The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 879 Allied Powers vs. Allied Powers
1808 10 Month 7 Day.

Exciting news came from the St. Petersburg court: Tsar Alexander I and his ministers had finally agreed to form an alliance with the French Empire.

The two sides agreed to first defeat the Austrian Empire, the representative of the Seres Empire, and Prince Ferdinand of Belgium, who had been causing trouble, on the European continent, and then resolve the threat posed by the Seres Empire to Europe.

Poor Franz I, having only received six million silver dollars, or about 1.7 million pounds, as a dowry from the Seres Empire, was directly regarded as the Seres Empire's representative in Europe.

The biggest reason why the Tsarist Rus' Empire finally agreed to ally with the French Empire was that the Great Yu posed too great a threat to them.

Today, the Great Yu has transformed Astrakhan, the most important city of the Tsarist Rus' Empire on the northern shore of the Caspian Sea, into a formidable forward fortress, and renamed it West Sea City.

If the Great Yu Dynasty so desired, it could travel from Xihai City northward along the Volga River and directly into the heart of the Tsarist Russian Empire.

Neither Alexander I nor the common people of the Rus' Empire could forget the nightmare of being driven to the Don River region by the Seres' cavalry; it was a painful memory from the depths of their souls.

If this threat is not resolved, the Rus' people will say it's like having a thorn in their side, but that's an understatement. They will be under the constant threat of the Great Yu's sword of Damocles, and their country could be destroyed.

Historically, relations between the Tsarist Russian Empire and the French Empire deteriorated rapidly after the alliance formed at the Conference of Erfurt.

That's because at that time, Europe was the whole world, and whoever became the hegemon of Europe was the hegemon of the world.

Therefore, the Tsarist Rus' Empire would not ally with the French Empire, because they saw defeating Napoleon as an excellent opportunity to advance into the heart of Europe and become a top European power.

Even the Tsarist Rus' Empire aspired to become the world's hegemon. Just look at the attitude of Tsar Alexander I after being called the Holy King, and his demands for territory in Europe; he truly saw himself as the savior and hegemon of the world.

But in this time and space, the situation is completely different.

This timeline is one where East and West shine together; for the West to confront the East, it must unite the strength of all nations.

Becoming the dominant power in Europe only qualified them to challenge the Great Yu; they did not achieve instant success.

Therefore, both Napoleon and Alexander I became much more low-key and willing to give up a lot.

Napoleon needed the help of the Tsarist Russian Empire to unify the hearts and minds of people across the European continent and gain the leverage to compete with the East.

The Tsarist Rus' Empire needed the help of the French Empire to resolve the situation where it was threatened at its doorstep by the Great Yu.

An alliance between the two countries was their best option; there was no way to separate them except by completely conquering one of them.

However, the war did not break out immediately, because Austria's war of national importance could not be launched without several months of preparation.

After France and Russia signed the Erfurt Agreement, which essentially demarcated their spheres of influence, England, with the support of Da Yu, also sent people back and forth across Europe in an effort to form another alliance against France and Russia.

In October 1808, Maurice Lacquer secretly purchased the contents of the Franco-Russian Treaty of Erfurt from Charles Maurice Talleyrand, the French Foreign Minister.

In order to obtain the agreement, Maurice Talleyrand even secretly went to Prussia, because Charles Maurice Talleyrand did not trust anyone else and specifically requested to see Maurice.

After the two sides met, the French Foreign Minister, a notorious traitor, told Mo Gongze some explosive news.

"Prince Ferdinand, do you know that I once advised Emperor Napoleon to marry Princess Mary of England before you did?"

After defeating Austria and ending the Holy Roman Empire, it upgraded the Electorate of Hanover to a kingdom.

They incorporated the noble territories, bishoprics' domains, and free cities surrounding the Kingdom of Hanover, in order to win over King George III of England.

Mo Gongze remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he felt a sudden jolt.

No wonder that for a time, people in England, including King George III, were not very enthusiastic about his marriage to Princess Mary, and were even somewhat indifferent. It turns out that this was the problem.

"I believe that the French Empire should not pursue the Continental System, but should instead reach a reconciliation with the Kingdom of England."

Because France's enemy was no longer England, but the Seres Empire in the east.

If Western countries want to continue to lead the world, they must suppress the development of the Seres Empire and dismantle the vast Eastern Roman Empire established by that cunning emperor.

Only Europe, under the joint leadership of France and England, could accomplish this.

There are still smart people in this world, and quite a few of them can see the current competitive patterns between the East and the West.

The only problem is that it is still too difficult to unite the Westerners, especially Britain and France.

"Your Excellency's idea is not wrong, but it is too idealistic. Your plan cannot unite England and France, but it can certainly ruin my marriage."

After listening to the French Foreign Minister's plan, Mo Gongze was no longer worried, because it was too difficult and impossible to complete.

