The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 927 The Prince of Orange, a Cat and a Dog

Vienna, Austria.

The conference, which was originally a joyous occasion to adjust the European order after defeating Napoleon, quickly descended into fierce arguments.

The biggest reason was that Da Yu offered three conditions that no European country was willing to agree to.

First, at the Vienna Peace Conference, a collective declaration was issued refusing to recognize the legitimacy of Ferdinand VII as King of Spain.

They demanded that the Spanish provisional government act in accordance with the Visigothic code that expelled Joseph Bonaparte.

The rule that a king who leaves his homeland for more than six months automatically forfeits his throne meant that Ferdinand VII was no longer the legitimate King of Spain.

Second, annex Russia-occupied Finland and Russian-controlled Kalirea into the Kingdom of Sweden, cede Murmansk, and allow Sweden to annex Norway.

Third, Russia ceded the Crimean Khanate and the region south of Tsaritsyn-Rostov to the Great Yu, which then established a vassal state that it did not directly control.

These three rules are too harsh!

The first point is clear: it's about installing the prince of the Great Yu Dynasty as the King of Spain.

Spain is not some peripheral European power like Sweden or Hungary; England, France, and Austria have always been major powers with a rich European heritage.

The Seres already have partial control over Austria; if they were to gain actual control over Spain as well, the impact on Europe would be enormous.

The second point is to create a great Swedish kingdom.

The grandson of the emperor, Duke Shen, is about to be crowned King of Sweden and establish the Swedish Mo dynasty. Great Sweden will become the most important foothold of the Great Yu in northern Europe.

The third point is to weaken Tsarist Russia to the greatest extent possible, transforming it from a great power into a middle power.

These two or three points may not seem as direct as the first one, but they have encountered even stronger opposition than the first one.

Viscount Castleray, England's Foreign Secretary.

Austrian Foreign Minister Metternich.

Prince Hardenberg, the Prussian Prime Minister, and Count Talleyrand, the representative of Louis XVIII of France, strongly opposed Articles 2 and 3 and had begun to secretly collude.

In the secret chamber of Schönbrunn Palace, the expressions on the faces of the representatives of the European powers were even dimmer than the faint glow of the candles in the chamber.

Historically, after defeating Napoleon, although there was a conference called the Vienna Peace Conference, there was no formal gathering like today; instead, there were private alliances and rivalries among the various countries.

However, in this time and space, the situation is far more complex than in history, and given that Da Yu played an important role in defeating Napoleon, this peace conference was convened.

“We cannot agree to the second and third demands made by the Seres Empire’s special envoy, because this is not only weakening Tsarist Russia, but also weakening Europe’s defense capabilities.”

Austrian Metternich, with a grave expression, reminded him, "Based on the data obtained from this war, the Seres Empire's current maximum deployment capacity is approximately 200,000 troops and 15 battleships."

This force is very powerful, but not enough to wage a war of annihilation in Europe.

Therefore, if we want to maintain a certain level of preparedness when facing the Seres Empire, we must prevent them from enhancing their deployment capabilities.

"Does Your Excellency mean that if we agree to the conditions of the Seres Empire, then Tsarist Russia is very likely to become a vassal of the Seres Empire?" asked Prince Hardenberg, Prime Minister of Prussia.

"Yes, a Swedish kingdom that has acquired Karelia and Murmansk could easily pose a deadly threat to St. Petersburg."

With the loss of the Crimean Khanate and Tsaritsyn, the Seres Empire's army could march into the heart of Tsarist Russia at any time.

In this situation, the Tsar and his ministers had nowhere to hide; their only way out was to become vassals of the Seres Empire, to become their accomplices in attacking us, just as they had historically served as servants of the Mongols.

After listening to Metternich's analysis, Count Talleyrand, Louis XVIII's representative, could hardly contain himself.

"The most terrifying thing is that these Rus' people are just Tatars in European skin. Others may have some psychological barriers to submitting to an Easterner like the Seres Empire, but they have none at all."

“I completely agree. In order to ensure the safety of Europe and prevent it from falling under the control of the Seres Empire, we need to do our best to protect Tsarist Russia at the conference to ensure that they do not side with the Seres Empire.”

The English Foreign Secretary, Viscount Castleray, made the final decision, and the four powers of England, France, Prussia, and Austria basically reached a consensus on preserving the Rus' Empire.

