The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 858 Ah, My Motherland
Kingdom of Hungary, Budapest, Castle Hill, Stillwater Palace.

Since declaring his intention to reconcile the Hungarian nation and merge Buda and Pest, Mogonze has made this place the capital, and the original Austrian royal palace on Castle Hill was renamed the Water Palace by Mogonze.

The Xiongnu people claimed to be descendants of the Xia dynasty and Yu the Great.

Therefore, Mo Gongze further mythologized the story of Yu the Great's success in controlling the floods into a biblical account of the Great Flood, in which Western Christ built Noah's Ark to save humanity, while the Eastern chosen one, Yu the Great, broke through mountains and leveled plateaus to allow water to flow into the East China Sea and save the people.

Mo Gongze doesn't dare say that Dayu is on the same level as Christ, but he dares to say that Dayu is a supreme god like Jesus manifesting himself on earth.

In Hungary, even sporadic underground sects have begun to worship Yu the Great, and their beliefs are shifting from the mainstream Trinity to a dualistic view, in order to prove that their ancestor Yu the Great was also the human incarnation of the supreme god.

"Your Highness, the Treaty of Tilsit has been signed. The Tsarist Russian Empire has made huge concessions. The French Emperor and the Tsar also had a secret talk in the final stages, and it seems that they have reached some private agreement."

The one who addressed him as Your Highness and reported to Prince Lu, Mo Gongze, was Hu Yizhong, the commander of his personal guards.

Hu Yizhong was born into a first-generation Chinese family that served as a vassal state. His father, Hu Quanhuan, followed Liu Dingyou, a powerful figure from Guangxi, with a broken knife to clear out the indigenous people on the island of Nanji. He then fought his way through the north and south, accumulating numerous merits, and finally successfully took up his post in Gwangju, Silla.

After the change of the fiefdom, Hu Quanhuan, being of Han Chinese origin, quickly became the enviable meritorious official, the Earl of Gwangju, and his title was further elevated, making him one of the most powerful people in the Silla Province of the Eastern Sea Envoy Office.

However, none of this had much to do with Hu Yizhong, because his mother came from a very humble background.

She wasn't even a concubine, or even a maid; she was just a Bugis woman from Southeast Asia whom Hu Quanhuan casually snatched from the roadside to relieve his lust during battle.

In addition, Hu Yizhong's appearance is more like his mother's; he is not only dark-skinned, but also has the slightly curly hair and wide nose characteristic of the indigenous people of Southeast Asia.

So, although he was the eldest son, the support he received from his father, Hu Quanhuan, was only five hundred Goryeo musketeers. He received virtually no other titles or property.

Fortunately, although Hu Yizhong came from a humble background, he was very intelligent, skilled in battle, and also well-read, making him a scholar-general type of brilliant commander.

He had been traveling in Europe with two Princes of Lu for twelve years and was considered a trusted confidant of Mo Zirong and his son Mo Gongze.

"Ah Zhong, what do you think Napoleon and Alexander were discussing behind closed doors?" Mo Gongze asked, holding a cup of tea and gesturing for Hu Yizhong to sit down.

"In my humble opinion, it is highly likely that it concerns Napoleon's marriage. This is the only matter that requires the two of them to discuss privately."

There was considerable opposition within France to Napoleon's decision to end his marriage to Josephine, which meant he needed to find a suitable partner before proceeding. Therefore, it was highly likely that the French emperor proposed a marriage alliance to Tsar Alexander I.

Mo Gongze nodded. Napoleon now seems eager to shed the title of usurper and gain recognition from European princes and nobles as emperor. The best way to do this is to marry a royal princess and have an heir with the blood of old European nobles.

For monarchs of the caliber of the French emperor, the range of choices was not large, namely England, Austria, Tsarist Rus', Spain, and Prussia.

Princesses from other states could not help Napoleon achieve this great leap in status.

However, among these major European powers, England would never marry a princess to him. Prussia's battlefield performance was even worse than Austria's, so marrying him now wouldn't elevate his status much.

Austria was in a similar situation, but it didn't lose as badly, so its prestige was still a bit higher than Prussia's. However, the princess had already been reserved for the Great Yu.

With no suitable alternatives in Spain, the only remaining option was the sister of Tsar Alexander I.

Of course, Napoleon could also have married a princess of the Dayu Kingdom, such as the fourth princess of the emperor, Princess Nanyang, who was widowed and whose age difference with Napoleon was not significant.

