The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 838 There will be no world empire, please rest assured.
The exit of the Hezhong Province, the Jinsha River Valley (from Samarkand to Bukhara).

The English envoy, Charles Whitworth, who was formerly the English ambassador to the Tsarist Rus' Empire, arrived here just as Astrakhan was about to fall to the Great Yu.

When it comes to mediation, no one is better at it than the Kingdom of England.

Moreover, they desperately need the Great Yu to cease hostilities with the Tsarist Rus' Empire, because in Europe, the Amiens Peace Treaty between England and France was broken last year, and the two countries have once again entered a state of war.

The reason the Treaty of Amiens didn't even last a year was because the treaty itself was flawed.

The English relinquished vast territories and legal rights in the treaty, particularly the Dutch Cape Town colony.

This was a huge concession for England, a nation built on maritime trade, but the French only selectively implemented a portion of the terms.

This greatly displeased the English people, who felt they had been deceived. Prime Minister Henry Addington, who advocated for compromise with France, lost his post and his political career was completely over.

The French were also very dissatisfied with the Treaty of Amiens, because they felt that after the Holy Roman Empire submitted and the Tsarist Rus' Empire chose to ally with France, France had enough power to overthrow the isolated and helpless Kingdom of England.

This is a golden opportunity, and we should absolutely not sign a peace treaty where both sides compromise at this time. Instead, we should seize the moment and wipe out England, our century-old enemy.

This is also an important reason why the French government selectively implements the Treaty of Amiens. There are some things they really dare not implement, such as the complete withdrawal of troops from the Kingdom of Naples and the city of Rome. If Napoleon had dared to implement it completely, France would have immediately exploded.

"Your Excellency, please mount your horse!" When they were about a mile or two from the gate of Xi'an, the escorting Yu cavalry knocked on the window of the special envoy Charles Whitworth's carriage, reminding him that it was time to dismount and change to a warhorse.

“That’s quite an interesting rule.” Charles Whitworth smiled faintly. According to the laws of the Great Yu Anxi Envoy, apart from the elderly, women and children, no male was allowed to ride in a carriage in the city; they could only walk or ride horses.

"Actually, I think London should be the one to introduce such regulations. There are too many carriages in the city, and it's too crowded. At the same time, the increasingly luxurious carriages are making many nobles lose their courage and only focus on enjoying fine wine and food."

General Sydney Smith, the deputy envoy of the mission, looked at the vast Xi'an city wall and said with some emotion.

Lord Whitworth nodded in agreement. "Yes, General, I think so too. But we can't issue such a decree because there are too many opponents, and it will certainly not pass."

“England,” Whitworth said hesitantly as he mounted his horse, “England is becoming unfamiliar, with a strange system that I don’t know if it’s good or bad.”

At this time, the Kingdom of England was also undergoing tremendous political and social changes, because King George III, the last English king to hold real power and basically control Parliament and the government, was gradually losing control of the government.

As the king began to lose control, and the crown prince proved to be a playboy who was utterly incapable of governing the Kingdom of England, the power of Parliament and political parties began to grow stronger.

The unfamiliarity Lord Whitworth referred to was this: the power in England began to shift from the king to Parliament and political parties, from being decided by the king to being argued by a group of people.

In the foreseeable future, the struggle for the throne in the Kingdom of England will begin to ease or even disappear, but within Parliament and between political parties, the struggle will reach an unprecedented level of intensity.

"I still prefer to fight under His Majesty's orders. Who knows if those guys in the council are reliable or not?"

As a soldier, General Sydney Smith always felt that England was strange now, and he preferred the Seres Empire model.

Parliament simply served as a vehicle for university students and large and medium-sized merchants, who had little connection with the nobility, to participate in national politics and pledge allegiance to the king in order to gain power and status.

This isn't just his opinion; many people in Europe feel the same way. Currently, many European scholars highly regard the political system of Seres.

They call this model, in which the aristocracy, civil servants, business community, and academia each hold a portion of power and jointly maintain the country, the Eastern-style separation of powers.

"Your Highness, it is a pleasure to see you so radiant." In the Xilin Palace in Xi'an (Bukhara), after Lord Whitworth, the special envoy, paid his respects to Crown Prince Dassen, he immediately came over to greet Princess Charlotte, who was standing to Dassen's left.

In Europe, there is a general sense of sympathy for the plight of Louis XVI and his family, especially after events in recent years have demonstrated that they were not the main culprits.

“Thank you for your greetings, Lord.” Princess Charlotte smiled gently and spoke to Lord Whitworth in English.

