New Shun 1730

This issue circled back to the issue of the Austrian Netherlands.

Liu Yu had previously discussed with Louis XV that the Austrian Netherlands could not and should not eat it.

After eating it, it must be the Franco-Prussian alliance against the Russian, Austrian, British and Dutch countries.

Fighting on land and unable to face the sea, the British happily ate up all the colonies. By then, Britain will be the European version of "Qin destroyed Shu and became emperor."

The Franco-Prussian alliance was unstable, and Prussia's treachery was needless to say. The key point was that in addition to the enemy Britain, France also had the enemy "Germany".

So Austria is "Germany", so Prussia is not "Germany"?

The current situation is that Prussia has risen. In the two Silesian Wars, Austria was unable to fight back and was bound to lose in every battle.

At this time, we should consider the rise of Prussia, instead of continuing to besiege Austria with the mentality of "carving a boat for a sword".

The purpose of besieging Austria was to contain the rise of "Germany".

But now, does "Germany" have the potential of Prussia or Austria?

This is like a person who has a disease in his left leg at the beginning, so the crutches are placed on the left side.

After a few years, my left leg healed but my right leg became lame, but I still put the crutch on the left side based on past experience. This was unwise.

To besiege Prussia, you can win a lot of allies such as Austria, Russia, Sweden, Saxony, etc., the Netherlands can still remain neutral, France can still have the power to compete for hegemony at sea, and Dashun can also help. Including Sweden, it also has claims and ambitions towards Pomerania.

To continue to besiege Austria and seize the Austrian Netherlands, it is definitely impossible for the Netherlands to remain neutral, because the Netherlands knows that the next person to die will be itself. Russia, Austria, Sweden, Saxony and other countries threatened by Prussia will all stand against France.

The Austrian Netherlands is the most suitable direction for French expansion in continental Europe. Richness aside, Belgium is Catholic rather than Calvinistic, which is also conducive to French rule. And it was also the ideal northwest frontier of what the French called a natural frontier.

However, this is still the difference between "emperor" and "hegemon".

Duke Guo of Qi had to tell Louis XV the story of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

Duke Huan of Qi was the overlord. His overlord status was not achieved by eating Yan's land when Yan was defeated, but by allying with small countries to attack Chu.

Duke Wen of Jin was the overlord, and his overlord was not achieved by attacking the surrounding areas, but by allying with other countries to attack Chu.

France is facing a similar situation now.

And it was pretty good before.

The War of Polish Succession was a form of hegemony and influence. After France made a statement, European countries had to be cautious.

The Russian-Turkish war cannot be mediated by France. Unless France comes forward, Russia and Turkey will not even have the trust to sign a treaty.

In the battle for the Holy Ra Emperor, France was able to intervene heavily, support puppets, and even let the Elector of Bavaria become the emperor.

They don’t want Russia to get involved in Central European affairs, so just by making a few promises, the Swedish pro-French party can declare war on Russia and raze Petersburg.

This is Ba.

What is an emperor?

Learn from Qin.

In front of the Hangu Pass, they fought hard against the anti-Qin alliance; today they deceived the Chu State and took its land; tomorrow they frightened the three Jin Dynasties and were beaten if they did not give them the land.

But if the Qin State does not have the strength to fight against the anti-Qin alliance, it would be very wrong to seek to be emperor instead of hegemony.

France currently does not have the strength to confront the anti-French alliance, and even if there are many BUFF bonuses from the emperor and the revolution in later generations, the ending will not be six kings and one in the world. How about now?

Louis XV also had some ideas about the strength of France and the balance of power among European countries. Otherwise, we can't angrily scold the Russian Empress, let alone get angry because Russia sent 50,000 troops.

This is like when the Qin State had the strength to proclaim itself emperor and besieged the State of Zhao, and the State of Wei wanted to rescue it, it would just say, "I will attack Zhao State and come down at dusk. If the princes dare to rescue Zhao State, they have already taken Zhao State, and they will move their troops to attack first." "It can scare the King of Wei from sending troops.

If France could directly send a letter of credence to Russia, saying "I will attack the Netherlands at dusk, and if you dare to save me, I will move your troops to break Petersburg first." The Russian army was so frightened that they retreated without a fight and quickly retreated. This would make them qualified to establish an emperor.

However, the reality is that Russia sent troops, and instead of threatening France, it sent an ambassador to plead with Russia not to ally with Britain.

Is this strength enough to be an emperor?

You can't do the imperial business, but you can achieve the hegemony.

Based on Liu Yu's previous analysis and his understanding of the affairs here, Qi Guogong believed that France would still have many opportunities to become a hegemon in the future. There are many reasons such as "conquering the barbarians" and "paying tribute to the wine."

First of all, Britain is not a continental European country. If you are a barbarian, why are you meddling in matters on the European continent?

Secondly, matters within HRE shall be resolved internally by HRE. You, the King of England, also have the title of Elector of Hanover on your head. You need to talk about this, right? Either become the King of England or become the Elector of Hanover. Now, as the Elector of Hanover, are you speaking for the HRE? Or speak for Britain?

Once again, Prussia rose and Austria declined. France acted as a mediator to balance the situation so that one side would not become too strong. The British title of Elector of Hanover was removed. Serve as the arbiter and the arbiter of internal affairs of HRE.

