The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 805 Who is Your Motherland?

The salty, damp sea breeze of the Mediterranean blows through Alexandria.

While the soldiers of the expeditionary force were still reveling in the success of the first Battle of Aboukir and chatting about Murat's capture of the Ottoman commander Pasha Mustafa, the commander-in-chief of the army, Napoleon Bonaparte, had already personally arrived in disguise.

"General Smith asked me to tell Mr. Denon that the Second Coalition against France had been formed and launched an attack on France last year."

To date, France has suffered major setbacks in northern Italy, the Rhineland, Switzerland, and other places, and the Directory is no longer able to provide you with even a single warship.

Without a miracle, General Bonaparte's adventurous expedition was destined to fail.

Inside a run-down fabric shop, Dominic Vivan Denon, an archaeologist who had come to Egypt with the army, was talking to a Maltese man with black hair and black eyes.

This Maltese were laborers captured by Napoleon after he conquered Malta and plundered the island's rulers, the Knights Hospitaller, and took them to Egypt.

This laborer was likely captured by the English in a battle and subsequently became their mouthpiece.

The general he was referring to was none other than Rear Admiral Sydney Smith of the English Navy, who was ordered to support the Ottoman army's operations south and east of the Mediterranean.

Denon remained calm after hearing this. As a scholar, even when facing the corrupt Ottoman Caliph, he would not become a prisoner of war, or at least not be imprisoned for a long time. He would be released once his identity was confirmed.

Perhaps this is the treatment that top European scholars have fought for after decades of Enlightenment thought.

"It sounds like General Smith wants me to relay a message. So what does he want me to convey, and what does he want in return?"

"Due to the Ottoman army's crushing defeat, General Smith will soon have to change the focus of the operation from assisting the Ottoman Empire in transporting its army to Egypt to strictly control the Mediterranean Sea to prevent any supply ships from reaching Egypt from mainland France."

This transition cannot be achieved immediately; it takes approximately seven to ten days to adjust.

After the Maltese porter finished speaking these seemingly nonsensical words, he stopped, because that was all General Smith had asked him to convey; nothing more.

Denon didn't quite understand either, but he knew he had accomplished his mission.

Because the two servants at the door, dressed in Arab robes, were Napoleon Bonaparte himself and Louis-Charles Antoine de Saïd, one of Napoleon's confidants.

“Sydney Smith is implying that if I want to return to France, I have seven to ten days to act, after which he will impose a strict blockade on the coast.” Napoleon immediately guessed what Rear Admiral Sydney Smith, the English naval commander, meant.

Although the French navy in the Mediterranean was basically wiped out, it did not mean that the French had no ships. In fact, they even survived three or four steam-powered fast cruisers with more than a dozen guns.

At that time, there was no positioning system, and even the nautical charts were still somewhat crude. As long as they could break out of the port and enter the Mediterranean, it would be very difficult for the English navy to intercept them, let alone search for them.

Therefore, as long as they can leave port, there is a very high probability that they will be able to return to France, not to mention that Sydney Smith has already hinted that he will loosen restrictions.

"Would this damn 'Li Gou Dan' really be so kind? Could he be trying to lure us out to sea?" Desai asked uncertainly.

"No, because once we're out at sea, he won't be able to find us. If there's an interception outside the port, we can come back anytime."

Napoleon answered firmly, then sighed, "This is all thanks to the bravery of our soldiers who won us this chance to survive!"

Napoleon had fully understood why the British general Sydney Smith had done this.

For England, the most important thing was to maintain smooth communication with India and ensure England's stable rule in India, so naturally, it was necessary to deal with the French expeditionary force in Egypt as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, this path is no longer viable, because England itself only has a small army of tens of thousands of men. They dare not even send them to the European battlefield, let alone to Egypt.

Therefore, after the Ottomans' humiliating defeat, the English were no longer able to drive out the French expeditionary force in Egypt.

