The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 603 Do They Still Have a Chance?

In fact, European culture before the Renaissance was quite difficult to describe. It was even outshined by the Muslim culture, which was considered extremely conservative by later generations.

This is also the reason why a large number of Chinese people in later generations believed that the European Renaissance absorbed considerable nourishment from Chinese culture through missionaries, or even directly plagiarized it.

Because if we look deeply into the Renaissance and ignore the fact that there was also a similar era of intellectual explosion in Chinese history, it will seem like a castle in the air that appeared suddenly.

It is even more abrupt than the emergence of the Hundred Schools of Thought in China, and the brilliance of the stars is unbelievable.

At the same time, this process is also a time when Europeans' self-confidence is rapidly rising.

From this time to the next two hundred years, Europeans experienced rapid improvement in everything from cultural confidence to spirit and even their height and diet.

Of course, in order to complete the journey of cultural hegemony, there is another condition, that is, any late-developing or secondary civilization must knock down the idols it once looked up to before its cultural confidence can be established.

This is just like if the future republic wants to have cultural confidence and restore the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties, it must knock down the Western civilization that we once looked up to.

Of course, this does not mean to overthrow the good cultural ideas such as the natural human rights established by the West, but to eliminate the demons and monsters that have already begun to form.

For example, LGBTQI, armed helicopters, Walmart shopping bags, etc. are regarded as concrete representatives of Western culture and are overthrown.

As for whether Western culture is full of monsters and demons, that is not important.

It is just like they once found a few shortcomings in our Eastern civilization represented by Confucian culture, knocked it to the ground, and labeled it as ignorant, backward, conservative, and dregs.

This is also the reason why the three kingdoms of Japan and Japan frantically stole Chinese culture in later generations. If they did not steal, they would not be able to establish national cultural confidence, because looking back, everything originated from China.

Among them, the Japanese did develop a secondary culture with their own style. So although they stole, the areas of their theft were very covert and confusing.

As for the monkey, he can act like a rogue. If you make him angry, he will say that he is from Southeast Asia, not East Asia.

In addition, he did drive out the two major powers of France and the United States in the founding war, so he was quite confident. Therefore, when he stole, his theft was relatively not so perverted.

There is only a little stick, my God, there is nothing I can show off from ancient times to the present.

The only culture he has is kimchi and army stew. He really has no choice but to steal like a pervert, otherwise the culture will not be able to survive.

At this time, before the Europeans had time to knock down their cultural idol, the moral country of Seres with gold all over the land, Mozibu suddenly appeared.

The emperor was like a city wall, blocking the last step for Europeans to build cultural confidence.

They are not yet able to look down on Chinese culture, and it is even difficult for them to look at it on an equal footing.

Just like the British envoys at this time, they had not built up enough cultural confidence, but they had witnessed the strength of China.

Especially for a great craftsman and inventor like Watt, when he realized that it would take more than two months for a large sailing ship to travel from the new city, which was not the southernmost part of Dayu, to Beijing, which was not the northernmost part, the seed of irresistibility was completely planted in his heart.

Therefore, although he is just a small figure, he is extremely pessimistic about England's future confrontation with China.

In his view, it was simply crazy for an island country to confront an entire continent, and for Britain to confront the prosperous Roman Empire in the East.

“James, the situation is too bad. If England wants to fight against Serris, our only option is to take back New England.

We also need to continue westward. If the kingdom can expand to a continent, then we still have a chance of winning."

Matthew Bolton suddenly lowered his voice as he spoke, "There's no way India can hold on. They're so close to Seris.

And as a businessman, as soon as I heard what Emperor Seris said, I knew it was a lie.

Every greedy and powerful person who wants to swallow up the other party's property even to the point of swallowing up a nail will often tell a lie like "Your Majesty the Emperor" to let the opponent down because the timing is not right.

His Majesty King George III should not have imposed such heavy taxes in New England. Instead, he should have imposed less taxes to encourage his subjects to immigrate to New England, because New England is the future.

As a member of the Lunar Club of the Birmingham Science Society, Matthew Bolton had some knowledge, but that was all.

He realized that England could not fight against Seres, but he thought that the rebellion in New England in North America was due to heavy taxes.

Watt sighed and shook his head when he heard this, "Impossible, this is impossible.

Because what New England wants is not tax exemption, but local official positions, seats in parliament, and aristocratic titles.

But how big is England, and how big is New England? If they agree, the capital of the Kingdom of England will be moved in twenty years at most, and those lower-class people exiled to New England will have to climb over the heads of the local nobles.

I think the kingdom's nobles wouldn't be willing to lose the competition with China."

Matthew Bolton fell silent. This was an angle he had never considered before. He suddenly felt very bitter. If it was really as Watt said, did the Kingdom of England still have a future?
. . . .

