The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 274 The War Between the American Lineage and France Begins

After Zhu Jianxuan expressed his disgust for black slaves, he announced the end of the formal meeting and held a banquet in the palace in the evening.

Then Zhu Jianxuan ordered to prepare to return.

In Zhu Jianxuan's view, after stabilizing the situation in Haiti, there will be no major troubles in America in the next few years.

The French Revolution had been brewing for nearly three years, and it was almost time for it to break out.

The European nobles did not say anything about Zhu Jianxuan's plan to leave. They knew that Zhu Jianxuan would have to go back and wait for the throne sooner or later and it was impossible for him to stay in North America for a long time.

It was a good thing for them that the king was not always around.

However, officials of Ming descent such as Liu Quanzhi, Peng Yuanrui, Zhang Xu, Qin Nanxing, and Li Anbang, who were nominally officials of the American Garrison, had other ideas in their minds.

Zhu Jianxuan also knew what thoughts they were most likely thinking.

Someone has already tried it.

The officials of the Wu court were their subjects, and the officials of the American court were also their subjects.

However, he brought the Wu court to Beijing and established the Ming court.

The American court is still in North America.

Everything in the world is not the king's land, and the shores of the land are not the king's ministers.

We are all subjects of the king. You cannot promote only officials from Wu to the capital.

Do we also have a chance to go to Beijing?

Of course, they also knew that the American court and the Wu court were somewhat different after all.

The United States was nominally an independent country, and the main force in the Northern Expedition was the Wu court. American officials and soldiers did not participate at all.

That is why they are so nervous and worried about gains and losses.

If they were still vassal kings, they would not have any special thoughts, because their status had already reached the top.

But since he has become the crown prince and will become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty in the future, they will have the opportunity to continue to make progress.

Although they have a high status in North America, there are only a few million people in North America after all, which is less than the population of a province in the Ming Dynasty, and the tax revenue is also far behind.

Only by becoming a Grand Secretary or Privy Councilor of the Ming Dynasty can one participate in the decision-making of the world's top military and political affairs.

This kind of thinking is certainly good, and we should give it certain affirmation and encouragement.

American officials are indeed his own direct descendants.

So on the morning of the next day, Zhu Jianxuan summoned Liu Quanzhi and other major Ming-descended civil and military officials in North America to the Chengyun Hall of the Royal Palace.

After Zhu Jianxuan waited for them to pay their respects, he made very straightforward arrangements and instructions:

“I should have sent a notice to North America before.

"Within the Ming Dynasty's imperial system, the status of the future American imperial court can be roughly equivalent to the former Nanjing Garrison.

“The principal officials in the future will be stream officials.

“For example, everyone present here can continue to pass the selection and serve in the Ming Dynasty’s central court in the future.

“However, the standards for conferring American titles are different from those of the Wu Kingdom and the Ming Dynasty, so American titles are only fully effective in North America for the time being.

"In the Ming Dynasty, you will be treated two levels lower than the standard.

"When I returned this time, Liu Quanzhi and Li Anbang followed me back to Shuntian Prefecture and served as cabinet ministers and privy envoys.

“I will arrange for more officials to serve in North America in the future.

"Replace officials who have served in North America for a long time so that everyone can serve in the central court."

When Zhu Jianxuan's arrangement was announced, the officials present were overjoyed, especially Liu Quanzhi and Li Anbang.

According to traditional ideas, Liu Quanzhi was directly admitted into the cabinet.

The years in North America and the days running around Europe suddenly became extra worthwhile.

The Privy Councilor is a more important position than the Governor-General of the Military Governor's Office, and has the opportunity to directly participate in the military decision-making of the world.

Others are both envious and expectant, hoping that they can also wait for the successor to come and go directly to Beijing to perform their duties.

Everyone was stunned for half a second before they all bowed and accepted the order:

"I obey the order——"

Zhu Jianxuan arranged to appease the North American officials, and then ordered them again to prepare for their return voyage.

