The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 894 The Beginning of Total War

Hampton Court Palace, Richmond, England.

Princess Mary, Queen of England, is serving her father, George III, lunch. The seventy-two-year-old king, who has ruled the Kingdom of England for fifty years, is nearing the end of his life.

Even though he was already exhausted and plagued by illness, and lived for many years in Hampton Court Palace in Richmond, which had been given to the Morgenthau couple, instead of living in London, George III still wielded far more power than any other figure in history.

The main reason was that George III still had a usable army by his side.

This included the Hanover Guards Infantry Regiment of 1,500 men, selected from the Black Guards, and the Third Regiment of the Left Guard of the Xia Fan, which was also known as the Third Regiment of the Belgian Army.

England was originally a small army, and having exhausted all its resources on the Portuguese battlefield, the three thousand elite soldiers around George III became the decisive force.

Hampton Court Palace in Richmond is only a little over 13 kilometers from Downing Street in London. Without a forced march, it would only take about two hours to get there. At this distance, George III could basically arrest whoever he wanted.

In this world, all power ultimately comes from violence.

Therefore, whether it was the old aristocracy of London or the newly emerging bourgeois members of parliament, they all knew very well how to bow down at the right time when faced with an entity that could physically eliminate them.

This is also why the English government and parliament, especially those who advocate for the greatest possible limitation of royal power, disliked Moggallje so much that they didn't even let him participate in the expedition to Antwerp.

Moggallzer was an extension of George III’s power at this time.

“My dear Mary, although I am tormented by illness and constantly attacked by the devils of hell, as long as I see little George growing up healthy and happy, I am filled with hope for life.”

After eating a piece of fried fish, a piece of Wellington steak, and drinking some gin, George III looked at his grandson with doting eyes and smiled broadly.

Princess Mary was not originally George III's favorite daughter, but over the years, as she rose in status due to her husband's influence and as Maurice Moggalljee became increasingly helpful to George III, he grew to like her more and more.

Not to mention that Princess Mary also gave birth to George III's only grandson, George the Younger, the eldest son of the Duke of Cambridge, the heir apparent of the Xia family of Da Yu.

Despite having a total of thirteen children (seven sons and six daughters) who grew to adulthood, George III had very few grandchildren, with only one granddaughter and one grandson.

This young George, named Morhout, who was jokingly called the Hunnic Prince in Europe, was George III's only grandson and male grandchild.

"Has Ferdinand written recently? What are his plans for the throne?" George III asked in a low voice, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

It wasn't that Princess Mary and Mo Gongze had any problems in their relationship, but rather that their marriage was in trouble.

Because the palace maid Hong, whom Mo Zibu had given to Mo Gongze, had gone to Europe, this Hong brought with her Mo Gongze's eldest son, Mo Houyao.

This Xia prince, who is undoubtedly the eldest son by Chinese standards, is almost sixteen years old this year. He is said to be extremely tall and strong, and is already capable of protecting Mo Gongze on the battlefield.

Hong's maternal family, the Hong family of Xiangshan County, Guangdong, was also a prominent clan. Over the years, no fewer than a thousand members of the Hong family had served under Mo Gongze, with dozens sacrificing their lives. They not only made many military achievements but also recruited a large number of talented individuals for Mo Gongze.

Therefore, Mo Houyao's arrival immediately posed a great threat to the position of George Mo Houzhong.

“The Seres culture is different from ours; they recognize children born out of wedlock.”

Furthermore, I've heard that many officers in the Kingdom of Hungary are from the same hometown or are related to that woman from Seres, and I worry that little George's future in Hungary will be very difficult.

“Father, don’t worry.” Princess Mary frowned slightly, but the frown quickly disappeared.

“Ferdinand has sent a letter. He has decided to divide the kingdom in two, with George inheriting the Kingdom of Belgium and his son Seris inheriting the Kingdom of Hungary.”

King George III nodded, indicating his approval of the plan.

"That's the only way. But the Kingdom of Belgium is too small. It will have a difficult time when facing powerful countries on the continent. So I decided to add the United Provinces Republic to it."

"Is that alright?" Princess Mary looked at her father in shock, but a surge of joy welled up inside her. The King of the Greater Netherlands was far more prestigious than the King of Belgium.

“William’s performance on the battlefield is too disgraceful. He cannot hold onto the position of permanent ruler. I will have someone persuade him to give it up.”

William I, the future King of the Netherlands, now William the Prince of Orange, lost all face in the Franco-Prussian War.

His Prussian army not only failed to pose much of a threat to the French army, but also mutinied and collapsed without firing a single shot.

This severely damaged the reputation of the House of Orange, making England less willing to continue supporting the Prince of Orange.

Even his uncle, King Frederick William I of Prussia, was very disappointed with the Prince of Orange, and even harbored some resentment towards him.

“I need a way to keep the Hanoverian Guards in check, so loyalty to the future King of the Netherlands is the best promise.”

George III said slowly, “Of the three thousand troops he has secured for his final authority, the loyalty of the fifteen hundred men of the Xia family is beyond question, but the loyalty of the remaining Hanoverian guards is another matter.”

