The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 715: The bright future

In the newly decorated Buckingham Palace in London, George III, who was in poor health and had occasional mental problems, was holding urgent discussions with Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger and others.

The proposal is to launch a large-scale mobilization to deal with the current situation.

Note that the discussion is about the scale of mobilization to be launched, not whether to launch mobilization or not.

Mo Zibu's understanding of history is still too superficial, and he is blinded by the importance of India to England in history.

At the same time, the intelligence personnel sent to Europe by Dayu were not professional enough. They focused their attention on military and politics, but knew little about the economy.

Therefore, Mozibu came to the conclusion that England was not in a hurry to intervene in the French Revolution, but in fact, England was more anxious than anyone else, and they were almost going crazy!

This is because, at that time, England’s largest market was not India, which was thousands of miles away, but Europe, which was very close.

If we really rely on Indians to buy England's industrial products, given the efficiency of sailing merchant ships, the opportunity will be lost.

Therefore, it is the European continent across the Channel that supports England's huge industrial production.

Why do you think the capitalists in England came up with an extremely exploitative system where a 20-year-old entering a factory would be rendered useless after five years, as well as those horrific methods of employing child labor?

This is all to reduce costs and gain market share.

England lowered costs on the British Isles to a level that no country on the European continent could compete with, and then sold its textiles and various industrial products to the whole of Europe, making huge profits and even giving the paper pound a certain degree of international credit currency.

India was very important to England, but that was only after the weapon of trade protection was discovered by continental European countries.

When other countries artificially raised the prices of English goods through trade protectionism, causing British goods to lose their competitive advantage, England began to work hard to develop India to replace part of the commercial share lost in Europe.

Before this, England's strategy towards India was simply to collect poll taxes and make money directly.

"Your Majesty, we must mobilize to the maximum extent possible, because otherwise France will control the entire European continent.

And when all the continental nations have submitted to France, they will probably blockade the coast and refuse to trade with us."

Henry Addington's words were by no means alarmist. Although the method of trade protection through tariffs had not yet been widely used at that time, Europeans were already familiar with trade blockades.

George III sighed with some fear. He was really scared. When New England was in trouble, it was his subordinates who urged that it must be severely beaten. As a result, England was almost plunged into the abyss.

"The upper limit, what is the limit? I have to know how high this chaos will reach. Will it be the War of the Spanish Succession or another Seven Years' War?" George III muttered.

"A height never before seen, a height that will certainly surpass both of those wars, and surpass the New England Rebellion, a height never before seen."

Henry Addington was reluctant to provoke the old king, but he had to make his point clear so that the king, who was still frightened by the American War of Independence, could have enough psychological preparation.

When George III heard Henry Addington's conclusion, he was stunned for a moment, and then looked at his most trusted Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger.

"Your Majesty, we have no choice!" William Pitt the Younger looked at the king and said the most serious words in a very calm tone.

"Your Majesty, we must be clear about one thing: the suffering endured by the French Third Estate is no less than that suffered by the poor in England. In fact, their lives are even more miserable than those of the French Third Estate."

This is the reality. The reason why England is stable is that the royal government gave a way out to small and medium-sized capitalists, small landowners, rich farmers and the urban middle class, unlike the Bourbon dynasty in France, which forced this second class into a dead end.

But this is only the current stability. If the revolutionary ideas of France are allowed to continue to spread and awaken the third estate of England, and then they help the French army cross the channel, then England will be doomed.

"Your Majesty, the English have chopped off the head of Charles I and know what it feels like, so when the time comes, they may be more decisive than the French when they chopped off the head of Louis XVI.

In fact, by then, it won’t just be a matter of chopping off a head; even those of us who are high and mighty will not be able to escape the executioner’s axe!”

When William Pitt the Younger said this, he was looking at the Crown Prince, George IV, Prince of Wales, and William Bentinck, the third Duke of Portland, who was standing behind George IV.

This person currently belongs to the Whig Party, which is a party that represents the interests of the bourgeoisie and limits the royal power.

These people did not fully realize the threat of the French Revolution, or rather, they realized it, but instead hoped that the French Revolution would be more severe in order to scare the royal family and the nobility and make more concessions to them.

The Duke of Portland felt uncomfortable under the gaze of William Pitt Jr. He twisted his body uncomfortably and responded weakly:

"The people of England all support the king. They are different from the mob in France. We can believe this and guarantee it."

“Before Louis XVI was beheaded, he did not believe that the French people would treat him so decisively.

When Robespierre executed Danton, he had no idea that he would soon be guillotined.

Duke, you can't guarantee anything. The only thing I can guarantee is that you are still alive because we are still in control of the situation."

The words were very impolite, because with Prussia's request for peace, the situation was very tense. William Pitt the Younger used his power as Prime Minister to put pressure on the Duke of Portland.

"Duke, the Irish are already making trouble, and they believe the French will cross the sea to support them, and the French have also made such a declaration.