Isn’t this all about hegemony?

Regarding the contradiction between Britain and France, which was the "consensus" that Louis XV had recognized, Qi Guogong used the idea of ​​​​understanding diplomacy as an ancient political man, and used a rather retro method to persuade Louis XV.

Like the old stories, a story was told first as a metaphor.

"In ancient times, there were two people in the military examination in the Celestial Empire. One could draw a bow of nine stones, and the other could draw a bow of ten stones. There were still a few days before the exam, and the man who could draw a bow of nine stones also wanted to be the top scorer."

"So he secretly went to the house of the man who could draw a bow of ten stones and put drugs in his food. On the day of the exam, the man who could draw a bow of ten stones had diarrhea and fatigue. So the man who could draw a bow of nine stones became the top scorer."

"Isn't it the same principle between countries? If you can't improve yourself and catch up with others, then harming others and making them inferior to yourself, wouldn't it have the same effect?"

After telling the metaphor of this insidious story, the Duke of Qi said: "Before, Britain was not strong and it was difficult to dominate. So it repeatedly interfered in European affairs, causing France to weaken continuously, just like putting drugs in France's food."

"However, the times have changed, and now the offensive and defensive situation is different."

"The British have the land of North America, trade expansion, The population is increasing day by day, and now the British are the ones who can shoot a ten-stone bow. "

"Britain is getting stronger day by day, and France should treat them in their own way. "

"Today, France has a population of tens of millions and 120 cities. "

"In the south, there are the Pyrenees as a city, and in the west, there are oceans and trenches. In the east, there are the Alps, and monkeys want to cross but still have trouble climbing; in the north, there are the Holy Roman countries, which are fighting endlessly. Or as my son-in-law said, it is neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. "

"If the arable land in France is as fertile as that in the Central Plains; The population of France is the highest in Europe. "

"This is already a hegemony. As long as Britain can be dragged into the water, even if France's population and land no longer increase, it will still be the champion. Isn't this the truth? "

"If Britain is trapped on an isolated island and abandons the benefits of colonies, even if France does not increase its population and land, if Britain does not interfere offshore, who can control France on the European continent? "

"With the many preparations in the past, the Duke of Qi's remarks can be regarded as reasonable.

Unlike the "France is constantly challenging British hegemony" imagined by many people in later generations, the reality at this time is that Britain is constantly challenging French hegemony. After the Second Hundred Years' War, the challenge was finally successful on June 18, 1815.

France now has advantages in Europe, and the huge advantages are population and arable land. France's arable land area and farming environment are really good. However, the area of ​​Sichuan Province is very large, and the arable land area that can be cultivated is very large, and the animal husbandry and agricultural foundation are very good.

The population advantage alone gives France enough strength to dominate now.

The basis of what Duke Qi said, "I don't become stronger, but I kill people who are stronger than me, which is another way to become stronger" is France's own strength.

Here, we go back to France's foreign policy and the question of whether the Austrian Netherlands is occupied.

If France chooses peace now, it can get back the colonies in North America and India through interest exchange. France still has two cards in its hand: the Catholic little usurper king of England; and Hanover.

And there is a very serious problem in Britain now, that is, "Is the King of England the King of England? Or the Elector of Hanover in Germany?"

Where are Britain's interests?

Or, where are the interests of the British bourgeoisie?

North America, India, colonies.

Where are the interests of the King of England?

Electorate of Hanover.

If France can reach an exchange of interests through peace talks and get back Louisbourg in Canada, Pondicherry in India and other places.

Then, contradictions will accumulate within Britain.

Especially after Liu Yu started the ginseng trade, the value of the North American colonies surged.

With the effects of Japan's opening of trade, Dashun's immigration to Liaodong, and other factors, the Northeast ginseng has been basically dug up, Japan's opening of various princes also needs a lot of ginseng for medicine, and Dashun has an inexplicable worship of ginseng, thinking that this thing is a magical medicine.

In this case, the American ginseng trade is far more profitable than in history.

In the eyes of the people in the Thirteen Colonies, Louisbourg in France was conquered by them.

They will soon be able to obtain Canadian ginseng trade.

No spinning, no weaving, just digging grass roots, you can get silver from China, which is like a Pixiu. What a good thing is this?

Moreover, Louisbourg is stuck in the Newfoundland fishing grounds, and fisheries are also a huge income.

Although, in depth, the New England militia can take Louisbourg and keep it. The key is not them, but the Royal Navy of the British government.

Without the Royal Navy, the French can easily take back Louisbourg from this group of militia.

However, this is similar to the debate about the navy before the Dashun: the navy attacked Japan, but there was no big battle, so why did the navy take the lead?

What the New England militia saw directly was: the father paid the money, the lower class worked hard, and fought hard to capture Louisburg, but the mother country did not contribute at all. As a result, the mother government directly returned Louisburg and the lucrative ginseng, mink and cod trade to France?

They would not consider that if there was no royal navy, they would not be able to defend it even if they could capture it.

They would only consider that their interests were betrayed by the mother country, or by the king.

Thinking deeper, is our king an elect of the Holy Roman nobles? Or the king of the British bourgeoisie?