And it's not just that we're powerless to drive them away now, but we may also be powerless to drive them away for many years to come.

There are a full 40,000 elite troops here. To fight them, England would have to mobilize its entire army. Even if you put a knife to the necks of George III and William the Younger, they probably wouldn't dare to make such a decision.

When this enormous problem was presented to British commander Sydney Smith, this general, who was insightful about people's hearts and liked to spread rumors and sow discord to break down the enemy's psychological defenses, chose the method he was best at.

Come to cheat! Come to sneak attack!

He wanted to lure Napoleon Bonaparte, the soul of the French expeditionary force, out of Egypt and back to France to fight for power and profit.

Then, the expeditionary force, leaderless and feeling abandoned, was easier to deal with.

Even if we can't defeat them immediately, they will lose their offensive capabilities and won't pose much of a threat to the Suez Canal's transshipment industry or even British India.

If someone with a straightforward personality were here, they would definitely advise Napoleon to persevere. After all, the commander-in-chief abandoned tens of thousands of soldiers who followed him and fled, and this operation was planned by him, which was really too tasteless.

But Louis Desai wouldn't say that; he's the most flexible of all.

He was an officer of noble birth who had escaped the French Revolution by betraying his class, and who had recently struggled to rise again. He wouldn't try to dissuade Napoleon when he realized that Napoleon had already made up his mind to sneak back to France.

Of course, we can also put it more nicely: Louis de Saï was a true revolutionary who chose to join the revolution as an aristocrat out of sympathy for the lower and middle classes.

After experiencing a series of revolutionary upheavals, he now regarded Napoleon Bonaparte as the savior of the French Revolution and the French Republic.

Therefore, he supported Napoleon's return to a precarious France to salvage the situation.

Moreover, this was not impossible, because at that time, many people in France already regarded Napoleon as the savior of the Republic.

This is also the basis for Napoleon's rapid rise to power and his subsequent conquest of the country after returning home, relying solely on simple propaganda.

There must be someone to shoulder the responsibility of leading France, ending the chaos and spreading revolution and republicanism to the European continent. This was the sentiment of many revolutionaries from the lower and middle classes in France.

1799 October.

Having secured a window of opportunity from England, Napoleon Bonaparte, accompanied by several hundred close associates, departed Egypt aboard four steam-powered fast frigates.

He left in a great hurry because even if the British general Sydney Smith were willing to let him go, it would be impossible to arrange it openly. Napoleon only had a few days to use.

In order to prevent the Egyptian expeditionary force from collapsing immediately, Napoleon did not even inform his deputy, General Jean-Claude, and fled with only his confidants.

By the time Jean Kleber, the governor of Alexandria, found out, Napoleon and his entourage had already passed through Malta.

The unfortunate general, who was not one of Napoleon's confidants, was so shocked and furious that he almost spat out blood. He cursed Napoleon in Alexandria, calling him an Egyptian deserter, but it was all in vain. Jean Kleber could only do his best to calm the army down.

Meanwhile, the British general Sydney Smith, who knew that Napoleon had escaped, was overjoyed. He had indeed actively sought to help Napoleon escape.

Because after Napoleon fled, he could claim the great victory of annihilating the French expeditionary force in Egypt.

This guy doesn't know what kind of being he let go until years later, when he'll regret it and want to commit suicide.

Just as Napoleon was fleeing Egypt back to his homeland, another dramatic change occurred on the European battlefield. Prince André Masséna, whom Napoleon called a darling of victory, was truly remarkable.

Despite the French army being completely on the defensive, he miraculously turned the tide in Switzerland.

At this time, Archduke Karl of Austria, who had won the first Battle of Zurich, had led his main force to the Rhineland.

The main force of the anti-French coalition that remained in Switzerland consisted of 20,000 men under the command of the Swiss Baron Hozewski and 30,000 Russian troops under the command of the Russian General Korsakov.