But it's clear that Da Yu wouldn't want to marry him, because her ethnic sentiments couldn't accept it at all.

Having learned from the lessons of the Han and Tang dynasties and persisted in the Ming dynasty, Mo Zibu, who rose to power by expelling the Manchus, would never have married off his princess.

Similarly, Napoleon was not too keen on marrying her, because he was currently focused on becoming the dominant power in the West and competing with Seres in the East.

"Get the details of the Treaty of Tilsit as soon as possible. Don't be afraid to spend money. If the treaty is more favorable to France, then it means that the intelligence we sent to Napoleon has worked."

The secret of Alexander I's affair with his sister Catherine, involving German orthopedics, was, of course, leaked to Napoleon by someone named Mogungze.

However, this information did not come from him; he only learned about it after hearing an imperial edict from the Fifth Uncle of the Great Emperor, Mo Zibu.

Mo Zibu knew this because when he was choosing a spouse for Mo Zhouzhan, the Prince of Liao who was enfeoffed in the Caucasus, Mo Zibu was initially inclined to choose a Rus' princess, so he naturally spent a lot of money to conduct a detailed investigation.

The investigation uncovered the truth, which was the main reason why Mo Zibu immediately chose the Austrian princess, who was nine years younger than Mo Zhou.

Two days later, before Napoleon had even returned to Paris, the details of the Treaty of Tilsit between Russia and France were obtained.

The person who betrayed this intelligence was none other than Charles Maurice Talleyrand, the French Foreign Minister.

This man came from the 'Brahmin' family, an old noble family in France. His family, the Talleyrand-Périgord family, had long monopolized the position of archbishop in regions such as Reims.

Charles Maurice Talleyrand was a rare diplomatic talent, but he had a very poor reputation throughout history.

Because he was very keen on speculation, he betrayed the Bourbon dynasty, the French Revolutionary government, the Napoleonic Empire, and the later restored Bourbon dynasty, making him a true traitor to four different families.

At this time, he was initially the main negotiator of the Treaty of Tilsit, but because he was unwilling to weaken or simply insult Prussia, he disagreed with Napoleon and was eventually stripped of his advisory rights.

Then, for ten thousand silver dollars, less than three thousand pounds, Mogongze got Talleyrand to sell out the specific terms of the Treaty of Tilsit.

That's how it is in Europe. Before they had even evolved to the stage of family, state, and world in Chinese history, they were already corrupted by mercantilism, making everyone completely money-oriented.

In addition, the feudal system of the nobility was implemented very thoroughly, which naturally gave them a strong sense of independence and valued personal interests and freedom. As a result, many people could not resist the temptations of sugar-coated bullets for long.

"As expected, the French Emperor and the Tsar have joined forces." Mo Gongze briefly recounted the events, a cold smile playing on his lips, his words laced with sarcasm.

"Those two idiots with ulterior motives, hoping to unite against China with a stupid treaty, are dreaming!"

After hurling a few curses, Mo Gongze showed the contents of the Treaty of Tilsit, as revealed by Talleyrand, to Cao Zhenyong, the plenipotentiary ambassador of the Great Yu to Europe, Shen Yao, the deputy ambassador and chief secretary of the Lu region, and Qian Kai, the military commander.

And Hu Yizhong, the commander of the personal guards, Liu Guoqing, Liu Rongqing, the commander of the three guards, Zoke (Rakoc Zog), and a group of civil and military officials watched.

Cao Zhenyong will return to Dayu next year. His arduous experience as the plenipotentiary ambassador to Europe for fifteen years has earned him the valuable hereditary title of Earl of Xin'an, as well as the positions of Inner Court Attendant (the emperor's confidential advisor) and Minister of Rites.

When he first saw the Treaty of Tilsit, a slightly shocked expression immediately appeared on his face, because the Russian-French alliance plan that Mo Gongze had predicted in Anxi had appeared almost exactly as it was.

The Treaty of Tilsit stipulated:

The Tsarist Russian Empire abandoned the naval port located on the northeastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, in the Gulf of Kotor, which belonged to the Principality of Montenegro, in the Ionian Islands in southwestern Greece.

The Tsarist Rus' Empire agreed to withdraw from the Principality of Wallachia and the Principality of Modavia on the western coast of the Black Sea and the lower Danube River, returning them to the Ottoman Empire.

The Tsarist Rus' Empire joined the Continental System and immediately declared war on England.