Zhu Jianxuan spent a year in New York and officially set off for home in early February of the 47th year of Xianning.

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean again and returning to the west coast of Europe, and preparing to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar and enter the Mediterranean Sea, a Spanish patrol fleet came to meet them.

He brought a request from Spanish Prime Minister Godoy and British Mediterranean Army Commander Hood, who wanted to visit the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Jianxuan had no reason to refuse. He wanted to see what the Spanish and British people wanted to say, so he replied and asked Godoy and Hood to go to Tunisia to see him.

Zhu Jianxuan then continued with the fleet and arrived in Tunisia first, where he first asked local officials about the current situation in Europe.

Upon learning that the Russians had invaded Poland again, Prussia and Austria, invited by Russia, also sent troops.

At the same time, the French began to carry out a comprehensive liquidation in the country, counting the land of traditional local nobles, unifying the classes and starting to collect taxes.

Although they have not been directly confiscated, the requirement that they accept unified management and pay taxes has once again caused the conflict between the revolutionary government and the traditional French aristocracy to erupt.

At the same time, the noble lands cleared by the French also included the lands of several small Holy Roman States in eastern France.

Although these lands were surrounded by the territory of the King of France, according to the traditional feudal logic of Europe, they still directly belonged to the corresponding Holy Roman lords.

There is no actual ownership relationship between these lands and the King of France.

However, in the eyes of the French revolutionary government, these lands were foreign-occupied lands within France and, like the Pope's lands, were to be directly reclaimed.

Faced with these "foreigners", the local revolutionary committees in France were even more simple and crude.

The stewards left by the lords were directly driven out of France and their lands were forcibly confiscated.

These small states were certainly no match for France, and they immediately went to the King of Prussia to complain.

Originally, the Ming Dynasty took away the brothers Louis and Joseph, the legitimate kings of France, and also stated that it did not have the energy to directly interfere in French affairs.

This led to a significant reduction in the enthusiasm of Prussia and Austria to interfere in French affairs, and they did not send troops to invade France as quickly as they had in history.

Later, due to the conflict between Russia and Poland, they prepared to turn their attention to the division of Poland.

After all, neither country believed that they could directly cede land from France, but it was possible to directly obtain land and population from Poland.

However, once the small state of Shinra filed a complaint, the two countries could no longer ignore it.

Prussia was the leader of the League of German Princes, and the Austrian Emperor was also the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

If Prussia ignores this matter and does not speak up for these small western states, the German state alliance led by Prussia may be on the verge of disintegration.

If Prussia intervened but Austria let it go completely, it would make the German Alliance more cohesive.

If Prussia does not intervene and Austria intervenes, it can weaken the cohesion of the German Confederation.

Moreover, the Austrian emperor had to rescue his sister and show a tough attitude towards France in order to ensure his sister's safety.

So Austria must also intervene in France's affairs.

So Prussia and Austria each sent an army across the western border of the Holy Roman Empire, invaded France, and joined forces with the Condé Corps organized by the old French aristocracy.

The Corps of Condé was led by Louis XVI's cousin, Prince of Condé. Its members included the two sons of Louis XVI's younger brother, as well as many of France's top young aristocrats, such as the Duke of Richelieu and the Duke of Blacas.

Prussia and Austria wanted to rule over those small Holy Roman states, not just take back their land.

They need to force the French authorities in Paris to abandon the changes.

So the armies of the two countries joined forces with the French royalists and headed straight for Paris, but they were blocked by the revolutionary French army in the Verdun area.

Although this was a marked departure from the course of events in history, the first major battle resulting from the French Revolution broke out in a similar location.

The Prussian army was a well-known powerful army in Europe during the Seven Years' War, but the volunteer army composed of French civilians took advantage of the terrain and weather factors and actually gained the upper hand.

The personnel of the Ming Dynasty's Western Factory did not know what exactly happened on the battlefield.