No one in this world wants to be in a desperate situation, so when a powerful person loses power, those around him often scatter like birds and beasts.

For example, George III now has very little power left, and even that remaining power is rapidly diminishing.

As the elite of the English Army, behind every Hanover Guardsman is a family with high hopes for them.

This expectation cannot be satisfied simply by providing military pay; a foreseeable bright future is required, and power is the most important element in this.

George III himself obviously couldn't give much more, and because of the bad relationship between the king and the crown prince, these officers and soldiers also had to worry that after the king's death, the crown prince would send them to harsh colonies because he didn't like them.

Therefore, George III urgently needed to find a future for the 1,500 Hanoverian guards who remained loyal to him, in order to guarantee their loyalty.

Then there is no one more suitable than to become the royal guard of the future King of the Greater Netherlands.

"Most importantly, after we defeat that Corsican cannibal, we need to establish several medium-sized powers around France to prevent the French from going back to their old ways of harming others."

The current population of the Upper Netherlands (United States) is 2.5 million, and the population of the Lower Netherlands (Belgium) is 5.5 million.

If we support William, we will have to ignore the interests of 5.5 million people; if we support Ferdinand and George, we will only have to address the dissenting opinions of 2.5 million people.

Moreover, the Prince of Orange's family has lost much prestige in the Netherlands, while Ferdinand, in Belgium today, is increasingly missed by the Belgians due to the brutal exploitation by France.

Upon hearing this, Princess Mary felt there was a good chance of success, and she boldly suggested, "Why not add Arthas and Lorraine as well?"

Since the Duchy of Luxembourg and the Duchy of Limburg have already been traded away by Ferdinand, there should be some compensation.

Luxembourg and Limburg were traded to Li Xingtai by Mo Gongze, and the two became in-laws in exchange for Li Xingtai's strong support for Mo Gongze.

Alsace and Lorraine were originally Habsburg territories, and were only fully under French rule eighty years ago at the end of the reign of Louis XIV. The population was still predominantly German.

This place is not small either, covering more than 8,000 square kilometers, roughly the size of half of Beijing, with a population of over 600,000, and it borders Belgium.

If this area could be added, the future Kingdom of the Greater Netherlands would be quite large.

“Yes, then let’s add Alsace and Lorraine.” George III agreed. “This will be the last thing I do for little George before I go to see God.”

Princess Mary was overjoyed and quickly thanked her father with her son, but then she asked somewhat anxiously:

"Father, can we really defeat the French Empire? Or, even if we can defeat the French Empire, can we settle accounts with the Bonaparte family?"

"If not, this King of the Greater Netherlands is practically sitting on a powder keg!"

“Of course!” King George III smiled, took out a document and handed it to Princess Mary, gesturing for her to take a look.

"Napoleon Bonaparte was terrified, because he finally realized a very serious problem. That is, although the Seres Empire was halfway around the world, it could still bring him down with just one-tenth of its power."

The recent war is the best proof. Seris's army had only 20,000 men, but with Ferdinand's elite troops, they totaled 40,000, yet Napoleon was never able to conquer them.

"What if the Seris Empire sends an army of 100,000 like that? With our combined strength, they're finished."

Princess Mary took it and saw that it was a secret proposal from the French Empire to reconcile with the Kingdom of England.

"Napoleon is willing to give up Portugal and allow no more than 15 million pounds of goods to enter the continent each year." Princess Mary read the words on the document, her expression full of doubt.

“There is no problem with that, Father. It is simply that the Corsican madman has come to terms with the situation and made a compromise.”

"On the contrary, the problem is very, very big!" George III also became more alert, and his schizophrenia and paranoia stopped.

"The Bonaparte family is merely a descendant of minor Tuscan nobles."

Their family became nobles because of the reward given by the French Bourbon dynasty for its control of Corsica. It was the Bourbon monarchs who certified them as nobles from their so-called noble lineage.

Napoleon Bonaparte, however, inherited the mantle of the French rebel government. His current arrogance stems entirely from his power; he is so powerful that the French believe he can conquer all of Europe for the French Empire.

This meant that Napoleon Bonaparte had to remain tough and keep winning.

If he can't win, then the French will think...

Why should I support a Corsican country bumpkin who isn't even a Frenchman to lead France and become the esteemed Emperor of France?

"If Napoleon Bonaparte cannot continue to win, the French dream of controlling the continent and becoming the world's superpower will be shattered."

But the moment that beautiful dream shatters, the French will abandon him.

That makes perfect sense; he truly deserves to be called the king who ruled the Kingdom of England for fifty years.

But this statement was clearly beyond Princess Mary's comprehension. She vaguely felt that it made sense, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

However, Princess Mary was very quick-witted. She immediately said excitedly, "Then let's announce this news right away and then reject it. That will severely damage Napoleon Bonaparte's reputation."

“No,” George III shook his head. “At least not now, because Napoleon’s continental blockade has done too much damage to us, and many money-grubbing fellows are looking forward to that day.”

If we oppose, they will immediately oppose us.