This is the time when England needs unity the most. If we cannot unite, we will be defeated one by one like the nobles and factory owners of France, and then lined up and beheaded one by one by the mob! "

William Pitt the Younger's words were like a bloody display of the French Revolution before the Duke of Portland.

Even George IV, who was beside the Duke, was frightened. The chubby Crown Prince licked his lips nervously and stared blankly at the Duke of Portland, as if hoping he would say something.

Under tremendous pressure, the Duke of Portland could only nod and said, "Yes, Prime Minister, yes, England needs unity, and I am in favor of unity."

After hearing the Duke of Portland's answer, William Pitt the Younger nodded in satisfaction. He certainly didn't expect that just one or two words would get the Whigs to support him, but it was a good start.

After returning, the Duke of Portland will tell these words to Charles Fox, the real soul of the Whig Party, and then Charles Fox will send someone to discuss with him.

William Pitt the Younger was not afraid of Charles Fox's intransigence, because the great factories were primarily concerned with the sale of goods, and the French Revolution, for whatever purpose, would prevent this.

After finishing all this, they left Buckingham Palace and William Pitt the Younger immediately said to Henry Addington:
"Have your butler go to Istanbul personally, find Prince Carl, and formally invite him to visit London in the name of the royal family."

"So urgent?" Henry Addington didn't expect that William Pitt the Younger's attitude would change so quickly in just half a day.

"I just thought, if there is no Prussia to contain France on the continent, what if these revolutionary lunatics want to cross the sea to attack us?
Now we only have more than 20,000 land forces in the whole of England. If the French go ashore, we will be completely unable to resist.

Then bring the Belgian Army here first. They won't play a decisive role in a decisive battle involving hundreds of thousands of people, but they are the most useful elite troops to help us defend the Channel."

"Also, Henry, please quickly plan your southern defense plan. I will present it to His Majesty the King in a few days."

Historically, in order to deal with the French cross-sea attack, Henry Addington, with the support of William Pitt the Younger, built a large number of fortress blockades in the southern part of the British Isles and mobilized nearly 600,000 militiamen, which was the first military explosion in English history.

Of course, these militias are completely unqualified and can only carry out not-so-intense local defense and have little combat effectiveness.

Henry Addington was very happy to hear that William Pitt the Younger had finally agreed to his plan to increase the military strength. He continued to suggest:

"If that's the case, we might as well extend an invitation to the Prince of Belgium, inviting him to seek refuge in England if Brussels can no longer be defended.

Moreover, the Prime Minister can advise the King to seriously consider the possibility of marrying the Prince of Belgium!" William Pitt the Younger hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.

. . . .

At this time, Mo Gongze, who had caused William Pitt Jr. both headaches and expectations, had already left Istanbul. He was sailing around the Greek peninsula and heading to Parma near the Adriatic Sea.

Mo Gongze's mother, Elizabeth, is the Archduchess of Parma, and the Slovenian nobles who have connections with the European Mo family also have ports on the Adriatic Sea, which can ensure his safety in this chaotic situation.

"Stupid!" Looking towards Istanbul, Mo Gongze couldn't hold it in any longer and cursed loudly, "I'll make you pay sooner or later."

The reason why he went to Istanbul this time was that Mo Gongze wanted to see the Constantinople in his mind in person.

After all, he was born and raised in Europe and has the blood of the Habsburg family, so he naturally has deep feelings for Rome and Constantinople.

The result made Mo Gongze feel completely disappointed when he saw it. The whole Constantinople no longer had even the slightest trace of the existence of the Roman Empire, and had been completely influenced by Islam.

The second reason was that he followed the order of the Great Emperor's fifth uncle, Mozibu, to see what the Ottoman Sultan, who also served as the Caliph of the Muslim world, thought about the events in Central Asia.

Mo Gongze originally thought that since Osman was beaten so badly by Sharo, he must be cautious and afraid of conflict with other major powers. He would not have any opinion about Transoxiana, which had nothing to do with him.

But he was wrong. The Ottoman court not only had strong opinions about Dayu's destruction of the Khanate of Kokand, believing that Kokand was also a vassal state under the rule of the Caliph, but also made rude remarks about Dayu's suppression of the rebellion in the northwest.

Fuck you! Mo Gongze almost laughed out of anger on the spot.

You Ottomans have just been beaten by the Russians, with your arms and legs broken and you are about to bleed to death. Where do you get the courage to comment on Dayu's internal affairs?

Of course, Mo Gongze also realized that Sultan and Caliph Selim III did not want to make these statements, but he was unable to control the government, and the right to speak in the court was all in the hands of the ministers.

This was also the reason why Mo Gongze left in a hurry. The Ottoman Empire had entered the end of its life. Eunuchs and powerful officials controlled the government, and the country's public opinion was controlled by extreme religious ideas. The only force the Sultan could borrow was the newly formed army.