The Tsarist Rus' Empire launched the Finnish Campaign to strike at the Kingdom of Sweden, which refused to join the continental system to blockade England and had a good relationship with the Kingdom of England.

In compensation, France agreed to cede the Warsaw region, which Prussia had received during the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, and the Lublin and Kielce regions, which Austria had received, to the Tsarist Rus' Empire.

However, the Tsarist Rus' Empire could not directly annex it to its territory. Instead, it established the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, with Tsar Alexander I concurrently serving as the Grand Duke of Warsaw.

France also agreed that the Tsarist Rus' Empire would directly incorporate the region of Białystok, north of Warsaw, into the Tsarist Rus' Empire, making it a directly controlled territory.

In addition, Napoleon agreed to restore the Duchy of Oldenburg, which had been occupied by the French army, and also added Münsterland and other places to it.

This can be considered a form of compensation. Duke William I of Oldenburg was Catherine II's cousin and Alexander I's maternal great-uncle, making him the Tsar's closest relative in the German states.

Furthermore, because Duke William I of Oldenburg was mentally challenged, a large part of the domestic affairs were managed by people chosen by the Tsar, and the duchy was largely under the personal control of the Tsar.

At the same time, the treaty also weakened Prussia to the greatest extent possible.

Prussia not only lost half of its territory and 60% of its population, but was also only allowed to retain 40,000 troops, and had to pay war reparations of 120 million francs, which is equivalent to about 4.8 million pounds sterling and 17 million silver dollars.

The land ceded by Prussia was partly given to the small German states that followed Napoleon, and most of it was used to establish the Kingdom of Westphalia, with Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte as its king.

Compared to history, the only major change in the Treaty of Tilsit was that Napoleon did not control the Duchy of Warsaw himself, but instead gave it to Alexander I. This can be seen as a significant concession made in order to win over Russia.

"Prussia is practically on the verge of collapse. No wonder Talleyrand, who has a very special relationship with Queen Louise of Prussia, was willing to sell me information."

Napoleon's actions weren't merely motivated by a desire to weaken Prussia; they were genuinely aimed at humiliating the entire nation. Mo Gongze couldn't help but sigh, "This nouveau riche has no sense of restraint; he's really made a huge grudge."

"This so-called Emperor is nothing special, we have nothing to worry about!" Shen Yao, the chief secretary of the Lu vassal state, laughed heartily and thoughtfully explained to the others.

"Prussia has been a nation for over a century, with its people and citizens united in loyalty and obedience. A strong national identity has been established. It is impossible for Napoleon I to completely dismantle the Hohenzollern family's century-old legacy with just one war. Therefore, the best approach at present is to focus on undermining the Hohenzollern family's prestige and controlling their king, rather than drastically dismantling Prussia and causing the common people to feel a profound sense of humiliation."

Napoleon I is clearly overdoing things now, which will only bind the Prussian king and the entire nation to the same chariot, making them completely one. Once the Treaty of Tilsit is signed, the entire nation of Prussia will surely feel deeply ashamed.

I believe that Prussia will be the one to deliver the fatal blow to Napoleon I and the French Empire in the future.

In fact, there is another logic behind Shen Yao's laughter: Napoleon, in such a powerful position, could not suppress the turmoil in his heart. He could not even take the opportunity to appease Prussia, which had been completely defeated. In the future, he could not expect to treat other countries equally.

With such a mindset and vision, let alone unifying Europe, he wouldn't even be able to hold onto the position of the continent's hegemon.

"What do you think, Your Majesty?" Ryanstein, who was seven or eight years older than Mo Zibu and was almost seventy, and whose health had been poor recently, made a rare appearance at the meeting.

Seeing Prussia being so insulted ignited his German nationalistic sentiments, and he became so angry that his face turned red.

"The Russians have significant interests in Wallachia and Moldavia, which they fought to the death in the Sixth Russo-Turkish War. They cannot simply give them up for the sake of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, which is not yet allowed to be directly annexed."

I believe that France offered significant benefits beyond the treaty itself, which is very likely a secret agreement for an alliance against us.

The "us" that Mo Gongze was referring to naturally meant Dayu, not just the Lu vassal state. "But I think the Russians won't dare to make any big moves to the east until the French offer them significant practical benefits, because they can't defeat us."

Therefore, the future war will inevitably be between the Rus' Empire and the Kingdom of Sweden, not in places like Astrakhan.

Ryanstein had little disagreement with Mo Gongze's assessment, but felt that he hadn't explained things clearly enough.

