Louis XVI pointed at Monroe and Livingston's noses and told them, "Unless France's last woman is dead, France will absolutely not transfer Louisiana to the silly eagle."
Louis XVI's statement directly scared Monroe and Livingston.
As everyone knows, although the French army generally fought by raising their hands, once led by a cripple or a woman, the French army would become formidable, even capable of directly confronting the English army.
Therefore, the statement "unless the last woman dies" was enough to prove Louis XVI's attitude and determination.
However, Monroe and Livingston were naturally unwilling to return empty-handed. After all, the third leader of the silly eagle, Jefferson, was not as easy to deal with as the first two leaders, Washington and John Adams. On the contrary, the third leader, Jefferson, belonged to the type of dog that bites without barking.
Monroe and Livingston were also very clear in their hearts that if they could bring Louisiana back to the silly eagle from France, the future benefits would be obvious, and the leader would definitely give them immense advantages.
But if they failed to bring back Louisiana and allowed France to continue to control Louisiana, it would be more than just a lack of benefits.
There would likely be a lot of disadvantages.
Out of this consideration, Monroe and Livingston naturally did not give up. Instead, they stayed in Paris, on one hand, constantly persuading Louis XVI by appealing to the friendship between the silly eagle and France, and on the other hand, continuously increasing the price of Louisiana.
However, what Louis XVI found most unacceptable was Monroe and Livingston's so-called increase in the purchase price – from one cent per acre to three cents per acre. Was this considered a high price?
Louis XVI mused that Louisiana was too far from France, and it was located in the heartland of the silly eagle. If Jefferson insisted on acquiring Louisiana, it wasn't impossible.
But what was the meaning of offering a price of three cents?
What the hell were they trying to do, disgust him?
Having been successfully disgusted by Monroe and Livingston, Louis XVI completely lost the mood to continue haggling with them. He took the excuse of the upcoming "Five Benevolent Persons" meeting to dismiss them and then directly invited George III to Great Ming.
After arriving in Great Ming, Louis XVI, who had been complaining all the way, suddenly felt wronged again. He thought, which country on this broken planet was the most powerful? It was definitely Great Ming. But Great Ming hadn't bullied people like the silly eagle. Why was the silly eagle so arrogant?
The more he thought about it, the more wronged he felt. Louis XVI found Zhu Jinsong and complained, "You tell me, for that piece of worthless land, even giving it to the silly eagle for free wouldn't be impossible. But why did they have to come up with a price of one cent? Isn't that just disgusting?"
"Yes, they raised the price to three cents, and even said the price was negotiable, and it could even go up to four cents. Damn it, I, Louis XVI, might be a bit poor, but do I lack a few cents?"
"Let me tell you, it's not about the money at all. I just can't swallow this insult!"
"If they look down on me today, they will look down on you tomorrow. At this upcoming Five Benevolent Persons meeting, I must take it out on the silly eagle, otherwise, this worthless fellow will really think its wings are that strong!"
Zhu Jinsong wasn't very concerned about how strong the silly eagle's wings were. After all, the silly eagle was thousands of miles away from Great Ming, and it was currently in a state of weakness, so they couldn't threaten Great Ming.
Compared to the silly eagle, Zhu Jinsong was more concerned about Louisiana.
Louisiana was a state in the southern part of the silly eagle, located along the Gulf of Mexico, bordering Arkansas to the north, Texas to the west, Mississippi to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its area was only slightly larger than Great Ming's Fujian Province.
With such a large area, wouldn't it be possible to relocate several million Great Ming citizens there?
Of course, how many Great Ming citizens could be relocated and how much population pressure could be relieved for Great Ming were not the most important things. The most important thing was Louisiana's geographical location – it perfectly controlled the main artery of the silly eagle's north-south transportation.
To put it bluntly, if Louisiana belonged to Great Ming, then the silly eagle would have to be controlled by Great Ming.
As for Louis XVI's claim that it wasn't about money, Zhu Jinsong treated it as a joke.
Mr. Lu Xun once said that if someone says a matter is not about money, then that matter is probably about money.
In other words, the biggest reason why Louis XVI stubbornly refused to sell Louisiana was that the price offered by the silly eagle was not high enough.
Zhu Jinsong sighed and said to Louis XVI, "If the leader of the silly eagle were still our old friend Washington and John Adams, I believe such nonsense would not have happened. Speaking of which, Jefferson is too young and doesn't understand the relationships between the Five Benevolent Persons."
"How about this, when Jefferson also comes to Great Ming, I will treat you to a few plays, let Jefferson get to know our other four benevolent persons well, so he won't always act on impulse."
"At the same time, I will also try to persuade him. This is a good thing for both the silly eagle and France, so there's no need to fall out over it. Matters that can be resolved at the negotiating table do not need to be resolved on the battlefield."
Hearing Zhu Jinsong's words, Louis XVI felt much better.
When people are in different positions, the effect of their words is also completely different. If George III had persuaded Louis XVI like this, Louis XVI would have treated George III as a joke. However, the same words coming from Zhu Jinsong made Louis XVI feel warm inside.
After thinking for a moment, Louis XVI said to Zhu Jinsong, "If that Jefferson is sensible, then everything will be fine. If he is not sensible, I think it is very necessary to teach him a lesson."
Zhu Jinsong first smiled and nodded, then shook his head and said, "It's not difficult to teach him a lesson, but the key is that France and England are currently at war with the Habsburg family, and they won't have time to teach Jefferson a lesson anytime soon."
"In my opinion, Jefferson is precisely because he saw this that he made such a demand for forced purchase when you couldn't spare extra troops."