Forbidden City, Fengtian Palace.

This is the main hall of the Forbidden City in Beijing, commonly known as the Golden Throne Hall. It was renamed the Huangji Hall in the late Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty and the Taihe Hall during the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty.

After Mo Zibu fought back, the palace was immediately restored to its original name, which was during the reign of Zhu Di, Fengtian Hall.

The Fengtian Hall is twenty-six or twenty-seven meters high, and the main hall alone covers more than two thousand square meters. Starting from the outermost edge, it is surrounded by the Jinshui River, guarded by mythical beasts, the eunuchs are all wearing brocade robes, and the Han generals are shining in golden armor, looking awe-inspiring!

Not to mention the English, even the old Beijingers would be so frightened when they came here that they dared not even breathe.

Watt looked nervous. He tilted his head slightly to look. Matthew Bolton was in even worse condition. He walked forward mechanically and numbly like a stone man.

"Snap!" The sound of a whip pierced the air, and Matthew Bolton shuddered violently, as if it had hit him in the body.

However, although he was scared, his soul seemed to be whipped back, and he finally no longer looked like a stone man.

"Announce!" The eunuch in Fengtian Hall shouted in a clear and peculiarly rhythmic voice:
"Sir William Pitt, the King of England's special envoy, James Watt, the Scottish master craftsman, and an entourage of eleven persons, present to the audience!"

When William Pitt the Younger heard Watt being called the Great Craftsman of Scotland, a trace of worry appeared on his face, while Watt felt a tingling sensation all over his body, and a strange feeling arose.

"You all must remember to keep your heads down and keep your mouths shut. You must not speak unless you are asked a question, and you are not allowed to look directly into the face of His Majesty." The eunuch emphasized for the last time the etiquette of audience that had long been trained to these people by the Honglu Temple.

Afterwards, the thirteen people, led by eunuchs, passed through the white marble pedestal guarded by mighty golden-armored guards and entered the Fengtian Hall to pay homage to the emperor.

Mo Zibu finally discovered the purpose of this complicated audience etiquette. It was actually a PUA.

Through complicated rituals and layer upon layer of escalating pressure, the emperor was given a sense of superiority and majesty, like a true god on earth, which consumed a lot of the energy of those who came to the audience.

Not only are they mentally exhausted, they are also extremely tired physically, so their on-the-spot reaction, thinking, etc. are greatly weakened compared to when they first came in.

After going through all the complicated etiquette, little William Pitt finally came to the last step. He was determined not to kneel, at least not on both knees.

In addition to the fact that he could not damage the image of the English envoy, he also knew that after a previous contact, the Emperor of Seres was actually quite disciplined and reasonable.

He will not cry out for war and killing like a barbaric emperor just because of such a small matter.

Of course, the most important point is that if he can behave neither humbly nor arrogantly in Seres, or even slightly gain the upper hand and show the unyielding image of a minister of the Kingdom of England, it will be very helpful for him to establish his prestige when he returns home and enter the highest position in the country and parliament.

Pfft!
Just as William Pitt the Younger was about to show off his style, he heard the sound of a knee hitting the ground beside him.

Young William Pitt couldn't help but turn around and look, damn, it was Matthew Bolton!
This guy was already a little nervous and didn't dare to sweat. When he arrived at this magnificent hall, he was tormented by the complicated etiquette. He was extremely exhausted both physically and mentally.

The frightened Matthew Bolton didn't hear clearly and didn't pay attention to his surroundings. Suddenly, he heard someone asking him to kneel down in English. Matthew Bolton knelt down without thinking.

When he knelt, Watt beside him was also affected. Watt thought he had to kneel too, so he knelt down with a thud.

Seeing Watt kneel down, some of the remaining members of the delegation, and even official officials, followed suit.

All eyes were fixed on little William Pitt. Everyone was looking at him.

Young William Pitt could even feel that the emperor's playful gaze was looking down at him condescendingly.

"I am an envoy, I am an envoy, I cannot kneel down, the Kingdom of England and the Sesli Empire are equal."

Little William Pitt kept encouraging himself in his heart. The tremendous pressure caused a layer of fine beads of sweat to appear under his gray hair.

The atmosphere was solemn and full of oppression. William Pitt the Younger twisted his body uncomfortably. He still believed that even if he did not kneel, the emperor would not do anything to him, but it would probably give the emperor a handle.

That is, the emperor could pretend to be angry and drive the delegation away, thus avoiding having to reach any agreement with England.

The current situation is that England needs Seres' cooperation far more than Seres needs England.

If he is driven away, it will take more than a year to go back and forth. If Seris really passes the proposal to borrow a large amount from France, it will be a big trouble.

Thinking of this, William Pitt Jr.'s knees weakened and he leaned forward, ready to kneel on the ground.

