On the morning of February 24, the thirty-fourth year of Taiping.
The Guanhai Palace in the outer city of Xiyang Cape Huangzhuang, and the Huihai Palace specially used for large-scale banquets, are busy preparing for the grand banquet.
All persons on the official list of representatives participating in the peace talks received invitations to attend this large banquet.
Delegations from the court of the Ming Dynasty, delegations from the vassal states and imperial villages, as well as the main leaders of the craftsman team.
Members of the royal families of various Thai and Spanish countries, plenipotentiary ambassadors and deputy envoys of the mission, and all members of the mission who may participate in the negotiations.
There are also important generals from various countries such as Napoleon, Blücher, Kutuzov, Nelson, and Wellesley.
Due to the large number of participants and the complex composition, the banquet was not held in a palace in the inner city, but in a palace in the outer city.
Although the palaces in the inner city of Xiyang Cape are still palaces in nature, their construction and layout are basically based on the imperial palace in the capital.
In fact, it is the most serious and formal palace for handling government affairs and holding ceremonies.
As for the palaces in the outer city, they are similar to the palaces and manors around the capital. They were originally prepared for various entertainment activities.
In this Huihai Palace, the royal family also built the largest hall specifically for banquets.
Avoid placing the table directly on the square as before.
Early this morning, the guards and royal guards of the Imperial Palace set up a cordon around the palace, carefully checking the identities and invitations of all participants.
Many guests attending the meeting started arriving more than two hours in advance.
Because a banquet is not just a banquet, but an open and informal contact, an opportunity for everyone to get in touch with each other.
The representatives who came in advance must have their own ideas and want to communicate with others.
So before the banquet officially started, the hall was already bustling inside and outside.
Representatives from various countries gathered together in twos and threes, admiring the scenery inside and outside the palace, and discussing topics of concern to them.
France's Napoleon Bonaparte also arrived at the venue an hour early, but he seemed a little out of place.
Instead of chatting with others, he walked around the palace alone and finally stopped in front of a wall.
On that wall hangs a map of the entire universe, which is a world map made by the Ming Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty's native China is located in the center of the map, Taixi and Yinzhou are located on both sides of the map, and the Atlantic Ocean is divided into two halves.
The map that Napoleon often saw placed the Taixi style in the middle of the map, with Ming and Yinzhou on both sides.
Moreover, on the map of the Ming Dynasty, the boundary of the British and French Yinzhou colony only reached the east bank of the Mi River.
The area from the west bank of the Mi River to the Rocky Mountains was regarded as unclaimed land, with some colonial strongholds of the Ming Dynasty scattered throughout.
Nanyinzhou is similar. Both sides of the Yajiang River are also marked as terra nullius. Brazil's territory is limited to the eastern coastal area.
The phrase "Borderless Land" made Napoleon visibly stunned.
"Borderlands?"
Napoleon muttered the phrase under his breath, imagining what the concept actually meant.
That is not a true borderland, but an area where it is difficult for all parties to have absolute control.
Napoleon was lost in thought thinking about these things and stayed there for an unknown length of time.
Until a rather friendly oriental voice sounded beside me:
"Is this General Napoleon?"
Napoleon was obviously taken aback by this title. No one had ever called him that.
My surname is Bonaparte, so most people should call themselves General Bonaparte.
Napoleon turned around subconsciously and saw a young man from Ming Dynasty wearing the regular uniform of Prince Ming Dynasty.
Information about representatives from the Ming Dynasty flashed through his mind. There were two Ming princes participating in the peace talks.
Among them, Prince Dashi, the plenipotentiary, happened to be a fifteen-year-old boy.
Napoleon subconsciously answered and asked:
"I am Napoleon Bonaparte, may I ask who you are, His Highness the Prince of Dashi?"
When Zhu Jingyuan faced Napoleon, the most famous commander in the history of Western Europe, he felt quite emotional.
In the original history, he was now the emperor of the French, and Louis XVI's head had long gone.
Now he doesn't know what happened in his previous life, and he doesn't know if he can have the same achievements in the future.
Zhu Jingyuan was thinking about Napoleon and said to the general with a smile:
"It's me, the king. I came out to check on the situation before the banquet officially started, and found General Napoleon here looking at a map.
