The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 500: According to the prophecy, France has fallen into a long war quagmire (seeking votes and subscription)
In mid-March, raindrops fell on the Gothic spires in Paris, like the tears of the Virgin Mary who could not bear to see the fight between the Heavenly Brother and the Heavenly King. Wu Chongyao's fingers gently stroked the edge of the Royal Doulton bone china teacup. The milky white and delicate glaze made the envoy from the country of porcelain marvel - this is the miracle of industrialization, China must catch up!

"Minister, do you know that the new Russian Tsar Alexander II is an outstanding monarch who can be compared with Peter the Great and Catherine the Great?" Wu Chongyao suddenly spoke in fluent English with a proper Oxford accent, a very gentlemanly one. "The war potential of the Russian Empire will be fully developed in his hands."

Walewski paused with his hand holding the silver spoon. Napoleon's Polish son had always been somewhat Russophobic, and he also knew how great the war potential of the Russian Empire was. This country had too much territory and resources, and a large population, more than Britain and France combined. What was even more terrifying was that the Russians had super endurance, and even if there were one or two million casualties, it would not be a problem.

"Is this a prophecy from an angel?" When the French Foreign Minister uttered the word "prophecy" in English, he couldn't help but frown slightly, just like Napoleon I in the oil painting who was thinking. "Or is it your own conjecture? The current battlefield situation is clearly in favor of the coalition forces, and victory is within reach."

"Well, just like your father in 1812." Wu Chongyao took out an exquisite enamel tobacco box from his sleeve and placed it next to the Dalton bone china teacup. Then he took out a handful of golden tobacco from the tobacco box. "The French army in 1812 was much stronger than the current Anglo-French coalition army. At that time, Russia had a population of only more than million, but now it has more than million!"

He paused, stuffed the tobacco into his pipe, and carefully took out a pack of yellow phosphorus matches, rubbed it on the sole of his shoe to light the tobacco in the pipe, then blew out the match, and said to the French Foreign Minister with a smile: "From historical experience, the war with the Russians will always be protracted. This is the true foundation of a great power. I know this best because I also come from an extremely vast country with a population several times that of Russia." After analyzing it, he took a puff of cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke, which filled the space between himself and the French Foreign Minister. "That's what the prophecy says. France has fallen into the quagmire of war!"

Walevsky's blue eyes narrowed. The past winter, the coalition forces had a very difficult time in the Crimean Peninsula. Although the Russian guns and artillery did not take many lives of soldiers, the coalition camps were full of diseases. Many people died not on the battlefield, but on their sickbeds, including Marshal Saint-Arno, the commander-in-chief of the French expeditionary force. He died of cholera last September!
"By the way, I will reveal another prophecy to you for free," Wu Chongyao smiled mysteriously at Walewski, "It's not just you France that will lose an expeditionary commander-in-chief in the Crimean Peninsula, but also Britain! Baron Graren will die in June. June of this year! If you do nothing and just watch, he can only live for about 6 months. But the future can be changed! Now, his fate is in your hands, and the fate of France and the Bonaparte dynasty is in the hands of you and His Majesty the Emperor!"

"France and the Bonaparte dynasty do not need your prophecies," the French Foreign Minister stood up suddenly, and the ribbon of the medal swept across the high-backed armchair, "His Majesty the Emperor has the most powerful army in the world!"

Wu Chongyao looked at the confident French Foreign Minister and recalled what Luo Yaoguo said to him before he left Macau: "Napoleon III gained his kingdom through reincarnation and luck, but he will eventually lose it through strength. If you have a chance, you can ask him if he wants to know who will catch him in the end?"

"No! He didn't!" Wu Chongyao felt that he still had to pour cold water on the French Foreign Minister. "If he had the most powerful army in the world, he should have captured Sevastopol last year. But in fact, his army can't even accomplish this goal this year. I gave you another prediction for free!"

"Next year," Walewski shook his fist vigorously, "the French army will definitely win!"

"Next year, the Russians will invade the Anatolian Plateau from the Caucasus!" Wu Chongyao looked so painful, as if he had lost a gold ingot. "Oh, another prophecy!"

Hearing this, the French Foreign Minister finally lost his composure and stared at Wu Chongyao, forgetting to put down his raised fist for a moment: "You, what did you say?"

