The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 305 Napoleon's Choice
Napoleon listened to Berthier's words and immediately came up with his own analysis:

“So, this is why, in Shenzhou’s history, battles for the emperor of the Celestial Empire often end in failure.

"All the generals competing for the throne of the Celestial Empire need to win at least one decisive victory in all their wars against their major rivals.

"Then it is very likely that there will be no need to directly occupy all the enemy's territories. All you need to do is issue a manifesto and you can quickly become the master of the world.

“It’s like a form of gambling where the winner is determined in one round and the winner takes all.

“Peasants are not nobles. Before they understand the meaning of freedom and become masters of the country, they have no sense of honor at all.

"As long as they can stay alive and keep their main wealth, they don't care who owns the country..."

Berthier was stunned for a moment, then he agreed:

“The reforms used by Shenzhou and us in Germany have completely destroyed the traditional feudal aristocracy, and also destroyed the traditional honor system since the classical era.

“But it is impossible for us to go back to the past. What we should consider in the future is to let farmers have a sense of honor and a sense of belonging to the country and the nation.

"Otherwise, the power of such a country only looks huge, and it is indeed enough to directly crush the traditional aristocratic fiefdom.

“But they are not mentally strong, and once they go to war with a country of the same kind, it will be a decisive battle to determine the outcome, and then the winner takes all.

"The Ming Dynasty is already the largest country of its kind. Even if we unite all of Europe, we are still no match for the Ming Dynasty."

Napoleon was even more distressed when he heard this and shouted:

"No, Ming is not the same kind of country as us. The vast majority of Ming's population are Ming people.

"They already have a latent national cohesion and sense of honor.

“The struggles among the dynasties of Shenzhou were internal competitions among the Chinese people, not external wars with the Europeans.

"The one-game winner-takes-all approach can actually help them reduce internal friction.

"It may be for this reason that they have accumulated a terrifying population of more than 400 million, all of whom are of the same ethnic group.

"When they face other ethnic groups, they not only have a terrifying size advantage, but also a basic sense of honor.

"When they fought the Europeans, they had a heartfelt contempt for us, and they had a mental advantage that the Europeans didn't have."

Berthier could understand the logic and differences when he heard this, but he also had a new question:
"Your Majesty, even if we integrate Europe, we can never be a match for the Ming Dynasty. Since the Ming people despise us so much, why are they so anxious to destroy us?
"According to current intelligence, the Ming people may have immediately transferred their troops from the American battlefield to Europe after the American campaign.

“Previously, the correspondence between the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and Your Majesty was even to buy time for this kind of transfer.

"If they really despise us, they can just ignore us for now and attack us when they are fully prepared."

Napoleon simply shook his head and waved his hands:
“I don’t know what the Ming emperor is thinking. If I were the Ming emperor, I would definitely not be so anxious to deal with France. I would definitely conquer Shunguo and India first.

“Perhaps it is some kind of inertia of thinking or a wrong perception that makes the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty think that the effect of my unification of Europe is the same as the Emperor of Shenzhou unifying the world.

"But they ignored the huge differences between the various ethnic groups and countries in Europe. We haven't even unified our language and writing yet."

In fact, the Ming Dynasty's eagerness to strangle France was mainly caused by Zhu Jianxuan's personal thinking inertia.

In the eyes of other Ming people, Napoleon was just an overseas barbarian military leader who proclaimed himself king and was just a good fighter.

The officials of the Ming Dynasty were indeed not in a hurry to eliminate Napoleon.

But in the eyes of Europeans at that time, Napoleon might just be a conqueror in the classical sense.

Only Zhu Jianxuan, a time traveler, under the influence of later Western propaganda and culture, paid special attention to Napoleon, the great French figure.

Not only did they attach far more importance to it than the Ming people of this era, they even attached more importance to it than the Europeans at that time.

Even though Napoleon was just a small soldier at that time, Zhu Jianxuan would still spare some energy to pay attention to him, which was unimaginable for others of that era.

Because Zhu Jianxuan believed that Napoleon was one of the few monarchs who had the opportunity to unify Europe.

In addition, Napoleon now learned the equal distribution of land and the imperial examination system from Shenzhou, which further enhanced the deterrent power of this historical figure in Zhu Jianxuan's mind.

Zhu Jianxuan was lenient with Napoleon in all matters concerning him.

Zhu Jianxuan felt that if Napoleon was allowed to unify and transform Europe, it would take another generation of twenty years to use education and propaganda to forge a common consciousness.

He might really have had the opportunity to transform the major ethnic groups in Europe into a unified European people, or a unified Roman people.

In history, Napoleon named his son the King of Rome, probably because he gradually became interested in shaping a new era of the Roman Empire.

