New Shun 1730

Talking about money does not hurt feelings.

When the Tang Dynasty asked the barbarians to send troops, they also had to promise that the gold, silk and women in Chang'an would be returned to the Huihe; when the Ming Dynasty welcomed the Donglu troops, they also had to give 100,000 stones of grain and tens of thousands of gold and silver.

It was a very normal situation.

Although the British army had not yet attacked Paris, Louisburg in North America, Seville in West Africa, and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean were all preserved thanks to the power of Dashun.

Moreover, even if Paris was attacked, France would rather be with friendly countries than with domestic slaves.

Li Li knew very well that as a prince, a highness, and a general, his land, property, and wealth came from Dashun.

He helped France defeat the British Channel Fleet, and in European history, he could be regarded as "he changed Europe".

But the problem was that all his identity, status, and wealth came from Dashun.

This "unparalleled achievement" of the decisive battle in the Channel was an unparalleled achievement of Europe, not Dashun. If a decisive battle in the Straits really took place, he might be confined to the clan court when he returned.

Therefore, he still insisted on his attitude. He would not take the fleet accumulated by Dashun for 20 to 30 years to make wedding clothes for others just because of a few words of flattery; nor would he not mention the basis of interests for cooperation between the two countries because of the so-called implicit restraint.

De La Creu was not unaware of Dashun's consistent attitude, but Li Li's words still made him feel a little uncomfortable.

A kind of discomfort brought by the pride that the French have cultivated in Europe.

Li Li said that all the prisoners in Gibraltar should be sent back to Britain to create panic.

This is not wrong.

Including in De La Creu's view, this choice is also correct.

He witnessed Dashun's terrible bombardment of the British phalanx and the cruelty and blood on the battlefield. He believed that this fear of the witnesses would soon spread throughout Britain through the mouths of these captured soldiers.

The question is...did Dashun discuss this matter with France?

Li Xi did not even discuss it. He did not "discuss" with the French, but more like "notifying" the French: We fought this battle, we will deal with these prisoners of war, and we will tell you what we are going to do.

This is the fact, there is no doubt about it.

The French Toulon fleet did not have many ships, and the main force attacking Gibraltar was also Dashun's engineers, but Dashun's arrogance made France, which was used to being the overlord in Europe, always feel uncomfortable.

In addition, now that Gibraltar has been captured, Dashun is also very proud to say that the tactical concept from the beginning.

This is of course a need to pretend after victory, which is human nature, showing Dashun's psychological advantage of "everything is under control".

Before the end of the Battle of Gibraltar, Dashun did not inform France of its tactical concept.

France felt that it was "used by the Chinese" throughout the whole process.

All the preparations in the Spanish port now seem to be just part of Dashun's plan to lure the snake out of its hole.

De La Cruz must have had some concerns about this.

He did not expect this side to give a direct affirmative answer that was in line with France's interests, but he still had to test it out.

But after testing it out, the attitude of Dashun and the feeling that "we are the main force, you are just playing a supporting role" made him feel very uncomfortable.

"Your Highness, although France and your country are far apart, with different religions and cultures, I think you must have heard a story. And this story should have different versions all over the world."

"For example, the story of Genghis Khan breaking arrows, the story of King Scythia breaking arrows to train his sons as recorded by Plutarch, and even the story of Mori Motomitsu training his sons in Japan, according to missionaries. We should have heard this story that spans Europe and Asia."

"Now France and your country's alliance are facing the same enemy."

"Before this enemy is defeated, I think we need to discuss the next strategy in detail. Of course, the Battle of Gibraltar is a strategy recognized by both sides."

"But what about after that?"

Li Li frowned and asked back: "After that? The Celestial Empire opposes your plan to land in Scotland, not because of other reasons, but simply because it thinks that the plan itself is too risky."

"At this point, I think the Celestial Empire is the most qualified to talk about this kind of thing."

The reasons given are often not the real reasons.

The real reason is that Dashun does not want France to dominate.

Because in fact, Dashun also hated France's Colbertism and local industrial substitution economic strategy.

Britain had a cotton cloth ban, and so did France. Moreover, France itself had a silk weaving industry, and there were many industries that overlapped with Dashun. France's colonial trade policy was not much different from that of Britain.

Just like for the small peasant class where men farm and women weave, there was no difference in essence between who the goods and capital belonged to, Britain or Dashun. The difference was in which family the nationality of the bourgeoisie belonged to.

At this time, Dashun's purpose of participating in the European war was the same.

There was no difference between Britain enforcing the Navigation Act and France enforcing mercantilism for Dashun's capital.

This was the real reason.

But on the other hand, how Dashun founded its own country also affected Dashun's judgment.

Since when the Eastern Tartar invaded and the land of China sank, Dashun took up the banner of protecting the world. So, if we think about it in a different way, can landing in Britain definitely be a success?

I am afraid that this may not be the case. Instead, it will arouse the British resistance and may even lead to the centripetal unity of the North American colonies against Britain.

If there is really an "orthodox" successor, it can be decided by issuing an order, then things would be simple.

But Dashun knew that things were not simple. If there was really a spontaneous uprising of the British people to protect Britain, traditions and national religion, the French landing force and the Stuarts would not be enough.

Because Dashun had experienced it, he knew what kind of power such people had. Therefore, regarding the landing in Scotland, he always felt that "the king's return and issuing an order to decide" was too ridiculous and too simple.

What kind of orthodoxy is the Stuart family?

The conflict between the Anglican Church and the Puritans was essentially that the Puritans felt that the Anglican Church was just a Catholic Church with a different skin and did not listen to the Roman Catholic Church. In this case, how many serious Catholics were there in Britain?

