The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 919 The Han Envoy's Skills Have Been Updated Again

Napoleon returned to Paris, but felt no sense of security whatsoever.

Because with his return, all of Europe's power will be directed at France.

For the first time, after the establishment of the French Empire, Napoleon faced questioning in the Imperial Senate.

If it weren't for his past prestige, the senators would probably have risen up and attacked Napoleon.

Therefore, upon returning to Paris, Napoleon did not immediately conscript soldiers, but instead dispatched secret police to monitor all high-ranking political and business figures to prevent them from colluding and causing trouble.

At the same time, he used his prestige to promote officers in the army and spent a huge amount of money to win over the soldiers, quickly stabilizing the most basic support forces.

On September 4, before the Sixth Coalition against France was formally established, Napoleon forced his elder brother Joseph Bonaparte, in his capacity as King of Spain, to declare the abolition of the Bayonne Constitution promulgated in 1808.

This Spanish constitution, promulgated by Joseph Bonaparte, aimed to abolish the privileges of nobles and landowners, and was intended to prepare for the dismantling of feudal economic relations and the implementation of land reform in Spain.

However, the plan was quickly abandoned because Napoleon launched his wars across Europe and France urgently needed Spain's finances, food, and population. It was left as a mere empty promise that was never implemented.

Napoleon's order for his elder brother Joseph Bonaparte to abolish the Bayonne Constitution was, in effect, a compromise with the Spanish nobility who had consistently opposed it.

Along with the repeal of the Bayonne constitution, the order also granted the Spanish parliament greater powers and allowed more regions greater autonomy.

After this decree was issued, Joseph Bonaparte's reign as King of Spain became a mere formality, which led to a major argument between the Bonaparte brothers.

When Joseph Bonaparte left the Tuileries Palace, his face was green.

Of course, Joseph Bonaparte would never have known that, historically, he was driven out of the country by the Spanish without having to order the abolition of the Bayonne Constitution, and that he officially lost his throne last year, in 1813.

The reason why Spain was not lost in this timeline is because historically England was truly pushed to the brink, playing a leading role in the fight against France on both land and sea.

Even with no way out, English capitalists still demonstrated an extremely strong capacity for mobilization.

The navy defeated France, and the army deployed up to 100,000 troops on the Iberian Peninsula, allowing Duke Arthur Wellesley of Wellington to completely liberate Portugal and Spain.

But in this timeline, England faces much less pressure because, like Da Yu, it is completely unable to accept Napoleon's unification of Europe.

With the gradual intervention of the Great Yu, which mobilized a total of over 400,000 troops and 60,000 to 70,000 naval personnel to attack Russia and France, England no longer needed to play the leading role on both land and sea.

So they deployed their main army forces to the New World, fighting the Anglo-American War, which was a year later than in history. The White House has been burned down, but England shows no sign of stopping.

The direct result of this is that Arthur Wellesley currently has only over 40,000 British troops on the peninsula, less than half the size it had in history.

Meanwhile, in Spain, it was Massena, not Marmont, who was in charge of the overall situation.

Historically, Masséna was dismissed by Napoleon for failing to defeat the Duke of Wellington, but in this timeline, the British army was not that large, and Napoleon needed Marmont to accompany him on the campaign against Mogunze, so Masséna was not abandoned.

As it turned out, Massena's command ability and willpower were stronger than Marmont's. Although the Spanish guerrillas also caused Massena great pain, he still managed to hold on.

At least it didn't lose the entire Iberian Peninsula in 1813 as it did in history.

France currently still controls a small area near Madrid and the Pyrenees Mountains, and its 300,000-strong army has not been almost entirely wiped out by Marmont as it was in history; it still maintains a complete force of about 150,000.

But Napoleon's concession made the Spanish nobles realize their value immediately, and they quickly responded by demanding that the French army completely withdraw from Spain.

According to the Visigothic Code promulgated in 654, a king who was away from the country for more than six months was considered to have voluntarily abdicated.

The Spanish Parliament passed a resolution by a large majority, declaring Joseph Bonaparte out of the throne of Spain.

This was a blatant provocation. The Spanish nobles not only demanded a high degree of autonomy, but also did not want a Frenchman as their king.

When Napoleon heard the news, he turned green with rage. He flew into a rage at the Tuileries Palace, deeming it a complete insult to the Bonaparte family and to him personally.

But Napoleon had little choice; he had to recall 150,000 Spanish troops to France.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible to stop the anti-French coalition's attack with only 30,000 to 40,000 troops in France and the militia that were temporarily conscripted.

