Chapter 1015: China, France and Austria Alliance
The Sino-Russian War has begun.
Two days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chen Ming received an urgent report from Europe - Napoleon declared war on Russia. So, on August 15, Chen Han also unilaterally declared war on Russia.
But in the following time, Chen Han's domestic news industry suddenly broke out a series of negative news about Britain.
From Britain's support for Spain to the British supporting Russia. They have been against Chen Han more than once.
"Your Majesty, I really want to know whether the recent remarks in your newspapers involving Sino-British friendship represent the will of your Majesty and your government?"
"If so, I don't think there is room for negotiation between China and Britain on the issue of British Guiana."
"If not, I hope your cabinet can restrain your country's news and publishing industry as soon as possible and clean up those irresponsible reports in newspapers. Don't let these words stir up a bad wave and hurt the friendship between China and Britain!"
James Cowell's words were very "diplomatic". And when he asked to see Chen Ming this time, he also brought a few newspapers with very passionate words, which can be regarded as evidence.
James Kowal walked out of the palace quickly. A young man opened the door for James Kowal by the carriage outside the palace. "Sir, has the emperor of China expressed anything?" This is James Kowal's secretary.
"Haha, Tom, how could the emperor of China express anything in person? This involves the interests of the country." James Kowal laughed. He wanted to teach the young man in front of him a lesson. "But one thing is certain, the public opinion of the country cannot betray the interests of the country." No country will give absolute autonomy to the press, and the news must serve the country.
"We still don't know what China's purpose is now. But one thing is clear, the Chinese emperor has known that Napoleon has declared war on Russia. This is news that will determine the fate of Britain. If Napoleon conquers Russia, the pressure faced by the British Empire will be heavier than Mount Tai. Will China take advantage of the situation at that time..." James Cowell, who can speak fluent Chinese and write neat calligraphy, used Mount Tai as a metaphor, and his secretary understood it.
Chinese culture in Europe at this time is like French before, and is learned by nobles of every country.
Russia can be said to be the last ally of the British on the European continent. If Russia is also conquered by France, they can't believe what London will become.
If the entire continent is closed to Britain, then Britain's industry and commerce will instantly fall to the bottom.
What James is most afraid of now is that China will add insult to injury. You know, China has declared war on Russia. He was very scared when he heard the news. If the Chinese formed an alliance with France and the Ottoman Empire, my God, Russia will not survive. But on the same day that China declared war on Russia, someone from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs came to inform James that this was just China's unilateral action against Russia. The Chinese were saying that they had not concluded a secret treaty with France, and they were just taking advantage of the situation.
But soon, negative news about Britain appeared in Chinese newspapers one after another, which was obviously dominated by a powerful political force. And with the power of the Chinese, when they launched a war against Russia, they could also go to war against India.
The reason why James rushed to the palace to "question" Chen Ming so "rashly" was because he was very suspicious that the Chinese government had lied to him before. The fact was that the Chinese really had formed a secret agreement with France, and their real purpose was not the piece of Guiana land controlled by the British, but India in the hands of the British. Now, no one can change the fact that the Chinese have the power to change the world.
More importantly, China is a highly centralized imperial country. The supreme power of the country is in the hands of Chen Ming. If he had not had any intentions towards the British, China would not have started negotiations with Britain on British Guiana at this time, which showed that the Chinese wanted to drive British power out of the South American continent. Napoleon's war against Russia was the fuse for China's attempt.
"As the representative of China's interests, will the Chinese emperor change his will and give up the interests of the country because of my light protest?" James Cornwall never felt that he had such a big face.
"I came to the palace to meet the emperor today just to express the will of the British government, not to get the emperor's reply. These are two completely unrelated things." If James had not been unable to contact Britain quickly, he would have wanted to give all the thousands of square kilometers of land in British Guiana to China. At this time, Britain must try its best to appease China and let China stay in the east peacefully, and never add more trouble to the British.
As the British ambassador to China, James Cornwall's status is not low at all. He is also a role that can be said in the entire British Foreign Office. As long as he does a good job in the position of ambassador to China, he will be promoted to deputy foreign minister after returning to Britain.
So he still knows some secret plans of Britain.
For example, in this Franco-Russian War, when Napoleon's army entered Russia, the British Army led by General Arthur Wellesley would land in Portugal under the escort of the powerful Royal Fleet. Sir Arthur Wellesley would strive to lead the entire expeditionary force to drive the French out of Portugal before the end of the Franco-Russian War.
In this way, even if Russia is really conquered by France, England can gain a foothold on the European continent. As long as the war on the Iberian Peninsula continues, it will continue to bleed Napoleon's empire. This will not only prevent Napoleon from concentrating all his strength against Britain, but also put Napoleon's tight finances into a continuous vicious cycle.
