The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 298: If we can’t defeat the Ming Dynasty, we can defeat the Europeans
After hearing what British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger said, the Spanish envoy could not help but chase back to remind and persuade:
“The affairs of Gibraltar and Malta can be considered as internal affairs of Europe.

"We can put this issue aside for now and discuss it after we defeat the Ming Dynasty."

But Pete just shook his head and said:

“The key issue is that even if we unite, we still have no chance of defeating the Ming Dynasty.

“The British now dare not fight the Ming Dynasty because British politicians and businessmen know the Ming Dynasty better.

"We understand better than any other country on the European continent how powerful the Ming Dynasty is.

"How much steel did you produce in Spain last year? Was it 100,000 tons?"

The Spanish envoy hesitated for a few seconds:
"more or less."

Peter continued in a cold tone:

"France should produce twice as much steel as you do.

"The rest of Austria, Prussia, and Russia should be between your two countries.

“The UK produced just over three hundred thousand tonnes of steel last year.

“It is expected to grow to 500,000 tons within ten years and to 1 million tons within twenty years.”

Due to the leading effect of the Ming Dynasty, the speed of Britain's industrial revolution accelerated significantly, and the rate of increase in steel production far exceeded the same period in history.

It was also because Britain's Industrial Revolution began to gain momentum that the British recognized the tremendous power of industrial development in advance from the changes in the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, the British at this time knew the power of the Ming Dynasty better than any other European country, and were more afraid of the Ming Dynasty's existence.

The Spanish envoy was visibly surprised:
"Three hundred thousand tons? To one million in twenty years? How is this possible...

"Why does Britain need so much steel..."

Peter explained without any expression:
"We will build battleships, battleships of pure steel, and we will lay railroads, roads of steel.

“It will be used to produce more artillery, vehicles, guns and ammunition. There are too many places where steel is used.

"But guess what the current steel production of Ming Dynasty is?"

The Spanish envoy said tentatively:
"Three hundred thousand tons? Or five hundred thousand tons? It should be more than Britain, right?"

Pete shook his head.
"Guess again."

The Spanish envoy said somewhat uncertainly:

"Could it be possible that the Ming Dynasty could now... produce one million tons of steel?"

Pete still shook his head:

“More than that.”

The Spanish envoy opened his mouth and widened his eyes and said:
"No...it can't be two million, right? Or one and a half million tons?"

Peter took a sip of tea, sighed and said:
"Our British merchants and envoys have roughly inspected the number and scale of Ming Dynasty's blast furnaces.

“Based on comprehensive judgment, the current annual steel production of Ming Dynasty should be between 10 and 20 million tons.

“And with new blast furnaces still being built continuously, steel production will continue to grow over the next few decades.

"All their warships are now made of steel, and they are building railways all over the country.

"You should know that the territory of the Ming Dynasty is larger than the entire Europe, and the population of the Ming Dynasty is twice that of the entire Europe.

“The Ming Dynasty was able to organize millions of troops and provide all of them with Australian repeating rifles, a new type of rifle that was beyond the reach of the Europeans.

"So think about it carefully, what can Europeans do to fight against such a superpower?
“How can we convince politicians and businessmen at home to use a few small islands in the UK to challenge such a Leviathan?”

The Spanish envoy was stunned:

"Twenty million tons of steel? Millions of troops? Is this... is this data really reliable? Does it really make sense?"

Peter smiled immediately:

“This kind of data is really meaningless because we can’t compare them anyway.

"The total steel production of Europe is less than one-tenth of that of the Ming Dynasty, and the total military strength of Europe is barely equal to that of the Ming Dynasty.

"The power of European countries is not even on the same order of magnitude as that of the Ming Dynasty.

"I say this to make you understand that it is impossible for Britain to join you in fighting against the Ming Dynasty."

The Spanish envoy was stunned and dazed, but he couldn't help but wonder:
"Then why did Prime Minister say that you were willing to unite Europe to fight against the Ming Dynasty?

"Under this situation, even if we unite, we will not be able to defeat the Ming Dynasty."

Pete sighed:
"Because Britain knew why the Ming Dynasty was so powerful, Britain was also on a similar path, and Britain's steam engine, railway, and steel industries were all developing rapidly.