"William, don't kneel. You are here as an envoy today." Mo Zibu walked down the steps with a smile on his face and stopped little William Pitt from kneeling.

This sudden move almost broke William Pitt's waist. He cursed in his heart that the emperor didn't speak earlier or later, and only spoke after his knees were bent. It was obvious that he wanted to laugh at him.

"Mr. Watt, your steam pump has been of great help to me. Many coal and iron mines require it. I heard you have designed the latest model. Can the Chinese Empire possess it?"

Then, without waiting for Watt's answer, Mo Zibu asked Matthew Bolton who was next to him.

"Mr. Bolton, I heard that you are very experienced in coinage. Can I invite you to come to China and establish a mint?
I think I can give your factory the right to mint silver and copper coins, worth one million silver dollars annually. As Watt's partner and the actual operator of Watt's steam engine patent, Matthew Bolton was also an inventor himself, holding a small patent for steam-pressed coin production.

The Jinyiwei would naturally investigate these situations thoroughly. At the same time, authorizing Matthew Bolton to come to China to set up a mint was another of Mo Zibu's conspiracies.

By establishing a factory through franchising, the patent fees are settled in disguise.

Matthew Bolton almost agreed on the spot. The profit from minting one million silver dollars was not very high. The net profit could be around one thousand to three thousand silver dollars a year, which was a few hundred but not more than one thousand pounds.

But there is one advantage, and that is stability. As long as you can get the special charter, you will receive it every year, which is similar to the annuity of a knighthood.

But he didn't dare to agree, because if he agreed without permission, he would be held accountable when he returned!
"Mr. Watt, I have a small gift for you. This is a reward for your improvement of the steam engine, which has ushered mankind into a new era of power."

Mo Zibu waved his hand as he spoke, signaling the eunuch standing beside him to come forward.

"A manor located in Hanchuan Province. It was originally part of the six manors of Fragosse, Count of Monar, in Hanchuan Province."

Monard is a small village in southwestern France with a population of about three to four hundred people. It was originally one of the territories of the Duke of Richelieu's family.

Mozibu bought the manor, and Louis XVI, in accordance with the terms of the exchange of titles between the two countries, conferred the title of Count of Monard on Lieutenant General Fragoset.

When the name Fragose was mentioned, Mo Zibu showed some sadness.

This was the first naval talent to come from France to provide assistance, and he can be regarded as the founder of the Chinese Navy.

After he became exhausted in 1778, he chose to return to France. He lived a good life for four years and died of illness in 1782.

Because Fragosse died very suddenly, he did not leave any will. As a result, his five children had a very ugly quarrel over the property and the title of count.

In the end, it was Mo Zibu who made the decision and gave the title and annuity to his second son. The manor in Hanchuan Province (Lower Burma) was bought back by the royal family, and all the gold and silver were distributed to the remaining four children.

Among these estates, five were given to Admiral Sufrang, a great hero of the Battle of Trincomalee and the current Vice Minister of the Navy of the Imperial Chinese Empire.

What was given to Watt this time was the last and smallest remaining manor, which consisted of only more than 300 acres of cultivated land, one contracted farmhand, and four Siamese serfs.

When Watt heard the title of Earl Monar, his eyes lit up like torches.

Because Lieutenant General Fragosse was one of the very few people in Europe who could make the leap from a commoner to a nobleman at this time.

His success once ignited the enthusiasm of many Europeans to come to the East to fight for China.

As a result, there are still more than 2,000 foreign sailors and more than 3,000 foreign land forces in the Chinese army, mainly concentrated in artillery, cavalry and sailors.

William Pitt the Younger found himself faced with another choice, for the plate containing the deed to the Watt estate was right beside him.

Not only did the eunuch stand beside him and not go to Watt, he also looked at him with an unfriendly look.

At the same time, Watt and Bolton also looked at him with longing eyes.

Damn, if this goes on, we will lose all bargaining chips, William Pitt Jr. gritted his teeth.

"Your Majesty, James Watt is not from the Seris Empire, and the Kingdom of England and the Seris Empire have not signed a treaty for the exchange of titles. Therefore, it is not appropriate for the English to accept Your Majesty's title."

Mo Zibu chuckled in his heart. He had no intention of giving Watt a title. The ones in Nanyang were all relatives of the royal family, one level higher than the vassal states in the south and north of Japan and Korea. Even a baronship was extremely precious.

Mo Zibu deliberately acted as if he was going to bestow a title, just to see William Pitt the Younger's reaction. If he agreed, he would reluctantly give Watt the title of baron.

If William Pitt the Younger disagrees (which is highly likely to happen), then it will be a good opportunity to go with the flow and pass the blame on.

Sure enough, as soon as William Pitt Jr. finished speaking, Watt's face seemed to be covered with a layer of lead gray.

