The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 707: Never Forget the Motherland

1794, April 6.

Mo Gongze, who has been back to his motherland for almost four years, finally embarked on his journey home. This may be the only time in his life that this prince with Habsburg blood returns to his motherland.

The greatest impact of this journey is that it has consolidated Mo Gongze's pride as a Chinese and strengthened his sense of belonging.

Before this, although Mo Gongze also considered himself a Chinese, he still had a strong sense of Europeanness in his heart. He was also deeply proud of the bloodline of the Habsburg family, which almost wiped out all of Europe.

But after a trip to China, Mo Gongze discovered that the Habsburg family was nothing!

They couldn't even deal with the German Holy Roman Empire. The main ethnic group, the Austrians, had only more than 10 million people. Compared with China, it was only half the size of a province, or even only one-third of a province.

As for Mo Gongze's cousins in China, any fiefdom they inherited would be over 100,000 square kilometers and have a population of millions.

For example, the emperor's second son, Mo Zhouxu, originally had a Lelang Province covering an area of 120,000 square kilometers and a population of 1.7 million, which was divided into hundreds of Junker landlords (manor soldiers) for rule.

With one order, five thousand elite soldiers can be organized in an instant, and if some militiamen are recruited, even sixty to seventy thousand regular troops can be mobilized.

The later-established Hanchuan Province was even more exaggerated, with an area of 210,000 square kilometers, with 800,000 Han people as the main body and more than 2.5 million from other ethnic groups.

The Edo Province of Edo County Prince Mo Zhouzhen, the fifth son of the emperor who accompanied him to the East to meet his grandfather, included the entire Fuso Province, which was the former Kanto and Tohoku regions of Japan. Although it was only 120,000 square kilometers, it had a population of 7 million.

Damn, Mo Gongze is really envious, his eyes are red.

If you fight for your life and death and engage in game of chess among all parties, you may not get such a country in the end.

The cousins could easily own it, and they were not very willing to inherit it. Instead, they wanted to stay in the paradise-like capital and enjoy themselves.

But it's normal to think about it, Mo Gongze thought to himself, if he was born in a country with a territory larger than the whole of Europe, with a population of nearly 600 million, an annual income of 240 million silver dollars, and a steel output of more than one million tons, it would be more than twice the total of Europe.

The army, whose numbers have been desperately reduced to save money, has 650,000 soldiers. As for the navy, it is also under considerable suppression because they do not want to hit the English to the point of losing confidence. However, it has five major fleets, more than 90 warships of level three and above, and more than 130,000 naval officers and soldiers.

Damn it, if I were born in such a great empire and be the son of such a great emperor, I would definitely not want to go to places like Hanchuan and Edo.

What does it matter if there are tens of thousands of square kilometers of land and millions of people? They can't compare to the carefree life in Jiangnan, the paradise on earth.

But Mo Gongze changed his mind and realized that fortunately he was the nephew of the emperor who ruled this terrifying empire.

If his great uncle, the emperor, could use even one twentieth of his strength to support him, that would be 12.2 million silver dollars and 53,500 tons of steel every year.

Mo Gongze couldn't help swallowing his saliva. This data was already the standard of a major European country.

For example, France, the top country in Europe, had an annual income of 57 million silver dollars and 210,000 tons of steel before the Revolution.

It is one twentieth of Dayu's, with an annual income of just about one fifth of France's and a quarter of its steel output.

The second most powerful country, Tsarist Russia, had an annual income of 27 million silver dollars and produced about 80,000 tons of steel. Its annual income and steel production were exactly twice this figure.

"Even after a thousand miles, we must still part ways. Aze, I'll send you here. In the future, we two brothers may only have a few opportunities to meet again, but our armies, striving for the same goal, will surely fight side by side."

The one who came to see Mo Gongze off was the Crown Prince Da Lao Sen. After seeing Mo Gongze off, he also set off for the northwest.

Today, the railway in the Hexi Corridor is almost reaching Shazhou and Dunhuang, but it also faces many problems.

In addition, after Lanzhou's industry had been built for a period of time, Asen found that Lanzhou was still a bit far away to support the Western Regions and Hezhong, and it would be better to place a large steel plant in Ganzhou (Zhangye).

All these things are waiting for him to make a decision after investigation, so he can't leave for too long.

However, after saying this, Asen felt a blazing flame shoot out from his brother Mo Gongze's eyes.

After just a few breaths, Mo Gongze's eyes turned red, tears streamed down his face, and he bent down and knelt on the ground, weeping.