When the news reached Tao Shu, the plenipotentiary envoy of the Great Yu, he smiled and said to Yao Ying and Lin Zexu, who had come to see for themselves, "Indeed, one cannot underestimate the heroes of the world. The Europeans' miraculous rise to power still has its merits."

Now, our idea of ​​controlling the Rus' Empire and forcing them to become our vassals is basically impossible to realize. Yuanfu and Shifu, what do you think?

Yao Ying belonged to the faction of alliances and counter-alliances. He chuckled and said, "The four countries of Britain, France, Prussia, and Austria seem to be advancing and retreating together, but in fact they each have their own ulterior motives."

England appears resolute, but because India is constrained by us and they don't have any mainland security anxieties, they're just making noise and won't actually put in the effort.

Although Austria has people like Metternich, at least after His Highness the King of Austria became the regent, their interests will largely be the same as ours, and they can be completely controlled.

France and Louis XVIII—their domestic problems were probably enough to give him a major headache.

Although the revolutionaries failed, they were not completely eradicated, and they haven't even lost their confidence. I think they still have a civil war to fight, and they have no time to pay attention to foreign affairs.

Only Prussia, fearing that if the Rus' Empire were to side with us, would become the shield of Europe.

Secondly, fearing that the Rus' Empire's eastward expansion would be hopeless, they might turn back to compete with it around the Baltic Sea, thus making them the most steadfast of the four.

Unfortunately, Prussia was the weakest of the four powers and couldn't amount to much.

Tao Shu nodded in satisfaction. Yao Ying's analysis was similar to his own. The European countries could be defeated one by one, forcing them to accept the conditions of Da Yu.

"Yuanfu, what are your thoughts?"

After spending these days together, Tao Shu grew to appreciate this young man who had risen to fame early in his life and, like himself, had been recognized and promoted by the emperor through his discerning eye.

"Brother Shifu is absolutely right. These Europeans are only able to unite now because they feel threatened, so they are just seeking peace of mind. They have no intention or will to form a long-term alliance to fight against me."

However, Lin Zexu changed the subject, saying, "But the European countries are not ordinary barbarian chieftains."

His Majesty said they belong to the same group of rapidly developing countries as us, which, while perhaps a slight exaggeration, is a reflection of their true strength.

"For a country like this, I think it's best not to have the idea of ​​achieving victory in one battle, because we don't have that capability at the moment."

Forcing it might succeed in the short term, but it will inevitably get out of control in the long run, only increasing their vigilance and resistance.

Therefore, could we adopt a strategy of concession and indulgence, deliberately showing that we have no intention of controlling them while our control over the military and political situation in Europe is still immature, thus lulling these Europeans into a false sense of security and waiting for them to fight amongst themselves?

Tao Shu frowned. Before the emperor sent him to Europe, he had intended to teach some ignorant fools a lesson, but now, hearing Lin Zexu's suggestion, it seemed to make more sense.

"Yuan Fu's intention is not to alert the enemy, but to wait until Europe experiences a second or third war, and Sweden and the Xia vassal state have established themselves, and Anxi's population exceeds 15 million, before seeking to control Europe?"

"That's right, that's what I think too. Right now, we can only deploy two or three hundred thousand troops to the vicinity of Europe, which is far from enough to control Europe."

This was indeed Lin Zexu's idea. He even went a step further, saying, "I would also like to suggest that we should not rush to attack the Ottoman Empire. We should slowly cut off pieces of flesh from it until the Ottoman Empire is on its last legs before delivering the final blow."

This would serve two purposes: first, it would lull the European powers into a false sense of security, and second, it would allow for better assimilation of the Ottoman Empire after its conquest.

After listening, Tao Shu couldn't help but stand up, stroking his beard as he paced back and forth in thought.

"But in this way, we mobilized hundreds of thousands of naval and land troops and spent more than 40 million silver dollars in military expenses, and we got nothing in return?"

"We can't say we didn't get anything; in fact, we've already accomplished our most important goal."

That was the defeat of Napoleon's French Empire, which completely destroyed the only remaining hope for the unification of the European continent.

Of course, the general public and the soldiers fighting might not realize this, so we also need some spoils of war to give an account to the world.” After thinking for a moment, Lin Zexu continued, “We can stick to Spain’s proposal. Since the European countries do not agree to the second and third points, they cannot veto the first point.”

