The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 320 The Emperor and His Cuirassiers

Chambord, Loire Valley, France.

This is the traditional hunting ground of the French royal family and is also rich in timber and wine.

In the golden autumn of September, food is abundant and wild animals have eaten to fatten up and strengthen themselves in order to survive the coming winter. It is a good time for hunting.

The hounds were barking, the war horses were neighing, and the hooves were clattering.

The guards cavalry dressed in gorgeous robes drove all kinds of prey to the center so that the bigwigs could hunt easily.

Among the jubilant crowd, a man with silver hair, a high nose and a broad forehead stood out. He was even more popular than the young French King Louis XVI.

This person was none other than Joseph II, the Emperor of Habsburg-Lorraine, who made a secret visit to France, the current Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Bohemia.

"Bang!" A crisp sound rang out, and a burst of orange-red flames spurted out from the flintlock in Joseph II's hand.

A huge wild goat let out a mournful cry, its front hooves softened, and it fell directly to the ground. Before it closed its eyes, its hind legs kicked twice quickly.

"Wow, my brother!" Queen Marie Antoinette exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Your Majesty, you are truly a sharpshooter."

Joseph II laughed. Hunting always awakens the wildness hidden in men, just like women's love of gathering. This is the result of millions of years of human evolution.

This Holy Roman Emperor was a famous wise ruler in history. He was crucial to the Habsburg Monarchy, which was named after the Holy Roman Empire. When he died, he had no wife, no children, and no wealth. He was known as a reformer who dedicated his life to the country.

Although his reforms are often difficult to evaluate, Joseph II was undoubtedly an enlightened monarch who was willing to work hard to govern the country.

However, at this time, the most important figure and founder of the Habsburg Monarchy, Queen Theresa, was still alive, and Joseph II did not have much power, so he liked to make incognito visits to Western Europe to see the world.

Before Joseph II could feel happy after killing a huge wild sheep leader, he heard a cry of surprise from behind him.

It turned out that at some point, a huge brown wild boar had mixed in with the herd of wild sheep. It was frightened by the gunshots and ran past Joseph II's horse howling.

Joseph II quickly took out another short-barreled hunting rifle from the side of the horse, but before he could start aiming, the horse was frightened by the wild boar and jumped around twice, completely disrupting Joseph II's rhythm.

Just as he was sighing, a loud shout came from the side, and Mo Zirong, who was wearing tight clothes and a golden crown on his hair, rode forward on his horse.

He held a large Chinese bow, bent the bow and drew the arrow. The arrow was as fast as a meteor and hit the wild boar's right hind leg.

Who says it's so easy to be a nobleman? My third brother Mo has broken several rings. He is blocked by his younger brother Mo Da Wang in Hue every day. He has found a bunch of famous teachers to make him study hard just to master the basic skills.

If a noble at that time did not know how to hunt, he would be despised, just like the rich second generation in later generations who could not drive a Ferrari one-handed.

A shrill scream rang out, and countless European ladies in tight clothes screamed like crazy. Even Queen Mary screamed. The horses and men were like dragons and meteors, which was really handsome.

The wild boar was shot in the hind leg, but it did not slow down. Instead, it roared to the sky and took off like an arrow.

But at this moment, more than ten Hungarian hussars who followed Joseph II came forward like a black cloud, and the bows and arrows in their hands flew out.

At this moment, the Magyar bloodline was revived in them. Compared to Mo Zirong, they were the real hunters.

Attacked by so many hunters, the huge wild boar, which weighed at least 300 pounds, screamed and fell to the ground with arrows all over its body like a big hedgehog.

Mo Zirong laughed loudly, rode his horse over and pulled out the arrow marked with his arrow from the wild boar, then held it in both hands and handed it to Louis XVI who was a little behind him.

Louis XVI's family was small, and he was carefully protected since childhood and was not allowed to take any risks. Therefore, he was not forced to learn these difficult and dangerous jobs like Mo Zirong, so he did not go to the front to participate in hunting.