. . . .

Cádiz, Spain.

Yao Ying, the deputy envoy of the Dayu Dynasty of the Seres Empire to Europe and ambassador to England, Spain and Portugal, sat imposingly in the reception room of the Spanish Council of State and the Supreme Military Government, dressed in traditional official robes.

Shortly after, several key figures from the Spanish military government quickly entered.

The so-called Spanish Council of State and Supreme Military Government was a provisional government jointly established by the leaders of the Spanish rebels.

To replace the military governments previously established in various regions, and to coordinate and unify all local military leaders in commanding guerrilla forces to fight against the French.

"Your Excellency Chairman, I did not expect you to come in person."

Upon seeing that one of the visitors was a nobleman who wore a golden curly wig even in the sweltering heat and liked to wear gaudy bright red clothes, Yao Ying quickly put down her teacup and stood up to greet him.

This person is none other than Count Altamira Moscoso, the current President of the Council of State of Spain.

"Your Excellency Ambassador, I apologize for keeping you waiting."

Count Altamira’s tone was somewhat cold, and Yao Ying immediately sensed something was wrong.

As expected, after a few pleasantries, Count Altamira coughed and said slowly and hesitantly:

"After careful discussion, the State Councilors have decided to bring back His Majesty Ferdinand to continue as King of the Kingdom of Spain."

Yao Ying's expression changed instantly. He snorted coldly, picked up the teacup he had just put down, and slammed it heavily on the table, causing tea to splash everywhere, even staining Count Altamira's robes.

As the grand-nephew of Yao Nai, a great writer of the Tongcheng School, and himself a renowned writer, scholar of classics, and a scholar well-versed in military affairs and economics, Yao Ying rarely lost his temper like this, let alone on such an occasion where he was considered impolite.

“I think that after such a calamity, the Kingdom of Blood and Gold should know the importance of a strong king with endless support. Isn’t that enough to make you make the right choice?”
If the French Empire were to invade again, could Ferdinand VII shoulder the responsibility of protecting the kingdom?

Surprisingly, Count Altamira showed no anger despite being treated so rudely. Instead, she patiently explained to Yao Ying, "This was a decision made jointly by the seven members of the committee."

We believe that, having witnessed the losses inflicted on the Kingdom of Blood and Gold by this invasion, the French Empire will not wish to launch another invasion.

These words enraged Yao Ying even more. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "The Supreme Council is responsible for the national security of the Kingdom of Spain and has an obligation to bring a stable and bright future to the ten million people of Spain."

The responsibility is so heavy, yet you entrust the very existence and future of the Kingdom of Spain to whether the French are willing to accept it.

I see the committee as composed entirely of conservative nobles, ignoring the voices of the progressive class throughout the country. It's hardly possible for a mere seven people to represent the entire kingdom and the ten million people of Spain!

Good heavens, the respect he was just putting on has completely vanished; this is practically the same as scolding a subordinate.

Those who didn't know better might think Yao Ying was the Protector-General of the Spanish Protectorate of the Great Yu, and that Count Altamira was one of his subordinate officials.

Count Altamira's expression began to tense; he knew the risks of offending an ambassador from the Seris Empire.

Because the envoys of this empire are always known for their ability and willingness to cause trouble.

“Your Excellency, the opposition is indeed very strong. I am old and suffer from lung disease, and I am really unable to balance the voices of the other powerful members of the committee.”

Yao Ying knew that Count Altamira was not lying; the old count was nearly sixty years old and had been suffering from tuberculosis for more than ten years.

He has been struggling to fight the French for years, and now his condition is getting worse. It seems he really doesn't have many years left to live.

At the same time, the count's son was incompetent and had no successor. It is understandable that he was unwilling to offend anyone and push things forward for the sake of the family's stability and the wealth of his descendants.

However, Yao Ying could not accept this happening; it was something she could understand but absolutely could not accept.

"I devoted all my efforts to resisting the cruel rule of the French for the Kingdom of Blood and Gold, only to end up like this."

This is betrayal, and someone must pay a bloody price. I truly feel sorrow for the Spanish people!

After saying that, Yao Ying, accompanied by several guards, hurriedly walked out of the State Council's premises.

However, he did not return to the government office, but instead boarded a Dayu warship flying a blue flag with a gold sun and moon.

The reason Yao Ying was so angry was because he was planning something very big.

That is to have the Spanish Council of State nominate a new king, a prince from Dayu who would become the King of Spain.