This earliest meritorious official of the Great Yu Dynasty and one of the founders of the army shook his finger at Mo Gongze.

"Your Highness, the interests of the Rus' Empire in Wallachia and Moldavia are far greater than you imagine, so much so that these two places are practically a leg of the Rus' people."

I suspect Kutuzov won't abandon decades of Rus' efforts just because of a treaty; he'll definitely find a way to preserve these two territories for the Rus' Empire.

In fact, very little of Wallachia and Moldavia is still completely under the control of Tsarist Russia.

Tsarist Russia mainly relied on treaties signed with the Ottoman Empire to intervene in internal affairs under the guise of protecting Orthodox Christians, while also stationing a small number of troops there.

The only area that can be completely controlled now is eastern Bessarabia, which is the left bank of the Dniester River in Moldova, where pro-Russian armed groups still exist today.

It wasn't until around 1840 that Tsarist Russia truly gained complete control over Wallachia and Moldavia.

The Battle of Sevastopol in history, in which eight nations ganged up on Russia, was caused by Tsarist Russia's complete control over the two principalities, which seriously threatened the interests of Britain and France.

“But a peace treaty has already been signed between Russia and France. No matter how unwilling Kutuzov is, he cannot go against the agreement reached between the French and Russian emperors,” Mo Gongze asked with a slight doubt.

Of course, it's not that they wouldn't dare; historically, Kutuzov and others dared to outwardly comply but inwardly defy. However, given the powerful threat of the Great Yu in this timeline, Kutuzov and his group might not dare, which is why Mo Gongze asked this question.
"The Ottoman Empire is in turmoil, and Alemdar Pasha's Danube Legion is about to reach Istanbul. I think he will succeed soon."

Even though the current Ottoman Sultan Mustafa IV came to power through a coup, it doesn't mean that Alemdar's actions were acceptable. His so-called revenge for his predecessor cannot silence public opinion.

Therefore, once he succeeds, in order to eliminate the negative impact and gain support, he will definitely take action in the two principalities of Wallachia and Modavia, which are controlled by Tsarist Russia, and use foreign wars to divert attention from the conflict.

If Kutuzov were to feign a return north to enforce the Treaty of Tilsit but deliberately dawdle, he would certainly draw the Ottoman army there.

Russia and Turkey are sworn enemies. With their armies so close together, it is easy for them to accidentally clash, and a single spark could quickly ignite a prairie fire.

Kutuzov could simply let the Ottoman army strike first, then he could legitimately retaliate, and naturally there would be no need to strictly enforce the Treaty of Tilsit.

Ryanstein's eyes gleamed, but he deliberately spoke slowly, with an expression of complete confidence.

"Lord Rui is indeed a founding father of the dynasty. Kutuzov will most likely do it. So, is there any loophole we can exploit?"

Mo Gongze couldn't help but give a thumbs up, because Ryanstein's analysis was reasonable, and Kutuzov had used this tactic in history, which led to the basic abrogation of the Tilsit Treaty.

"I suggest that Your Majesty wait until Kutuzov makes a gesture of returning north, then immediately declare your opposition and send troops down the Danube to approach Bucharest."

Firstly, this would give them the upper hand and establish the legal basis for expelling the Ottomans; secondly, it would deter Kutuzov from actually leaving and thus violate the Treaty of Tilsit.

Mo Gongze nodded and asked again, "Then can we gain any real benefits? Is the time right to attack the Ottomans?"

“Yes!” Ryanstein answered affirmatively first, then continued, “But we need to ask His Majesty the Emperor to send a fleet to control the Black Sea Straits.”

Mo Gongze shook his head vigorously, "Impossible. The Great Yu fleet cannot possibly launch an expedition to Europe now. That would terrify European countries and cause them to side with France."

Ryanstein, a cunning old fox, chuckled and said, "Your Majesty should take some time to return to the Great Yu, because the current empire doesn't need naval warships to build a massive fleet."

Large ships with a displacement of two to three thousand tons, various types of artillery, various types of steam engines, and tens of millions of employees.

We lack nothing. If His Majesty the Emperor permits, we can assemble a navy from the common people that is even stronger than the Russian Empire within a month.

Mo Gongze was stunned. He hadn't been back to China for a long time, so much so that his mind was limited to Europe, and he never imagined how powerful his motherland was.

"Will His Majesty the Emperor support me?" Mo Gongze was a little excited. His Lu Fan wanted to occupy the land on the west coast of the Black Sea, but its biggest weakness was actually its navy.