But all this requires a big premise-the Chinese should not make trouble. What the British fear most is the tripartite alliance of China, France and Austria, and they will fight against the Russians together...
Without the European continent, Great Britain still has its own colonies, but if there are no colonies, then Britain can only be a second-rate country in Europe. Britain's interests in India have long been in a bottleneck, but India is still the most important colony of the British Empire.
"Do you understand now? My lovely boy!" James Cowell smiled in the carriage.
His mission in this matter has come to an end, and it depends on God's will next. James believes that God will respect the pious, not the blasphemous Napoleon.
In the palace, Chen Ming did not listen to James Cowell's protest at all. As soon as the people left, he waved his hand. Everyone left the hall again. He turned to the Imperial Garden. This small Imperial Garden is completely incomparable to the magnificent Old Summer Palace, but lying on a rocking chair in the pavilion, blowing the cool breeze, squinting his eyes, is also very comfortable!
I don't know what the reason is recently. Chen Ming suddenly enjoyed the "quietness".
There was no human voice at all, only the sound of wind blowing, the sound of waves, the sound of insects and birds singing, and he stayed alone quietly. He felt it was a kind of enjoyment.
For national affairs, especially the tedious government affairs, he is less and less concerned!
Chen Ming felt that his "dislike of politics" had evolved to a new level. Especially after experiencing all kinds of victories, glories, and honors. Chen Ming finally understood why Emperor Xuanzong of Tang spent half his life on heroism and the other half on wine and women. When dealing with government affairs for a long time, it really makes people want to slack off. Especially when the country's achievements are obvious and thriving, there is a subconscious desire to alienate government affairs.
This is not Chen Ming's attempt to establish the prestige of the cabinet, but he really doesn't want to deal with government affairs.
After realizing that the development of the National Council of State Councillors could not keep up with the development of the local consultative bureaus, Chen Ming has been consciously strengthening the power of the Council of State Councillors. This strengthening was also continuing before, but the speed was much faster.
For example, the current Congress already has a certain right to know and review. For fiscal expenditures and tax types, Chen Ming will also hand over part of the legal review power to the Council of State Councillors in the next step. The cabinet may be restricted to a certain extent, but the Council of State Councillors is not the Congress, it is the prototype of the Congress, and the rights and interests of the Council of State Councillors will be gradually expanded. When Chen Ming abdicates, the Council of State Councillors will be changed to the Congress. Ten or twenty years after the new emperor, the domestic political situation will become a two-legged walk that complements and restricts each other.
It only takes time to expand the rights and interests of the Council of State. Time will make the domestic capital economy expand and become stronger. Now the Council of State has a deeper foundation in the local area. Time is on Chen Ming's side.
In short, Chen Ming feels that the situation has been basically settled. Even if he is not resting on his laurels, he has almost completed the layout of the domestic political arena. This seems to be one of the reasons why Chen Ming is lazy.
Anyway, except for the European military, Chen Ming is no longer interested in anything. By next year, he will let Chen Ding participate in political affairs. For some political affairs and the military that he is not interested in, Chen Ming only needs to read the cabinet's report.
Time passed quickly. In the ninth month of the lunar calendar of Chen Han, in October of the Western calendar in 1812, the British government's reply was delivered to James Cowell.
The Sino-British negotiations on the issue of British Guiana have a formal result!
Many people in Nanjing came to see the excitement, and their eyes were fixed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This negotiation provided a lot of topics for the teahouses, teahouses, streets and alleys in Nanjing.
But outside Nanjing, not many people cared about this "small matter". Who made British Guiana so small?
And the reason why many people in Nanjing stared at Guyana was completely related to their own interests. South America had been regarded as his own territory by Chen Han. When the entire northern part of South America was taken into Chen Han's pocket, British Guiana was like a fly lying in the southeast of South America, and it looked like many nobles who were about to be enfeoffed in South America were uncomfortable.
Chen Ming looked at the letters sent by the European Office. There was a letter every half a month, and the incidental benefits of a ship trip were not enough to pay for sending a letter. Just for this, Chen Han had to pay several million yuan. But compared with the importance of the most timely intelligence of the Franco-Russian War that could be controlled by Chen Ming, this expense was not worth mentioning at all.
The Battle of Smolensk and the even bloodier Battle of Borodino. This was a decisive battle, because Borodino was only 250 miles away from Moscow. The French captured Borodino and won the victory of the battle, opening the door to Moscow.
But this was not the main reason for Chen Ming's joy. More importantly, Chen Ming saw changes from this major battle. Although the Russian general Balagtyan did not die in this battle, what was a Balagtyan?