In the year 4484 of the Yellow Emperor's reign, the 419th year of the Great Ming Dynasty, the 52nd year of the Qianlong Emperor, which corresponds to the Western year 1787, Louis XVI entered his thirteenth year as the last king of the Bourbon dynasty before its restoration in France.
Although Louis XVI was a typical henpecked husband, with the entire power of France being swayed by Queen Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI still harbored his own ambitions.
Louis XVI's greatest ambition was to seize territory from the old dog Qianlong.
On the surface, Louis XVI and the old dog Qianlong were good pen pals, enjoying a mutually beneficial relationship. However, in reality, Louis XVI's hatred for the old dog Qianlong was not a matter of a day or two, but an old grievance that had been accumulating since the time of his grandfather, Louis XV.
This was because Qianlong's father, Yongzheng, had been a national idol in France for a period.
This matter had to start with Voltaire, the standard-bearer of the French bourgeois Enlightenment movement, the "King of French Thought," the "Conscience of Europe," a great thinker and philosopher. xxs12
Although Voltaire had never visited the Great Qing, nor had he ever met Qianlong's father, all his impressions of Yongzheng came from a letter written by the French missionary Jean-Baptiste de Régis on December 2, the third year of Yongzheng's reign, in Guangzhou, to Father Étienne Souciet. However, this did not prevent Voltaire from praising Qianlong's father:
"He loves law and values public welfare more than his royal father. Among emperors, none has more diligently encouraged agriculture. He attaches great importance to this primary occupation, which is indispensable to the sustenance of the nation. Farmers in the provinces who are selected by the governors and magistrates of their prefectures as the most diligent, capable, and filial can even be granted an official rank of the eighth grade. Farmers, as officials, do not need to abandon their already fruitful agricultural work and turn to matters of criminal law and finance, which they do not understand. Farmers have the right to sit in the provincial governor's yamen and dine with the governor. The names of farmers are written in gold in the great hall. It is said that this custom, which is very different from our own customs and may be used to condemn our customs, is still in use today."
"This emperor (Emperor Yongzheng) is the wisest and most benevolent of all emperors. He has always been concerned with alleviating the suffering of the poor and making them work. He strictly adheres to the law, curbs the ambitions and schemes of the clergy, protects the peace and prosperity of the country, and rewards all beneficial arts, especially the cultivation of land. Under his rule, all public buildings, roads, and canals connecting the rivers of this vast empire have been maintained, with grand and economical projects. In this regard, only the ancient Romans can compare."
Old Mr. Voltaire's extravagant praise lauded Qianlong's father as unparalleled in heaven and earth. Not only did the whole of France regard Qianlong's father as a spiritual idol, but Mr. Voltaire and his contemporaries even used Qianlong's father as a positive example to admonish Louis XVI's grandfather.
"Look at how Yongzheng became emperor, and how are you as the King of France?"
"Look at them, then look at yourself. Aren't you ashamed? Aren't you embarrassed?"
In short, like an adult scolding a child, Qianlong's father became the child from someone else's family, while Louis XVI's grandfather, Louis XV, became the criticized negative example.
Then France sent over two hundred people by boat to my Great Qing to see the emperor.
These people did not see Qianlong's father, but they saw Qianlong.
In the ninth year of Qianlong's reign, Jean-Denis Attiret, a young Jesuit missionary from Autun, France, arrived in Macau. Upon the recommendation of the Director of the Imperial Observatory, Augustin Hallerstein, Jean-Denis Attiret was summoned to the capital. In Attiret's writings, Qianlong was depicted as the greatest monarch in the world, the most distinguished man of letters in the Great Qing Empire, who worked diligently from dawn till dusk and managed state affairs.
This infuriated Louis XVI.
Well, Qianlong's father was the child from someone else's family, and now Qianlong was also the child from someone else's family. It's as if my grandfather and I were so disappointing, right?
Fine, since you all think Qianlong is the child from someone else's family, then I'll beat up this child from someone else's family and let you know who the real "child from someone else's family" is.
Since this idea emerged, Louis XVI had always wanted to give Qianlong a good thrashing.
However, thinking and doing are two different things. After all, my Great Qing had not yet squandered its wealth during Louis XVI's reign and was still a vast empire internationally. Therefore, even though Louis XVI had this idea, he had to conceal it.
Helplessly, Louis XVI could only rely on the existence of missionaries to become pen pals with the old dog Qianlong, using this opportunity to gather information about my Great Qing while secretly looking for an opportunity.
And indeed, Louis XVI found an excellent opportunity.
In the fortieth year of Qianlong's reign, which was the year 1775 in the Western calendar, the Zheng clan's army in northern Vietnam captured Phu Xuan, and Prince Dinh Nguyen Phuc Thuan fled south with Nguyen Phuc Anh. After Nguyen Phuc Thuan's death, Nguyen Phuc Anh was elected as the Grand Marshal. In 1784, Nguyen Phuc Anh was defeated by the Tay Son army and was forced to flee to Siam. In 1785, Nguyen Phuc Canh, the second son of Nguyen Phuc Anh, who was only five years old, traveled to France with the missionary Pierre Joseph Georges Pigneau de Béhaine, preparing to obtain French aid.
Louis XVI was delighted.
To give the old dog Qianlong a good thrashing, he had to send troops to fight him. However, sending troops directly from France to attack the Great Qing would be too costly and too risky. Now, with the presence of the Nguyen of Vietnam, the opportunity had arrived!