"After this farewell, I will never see you again, my brother, nor will I ever see the mountains and rivers of my motherland again. If I had a choice, I, Mo Gongze, would be willing to be a minor official in Nanjing."

For a moment, Asen suspected that Mo Gongze was acting, but Mo Gongze seemed very sincere, and his emotions were completely revealed. Moreover, it didn't seem to matter whether he was acting or not, so it must be real.

So Asen quickly helped Mo Gongze up and said, "A good man has great ambitions. In this era of great contention, Aze, you have braved the wind and rain, the frost and snow, for the country. Your contributions will benefit future generations and your name will be remembered for generations to come.

A hundred years from now, the Chinese people will not remember a petty official from Nanjing, but they will definitely remember you, the future Prince of Lu, for your contributions and sacrifices for the country and the nation."

Mo Gongze was originally acting, but when Asen said this, he was immediately moved. An inexplicable sense of mission and the temptation to leave a name in history lingered in his heart.

"Brother, I will remember your teachings. I am about to set sail. Please give me another glass of your hometown wine!"

After hearing this, Asen immediately served a large bowl of Yu Fuliang thick wine produced in Chang'an, Guanzhong. This is a milky white, slightly turbid sweet rice wine, which is very delicious.

"During the Han and Tang dynasties, Guanzhong thick wine was famous throughout the world. Li Bai was a favorite of this wine. Today, the descendants of the Chinese nation are recreating the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties and even surpassing it. This thick wine has even more profound meaning.

When my grandfather was alive, he also loved this wine the most, and I think this is the reason.

Today, I have left my country thousands of miles away to make contributions for my country. I offer this wine to encourage you on your journey. I wish you victory in every battle and immediate success. No matter when, never forget your homeland!

Mo Gongze's tears flowed even more. He knelt down again and kowtowed towards the direction of Nanjing City.

"Although I have European blood flowing in my body, my soul will always belong to China. I will never forget my mission, where I came from, and where I am going!"

This is the charm of culture. Western culture at this point is still about aristocrats and commoners, freedom and human rights. They do not have such a strong sense of family and country and the spirit of sacrifice for their ethnic group as the Chinese.

This spirit was planted in Mo Gongze's heart by generations of Chinese Hanlin scholars since he was a child.

After being stimulated at this moment, it almost completely cleansed the European thoughts in his heart and transformed him into a complete Chinese.

This is not to say that freedom and human rights are bad, but that they can only serve as supplements and are a good tonic.

If we overemphasize it, it will become like a poison that is three parts poison and cause endless harm.

After kowtowing, Mo Gongze embarked on a journey back to Europe to face the blood and fire of the French Revolution.

This time when he returns, he will gain a lot. He will be accompanied by 300 good family members selected from the families of civil and military officials.

Don't underestimate these people. They can at least be the captain of a ten-man team. They are exactly the grassroots officers that Lu Fan lacks the most.

In addition, there were two thousand Silla musketeers, which were contributed by Hu Quanhuan and others.

In fact, the Silla people were not without fighting power. Their musketeers were very useful and were very good conscripts in the Ming Dynasty. As long as they were paid well, their fighting power was not low.

And his grandfather, Mo Tianci, also gave Mo Gongze a full 4,000 Japanese warriors. These warriors were not poor warriors like their fathers, but warriors who grew up under the rule of Dayu.

In addition to the population explosion on the mainland, the population of Japanese samurai has almost doubled in recent years, and they need to send their descendants out to seek opportunities.

At the same time, they continued the long-standing military tradition. Many of them had participated in the exploration of North America or the suppression of natives in Southeast Asia. They were cruel, loyal, and had rich combat experience.

Emperor Mo Zibu also gave Mo Gongze 800 Mo Nan cavalrymen, all of whom were the most elite light cavalry.

Because Dayu also needs to use the upcoming war to test its own combat effectiveness and observe the combat effectiveness of the European powers.

These people, together with the children and armed forces recruited by Mo Gongze himself, such as the Hong family in Xiangshan, make up a total of about 10,000 people.

This was equivalent to taking away another Lu Fan army from China. Among the other various supplies, considering that Lu Fan did not have a stable base, 40,000 flintlock rifles alone were taken away, and the other various supplies could be said to be piled up like mountains.

Moreover, the warships that escorted Mo Gongze back to Europe would directly unload most of the artillery and hand them over to Lu Fan after arriving on shore.

On July 7, the fleet received its final replenishment in Guangzhou, with a total of 11 infantry and cavalry, six fifth-level steam sailing warships, and more than merchant ships.

