Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1095 Similar Thoughts

In this war, Britain was the victim and France was the aggressor.

France was the first to launch the war, but it was Britain that gained the upper hand in the war. After initially passively defending, Britain gradually gained a firm foothold and began to fight back against France. At its peak, Britain even captured the French King John in the Battle of Crecy, and later captured the King's brother Charles in the Battle of Poitiers. In the Battle of Agincourt, Britain defeated the French army with a smaller force and almost destroyed France.

If it weren't for the sudden emergence of a figure like Joan of Arc in France, who led the French people in a tenacious resistance and defeated the British army in the Battle of Orleans, winning a great victory, it would be a question whether France would still exist.

As for Joan of Arc's death, although it was said that the British did it, in fact, it was the result of the joint betrayal and betrayal of the King of France, the nobility and the church. Moreover, the person who captured her was not British, but the Duke of Burgundy of the Duchy of Burgundy, which originally belonged to the French royal family. He betrayed and captured Joan of Arc during the war, and then handed her over to the British.

The only thing that the British did wrong was to burn Joan of Arc to death on the grounds of the Inquisition because of the unfavorable situation of the war. This changed the whole situation of the war. The death of Joan of Arc aroused the hatred of the whole French against the British. With the instigation of the King of France and the help of the Catholic Church, they finally launched a counterattack against the British army, which led to the complete failure of the war.

After this war, Britain finally lost its territory on the European continent and had to retreat to the island. And because of this war, the relationship between Britain and France has not been very good. There are deep contradictions between the two sides. Even if they temporarily joined forces for some political reasons in the next two hundred years, they would often be on guard against each other.

Charles II, as the former crown prince and now the nominal king, certainly understood this. He had sought help from the French royal family in Europe during these years, hoping that the French royal family could help him return to England. However, the conditions proposed by the French royal family were too harsh, and it was difficult for Charles II to accept. If it were not for Wang Fuzhi and others coming to Europe and being recognized by Charles II in Portugal, Charles II might have agreed to France's request when he was desperate.

"The Ming Dynasty is the most powerful country in the world. As the future King of England, I hope to gain the friendship and support of the Ming Dynasty. If Your Majesty allows, when the situation in Europe changes, especially when the situation in the UK changes, if Your Majesty can lend me a hand, I will be very grateful and will always remember the friendship of the Ming Dynasty!"

Faced with Charles II's words and the earnest look in his eyes, Zhu Shenzhui smiled faintly.

He said: "Europe is too far away from Ming. You are from Europe, so you know how long it takes to get from Europe to Ming. When the news from Europe comes, even if I am willing to help you, don't you think it is a little late to wait for you to return to Europe after such a long time?"

"Your Majesty, thank you for your kindness. I understand what you said." Charles II said frankly, "I will not stay in Ming Dynasty for too long. The political situation in Britain is mainly due to Cromwell. I have received news from Britain before I left. Cromwell is in good health, and given his age, he should not have any problems in the next few years."

"But he is not young after all, and he is not the King of England, but just a so-called Lord Protector. Once he gets old and sick, or even dies in a few years, the power he controls will inevitably collapse. Although I am in exile overseas, there are many nobles and citizens in the country who recognize my identity. Many people also hope that I can return to the country to serve as king, but they cannot do so because of Cromwell. As long as he dies, with your help, it is very likely that I will ascend the throne when I return to England. If your Majesty allows me to ascend the throne, Britain and Ming will be allies in the future. I will swear on the honor of my ancestors and the king that I will maintain the friendship between the two sides and abide by the covenant in this life!"

Hearing what Charles II said, Zhu Shenzhui couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. It must be said that Charles II showed great sincerity. Although he couldn't produce anything practical for the time being, his status showed enough attitude to make this promise.

Although Britain is not a real power now, its potential as a maritime country is huge. Zhu Shenzhui knows better than anyone that Britain will be a powerful empire in the future, and it is a good thing for Ming Dynasty to be able to become an ally with such a country.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty is in the East and Britain is in the West. The two sides have no actual interest disputes, let alone any contradictions. It is not a bad idea for the two sides to work together. Even if the Ming Dynasty conducts foreign embassies and immigration in the New World in the future, it will only be in the western part of the New World. This area is not yet involved in the European countries. Britain and France each occupy a piece of territory in the east. The two sides may go to war over colonies in the future. If this war breaks out in the future, the Ming Dynasty can intervene in the war as an ally of Britain, and may even get some benefits.

Furthermore, China's diplomatic strategy in history has always been "making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones". This has been the national policy of various countries since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and it has also been the case in the course of historical evolution. For example, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent envoys to the Western Regions to win over the Western Yuezhi Kingdom to form an alliance and send troops together. For example, the policies of the Northern Song Dynasty allying with the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty allying with the Mongols to destroy the Jin Dynasty were all based on this. It was just that the Song Dynasty was not up to the task, overestimated its own strength, and was seen as weak in the war, which led to the demise of the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties.