But judging by the results, it seems that the French won and the Prussian and Austrian armies retreated.

The French army pursued the Prussian and Austrian armies all the way to the Holy Roman Empire. However, according to post-war statistics, the total number of troops on both sides that could participate in the battle exceeded 70,000, but the direct casualties caused by this battle were only about a few hundred.

The personnel of the West Factory analyzed that it might be that Prussia and Austria discovered that they had no way to defeat the French army easily.

Or perhaps the size and fighting spirit of the French army far exceeded their expectations.

Officers from both countries believed that it was not worth going into a full-scale war with the French for a little land of a few small Holy Roman states, so they chose to retreat.

Although Zhu Jianxuan didn't know the situation at the scene, he could roughly guess it.

The nationalist thought that emerged from the French Enlightenment and the resulting characteristics of total war and civil war began to show their actual power.

France's current army has begun to be influenced by nationalist ideas.

Most ordinary citizens in France have begun to join the army on their own initiative and are no longer mercenaries.

The mental outlook of the French army should seem completely different from that of traditional armies built on violent training.

To the commander of a traditional army, the French on the opposite side might seem like lunatics.

This will make them instinctively feel fear and resistance.

After this war, the self-confidence of the French revolutionary government increased significantly, external interference in northeastern France was eliminated, and local transformation was thoroughly completed.

The old French aristocrats were terrified and, most importantly, had almost lost hope.

The Prussian and Austrian armies had been repelled. Who could eliminate these French rebels and save their own nobles?
As a result, the noble children who still had a certain degree of freedom in France began to flee to neighboring countries.

The most senior of them was probably the titular king chosen by the revolutionary government, the son of Louis Philippe Joseph, known in history as Louis Philippe I.

He is the crown prince of the present revolutionary government.

The escape of the Crown Prince and a large number of old aristocrats made the revolutionary government furious.

The revolutionary government began to manage the old nobility more strictly and began to execute more nobility for various reasons.

Some even suggested directly deposing the existing nominal king or even executing him.

In the original history, Louis XVI was officially decided to be executed in a similar atmosphere.

The Louis XVI of this world was assassinated at the very beginning of the revolution.

Philippe, who has disintegrated the identity of Louis XVI, may have to fulfill Louis XVI's mission in this world - to be executed as a king.

However, the revolutionary government of this world did not make a decision immediately, but instead focused on dealing with the war in the south.

The royalists gathered in the south and invited Britain, Spain, and the Kingdom of Sardinia to intervene in the French Revolution.

The armies from all sides gathered at the port of Toulon and began to attack from this center.

The French revolutionary government dispatched a large number of new troops in succession, preparing to completely destroy the intervention forces from southern countries gathered in Toulon.

At the end of 1792, it officially declared war on Britain, Spain and the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Captain Napoleon Bonaparte of the artillery was also transferred to Toulon to prepare to participate in the battle against the Toulon States.

As long as these armies are defeated, France will be able to basically get rid of external interference.

Now a large number of troops from all sides have gathered in Toulon, and a large-scale battle may break out at any time.

After listening to the report, Zhu Jianxuan recalled what he had learned in his previous life and felt that this matter was somewhat specious.

Due to the influence of natural environment and political foundation, some things are almost inevitable.

For example, the French revolutionary government confiscated the land of the Holy Roman Empire, and Prussia acted as the Holy Roman Empire and sent troops through Verdun on the way to Paris.

For example, if Britain and Spain join forces to send an intervention army to France by sea, it would be appropriate for them to gather around Toulon in the south.

Zhu Jianxuan had roughly guessed that the Spanish and British came to visit him most likely to invite the Ming Dynasty to go to the Toulon port area to interfere in the French Revolution.

After Zhu Jianxuan rested in Tunisia for two days, the new Spanish Prime Minister Godoy and the British Mediterranean Army Commander-in-Chief Hood rushed to Tunisia anxiously.