The fleet steamed upwind to Singapore and then waited for the monsoon to reach the Indian Ocean.

Finally, Reinstein led the fleet to Europe via the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, while Mo Gongze landed at the Red Sea as a special envoy and went to Istanbul to meet the Ottoman Sultan.

After Mo Gongze left, Mo Zibu was not idle either. He quickly summoned the English ambassador to China, who was actually a big businessman with a noble title.

And the French ambassador, trapped in China and unable to return home, was sent to contact the Russians. To deal with France's once-in-a-millennium explosion, England and Tsarist Russia would be the main force. Austria and Prussia would not be the decisive factor, and the Lu vassal would only be a supporting role.

Soon, responses came from both sides, especially from Sha Luo, because they had been waiting to contact Dayu for a long time, but Mo Zibu did not give them this opportunity.

Catherine II, who was already very weak, sent Major General Alexander Ivanovich Count Tolstoy to China to discuss matters such as a formal ceasefire between the two sides with Mo Zibu.

Then news quickly came from England. As if it was destined, Earl George Macartney, an English diplomat who had served as governor of Madras, India and had refused to take office again to avoid being captured by China, would lead a delegation on an official visit to China.

. . . .

The most famous person with the surname Tolstoy is probably the great writer Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy.

So much so that when Mo Zibu heard it, he couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness.

This Count Alexander Tolstoy was very young because his father and uncles either died on the battlefield or died young.

The aristocratic family that had been around for hundreds of years seemed to be declining in population, so he inherited the title at an early age.

Historically, the earl would also inherit the title of Earl of Ostermann held by his grandmother's brother, his father's uncle.

In the days that followed, as Suvorov's adjutant, he participated in almost all of Napoleonic's wars. In his later years, he was awarded the rank of general and was considered an outstanding general.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have some Torghut blood. My grandmother's father was a Torghut noble."

In the Nanjing Imperial Palace, Count Tolstoy, who had rushed all the way from Orenburg on the northern shore of the Caspian Sea, revealed his oriental ancestry without waiting for Mo Zibu to ask, and made some corny remarks.

"If my grandmother had still lived in the lower reaches of the Volga River when Ubashi returned east, perhaps I would have become a loyal subject of Your Majesty."

What the hell is going on? Mo Zibu was a little amused. Why did you show up when your grandmother returned to the East?

But one should not hit a smiling person, and Mo Zibu also came to seek reconciliation with the Tsarist Russian Empire, so he continued to talk according to what this guy said.

"It would be a great pleasure if I could have such an outstanding soldier like His Excellency the Ambassador serving me!"

In fact, Count Tolstoy was not sure whether he had Torghut ancestry, because this was a secret of their family, and all the clues were cut off artificially, leaving only legends.

The reason, of course, is that this family was probably a Mongolian noble family that married several generations of Slavic women and became Russified after the decline of the Golden Horde.

Count Tolstoy quickly introduced himself not only to make a good impression on Mo Zibu, but also because he was a bit of a throwback to his ancestors.

Apart from a large European nose, the count's other features were very oriental, so much so that the Sharo aristocracy privately called him the Tatar Prince.

"My sister, Ekaterina, what do you think of the recent events between our two countries?
Personally, I still feel very sorry. The Chinese Empire has made many warnings, but you seem to have ignored them. Military action is actually our last resort."

What he said was really unfair. If the Russians had not been lying on the ground with bruises on their faces, just by listening to Mo Zibu's words, one would have thought that Dayu was badly bullied by the Russians.

Mo Zibu used French, a language in which he was quite proficient, and Count Tolstoy was even more proficient.

Moreover, the address used by Mo Zibu was also very European. At that time, when European monarchs had no blood relationship and could not identify the elder and the younger, they would generally start with "my brother" or "my sister".

“Yes, His Majesty the Great Emperor of the East, His Majesty the Great Caesar of the Tsarist Russian Empire, also believes that this is a tragedy that should not have happened.

Although our two countries' territories are largely adjacent, those lands are not worth the price our warriors paid for their lives.

His Majesty Caesar suggests that we both engage in friendly consultations to resolve these issues."

"Thank you, my sisters, and thank you, Her Majesty Catherine, for your foresight." Mo Zibu nodded in agreement, but sneered in his heart.

It’s not worth it, huh, they will say it’s not worth it only if you win the fight. If you lose, these Russians will show you what cruelty is.

The two sides exchanged a few more pleasantries, setting the tone of peace and reconciliation, and then Mo Zibu stood up and asked someone to see the guests off.