Wu Chongyao looked at the French Foreign Minister and said, "Have you forgotten that Russia is a big country with a population of more than 60 million? The advantage of a big country is that it can mobilize more troops and fight on multiple fronts. The Russians are struggling on the Crimean Peninsula, but that does not prevent them from invading the Anatolian Peninsula. The Turks will definitely not be able to defeat the Russians anyway. And if the Turks are defeated on the Anatolian Peninsula, what is the name of the Strait? They only need to place a few cannons on the east bank of the Strait. Can you still besiege Sevastopol?"

The French Foreign Minister was finally fooled by the two false predictions. He sat down at the negotiation table again and looked at his negotiating opponent who "mastered the future". He said, "Mr. Envoy, let's discuss some practical issues!"

Wu Chongyao was putting another pinch of tobacco into his pipe. After listening to the words of the French Foreign Minister, his hands moved slowly and calmly. "Okay, let's discuss practical issues. We can send up to two divisions, about 25,000 expeditionary forces to the Crimea or Asia Minor battlefields this year! All equipment will be provided by you and the British. You will also bear all the expenses incurred by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom expeditionary forces after leaving the Chinese coast. Including military pay, supplies, medicine, death pensions and pensions for disabled soldiers, medical expenses, etc. In addition, you and the British will be responsible for laying a hydroelectric telegraph line connecting China and Europe, and for helping us build a steel plant that uses the most advanced Beiselmeier converter steelmaking process, with an annual steel output of..."

"Bessemer steelmaking process?" The French Foreign Minister was stunned again. "What kind of steelmaking process is this? Why haven't I heard of it?"

"This is the latest and most advanced steelmaking method," Wu Chongyao took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "We will apply for a patent next year, and our Xuzhou Steel Plant will be the first user by then."

"Next year." Walewski was speechless. They already knew next year's inventions. It seemed that France must master magic!
He thought for a moment and then asked, "By the way, is that Bessmer a person's name? Is he French? His last name sounds like it's French."

"He is French," Wu Chongyao said with a smile, "but he has moved to England now. If you invite him back to France now, maybe he can help France's steel industry catch up. Isn't it worthwhile to cooperate with us? There are many such news. We can win-win!"

As dusk fell over the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the draft of the Sino-French Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was finally reached. Wu Chongyao was escorted to the carriage by Walewski. At the moment the door closed, the French Foreign Minister said to his secretary in French: "Go check for a metallurgical expert named Besmer. He is of French descent and now lives in the UK."

The rain stopped at some point. A thin mist rose over the Seine River again, and Wu Chongyao's carriage rolled over the wet cobblestone streets. He took out his enamel tobacco box and started playing with it. In the secret compartment at the bottom of the box, there was a small "Book of Prophets" - this was specially prepared for him by Luo Yaoguo, so that he could stir up trouble on the land of Europe.

As the setting sun shone on the golden dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral, Alexander II's carriage rolled over the gravel road along the Neva River. Grand Duchess Natalia's silk court dress brushed against the military sash of His Majesty the Russian Tsar's uniform, and the carriage was filled with the strong scent of French perfume.

"Your Majesty, do you really believe in that heretic who claims to be an angel?" The Grand Duchess pressed the diamond cross on her chest, her face as white as a porcelain doll full of worry. "He may very well be a devil. You cannot make a deal with the devil. It will make you lose your soul."

Alexander II smiled bitterly: "Compared to losing my soul after death, I care more about having victory in my lifetime. Russians will not love a failed tsar. If I lose the war, the subsequent reforms will also face many obstacles. You know, our country is full of drawbacks, and the biggest and most difficult to reform among all the drawbacks is serfdom. I need a great victory to clear the obstacles for this reform. If I lose the war, the reform of abolishing serfdom will be difficult to complete, and Russia's future will be full of disasters."

The Grand Duchess tightly grasped the cross on her chest and said, "Then I will go to Vienna for you and deliver 10 million gold rubles to Gorchakov. You can rest assured that with my identity, it is very safe for me to carry such a large sum of money through the land of the German states, because I am destined to be the wife of a German monarch!"

The Tsar patted the Grand Duchess's white and delicate hand and smiled gently: "Thank you, thank you for everything you have done for Russia."

In the distant Tianjing, a steamship with thick smoke was slowly leaving the dock of Xiaguan. The initiator who led Europe astray into the magic age was standing with his hands behind his back in a cabin with a good view of the steamship. Luo Yaoguo looked at the farther and farther away Tianjing Capitol Hill and thought of the destination of this trip - Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi.

(End of this chapter)