He did a lot for this, even using his connections to bring in a fleet of ships to sell large quantities of weapons, saltpeter, sulfur, rubber, medicines, and other goods to the Spanish resistance government at bargain prices.

It's important to understand that in Europe today, these things are often priceless and unavailable; you can't necessarily buy them just by having money.

Not to mention bringing them from the distant Dayu and selling them to the Spanish at a profit of less than 10%.

"These bastards are absolutely despicable! We can't let them get away with this, or we won't be able to face our fellow villagers in southern Anhui and northern Jiangxi!" said a man in official robes standing next to Yao Ying with a vicious glare.

Yao Ying herself was furious. Unlike in history, when her official career was blocked, Yao Ying in this timeline had a smooth official career and could even be said to be a third-generation power in the empire.

Because the late Emperor Emeritus Mo Tianci was very fond of literature, and Yao Ying's great-uncle Yao Nai was a master of the Tongcheng School.

When the retired emperor was alive, Yao Nai was his closest literary friend. He would persuade the retired emperor to go to Japan to oversee things. Since the emperor himself could not do it, he would ask Yao Nai to do it.

Yao Nai even stayed in Japan with the retired emperor for almost five years under the pretext of fulfilling his filial duty to the emperor before leaving.

With such connections, the Yao family naturally had a smooth career in officialdom.

But Yao Ying was not satisfied. This kind of promotion, which was due to the protection of her ancestors, was not only looked down upon, but also had a 'ceiling' above her head.

This is the current situation that the second and third generations of owners of Dayu are facing.

To become an official, one had to pass the imperial examination. Promotion was quick, but most officials only reached the prefecture or county level, or at most the prefectural level. Very few could enter the central government.

A mere fourth or fifth-rank official is naturally far from being able to realize his lifelong ambitions, manage his family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world.

The ceiling above the heads of the second and third generations of powerful families remains unshakable, because that ceiling is the emperor himself.

With control of the inner court and the Republican Parliament, it would be relatively easy for the emperor to manage the proportion of powerful second- and third-generation officials in the central government. The emperor wouldn't even need to do much; he simply needed to be strict and fair.

Because most of the time, the second and third generations of the powerful simply can't compete with those who rise from humble beginnings to become powerful figures.

Seven hundred million people? Are you kidding me? People of this size are all the kings of the hill. As long as it's generally fair, very few second or third generation leaders can stand out in front of these kings of the hill.

So Yao Ying took the initiative to come to Europe, both to train herself and to find opportunities in this chaotic world, and she actually found one.

That is to follow the Swedish tradition and secure the Spanish throne for a certain prince.

Spain is a deeply rooted European power. If it succeeds, it will be in the emperor's heart, famous throughout the world, and easily gain access to the cabinet.

“Brother Hanshi, you’re right. Putting aside all our efforts over the years, if all the investments made by our fellow villagers in southern Anhui, northern Jiangxi, and Shaoyang over the years have gone down the drain, how can we face returning to our hometown?”

Yao Ying is from Tongcheng, located in southern Anhui. Therefore, in order to provide reinforcements to Spain, he mainly mobilized the support of his fellow townsmen from places like Anqing, Jiujiang, and Nanchang.

These fellow villagers were willing to take on such a risky business for a profit of only 10%, certainly not for the sake of such a small amount of money from trade.

Their plan was to wait until Yao Ying had secured control of Spain, so they could then reap huge rewards by aligning themselves with the new king of Spain.

The saying goes, "The profit from farming is tenfold, the gain from jewels is a hundredfold, and the profit from establishing a nation's ruler is countlessfold."

But the more you earn, the more you invest. If Yao Ying messes this up, it won't just be about the money; it will mean he'll never be able to use the power of these fellow villagers again.

The same goes for Han Shi, who is close to Yao Ying. He, Wei Yuan, also brought a large number of fellow Shaoyang natives to invest.

Moreover, he was in more danger than Yao Ying. Jiujiang, Anqing, and Nanchang were still within the Jiangnan region, where the people were wealthy and had sharp business acumen. They knew that such things involved both risks and opportunities, and even if things didn't work out, they would only regret making a losing deal.

However, Wei Yuan's hometown, Shaoyang, belongs to western Hunan in a broader sense. It is truly a "treasure land" where "poor and remote places breed unruly people and attract all sorts of demons and monsters."

The people of western Hunan are known for their fierce and tough nature, and they don't have as much money as people in the south of the Yangtze River. Many of them sold their possessions to join Wei Yuan in his adventures, and they simply lacked the ability to withstand risks and the necessary mental fortitude.

