"I want to establish diplomatic relations with Western countries, so I have sent relevant personnel from the Ministry of Ceremonies to be stationed in Western countries and become ambassadors or consuls. Only by communicating with each other can we avoid misunderstandings, bridge differences, achieve mutual benefit, and work together to win. , I also mentioned this matter when discussing the consulship in Japan a few days ago. The Ministry of Etiquette is in charge of external affairs and must be fully responsible for this matter. Regarding foreign language translation, I will also ask the factory guards to find suitable candidates, and I can also ask Tang Ruowang Ai Qing and others will help from there. Personnel stationed abroad will be stationed for a period of five years. Unless there are special circumstances, they will be stationed in a country and can return to their homeland after ten years. The treatment will naturally be favorable, which is the same as that of consuls stationed in Japan. "
In comparison, the consul stationed in Japan is the most cost-effective, because it is the closest to the mainland, and if anything happens, he can inform the court in time, while when working as an errand in Europe, no matter how big or small, you have to do it yourself.
"At present, there are mainly seven European countries that need to send consulates. If the bilateral relations warm up, they can become ambassadors. If the relations between the two sides cool down, they can be reduced to counselors. Paris is the capital of France, London is the capital of England, Madrid is the capital of Spain, Vienna is the capital of Austria, and Istanbul is the Ottoman capital. And Rome, the center of the Holy See, will become the main office for our Ming Dynasty personnel stationed abroad. After confirming the list of personnel stationed abroad, the palace will write down the relevant specific situations in writing for reference, and give instructions for attention. In the future, the Ministry of Rites will need to manage Our affairs will not be limited to the local area, but will also take into account the whole world.”
Although Feng Quan is a guy who came through the back door through connections, and his hands and feet are not clean, he is still a talented person, otherwise he would not have held an important position in the Qing court. The shrewd and capable Dorgon would not use a bunch of rubbish to serve as his assistant of.
A certain prince feels that as long as this guy gets some guidance, he will take care of the affairs of the Ministry of Etiquette. If he fails to live up to his expectations, the five-star Shandong Mine will welcome him to stay!
"I obey your orders! I will do my best, please rest assured, Your Highness!"
This means that Feng Quan suddenly has several more good positions in his hands. Now his residence will become busy with traffic, and there will definitely be an endless stream of visitors.
Qiu Minyang, the consul in Japan, had a third-grade official position and a monthly salary of 140 taels. Including various subsidies, he could only get a maximum of 200 taels per month as an errand in the imperial court, which was only 2,400 taels for the whole year.
However, as the Japanese consul, Qiu Minyang's disposable funds, including his annual salary, were as high as tens of thousands taels. This was something that no one in the Ministry of Rites, including Feng Quan, dared to imagine!
Now the Crown Prince will send people to stay in the Western countries. In places thousands of miles away, the treatment will naturally not be much lower. Maybe seven more "Qiu Minyang" will be born.
Many people were jealous of Qiu Minyang's job. Now he had to earn a lot of money and blood. The only obstacle was that it would take five or six months by boat to reach the destination.
"I have only three requirements for this position. First, you must be flexible and know how to adapt to changes. Because the imperial court is beyond the reach of European affairs, the person who holds the position must make your own decisions about the pros and cons. Second, you must be physically strong and healthy, because you need to sit for a long time. Once the ship is sick, it may be too late to return and die. Third, we must broaden our horizons, know how to be inclusive, do as the locals do, and continue to learn advanced Western knowledge and technology for my use. The greatest advantage of Westerners is that they are pragmatic and trustworthy. The Ministry of Rites submits candidates for civil servants After that, the Ministry of Personnel will be responsible for providing it, and the Ministry of War must submit candidates for military attachés stationed abroad at the same time. This palace will equip each military attache with 500 soldiers. The weapons and equipment will be transported from the mainland, and the horses will be purchased locally. The initial plan is to equip each military attache with infantry, cavalry, and artillery. The military branch will separately equip armed merchant ships at the port, which can be turned into navy warships in wartime. The factory guards will hand over the relevant communication codes. If there is an incident in one place, other places must immediately provide support. "
The troops stationed in various countries in Europe totaled about 3,000 people. They would definitely not be able to fight a big battle. However, if the monarch of the stationed country had an emergency, he could still get involved in small-scale group fights.
A certain prince asked Yang Jinchao to hand over to Feng Quan a bound volume he had written. It contained relevant instructions for personnel stationed abroad, including the current situation, customs and customs of various countries.
