Mainland France is not too hot in summer and not too cold in winter, making it very livable, especially since most of the country is covered with plains. After the popularity of high-yielding crops such as tractors and potatoes, successive bumper harvests are no longer a problem.
After annexing the Spanish and Portuguese mainland, the French even had a place to take shelter from the cold in winter, so they were even less willing to leave the mainland and settle overseas.
They are reluctant to go to Britain on the other side of the strait. To West Africa or even India, there is no need to even think about it. Only businessmen who have been doing business there all year round will live here for a long time.
West Africa and India are both high-temperature areas. Such temperatures will encourage the spread of various infectious diseases, making it difficult for locals to take precautions, let alone the French who have come from afar.
Zheng Jun also faced similar problems. In the end, Zheng Chenggong decided to station only a small number of mechanized troops in the tropical rainforest area in the northern part of the country to cooperate with aircraft patrols to guard against possible cross-border attacks.
There is no other reason, that is, the high temperature and humidity in the rainforest area make soldiers extremely susceptible to illness. If they are not airlifted to the rear in time, they may die on the spot.
This kind of method that consumes fuel and medicine is a huge headache even for the wealthy Zheng family.
Rather than deploying tens of thousands of troops in dangerous areas, it is better to remove them from their posts in safer second-line areas.
Once something happens on the border, it's not too late to mobilize troops to go north.
There are very few Ming people living in the northern border areas. Most of them farm in the central and eastern areas, herd in the west, mine in the south, or work as industrial workers.
Parts of the western part of Fujian (Namibia) are deserts and grasslands, which are in a state of water shortage all year round. It is almost impossible to make a living by farming if they are not suitable for herding.
Further north (Angola) is the largest oil field area in Fujian. If you have money, you can open a lumber mill there. If you don't have money, you can work as an oil worker and make a lot of money.
Those who are willing to farm can find suitable land for farming in the central and eastern regions (Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana, and Zimbabwe).
If you like to drive a car, work as a miner, or engage in other heavy or light industries, you can live in the south (South Africa), where industry is extremely developed.
It can be said that Emperor Haojing awarded the most livable place in Africa with the richest comprehensive resources to the Zheng family who had made great contributions to him.
Austrian North Africa and East Africa under Ibrahim came in second place.
There are two large oil fields in North Africa (Algeria and Libya) and a canal that is making a lot of money every day. It looks like a large desert, but it is actually a large gold mine. As long as it is managed properly, it can provide Ibrahim with a steady stream of money. wealth.
East Africa has a large oil field (Sudan) and a great plain (Ethiopia). There is no shortage of oil or fertile soil. Today, the East African Great Plain has become the second largest grain-producing area in the Ottoman Empire after the mainland.
Ranking third is not French West Africa, but Dutch East Africa!
The local area (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, northern Tanzania) is almost all plains, suitable for grazing and farming.
Since Dutch East Africa had much better terrain conditions than Dutch South America and could provide a large amount of meat products and grain, William III regarded it as a place second only to the mainland to operate.
The Dutch army has three field brigades and three reserve brigades stationed in East Africa, as well as a marine brigade affiliated with the Dutch navy. The purpose is to prevent neighbors to the north (Ottoman) and west (British and Spanish) from thinking about their territory.
Although the area of Dutch India is not small, almost all Dutch people who have been there in summer believe that the temperature of more than 40 degrees is suitable for human life...
The Dutch also gradually understood why the extremely ambitious Emperor of the Ming Empire did not send troops to India to seize territory. They did have foresight!
In the Indian summer, even if they heard of a rebellion, the Dutch army would choose to set out at dusk, otherwise the soldiers might suffer from heatstroke on the way.
Let alone fighting at this temperature, even lying down in the shade will make you sweat profusely, as if you are in a huge steamer.
Excluding Myanmar, the Ming Empire’s closest territory to India was Ceylon.
Although the territory is not large, because it is an island, it is very convenient to obtain supplies and to suppress indigenous rebellions.
Similarly, the Ming Empire also had territory in Africa, but it was not on the African continent, but in Madagascar, which seemed to be independent of the world.
The emperor of the Ming Empire did not expect to use this large island to make money. It was used as an outpost to monitor the dynamics of the African continent in peacetime and as a springboard to attack the African continent in wartime.