"Your Majesty, according to our Eastern custom, this glorious arrow belongs to you!"

Mo Zirong was talking nonsense. He saw that Louis XVI was feeling a little disappointed but also a little hopeful, so he immediately came out to be a good guy and flatter him.

Sure enough, when Louis XVI saw Mo Zirong respect him so much, the young man was very happy.

He also rode forward, put on his ring like Mo Zirong, and shot an arrow at the brown wild boar that was not yet completely dead. Unexpectedly, he was quite accurate.

The wild boar twitched in pain, and the sound of flattery suddenly rang out all around. Louis XVI's face was full of joy. He looked at Mo Zirong with gratitude, thinking that this Prince of White Horse was simply his best friend.

Not only would she accompany him to various cocktail parties and banquets, but she would also know how to maintain his image everywhere.

"Bows and arrows are indeed what you Orientals are best at. Prince, your archery skills are much better than those of my guards, who have been practicing since childhood." Joseph II also had a lot of fun and did not forget to tease Mo Zirong.

Mo Zirong laughed heartily, looking at the group of Hungarian hussars with black hair, black eyes and square faces around him. He indeed felt that these people looked more like himself than Joseph II and his men.

At this point, it is not just the Chinese who are fantasizing that Hungarians are Huns and came from the East.

In fact, we have never fantasized about this. Instead, it is the Europeans, including the Hungarians themselves, who have been fantasizing that they are Huns from the East, in order to show the antiquity and nobility of their bloodline.

Because at that time, the East still represented strength and foundation to some extent, and Europeans had not yet fully established their psychological advantage over the East.

After the hunt, the best Chinese chef naturally came forward to clean up. The main dish of today's dinner was this big wild boar and the wild sheep leader.

Several nobles of royal rank came to the stream outside the Chateau de Chambord, where the scenery was beautiful and the butterfly-like maids had already spread out the white tablecloth.

Various seasonal and out-of-season fruits are displayed everywhere, and the chilled premium Tokaj Hungarian noble rot wine sparkles with an amber glow.

"Your Majesty, this is the situation." Mo Zirong was talking to Joseph II.

"It's not that King Mo Zhao is determined to take over the VOC. It's the corruption of the VOC and the decline of the United Provinces that have made it impossible for them to continue to protect this precious asset. If we don't take action, it will one day fall into the hands of the British, which would be extremely fatal!"

Mo Zirong's expression became serious. He spread out a world map in front of Joseph II, Louis XVI, Karl Theodore, Elector of Palatinate and other European nobles.

According to Mo Zibu's request, all the places in the world occupied by Britain were filled with bright red color. What Mo Zirong said was also the idea that Mo Zibu had instilled in him long ago.

"My respected Majesties, please look." Mo Zirong pointed at the bright red colors, "In the world we know today, Britain possesses so much. It has left all of us far behind.

The thirteen North American colonies and India are among the richest places in the world. The only place not controlled by the British is probably the East, mainly Seres.

But if they could acquire the territory and industries of the VOC company, it would be equivalent to opening the door to the East.

Today, Britain's navy can be said to be invincible in the world, much more powerful than the former Spanish Empire's Invincible Armada.

If it swallows up the VOC's spice trade, we will have no place in this world."

Mo Zirong's words were a bit alarmist, but not entirely so.

Because after defeating France in the Seven Years' War, Britain is now so powerful, even more powerful than when it sat firmly on the throne of the world's number one power thereafter.

Because at that time Britain still owned the thirteen colonies of North America, theoretically speaking, it was not an island country, but a double empire with a fairly wealthy east coast of North America and certain land power.

At this time, France had suffered heavy losses in the Seven Years' War. Its fleet was basically destroyed, its valuable overseas colonies were basically lost, and it had to deal with Prussia, a deadly threat that was lurking at its doorstep.

So France’s biggest task at this time is not development, but to restore its navy as soon as possible so that it can at least have a certain degree of self-defense capability.

