No one doubted Zeng Cheng's judgment.
It wasn't that Liu Heming and others believed the failed art student was that formidable. It was because everyone present knew just how terrifying the theory the little mustache had learned was.
Back before Emperor Chongzhen hung himself from the crooked necked tree, who was his greatest opponent?
To put it in the words of some bondservants, it would surely be the Jianyi from beyond the pass. After all, the Great Ming had always wished to "recover all Liaodong," and in the end, it was indeed the Jianyi who took over the Central Plains. However, in reality, the Jianyi were never the greatest opponent of Emperor Chongzhen or, for that matter, the Great Ming. Even the rural gentry and literati of Jiangnan, or the Eight Locust Merchants of Zhangjiakou, were not considered major threats.
The greatest opponent of Emperor Chongzhen, or rather, the Great Ming, was the incessant natural disasters – the endless floods and droughts, earthquakes, hailstorms, locust plagues, rain disasters, snow disasters, and the resulting crop failures and turmoil.
As for the Jianyi, gentry, and locust merchants, they were, at most, like a skin rash or a minor ailment.
This might sound a bit circuitous, but it was the truth. It was indeed true that the Jianyi, locust merchants, and gentry, by colluding, buried the Great Ming. However, their role in the fall of the Great Ming was at most that of pushing the waves, and they were not the fatal factors at all.
Besides the abnormal extreme of the Little Ice Age climate, the other fatal factor that truly caused the Great Ming to sing its swan song was Dog Chengzi.
Or rather, Dog Chengzi's slogans.
"Eat your fill, drink your fill, let everyone have a good time," "Do not serve, do not pay grain," "Welcome Duke Chuang, no grain to pay when Duke Chuang arrives."
These slogans were, of course, just slogans. Anyone with a brain wouldn't believe them.
In fact, Dog Chengzi's set of slogans only managed to fool a portion of the populace in the early stages. Gradually, no common people believed Dog Chengzi's slogans anymore.
Later, when Dog Chengzi truly rose to prominence, it wasn't because a large number of common people voluntarily joined him. Instead, Dog Chengzi developed by forcefully coercing the populace, otherwise, Dog Chengzi wouldn't have ultimately died at the hands of the common people.
Compared to Dog Chengzi's set of slogans, which sounded unreliable, the theory brought back by the failed art student was much more practical. Moreover, many of the methods within it could be implemented in practice, allowing the serfs oppressed by the landlords to see tangible benefits.
Combined with the ambition of the failed art student, there was no fear that Europe would not descend into chaos.
More importantly, the failed art student's knowledge of industry could not be described as terrifyingly low; it could only be described as basically zero or even hostile.
Heaven knows what Jiang Xinlong and the other great swindlers had instilled in that failed art student. In any case, legend had it that the failed art student intensely disliked all industries except for the manufacturing of firearms and cannons, even believing that industry was the embodiment of Satan.
Just as Liu Heming and the others were laughing heartily, Emperor Zhu suddenly frowned and asked, "You say, by causing so much trouble in Europe, aren't we appearing too wicked?"
Zeng Cheng immediately shook his head and replied, "No, after all, the people in Europe are all barbarians. As the saying goes, 'The Yi and Di are beasts, with human faces and beastly hearts. They fear authority but not virtue. When weak, they submit; when strong, they steal and raid. If they are not properly taught a lesson, they will likely not behave themselves.'"
"This time, England and Tsarist Russia are excellent examples."
"As the current Joseon says: 'Among all the vassal states, Jianyi receives the most benefits.'"
"Now, Your Majesty's treatment of England and Tsarist Russia is just as the Great Ming treated Jianyi back then. The benefits they receive can be considered the most among the nations of this small earth, apart from France."
"However, it is Tsarist Russia's Alexander who leads the charge, and England's George III who follows. These few barbarians secretly collude, attempting to defy the might of the Great Ming. Is this not beastly?"
"This action against the barbarians is precisely Your Majesty punishing the wicked to respond to the will of the people. How can there be talk of wickedness or good and bad?"
To find a justifiable reason for Emperor Zhu, Zeng Cheng had racked his brains, even quoting the famous sayings of Li Er, Wei Penzi, and others.