Although there is no income, there are not many local subsidies.
The expenses of the navy and air force are fixed, and it would cost the same amount to station on another continent.
At least if you are stationed in a tropical island area, you can buy more seafood and meat with the same money, which can maintain the strong morale and combat effectiveness of the troops.
Compared with its important strategic location, this move is undoubtedly very cost-effective.
In contrast, Louis XIV is a typical unlucky child.
Half of the desert is allocated, and the other half does not have much oil!
Half of the rainforest was allocated, and people were sent to keep an eye on the remnants of the British and Spanish troops that fled to the Congo.
Another part of the garrison had to keep an eye on the thousands of tribes, large and small, in the Gulf of Guinea.
If you don't keep a close eye on people, a tribal melee can break out, and the original battle scenes can be interesting.
Many tribes have irreconcilable feuds, and intermarriage cannot resolve the hatred accumulated over time between the two parties.
There are those who commit murder, those who are addicted to stealing, and those who seize land without limits. There are all kinds of people, and there are plenty of them.
After stealing cattle, it is not uncommon to have a tooth beating ceremony that night.
By the time the real owner came to the door, all that was left of the cow was a pile of bones.
Do you want to be awesome? I won't give you my life!
Claiming compensation is just a daydream, the worst thing is to start doing it!
Is it a small matter if a cow is stolen?
The number of cattle is a reflection of a tribe's financial strength. Losing the cattle means losing face.
It is necessary to make up for it, because it is very common in West Africa for a cow to die and a lot of people to die.
The so-called rules depend on the character of the tribal chief. Only those with good character can win the respect of the other party and abide by the rules.
On the contrary, blindly tolerating is to condone the enemy. It is more cost-effective to directly mobilize the tribal warriors to take action!
It's okay for tribe A and tribe B to fight each other. The problem is that tribe A fights tribe B, and tribe B fights tribe A and tribe C.
Tribe C couldn't defeat Tribe B, so they invited tribe D, their in-laws, to join the war. Tribe D and Tribe E still had an unsettled score.
And this is just the "interpersonal relationships" in a certain area. If you include the entire Gulf of Guinea coast, the tribal relationship diagram will become a big ball of yarn!
Therefore, the local love and hatred are almost intertwined. The inability to reconcile is a true portrayal, not a deliberate exaggeration.
If it were not possible to tell each other apart after dark, all members of some tribes would die collectively on a dark and windy night...
French West Africa is either a large area of desert or a large area of rain forest, and there is not much area suitable for farming.
If Nigeria were not rich in oil, France's development efforts there would even be inferior to East Africa under Ottoman rule...
Pingmin's unwillingness to go does not mean that the military does not like it, especially the French Navy's African Fleet, whose main anchorages are located on the north and east coast of the Gulf of Guinea.
Because the local seafood is abundant, sailors can realize their dream of filling the table with seafood with very little money, which is unimaginable in the mainland.
It doesn't matter if there is a lack of women, local indigenous women can be used to solve the urgent need. If the mixed-race child born is a boy, he can just join the army to protect the security of the territory.
To this day, in addition to the French Navy, which can be stationed on a rotational basis, about 80% of the soldiers in the French Air Force and the French Army, especially the latter, in the local garrisons in West Africa are of mixed race.
Although he is a mixed-race soldier with darker skin, because his father is a white French man, he can automatically obtain French nationality and join the French army, and his life is very secure.
He was able to escape poverty, eat fish and meat every day, and receive a monthly salary. The army also provided food, shelter, and clothing. He managed the local indigenous people as a superior, so he was extremely loyal to France.
His Majesty the European Emperor also allowed his soldiers to do this, because the French who were willing to settle in overseas territories really could not compare with the Ming Empire.
If they are forced to relocate, some people will shamelessly run to the Palace of Versailles and cry, saying that His Majesty the Emperor no longer loves them, and His Majesty the Emperor of Europe must not get angry easily...
In desperation, Louis XIV could only resort to the method of having a mixed race. On the contrary, polygamy had already been allowed, so it did not matter if the wives of French officers and soldiers had black women.
Mixed-race people can at least closely connect the French mainland with overseas territories, which is much safer than simply hiring local blacks as soldiers.
The reason why Louis XIV was worried about black people was that the cultural level of most black people was very limited, and it was difficult for them to get together to hold a small meeting, let alone rebel.