Therefore, Zhu Jianxuan could not give him this opportunity, and he would immediately do his best to nip it in the bud as soon as he saw any sign of it.

We cannot be like the rulers in many novels who ignore such challengers that pose little threat, as they may eventually become huge troubles.

If Napoleon himself knew that Zhu Jianxuan, the world conqueror, would take his threats so seriously, he would surely beg Zhu Jianxuan to stop taking him so seriously, with a mixture of laughter and tears.

Napoleon analyzed and sighed for a long time, and finally realized that he had to put these things aside for now and consider the specific strategy at hand.

Berthier couldn't help but remind:

“Your Majesty, should we now consider returning to Paris?
"The French people, who have been baptized by revolutionary ideas, will support Your Majesty!

"It won't be that easy for the Ming people to win in France!"

Napoleon said sternly:

"Of course I know I should return to Paris, but do you think the Ming people would know?
"Will the Ming people be waiting for my army at the Rhine?
“Although there is no accurate information at the moment, because the Ming army is advancing too fast, there is a high probability that we will not be able to go back.

"Even without the support of the surrounding Germans, we still have the main force of our Grand Army.

"Faced with the German rebellion, the local garrisons will quickly converge on Berlin where I am.

“These soldiers are the real power and leverage we currently have at our disposal.

"If our large army and French soldiers were systematically annihilated by the Ming Dynasty on the field battlefield, we would have nothing.

"Think about it from the perspective of Shenzhou. What should we do now?"

Berthier thought carefully for a while, and realized that his Majesty's heart had begun to decline. He really began to think about the way out and the future:
"Concentrate all our forces to hold on to Berlin? And at the same time drive out the surrounding Germans?

"Wait for the Ming to start besieging Berlin before trying to negotiate with them? Or should we prepare for negotiations now?"

Napoleon closed his eyes and nodded, muttering in a somewhat melancholy tone:

"If we were a separatist warlord in the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Emperor would not allow us to continue to exist and would definitely try to eliminate us.

"But this is Europe. To the Ming Dynasty, we are all overseas barbarians. The Ming Dynasty has no interest in directly ruling Europe.

“Therefore, the Ming Emperor must consider whether the price they spend to defeat us is relatively worthwhile compared to the benefits they can get in the end.

"If the war can be ended by negotiating peace with us, it will obviously greatly reduce the total price paid by the Ming Dynasty in the war." At the same time, if we cooperate, it will also increase the benefits that the Ming Dynasty can obtain in this war.

“The Ming Dynasty is not a traditional European kingdom, and the Ming emperor may not be happy to see the European lands we occupied return to the hands of traditional nobles.

"The Ming Dynasty believes that our reforms may pose a threat to the Ming Dynasty, so it must want to personally deal with these German lands that have been transformed by us, rather than letting the European kings deal with them.

"According to Shenzhou's tradition, the sooner you negotiate peace and take the initiative to join the Celestial Empire, the higher your actual status and treatment will be in the end.

“The key point is that even if we continue to resist now, it will not have any practical effect, because the Germans around us have already surrendered.

"So make preparations, arrange for the garrisons in Berlin and surrounding areas to drive out the Germans and organize defenses, and at the same time arrange for people to find the Ming army to discuss peace talks."

Berthier was unsure how to deal with this situation, so he discussed with Napoleon and asked Foreign Minister Talleyrand to come.

Talleyrand was in a complicated mood at this time. After Talleyrand knew that the Ming Dynasty had officially declared war on France, he knew that the demise of the French Empire was only a matter of time.

Napoleon was particularly tough and demanded the entire German region, the most important region in western Europe. How could the Ming Dynasty agree to this?

After understanding Napoleon's intentions this time, Talleyrand felt inexplicably relieved:
"May I ask your Majesty...what conditions do you want now?
"My suggestion is that you cannot go beyond what you originally proposed. The Ming Dynasty will never allow you to continue to rule the entire German region.

"It would be best to choose one of the conditions that Daming originally offered..."

Napoleon waved his hand and said:
“You don’t need to ask for any specific conditions for me, just tell me what we can do for Ming Dynasty.

"I am willing to surrender my land to the Ming Dynasty and cooperate with the Ming Dynasty to occupy the lands of France, Germany, Italy, and Poland.

“Especially the lands that originally belonged to Prussia, the Habsburgs, the Catholic Church, and parts of Poland that were partitioned by Russia.

"I am willing to lead my subordinates, the generals, staff officers, and officials of France, to swear allegiance to the Emperor of Ming and become his subjects.

"The future of all of us is at the disposal of the Ming Emperor."

Talleyrand and Berthier were stunned after hearing this.