However, what Zeng Cheng did not expect was that Emperor Zhu would smile and say, "Since it is not too much, let's make it even more excessive!"
Zeng Cheng and Liu Heming, along with all the other elder officials, were instantly stunned.
So, you don't think it's excessive at all, but rather, you're bored and ready to escalate things?
This is easy to handle!
Zeng Cheng immediately bowed and said, "I report to Your Majesty, I believe that if Europe falls into chaos, France may not be spared. However, France is extremely important to our Great Ming, and Louis XVI has always been submissive. If France is allowed to be besieged by the European nations, wouldn't that chill Louis XVI's heart?"
Upon hearing the mention of France, Emperor Zhu couldn't help but frown.
Unlike his previous playful provocation out of boredom, this time he genuinely frowned. If Europe truly descended into chaos, France, as the Great Ming's bridgehead in Europe, would surely not be spared. Many countries that had long coveted Europe, such as England, would definitely make a move against France.
And the French army was not very reassuring.
When you say the French army is strong, it can produce the famous Eiffel Tower, which is still on a quest, and this quest can even become a prerequisite for the positions of the Five Virtuous Ones.
But if you say the French army is weak, that's clearly unfair, because as long as the French army meets the prerequisite conditions: led by a cripple, a woman who doesn't bathe, or a foreigner, it can still rub many European countries into the ground. At the very least, it can definitely rub England into the ground.
Anyway, it's quite problematic.
After thinking for a moment, Emperor Zhu simply turned his gaze to Ke Zhiming, the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and asked, "What is the situation in France?"
Ke Zhiming immediately bowed and said, "I report to Your Majesty, France is currently relatively stable. The existing army is primarily led by Napoleon, while the newly formed army is controlled by de Gaulle. In the court, Pierre is at the head. The entire of France remains under the control of Louis XVI, however..."
Upon hearing the word "however," Emperor Zhu's slightly relaxed brows furrowed once more.
Ke Zhiming continued, "The original French army has now completely become a 'double-gun' force. Although they can still run rampant in the Western Kunlun Mountains, they are already inferior compared to the armies of England and Tsarist Russia."
"As for the new army, the situation is also not optimistic."
"Because Louis XVI previously confiscated the property of many French nobles, a considerable number of French nobles are displeased with Louis XVI. This time, taking advantage of de Gaulle's formation of the new army, those French nobles have infiltrated the new army and inserted a significant number of their people."
Emperor Zhu grunted, frowning, "What about de Gaulle? Hasn't he noticed anything amiss?"
Ke Zhiming said, "Your Majesty, de Gaulle has indeed sensed that something is amiss. However, by the time he realized it, those French nobles had already infiltrated the new army and gained considerable influence. De Gaulle is now hesitant to act, not daring to deal with those nobles lightly."
This was the hereditary problem of Europe.
Europe was not a large place, but it had a lot of inherited problems.
For example, the Central Plains factions always had the tradition of "Kings, nobles, generals, and prime ministers – are they born different?" whereas in Europe, hereditary nobility was emphasized.
Taking French names as an example, many French people are named "de Something." However, that "de" in their case is not the same as the "de" in the Central Plains. The "de" in the Central Plains refers to the surname, while the "de" in France refers to "where they come from," meaning their family's place of origin.
In other words, if a Frenchman is named "de Something," it can generally be concluded that his ancestors were nobles, and this person, even if fallen on hard times, is still a noble.
The "de" in France is akin to the "von" in Germany; both represent noble status.
Although de Gaulle was very dissatisfied with the French nobles, and even Louis XVI had confiscated some French nobles under the guise of opportunity, a hundred-footed worm dies but never stiffens. Those nobles who had been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years in that desolate place of Europe, how could Louis XVI possibly confiscate them all? How could de Gaulle possibly deal with them?
Therefore, the French new army, which de Gaulle had painstakingly built, was indeed formidable. From organization, training, to equipment, it was entirely modeled after the Great Ming. This new army could be considered the strongest army in Europe. However, this powerful army now faced the awkward situation of receiving orders from two sources.
De Gaulle had the authorization of Louis XVI. The nobles did not have authorization but had actual control over the officers.
