As is well known, most problems in the world can be solved with money or power. As the Emperor of the Great Ming, Zhu Jinsong lacked neither, so by all logical reasoning, he should have had few worries.
However, Emperor Zhu was currently very vexed, as the incident in Benghazi gave Zhu Jinsong a feeling of being out of control.
In Zhu Jinsong's plan, Hamis, that idiot, would perish at the hands of the French. But France and Benghazi were separated by the sea, so the French would suffer some losses during the cross-sea operation. Moreover, France would not have enough time to digest the benefits of its campaign against England, making this outcome most advantageous to the Great Ming.
But who could have imagined that Hamis, that idiot, was far less capable in practice than in his empty boasts, and far less capable in his boasts than in causing trouble? Zhu Jinsong had already prepared to ignite a full-scale war across the globe, but who could have foreseen that this fool would incite the enslaved people of Benghazi to engage in zero-cost revelry? Who could have imagined he would dare to besiege the Great Ming's embassy in Benghazi?
And now, here's the situation: The witless enslaved people, during their zero-cost revelry, inadvertently affected Great Ming citizens, resulting in the enslaved people being beaten by Great Ming citizens. Hamis's act of besieging the Great Ming's embassy in Benghazi further provoked the garrison stationed at the Great Ming's military base in Benghazi port.
The result was that Benghazi was now merely a name, existing in name only.
And in the midst of this, the French, who were supposed to have suffered losses, were still preparing and equipping their troops. The European armies that had been clamoring to march on Benghazi with the French were also dragging their feet in their preparations. The entire war was fought by the Great Ming garrison at the Benghazi port military base and Great Ming merchants in Benghazi, with no involvement from the French or European armies.
This meant that France, which was supposed to suffer losses, did not, and instead stood to gain a Benghazi colony for free.
As for why the Great Ming did not directly control Benghazi?
Firstly, Benghazi was too far from the Great Ming, making travel back and forth inconvenient. Secondly, Benghazi's weather was too hot, capable of killing dogs with its heat.
And the third, and most important reason, was the severe shortage of population in the Great Ming. Even if they occupied Benghazi, they would not be able to develop or utilize it, and its significance as a reserve, left idle, was minimal.
Therefore, the best solution was to hand over this wretched place to the French to deal with. Since the Great Ming had a military base in Benghazi port, and regardless of the relationship between France and the Great Ming, there was no need to worry about the Great Ming not receiving its due benefits.
So, the question arises: This was supposed to be a great boon, a windfall, yet the French army was still leisurely making preparations.
Preparations had begun when Louis XVI first returned to France. They were still underway after Napoleon concluded his war with England. And they were still underway when Hamis incited the enslaved people to start their zero-cost revelry!
By the time the Great Ming garrison at the Benghazi port military base had captured the city of Benghazi, and could declare Benghazi a fallen nation, the French were still, damn it all, preparing for a cross-sea expedition!
Now, news had spread back to the Great Ming through various channels. Zhu Jinsong, however, suspected that the French army was still making preparations, or had perhaps abandoned the expedition to Benghazi altogether!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Zhu Jinsong even recalled Brother Hua Qiang's famous saying: "I gave you a chance, but you couldn't seize it!"
Equally disgruntled were the great officials in the Great Ming court.
Take Liu Huaiwen, who managed the Great Ming's treasury. The hot-blooded soldiers of the Great Ming's Benghazi port military base had enjoyed their shelling immensely, but the shells they fired were bought with military funds allocated from the national treasury!
Also unhappy were the officials from the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Communications, and others. Because Gu Xiangming and Ge Congjun's extensive construction of "Jing Guan" (trophy mounds) meant that a large number of enslaved people had become building materials. For the various Great Ming departments, who were desperately short of labor, this was an unforgivable, heinous crime!
In contrast, the officials of the Five Army Commanderies felt quite pleased.
Although Benghazi was a tiny, insignificant nation, it was still a nation. The merit of conquering a nation was the merit of conquering a nation. Winning a war of national conquest in a single day was a feat no one could erase.