"This... Your Majesty, what are you talking about? Are you serious?"

"How can this be possible? What if the Ming Emperor really doesn't want to give us anything?"

Napoleon smiled bitterly and said:
"You still don't know enough about the Emperor of Shenzhou. He is the default monarch of everyone in the world.

"His ministers could not ask for rewards on their own initiative. The emperor had to decide how to reward them, and they could not bargain.

“But at the same time, the Emperor of Shenzhou must also follow some basic moral logic when doing things. The key is to set an example.

"If we surrender without reservation and the Ming Emperor does not give us relatively fair rewards, it will undermine the Emperor's credibility and authority.

"And instead of asking for it proactively, you can tentatively ask what you can give. I think there's a good chance you'll get a response."

After Talleyrand understood what he heard, he felt very complicated. He could not judge whether Napoleon's analysis was correct, so he could only do it according to his will.

Talleyrand wrote an open letter seeking peace in accordance with Napoleon's wishes and asked Napoleon to sign it.

Napoleon arranged a regiment to escort Talleyrand under a white flag to find generals or officials of the Ming Dynasty to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty on Napoleon's behalf.

Not long after Talleyrand left Berlin in his carriage, he was surprised to encounter the marching Ming army, which meant that Berlin might be attacked at the earliest tomorrow.

If Your Majesty had hesitated for one more day, and I had come out one more day later, we would be surrendering with the enemy at the gates.

When two countries are at war, not killing envoys is a tradition left over from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China. France has never been a vassal of the Ming Dynasty and can indeed be considered two countries.

When the soldiers and officers on the Ming front saw the French waving white flags, they did not launch a direct attack.

But a French regiment would also be allowed to pass through the Ming controlled front.

Talleyrand and Napoleon also knew this, so the main task of the soldiers escorting Talleyrand was to send Talleyrand to the area controlled by the Ming army.

Wherever the Ming army goes now, there may be Germans in the French-occupied areas ahead of the front line who will rebel, cut off the heads of the French legions and exchange them for rewards from the Ming army.

If Talleyrand, the French Foreign Minister, had his head chopped off, it might be a great achievement, but it would definitely cause huge trouble.

Talleyrand, accompanied by several civil servants, said goodbye to the French troops escorting him, boarded a ship under the escort and surveillance of the Ming army, and went north along the Elbe River to Hamburg.

Talleyrand met Yang Yuchun, the commander-in-chief of the Hadlen Corps, in Hamburg.

Yang Yuchun, like Wang Tingzhen, disliked Europeans and also sat in his seat, watching Talleyrand come in to pay his respects.

Before France officially went into direct war with the Ming Dynasty, Talleyrand did not dare to have any opinions. Now, after suffering a great defeat on the battlefield, he was even more uncomplaining and more respectful.

After listening to the guard's introduction, Talleyrand took the initiative to salute Yang Yuchun, then handed over a letter requesting peace talks, while carefully explaining his purpose.

After listening to this, Yang Yuchun sneered and asked sarcastically:
"Now you want to surrender, what were you doing before the war officially started?"

Talleyrand immediately bowed and confessed his guilt:
"The European continent is located in a remote place, far away from the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and the barbarians have not been enlightened by the Heavenly Dynasty.

"Our great commander and the leaders below him have become arrogant because they defeated other barbarian chieftains.

"Now that I have seen the might of the Ming Dynasty's heavenly soldiers, I am naturally convinced and willing to submit.

"The commander-in-chief begs His Majesty to show mercy and give us a chance to be educated."

Although the people of the Ming Dynasty despised these overseas barbarians, if the barbarians were truly willing to accept teachings, they would not be completely unreasonable.

Since the barbarians are willing to accept education, there is really no need to continue to eliminate them. That would not be justified in the traditional moral system of Shenzhou.

It has to be said that Napoleon really saw the key and finally made the right choice in his diplomatic activities with the Ming Dynasty.

After hearing this, Yang Yuchun sighed, asked the guard to take the letter, and took a look at the general content:

"Since you have sincerely submitted to the teachings, I cannot stop you from yearning for the truth.

"I will report your commander's intention to His Majesty, and he will make the decision."

Talleyrand was a little confused, thinking that the other party would continue to make things difficult for him, but now it seems that it is not that complicated:

"Thank you, Governor."

Yang Yuchun ordered the guards to take Talleyrand away and place him under surveillance in a place within the camp.

Then, Napoleon was sent to Tunisia through a correspondent, and then transferred from Tunisia to Shuntian Prefecture.

This letter is no longer secret intelligence and can be sent directly through the public telegraph channel.

After reading the letter, Zhu Jianxuan also became conflicted.

(End of this chapter)