"Compared to what my parents and brother have gone through, it is already a very happy and fortunate thing that I can still enjoy life after experiencing so much suffering."

Princess Charlotte is also quite different from the historical figure. Historically, she suffered inhuman torture, harbored an unbearable hatred for the French Revolution, and had an extremely extreme personality.

This timeline is much better; she has three lovely children, a loving husband, and the children can still have a throne.

This family happiness healed a large part of the pain she felt from losing her parents and relatives during the Great Revolution.

“Yes, Your Highness, you are truly magnanimous.” Lord Whitworth praised her a few more times, then immediately seized the opportunity to say, “Therefore, for us humans, peace and prosperity are the most important things, and this is a belief that everyone should uphold.”

“I understand now. His Majesty George III sent the Lord here to act as a mediator.” The Crown Prince, sitting in the main seat, finally spoke up, as if he had just realized what Whitworth had come for.

“No, Your Highness, I came to your city to ask you a question.” Unexpectedly, Lord Whitworth shook his head.

He looked at Mo Zhousen on the throne and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, please forgive me for speaking frankly, but your and your father's Seris Empire is too frightening, because we Europeans have no idea where the Seris Empire will end."

Do you wish to establish a world empire, a Roman Empire for all the people of the world?

Faced with this question, Boss Sen narrowed his eyes and revealed a playful smile. "Lord, this war was not started by us, but by the Tsarist Russian Empire. How does this become China's attempt to establish a world empire?"

Whitworth was momentarily speechless. After silently cursing Paul I as an idiot, she didn't directly answer Sen's question but instead changed the subject again.

"So, Your Highness the Crown Prince means that the Seris Empire has never sought to become a world empire?"

Asen chuckled again and continued to ask, "Does the Lord believe that China has the ability to unify the world?"

"How cunning!" Whitworth thought to himself. He knew that if things continued like this, nothing would be negotiated, so the lord could only honestly reply:

“Your Highness, in my opinion, everything depends on input and profit. So, the English model of a world empire may be possible, but your Seris Empire model of a world empire is simply impossible.”

After hearing this, Boss Sen burst into laughter. The so-called English model is the current model in which the English government rules India, also known as the colonial model.

The Chinese model was to annex Japan and take over Kawakita.

While this model can quickly stabilize occupied territories and secure territory, the investment and profits are completely disproportionate, making it unsustainable.

For example, the goods produced in the four provinces of Anxi and the soon-to-be-established Liaodong region would cost more to transport to the Central Plains than the goods themselves.

Even if the Great Yu court collects some taxes from these two places, even if it converts them into silver and transports them back, there won't be much value left, unless it's all converted into gold and jewelry.

Only when Anxi and Liaodong were sufficiently wealthy to support large-scale wealth transfers between the two sides using bank drafts did the surplus value of these two regions become meaningful to the entire empire.

If anything happens in these two places, the imperial court has to spend manpower and resources to resolve it. Moreover, even if the imperial court spends 100,000 silver dollars, the final value of the money reaching the local area is only 10,000 silver dollars, resulting in a very serious waste.

It can be said that for a long time to come, Anxi and Liaodong will need the court to continuously provide financial support, and this support will be 90% depleted. At present, these two places are indeed of no economic use to the country.

"The Chinese Empire will not expand indefinitely; our current territory is our limit," Boss Sen readily gave his answer.

Because Da Yu now needs England, needs them to destabilize Europe and prevent it from unifying.

They are needed to help keep an eye on India, this cesspool, and to extract wealth from it and transfer some of it to China through trade.

Therefore, whether now or in the foreseeable future, there are actually not many major conflicts of interest between China and England.

“Thank you for your frankness, Your Highness.” Whitworth first thanked the big boss Sen, then asked slyly, “So Your Highness, are you implying that the Seris Empire can also abandon the Caucasus region?”

Asen smiled and shook his head. "Just as the lord said, the Great Yu's expansion method is unprofitable and unsustainable."

Lord Whitworth's face lit up with delight upon hearing this, but then he abruptly changed the subject.

"But my father and I, the great master of the Eastern world, His Majesty the Emperor of China, agree that in this era of increasingly interconnected world, the civilized white people of the East and West should not continue to separate themselves. In this context, the Caucasus region is of paramount importance; it is a bridge for communication between East and West."

With the Caucasus region in our possession, whatever happens in the West, we can sit down and discuss it together, preventing tragedies like those suffered by my father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Upon hearing this, Lord Whitworth understood that the Seres were definitely going to take over the Caucasus region.

