The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 639 Wild World, Coming Soon

Austrian Netherlands, Duchy of Brabant.

This principality was located at the border of the later Netherlands and Belgium. All the vast areas south of the Rhine, including the Dutch province of Brabant, except for Flanders in the west, basically belonged to the Duchy of Brabant.

There are also famous Belgian cities such as Antwerp and Brussels in later generations, which were important parts of the Duchy of Brabant at that time.

On the outskirts of Antwerp, Mo Zirong picked up the sweet milk tea, took a big gulp, and an angry look appeared on his face.

Beside him, his wife, Duchess Elizabeth, could no longer hold back and started cursing without caring about her image:

"These damned Gauls, who dare not accept the rule of the Lord of Brabant, should get out of Brussels!"

William Pitt the Younger was quite capable. He carefully designed a piece of shit-flavored chocolate for Mo Zirong that looked extremely tempting.

However, His Highness Mo Zirong, Prince Lu of the Dayu Dynasty of the Seres Chinese Empire and Grand Duke of Transylvania of the Holy Roman Empire, could not resist the temptation at all and took a bite.

Starting from 1785, four years ago, Mo Zirong used various forces to seek the title of Grand Duke of Brabant.

Yes, it is a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire like the Grand Duke of Brabant who only obeys orders but not declarations, rather than the title that only has the title of Duke but is actually a vassal of the Holy Roman Emperor.

However, four years later, cities such as Antwerp, Breda, Tilburg and Heide have pledged their loyalty to Mo Zirong.

But the nobles and citizens of Brussels, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Brabant, have always refused to accept him.

Without a capital, it is not the Duke of Brabant, so Mo Zirong and his wife were almost mad with anger.

Before coming here, they thought the Dutch, Spanish and French were the biggest threats, but after arriving, they discovered that the nobles in Brussels were the biggest obstacle preventing them from ascending the throne.

The Netherlands at this time was actually somewhat similar to China in the early Spring and Autumn Period. The people (small nobles, small and medium-sized capitalists) had a relatively high status in politics, and they controlled the basic aspects of the country's economic life.

The nobles and officials (local aristocrats and capitalists) gained enormous power by controlling these people.

Although they have no legitimate right to rule the country, they can usurp supreme power through local councils.

If the monarch wants to have a vibrant town that can produce a lot of taxes, he must get the support of these nobles.

Then the ministers will come forward to deal with the people, and finally the monarch will be unanimously supported by everyone, and the monarch's position will be secure.

This is undoubtedly completely different from the culture that Mo Zirong has been exposed to since childhood.

Because in China, this practice completely disappeared during the Warring States Period, and for thousands of years thereafter, imperial power was in a process of continuous strengthening.

Mo Zirong simply could not accept that his rule was based on such a thing.

Even though he had lived in Europe for seventeen years and had seen too many kings and grand dukes whose power was eroded by those below them, he still believed that the Grand Duchy of Brabant he had obtained should not be like this.

If he only got a grand duchy like this, it would be not worth it for him to leave Transylvania.

"Your Majesty, please don't be soft-hearted. They actually dared to organize a so-called Patriotic Coalition. These are no longer ordinary citizens. We must strike hard!"

At this time, Prince Mo Zirong of Lu could rely on five main military generals in Europe.

Army Lieutenant General, General Pingxi Wang Wubing.

Rakoczi Zog, a Hungarian who returned to Europe from China, was a major general of the Army Cavalry and the former commander of the Changshui Hu Cavalry.

Frederick, a Holstein Brigadier General and former Colonel of the Imperial Guards, returned to Europe from China.

Army Colonels Liu Rongqing and Liu Guoqing were brothers who were sent to Europe by Mo Zibu specifically to deal with the current situation and to train themselves.

These two brothers are the kind of people who have a strong sense of justice, are brave in battle, and don't have many bad intentions. They are just right to assist Mo Zirong.

Of course, having a strong sense of justice means that they pay more attention to discipline and style when leading troops, and are quite resistant to looting and massacre, but it does not mean that they are good people.

The one who is clamoring for a heavy blow is his younger brother Liu Rongqing.

At this time, Wang Wubing was helping Mo Zirong defend Transylvania.

Rakoczi Zog traveled around other cities in the Kingdom of Hungary, acting as a tool for Mo Zirong to continue to exert influence on the Hungarian nobles.

Brigadier General Frederick is helping Mo Zirong mobilize grassroots forces in various parts of Brabant, so currently only brothers Liu Guoqing and Liu Rongqing are by his side.

After hearing this, Mo Zirong couldn't help but nodded in agreement. He then looked at Liu Guoqing and said, "Boheng, what do you think? Can the army be dispatched?"

