villeneuve asked.

Beauvilliers chuckled softly.

"He probably already has."

Villeneuve raised an eyebrow.

"You saw those signal towers along the river?"

"Yes."

"They relay messages toward the city. Riders will carry the news the rest of the way. By now the local officials are likely arguing about what to do."

Villeneuve folded his hands behind his back.

"And what do they usually do when Western ships arrive?"

"They delay," Beauvilliers answered.

"Delay?"

"Yes. Meetings, letters, discussions about protocol. They prefer to slow things down until foreigners become impatient."

Villeneuve looked toward the flagship Napoleon I ahead of them.

"That may work on merchants."

"But not on an imperial mission," Beauvilliers finished.

Villeneuve nodded.

"Precisely."

"Okay, now we wait."

Meanwhile, in the Yamen of the Viceroy of Liangguang, the morning had begun like any other.

Clerks moved quietly through the corridors carrying scrolls and reports. Officials sat behind wooden desks reviewing tax records and trade documents that had arrived from the port of Canton.

Inside the main office, the Viceroy sat behind a large carved table as he read a report from the customs bureau.

A guard suddenly stepped inside and bowed.

"Your Excellency, a messenger from the river."

The Viceroy did not immediately look up.

"Send him in."

Moments later, a young courier entered the room, breathing heavily as if he had ridden hard.

He knelt quickly.

"Your Excellency, foreign ships have entered the Pearl River."

The Viceroy sighed faintly.

Foreign ships.

That was hardly unusual.

Every year merchant vessels from Europe arrived in Canton to trade. The British, the Portuguese, the Dutch, and others had maintained warehouses in the foreign quarter for decades.

He waved his hand slightly.

"Then inform the port officials to direct them to the foreign anchorage."

The messenger hesitated.

"Yes, Your Excellency... but..."

The Viceroy finally raised his head.

"But what?"

The messenger swallowed.

"These ships are... different."

The Viceroy leaned back slightly in his chair.

"Different how?"

"They are enormous."

The Viceroy frowned slightly.

"European ships are often large."

"Yes, Your Excellency, but... these ships are unlike anything the fishermen along the river have ever seen."

The Viceroy set the report down.

"Explain."

The messenger raised his head cautiously.

"The lead ship is larger than any junk in Canton. Its hull is black like iron... and it moves without sails."

The room fell silent.

One of the nearby officials looked up from his writing.

"Without sails?"

"Yes."

The messenger nodded quickly.

"It moves by some kind of machine. Smoke rises from towers along the deck."

The Viceroy’s expression hardened slightly.

"And how many ships are there?"

"Many, Your Excellency."

The messenger hesitated again.

"It looks like a war fleet."

Now the Viceroy sat up straight.

"A war fleet?"

"Yes."

He gestured nervously toward the river.

"The fishermen say the lead ship carries enormous cannons. Larger than anything they have ever seen."

One of the senior officials spoke quietly.

"Which country?"

The messenger answered immediately.

"France, Your Excellency. Their flag flies above the ships."

The Viceroy remained silent for several seconds.

France.

He had heard of them.

Another Western kingdom.

But a fleet?

In the Pearl River?

He slowly stood from his chair.

"Where are they now?"

"Approaching Canton, Your Excellency."

The Viceroy walked toward the open window overlooking the distant rooftops of the city.

Somewhere beyond those buildings lay the river.

And now... a foreign fleet, and they were quite huge even from up here.

"What the..."

The words slipped out of the Viceroy before he could stop himself.

From the upper balcony of the yamen, the river could be seen in the distance beyond the rooftops of Canton. Normally it was filled with junks and merchant vessels drifting slowly along the water.

Today it looked different.

Even from this distance he could see the smoke.

Thick gray columns rising above the river.

One of the officials stepped closer to the balcony rail and squinted toward the horizon.

"Those must be the ships the messenger spoke of."

The Viceroy narrowed his eyes. "Yes, and it is serious. We don’t know why they are here so let’s find out for ourselves."

One of the officials turned toward him.

"Your Excellency, you intend to meet them personally?"

"Yes," he said calmly.

"If they arrive with a fleet like this, it is better that we understand their intentions immediately."

He walked back into the office while the officials followed.

"Prepare a reception delegation."

One of the clerks quickly bowed.

"At once, Your Excellency."

The Viceroy stopped beside his desk.

"And inform the harbor authorities that no one is to provoke them."

The messenger nodded quickly.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

The Viceroy paused for a moment before speaking again.

"And send word to the governor of Canton."

"What shall we tell him?"

The Viceroy glanced once more toward the distant smoke rising over the river.

"Tell him a foreign fleet has entered the Pearl River."

He folded his hands behind his back.

"And that this time... it does not look like merchants."