Dominate the Country

In Nanjing City, Liu Dezhao, the chief and assistant minister of the cabinet who stayed behind, returned to the mansion with a brisk face.

There is a large world map in his study room. It is a colorful map. The colonies of the British, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese and other colonial empires are all marked on it. It is very clear and clear at a glance.

Liu Dezhao received great news today. The French are prepared to use their five unarmed colonies in India as collateral in exchange for a large loan. No paper money required, it must be real money.

After the war, the Gallic Rooster went bankrupt, and France was under tremendous financial pressure.

Originally, the French had great potential in India, but the British did not achieve a decisive victory. On the contrary, the army of the Kingdom of Mysore, under the command of Tipu Sultan, overwhelmed the British. But financial difficulties made it impossible for the French to return to India.

Now, after the war subsided, the Kingdom of Mysore and the Maratha princes have been aggressively purchasing second-hand guns and weapons from China. They have also obtained rockets, a deadly weapon that harvests human lives. The mode of war has suddenly evolved from the past volley shooting mode to trench warfare. In the next war, even if the British have absolute advantages in all aspects, they may not be able to turn these advantages into victory.

It can be said that as long as the French can still support their finances, they will not miss this great opportunity to return to India.

You must know that during the war, the French not only wanted to retaliate against the British, but also had the desire to return to India. But the Gallic Rooster quickly forgot about this place after the war, as if the benefits they got from America had satisfied their appetite. How is this possible?

With the withdrawal of the Dutch from Ceylon and the Chinese coming out of Jinghai, they occupied Ceylon.

China has surprisingly replaced France and become the second most influential 'foreign country' on Indian princes.

The French did not strike while the iron was hot to reestablish their position in India. That could only be because the price they paid for the war was too high. The Gallic Rooster's own finances were bankrupt, and the exhausted France was no longer able to swallow the huge spoils of war.

You know, the British really lost miserably in this battle. Not only did they lose the colonies in the thirteen states of North America and were dragged down by the North American War, they also lost their lives in the West Indies and India during the war with the French. Suffered defeat.

It's a pity that the Frenchman used too much force and wore down his body.

So much so that the British, who should have suffered more serious losses, actually lost only thirteen states in North America. Their interests in India have received almost no substantial damage.

Now, in order to tide over the difficulties, the French have traveled thousands of miles to come to China to borrow money. Because of China's new tax policy, China's finances have been healthier than ever. The whole world knows that China is rich!

You can't get real money from empty-mouthed loans. If you want to truly alleviate their urgent needs, the French must come up with real materials - that is, the colonies bordering China.

The French now have two colonies bordering China, the first is Louisiana in North America, and the second is the unarmed colony in India.

In 1673 AD, the French occupied Magpie's Nest and the Danish stronghold in Pondicherry, and France's colonial rule over India began. In the contest with the British and the Dutch, the French successively captured Yanam, Mahé, and Kalaika, and spread their influence to most of India.

Pondicherry, Yanam, Mahé and Kalaika are scattered along the coast of India and are not connected to each other. Together with a small territory in the Bay of Bengal, the total area is less than 500 square kilometers and the population is less than one million. France Of course people are not satisfied anymore. Starting from 1741 in the Western calendar, the French ambitions began to expand, and for a time they successfully controlled Hyderabad (located in central India, now the sixth largest city) to Cape Comorin (India's "Sanya", the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean. the vast area between this intersection). However, with the strong counterattack of the British army, the Gallic Rooster's dream of "establishing an India dominated by France" was completely shattered. In the following decades, the two countries fought and negotiated in India. By the end of the Seven Years' War, the French had lost all the gains they had made in the previous decades, and France's sphere of influence in India gradually shrunk to the above four. area, and Jinder Nagar near the Bay of Bengal.

The strange thing is that France's rule in these five unarmed colonies continued until the end of World War II. Even after the Napoleonic Wars, or in the 1850s, when Britain gained control of almost all of India, it still allowed France to continue Retain the governance rights of Pondicherry, Mahe, Yanam, Kalaika and other places. All in all, in this regard, the British in the original space-time plane were very open to the French.