Most of the officers of the new army are reckless and fierce. They have no plans for the country and each of them has the potential to become a Dong Zhuo. If the Sultan uses them, the country will be in chaos.

It is probably much more dangerous than the late Eastern Han Dynasty in Chinese history. In such a place, Mo Gongze is afraid that he will be affected if he stays there for a while, so he must leave quickly.

However, this also caused him, the English envoy, to miss the meeting time.

"Brother, will William Pitt the Younger of England agree to our conditions?" asked his half-brother Mo Gongbo, looking at his brother who was in a daze on the deck.

Mo Gongze nodded slowly. "Yes, we don't have much choice, and neither does England."

Having stayed in Europe for a long time, after returning to his homeland to broaden his horizons, Mo Gongze has seen the facts that were ignored by his uncle, the emperor.

That is, England has no choice but to use its greatest strength to defeat France, whether it is the Kingdom of France or the French Republic.

While in Istanbul, Mo Gongze discovered another incident after reading a large number of documents related to the Sixth Russo-Turkish War.

That is, the Tsarist Russian Empire, which was defeated by China in the Kazakh steppe and could only seek peace secretly, has actually become the most powerful force in Europe.

This seemingly rough and simple country actually has a standing army of nearly 300,000, and they also maintain a somewhat Eastern-style military merit system.

This system should have been left by the Mongols to the Tsarist Russian Empire, and its use is somewhat similar to the Eight Banners' flag-raising system.

That is, if the gray beasts of Tsarist Russia wanted to live a good life, have enough food and clothing, or even get rid of their serf status, they had no choice but to go to war and kill the enemy.

Although they still could not become high-ranking military officers or even nobles, they could live better than the vast majority of serfs.

Therefore, the combat effectiveness of the Shaluo army is very guaranteed. Those silent animals who came from serfdom dare to fight for even a little bit of merit, a little bit of opportunity to change their destiny.

So after Prussia asked for peace with France, England's only choice was to rely on Tsar Ross's army to fight against France.

But in this case, Mo Gongze would be in danger. Considering the relationship between China and Russia, if the Russian Empire realized that China intended to support him to hold Russia's throat, it might use war to wipe out his army of more than 10,000.

Moreover, this matter would probably get the tacit approval of his cousin Francis II, the Holy Roman Emperor.

This is too scary, so Mo Gongze has to find another backer as soon as possible.

By turning to England, he could obtain a certain degree of protection from England, making Tsar Ross afraid to take action.

Secondly, it can strengthen his external image of attempting to become the king of the Netherlands and make Tsar Ross relax his vigilance.

"Father made the most wrong move at the most critical moment. We shouldn't have gone to Belgium because we didn't have enough time to win people's hearts in the Lower Netherlands."

Mo Gongze sighed. In fact, his strength was not weak. After being strengthened by his motherland, he had at least 15,000 elite soldiers, more than 40 warships, and more than 2,000 sailors.

In terms of combat power alone, it can be considered a strong force, but it has no stable base, which results in its limited military force being dependent on others and drifting around.

If we had stayed in Hungary instead of Belgium, with these 15,000 elite soldiers and the support of millions of Hungarians, we would not be in such a passive position as we are now.

There was no need to use his lower body to threaten England, as William Pitt the Younger had already sent people to deliver gifts.

Just when Mo Gongze was blaming his father for his miscalculation and had just landed in Venice and was preparing to go to the Duchy of Parma, another even bigger blow came.

Mo Gongze's half-brother Mo Gongdan has been waiting for him in Venice for three days.

"Aze, the Battle of Fleurus was a failure. The combined forces of the Empire and the United Provinces suffered heavy losses and are no longer able to protect the Lower Netherlands. It is said that Baron Thugut is already suggesting that the Emperor abandon the Lower Netherlands and negotiate peace with France."

Mo Gongze felt dizzy for a moment, but he tried his best to steady himself.

"Is the main force of the Three Guards still there?"

"Yes!" Mo Gongdan quickly replied, "The commander-in-chief successfully broke out of the encirclement before the French army surrounded the coalition forces. He is currently protecting my father and preparing to retreat to Prussia."

Fortunately, at least Wang Wubing saved the three guards, and his father Mo Zirong did not insist on defending Brussels to the death.

"Apo, write a letter to the Great Emperor, Uncle Five, and tell him why England must resist, and ask him to be careful in negotiating with the English.

And we are heading for Transylvania now. We cannot let Vienna betray us a second time!"

"Your Highness Prince Carl, perhaps you have another place to go." At this moment, the English envoy who had chased all the way from Istanbul arrived accompanied by Mo Gongbo.

"His Majesty, King George III of England, by the grace of God, cordially invites your father, the Prince of Belgium, and His Royal Highness the Prince, to visit London."

Heading to London?

The filial son Mo Gongze had an idea and thought that this would be a good place.

It would be better to let my father retreat to Transylvania, while I go to London to take control of the military power. Anyway, my father is not good at these things, so he might as well retire early.

(End of this chapter)