“But Britain’s population and resources are limited. Even if it has the same technology as Ming, it will be crushed by Ming, which is ten times larger.

"Only if the whole of Europe unites around Britain and takes the same path as Britain will there be a chance to confront the Ming Dynasty.

"At the very least, it can make the Ming Dynasty not dare to underestimate it and make the Ming Dynasty maintain basic respect for Europe.

"But do you think that France, Austria, Prussia, Russia, you Spain, and the states of Italy and Germany can accept British leadership?"

The Spanish envoy said subconsciously:

"This is obviously impossible. Other countries cannot be inferior to the UK, and other people will not have the same understanding as the British."

Pete waved his hand directly:

"So you guys go back and do what you need to do in Spain. As the saying goes in the Ming Dynasty, 'Do your best and leave the rest to fate.'"

The Spanish envoy finally had nothing to say and had to say goodbye to Pitt and leave with regret, astonishment and panic.

William Pitt sighed as he looked at the Spaniard's back:
"If the Ming Dynasty sent its main fleet to London, British politicians and businessmen might surrender faster than Portugal.

"In order to avoid this, what I can do now is to quickly set up an anti-French alliance so that Ming and Britain are actually in the same camp.

"As long as the people of the Ming Dynasty have the most basic caution, they should not take action against Britain during their cooperation with Britain."

After muttering and thinking for a while, Pitt went to pay a visit to King George III of England.

After Peter saluted, he directly explained his purpose:
“Your Majesty, since Ming has declared war on Spain, we should now formally declare war on France and Spain and formally refuse to hand over Gibraltar and Malta.

"At the same time, we should immediately contact Austria, Prussia, and Russia to organize an anti-French alliance again. It would be best to try to bring Ming Dynasty in as well."

At this time, the power of the British king was the lowest among all European countries.

But this was the early nineteenth century after all, and the authority of the British king was much stronger than in the twentieth century, especially George III, who could even appoint the prime minister alone.

Historically, William Pitt the Younger was able to become prime minister at the age of 24 because George III forcibly appointed him after he confronted various factions in Parliament.

Pitt the Younger was indeed extremely capable. After becoming Prime Minister, he dissolved Parliament and held new elections, and then controlled Parliament through a series of means.

It was the strength of William Pitt the Younger that helped him take back more power from George III.

Especially after George III turned fifty, his health deteriorated, and his ability to control the cabinet and parliament declined year by year.

But no matter what, such a major event as declaring war must be known and announced by the king.

King George III of England sat in a chair and asked after listening to Pitt's report:
"Is Ming joining the war good news? Will Austria, Prussia, and especially Russia join the anti-French alliance?"

Pete explained very seriously:
“Habsburg Austria wanted to take back Tuscany, wanted to take over northern Italy.

"At the same time, neither the Habsburgs nor Prussia wanted the German and Italian states to be completely controlled by France.

“Russia, the Habsburgs, and Prussia did not want France to become the hegemon of the European continent and completely overturn the order of strong and weak countries on the European continent.

“They were unable to win on the battlefield, so they had to retreat temporarily to avoid greater losses.

"Now that the Ming Dynasty has joined the war, it has given them the courage to continue the war.

"If Ming can provide real help, they should be happy to unite again to strangle France."

George III thought about it and signed the document prepared by Pitt, but at the same time reminded:

"So before contacting the Habsburgs, Prussia, and Russia, we must first confirm the attitude of the Ming Dynasty."

Peter immediately touched his chest and bowed:

"Your will, Your Majesty."

Pitt left with the document signed by George III and returned to the cabinet to arrange the next plan.

He organized and mobilized naval and land forces to prepare for war, and at the same time asked his cousin Grenville to visit the main officials and generals of the Ming Dynasty in Europe.

At the same time, French Foreign Minister Talleyrand secretly rushed to Antwerp in Belgium to meet with the newly appointed European Governor Wang Tingzhen. In the backyard of the Governor's Office, Talleyrand bowed very solemnly and even respectfully, and greeted him directly in the elegant language of the Ming Dynasty:
"Talleyrand, the envoy of a small country, greets His Excellency the Governor."