In comparison, Napoleon's method of conquering the British Isles by force to achieve the union of England and France was more realistic.

Upon hearing Mo Gongze's words, Charles Maurice Talleyrand fell silent. "Yes, that's too idealistic. Since the complete destruction of the Roman Empire, Westerners have lost this possibility."

Mo Gongze sneered inwardly. The Roman Empire, huh. If the Roman Empire were still around, the status of you yellow-headed, ethnic minority people wouldn't be much better than that of the natives of Southeast Asia and Anxi.

"Actually, I think it's not necessary to have a confrontation between the East and the West, because the West can't completely defeat the East, much less dismantle the Eastern Seris Empire."

Your Excellency, if you read more books about the East, you wouldn't have so many unrealistic fantasies.

In the Seres Empire, unity is the eternal theme and the pursuit of all Seres people.

The Seres Empire was not the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire couldn't even protect its own religion, allowing Catholicism to become the state religion in the non-core areas of the empire, which is enough to prove that it had a great cultural deficiency.

However, the Seres Empire was different. Buddhism, which originated in India, also profoundly influenced the empire, but was eventually absorbed and assimilated, becoming part of the Seres culture.

The two countries have completely different levels of cultural depth and civilization intensity.

My personal opinion is that even if the Roman Empire still existed, it would not have been able to lead the West to compete with the Seres Empire in the East.

Mo Gongze's subtext was that the Roman Empire could no longer stop the East, and France should forget about it.

"Your Excellency, paying too much attention to the so-called East-West confrontation is not good for you or the French Empire."

The world is so vast that it can accommodate two civilizations. The West cannot defeat the East, nor can the East rule the West.

Confrontation benefits none of us; orderly competition and overall peace are what we should strive for.

Charles Maurice Talleyrand was certainly not fooled by Mo Gongze's words, but he was not there to debate with Mo Gongze.

He strongly urged Maurice Talleyrand to come over, actually wanting to send a signal to the anti-French alliance through this Belgian prince that he, Charles Maurice Talleyrand, did not support Napoleon's current crazy policies.

If Napoleon were to fall from grace and the empire were to collapse, let's not implicate him.

"I agree with most of His Highness's opinions, therefore I firmly oppose the Emperor's continued expansion of the war."

This is why I am willing to reveal the Treaty of Erfurt to Your Highness; I want you to stop the Emperor's expansion.

He's too obsessed with force, turning from the savior of the French into their grim reaper. I don't want my homeland to be destroyed by war again." This was the central idea of ​​Charles Maurice Talleyrand, and it certainly represented the opinion of a segment of the French population.

That is, if blockading England is unlikely to be a reality, and conquering England is also impossible, then it is time to stop while one is ahead.

France should back down and live in peace with other European countries in order to complete the assimilation and integration of Italy and the Rhineland.

After all, France was very powerful at this time, even more so than the Carolingian Empire in history. It could afford to play it safe and develop its strength first.

Once a powerful Greater French Empire has been built, encompassing France, Italy, the Rhineland, and the Netherlands, then it can compete with the Great Yu for the position of world hegemon.

Even if the struggle for supremacy fails, a France with such a large territory and a population of seventy to eighty million would be able to protect itself.

Mo Gongze understood what Charles Maurice Talleyrand meant, and he put on a serious expression.

"Thank you, Your Excellency Minister. You are a true patriot, because other people's patriotism is actually just groveling for the king's favor, but you love the country of France."

An hour later, Mo Gongze returned to his warship, took out the Treaty of Erfurt given to him by Charles Maurice Talleyrand, and immediately became restless.

Because the treaty clearly stated that the French Empire and the Rus' Empire had formed a military alliance.

When either side is attacked by the other, especially by Austria, the other side must immediately launch an attack against Austria.

"It is indeed a military alliance, but it's not enough." Mo Gongze muttered a few times, then suddenly took out a quill pen from the drawer. He wanted to add some substance to the Treaty of Erfurt.

A military alliance alone is not enough; it would be better to have France and Russia reach an agreement to divide Austria.

France received Slovenia and Croatia, while the Rus' Empire received Bohemia, Moravia, and Transylvania.

Without hesitation, Mo Gongze immediately began revising the Treaty of Erfurt copied by Charles Maurice Talleyrand.

Sure enough, when Emperor Franz I of Austria received the altered Treaty of Erfurt, he was immediately furious.

If the terms of the Treaty of Erfurt were followed, in some future time, the Austrian Empire would be reduced to a ring around Vienna, becoming something akin to the Kingdom of Portugal—something the proud Franz I absolutely could not accept.

"War, only war can make these two robbers give up their covetousness for Austria and the Habsburg family."

"Karl, my brother, gather all the soldiers we can muster! I'm going to cut off Napoleon Bonaparte's head!"