Feng Quan took it with both hands as if he had found a treasure, and found that it was actually very thick. He had read some brochures compiled by the prince. The words on them were very small, which meant that he had something to do.
At least you need to understand the contents as soon as possible. You can't let the prince ask and get stuck again. As a minister of the Ministry of Rites, if you are confused about foreign affairs, it will completely ruin the matter and the minister will be finished.
When the prince was angry, even the chief assistant could not say anything to protect him. Feng Quan knew the current situation in the court very well. As long as he could satisfy the prince, he would be able to sit back and relax, and it would be a simple matter what he would do.
"Your Highness, if as your Highness said before, France is the state of Qin, and now Wei, South Korea, and Yan are assisting in the war, and our Ming Dynasty has formed an alliance with Qi, Chu, and Zhao, and stationed more than a thousand troops in Europe, we can Is there any chance of winning? If we are at odds with Qin, what should we do in the future?"
Wang Jiayan, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, has some strategic considerations and will not take into account immediate interests. In fact, the Ming Dynasty has no interests to follow in Europe at the moment. It is just for Lao Tang's sake and does not want the Erha Group to lose too ugly.
"The Immortal Military Advisor Liu Bowen has calculated that if the Ming Dynasty does not help me, the outcome of the European War will be decided within ten years, and the military group headed by France will win a decisive victory. After that, Spain will Qi will gradually decline and be forced to give up its hegemony. Then Britain and the Netherlands, that is, Yan and South Korea, will compete for maritime hegemony. South Korea will win twice first, and the last time Yan will win a big victory. The war on the European battlefield will resume, Faqin and Yingyan joined forces to attack the Netherlands and South Korea from both sea and land lines, which eventually led to the defeat of the Netherlands and South Korea. Since then, Yingyan has gained control of the sea, and Faqin has gained control of the land. It can be seen that there are also contradictions within this military group. As long as the Ming Dynasty takes it seriously, it can be divided and disintegrated. To be precise, Fa Qin belongs to the side of Qi, Chu and Zhao in terms of beliefs, but for the sake of hegemony, he chose to stand against Qi, Chu and Zhao Fighting with him in his position. This is thanks to the fact that France has a prime minister who has not been seen in a thousand years, that is, a prime minister or prime minister. May I ask if the chief minister knows that Qin State has a famous prime minister? "
It's time to reveal his identity as an old man who has been teaching for thirty years, and let these frogs in the well know what happened next, so that he can continue to deceive him.
"Your Highness, the Qin State first had Shang Yang's reforms, and then Li Si's innovations. Only by working hard to govern did the Qin Dynasty become strong and prosperous."
This question still doesn't trouble Xue Guoguan. If he doesn't even know this, then his first assistant will really make people laugh.
"What the first assistant said is true. The current Prime Minister of France is named Richelieu. This man is not greedy for money, not lustful, not suave, and not selfish. He is highly valued and trusted by King Louis XIII of France. King Louis XIII of France does not love In the previous dynasty, all government affairs were entrusted to Richelieu, which is equivalent to the relationship between my grandfather Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty and his first assistant Zhang Juzheng. During his tenure, Richelieu suppressed the rebellion, consolidated the royal power, and greatly increased France's fiscal revenue. France's land area is only as large as the sum of Shanqian, Shandong, Henan, and Beizhili. It is only equivalent to the Later Zhou Dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, but it can support 150,000 combat troops. This is inseparable from Richelieu's ability and talent. If this man had not died of illness three years later, most of the European hegemony would have fallen into the hands of France. Although his successor Mazarin was not as capable as Richelieu, he was still It can be regarded as a conscientious effort that made France's national power rise to the top of the seven European countries ten years later."
A certain prince thought that Richelieu died too early. He died at the age of fifty-seven, which is about the same life span as Zhuge Liang. If this guy lived twenty more years, he would probably have France swallow up half of Germany and Spain.
The civil servants and generals below were very confused. According to the prince's words, is there such a weird thing in the world? Nothing is good, but you are dedicated to serving the public good? Like Hai Rui? Could it be the French Hai Rui?
"Although Germany, Austria and Spain are an alliance, these three countries are actually ruled by a family called Habsburg. As you can see from the map, if France does not unite other countries to fight against this family, there will be Spain in the west. , with Germany and Austria in the east, they would inevitably be trapped in a two-front war and unable to extricate themselves. Richelieu's shrewdness was to let other countries send troops in the early stage, while France only provided money, and waited until the enemy's troops and military expenditures were almost exhausted. Now, France will personally go into battle and harvest the fruits of victory."