This was the reason why Dashun opposed the plan to land in Scotland from a rational perspective.

This is not reliable.

Moreover, it is reasonable to say that it is a legitimate opposition to France's risky plan.

After listening to Li Li's explanation and asking the translator to explain the meaning of "deciding by edict", De La Crew was helpless.

As the saying goes, every family has its own problems, and France also has its own considerations.

France, abstract France, concrete France, Bourbon France, aristocratic privileged class France, urban industrial and commercial France, are not the same France.

The taxation discussion initiated in the Paris Salon due to the taxation issue has caused trouble.

War costs money.

Money needs people to pay.

Who pays this money must be made clear.

Privileged class pays?

Ordinary people pay?

Industrial and commercial class pays?

This matter must be made clear. After all, when the finances were in trouble before, the unqualified feudal monarchs actually thought that they could use the middle class to suppress the privileged class, and foolishly launched a taxation discussion, but ended up shooting themselves in the foot.

The current situation in France involves many problems.

Indeed, the participation of Dashun in the war did increase the amount of French government bonds purchased.

International financial capital in Amsterdam was originally optimistic about Britain, but now it is optimistic about France.

Capital is nothing more than buying futures, whoever is bullish will buy it.

The problem is that in the era of precious metals such as gold and silver, borrowed money cannot be printed, but must be repaid with real gold and silver.

Now, government bonds can be borrowed, at least it is easier to borrow than after the failure of the Hanoverian adventure.

However, these borrowed government bonds must be repaid in the future.

France often defaults on its debts, but now it does not want to default on its debts, because if it defaults on its debts now, it will easily explode first.

If you don't want to default on your debts, you have to pay it back.

How to pay it back?

Whose money should be used to pay it back?

You can't print money, and printing money is useless these days, and no one will recognize it.

Should the 21st tax that affects the privileged class continue to be collected?

Should the privileged class continue to have a tax-free quota?

Who gets the profits from the ginseng and mink trade in North America and the sugar and tobacco trade in the Caribbean? Do they have to pay to continue the war?

Victory can solve certain problems and suppress certain contradictions.

But, in history, Britain won the Seven Years' War, and then what?

Britain, which won the Seven Years' War, eventually lost North America due to taxation issues, repayment of national debts, colonial expenses and other issues.

India is really a strategy of blind cats catching dead mice. Even at the end of the Seven Years' War, the pearl on the crown is still a small island in the Caribbean, and India is not on the list.

If the British understanding of "wealth", "trade" and "economy" at this time is followed, and India is not so valuable at this time, the result of the Seven Years' War is that Britain lost North America.

The same is true for France at this time.

Victory in war can cover up certain problems and suppress certain contradictions, but it cannot solve all problems.

France has its own particularity.

Paris can defeat the whole of France.

Neither Dashun nor Britain is like that. The British gentry still firmly controls British politics and their rule goes deep into the countryside; Dashun is also like that. A capital city cannot defeat more than 10 million square kilometers.

But France is different.

After Louis XIV, the old ruling order has begun to change, and Paris has gradually gained the strength to defeat the whole of France.

In other words, the public opinion in Paris, the middle class in Paris, the enlightenment aristocracy in Paris... and so on, their right to speak can influence the whole of France.

The debt and tax problems after the war will not be solved.

To solve them, there must be war and uprising; if they are not solved, there will still be war and uprising.

Therefore, at this time, Bourbon France no longer wants to fight.

Or, take a gamble, land in Scotland, eat the flesh and blood of Britain, and suppress France's debt problem.

Or, stop fighting, negotiate with Britain, use Dashun to scare Britain, get enough benefits, and directly stop and negotiate.

Or, Dashun and France will work together to eat the Netherlands. Use swords, guns and cannons to force financial merchants in Amsterdam to buy large quantities of low-interest Dashun and French government bonds. If they don't buy, they will fight.

However, none of these three things is what Dashun wants to do at this time.

This is the fundamental difference between France and Dashun.

The Sino-French alliance was truly "close" before Gibraltar was conquered.

But with the conquest of Gibraltar, the nature of the war changed.

France hoped to use Dashun to scare Britain and reach conditions favorable to France, so that they would not fight. Austria or Russia was too strong, and Prussia was completely divided, which was not a good thing for France. After all, it had fought with Austria for hundreds of years before.

Dashun hoped to use France to keep an eye on Britain, so that its merchant ships and cruisers could get conditions favorable to Dashun. Without the threat of France, Dashun's fleet could not cause any waves in the Atlantic, and Britain's Channel Fleet could directly drive Dashun's fleet back to the Cape of Good Hope.

Dashun and France both longed for victory.

But war is a continuation of politics.

The conditions they wanted after victory were completely different between the two countries.

The conditions France wanted now could not be achieved alone, and Dashun's cooperation was required.

The conditions Dashun wanted could not be achieved alone, and France's cooperation was required.

However, the post-war treaty that Dashun wanted was not the post-war treaty that France wanted.

France really couldn't fight anymore. If it continued to fight, it would probably explode internally.

Everyone had their own thoughts.

De La Creu then told the "arrow-breaking story" that was spread across Europe in various versions.

However, as a story, it was okay.

But if it is viewed as history, all the parties involved in the arrow-breaking story did not seem to be truly brothers and sisters because of this simple, straightforward and very correct arrow-breaking principle.

In view of this, De La Creu asked cautiously: "Then, your country wants to send British prisoners back to London. France should also send people to go with them, right?"

Li Li was straightforward about this.

"Of course. Even if you don't say it, I will ask you to send someone. Between allies, it is most taboo to contact the enemy alone. We are only going to deter and intimidate. If you don't go, we can't explain it clearly."