Mo Zirong asked two questions at once, and his desire to send troops to give it a try was almost coming out.

"Yes, the King's three guards have been fully equipped and trained. The Brabant Citizen Army and the First Battalion of the Transylvanian Cavalry Regiment have also been deployed."

At this time, Mo Zirong had a total of 8,000 people under his command, the main force of which was the three guards of King Lu, with each guard having 1,000 people, for a total of 3,000 people.

According to the system of the Dayu Dynasty, after the prince was enfeoffed, the three guards of left, center and right should each have 3,000 men, for a total of 9,000 men.

However, since Mo Zirong was far away in Europe, the three guards could only arrange a maximum of one thousand officers and soldiers.

The Transylvanian Cavalry Regiment was Mo Zirong's own Archduke's Guard, but its main force was in Hungary, and only one battalion of 400 men came to Brabant.

The remaining 4,000-plus Brabant Citizen Army was actually a militia composed of Austrian Dutch who supported Mo Zirong. Their combat effectiveness was average and they could only play a supporting role.

When Mo Zirong heard that the three guards of Prince Lu could be dispatched, a look of joy immediately appeared on his face. Although these three thousand people were few, 70% of them came from Dayu.

They are composed of the Imperial Guards, retired veterans of the Beijing Camp, and 500 Guanxi warriors carefully selected for his son by his father, the retired Emperor Mo Tianci, who loves him so much. Their combat effectiveness is quite strong.

Even the remaining 30% are made up of Europeans who have served in the Dayu army, and many of them can even speak Chinese.

They are the only trusted and trusted fellow villagers that Mo Zirong can fully trust thousands of miles away.

Mo Zirong knew better than anyone how much manpower and resources the emperor had spent to bring these 3,000 people to Europe. Just getting the tacit approval of Britain and France took a lot of effort and cost a considerable price.

Because these three thousand people are not only Mo Zirong's trusted confidants, but also a hand extended by Dayu in Europe. It is not too many, but not too few either. If used well, it can be a very strong force.

"Father, we can no longer tolerate the unruly people in Brussels. I also suggest that we send out the three guards to suppress them!"

Behind Mo Zirong, a young man with a slightly European look but a more obvious Chinese face spoke indignantly.

This is Mo Zirong's eldest son, or even his only son.

Because apart from the prince, whose Chinese name was Mo Gongze and whose European name was Karl Joseph M., he was his only legitimate son, the other seven sons were all illegitimate. In Europe, such illegitimate children could not inherit anything and could not be considered heirs.

Mo Zirong turned around and looked at his son, who looked 80% like him. "Aze, what if we send out the army and the French come to interfere? How should we respond?"

By the way, our Brother Mo's genes are really strong. They have covered up the big chin inherited from the Habsburg family. Therefore, his son is a famous handsome prince in Europe.

Mo Gongze knew that his father was testing him, so he immediately spoke confidently in his military uniform.

“Although Brussels and the French-speaking population living throughout Brabant appear to be very dependent on the Kingdom of France, this is actually an illusion.

They just wanted to add a more intimidating backing to their lives in the Netherlands.

They actually did not want to be incorporated into France, nor did they want Louis XVI to become their king, because if they wanted to, the entire Brabant would have been French territory long ago.

Moreover, the Kingdom of France is in such a dire financial situation right now, and they still have to rely on the spice trade, granted by their uncle the Emperor, to pay the exorbitant interest on their loans. They wouldn't have the guts to openly oppose our entry into Brussels."

"Oh, God, if your grandmother, Her Majesty Theresa, could hear these words, she would be very happy and reward you greatly."

Duchess Elizabeth was 35 years old when she had such a son, so naturally she doted on him.

Before Mo Zirong could comment, she couldn't help but praise him, "Karl, you will definitely become a powerful and enlightened monarch in the future."

Mo Zirong originally wanted to praise her, but when he heard his wife already praising her and even boasting about her, his face immediately darkened and he put on the expression of a stern father.

"You have some insights, but you missed the biggest situation." Mo Zirong said with a straight face.

"Today, in France, there is fierce fighting between the upper and lower classes, and tension is spreading among all classes. Louis XVI and his ministers may not want to care about Brussels, but the French will definitely not give up.

Moreover, the mushrooming of military academies in recent years has trained a large number of junior officers for France. They have no place in the French Army, but that doesn't mean they don't have a place elsewhere. The people in Brussels will definitely hire these guys."

As he said this, Mo Zirong really wanted to complain. Is there something wrong with the French government? Seeing military academies everywhere across the country, doesn't it know how to curb and control them?