The Ming people never stopped disliking Europeans, but it was only slightly reduced after the Chongzhen period that they began to barely regard them as human beings.

But after the Tiangong Year, the Ming Dynasty's development and foreign wars had created a strong sense of self-confidence, and the disgust towards overseas barbarians became stronger again.

Wang Tingzhen, who came from the Ming Dynasty, was unwilling to give these overseas barbarians a good face when he saw them.

Although the other party's identity seems to be equivalent to that of a French grand scholar.

However, Wang Tingzhen did not even make a formal return gift. He just sat down and asked the other party's purpose, but he prepared a seat for Talleyrand.

Talleyrand was busy with business, and didn't mind the etiquette issue at the moment. He sat down and explained:

"France and the Ming Dynasty have never had any conflicts, nor any conflicts of interest, so France does not want to fight with the Ming Dynasty.

“But Spain is France’s ally, so France had to declare war on Ming, but France did not want to actually fight Ming.

"If the Ming army does not land directly on the Spanish mainland, the French army will not have any conflict with the Ming army."

After a little thought, Wang Tingzhen understood the other party's purpose. They did not dare to fight against the Ming Dynasty, but also did not want to lose face in the European circle.

If you want Ming to cooperate, you must come up with conditions. Otherwise, why would Ming cooperate?

"The Ming Dynasty just had a fight with you France a few years ago. Now you France are still occupying Jamaica and Puerto Rico from Spain. You need to hand over these two places."

Talleyrand was also a smart man and immediately understood what Wang Tingzhen meant.

What do you mean there have never been conflicts? Didn't we just fight a few years ago? Have you all forgotten?

At the same time, Talleyrand was also surprised, because what Wang Tingzhen expressed was that he could cooperate and temporarily not fight with France.

At present, the prerequisite is that France agrees to Wang Tingzhen’s conditions.

Talleyrand immediately said with a bitter face:

"If Jamaica and Puerto Rico are ceded directly, public opinion in France will inevitably surge, which will force France to fight the Ming Dynasty again."

Wang Tingzhen heard that Talleyrand was still bargaining, so he pointed out another benefit to him:
"The Ming Dynasty can support Austria and other European countries in declaring war on France."

Talleyrand was obviously stunned. Was this a threat?
No, it was even a condition, a condition for resolving the deal between Puerto Rico and Jamaica.

If the war between Austria and other countries and France breaks out again, Napoleon can attack Austria and other European countries again.

Napoleon felt that France could not defeat the Ming Dynasty, but could definitely defeat Austria and other European countries.

They could use the excuse of tying up their forces in the war with European countries to declare to the public that they had to temporarily give up Jamaica and Puerto Rico.

This suppressed and concealed the public opinion that France had actually ceded two colonies.

Talleyrand thought about it and thought that he could accept this arrangement, but he also continued to try to fight for it and give up one less colony:

"We should at least keep a colony to appease the emotions of the French people..."

Wang Tingzhen said very firmly:
"Once you declare war on Ming, Ming will immediately send troops to seize these two islands. We have already mobilized 200,000 troops on the North American continent.

"At the same time, we will launch an attack from Taranto and Hadron to seize land in the Italian peninsula and German regions."

Wang Tingzhen’s meaning is very simple. If you don’t accept it, then we will really fight. The Ming Dynasty’s conditions are non-negotiable.

Talleyrand had to accept the reality:
"Please don't be angry, we can accept your will..."

So Wang Tingzhen and Talleyrand signed a secret memorandum.

France gave up Jamaica and Puerto Rico, and the Ming Dynasty would not participate in the war on the European continent until it had resolved the Spanish colonies.

However, the Ming Dynasty would support Austria and other countries in participating in the war against France.

Talleyrand took the memorandum and left, returning to "report the good news" to Napoleon.

After saying the response he got, he handed over the signed secret and concluded:
"Your Excellency, the Ming Dynasty does not seem to have strong hostility towards France. We should be able to compromise and coexist in the future.

"But the premise is that France cannot interfere in the affairs of the New World and limits its influence to the European continent."

Napoleon was slightly relieved after hearing this:
"The biggest reason why the Ming Dynasty was so powerful was its large population, and its biggest problem was also that it had too many people.

