The tricks Zhu Jinsong told Louis XVI and George III were basically all half-truths and dangerous tactics that looked useful on the surface but harbored hidden dangers.
This involved psychology.
If Zhu Jinsong had only spoken of the advantages of these tactics without mentioning the drawbacks, Louis XVI and George III would have definitely worried if there were other hidden motives behind them. However, because Zhu Jinsong mentioned that these methods had risks, Louis XVI and George III were less guarded.
Especially George III, who had an East India Company branch in Tianzhu, immediately stated, "How about this: you Ming people slow down your actions first, and temporarily halt the dispatch of officials to Tianzhu. England and France will handle the rest, what do you say?"
"Of course, I'm not trying to recruit laborers for England first, but rather to join forces with Louis. We will recruit laborers together, including the portion needed by Great Ming, which we will handle. Once there are no more laborers in Tianzhu, you Ming people can take over directly."
Speaking of which, George III then turned his gaze to Louis XVI and asked, "What do you think? If you are willing, we two nations will set aside our past grievances and join forces to make a profit in Tianzhu. If you are not willing, England can do it alone."
Louis XVI nodded and said, "France has no problem with that."
Zhu Jinsong was somewhat bewildered.
Although he hadn't had good intentions from the start and indeed intended to cause trouble for Europa, he had only planned to sell crutches and wheelchairs. How had George III actively jumped onto a stretcher?
It was fine if Mr. George wanted to lie on a stretcher, but with his meddling, what was the point of this trip to Tianzhu for him, the Emperor of Great Ming? Was he just here to eat beef?
However, if things were to proceed like this, it would be better, as Great Ming only needed to wait to receive ready-made laborers and land, while France and England would bear the blame. It was certainly better than Great Ming personally recruiting laborers.
After some thought, Zhu Jinsong put on a reluctant expression and frowned, "In this way, you and Louis XVI will inevitably suffer some losses, and this matter might affect your reputation in Europa?"
George III shook his head and said, "After reading your writings and seeing the current lives of the people of Great Ming, I have deeply understood one principle: no matter how good a reputation is, it's not as good as making the lives of the poor better."
Louis XVI echoed, "That's right. If we continue to worry about reputation or image as before, we probably won't even be able to clean up the mess in our own countries. Therefore, it's better to make a firm decision and first improve the lives of our own common people."
Alright, they were completely on the stretcher now, and two of them were even buying a group package. The butchers in the Great Ming Right Army Command could also take a break. They just had to wait patiently to take over Tianzhu and station troops there.
After a while, Zhu Jinsong pretended to be helpless and nodded, saying, "Then let it be so. Coincidentally, I don't plan to linger in Tianzhu for too long. However, you still need to consider your domestic issues, especially the Habsburg family. You can't just focus all your attention on Tianzhu."
In Zhu Jinsong's opinion, England and France were somewhat dropping the ball. Especially France, with Napoleon having trained in Great Ming and possessing some knowledge of military strategy, yet still being unable to completely defeat the Habsburg family, was a disgrace to the Five Great Benevolent Ones.
Of course, being unable to defeat the Habsburg family for a while was a bit embarrassing, and it might even attract other minor factions to side with the Habsburg family. However, from Great Ming's perspective, the longer this war dragged on, the greater the benefit for Great Ming.
Firstly, the military equipment phased out by Great Ming, whether it was firearms and cannons that were a generation behind, or hand grenades and landmines, would be gradually consumed through France and England.
Secondly, Europa's technological progress would be interrupted.
Many people say that war is a catalyst for technology. The third industrial revolution, or the scientific revolution, of the small ball was basically built on the foundation created during the second full-scale conflict of the small ball, and in the decades that followed, the small ball's technology did not see any leapfrog development.
This theory is not entirely wrong, but many overlook the prerequisite of this theory. The rapid progress during the second full-scale conflict of the small ball was based on the accumulation of the first industrial revolution and many years before it. Without the foundation laid at the beginning, the so-called second and third industrial revolutions would essentially be nonsense.
