New Shun 1730

After clearly telling the French delegation that it was impossible to exchange porcelain and silk, Count Maurepa was somewhat happy and worried.

From this new type of firearms and tactical system booklet, we can see the whole picture from a glimpse. The army of Dashun is still very powerful.

However, no matter how powerful the army is, it is impossible to defeat the power of nature.

The desolate and vast Siberia and the drought-stricken and lack-of-supply Central Asian deserts make it impossible for Dashun to participate in the war in Europe. It can slightly contain Russia, but it is impossible to attract too much of Russia's energy.

On the sea, Dashun's navy is quite weak. Now it has just started, and the six cruisers add up to less than 5,000 tons. The tonnage of the British warships of 200,000 tons is at least 30 million taels of silver less, not counting personnel training.

If you want Dashun to have more power to contain Britain and the Netherlands, it seems best to let Dashun have a similar navy.

The good news is that the new tactics and new bullets are indeed useful to France.

What worries me is that this kind of transaction is only the last choice. Relatively speaking, France wants porcelain and silk technology more.

In fact, before coming to China, most of the French delegation were full of confidence.

They believed that they had many cards to exchange for what they wanted. Moreover, Liu Yu exposed his impatience for the design of the new battleship too early. For a negotiation, the negotiator who reveals his bottom too early is a failed negotiator.

Even in Pondicherry, Dupleix, who presided over the East India Company's trade with China for many years in India, believed that France could exchange a lot of things.

For example, France's flat glass technology, which was too much loss when transported, and the price was too high. Although the profit was large, the sales volume was not good. This technology can be used as a bargaining chip to exchange for porcelain technology.

However, when they arrived in Songjiang, they saw a lot of flat glass and knew that Liu Yu had also started to produce flat glass.

What's more terrifying is that a few years ago, Dashun still needed to buy flintlock rifles from France. In just a few years, it can actually reversely promote new arms and army tactics to France.

This was so fast that Count Maurepa was deeply shocked.

It seems that the descriptions of those missionaries were flattering words for the purpose of preaching. This ancient Eastern Empire has its own unique features.

Now thinking about it, Count Maurepa realized that Liu Yu had revealed what he wanted in the negotiation too early, and he was really confident.

Because Dashun could exchange too many things, and France could exchange too few things.

"Dear Chinese Count, I think we can talk about this deal slowly. As you said, if we talk about obtaining technologies such as porcelain and silk, it may cause your country to be hostile to us, and I can give up."

"However, whether the new tactics you envision are effective still needs to be tested in actual combat. And the French warships, as you know, are the best designs in the whole of Europe, or even the whole world, which is recognized."

"A technology that still needs to be tested is exchanged for a recognized excellent technology. I don't think this is a fair deal."

Liu Yu thought, hammer, you are clearly bargaining. But I have expressed my wish to get the design of the new battleship many times before. It is too late to say "You can learn it or not" to make a comeback.

But it is better to settle this matter in Weihai. If we discuss it publicly in the capital, I may be accused of colluding with foreign countries. Even if the ministers of Dashun have rusty brains, they know that new weapons cannot be leaked.

"Mr. Count, as the French Navy Minister, you should be aware of the current situation in Europe. France needs to be clear about its strategy."

"France is not Britain."

"If we can get Flanders and Northern Italy, we can actually give up everything overseas. France is a land power after all."

"Even if you are the Navy Minister, I have to say this. The new army tactics and rifled bullet loading method are what France urgently needs at this time, and they are also extremely beneficial."

"France must figure out whether it wants to be the hegemon on the European continent or expand overseas?"

"Judging from the policy of this War of Polish Succession, the cardinal's foreign policy of easing Franco-Austrian relations has failed. Northern Italy, Flanders, these fertile lands, or Maybe it will fall into the hands of France or the Bourbon family because of this bullet and the corresponding tactics. "

"On the other hand, Dashun now has no decent and strong enough enemies in the surrounding area. And this new type of lead bullet is not urgently needed for Dashun. On the contrary, in Southeast Asia, especially Batavia, there are a large number of our expatriates, and an excellent navy that can compete with the Dutch East India Company is necessary. "

"This is a win-win deal. Southeast Asia is the blood vessel of the Netherlands. Once it is cut, the Netherlands will weaken; Britain in India will also be affected. When necessary, we can cut off trade with Britain, which is also beneficial to France. "

In the era of cold weapons, it was impossible to expand in both land and sea with the size of the Central Plains and the constraints of the limit of rule.

In the era of gunpowder, especially the era of flintlock, the pressure of this two-way expansion was reduced, just like Liu Yu described Nanyang as the Western Region of Dashun.

Children make choices, and adults naturally choose I want both.

It's just that France has no right to say that I want both.

With a bunch of enemies on the European continent, France had to maintain a strong enough army, and the navy was always second.

Even Count Maurepas, as the Minister of the Navy, had to agree with Liu Yu's statement.

For France, if Flanders and Italy could be obtained, the overseas territories could actually be thrown away or exchanged.

Although Dupleix shouted so happily, he was an outlier in France.