The white people are different, especially the British, Spanish, and Portuguese people in the mainland. To this day, it is difficult to determine whether they have completely surrendered.
The French army has a very limited number of recruits for these three categories of whites. Even those whose fathers were German mercenaries can enjoy priority in admissions.
On the surface, Louis XIV said that he would treat all people equally and treat people from all over the country kindly, but in fact he was highly vigilant against the three types of white people, for fear of a fire in the backyard.
Treating them is the same as dealing with the Jews. They can engage in all walks of life, but if they want to join the army, the review process must be more rigorous...
Louis XIV would pursue this strategy until the entire Iberian Peninsula was completely Frenchized.
"Frenchization" means accepting French culture, history, and language and giving up the original local culture, history, and language.
If the local people are not proud of France, are not loyal to His Majesty the European Emperor, and do not consider the interests of France, then the process of Frenchization will have to continue.
English, Spanish, and Portuguese can still be spoken, but the only official language must be French.
This comes from Colbert's suggestion - one country, one head of state, one voice!
This suggestion won the approval of Louis XIV because it could increase Zimin's cohesion and his control over the place!
Anyone who doesn’t agree with this strategy can go overseas.
Louis XIV authorized the local garrison to take immediate action if rebellion was discovered.
Since 1667, when France acquired more than half of the British Isles, rebellions, large and small, have occurred one after another, whether in the former British mainland or the former Spanish or Portuguese mainland.
In the past seventy years, there have been more than a thousand documented rebellions!
Especially after the Hundred Years War between Britain and France, the British were even more unwilling to surrender to the French King.
His own king was exiled to North America by the invaders, and the King of France became the emperor of Europe.
Such a stark contrast stung the hearts of the British even more, and rebellions occurred one after another.
In addition, local stone-throwing gangs were ready to move, and eventually the shameless action of siegeing the Palace of Versailles took place.
As a result, Louis XIV never involved France in the Qing invasion of Central Europe and later in the "Imperial War."
After France and the Netherlands exchanged territory, the headaches that caused Louis XIV could be left to William III to solve.
From this, the French territory can be further extended eastward until a better opportunity comes...
Before leaving, Louis XIV had already arranged all domestic affairs.
It can be said that when I temporarily go abroad for a visit, it will be difficult for some bad guys to attack me.
If the emperor is not at home and the generals are responsible for suppressing the rebellion, there is no need to report it immediately, and the attack will undoubtedly be more ruthless.
Some guys who bully the weak and fear the strong can only choose to temporarily cease their activities, otherwise after a bombardment, it is not certain whether they are dead or alive...
Louis XIV does not need to worry about his generals participating in the rebellion. If this is the case, it will evolve into the same situation as last time, where the emperor landed on the mainland with allied troops!
Whether it is better to be dead or to live and enjoy a quality life, I believe those generals will make wise choices.
There is only one way, and that is to kill the emperor in the middle of the road, and then start another rebellion, maybe it will succeed.
Louis XIV's basic travel route was to start from Paris, first take a train to Calais, then take a French Navy battleship to Fort Polo. After landing, he went to the capital via the Ming Empire's Northern Line Railway.
It can be said that the easiest way to attack is from Paris to Calais, and there will be few opportunities to intercept after that.
Entering the territory of the Ming Empire, Louis XIV and all members of the guard could board the armored train at the port.
There are stronghold protections along the railway line, and there are double insurances for telephone and telegraph lines, so it is not that easy to think of trouble.
Usually, Louis XIV agreed in advance with William III and Karl XI that they would take the train from Chateau Polo together to avoid being lonely on the road for half a month.
The heads of state could often visit the Ming Empire, partly because of their desire for elixirs, and partly because they could bring some of each other's local specialties and make a lot of money.
Using one million to buy goods can make a net profit of one million, which means that the expenses of the royal family will be covered before the next visit. Isn't this a good thing to have at your fingertips?
Of course, this all depends on the personal relationship between the heads of state and the emperor of the Ming Empire. Otherwise, sending others will not enjoy the ex-factory price.
In a sense, it is similar to the way tribal chiefs maintain relationships in West Africa.
You respect me and I respect you!
You don't respect me and I don't respect you!
If you dare to hit your nose and face, I will kill you!