Because of the Caucasus region, they were able to quickly learn about events happening in Europe and intervene in events that could lead to European unification at the first opportunity.

The Caucasus region was the Seres Empire's outpost fortress against Europe.

“I understand Your Highness’s concerns. So, does the Seris Empire, after acquiring the Caucasus region, make concessions on the Volga and Ural River issues?”

Arsen's expression turned serious. Lord Whitworth was indeed a master negotiator. What he said before was just a smokescreen. Only after arriving here did he reveal his true purpose.

Asen had already rejected the topic of the Caucasus region, so if he then fails to make concessions on the Volga and Ural River issues, it would be extremely disrespectful and demonstrate a complete lack of sincerity in negotiations.

While it may sound absurd that national interests are also affected by whether private individuals will give face, this is actually a common choice.

Throughout human history, numerous outstanding diplomatic events have fully demonstrated the rationale behind such events, which is also the key reason why diplomacy can become a discipline.

As long as one is human, one will inevitably encounter this problem in any situation and setting. Even at the national strategic level, there are situations where leaders are put on the defensive and have to concede some interests.

Lord Whitworth was secretly delighted. In his judgment, the Crown Prince of the Seris Empire would certainly not refuse his proposal again.

Even if he refuses, he can only refuse one of the two options, the Volga River and the Ural River; he cannot refuse both.

Asen was no stranger to this common diplomatic tactic, so he was prepared and had a way to deal with it. After a moment of contemplation, he took a deep breath, as if he had made a difficult decision.

“Since England is a trustworthy friend of the Chinese Empire, I am willing to make some concessions that I could have avoided. I can return the Ural River basin and the city of Guriev to His Majesty Alexander.”

Ah!
Lord Whitworth, who had just been gloating, was completely dumbfounded. In his mind, not only had the lower Ural River region been completely swallowed up by the Seres Empire, but this territory was also on the border of Seres.

The Seris Empire only had a small piece of land at the mouth of the Volga River in the lower reaches. If it wanted to occupy it, it would have to face the threat of hundreds of thousands of Russians going downstream at any time, and it didn't know when it would be able to hold it.

Therefore, Lord Whitworth believed from the bottom of his heart that the Crown Prince would definitely want the lower Ural River, not the lower Volga River.

Seeing Lord Whitworth speechless with shock, the big boss smiled smugly. How could they possibly choose the lower Ural River over the lower Volga?

Because of the current state of the war, the Tsarist Russian Empire no longer has a fleet in the Caspian Sea, while the Great Yu not only has a small steam-powered sailing fleet, but also plans to build more warships in the future to completely control the Caspian Sea.

So what if, after the Great Yu gained control of the Caspian Sea, Astrakhan, located at the mouth of the Volga River, was isolated and surrounded by the Tsarist Rus' Empire?

My city is well-defended and you can't break in anytime soon. I have a fleet that traverses the Caspian Sea, which is no different from the land border.

In this situation, Astrakhan was a dagger plunged into the heart of the Tsarist Rus' Empire.

Not only would the Russians be unable to break free, but the Great Yu could also amass a large army in Astrakhan at any time and besiege Tsaritsyn (Stalingrad) again within a few days by going upstream.
As for the lower reaches of the Ural River, what difference does it make whether we have it or not?

The city of Guliyev (Atyrau) at the mouth of the sea was poorly fortified and could not play much of a role in the hands of the Russians. On the contrary, due to the constant threat from the Yu army, not many Russians would be willing to settle here.

The Kazakh Xiyuz tribe that has settled here can change their allegiance in one or two decades at most. Whether or not the Great Yu occupies the lower reaches of the Ural River, this place will belong to the Great Yu sooner or later, and there is no need to use war to seize it.

Lord Whitworth stood there for a long time before finally saying with a hint of bitterness, "Your Highness, Astrakhan is too important to the Tsarist Rus' Empire. They will never agree to cede this land."

Boss Sen chuckled, “They are important, but Crimea, the northern coast of the Black Sea, the lower Danube, Polish territory west of Kyiv, and the Baltic Sea are not important.”
Now it is Tsar Alexander I who has no choice, not me. If he is unwilling to relinquish Astrakhan, then let us wait for these territories to be lost one by one.

“I understand, I understand. It’s already quite remarkable that Your Highness is willing to give up the lower Ural River, which you have already gained.” Lord Whitworth nodded repeatedly.

"But you must also consider the situation in Europe. The military reforms ordered by Franz II of Vienna to his brother Archduke Karl were not very successful, and the Austrians lost the courage and ability to continue fighting the French."