The plan of the anti-French coalition was to have the renowned Russian general Suvorov, who was in Italy, come to Switzerland to take charge of the overall situation, while Archduke Charles would lead the main Austrian army to find opportunities to control the Rhineland and the Ardennes, and even take back Belgium, thus opening up a route to receive aid from England via the Atlantic.

Andrei Massena quickly seized the brief opportunity presented by Archduke Karl's departure and Suvorov's absence.

He took advantage of the fact that the Austrian army was a small, weak force and that the Russian army was complacent and leaderless due to General Suvorov's victory, and decisively launched the Second Battle of Zurich.

During the battle, the French army won a series of victories, killing the Austrian commander Baron Hozewyn and severely damaging the Russian army, forcing Korsakov to abandon his position and withdraw from Zurich.

This put the 5,000 most elite Russian troops on a disastrous return journey to Suvorov. The most powerful general of the Tsarist Rus' Empire had no choice but to lead 5,000 men across the Alps to face the French army's encirclement and pursuit at various passes.

Along the way, the Russian army lost all its mules, horses, and artillery. The soldiers could only survive on tree bark and grass roots, and they used their belts to tie planks together to repair bridges. They fought desperately to finally escape.

In this battle, the Russian army, which was equivalent to the Imperial Guards of the Great Yu Dynasty, lost more than 3,000 men. Only thanks to Suvorov's superb command ability was more than 1,000 of the most elite troops saved.

The heavy losses almost caused the Russian army to lose its fighting will and desire in the Second Coalition against France.

. . . .

Outside Hampton Court Palace, Richmond, England.

A maid rushed over, her eyes red, and said to Mo Gongze, "Princess Mary said that no matter how His Majesty the King's thoughts change, her heart will never change!"

This world is too realistic, especially the higher the position, the more obvious the difference between the powerful and the weak becomes.

After Mogonze was excluded from the Battle of Stokach and the anti-French coalition achieved successive victories against France, the winds began to shift again.

Having lost the support of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg family, and especially after the army of the Tsarist Rus' Empire joined the anti-French coalition, it seemed that the value of Mo Zirong and his son Mo Gongze immediately plummeted.

Their tiny army of over 20,000 men, after being recruited from various sides, became barely worth anything.

Therefore, the wedding of Mo Gongze and Princess Mary of England, which was originally scheduled for August, was postponed.

The reason given was also quite high-sounding: the wedding envoy from the Seris Empire, Prince Mo Zhouzhe of Han, had not yet arrived, and the wedding could only begin after the newly appointed Prince of Han arrived.

But anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is far-fetched.

Since the wedding was arranged long ago, the fact that the King of Han did not arrive can only be attributed to the lateness of the Seris Empire. How can the bride and groom not get married just because the guests are late?

More importantly, even if it is postponed, there will definitely be a major announcement, at least someone from the English royal family will come out to apologize, and Mo Zirong and his son Mo Gongze will be properly appeased.

How could they just casually send the Mo family to Hampton Court Palace in Richmond with a simple "postponement"?

Mo Gongze was furious. Since birth, he had been a chosen one of the two great empires, and this was the first time he had suffered such a blow in succession.

The Habsburg family still didn't consider him one of their own, and the Kingdom of England began to subtly take advantage of his misfortune. Crucially, before this, he had made many contributions to these two great powers.

Whether it was the bloody battle in Belgium, the close-quarters assault at the Battle of Australch, or his defense of Ireland for England, these were all genuine achievements. Putting aside everything else, he shouldn't have received such treatment for these reasons alone.

"Go back and tell the princess that we are destined lovers, never to be separated, and that day will come soon."

Princess Mary's determination made Mo Gongze feel a little better, and it also made him put aside all political factors and begin to take seriously the English princess who was so infatuated with him, his future wife.