“So they have been trying to seize desolate lands overseas and export immigrants, but they are not very interested in places with large populations.

"Population is wealth and power for European countries, but it is also a huge burden for Ming Dynasty."

Napoleon sighed a few words and then ordered an immediate declaration of war on the Ming Dynasty.

At the same time, he must promulgate the Civil Code, which he participated in drafting, as soon as possible, and immediately begin preparing for his coronation ceremony.

As a commoner, directly crowning himself emperor might anger the monarchs of European countries and make them actively participate in the war against France again.

Not long after, British diplomatic envoy Grenville also arrived in Antwerp and paid a more formal visit to Wang Tingzhen, the Ming Dynasty's European Governor.

Wang Tingzhen received Grenville in the same way he received Talleyrand.

Grenville also bowed very respectfully and greeted Wang Tingzhen directly in the elegant language of the Great Ming Dynasty.

In this era, a diplomat who cannot speak the elegant language of the Ming Dynasty is considered incompetent.

After saying hello, Grenville sat down on the chair brought by the servant:

"Your Excellency the Governor, His Majesty the King of England and Your Excellency the Prime Minister, are very pleased that the Ming Dynasty can participate in the war against France.

"Britain hopes that Ming can preside over the establishment of a formal anti-French alliance.

"France today has undermined the overall order in Europe, and Britain and other European countries cannot tolerate France today.

"Now we just need the Ming Dynasty to make a call, and Britain and other European countries will surely respond."

Most of the high-ranking officials in the Ming Dynasty court now understand Zhu Jianxuan’s current diplomatic attitude, which is to restore the traditional vassal and tribute system.

This is also a system generally recognized by traditional officials of the Ming Dynasty.

Based on such a system and ideas, Wang Tingzhen was not enthusiastic about Grenville's suggestions.

However, he had previously discussed cooperation with France and was willing to actively support European countries in fighting France again, so he could not completely refuse now.

At least we need to come up with something to encourage them. It just so happens that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty also said that he would support European countries:

"The Ming Dynasty will not cooperate with you European countries in the form of an alliance.

“Unless you all pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, you should at least pay tribute in name only, and regard the Ming Emperor as your sovereign, but you will not bear any actual obligations other than etiquette.

"Otherwise, the Ming Dynasty will at most provide some assistance, but we will fight each other on the battlefield and will not sign an alliance with you."

Grenville was obviously stunned, feeling a little disappointed, but also a little surprised.

If Ming Dynasty participated in the anti-French alliance, it would definitely be the leader of the alliance, and other countries would only be its younger brothers.

But if the Ming Dynasty does not participate, then Britain will have the opportunity to become the leader of the alliance.

Then, as the leader of the anti-French alliance, he carried out another form of cooperation with the Ming Dynasty to jointly suppress and destroy the crazy French.

Even more, this communication channel with the Ming Dynasty could be used to enhance Britain's voice in the anti-French alliance.

Grenville said immediately:
“It’s a pity that Ming cannot participate, but as long as Ming is willing to jointly deal with the lunatics in France, we are de facto allies.

"Britain and Ming Dynasty maintain informal communication, but there is no need to sign a formal treaty. Do you think this approach is correct?"

Wang Tingzhen thought about it for a moment:
"I will ask the Honglu Temple for instructions. It should be feasible. Do you have anything else to say?"

Grenville was delighted:

"Then, what exactly is the support you mentioned?"

Wang Tingzhen said:

"The Ming Dynasty can provide some picric acid and percussion caps. You need to exchange them with gold or land. With these equipment, you should be able to fight against the French army."

Grenville was overjoyed:

"Thank you for the generosity and kindness of the Ming Dynasty. I...we will leave a team of diplomats in Antwerp to maintain communication with the Ming Dynasty and coordinate subsequent transactions. How about that?"

Wang Tingzhen doesn't care:
"Okay, let the people below discuss the details."

Grenville felt that Wang Tingzhen was a little impatient, so he quickly took his leave and left the reception room.

As agreed, Grenville left behind several diplomats to maintain communication with officials from the European Provincial Council and prepare for subsequent transactions.

Grenville then immediately went back to report his major achievements to his cousin, the Prime Minister.

(End of this chapter)