If this fails, Wei Yuan estimates that at best his ancestral graves will be dug up, and at worst he'll be stabbed when he returns to his hometown.

With no way out for either of them, and with those following them, Yao Ying clenched her right fist and slammed it hard into her left palm.

"These Westerners are so untrustworthy, no wonder we have to make sure their families are ruined!"
"Let's go to Porto Faro. We're going to meet someone who will one day turn Spain upside down."

. . . .

Faro Port, located at the southernmost tip of Portugal and near the Strait of Gibraltar, was the main port for resupply and rest for the Da Yu expeditionary fleet on the Iberian Peninsula.

Two Class V sailing fast cruisers were still docked in the port, along with 600 Portuguese volunteers stationed in Macau.

These people claim to be Portuguese, but many have lived in Macau for two or three generations.

Some people with Portuguese faces can't even speak Portuguese fluently, but they can swear in Cantonese fluently, making them almost like true Cantonese natives.

Yao Ying led Wei Yuan off the ship and into the Faro Port City Hall, where they met the man he had described as someone who could turn Spain upside down.

Marshal Francisco Ballesteros, commander of the Fourth Army of the Spanish Supreme Military Government, was exiled.

And his deputy, Major General Rafael del Rigo, a leading figure among Spain's younger generation of officers.

"Your Excellency Marshal, the Council of Seven has rejected all our efforts. Those seven people have acted on behalf of ten million Spanish people. I think that when Ferdinand VII returns, he will be even more conservative and reactionary!"

Yao Ying directly informed Marshal Francisco of the latest news, which caused an uncontrollable look of anger to appear on the marshal's face.

Spain, from the very beginning of its establishment after the expulsion of Islam, was a very fragmented country, which is very evident on later maps.

Open a map of Spain, and you'll see that, apart from the area around Madrid, it's surrounded by various autonomous communities.

These autonomous regions that have been passed down to later generations were all created by local nobles and military leaders of all ranks for their own interests.

This is also the most important reason for Spain's decline. Despite having many colonies and making a lot of money, the country was fragmented, which severely restricted the development of industry, commerce, and agriculture.

"These corrupt nobles still haven't realized their mistakes, haven't realized who pushed the Kingdom of Spain into its current hell."

"It's unreasonable and unfair that seven people can decide the fate of ten million people!"

Marshal Francisco was furious but had not yet expressed his opinion. However, Major General Rafael behind him could not hold back and began to berate him on the spot.

The fact that these two individuals could appear in Faro, Portugal, a port controlled by Da Yu, is a prominent manifestation of the internal conflicts within Spain.

Marshal Francisco and Major General Rafi were both liberals in Spain, and these liberals were actually spokespeople for the petty bourgeoisie and small landowners.

They hoped to establish a unified Spanish market, abolish the numerous unreasonable taxes levied by the various autonomous regions, unify the tax system, and establish a Spanish bourgeois parliament with broad representation.

Marshal Francisco initially tried to remain reserved, but his underlings couldn't hold back any longer and started cursing. So he stopped being coy and asked what seemed to be his biggest concern.

"How can I convince the Spanish people to accept a Seresian of pure and unadulterated blood as their king?"

Yao Ying had explained this issue to Count Altamira, the president of the State Council, but had not yet explained it to Marshal Francisco, because he was only Yao Ying's backup option.

"Don't the Spanish people still consider themselves civilized, civilized white people?"
If we Easterners, the beacon of civilization in this world, are outsiders in your eyes, then the only proof is...

The Spanish weren't civilized white people, but rather black people, Tatars, Native Americans—at best, on par with the barbarians of Islam.

Marshal Francisco broke out in a cold sweat. For the past twenty years, the most important thing for Emperor Mozibu was to make China stronger culturally.

Its greatest achievement was seizing the right to interpret the terms "civilization" and "white people".

If a European considers the Seres Empire to be an outsider, it is because of the dark, medieval barbarity within him that he is trampling on the efforts of the sages since the Renaissance.

They fail to recognize that, through their tireless efforts, Westerners have caught up with the East, and together they have become the civilized people who rule the world.

If you think the Seres are not white, that proves you are not white, because the label of "white" has always been worn by the Seres Empire.

With fair skin, black hair, and black eyes, not only the Seres were like this, but also the citizens of the great Roman Empire.

Actually, you're not white; you're a Germanic barbarian with blond hair, blue eyes, and a dark, pork-colored complexion—a non-white person.

See? The Mo Emperor, having experienced the harsh realities of Western discourse in later generations, is quite experienced.