"The Prime Minister will coordinate with His Excellency the Ambassador on specific matters, with one goal: to restore the relationship between our two countries to the pre-war harmony."

As the emperor, Mo Zibu naturally could not negotiate in person with a count ambassador, and Catherine II's bottom line had been revealed by her best friend, Dashkova, who was a double-edged swordsman.

In other words, the communication through Dashkova was the real negotiation.

Catherine II told Mozibu directly the bottom line of her promise through Dashkova.

The implications of this are, first, a secret admission of defeat, and second, a warning that if this bottom line is broken again, the Russians will get angry.

After Count Tolstoy left, Mo Zibu called Luo Fangbai over and said, "Withdraw the garrison from Jintang City, but insist on one thing: Russians are not allowed to station troops there either.

Moreover, the right-wing Dayuz herdsmen under our control will continue to roam around Jintang City.

We can temporarily stipulate this area as a pending area in the treaty, but we will not react to the Russian propaganda that they have reclaimed Jintang City."

The most important thing for Catherine II was that Dayu withdraw from Jintang City (Semipalatinsk Fortress).

The geographical location of this place is quite unique. If Dayu can occupy it, it will be able to peek at the Western Xianbei Glacier and even the Ural Mountains.

But if it is not occupied, it will not have much impact on the situation, because the water routes to the east have been blocked.

At the same time, the natural condition of Jintang City, which can only accommodate 30,000 to 40,000 people, also made it impossible for the Russians to accumulate a large army here and threaten the most important Seven Rivers area of Dayu in the south.

You have to know that there are more than two million people living between Yubohai (Yibohai-Lake Balkhash) south of Jintang City and Yili. The gap between the two sides is too big. Unless Dayu itself has problems, the Russians will have no chance at all.

So this is a fortress that the Russians cannot afford to lose, but Dayu can temporarily use it for trading.

"Catherine II is old and has only a few years left to live, so she wants to enjoy a few years of peace and tranquility before she dies.

Therefore, as long as we give up Jintang City, the Tsarist Russian Empire will formally recognize our sovereignty over the Central and Eastern Xianbei and abolish the Treaty of Nerchinsk signed with the Qing Dynasty."

Mo Zibu was afraid that Luo Fangbai would feel resistant, after all, Jintang City was also conquered by Dayu after a bloody battle, so he explained patiently.

"Looking at it this way, it's still a good deal. Our claims on the Central and Eastern Xianbei don't actually have much historical basis. The Qing Dynasty also signed the humiliating Treaty of Nerchinsk, essentially abandoning the Central and Eastern Xianbei."

Treaties cannot be treated as completely as waste paper. They are also a measure of a country's credibility. If they can be maintained, we should try our best to do so.

Taking advantage of Catherine II's eagerness to seek peace, they blocked the road directly. When the next Russian Tsar came to power, he would have no legitimate reason to continue claiming these lands.

"Besides, we are only withdrawing our troops, not handing over the ruling power. Then Jintang City is a piece of meat on our lips. We can restore it to its original state whenever we want.

I heard that Catherine II was a wise ruler, but now that she's made such concessions, it seems she's lost all her passion and ambition." Privy Councilor Wu Wenyong also sighed.

After the two men left, Mozibu began to write back to Dashkova, telling her that he agreed to Catherine II's request.

In fact, even without Dashkova's letter, Mozibu was ready to hand over Jintang City directly to the Russians, instead of just withdrawing troops and removing the threat to Tyumen and Pavlov.

The reason why Mozibu chose to make so many concessions was that he discovered that among the seven anti-French alliances in the war, it was actually the Russians who finally defeated France.

The reason why it seemed that the British were the main force in later generations was because the Anglo-Saxons had the right to speak, just like they portrayed the United States as the biggest contributor to the war against Germany in World War II, while the Soviet Union was just circling around and not fighting, relying entirely on taking advantage.

In the Napoleonic Wars, Britain played its greatest role in economy, diplomacy and naval battles. It was actually the Russians who fought a bloody battle with Napoleon and defeated France.

Since they have the strength, it is worth it for Mo Zibu to make concessions.

After all, China needs Russia to fight the French without any worries, and needs them to make the sacrifice of burning Moscow again to defeat Napoleon.

But if Moscow was behind it with Dayu holding it back with a sharp knife, things might be different.

Mozibu was a little afraid that the Russians would choose France over China under extreme circumstances, so he surrendered directly.

That would be terrible. A divided Europe, a Europe with each region acting on its own, is in the interests of Dayu. A united Europe would be Dayu's nightmare.

(End of this chapter)