The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 534 Open the door, free trade
The sound of camel bells rang out from behind.

William Pitt the Younger quickly stepped aside and made way for a group of European delegation members who looked rather silly.

It had been four days since they returned to Beijing with the emperor's carriage, but the emperor still had not summoned them.

However, the residence restrictions were relaxed. As long as the members of the secret mission did not leave Beijing, they could move freely within the city.

So these days, the English traveled all over Beijing, and everything they saw deeply shocked them.

In the words of Earl Charles, compared with the palace in Beijing, St. James's Palace looked like a place for the emperor's grooms to live.

Of course, these guys also mistakenly took Mo Zibu Shien’s Xishan Coal Yard as the current situation of the Zhonghua Factory.

When they saw that the coal miners in China could also work with plenty of food and fish, compared with the hard-working cows and horses in England, William Pitt the Younger and others felt that their three views were overturned.

They really couldn't imagine that if coal miners could make so much money, how much money could the boss who opened the business make?

The camel caravan that reminded them to give way came from outside the city. It did not look like an ordinary caravan, but rather a caravan controlled by a great lord from the southern desert.

Sure enough, not long after, the caravan stopped outside a magnificent house, and then several men and women dressed in gorgeous Mongolian costumes got off.

They walked into the house happily, talking loudly without any scruples, as if nothing was different from before.

Soon, more Mongolian nobles entered the city with the caravan, and everyone's face was filled with joy.

"Damn it! These Tatars are so weak and unwilling to persevere. They quickly surrendered to their new masters and took back their houses and titles."

Count Charles said this with some gritted teeth. It seemed that he was deeply immersed in the role, or at least he really regarded himself as a marginal figure in the Hanover family.

“Count, the Chinese Empire is a powerful empire, the Rome of the East.

It was perfectly normal for the Tatars, who were part of an Eastern culture, to submit to their own Roman emperor.

It is impossible to expect them to join the few remaining survivors of the previous Tatar regime in opposing the new emperor."

William Pitt the Younger was the most typical politician, always extremely calm. In his eyes, all people and things were cold data, and he would judge everything coldly.

"The Russian Empire is in big trouble. We have to inform Queen Catherine of this situation. I think she will be so worried that she can't sleep." William Pitt the Younger coughed twice and suddenly said with some gloating.

Jenkins Cox, the Whig who served as his deputy envoy, nodded. "The characteristics of the Chinese Empire dictate that he must pay attention to the north.

It is part of their vast homeland and their sweet burden.

Just as Rome is no longer Rome after it is divided into East and West Rome, the Chinese Empire without the steppes and Central Asia is not the real Chinese Empire.

Therefore, all the high-ranking officials of the empire, including the emperor, had to focus a lot of energy, manpower and material resources on the northern and western continents.

This is determined by Eastern Roman culture; they seem to call it "the golden bowl without cracks."

At this time, in the European division of Asia, the Western Regions composed of the Zunghar and Hui peoples belonged to Central Asia.

These English politicians were indeed very capable, but they were too obsessed with the Roman model. The steppes, the Western Regions, and Transoxiana were certainly important, but not as important as they thought.

"Your Excellency, I happen to have some business dealings with the Russian Empire. Perhaps I could try to contact Her Majesty Empress Catherine II."

Jenkins extended an invitation to William Pitt the Younger. At that time in England, the Tories, who were considered royalists, and the Whigs, who were considered bourgeois reformists, were not completely static.

Even the boundaries between the Tories and Whigs were still relatively vague, so they often cooperated with each other.

Historically, William Pitt the Younger called himself an Independent Whig in order to unite everyone to overcome difficulties.

However, William Pitt Jr. rejected Jenkins's advances. He waved his hand and said, "There's no rush. At this stage, Prussia's role is greater than that of the Russian Empire."

Moreover, the Chinese Empire cannot invest too much in Central Asia. If we wake up Lucia at this time, it may cause Catherine II to change her strategy.

If Russia's presence in Central Asia becomes too strong, it may lead to the Chinese Empire's lack of resolve to enter Central Asia."

Count Charles had no idea about this. He looked at his two cunning deputies and asked nervously.

"Gentlemen, we are here for matters concerning India. The Emperor of China will not receive us. What shall we do now?"

William Pitt Jr. and the other man exchanged a glance and smiled wryly. "There's no good solution. We can only wait. Of course, the most important thing is that Governor Hastings and his men at Fort William continue to persevere."