But at this time, the French do not know the deep friendship that the British had for them in history. The French, who are unable to create a new scene in India, feel that introducing the Chinese to India will cause more chaos to the British.

Any change in India would be better and worse for Britain than remaining the same.

Anyway, the fat is no longer yours. Instead of letting your enemy have it all, you might as well bring in a friend with a little superficial friendship to take your place.

This is a very normal mentality.

The enemy's pain is your own happiness. Moreover, this can also exchange for a large amount of funds to solve Paris' urgent needs, and also strengthen the friendship between France and China, making it difficult for the Chinese to attack France's Louisiana.

Compared to India, which is doomed to be lost, the fertile land of Louisiana is more valued by Paris. Even now, they still have few decent colonies there.

For the French, this is a brilliant strategy that kills two birds with one stone.

They will not consider that the British are also white and will not cheat John Bull.

China may be able to pose a threat to the colonies of European countries in the Americas, especially Paris's little brother Spain, but even if China is ten times stronger, the limitations of the times make it impossible for them to really set foot in Europe.

At most, they will stab Russia a few times and let Russia, the monster in the north, reveal its original form.

European civilization is a maritime civilization, but European countries also attach great importance to the ocean. Compared with their mortal enemy Britain, although France is related to overseas colonial interests, they are more concerned about the balance of "land power" on the European continent.

The now divided German Kingdom is not qualified to challenge France. The two major powers among the German states - Prussia and Austria - the Habsburg dynasty, which is in continuous decline, is undoubtedly weaker than France. But these are two potential threats after all, and they are too close to France.

After the Seven Years' War, the most prominent people in Europe were the gradually powerful Russians. With such a country behind them, the power of Prussia and Austria could be contained to a certain extent. Russia is now pursuing a southward policy - their troops are getting closer and closer to the Balkans, and there is a potential crisis with Austria, their ally.

The partition of Poland has made Russia border Prussia, and no one will be unguarded against this huge country to the north of the border.

Although Prussia and Austria are between Russia and France, no matter how Russia, Prussia and Austria eventually came to the point of fighting in history, there is a deep blood feud between the two classes. But today, Catherine II is a very rational monarch, and her sword and gun are only aimed at the weak Poland and Russia's mortal enemy, the Ottoman Empire. Today, Russia, Prussia and Austria are all very close allies. This forces Paris to remain vigilant.

During the American Revolutionary War, the Russians created an unarmed military alliance. Although this alliance was beneficial to France and the relationship between the allies was not close, Catherine II was just doing it for the sake of the matter. However, Russia's posture of establishing the "third pole" in Europe can also prove Catherine II's ambition from the side. Therefore, the relationship between France and Sweden has always been great. Gustav III, who was still the crown prince at the time, received the most sincere help from France in Paris. Before he returned to his country, the French government promised to unconditionally provide Sweden with a large amount of funding of 1.5 million livres per year, and the famous French diplomat Count Vergennes also moved from Constantinople to Stockholm.

After the news of Gustav III's father's strange death came, Gustav III first leaked the wind to the Swedish Parliament, which held the actual power: he attached great importance to the support of the parliament and assured them that he would continue his father's policy. In this way, Gustav dispelled any doubts that the nobles might have and continued his visit to Versailles. He then received support from Louis XVI with 5 million livres. [On February 12, 1771, Gustav III's father died suddenly after eating a meal including lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, smoked salmon, champagne, and 14 of his favorite Semla (traditional dessert for Shrove Tuesday). Very strange. ]

French financial assistance provided the most solid foundation for Gustav III to complete the "bloodless coup" and regain the actual power of Sweden.

From then on, Sweden, which had a friendly relationship with France, became a loyal ally of France. No, to be more precise, this young monarch who was determined to restore Sweden's former status as a great power regarded himself as a loyal friend of the Bourbon royal family. In the history of the original time and space, after Louis XVI was beheaded, the Swedish king who had just won a decisive victory over Russia in the Second Battle of Svensksund [sunk and captured 53 Russian ships] reached a truce agreement with Russia and prepared to organize a crusade against France. However, Gustav III died before he could achieve his goal. He was assassinated just after announcing this decision.