To put it bluntly, the entire Europa has not yet completed the technological accumulation sufficient for the first industrial revolution, but has already been pulled onto the small pot's carriage by Great Ming, willingly or unwillingly joining the small pot's patent system, and incidentally causing a mess. Under these preconditions, what kind of technological progress can be made?
And while Europa's technological progress is interrupted, Great Ming's own technological progress will not stop.
Not to mention that Europa's chaos will not affect Great Ming locally, even if Great Ming is about to engage in conflict with the Ottoman Empire, Great Ming will remain as stable as ever.
Moreover, Great Ming also has Zhu Jinsong, a cheater.
Even the foolish eagle, far from the European battlefield, is not having a good time right now. Besides being constrained by Great Ming, many territories in the Americas are colonies of Europa. Once Europa falls into a war that can drive people insane, can the colonies on the American continent remain unaffected?
With so many factors combined, Europa's technological progress will definitely stagnate due to the impact of the war, while Great Ming, under the leadership of the cheater Zhu Jinsong and the great scholars of the Royal Academy, will steadily advance. The gap between the two will only widen, eventually to a degree that can cause despair.
Louis XVI, George III, Watson Dun, and Paul I could probably understand the intricacies of this, but understanding it is one thing, and having the ability to solve it is another.
England and France have a century-old feud. The foolish eagle has just escaped English colonial rule with the help of France. The Sha'e has been eyeing the lands of the Ottoman Empire and Europa for a long time. These few nations are almost enemies with each other.
If England does not buy Great Ming's military equipment and follow Great Ming's baton, while France chooses to buy Great Ming's military equipment, can England sleep peacefully?
If the foolish eagle does not follow Great Ming's baton, and England aligns with Great Ming, can the foolish eagle sleep peacefully?
This logic applies even to the Sha'e.
After a long silence, George III finally spoke, "When I return to England, I will dispatch the English army to cooperate with the French army, striving to defeat the Habsburg family as soon as possible and restore stability to the small ball."
However, before Zhu Jinsong could nod, Ke Zhiming, who had been guarding the door, pushed it open and entered. He approached Zhu Jinsong and whispered, "Your Majesty, trouble has broken out in Jiugang and Lanfang."
Zhu Jinsong frowned and, after concluding his beef banquet with Louis XVI and George III, asked, "What happened?"
Ke Zhiming replied, "Your Majesty, the barbarians in Jiugang and Lanfang believe that the people of Great Ming have plundered their land and wealth. Those barbarians have united. Not only do they want to rescue the barbarians who were arrested for causing trouble before, but they also want to drive away Great Ming's garrison and citizens."
Zhu Jinsong's face sank, and he asked, "What is the situation like in Jiugang and Lanfang?"
Ke Zhiming replied, "Your Majesty, Jiugang and Lanfang have not yet erupted into chaos. The barbarians are merely colluding in secret and have not yet had time to formally implement their plan."
Zhu Jinsong's expression became even more somber.
The outbreak of trouble in Jiugang and Lanfang was actually within Zhu Jinsong's expectations.
The people from the Central Plains have a natural talent for farming wherever they go. Those who dared to venture out at this time were mostly brave and profit-seeking individuals. After arriving in Lanfang and Jiugang, the government would allocate land to them, and Great Ming's workshops also liked to hire Great Ming citizens as workers. Therefore, the people who migrated to Lanfang and Jiugang did indeed, unknowingly, plunder the wealth of the local barbarians and indeed squeeze the living space of the local barbarians.
But, as Lu Xun once said, one's perspective is determined by their position. Zhu Jinsong is the Emperor of Great Ming, and he must consider the interests of the Great Ming citizens, because the Great Ming citizens pay taxes to the Great Ming court, contribute to the imperial treasury of Emperor Zhu, and send their daughters into the palace to serve Emperor Zhu. As for the lives and deaths of those barbarians? Apologies, but it seems to have nothing to do with Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of Great Ming?