After receiving some comfort from Princess Mary, Mo Gongze was still furious. For the first time, he lost his temper and scolded the maid over a trivial matter. He was even more resentful when he mentioned King George III and Archduke Charles.

For a moment, Mo Gongze even felt that the whole world was against him.

"King Wen was imprisoned and then wrote the Book of Changes; Confucius was in distress and then wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals; Qu Yuan was exiled and then composed the Li Sao; Zuo Qiuming lost his sight and then wrote the Discourses of the States."

Just as Mo Gongze was burning with anger, his father, Mo Zirong, stood behind him and softly read Sima Qian's letter to Ren An.

Mo Gongze felt a sudden shiver run through his body, as if some energy had been transmitted into him from those few words.

In that instant, he thought of his teacher, Qian Kai, a native of Jiaxing, Zhejiang, who was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination in 1784 and taught him in Vienna. At that time, Qian Kai had deliberately taught him this letter to Ren An.

At that time, Mo Gongze felt he had already done a great job learning the Three Hundred Classics because he lacked a Chinese-speaking environment. He was reluctant to continue learning these profound classical Chinese texts, so Qian Kai beat his palms hard with a pointer, making him cry.

He had also complained to his father, mother, and grandmother, Queen Theresa, in tears, but everyone insisted that he must learn, especially his father, whose attitude was the most resolute. This gave Mo Gongze extremely bad memories of his childhood.

But looking back now, the famous Chinese works he read back then are like new sprouts breaking through the soil, instantly sprouting, blossoming, and bearing fruit in his heart and mind.

Mo Gongze couldn't help but continue his father's reading: "Sun Bin had his kneecaps removed, yet he compiled his military strategies; Lü Buwei was exiled to Shu, yet his works were passed down through generations; Han Fei was imprisoned in Qin, yet his works on 'Difficulties of Persuasion' and 'Solitary Indignation' were written; the three hundred poems of the Book of Poetry are mostly the works of sages and worthies who were driven by their indignation."

"Looking back at the sages of the past, who did not endure frost and dew, cut through thorns and brambles, and suffer great calamities before achieving great success?"

You bear a heavy responsibility, and the world regards you as a child prodigy and a wise ruler. Your uncle, the Great Emperor, earnestly hopes that you will be the pillar of our family's stability.

"Today's slight setback has made you lose your temper, become indecisive, and waver in your resolve. How can you achieve great things!"

Mo Gongze had never been scolded so harshly by his father before. He was so frightened that he knelt down. This was clearly not the way European fathers and sons interacted, but rather Chinese ethics.

But that was Mo Gongze's first instinct.

He knelt before Mo Zirong and said with great shame, "Father is right. In the past, I was proud of my bloodline and relied on my merits, thinking that my path was smooth and that everyone should give me some leeway. I was indeed too arrogant and forgot my true self."

"When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their resolve, strains their muscles and bones, starves their body, empties their resources, and frustrates their endeavors." Mo Zirong then quoted the famous Mencius, Book 6, to Mo Gongze:

"The Holy Emperor has entrusted you with a great mission, ordering you to bring glory to China in the West. He has provided you with troops, horses, money, and provisions, but he does not publicly support you. Now you know why, right?"
Could these 25,000 soldiers from Shandong really defeat the Ottomans and reclaim Dusborg?
If it were that easy, the Tsar of St. Petersburg would already be enjoying himself on the Aegean Sea!

"My son understands. From now on, he will be a true Chinese citizen, and every action he takes will be guided by the interests of China."

"Because only our motherland and our blood relatives are our solid backing!" Mo Gongze knelt down and bowed again to his father, Mo Zirong, and said.

Mo Zirong then helped Mo Gongze up and said with a hint of anger, "These bastards think that just because they have the Shaluo army and that little brat Karl is some kind of unparalleled general, they can give us less benefit."

"Hmph, I'll be right here in Hampton Court Palace, waiting for them to come begging to us!"

(End of this chapter)