"I have heard about the general's deeds, so I came over to say hello. Did the general think of what happened on the battlefield?"
Napoleon listened to Zhu Jingyuan's question and felt a little uncomfortable in his heart when facing the eyes and smiles of the Ming prince and vassal prince.
This young prince gave him a very strange feeling.
The way he looked at him was completely different from other Ming officials. He didn't have the typical disgusted attitude towards barbarians.
Even though officials and diplomats may behave politely on the surface, discrimination and contempt are always revealed unconsciously.
The feeling is often so obvious that the Thai people are used to it.
But the young prince in front of him didn't feel that way at all.
He is obviously looking at himself with a relatively equal attitude, and even looks at him with some admiration and expectation...
It is already very strange for the Ming people to look at the Taixi people in this manner. The key is that the other party's identity is still a Ming prince.
His status in the world is equal to that of the King of France.
It is impossible for the king of France to use such an amiable attitude when facing him.
What's more, he and the Ming Prince were enemies not long ago, but now they have just begun peace talks.
This strange sense of intimacy made Napoleon feel no resistance and even made him inexplicably nervous.
Napoleon bowed slightly formally and continued to ask:
"I...I did think of some things from the past, but why did His Highness call me General Napoleon?
"You may not know that we Europeans put our surname at the end. My surname is actually Bonaparte."
Zhu Jingyuan suddenly realized that according to the rules in Taixi, only the title of the monarch, or family members with the same surname, would be addressed by their first names.
Before Napoleon became emperor, he had probably never heard the title General Napoleon before, so he was so surprised.
It was a habit in my previous life that I was used to hearing the name of Napoleon I, so I instinctively called him Napoleon.
Zhu Jingyuan pretended not to react and deliberately continued to ask:
"No, I remember that the King of France is called Louis XVI. Louis is not his surname, right?"
Napoleon continued to explain helplessly:
"The title of His Majesty the King is indeed a name, but ordinary people only do this among family members, but at the same time, they will not add generals."
Zhu Jingyuan nodded slightly and said:
"I understand. If I keep calling you Napoleon, will it make Louis XVI suspect that you have a tendency to rebel?"
Napoleon was immediately dumbfounded. What was going on in His Highness's train of thought:
"Probably not. The title of monarch must be followed by generation. Your Highness calling me this will only make His Majesty the King suspect that our relationship is special..."
Napoleon knew the Ming Dynasty well and knew that it was not a crime to be a male favorite in the Ming Dynasty, and it was very common.
Many nobles like to keep a handsome scholar boy. It is more convenient than taking a maid with them when they go out.
That is a custom passed down from the Han Dynasty, the same period of Rome. I heard that the Romans also liked to do that.
This made Napoleon feel inexplicably embarrassed again. Doesn't His Highness the Prince also have that kind of preference?
At this moment, Zhu Jingyuan took a few steps closer and lowered his voice and said:
"Have General Napoleon ever heard of a saying in the history of our country: "Princes and generals should rather have their own kind?"
Napoleon felt Zhu Jingyuan approaching and subconsciously wanted to retreat.
As a result, just after he lifted his legs, he was startled by these words and took two steps back.
Then he subconsciously widened his eyes and instinctively looked at Zhu Jingyuan with a fierce look, but he immediately covered it up well.
Zhu Jingyuan looked at Napoleon's reaction and already had a rough judgment in his mind.
This General Napoleon was indeed unwilling to become a general.
He must have read this sentence before, and may have thought about it more than once, otherwise he would not have such a big reaction.
This is a reaction to being told something off.
"The general is really not willing to live under others for a long time."
Zhu Jingyuan commented with a smile, and then threw out another classic quotation:
"General, have you ever heard of another saying in the history of our country: "The emperor is the one who has strong soldiers and horses." "
Zhu Jingyuan made no secret of his purpose and encouraged Napoleon's ambitions in almost vernacular terms.
Zhu Jingyuan understood that facing a person like Napoleon, there was no need to be secretive, and covering up would be of little use.
He can definitely weigh the pros and cons and make a decision that is beneficial to himself.
Should we seek help from Ming Dynasty, should we rely on Ming Dynasty’s power, and how should we use it?