With a chuckle, Zhu Jinsong tapped the table with his fingers and ordered, "Notify the garrison in Jiugang and Lanfang to prepare to evacuate the people of Great Ming. Once the barbarians begin to cause trouble, all the people of Great Ming must be evacuated immediately."
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Jinsong ordered again, "Go and summon Geng Rui."
When Geng Rui arrived, Zhu Jinsong directly said to Geng Rui, "Now"
England and France have a century-old feud. The foolish eagle has just escaped English colonial rule with the help of France. The Sha'e has been eyeing the lands of the Ottoman Empire and Europa for a long time. These few nations are almost enemies with each other.
If England does not buy Great Ming's military equipment and follow Great Ming's baton, while France chooses to buy Great Ming's military equipment, can England sleep peacefully?
If the foolish eagle does not follow Great Ming's baton, and England aligns with Great Ming, can the foolish eagle sleep peacefully?
This logic applies even to the Sha'e.
After a long silence, George III finally spoke, "When I return to England, I will dispatch the English army to cooperate with the French army, striving to defeat the Habsburg family as soon as possible and restore stability to the small ball."
However, before Zhu Jinsong could nod, Ke Zhiming, who had been guarding the door, pushed it open and entered. He approached Zhu Jinsong and whispered, "Your Majesty, trouble has broken out in Jiugang and Lanfang."
Zhu Jinsong frowned and, after concluding his beef banquet with Louis XVI and George III, asked, "What happened?"
Ke Zhiming replied, "Your Majesty, the barbarians in Jiugang and Lanfang believe that the people of Great Ming have plundered their land and wealth. Those barbarians have united. Not only do they want to rescue the barbarians who were arrested for causing trouble before, but they also want to drive away Great Ming's garrison and citizens."
Zhu Jinsong's face sank, and he asked, "What is the situation like in Jiugang and Lanfang?"
Ke Zhiming replied, "Your Majesty, Jiugang and Lanfang have not yet erupted into chaos. The barbarians are merely colluding in secret and have not yet had time to formally implement their plan."
Zhu Jinsong's expression became even more somber.
The outbreak of trouble in Jiugang and Lanfang was actually within Zhu Jinsong's expectations.
The people from the Central Plains have a natural talent for farming wherever they go. Those who dared to venture out at this time were mostly brave and profit-seeking individuals. After arriving in Lanfang and Jiugang, the government would allocate land to them, and Great Ming's workshops also liked to hire Great Ming citizens as workers. Therefore, the people who migrated to Lanfang and Jiugang did indeed, unknowingly, plunder the wealth of the local barbarians and indeed squeeze the living space of the local barbarians.
But, as Lu Xun once said, one's perspective is determined by their position. Zhu Jinsong is the Emperor of Great Ming, and he must consider the interests of the Great Ming citizens, because the Great Ming citizens pay taxes to the Great Ming court, contribute to the imperial treasury of Emperor Zhu, and send their daughters into the palace to serve Emperor Zhu. As for the lives and deaths of those barbarians? Apologies, but it seems to have nothing to do with Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of Great Ming?
With a chuckle, Zhu Jinsong tapped the table with his fingers and ordered, "Notify the garrison in Jiugang and Lanfang to prepare to evacuate the people of Great Ming. Once the barbarians begin to cause trouble, all the people of Great Ming must be evacuated immediately."
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Jinsong ordered again, "Go and summon Geng Rui."
When Geng Rui arrived, Zhu Jinsong directly said to Geng Rui, "..."
With a chuckle, Zhu Jinsong tapped the table with his fingers and ordered, "Notify the garrison in Jiugang and Lanfang to prepare to evacuate the people of Great Ming. Once the barbarians begin to cause trouble, all the people of Great Ming must be evacuated immediately."
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Jinsong ordered again, "Go and summon Geng Rui."
When Geng Rui arrived, Zhu Jinsong directly said to Geng Rui, "..."