Saying this, Zhu Jinsong tapped the table with his fingers and said in a deep voice, "Also, the silly eagle is one of the Five Benevolent Persons after all. It's okay to teach him a lesson, but ultimately we cannot kill him completely, otherwise, the American continent will be a problem."
Louis XVI said angrily, "Damn it, this Louisiana has actually become a hot potato!"
Zhu Jinsong thought to himself, if this potato wasn't hot, how would you be willing to give it to me?
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Jinsong simply told Louis XVI, "Look, the Habsburg family won't last much longer. It's estimated that in about half a year or a year, the Habsburg family will be completely gone. Then you can focus on dealing with the silly eagle, how about it?"
"As for now, why not let them be smug for a while? We'll listen to whatever they say. If they want to buy Louisiana, we'll drag it out. We won't acknowledge the transaction, nor will we completely shut down the possibility."
"When France is free, I will send you a batch of more advanced military equipment to help you vent your anger on the silly eagle."
Hearing Zhu Jinsong's words, Louis XVI said with great gratitude, "Thank you, my friend. I think the most correct decision I made in my life was to become friends with you."
Louis XVI mused that Louisiana was too far from France and was located in the heartland of the silly eagle. If Jefferson insisted on acquiring Louisiana, it wasn't impossible.
But what was the meaning of offering a price of three cents?
What the hell were they trying to do, disgust him?
Having been successfully disgusted by Monroe and Livingston, Louis XVI completely lost the mood to continue haggling with them. He took the excuse of the upcoming "Five Benevolent Persons" meeting to dismiss them and then directly invited George III to Great Ming.
After arriving in Great Ming, Louis XVI, who had been complaining all the way, suddenly felt wronged again. He thought, which country on this broken planet was the most powerful? It was definitely Great Ming. But Great Ming hadn't bullied people like the silly eagle. Why was the silly eagle so arrogant?
The more he thought about it, the more wronged he felt. Louis XVI found Zhu Jinsong and complained, "You tell me, for that piece of worthless land, even giving it to the silly eagle for free wouldn't be impossible. But why did they have to come up with a price of one cent? Isn't that just disgusting?"
"Yes, they raised the price to three cents, and even said the price was negotiable, and it could even go up to four cents. Damn it, I, Louis XVI, might be a bit poor, but do I lack a few cents?"
"Let me tell you, it's not about the money at all. I just can't swallow this insult!"
"If they look down on me today, they will look down on you tomorrow. At this upcoming Five Benevolent Persons meeting, I must take it out on the silly eagle, otherwise, this worthless fellow will really think its wings are that strong!"
Zhu Jinsong wasn't very concerned about how strong the silly eagle's wings were. After all, the silly eagle was thousands of miles away from Great Ming, and it was currently in a state of weakness, so they couldn't threaten Great Ming.
Compared to the silly eagle, Zhu Jinsong was more concerned about Louisiana.
Louisiana was a state in the southern part of the silly eagle, located along the Gulf of Mexico, bordering Arkansas to the north, Texas to the west, Mississippi to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its area was only slightly larger than Great Ming's Fujian Province.
With such a large area, wouldn't it be possible to relocate several million Great Ming citizens there?
Of course, how many Great Ming citizens could be relocated and how much population pressure could be relieved for Great Ming were not the most important things. The most important thing was Louisiana's geographical location – it perfectly controlled the main artery of the silly eagle's north-south transportation.
To put it bluntly, if Louisiana belonged to Great Ming, then the silly eagle would have to be controlled by Great Ming.
As for Louis XVI's claim that it wasn't about money, Zhu Jinsong treated it as a joke.
Mr. Lu Xun once said that if someone says a matter is not about money, then that matter is probably about money.
In other words, the biggest reason why Louis XVI stubbornly refused to sell Louisiana was that the price offered by the silly eagle was not high enough.
Zhu Jinsong sighed and said to Louis XVI, "If the leader of the silly eagle were still our old friend Washington and John Adams, I believe such nonsense would not have happened. Speaking of which, Jefferson is too young and doesn't understand the relationships between the Five Benevolent Persons."
"How about this, when Jefferson also comes to Great Ming, I will treat you to a few plays, let Jefferson get to know our other four benevolent persons well, so he won't always act on impulse."
"At the same time, I will also try to persuade him. This is a good thing for both the silly eagle and France, so there's no need to fall out over it. Matters that can be resolved at the negotiating table do not need to be resolved on the battlefield."
Hearing Zhu Jinsong's words, Louis XVI felt much better.
When people are in different positions, the effect of their words is also completely different. If George III had persuaded Louis XVI like this, Louis XVI would have treated George III as a joke. However, the same words coming from Zhu Jinsong made Louis XVI feel warm inside.
After thinking for a moment, Louis XVI said to Zhu Jinsong, "If that Jefferson is sensible, then everything will be fine. If he is not sensible, I think it is very necessary to teach him a lesson."
Zhu Jinsong first smiled and nodded, then shook his head and said, "It's not difficult to teach him a lesson, but the key is that France and England are currently at war with the Habsburg family, and they won't have time to teach Jefferson a lesson anytime soon."
"In my opinion, Jefferson is precisely because he saw this that he made such a demand for forced purchase when you couldn't spare extra troops."
Saying this, Zhu Jinsong tapped the table with his fingers and said in a deep voice, "Also, the silly eagle is one of the Five Benevolent Persons after all. It's okay to teach him a lesson, but ultimately we cannot kill him completely, otherwise, the American continent will be a problem."
Louis XVI said angrily, "Damn it, this Louisiana has actually become a hot potato!"
Louis XVI said angrily, "Damn it, this Louisiana has actually become a hot potato!"