The best way to deal with this kind of people is Yong Yangmou. You may not be able to outsmart them when playing tricks.
Napoleon's expression became extremely serious. He looked around carefully and found that there were no other guests around.
There were several Ming navy guards scattered not far away. They were obviously brought here by Zhu Jingyuan to protect his safety and control the situation.
Napoleon returned to the map again and asked directly without covering up:
"Your Majesty the King of Food, do you think there is anywhere in this world where we can have strong soldiers and horses, but are not firmly grasped by the kings?"
Zhu Jingyuan said directly:
"Can't General Napoleon still see it? If he really can't see it, then I will be very disappointed."
Napoleon said a few words with a straight face:
"British and French Yinzhou Colony."
Zhu Jingyuan turned and looked at the map on the wall:
"The British and French Yinzhou colonies had millions of square kilometers of fertile land.
"Nearly 50 million immigrants and descendants from Thailand are treated as second-class citizens by their mother countries.
"The Great Lakes region and around the Appalachian Mountains were rich in coal and iron resources, enough to support a new Roman Empire."
Napoleon asked with a serious expression:
"Your Highness will not only support me, just like you support all European countries competing for the title of Rome..."
Zhu Jingyuan nodded decisively and said:
"My king will support all idealists, including kings Louis XVI and George III.
"If these two kings can agree to cede all the land west of the Honey River to the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty can promise permanent peace with Britain and France.
"And will permanently sever contact with General Napoleon, as if what happened today never happened.
"Accordingly, as long as Ming's strategic goals have not been achieved, Ming will continue to provide support to the general."
After Zhu Jingyuan finished speaking, he left the scene directly.
Zhu Jingyuan would not particularly care whether the verbal communication between the two parties would be leaked.
Leaking the news would do Napoleon no good, and it would do him no harm. It would put pressure on Britain and France.
The current Yinzhou colony is far more important to Britain and France than it was at the same time in history, and may even be more important than Tianzhu.
The resources of the Yinzhou colony are richer, the population of Taixi is larger, and the overall level of industrialization is also higher.
The gap between the development level and the British and French mainland is not too far. The key is that Yinzhou has very convenient communication with the British and French mainland.
The North Atlantic is a vacuum zone for the Ming Dynasty, and the routes between Yinzhou and Taixi will not be interfered by the Ming Dynasty.
On the other hand, the southern part of Tianzhu, which was surrounded by the Ming Dynasty, has probably been placed in a position that can be abandoned at any time.
The current British and French colonies in Beiyinzhou are almost equivalent to half of the United States in the late nineteenth century.
Britain and France each accounted for half of this, which is almost a quarter of the United States in the late nineteenth century.
Compared with Britain and France in history, Britain and France in this world have lost their regional colonies around the Great Ocean and Little Western Ocean, but their overall national strength may be stronger than in history. The key is the Yinzhou colony.
If Britain and France lost the Yinzhou colony, their overall national strength might drop by a quarter, not counting war losses.
If they knew that Ming Dynasty was going to support a genius general to rebel in the Yinzhou colony, the royal families and courts of the two countries would definitely not be able to sleep.
If Napoleon was successful and completely unified the Yinzhou colony of Britain and France, its strength should be equivalent to that of a weakened France.
For Ming Dynasty, this is equivalent to turning two enemies with a combat power of six into three enemies with a combat power of four. This is definitely a good thing.
With Napoleon's ability, once something happens in Yinzhou, it will quickly cause a stir, and then Britain and France will definitely send troops to suppress it.
Is this British-French cooperation? Go to Yinzhou to fight a Napoleonic war?
The French colonies were in the north and the British colonies were in the south, so it could also be the Civil War.
In this way, Prussia, which is native to Western Europe, will also take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble?
Ming Dynasty should secretly support Napoleon and openly support Britain and France, so that the two sides could fight as fiercely as possible in Yinzhou.
Let the war last as long as possible. It is best to completely destroy the British and French Yinzhou colonies. That would be the best result for the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, all of this is just Zhu Jingyuan's random conjecture, and these things may not actually happen.
Whether Napoleon would go to Yinzhou to rebel is still unknown.
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Chapter 106 Napoleon's Direction Free Reading.