Franz I's screams of shock and fear echoed through Schönbrunn Palace, while Archduke Karl, his face grim, prepared for the final battle.

However, even after the Austrian Empire had decided to go all out, France still did not react.

Even after discovering that Austria had begun a nationwide mobilization, Napoleon still withdrew more than 100,000 troops from the German regions.

The reason was the Peninsular War between Spain and Portugal on the Iberian Peninsula, which had reached a point that even Napoleon found extremely troublesome.

Initially, the Spanish army was not only looked down upon by the French and ridiculed by Napoleon as bandits led by monks, but the Spanish army itself also looked down on itself, regarding itself as trash.

But the turning point came in July 1808, when Napoleon Bonaparte's elder brother, Joseph Bonaparte, arrived in Madrid and began his career as King of Spain.

Napoleon Bonaparte also believed that the 30,000 French troops he provided for his brother would ensure the Spanish people's eternal submission to their new king.

At that time, a French fleet was trapped by the Spanish in the port of Cádiz, south of Gibraltar.

Napoleon then ordered Pierre Dupont to lead the main force of the French army in Spain, more than 20,000 soldiers, to the port of Cádiz to rescue the fleet and, along the way, to eliminate local Spanish opponents.

As a result, when DuPont reached Byron, a small town more than 80 kilometers from the port of Cádiz, he was suddenly besieged by Spanish troops from the provinces of Andalusia and Seville, and the Battle of Byron broke out.

In this battle, the Spanish, with great nationalistic fervor, cornered the French army, which had looted a large amount of gold and silver treasures along the way, on a mountain.

The French army, on the other hand, was carrying too much looted treasure and did not have enough food and water.

After being trapped on the mountain, the French army tried to go down the mountain to fetch water more than ten times, but the Spanish army fought desperately to drive them back each time.

Three days later, French commander-in-chief Pierre Dupont could no longer hold out. He personally led a desperate assault, but even with him at the forefront, it was still unsuccessful.

Finally, driven to desperation, the French army had no choice but to surrender.

In this battle, the French army of 20,000 men was almost completely wiped out, with more than 1,000 killed or wounded and 18,000 surrendering. In one battle, two-thirds of the French garrison in Spain was wiped out.

As a result, Joseph Bonaparte, who had only been King of Spain for a little over a month, was forced to flee in disgrace.

This battle had a profound impact; it was the first major defeat for the French army, and a crushing defeat at the hands of the notoriously incompetent Spanish army.

The victory at the Battle of Byron not only inspired the Spanish, causing even the Spanish upper class, who initially did not want to resist, to join the anti-French war, but also showed all of Europe the possibility of defeating Napoleon.

So the French army wasn't invincible after all!
In September of the same year, the Kingdom of England dispatched Arthur Wells, the future Iron Duke, with 10,000 British troops to land in Portugal and wage war to restore Portugal.

Along with the 10,000 British troops, there were also 3,000 men from the Hengchuan (Myitkyina) garrison of the Upper Myanmar Province.

In addition, there were 1,000 Portuguese volunteer musketeers from Goa and 1,000 Portuguese volunteer musketeers from Macau.

These 5,000 men were commanded by Admiral Qin Sanqin Dingyang of Shangchuan. Although the two Portuguese volunteer regiments were all composed of overseas Portuguese, they were actually organized and formed with the help of Da Yu, so they were counted in Da Yu's army.

The addition of these 5,000 people essentially marked the beginning of Da Yu's direct involvement in the Napoleonic Wars.

Encouraged by this, on October 22, 1808...

Austrian Foreign Minister Johann Philipp Stachiven invited English Foreign Secretary George Canning, Da Yu's plenipotentiary ambassador to Europe Wang Shouhe, and Baron Stein of Prussia to Vienna for a secret meeting.

During this meeting, the four parties drafted a new alliance treaty, which stipulated that:

The Kingdom of England will launch a land offensive from Portugal and Belgium within six months to tie down French forces.

The Austrian Empire will mobilize no fewer than 150,000 troops within six months to launch a land attack on the French Empire in the Rhineland and other areas.

The Kingdom of Prussia, as the supporting force in the land offensive, also needed to mobilize at least 60,000 troops to participate in the war.

The Kingdom of England will provide £50,000 in aid to the Kingdom of Prussia and £200,000 in aid to the Austrian Empire.

The Seres Empire will provide £150,000 in aid to the Kingdom of Prussia and £1 million to the Austrian Empire, with the gunpowder and food urgently needed by the Austrian Empire to be immediately shipped from the Caucasus region.

Thus, based on the Treaty of Erfurt, Russia and France formed an alliance.

The Seres Empire, the Austrian Empire, the Kingdom of England, and the Kingdom of Prussia formed a new anti-French alliance.

A particularly intense Allied war between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers has begun.

(End of this chapter)