William Pitt the Younger had a good point on this point. The key to the Indian situation was Fort William. If it was captured, there would be no need to talk about it, and they could only take one step at a time.

In the Forbidden City, Mo Zibu had just convened an imperial meeting. Lin Qiaoyin, the third-ranked cabinet minister and Grand Secretary of Jianji Hall, showed Mo Zibu the war report sent back from India a few months ago, and introduced it quickly.

"Your Majesty, this year marks the fourth year since the Indian Expedition Army set out from Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture. The officers and soldiers have been wandering around for far too long.

Last month, I passed by the home of Rear Admiral Mo Gongyan. His eldest daughter was almost four years old, but she had never even seen her father.

After listening to this, Mo Zibu sighed deeply, "Yes, it's been too long. Chen Lian has done a good job. I thought the Indian Expedition Army could only last two and a half years at most, but now it's only four months away from four years."

"It's really not easy for Chen Lian and the 30,000 officers and soldiers of the Indian Expedition Army!"

Wu Shixiu, the commander-in-chief of the 12th Army of the Beijing Camp, also nodded, "General Chen said in his memorial that the fighting desire and enthusiasm of the Indian Expedition Army are declining rapidly.

The officers and soldiers were eager to go to the occupied Indian territory to rest and enjoy themselves, and were no longer enthusiastic about attacking New Fort William. I think it was because they had been on the expedition for too long.

Mo Zibu's sigh turned into a wry smile, "Chen Lian has no other choice. Without setting the goal of conquering Old Fort William, it will be difficult to boost the morale of the officers and soldiers.

After achieving the goal of capturing Old Fort William, the officers and soldiers all felt that their mission was accomplished, so when they came back to attack New Fort William in the second half of the year, no one was willing to put in any effort.

As a person who conquered the world on horseback, Mo Zibu was well aware of the current situation of the army.

Once you go to war, it will last for more than four years. Homesickness and laziness are inevitable and normal.

At the same time, Mo Zibu was also very clear that the People's Liberation Army of later generations, especially the People's Liberation Army before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, was not the norm for the military, but rather an extremely special exception.

It is not easy for the Xing Tang Army he formed to achieve what it has today.

"Your Majesty, according to the report sent back by the Nanyang Prime Minister's Office, the supplies accumulated in the six Nanyang provinces of Rinan, Jiading, Taiping, Nanji, Andai, and Jiaqing over the years, except for grain, have been almost consumed.

The freight costs, in particular, are unsustainable. The cost of shipping a shipload of various supplies from Southeast Asia is almost equal to the cost of the supplies themselves."

Mo Zibu nodded. This was also a difficult problem. In order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the army, many kinds of food that were not produced in India were almost all transported from the country.

For example, mung beans, which are in high demand, wouldn't cost nearly as much to ship as the goods; instead, the freight would be more expensive than the beans. "The Cabinet should draft an edict. If the war can't continue, then don't fight. The Indian Expedition Army's naval and land forces have been greatly tempered. These veterans are far more important than a new Fort William."

Let them come back. The British emissaries are probably getting anxious waiting anyway."

Forbidden City.

Led by eunuchs, William Pitt the Younger and other envoys passed through one palace room after another and turned one corner after another.

Just when they were overwhelmed and dizzy, they arrived at Wuying Hall, where the emperor handled government affairs and was going to receive them today.

After the envoys paid their respects according to the etiquette, the formal talks began.

As for the etiquette, it was arranged entirely according to the audience with foreign vassals, and William Pitt the Younger and others did not protest at all and said they would not kneel on both knees.

Although England is very strong now, in the East, especially under the current situation, they are not qualified to negotiate with China.

"I heard that Ingra suffered an unprecedented defeat in North America?" Mo Zibu asked with a hint of a smile. To William Pitt Jr. and the others, that smile was as abominable as it could be.

The emperor gave him a seat and asked him questions. It was supposed to be Count Charles, the chief envoy, who answered, but Charles was overwhelmed by Mo Zibu's aura.

Of course, it was also the grandeur of the Forbidden City and Beijing's Three Hills and Five Gardens that made him feel as if he had arrived in heaven, so much so that he had difficulty breathing.

For a moment, the envoy was actually a little stunned.