What they are training are military officers, not oxen and horses for farming or pulling carts!

Just to earn a few tuition fees, the entire French society trained 30,000 to 40,000 military cadets who could not find jobs but learned a lot of killing and combat experience.

Mo Zirong didn't dare to imagine how scary it would be if these military officers, who had received saturated training in France but could not provide them with jobs and future problems, started to make trouble.

And these people have now become a major obstacle for him to take over Brussels.

"Your Majesty, Brussels Representative Jan Frans Funke has arrived."

Hearing the servant's report, Mo Zirong frowned. This was the second thing he was worried about.

Because Brabant has deep roots in France, many Brabant people go to Paris and other places to study, so a considerable number of them are influenced by the Enlightenment.

After these people came back, they were keen to spread the idea that France emphasizes absolute individual freedom and regards the monarch as a symbol of corruption and dictatorship.

This time, the people in Brussels were so opposed to Mo Zirong and his wife. The son of a rich farmer named Feng was one of the most vehement opponents and even an important instigator, the main culprit.

And now, the Brussels local council has sent this person over, which must be no good.

As expected, after Yang Frans Funk made a pretentious gesture of greeting, he got straight to the point and said:
"Your Highness, the Brussels Parliament, the Patriotic Alliance and the general public have entrusted me with the task of expressing the voice of the people of Brussels to Your Highness the Grand Duke.

That is, we are living in a new era, in which the people of Brussels have the right to decide their freedom and happiness.

Rather than entrusting it to a so-called Grand Duke who was neither born nor raised in Brussels."

"You have no king and no father. It seems you want to learn from the New Englanders, right?" Mo Zirong said gritting his teeth. If looks could kill, this Feng Ke would have died more than a hundred times.

"You keep talking about representation, and all you say is freedom and power. Humph, put that away.

I am the crowned king, and what you want to be is the uncrowned king of the tyrant. Don't portray yourselves as so noble.

Please go back, Mr. Funck, and tell those MPs who feel they represent the people of Brussels that war is coming.

Will the crowned king win, or will you traitors be able to turn the sun and the moon upside down? We will meet on the battlefield."

Mo Zirong was so angry that he forcibly translated some Chinese words into French to emphasize the tone, which resulted in Feng Ke not being able to understand some parts.

But this did not prevent him from understanding what Mo Zirong meant. Feng Ke looked at Mo Zirong without showing any weakness.

"I advise Your Highness not to start a war lightly, because justice is always on the side of the citizens of Brussels."

"Sweet talk!" Mo Zirong pointed at Feng Ke. "You don't represent the citizens of Brussels, and you don't understand what justice is. Clean your necks and wait!"

Historically, the Brabant Uprising, which led to the Austrian Netherlands falling into the hands of the French army, was organized by this man and Hendrik van Noort.

They dealt a heavy blow to the crumbling Holy Roman Empire, completely exposing the extent to which the Holy Roman Army, which was composed entirely of children of nobles, had lost its morale after the so-called enlightened reforms of Joseph II. This provided a lot of motivation for the French army to enter Vilna in the future.

And at this time and space, history took a big turn here.

In the original time and space, Mo Zirong's sister Maria Christina and her husband Prince Albert of Saxony served as governors of the Austrian Netherlands for a long time.

In this time and space, they only obtained the position of governor-general for one term. They were recalled to Vienna six years ago and replaced by Mo Zirong and his wife.

Historically, when Mo Zirong's sister-in-law and her husband served as governors, they lived in Brussels. Because they had nothing except the title, the nobles and capitalists in Brussels treated them as clay Buddhas who enjoyed incense.

But in this time and space, Mo Zirong's powerful family background gave him a powerful army. This was the reason why the nobles and big capitalists in Brussels were unwilling to let the couple go to Brussels.

Because Mo Zirong really came to be the monarch.

At the same time, in history, Louis XVI did not receive the annual profit of 3 million silver dollars from the spice trade, which resulted in the government being unable to pay the interest very early on. The situation was much more difficult than it is now, and the spark of the Great Revolution quickly gathered in Paris due to the government's powerlessness.

But at this time and space, Louis XVI's situation was a little better, so part of the spark of the Great Revolution flowed to Brussels.

This is really abstract and complicated. With Mo Zirong's orders, the Battle of Brussels will soon begin.

The people of the dioceses of Ghent and Liege, who were not happy with Mo Zirong taking over the entire Austrian Netherlands, also began to mobilize and wanted to support Brussels.

It seems that the fuse of the Great Revolution started with the Battle of Brussels.

(End of this chapter)