"Well, what you said makes sense. Then this is the reward I personally bestow upon Mr. Watt." Mo Zibu turned around and said to Watt somewhat helplessly:
"In that case, I will have the Hanchuan Provincial Government collect the profits from this manor and remit them to Mr. Watt's account on a regular basis every year."

'F**K! F**K!'

Watt roared wildly in his heart. In this era, a title, even if it was not a mutual title, would bring huge benefits, especially for Watt who already had some fame and assets.

This step is like ascending to heaven.

If he had a weapon in his hand at this time, Watt would even dare to pounce on and stab little William Pitt to death.

The title was gone and the audience was almost over. The remaining specific matters such as arranging the speech would naturally be negotiated by the people below.

However, William Pitt Jr. did not leave. He shamelessly asked Mo Zibu to give him some time.

Mo Zibu thought about it and ordered his men to take this guy to a side hall of Fengtian Hall.

William Pitt the Younger knew that this was a rare opportunity, because what he wanted to say could not be explained to the people below at all, and only by talking to the emperor would it be effective.

"Your Majesty, your empire will not directly attack India within ten years, will it?" William Pitt the Younger was quite direct.

"Your Majesty, I have deeply offended James Watt. He will surely pass on all his life's learning and accumulated experience to avenge me. All patents will be licensed to you.

So, Your Majesty, you must tell me the truth."

He is not really a fool. This is how William Pitt the Younger evaluated Mo Zibu.

Of course, he didn't know that this person was the youngest prime minister in England's history, and he also stabilized England, which was in turmoil after the American War of Independence.

"Go on, I want to know the reason." Mo Zibu had never met such a direct person, so even he was stunned for a moment.

"Your Majesty, when I return this time, I should be the leader of the House of Commons," said William Pitt the Younger.

Historically, he had become Leader of the House of Commons eight months earlier, but in this time and space, it was delayed a bit in order to come to the East.

The position of Leader of the House of Commons is usually held by the Prime Minister.

The Jinyiwei's ability to move around on the British Isles was too poor. Mo Zibu sighed secretly, then looked at the guy in front of him seriously.

"Even if India belongs to you for the next ten years, it will not change the balance of power between China and England."

"Yes, Your Majesty, but we can ensure that France does not gain any benefit in India. A Europe without powerful continental countries is the best Europe."

Mo Zibu began to understand what William Pitt was thinking. The East was too far away and the world was too big. The two sides had not yet reached the point of a life-and-death struggle.

William Pitt the Younger had to ensure the safety of India first, and then he could absorb nutrients and deal with Europe with peace of mind, especially preventing France from recovering quickly.

"Your Majesty, your empire is too vast. Many areas are completely undeveloped, and you don't have enough capable ministers to control this vast area.

If you continue to forcibly expand your rule, local rebellions will be minor matters, your finances will fall into crisis, and domestic discontent will rise at a faster rate.

If I were you, Your Majesty, I would choose to let England take care of everything in India before I pick up the fruits of my labor."

Mo Zibu nodded. What he said was not without reason. The current area of Dayu has exceeded 20 million square kilometers, and many places are indeed basically out of control.

The Dayu Dynasty did not have enough money or enough talents to control such a large area.

Colonization is a business that cannot recover costs in a short period of time. It is likely to continue to make losses for a period of time. The current finances are indeed dragged down by continuous colonization.

“Besides, I don’t recommend that you help France too much. France is the country in Europe that is most likely to unite everyone.

Because England wanted to control the whole of Europe, it had to conquer mainland France.

France does not need to conquer England, but only needs to make the European continent speak with one voice."

"England needs a way out," William Pitt the Younger whispered, "otherwise, its fleet could really be used by the French.

The British East India Company cannot go bankrupt; if it does, the English government will certainly go bankrupt as well."

"Your Majesty, it is to your benefit to keep the Kingdom of England alive."

Mo Zibu pretended to think for a long time, but in fact he had no intention of lending money to France directly, because he was still waiting to eat the fat meat of France.

And even if they borrowed, it would not solve the problem. It is more likely that in the future French Revolution, the creditors would be physically eliminated.

"Okay, I promise you, I will not lend money to France, and I will not be deeply involved in India, including sending troops, for at least ten years."

Young William Pitt was overjoyed. As long as he got this promise from Mo Zibu, he would have relatively ample space to display his talents and help build a strong country.

As William Pitt Jr. walked away, Mo Zibu looked into the distance and said to Heshen, "This guy is lying to me.

His main concern was not India; he wanted to draw my attention to India and make me think that India was England’s lifeline.”

"Your Majesty, isn't it?" Heshen asked in surprise.

Mo Zibu shook his head. Instead of answering, he muttered softly, "No one would consider begged-for territory as a lifeline. Are these guys still thinking about North America? Do they still have a chance?"

(End of this chapter)