Louis XVI and Joseph II looked at each other and both knew that Mo Zirong was not talking nonsense.

At this time in history, Britain was too powerful and caused vigilance in all of Europe. The Thirteen Colonies in North America could cause such a big fuss, become independent, and cause such heavy losses to Britain.

In fact, it was the result of all of Europe, led by the French, including Austria, Spain, the Netherlands and other large and small countries, rushing in to fight.

They gave money, provided supplies, and even dispatched the army and navy to forcibly pull Britain down from its dominant position.

In Eastern textbooks, they generally only talk about how badly the anti-French alliance dealt to the once-powerful French Empire, but completely ignore the impact of the American War of Independence on Britain.

In fact, this war, which seemed to be the American War of Independence, was actually a large-scale anti-British alliance fight before the European fight against France.

What Mo Zibu wants to do is to take advantage of the situation and fleece the sheep.

"This is horrible! The British are going to rule the world. Europe will be in turmoil because of them. We can't let this happen!"

Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II murmured that although he was the emperor now, the power was in the hands of his mother, Queen Theresa, so he could express his opinions boldly and clearly. Everyone knew that he could not make the final decision anyway.

But Louis XVI was different. No matter how young he was, he was still the King of France.

Then Louis XVI looked at the Foreign Minister, Charles Gravier, Count of Vergennes, who was sitting very respectfully on the side.

Charles Gravier immediately straightened up. He had already exchanged views with Mo Zirong and was inclined to continue funding the Xing Tang Kingdom.

"Your Majesty, I will soon submit a report on North America. In the East, preventing the VOC from falling into British hands is also extremely important. I am willing to consult with His Royal Highness's plenipotentiary delegation on this issue."

The Foreign Minister bowed slightly to the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. "Of course, Your Majesty, this will be a three-party consultation involving Vienna."

Joseph II nodded without comment, ignoring the Foreign Minister, and looked at Mo Zirong with a smile.

"Prince, national affairs will be judged by professionals. Let's talk about something else. I heard that King Mo Zhao is very interested in cavalry." Joseph II pointed to the cavalry team standing still in the distance and said:
"They are Hungarians, natural cavalrymen. As the King of Hungary, I know how powerful they are.

Currently, in the Austrian Netherlands, there exists a brave and combat-capable cavalry corps, including cuirassiers, hussars, and dragoons. Their ancestors served under the former Grand Duke of Transylvania, Franz II Rákócz.

Speaking of this person, Joseph II was silent for a moment.

Francis II Rákócz, Grand Duke of Transylvania, leader of the Magyar independence movement and Hungarian national hero.

"He is a hero, but his theories, starting points and practices are completely wrong and harmful to the entire country."

Mo Zirong understood the elegant meaning of the music by listening to it, he had done his homework.

It has been exactly forty years since the death of Francis II Rákócz, the Grand Duke of Transylvania who led the Magyars in their struggle for independence.

His son, Joseph Rakoczi, fled to Ottoman Türkiye and is also said to have died.

After their defeat, many of the Magyar cavalrymen who had followed them fled to France and later settled in the Austrian Netherlands, which is roughly equivalent to Belgium.

It seems that Joseph II was afraid that these fierce Magyars and their descendants would collude with the rebels in the Austrian Netherlands.

Therefore, Joseph II and his mother Queen Theresa wanted to send these guys to the East, since these Huns (Magyars) came from the East anyway.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to express my sincere gratitude to you!" Mo Zirong naturally knew how important cavalry was to the future of Xing Tang, but they, the Cantonese, were not good at this.

At the same time, the Hungarian cavalry is also ranked among the best in Europe. If they can bring back a few hundred powerful cuirassiers and hussars, then in the future counterattack, they will at least be able to fight against the Eight Banners cavalry.

Well, until this moment, Mo Zirong still firmly believed that the Eight Banners Cavalry of the Qing Dynasty was an invincible and terrifying existence.

(End of this chapter)