"How long do you plan to stay in Ming Dynasty, and when do you plan to return to Europe?" Zhu Shenzhui did not directly agree to the other party's request, but asked this question instead.

Charles II thought for a moment and said to Zhu Shenzhui, "One to two years, no longer than two years. According to my judgment, Cromwell will be fine in the next two or three years, but I cannot guarantee that it will be the same after a long time. In addition, I will set off to Europe within two years, considering the time it takes to return to Europe." Charles II nodded slightly. His consideration was not bad, but he could not be sure that there would be no accidents. But no one could tell what the accidents would be. Judging from the current situation, Charles II's idea was still very reliable.

"Then, Your Highness, what do you plan to do in Ming Dynasty? You can't just keep waiting like this, right?"

"This..." Charles II hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Ming Dynasty is the most powerful country in the world. Its national strength, economy, politics and military power are all very impressive. As the future King of England, I would like to ask your Majesty for something, and I hope you can agree to it."

Zhu Shenzhui asked with a smile what was the matter. If one was only considering life in the Ming Dynasty, there was no need to worry. After all, the other party was the King of England, and as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he would definitely treat him with courtesy. Whether it was accommodation or daily expenses, these were all trivial matters. He would guarantee the daily needs of Charles II and his wife from the Ministry of Internal Affairs according to the salary of the vassal king.

Upon hearing this, Charles II first expressed his gratitude, and then said: "Your Majesty's virtues are admirable, but this is not what I ask for."

"Oh, what is that?"

"Your Majesty, I hope you can allow me to systematically study the political structure of the Ming Dynasty and read books about the Ming Dynasty, including knowledge on politics, military affairs, and philosophy. In addition, if Your Majesty allows, I also hope to gain a deeper understanding of the operations of the Ming Dynasty's army. If Your Majesty can agree to this, I will be very grateful!"

Zhu Shenzhui did not expect Charles II to make such a condition, and was stunned. After thinking for a while, he asked him why he wanted to learn these things? After all, many things in the Ming Dynasty were based on the Chinese history and political system of thousands of years, and the West has its own history, which is completely different from the East. Is it meaningful for him, a British king, to learn these things?
But Charles II insisted. He told Zhu Shenzhui that he had actually had this idea when he decided to come to the Ming Dynasty. This belief was strengthened especially after he learned about the Ming Dynasty's political system and philosophy from Wang Fuzhi and others.

In his view, the Western political system had great flaws, especially the excessive power of religion and the deep-rooted influence of the aristocracy. Although the king was a monarch, he did not actually have much real power.

The fundamental reason why his father, Charles I, dissolved Parliament and caused two civil wars was because of religion and royal power. Charles I intended to use coercion to solve the practical problems of religion and royal power in the country, but unfortunately he failed. His failure also made the young Charles II clearly see the serious problems in the structure of the British political system and was deeply worried about it.

Even if he really returns to Britain in the future and officially ascends the throne of the British king, if these basic problems are not solved, then what is the difference between him and the previous kings? The king is still just a decoration, the royal power is not guaranteed at all, and the religious and aristocratic classes with great power are strong enough to compete with the king. What is the point of such a king?

On the contrary, the Ming Dynasty was different. As the most powerful country in the world, the centralized system of the Ming Dynasty fascinated Charles II, and today's audience made him realize the supremacy of the emperor as a symbol of the country. In addition, the civil service class of the Ming Dynasty, including the civil service promotion system, was a new political structure that European countries had never had before, which completely broke the status quo of the aristocracy monopolizing political power and class status.

Using the civil service system to weaken the aristocracy system, while the two sides check and balance each other, and then using the cabinet system as the highest administrative structure for the royal power to manage the country. In addition, a series of effective political systems are established. This is the best form of country that Charles II imagined.

After listening to Charles II's explanation, Zhu Shenzui was really at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Because not long ago, Zhu Shenzui was still considering how to imitate the Western system to change the political system of the Ming Dynasty, so as to gradually transform the Ming Dynasty from its original highly centralized system to a constitutional monarchy, and ultimately ensure the future existence and development of the Ming Dynasty.

But no one expected that when Zhu Shenzui was thinking this, the King of England, the founder of constitutional monarchy in history, actually thought that the Ming Dynasty's system was the best. Instead, he strongly advocated learning advanced political systems from the Ming Dynasty. Isn't this the most ridiculous thing?
But on second thought, this is not a bad thing. If Charles II wants to learn, let him learn. As for how he goes about changing the British political system after he returns, that is his own business. If this guy can learn something from it, or create a better way, it will be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)