Furthermore, the merits of the Great Ming's Benghazi military base were the merits of the Great Ming's Five Army Commanderies, weren't they?
Therefore, the officials of the Five Army Commanderies felt quite pleased. They didn't even delve too deeply into the fact that Ge Congjun, as the supervising general, had led the charge himself. A mere two days of confinement was enough to let it pass.
Of course, while the officials of the Five Army Commanderies felt pleased, however pleased they were, they could only keep it to themselves and rejoice in secret, because Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Great Ming, still wore a gloomy expression.
Zhu Jinsong tapped his fingers on the table and said in a deep voice, "Speak. What should we do now?"
After a moment's thought, Zhu Jinsong deliberately added, "Since the war is over, and things have come to this point, if any of you have any ideas, feel free to speak them directly."
As Zhu Jinsong's words fell, Zeng Cheng, Liu Huaiwen, Liu Heming, Geng Rui, Liu Erniu, and the other great officials present immediately felt a touch of faint sadness.
The question of how to sell Benghazi to France was a truly agonizing problem.
Sell it to France?
If they sold it too expensively, France wouldn't be able to afford it, and the deal would be at risk of falling through.
If they sold it too cheaply, then these great officials in the Great Ming court would be unwilling.
Give it away for free?
Don't be ridiculous. Although Benghazi's land area was not large compared to the Great Ming, it was not small for many European countries, let alone the fact that Benghazi itself possessed significant diamond and oil reserves.
To give away such good resources for free? This would surely be written into history and cursed by posterity for thousands of years!
After careful consideration, Liu Heming tentatively opened his mouth and said, "Why not send someone to inform Louis XVI and Napoleon, tell them about Benghazi's demise, and urge them to speed up their advance?"
However, Zeng Cheng clicked his tongue and said with a pained expression, "Director Liu, do you think there's a possibility that France already knows about Benghazi's fall?"
Liu Heming was taken aback and asked, "They already know the news? Impossible, absolutely impossible! It's not that I look down on the armies of those European countries, but their armies are simply too incompetent. Take them all, those fools don't pay attention to intelligence at all; they don't even have any decent intelligence channels."
Zeng Cheng shook his head and said, "Don't forget, France and Austria have many students studying abroad. They can't possibly learn nothing. Not to mention Little Dai and that Austrian art student, who were specifically taught by Governor Jiang Xinlong."
"Therefore, it is very likely that France and many European countries already know about the fall of Benghazi. The reason for their sluggishness is, on one hand, due to their inefficiency, and on the other hand, because they are waiting and observing, waiting for the Great Ming's attitude."
"If the Great Ming shows an intention to annex Benghazi, they might abandon their original plan to attack Benghazi. If the Great Ming has no interest in Benghazi, they might have a different set of countermeasures."
"Especially those European countries other than France. Although France was originally the suzerain of many Western Kunlun countries, those European countries would certainly not want to see France gain Benghazi for free."
Liu Heming was speechless.
Although Liu Heming was too lazy to ponder what the various European countries were thinking, after Zeng Cheng's hint, Liu Heming could naturally understand the intricacies.
Therefore, Liu Heming became even more displeased: "All these insignificant little countries have so many schemes in their bellies."
Zeng Cheng smiled and said, "I have read their so-called European history, and I feel that Europe has always been like this, constantly scheming against each other. This history of mutual calculation is almost the entire history of Europe."
"But it's good. A chaotic Europe is more in line with our Great Ming's interests. If they were all united, our Great Ming's days would not be as good as they are now."
As Zeng Cheng finished speaking, the great officials present immediately turned their gaze towards Zeng Cheng. As the Grand Secretary of the Great Ming, it was no exaggeration to describe Zeng Cheng's work as constantly occupied with state affairs. Every minute and second of his time was incredibly precious, yet this busy official had specifically taken time to study the history of those barbaric Europeans?
Liu Huaiwen chuckled and said, "Besides this, what else has Grand Secretary Zeng researched?"
Liu Heming also looked at Zeng Cheng expectantly: "What does Grand Secretary Zeng mean?"