Princess Mary thought about it and agreed. The Kingdom of England was on the verge of collapse. Large quantities of goods could not be sold, and workers in industrial areas such as Little Ireland in London were starving to death every day.

Many of them chose to flee to North America to fight the Native Americans in the harshest places, or to become plantation workers in the southern Pacific of the Seres Empire, which was a little better than being serfs.

“But if we agree, wouldn’t that mean we’re breaking our alliance with the Seris Empire? That would be a very serious matter.”

"It will have an impact, so I want you to write a letter to Ferdinand and have him explain our difficulties to Emperor Seres."

The Kingdom of England will never make peace with France, nor will it allow a single power to emerge on the European continent, but we will need to make minor adjustments to our policy at the appropriate time.

George III said slowly, “Anyone in the Kingdom of England can betray the Seres Empire, but not the royal family, because the Seres Empire controls the gain and loss of India.”

If the Kingdom of England dares to betray us, the Seres Empire will immediately take India. Once India is taken, the Kingdom of England will surely explode.

If the Kingdom of England were to explode on the spot, the royal family at the very top would be blown to smithereens first. George III certainly didn't want to go insane and then be dragged to the banks of the Thames and beheaded.

"We will agree to France's request for peace, but once the treaty is made public, Napoleon will certainly face opposition from all levels of French society, and French factory owners will resolutely oppose the entry of English goods."

This forced Napoleon to implement the treaty conditionally and with discounts.

However, conditional implementation would immediately be seen as deception by English factory owners, leading us to veto the treaty and continue the war with Napoleon.

This not only revealed Napoleon's weakness to the French, but also strengthened the resolve of the English to fight France to the end.

“Father, you are truly amazing! You are simply the best politician in the world,” Princess Mary couldn’t help but praise.

But this praise somehow touched a nerve in George III's already erratic mind.

His expression changed drastically in an instant, his hands flailing wildly in the air, while he roared madly.

"But your brother, my damned son, is a hundred times more stupid than Emperor Franz of Austria."

The Kingdom of England and the Hanoverian family are about to be destroyed in his hands. He can't do anything right and only knows how to enjoy himself. His appearance is simply a curse from Satan.

No, you devil of hell, you can't hurt me, you can't send me to hell!
I cannot die yet. I must continue to lead the English people to victory after victory, and I will lead them to destroy France.

"Devil, go away! Devil, I command you to go away!"

Princess Mary sighed and could only have the court tutor take her son away, then, along with a group of servants and doctors, she tried to calm the maddening George III.

. . . .

On the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, strong winds swept up white dust from the salt flats, creating a terrifying scene, but it also meant that sailing warships could begin to sail with the wind.

Large transport ships that had been waiting for them at Siqi Port (Turkmenistan-Turkmenbashi) and Nanan Port (Iran-Anzali Port) immediately set sail.

The former transported elite Anxi cavalry, along with a large number of warhorses and fodder for mules, from Nanhe Prefecture (western Turkmenistan) to Xihai City (Astrakhan).

The latter brought rice, citrus fruits, apples, honey, and brewed citrus wine and apple wine from the Liao Dynasty's Nan'an County (the southern plain of the Caspian Sea).

Under the orders of Crown Prince Da Laosen, the entire Anxi Province was mobilized at lightning speed. Thanks to the large-scale transportation construction in recent years, the allocation of resources was much faster than before.

After three years of preparation, Dayu has gathered four Imperial Guards and four Imperial Guards on the north shore of the Caspian Sea, totaling 85,000 men.

In addition, there were 50,000 elite troops from various provinces, 15,000 troops from the four provinces of Anxi, and more than 100,000 volunteers from the four provinces of Anxi and all over the country. As for grain, mules, horses and weapons, they were piled up like mountains.

This army of over 250,000 men emptied the Anxi Envoy's office and the northwestern provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu with supplies prepared as a feast for the Rus'.

"Is Your Highness going in person this time?" Crown Princess Ye had also arrived in Anxi, and she looked at Da Laosen with some concern.

"The journey is long and arduous, fraught with danger. Your Highness carries the Emperor's expectations and bears the responsibility for the well-being of the people. It would be best not to put yourself in danger."

Upon hearing this, Boss Sen shook his head, then tightened his belt. "It's a popular saying that with 200,000 heavily armed soldiers under his command, he's already capable of standing on his own."

In the thousands of years of Chinese history, there has never been a crown prince with such power. My father trusts him so much, and dominating Europe is a long-cherished plan of his. How could I not go!

After saying that, Boss Sen turned to give Crown Princess Ye a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I will only be stationed in Xihai City (Astrahhan), I will not go to the front line, that is the generals' business."

After calming down the Ye family, Boss Sen's expression changed as he stepped outside.

"Damn Alexander, I personally went to sign a peace treaty with him, even ceding a large amount of land and giving him plenty of face, and he turned around and started shitting on my head."

"If I don't teach this Zong Sang a lesson, he won't know that Lord Ma has three eyes. This time, I'll make him kneel before me and beg for mercy!"

(End of this chapter)