Furthermore, if Sweden fails to acquire the Karelian and Murmansk regions, then we will demand the return of the Pomeranian region.

Furthermore, the Earl of Dongping is currently stationed in Milan. We can bring him to the table and demand that the conference agree to secede Lombardy and place it under his rule, making him the Grand Duke of Lombardy. At the very least, we require that the Earl of Dongping become the Prince of Lombardy of Austria.

Pomerania was located north of what would later become Germany and Poland, specifically including the northern coastal region of Brandenburg in Germany and parts of Szczecin Oblast and Gdansk Province in Poland.

This was originally the fiefdom of the Duke of Pomerania, which belonged to the Holy Roman Empire. In 1637, the Kingdom of Sweden acquired West Pomerania, and Prussia acquired East Pomerania.

However, the two countries continued to clash over the region until 1720, when they finally established their respective spheres of influence.

Lin Zexu's demand for the entirety of Pomerania for Sweden at this time was an act of revenge against Prussia, sowing the seeds of resentment in Prussia, which would later erupt and lead the Kingdom of Prussia to its doom.

As for Lombardy, it is the wealthiest region in northern Italy, centered around Milan.

This was true then, and it will be true in later generations. The textile industry is developed here, and the metallurgical industry also has a very strong foundation.

The region comprises over 400 towns and has a population of over two million, making it the absolute heart of Italy.

During Napoleon's reign as King of Italy, Lombardy was the region he controlled most firmly.

“Lombardy produces 38 percent of Europe’s raw silk and has always been the biggest competitor of Dayu silk products in Europe. Controlling it is equivalent to directly annexing the competitor.”

Furthermore, during the years of war, Lombardy, with its population of two million, was severely exploited by Napoleon. In twenty years, the number of people who died from starvation and war, including those who were forced to requisition large amounts of food, reached 270,000, most of whom were young adults.

Lin Zexu couldn't help but laugh as he spoke, "This means that most of the young and strong men in Lombardy who supported Napoleon have died. They accounted for 40% of all adult men in Lombardy."

After the war, countless young widows will be starving here. If we don't take them, someone else will.

If we could move 100,000 people from the five prefectures of Wenzhou, Taizhou, Quzhou, Chuzhou, and Jinhua here, this place would become a mini-China.

Tao Shu nodded, already somewhat agreeing in his heart.

The meritorious minister, Dongping Bo, was the son of the previous Xia king, Mo Zirong, and the half-brother of the current Xia king, Mo Gongze.

He had a close relationship with the imperial court because Mo Gongbo was originally placed by the court as a covert agent and substitute for Mo Gongze.

Moreover, Mo Gongbo had a significant advantage over Mo Gongze's other brothers: to a large extent, he could not be considered an illegitimate child.

Mogombo's mother was Princess Maria Theresa of Sardinia, who was the aunt of the current King of Sardinia, Vittorio Emanuele I.

Therefore, Mogongbo was a cousin of the King of Sardinia, which was an important reason why he was able to command the army of the Sardinian Kingdom.

Of course, Maupassant was not the legitimate son of Princess Maria Theresa of Sardinia. This princess had married the Count of Artois, the brother of Louis XVI, who was later known as Charles X, the last King of France.

However, Princess Sardinia's relationship with Charles X broke down around 1786, after which she became involved with Mo Zirong, and after the French Revolution, she even fled to Dayu with Mo Zirong.

After her death in Nanjing in 1805, Princess Maria of Sardinia was buried directly in the Mo family imperial mausoleum (ancestral tomb) in Xinglong County, Xinglong Prefecture (Haikang County, Leizhou Prefecture).

However, even though Princess Sardinia and Mo Zirong's relationship had reached this point, her marriage to Charles X had not ended, and the two remained husband and wife in name only.

In other words, Maupassant was a well-known illegitimate child, but at the same time, he could also be said to be the son of Charles X and the Princess of Sardinia, and a member of the French Bourbon family.

Unless Charles X takes the initiative to come forward and declare through the Pope that he does not recognize Maurice Lacco, then Maurice Lacco is not an illegitimate child.

Moreover, taking Lombardy had another benefit: it served as a warning to Austria, or more precisely, Metternich, that every underhanded move he made would ultimately lead to losses for the Austrian Empire.