This is what Richelieu can do. If it were the second person who could not move the powerful Erha family, it can be said that Richelieu had maximized all the benefits that France could gain during the Thirty Years' War. .
In the later stages of the war, the Erha family had no money to fight, and the imperial troops suffered successive defeats on the battlefield. After Mazarin took over, this guy just opened his mouth to eat the cake.
After review, you will find that France, as the biggest winner, did not spend too much in this protracted war, and not many people died, but it gained the greatest benefits, and it also weakened both sides of the war. This is the most impressive thing about Richelieu's rival's strength.
It can be said that the Thirty Years' War weakened all France's enemies and potential rivals. Almost all of France's neighboring countries were crippled, but only France benefited from it. It can be said that the war got better and better. A strong example.
Only Bismarck, more than 200 years later, could achieve such an incredible feat, which enabled Germany to rise rapidly on the European continent in a short period of time.
It is certainly not difficult for a time traveler to obtain such a result, but for people within the circle, their personal abilities are extraordinary.
If France has only one prime minister, it must belong to Richelieu. This is a full recognition of his achievements in the ten years he has been in power.
However, if France wants to swallow half of the European continent, its military strength is far from achieving this goal. It must at least be expanded to more than 500,000 people, and it can only be achieved by adding epoch-making advanced weapons.
Later, the emperor had 100,000 ground troops. Even without the icy Russian battlefield, he could only maintain his advantage on the European continent. Even the nearby Rhine League could not annex it.
In this era, France could only gain some parts of the Spanish Netherlands, northwestern Italy, southwestern Germany, and northeastern Spain through the Thirty Years' War, and its dominance of Europe could only be achieved in thirty or forty years.
Moreover, with the rise of the United Kingdom, as long as the country insists on implementing the European balance of power strategy, it will not be easy for any European country to maintain its hegemony in the region, and it will be disrupted by the British alliance with other allies.
A certain prince did not want to see this happen. A powerful France that could attract firepower from all over Europe would be completely conducive to the long-term survival of the Ming Dynasty, so the future pro-Face strategy would be extremely tempting to the Ming Dynasty.
Spain, which is hostile to the Ming Dynasty, must be suppressed, and the Netherlands, which occupied Eastern Europe, cannot be spared. If possible, as long as the Thirty Years War ends, a certain prince will incite the French army to invade the Dutch mainland and have a "bang bang"
Countries that implement a hollowing-out strategy are most afraid of being invaded by their homeland. Britain later was exactly the same as the Netherlands today. Once the homeland is captured, the huge benefits gained from overseas colonies will be wiped out in an instant.
The biggest weakness of the Netherlands is that it has a small territory and a small population. It has no strategic depth at all and can only rely on dotted bastions to delay the enemy's attack.
The Spanish army was helpless because the Netherlands was an enclave far away from the mainland for Spain, and every time it sent troops it was equivalent to a relatively close expedition.
This is not the case in France. The Spanish Netherlands in the Southern Netherlands borders its mainland, and further north is the "Northern Netherlands". The French army can go there to rob in a steady stream. The soldiers don't even use horses, they just walk on foot. Can walk.
It can be said that if France supports its aggressive expansion in Europe, the country can capture the Netherlands to the north, attack Spain to the south, and shrink the territory of the Holy Roman Empire to the east.
A certain prince's only worry was what Richelieu or Mazarin would exchange for the high-tech weapons in their hands.
If the other party's asking price is too low, even if there are attractive strategic considerations, a certain prince will not sell easily. In this matter, he must not sell at a loss.
A certain prince has not yet reached the stage of inserting himself into a country that is not even an ally. He can do it, but at least he has to pay a few million gold coins.
The Great Dynasty is currently short of money, food and people. If the other party meets any of the conditions, a certain prince can consider selling high-tech weapons.
If the Habsburg family is indifferent to the new weapons after reading Lao Tang's autographed letter, then this family is really short-sighted, not to mention that the price offered by a certain prince is not high at all.
If both parties make bids, then they have to weigh the pros and cons. For buyers who want new weapons but don't want to pay extra costs, there is no need to negotiate.
If both parties bid equally, the solution would be simple. A certain prince would sell his weapons to both parties, allowing them both to own airships and mortars. Wouldn't it be more fun to "slap" on the battlefield?
The Netherlands and Spain are both countries that a certain prince hates. If these two countries were in the same camp, it would be easy for him to choose, but in reality he prefers one to the other.
Then we can only help some countries to end the Thirty Years War as soon as possible, and then reorganize a group of 11