Louis XVI planned to sign the Treaty of Versailles with Nguyen Phuc Anh, whereby France would send troops to aid Nguyen Phuc Anh, and Vietnam would cede a port or a large island to France, in preparation for an attack on the old dog Qianlong.
Unfortunately, before Louis XVI could sign the Treaty of Versailles with Nguyen Phuc Anh, he first received news that my Great Qing was in great turmoil, and the old dog Qianlong had retreated to Zhili.
Upon receiving this news, Louis XVI, based on the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, instructed his cousin Pierre in Guangdong to contact Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, who had already dealt a blow to the old dog Qianlong.
Pierre did not fail Louis XVI's expectations. He not only brought back more information about the old dog Qianlong but also a large order.
What pleased Louis XVI even more were the "methods" brought back by Pierre.
"If you can't solve the problem, solve the person who caused the problem?"
"Certain people in the royal family, and those who are rich, are fat pigs raised by the empire; they must be killed when it's time to kill them?"
"Pacify with the left hand, slaughter with the right, let the common people choose for themselves?"
Louis XVI eagerly flipped through the French version of "The Prince" in his hands, repeatedly exclaiming, "Indeed, it is remarkable, remarkable! But the things written by the old dog Qianlong are much more useful. No wonder he could defeat the old dog Qianlong and manage such a large country."
Listening to Louis XVI's continuous praise, Pierre chuckled and said, "I believe that France, under your leadership, will become even greater, perhaps even surpassing the Ming Dynasty."
"As for the old dog Qianlong? I'm sorry, Your Majesty the King, in my opinion, the old dog Qianlong doesn't even qualify to carry shoes for the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. After all, no emperor would like an old servant in his seventies or eighties to carry his shoes for him."
To Pierre's mock humor, Louis XVI simply smiled and nodded, then asked, "Pierre, what are your thoughts on the Far Eastern situation? Or, could that Ming Dynasty become our ally in the Far East?"
Pierre shook his head and said seriously, "I'm afraid I have to disappoint you, my esteemed King. The Ming Dynasty will not become our ally in the Far East, or rather, they will not allow us to interfere in the Far East."
"From what I know, the emperor of that Ming Dynasty is an extremely arrogant dictator. Although he has not yet unified the entire territory of the Great Qing, he has long considered the entire Far East as his sphere of influence."
"Frankly speaking, maintaining trade relations with us is almost his last resort. If we were to truly interfere in Vietnam's affairs, I fear we would even lose the opportunity for trade."
Louis XVI nodded and looked at Pierre, saying, "Continue, I want to hear your opinion."
Pierre nodded and continued, "I believe there is no need for us to provoke the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty over the matter of Vietnam. If possible, France should become allies with them on a global scale, not just in the Far East."
"Or rather, the Far East belongs to the Ming Dynasty, and Europe belongs to France. This would be the best arrangement, both for France and for the Ming Dynasty."
Louis XVI nodded again, then picked up a letter from the table and handed it to Pierre: "Take a look at this letter."
Pierre took the letter and after a few glances, he smiled and said, "The old dog Qianlong's idea is not bad, but why should we help him?"
Louis XVI shrugged his shoulders and said, "Perhaps he really thinks that I, the King of France, am just a locksmith who only knows how to play with locks?"
Speaking of this, Louis XVI looked at Pierre again and said, "I need you to send reliable people back to the Far East and inform the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty about the old dog Qianlong's plea for help and the news from Vietnam, conveying our goodwill from France."
"As for you..."
Louis XVI's expression gradually became serious, and he looked at Pierre, asking, "Are the troops you now command absolutely loyal? Have the firearms traded from the Ming Dynasty been equipped?"
Pierre also said seriously, "Although I only have three thousand troops under my command, I can assure you that they are absolutely loyal and absolutely reliable."
"Furthermore, the Ming firearms that my troops have re-equipped are indeed as powerful as I said before, with longer range, higher accuracy, and faster loading speeds than our original firearms."
Louis XVI nodded, then took a deep breath and said, "That's good. Pierre, I need you to lead your troops to eliminate the Rohan family, arrest all members of the Rohan family, and put them on public trial for their crimes in front of all citizens of Paris, just as you heard in the Ming Dynasty."
After thinking for a moment, Louis XVI continued, "Let the Comte d'Artois preside over their public trial. However, remember to tell the Comte d'Artois beforehand that the actions of the Rohan family have nothing to do with the royal family. Do you understand?"
Pierre nodded and replied, "Rest assured, my esteemed King, I know very well what to do."
Louis XVI nodded, stood up, walked to Pierre, and gave him a firm hug. Then, he whispered into Pierre's ear, "Paris is becoming more chaotic. If it weren't for this book you brought back, my fate would probably be to be hanged, but I have no other choice."
"Now it's good. You not only brought back this book that can allow us to unify Europe but also brought back an invincible army in Europe. Then, let the Rohan family perish. France is still France, and the Bourbon dynasty is still the Bourbon dynasty."
After Pierre nodded solemnly in agreement, Louis XVI continued, "Alright, first find that Vietnamese Nguyen and Pierre Joseph Georges Pigneau. Tell them that the Far East belongs to the Ming Dynasty, and they should seek help from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. We in France will not interfere in the affairs of our allies' spheres of influence."