If de Gaulle wanted to do other things, it would be fine. For example, if he wanted to lead the French new army to the Western Kunlun Mountains, the noble officers in the new army would cooperate enthusiastically, as this was an opportunity to make a fortune.
If de Gaulle wanted to use the new army to deal with those nobles, the noble officers in the new army would directly shirk their responsibilities and disobey orders, because de Gaulle would be targeting their families.
On the surface, this conflict of dual command was not very serious. However, what about when it came to actual combat?
If de Gaulle intended to mobilize the new army to fight England to the death, and on the other hand, those noble officers directly led their troops to surrender to England, then France would be truly finished.
If France were finished, then the Great Ming's bridgehead in Europe and its number one fan would cease to exist.
However, as Emperor Zhu pondered with a frown, Ke Zhiming added, "Many French nobles are also dissatisfied with our Great Ming. Many even believe that Louis XVI has now become a puppet of our Great Ming planted in Europe, especially after Louis XVI confiscated some nobles, this discontent has intensified."
Emperor Zhu's expression immediately darkened.
Although he had known for a long time that France was unreliable, Emperor Zhu never expected that Louis XVI would be so unreliable!
He couldn't even handle the nobles in his own country who were against him?
After careful consideration, Emperor Zhu directly asked, "How many personnel can the Embroidered Uniform Guard deploy in France? Can they deal with the French nobles?"
Ke Zhiming's spirits immediately lifted.
Deal with the French nobles?
This was the hereditary skill of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
Ke Zhiming bowed slightly and said, "I report to Your Majesty, the Embroidered Uniform Guard can always purge the French nobles through the French court. With the cooperation of the guards from the Great Ming's Embassy in France, I am confident that all French nobles can be dealt with within half a month."
Emperor Zhu grunted, also pondering in his heart.
Dealing with the French nobles through the French court meant that the Embroidered Uniform Guard would dig up the past wrongdoings of those nobles and hand the knife to Louis XVI, using Louis XVI to clear out those nobles. After all, few European nobles were clean; picking any one of them would reveal a mountain of filth.
The method of cooperation with the guards of the Great Ming's Embassy in France to deal with the French nobles was to directly resolve the issue through murder and arson. This method could be said to be the fastest and most hassle-free, and it would definitely leave no future troubles.
You can always trust the professionalism of the Embroidered Uniform Guard when it comes to murder and arson.
These two methods had their own advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage of the former was that it would not cause too much commotion and was more acceptable to Louis XVI, while the disadvantage was that the speed would be slower.
The latter's advantages and disadvantages were the exact opposite of the former – the speed would be faster, but the commotion caused would be much larger, and it would easily arouse Louis XVI's suspicion.
After all, Louis XVI was the King of France. If the Embroidered Uniform Guard wantonly committed murder and arson under his nose, even if Louis XVI was the number one fan of the Great Ming, it would probably not be easy for him to accept.
After thinking about it, Emperor Zhu simply turned to Zhang Dequan and instructed, "Send someone to test Louis XVI's intentions. If he needs it, I can send people to help him deal with those obstructive nobles."
After Zhang Dequan bowed and acknowledged, Emperor Zhu then turned his gaze back to Zeng Cheng and asked with a smile, "Does Minister Zeng have any other good ideas?"
Zeng Cheng smiled slightly and replied, "I report to Your Majesty, I do have another idea, but it is not very easy to implement."
Hearing Zeng Cheng say this, Emperor Zhu immediately became interested.
As the Prime Minister of the Great Ming, although Zeng Cheng did not know the secrets of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, he was well aware of the Great Ming's military strength and the strength of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot overseas. An plan that Zeng Cheng described as difficult to implement was likely not a simple one.
Just as Emperor Zhu was filled with curiosity, Zeng Cheng directly stated his plan: "In my opinion, to make the entire of Europe fall into chaos, and to ensure that France is not greatly affected, the best method is to also involve Italy."
After speaking, Zeng Cheng turned his gaze to Liu Heming, the head of the Five Military Commissions, and asked, "Does Grand Commandant Liu still remember a student named Molini from Italy?"