Zhu Jianxuan did not meet the two people in person, but asked Fei Chun and Liu Quanzhi to receive them together.

After the two sides exchanged greetings, Godoy, as a representative, explained the purpose of their visit.

Zhu Jianxuan actually guessed correctly. Their two countries invited the Ming Dynasty to arrange troops to go to Toulon Port.

But Godoy's invitation was a little tricky:
"My two ministers, France officially declared war on Spain at the end of last year.

"According to the Treaty of Friendship and Alliance between Ming and Spain, Ming should immediately declare war on France and join the war."

Fei Chun and the other man glanced at Godoy. This guy is probably only in his twenties now.

However, he has already relied on the favor of the new king and queen of Spain to squeeze out the old Spanish Prime Minister Redondo.

He was the one who negotiated the California deal at the time.

Liu Quanzhi waved his hand disapprovingly and said:
“The Treaty of Friendship and Alliance between Ming and Spain is a mutual defense treaty.

“If one of the contracting parties is attacked by a third country, the other party is obliged to directly participate in the war and jointly resist the attack of the third country with the contracting party.

"But the battlefield is not in Spain.

“As far as I know, Spain took the initiative to enter French territory and occupied French land and cities.

“This was a war initiated by Spain.

"Under these circumstances, the Ming Dynasty has no obligation to assist Spain in the war."

Godoy was a little confused when he found out that Liu Quan was trying to evade the request, so he immediately continued to remind him:
"My two ministers, it is said that the Ming Dynasty has already been at war with France in Haiti."

Liu Quanzhi explained casually:
"We were invited by the local people of Haiti to help them suppress the local slave rebellion.

"Those rebels are also enemies of France. We are not fighting the French army."

Godoy was choked. What Zhu Jianxuan said seemed to be right. It was indeed the French rebels that the Ming Dynasty eliminated.

But this logic is wrong. Why did the Ming Dynasty not pay attention to French affairs? It was obviously a very important matter!

Godoy said loudly with great sorrow:
"My two ministers, the French are subverting the basic order of the world.

“They want to establish a government composed entirely of civilians, and they are slaughtering traditional nobles and plundering the assets of the nobility and the church.

“They imprisoned the king they had chosen, they abandoned their legitimate king.

“They changed the old traditions associated with the Ming Dynasty and in its favor.

“In order to protect the interests of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty should also send troops to control the situation in France.

"Join us and restore France to the state it was before the turmoil!"

Liu Quanzhi and Fei Chun looked at each other, and then Fei Chun said without comment:

“It’s no big deal, isn’t it? It’s just a coup d’état on a larger scale.

"Before they send troops to provoke us directly, shouldn't we just wait and see what happens?"

The nature of the Shenzhou Empire's court is actually very different from the traditional monarchical courts of European countries.

Most other European countries still had aristocratic courts, and most court officials were selected directly from the nobility.

Decisions on major national affairs are basically made by the main nobles and have little to do with the common people.

The organizational form of the Ming Dynasty court is really a bit like what Charles Martin said, very similar to the government after the French Revolution.

The principal officials were all civilians, chosen only by examination, whereas France intended to use elections.

It was considered very normal for Ming officials to kill nobles and deprive the church and nobles of their assets after the civilians rebelled.

No matter if they are rebels or powerful officials, aren't they going to do this kind of thing after a successful rebellion?

What seemed like an incredible change to European officials was considered routine operation by traditional Ming bureaucrats.

Whether it was the riots of the people in the capital, the local rebellion of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, the religious Yellow Turban Army, or even the "abdication" of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, or the seizure of power by military generals in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, there are historical experiences there.

The French Revolution did not have much impact on Ming officials.

Even if Zhu Jianxuan was prepared to cooperate with the revolutionary French government, it would not have any special impact on the cognition of Ming officials.

It's just the feeling that "Brissot, Robespierre and Napoleon are on the throne of France."

(End of this chapter)