He cleverly interpreted "white person" as someone with fair skin, rather than someone with white skin, thus avoiding the issue of the actual differences in skin tone between people from the East and West.

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I meant that the King of Spain has no Spanish blood, was not born or raised in Spain, and has no blood relation to the former royal family. It's hard for everyone to believe that."

Yao Ying's theory is currently considered politically correct, to the point that Marshal Francisco had to quickly explain that he did not intend to expel the Spanish from the ranks of civilized people.

"It's very simple. When the king arrives in Madrid, he can marry a Spanish woman. I've heard that the marshal's granddaughter is exceptionally beautiful. I can help make the match."

So-called bloodline and skin color, once you get to the bottom of it, it's not really that important, and it wasn't exactly what Marshal Francisco valued most.

It would be wonderful if the granddaughter became queen, but the first step should be to consider the success rate.

The people of Seres have no understanding of the situation in Spain. They blindly follow suit and invest, lest they fail in their business and lose their entire family's lives.

"Your Excellency Ambassador, I would like to know how the new king will treat us after he arrives in Madrid."

After much hesitation, Marshal Francisco still wanted to fight for the interests of his class, the Spanish petty bourgeoisie and small landowners.

Just then, a commotion and cheers arose from the port. The group went outside to see what was happening and discovered that part of the second fleet of the Great Yu, which had departed from Egypt, had arrived.

Because of an agreement reached between the Spanish Council of State and the French Empire, 40,000 British troops were unable to invade France through Spanish soil.

Therefore, Da Yu's troops, who were cooperating with the English army, could only rush to Faro port first, then go to Lisbon to join the British army, and finally land directly in Brittany on the French mainland.

On the sea, dozens of ships formed a huge fleet, led by the Jiashen-class steam-powered sailing battleship Zhang Wenlie (Zhang Jiayu).

This ship was the most powerful of the Jiashen-class ships, or more accurately, an improved version of the Jiashen-class. It was equipped with a 1,200-horsepower steam engine, displaced 3,700 tons, and had a top speed of 14 knots.

It was equipped with 84 new water-cooled cast cannons (Liang Wang cannons), and had 1,900 officers and soldiers. The sides were already being covered with iron plates, giving it a resemblance to an ironclad warship.

In addition to the Zhang Wenlie, there was the Huang Zhongzhuang (Huang Degong) steam battleship, which was of the same class as the Qin Zhongzhen (Qin Liangyu) that made great achievements on the Black Sea, as well as 3,000 elite troops from Dayu and 30,000 British Indian troops.

"What magnificent ships, what magnificent soldiers! Truly the heavenly soldiers of China, a righteous and valiant army!" Yao Ying suddenly felt a sense of security. He laughed heartily and looked at Marshal Francisco, who was clearly stunned, and said:

"The State Council is out of touch with the times, daring to collude with the independent French at this time. I think that after the war ends, the Kingdom of Spain should also be punished as an accomplice."

Marshal, now is not the time for the future king to offer you anything, but rather for you to do something for him.

If you still want to save the Kingdom of Spain, then make your decision quickly.

Marshal Francisco looked at the seemingly endless warships on the sea and the soldiers in their magnificent armor, and couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

Have the old guys in the Council of State gone mad? They've reached an agreement with France. How are they going to avoid being purged in the future? If things continue like this, can the Kingdom of Spain still exist?
"If Your Excellency would allow me to return to Spain, I am willing to recruit at least 20,000 guerrillas to assist in the restoration of the Kingdom of Sardinia."

They were also willing to unite with those within Spain dedicated to overthrowing the corrupt rule of the Council of State and to rise in rebellion to elect a member of the Seres royal family as King of Spain.

"This child is teachable!" Yao Ying laughed and reached out to grab Marshal Francisco's arm.

"Everything the Spanish people yearn for—a unified market, a unified tax system, and a parliament with broader representation—will be available."

Yao Ying was unaware of the immense help he had given to the Kingdom of Spain.

Since this time onward, Spain has been embroiled in a fierce struggle between conservatives (large nobles and landowners) and liberals (small and medium-sized landowners and the petty bourgeoisie).

Unfortunately, the two factions were evenly matched, and neither could gain the upper hand. For the next two hundred years, the Kingdom of Spain fought countless civil wars over this issue. While the world outside was in turmoil, the Spanish were still fighting a civil war.

However, even if Yao Ying knew, she didn't care, because besides wanting to gain merit for herself, she also saw a huge benefit.

By leveraging the influence of Spain and Portugal, South America was brought into the Chinese economic sphere without bloodshed.

(End of this chapter)