Frederick William III of Prussia continued to curry favor with the French, and he even hoped to obtain some of the Rhineland from them.

In this situation, the only army with a continental land force capable of fighting the French was the army of the Tsarist Rus' Empire.

England needs them, His Highness Prince Ferdinand of Belgium needs the Rus' army, and even the Seres Empire needs the Rus' army to balance the military landscape of continental Europe.

Your Highness, I implore you to make a concession.

Upon hearing this, Lord Sen finally stepped down from his throne, paced back and forth in thought, and then said, "Lord, you can see that even with the strength of the Seris Empire, mobilizing so many troops from 20,000 miles away is not easy."

Astrakhan is also related to the security of the western territory of the Empire for us. If, and I mean if, we return Astrakhan to the Rus' Empire, but they refuse to accept defeat and continue to use Astrakhan as a base to plot the next war against us, how should we deal with this?
What if, even after the crisis has subsided, Tsar Alexander continues his alliance with France against us?

This meant it was time to reveal his hand. Lord Whitworth gritted his teeth. He knew he couldn't reveal his hand so quickly, but England didn't have time.

If the army of the Tsarist Rus' Empire cannot return to the European battlefield and fight alongside the Austrians against the French on land within six months.

France would then have control over all the countries on the European continent, thus forming an army of hundreds of thousands to force their way across the English Channel and attack England.

It should be noted that the narrowest point of the English Channel is only 33 kilometers wide, and it was entirely possible to ignore the blockade by the English fleet and force our way through. Once the French army landed, England, with only tens of thousands of regular troops, would surely perish.

"England can guarantee this peace treaty. If the Rus' Empire dares not abide by the treaty, then the English fleet will pass through the Bosphorus Strait into the Black Sea and join forces with the Ottoman Empire to attack the northern shore of the Black Sea."

In the north, we will also use all our industrial capacity to strengthen the Kingdom of Sweden, enabling them to attack St. Petersburg to the east.

We will also sever all trade with the Rus' Empire, preventing even a single penny of goods from flowing into it, and at the same time, preventing the Rus' Empire from exporting a single grain of food.

Big Boss Sen showed a surprised expression. These three moves were the most feared killing moves of the Rus' Empire. It seemed that the Kingdom of England was indeed in big trouble, otherwise it would not have gone to such lengths to try to reach a peace agreement between the Tsarist Rus' Empire and the Great Yu.

"Your Highness, we have received reliable information," Lord Whitworth said to Princess Charlotte. "Napoleon Bonaparte, the First Consul of France, is seeking to be crowned King of France and establish the Bonaparte dynasty!"

"What!" Princess Charlotte's almond-shaped eyes widened, and a tangible rage erupted from her, causing her to scream loudly:
"That bastard, that accomplice and traitor of the regicide, I curse him, I curse his whole family to live in hell forever!"

Even after all these years, this remains a painful memory that Princess Charlotte can never touch; anyone who does will immediately break her defenses.

“My dear!” Princess Charlotte looked at the old man with tears streaming down her face. “If Napoleon, that regicide accomplice, had ascended the throne, the monarchs of the European continent would not have been so determined to oppose France.”

That's true, and it was one of the reasons Napoleon chose to ascend the throne. A newly crowned king was less likely to incur the wrath of European monarchs than a republican regicide.

"I still cannot make the decision to abandon the Astrakhan region, but we can negotiate in other ways. In addition, I am willing to make some further concessions on the issues of the Kalmyks and the Caucasus."

For example, relocating the Kalmyks to the east, or allowing Georgians and Armenians who wished to become citizens of the Rus' Empire to migrate to the territory of the Rus' Empire.

I am also willing to release the 35,000 Russian soldiers captured in this war unconditionally.

As expected, Sen was mentally resilient. Even after Princess Charlotte pleaded on his behalf, he still insisted on not releasing Astrakhan.

Seeing that Lord Whitworth was about to say something, Big Brother Sen immediately waved his hand at him, "That's enough, Lord. You go to St. Petersburg and see what Tsar Alexander thinks."

If an agreement can be reached, I will request that my father, the King, show more leniency towards England regarding the India issue.

Lord Whitworth could only nod. The fact that the Crown Prince was willing to make further concessions on the already lenient India issue rather than on the Astrakhan issue showed that the Seres Empire was determined to obtain this dagger aimed at the heart of the Tsarist Rus' Empire, and further pleas would not change anything.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Lord Whitworth nodded. “Give me the fastest warship; I need to go to St. Petersburg immediately.”

(End of this chapter)