"I think it's still too little. The Russian Empire has to cede Tsaritsyn, Rostov and the territory of the Crimean Khanate to us. We'll be lucky if we leave them Odessa in the Black Sea."

Therefore, I think we can temporarily forgo allowing Sweden to acquire Finland, Karelia, and Murmansk, which are St. Petersburg's last line of defense. We can wait until after the next war to seize them.

Yao Ying offered a different opinion: Chalijin was won in a bloody battle and should not be returned; it must be ceded.

"There is another matter, namely that the relocation of the Liao vassal state has been approved. If we do not attack the Ottoman Empire for the time being, then we need to find a temporary place for the Liao vassal state to stay."

Most importantly, what reasons can we use to persuade His Majesty to support us in temporarily halting our attacks on Europe and the Ottoman Empire?

Tao Shu's statement meant that he agreed with Lin Zexu's opinion. The fact that the three of them were able to reach a consensus so quickly was also due to the situation in Europe.

If we really can't swallow it all at once, then we might as well refrain from provoking Europeans and avoid being branded as the Yellow Peril.

"Let the Liao vassals move to Moldavia, Wallachia, and Bessarabia. These areas are sparsely populated and urgently need to be filled by recruiting people. They also need someone to personally oversee them."

His Highness the Prince of Liao is the son-in-law of the Austrian Emperor. With the support of the Austrians, Europeans will not regard him as an outsider.

Furthermore, His Highness the King of Austria actually had no time to stay in Moldavia and other places, because he needed to concentrate his efforts on dealing with affairs in the Netherlands and becoming the Regent of Austria.

Lin Zexu quickly came up with a solution: "As for what reasons to use to persuade His Majesty, Brother Shifu should know."

Yao Ying chuckled upon hearing this, "Brother Yuanfu, you mean you want me to return to the capital to meet the Emperor, right?"

Such a big matter could only be agreed upon by the three of them. The final decision would definitely require the emperor's approval, so they had to go back and persuade the emperor to support them.

"The excuse, or rather, the real excuse, is the war in Beihezhou."

The war between Britain and the United States, which began at the end of last year, is still ongoing, and for us, this presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Since we need to strike at the United States of America, which is beginning to flourish, and our own strength in the North Carolina is very limited, the best way is to help the English.

In addition, the two wars against Russia and France cost 61 million silver dollars, which has already put a strain on the court's finances.

If, after this, we were to simultaneously wage war to destroy the Ottomans and to inflict heavy losses on the Americans, the finances would certainly be unable to support it.

Therefore, it is highly likely that only one side can be attacked.

In comparison, the Ottoman Empire was corrupt and its problems would only get worse in the future. We could still weaken it by supporting Ali Pasha in Egypt, so there was no need to rush into it at this moment.

Meanwhile, the United States was at the height of its prosperity, not only free from internal strife but also able to continuously draw nourishment from the war-torn Europe.

Therefore, it is crucial to suppress it completely at this moment; this is why there must be no delay.

"By the way, we also have to bear the cost of building the Suez Canal. If we want Ali Pasha to throw people into it, we'll have to spend a lot of money to sway him."

After listening to Yao Ying's words, Tao Shu felt that they were basically in line with his opinion. Attacking the United States first and then the Ottomans was indeed the best plan at present, so he nodded.

"Then let's invite the Kings of Xia and Liao to come and discuss this."

"I would be grateful if Shi Fu would trouble you to make the trip back to the capital to report to His Majesty."

"My lord, a man outside who claims to be the steward of the Prince of Orange in the Netherlands has handed you a calling card, saying that His Highness Prince William of Orange wishes to visit you."

As they were talking, a minor official from the Ministry of Rites came to report that the Prince of Orange of the Netherlands had arrived, and that he seemed to be right outside the door, showing none of the reserve one would expect from a great nobleman.

The three exchanged glances, realizing what this guy had come for: the king's position was about to be lost, and he was grasping at straws in desperation.

"What Prince of Orange? In our Great Yu, he's just a local notable. If I have to personally receive any Tom, Dick, or Harry, how am I supposed to get any serious business done!"

Tao Shu will definitely not see the Prince of Orange; that Dutchman is doomed, and no one can save him.

"If you refuse to see me, just say I'm too busy!" Governor Tao waved his hand as if shooing away a fly.

(End of this chapter)