Chen Ming may not know much about Gustav III's "future", but he knows Gustav III's past very well. Those things are not absolute secrets and have long been open secrets in Europe. The French support such an ambitious Swedish king to ascend the throne, which is full of malice towards Russia.

Now the second Sino-Russian war has begun. Russia has fallen into trouble within a few months of the war. Now the only thing that can help them is the wind and snow blowing from the Arctic Ocean.

From the perspective of the French and the British, seeing China severely weaken Russia is only happiness and no worries.

Just as a book friend said, in the current situation, if China can defeat Russia over Omsk, it means that China and Russia will divide Siberia equally; if it defeats the Urals, Russia will have no future; if it defeats the Volga, Russia will only be a second-rate power.

Because the largest iron smelting base of the old Russians is between Asia and Europe, if the Wehrmacht defeats the Urals, Russia will inevitably lose its largest and most important steel smelting base, and the damage to Russia in a short period of time will not be less than the blow caused by cutting off Siberia.

Of course, this topic is a bit far-fetched. Now let's just talk about France, which has a more favorable impression of China. Although China beat up his little brother, the little brother only realized the preciousness of having a big brother as a backer after being beaten.

Moreover, Spain is much stronger now than at the beginning of the century, and Carlos III also has his own little calculations in the war. The main fleet of Spain is stuck in the West Indies and does not come out. Then so many armies are not deployed in the battlefield on the east coast of North America, but they fight with the Chinese, so that they are defeated.

These are all manifestations of Madrid's little calculations, and they also make Paris wary of Madrid.

And Liu Dezhao's calculations are not just about the five demilitarized zones in India, he also hopes for Louisiana in North America. If Chen Han can get this land openly, the United States can become the fat meat on Chen Han's lips.

Based on his own senses, Liu Dezhao is unwilling to fight with the Americans immediately. Before a complete set of military-industrial enterprises was established on the west coast of North America, Liu Dezhao would definitely go to war with the United States, as the cost was too high.

Moreover, if Chen Hanyi took action against the United States, Spain and the British would immediately react, and even the French in the West Indies would get involved. This would easily touch the sensitive nerves of Europeans.

Therefore, Liu Dezhao advocated a peaceful solution to Louisiana.

This would not only suppress the development of the United States, but also avoid attracting the attention of Europeans. If a pan-European war really broke out in Europe due to the political turmoil in France, Louisiana would be destined to say goodbye to the Gallic rooster.

If the French did not give it to China, they would give it to the United States. Otherwise, the British would definitely take advantage of the situation and easily take the entire Louisiana. They could even make some money by selling it.

…

Liu Dezhao thought very far. He was not a person who took one step and looked at three steps ahead, but after reaching a certain height, he knew more and more secrets in his hands, and if he summarized them a little, he could "look far ahead".

It was easy and normal to associate the Indian affairs with the French colonies in North America. Because in Chen Ming's plan, the time to solve the United States must not wait until the end of the Napoleonic Wars - if the war in Europe can still proceed as it did in history.

Because once Europe is in chaos, countless immigrants will inevitably flock to the United States from the Old Continent. Don't look at the fact that the old Americans are only about two million now, and they may double in the blink of an eye.

It's not good for China because North America's actions have already triggered the nerves of European countries, but it can't sit back and watch the United States grow bigger.

In this era, the war mode has changed from volley shooting to trench warfare, and the two sides of the war are competing in manpower and material resources. If the old Americans really have a population of five or six million, even if they are finally solved by Chen Han, not to mention the price Chen Han paid, just say that the remaining millions of people are a big trouble.

These are white people, and it is easy to form a minority if they all stay in America.

Therefore, at this point in time, it is very necessary to consider political grasp.

Liu Dezhao wrote down everything he could think of with a pen, and then pasted it on this colorful map. His thoughts finally fell on the position of Britain. It seems that he needs to let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contact Robert.

The American War of Independence severely damaged the two European powers. This is a great opportunity for China to replace them.

As long as the French proposal is approved by the emperor, 50 million yuan will not only buy France's five unarmed colonies in India, but also the political capital that France has been operating in the Indian continent for many years and the relationship with the Indian princes.

The deal is still in the confidential stage, but he can guess how furious the British will be after knowing this deal.