In the Black Sea, the Rus' Empire had a navy, and the Ottoman Empire also had a navy, but the Russian Empire did not. Without a navy, it could not connect with the Liaodong Peninsula on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, nor could it control the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits.

“My second son, who is also your brother-in-law, is serving in the navy and is highly trusted by His Majesty the Emperor. He can speak to His Majesty on his behalf. In addition, Your Majesty can write to the Grand Prince Zongzheng and ask for his assistance.”

The so-called King Zongzheng was Mo Gongze's father, Mo Zirong.

After Mo Zirong lost his title of Prince of Lu, he couldn't very well be called the Supreme King, so Mo Zibu bestowed upon him the treatment and regalia of a prince. Others addressed him as the Grand Prince of the Imperial Clan, since he was now the head of the Mo clan.

Mo Gongze certainly had no qualms about doing everything for his father, but he looked at Ryanstein meaningfully.

Seeing Mo Gongze's gaze, Ryanstein smiled helplessly. "Your Majesty, although I am in the army, I also have many old friends in the navy. Among their descendants are quite unsuccessful. I would like to invite them to Europe to make a name for themselves."

It seems impossible to think of many possibilities, but it's possible to gather officers and gunners for three battleships of level four or higher.

"Children are all troublemakers; it seems no one can escape this fate!" Mo Gongze laughed heartily. "With Lord Rui's help, great things can be accomplished. After we take over the Principality of Wallachia, I will grant him a marquisate in the lower Danube region and bestow upon him 6,000 acres of fertile land as a reward for his service."

Ryanstein could only express his gratitude with a wry smile. He was almost seventy years old, yet he still dragged his ailing body out to advise Mo Gongze and recruit naval forces. What else could it be for but his children and grandchildren?

Most of the children he had with his Han woman wife when he was in Dayu had already settled down and established themselves there. They had never even been to Europe, so naturally they had no feelings for each other.

Moreover, his eldest son married the seventh princess, Wancheng, and became her consort, so it was even less likely that he would return to his hometown with him. Only his youngest son, seeing that his health was failing, came to take care of him in recent years out of filial piety.

When he returned to Europe, he learned that his former lover had given birth to his son. There was no need for a paternity test; the old golden retriever and the snake-like mouth made it obvious that the son was his.

And it's not just sons, there are four grandsons and granddaughters. The eldest grandson is over thirty, but he's living a miserable life and has fallen on hard times, having to rent a boat to fish.

Although I don't have much affection for them, they are still my own offspring, and I can't just ignore them completely.

But there was nothing Ryanstein could do, because in Europe, those who were at the very bottom of the social hierarchy among illegitimate children, who were born out of wedlock, had no right to inheritance.

Neither the Duke of Guiyuan in Dayu, nor the Marquis of Rossbach who came from France through exchanges with the Bourbon dynasty, nor the Count of Wolsnia whom he bought as a distant relative of the Wittelsbach family, could be passed down to them.

As people get old, even the golden retriever hopes to be surrounded by children and grandchildren and have someone to take care of him. Seeing that his youngest son didn't want to stay in Europe, Ryanstein wanted to make his illegitimate son a nobleman so that he could take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days.

The only solution is to wait until Mogonze officially declares the independence of the Kingdom of Hungary and then bestow a noble title upon his illegitimate son.

"Furthermore, Your Highness should immediately send someone to London to have the Queen plead with His Majesty King George III of England to send warships to assist you."

"This way, we'll have a usable navy immediately, and Your Highness can also use your prestige in the English Navy to recruit a group of English naval officers and men," Ryanstein suggested.

"Yes," Mo Gongze patted his forehead lightly, realizing he had completely forgotten about it. England was right beside him, so how could he not use it? Otherwise, why would he have gone to all that trouble to marry an English princess?

"Furthermore, Your Highness should personally go to Vienna and speak with His Majesty Emperor Franz, asking him to invite His Highness the Prince of Liao to lead his army to assist us."

At this time, it was not advisable for the Great Yu to intervene immediately. However, His Highness the Prince of Liao was Emperor Franz's son-in-law, and it was only natural for a father-in-law to ask his son-in-law for help. Therefore, the Anxi army could come to Wallachia under the guise of the Liao vassal army.

Upon hearing this, Mo Gongze felt as if the fog before his eyes had suddenly dissipated. "I will immediately go to Vienna to have a heart-to-heart talk with my cousin. Let the bright future of Lu Fan begin now."

(End of this chapter)