Zeng Cheng smiled and shook his head, not directly answering Liu Huaiwen and Liu Heming's questions. Instead, he looked directly at Zhu Jinsong and said, "Your Majesty, I believe the immediate priority is to send an envoy to France, so that we can sell Benghazi to France."
Changing the topic, Zeng Cheng continued, "However, directly selling Benghazi, while yielding immediate profit, is not entirely in line with our Great Ming's long-term interests. Therefore, I have a somewhat immature idea."
Zhu Jinsong smiled and nodded, signaling Zeng Cheng to continue.
Zeng Cheng immediately bowed and replied, "I wonder if we could entrust Benghazi to France for temporary management for a period of time?"
"Entrusting Benghazi to France for temporary management means that Benghazi will temporarily be under French administration, but our Great Ming will retain ownership of Benghazi. Thus, Benghazi will still be ours. When our Great Ming's population increases, we can reclaim Benghazi at any time and convert it into a Provincial Administration Commission."
The great officials present suddenly had their eyes light up. Even Zhu Jinsong, the穿越者 emperor, had to admire Zeng Cheng's thick skin, dirty methods, and dark schemes.
France's temporary management of Benghazi meant that France would have to invest a large amount of manpower and resources in Benghazi, while the Great Ming would retain ownership. This meant that the Great Ming could reclaim Benghazi at any time.
Or, to put it more bluntly: the opportune moment to reclaim Benghazi would be when France had invested sufficiently in Benghazi and all aspects were basically in place.
Even during the so-called temporary management period, the Great Ming could still obtain benefits from Benghazi through France.
For example, mineral resources, or labor resources.
There were so many ways to play this game.
It had to be admitted that Zeng Cheng's method was truly wicked, even more wicked than those enslaved people, it was completely black-hearted!
Zhu Jinsong chuckled and said, "I have to admit, Minister Zeng, you know how to play!"
Zeng Cheng gave a wry smile and said, "However, this method has a drawback."
Zhu Jinsong had already guessed Zeng Cheng's so-called drawback, but he still asked with a smile, "I am very curious, what is the drawback that Minister Zeng speaks of? Minister Zeng, please speak boldly. Let me see if it is as I imagine."
Zeng Cheng subtly glanced at Zhu Jinsong and said in a low voice, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the drawback I speak of is that this method takes too long."
"As the saying goes, long nights bring many dreams. Although Louis XVI is currently friendly towards our Great Ming, his successor may not be as such. France may not develop other intentions towards Benghazi."
"Therefore, if France can complete the development of Benghazi within thirty to fifty years, it would naturally be the best. If France's development of Benghazi is prolonged, I fear..."
However, Zhu Jinsong waved his hand with a smile and said, "Minister Zeng, you worry too much."
After speaking, Zhu Jinsong simply turned his gaze to Liu Huaiwen: "Uncle Huaiwen, may I ask how many people the Great Ming currently has, and how many will grow in the next ten years?"
Liu Huaiwen stroked his beard and smiled, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the current population of our Great Ming is five hundred and seventy million. Based on the current growth rate, in ten years, it should be close to eight hundred million. In thirty years, it might reach one billion?"
Zhu Jinsong smiled and nodded, "Eight hundred million is almost enough. At least India, the Ottoman Empire, and Eastern Europe can be filled. If it truly reaches one billion, then perhaps only the Great Ming will remain on this entire small planet, and Minister Zeng's worries will naturally cease to exist."
This was not because Zhu Jinsong liked to fight wars. Although Zhu Jinsong did enjoy the feeling of planting flags everywhere, the main reason was productivity.
The Earth of later generations could support billions of people because of the Industrial Revolution and the technological explosion after two world wars, which greatly liberated and improved productivity, coupled with various high-yield crops.
As for the current Great Ming, even with Zhu Jinsong, the穿越者 emperor, acting as a cheat, it was of no use. After all, the Great Ming's basic education and basic sciences were still in the accumulation stage, and truly high-yield grains had not yet appeared. The number of people that could be supported per mu of land was ultimately less than that of later generations.
However, the laws of population growth could not be easily broken.
As the population grew, the pressure in all aspects would naturally increase.