So, William Pitt the Younger, as the deputy envoy, had to come out quickly to take over the conversation.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The Kingdom of England suffered a terrible defeat in North America and was very close to losing New England."

Mo Zibu was a little surprised that this deputy envoy, who looked too young, was so direct.

"You are quite frank. So, as an envoy from a country that is about to suffer a major defeat, what do you want to say when you come to my palace?"

"Of course, I ask Your Majesty to end the alliance with the Kingdom of France and to cease military operations in India.

The Kingdom of England cannot lose India, just as the Chinese Empire cannot allow the Kingdom of England to become a hopeless, second-rate nation."

Mo Zibu chuckled, "Emissary, why should I be responsible for the future of the Kingdom of England? The British Isles are not my territory."

William Pitt the Younger also laughed. "Your Majesty, if the Kingdom of England loses its hope, it will become the territory of the Kingdom of France."

Mo Zibu laughed heartily and pointed at little William Pitt, saying, "Boy, your tricks are ineffective in front of me. You don't think that I don't know the situation in European countries, do you?

You two, England and France, have been enemies for centuries, and you are each other's greatest competitor. Even if England were to reach its wit's end, you would never throw yourself into the arms of France."

"Your Majesty is indeed very familiar with the situation in Europe. Yes, it is indeed unlikely that England will fall into the arms of France.

But this England does not refer to the country of England, but the royal family of England.

If the chips are down, England as a nation is likely to capitulate."

Hearing what William Pitt Jr. said, Mo Zibu shook his head firmly, "I don't believe it. I don't believe that the great nobles of England can lower themselves to join the King of France."

"Yes, Your Majesty, that is generally true, but no one can guarantee that they will persist in this way when faced with a life-or-death situation."

Little William Pitt said slowly, "What if, I mean what if, even if the probability is one in a million.

Your Majesty, if this happens, it will be extremely disadvantageous to the Chinese Empire."

Mo Zibu thought about it slowly. He still didn't believe that Britain would succumb to France. Of course, what he didn't believe even more was the current financial situation of the Kingdom of France and the ability of Louis XVI.

Mo Zibu didn't believe that Louis XVI could easily allow the Kingdom of France to gain the position of commanding the whole of Europe. He didn't have that ability.

But, who can blame his Indian expeditionary army for not being able to completely capture Fort William? To be on the safe side, it is better not to fight anymore.

"Emissary, if you want to persuade me to withdraw my troops, this is far from enough. I think next, you will start to threaten me with the English fleet, right?"

Of course, Mo Zibu had heard about the new movements of the English fleet. It was a fleet of eleven warships, including five third-level battleships, a fleet that was enough to threaten the Indian expeditionary force.

"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of England cannot go to war with the Chinese Empire again. We cannot afford it."

William Pitt the Younger was silent. It was another deputy envoy, the Whig Jenkins, who spoke.

“Your Majesty, your Chinese Empire possesses unparalleled trade advantages. All the silver in the world flows to your empire. In this regard, you and your empire are the masters.

Compared with the Chinese Empire, the whole of Europe was in an absolutely dominated position in terms of business.

Therefore, as long as you generously relax business restrictions, you can allow endless wealth to flow into the Chinese Empire.

There is no need to spend a lot of energy to slowly colonize India and squeeze out the little and pitiful property of every poor Indian.

Let the Kingdom of England handle this kind of thing. The noble Chinese Empire has no need to do such filthy things."

After hearing what Jenkins said, Mozibu burst into laughter. It turns out that you colonists still know that what you are doing is filthy and immoral!

However, Mo Zibu also knew that China currently did have great advantages in trade.

Porcelain, tea, silk, bristles, rhubarb, lacquerware, etc. produced in China are all indispensable best-selling products in Europe, while Europe has almost nothing to sell to China.

This is not as simple as a trade surplus, but rather unilateral trade control.

Of course, Mo Zibu also knew that with the further development of Europe's productivity, a large number of low-end European substitutes for the traditional three products of tea, silk and porcelain would soon appear.

Then, with the rise of trade protectionism, countries will restrict the import of goods originating from China, or at least significantly increase tariffs.

So, uh!

Mo Zibu suddenly realized that the navy’s future mission would most likely not be to colonize and conquer territory, but to protect China’s trade.

'Open the door, (free trade!)'

Isn’t this a meme on the Internet in later generations? It’s actually about to come true now!

(End of this chapter)