Now no one knows or even dares to think that it would be so simple for Britain to conquer India later. In terms of conflicts and negotiations with China, this conflict is smaller than Liu Yu thought.

In the last century, Britain's power was driven out of Southeast Asia by the Dutch and retreated to India. The French East India Company also had a great influence in Siam, but soon after the East India Company collapsed, Pondicherry was captured by the British, and coupled with changes in internal economic policies, it can be said that France is now completely defensive in India.

The cardinal also repeatedly warned the East India Company to be calm and not to provoke the British.

France certainly hopes that Dashun will share the military pressure of Britain and the Netherlands in the South Seas, cut the blood vessels of the Netherlands, and contain the military power of Britain.

If possible, even India can be abandoned.

The East India Company is half dead, and the French court believes that India is a money-loser, which is completely inferior to a small island in the West Indies that can grow sugarcane or indigo.

However, Count Maurepas also knows that battleships are the biggest reliance of France in negotiations. He wants to make sure whether this is really as Liu Yu said, and can only be exchanged with this? Or is Liu Yu just a false imperial edict, and the emperor did not instruct that porcelain and silk technology cannot be traded at all?

"If the technology of porcelain and silk cannot be obtained, this can be exchanged. But now, this condition cannot be agreed. These Chinese are very cunning, not those natives who can be deceived by glass balls."

Thinking so in his heart, he did not completely reject Liu Yu's proposal, but went around in circles, saying that this matter can be discussed slowly in the future.

At least, it should be discussed in the capital.

How could Liu Yu not guess what the other party was thinking? It was nothing more than a determination to get more and more valuable things.

If I didn't know nothing about the design of sailing battleships, if you didn't have 100 or 200 years of naval experience, if the navy couldn't develop in leaps and bounds, I would have turned my face away long ago: You can talk or not, what's there to talk about with France? Trade is not good, the navy is lame, and you have to bear the pressure from Russia and Britain!

After cursing a few words in my heart, a smile appeared on my face.

"Okay, in this case, let's go to the capital as soon as possible."

After agreeing, he led the French delegation to several places in Weihai and Liugong Island.

He visited the military academy and took an open class on fortress siege warfare, which indirectly demonstrated the soft power of Dashun.

Then he took a boat to Tianjin with this negotiation that didn't produce any results at all.

They deliberately walked around the newly repaired Dagukou Fort, but did not allow them to visit the interior of the fort, so they naturally could not see that the terrifying cannons were all made of wood.

Judging from the appearance alone, some knowledgeable people in the French delegation could conclude that this was a very good fort.

They watched the fort from a distance and saw a team of new troops that the emperor had just transferred here. They performed drills and formations, and acted like a powerful army before arriving in the capital.

The accommodation arranged was where the Russian delegation lived when they came that year, but the treasury allocated a sum of money to renovate it.

Long before the ban on religion, there were many Catholic churches in the capital. Later, a large number of Russian captives served as soldiers in the capital. The people in the capital were also well-informed and naturally would not make a fuss about these Westerners.

When they arrived at the residence, it was not Liu Yu's responsibility.

There would be a ceremonial officer to ask the other party's level, select the candidates who were qualified to enter the palace to meet the emperor, and teach them the etiquette of five bows and three kowtows.

Just as the Duke of Qi used the etiquette of meeting the King of France when he went to Paris, Count Maurepas also used the etiquette of the Celestial Empire when he met the Emperor of the Celestial Empire here.

There is nothing to argue about. Just a few years ago, Dashun chose a strict policy of prohibiting religion because of the etiquette of Catholics.

The news was passed back to France. Since the French court sent people here, they naturally knew to abide by the local etiquette.

It is nothing more than a matter of interests. Now Dashun can bring benefits to France. Even if there is not much commercial exchanges, it will have a deterrent effect on Britain, the Netherlands and Russia.

The French delegation came to the capital with great fanfare, fearing that the Russian envoy in charge of the western border negotiations here would not know that the French were coming.

It seems that there is already a bit of the flavor of vertical and horizontal alliances. Liu Yu did not arrange these small moves. Seeing these small moves, Liu Yu was in a good mood. It seems that those who are eager for change in the court still have brains.

Liu Yu, who was happy about this diplomatic trick, took advantage of the gap when the French delegation was still learning etiquette to visit the Duke of England, the envoy who presided over the negotiations this time.

The old Duke Ying was still in good spirits and was very happy to see Liu Yu coming. The two families had conflicts of interest. His grandson had trained with the Qingzhou Army and fought brilliantly in the battle in the Western Regions, which made Duke Ying feel relieved.

"Shou Chang, you came at the right time. I am old and rarely deal with Westerners. I went there just to drink tea and get a seal. You should handle this matter."

"Your Majesty, don't worry. If it were someone else, Your Majesty would not be at ease."

"Remember one sentence. Your Majesty means that this time, it should be a case of loud thunder and light rain."

This loud thunder and light rain is the attitude of the emperor and Tianyou Palace towards the visit of the French delegation.

The loud thunder is to make the Russians hear it clearly.

The light rain is because the rain is really not heavy. The ministers of Tianyou Palace thought for a long time, but they could not think of any great interests between China and France.