On April 20, the 34th year of the Taiping Period of the Ming Dynasty, the Wenhua Hall of the Western Cape Palace was visited.
The main representatives of the Ming Dynasty and the Anti-Ming Alliance gathered together again to officially start the second stage of negotiations: negotiations on matters related to the Lucia battlefield.
The pattern of the talks changed again, and the number of anti-Ming alliance countries changed from ten to nine.
The Ottomans immediately withdrew.
The representative of the Ottomans, Grand Vizier Zayadin, wanted to see how the Taishi people negotiated with the Ming Dynasty, but dealing with the complicated domestic affairs was the business, so he directly set sail back with the delegation.
But Muhammad Ali turned to the Ming Dynasty and sat with Suleiman, the son of the Duke of Persia.
Behind a row of official representatives, it was originally an inconspicuous place, but representatives from various countries in Europe and the West couldn't help but look at him.
Ali sitting there meant the split of the anti-Ming alliance, which meant that he not only jumped ship, but also turned to the side of his opponents.
In fact, in the past few days, the Ming Dynasty's army has officially entered Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt.
The troops of the Anti-Ming Alliance had to withdraw completely.
At the same time, in the past month or so, the Ming Dynasty has continued to import weapons and equipment to Kazakhstan and the Khiva Khanate, dispatched military commanders and staff, and asked the two countries to build defense lines and fortifications on the Lucian border.
More than 100,000 Ming native troops were directly stationed on the northwest border of Persia.
At the same time, with the support of the Ming Dynasty, the three countries began to work hard to build the railway in the western region, and it is expected that it will soon be built to the border of Lucia.
Against this background, the atmosphere at today's meeting seemed quite depressing.
After Zhu Jingyuan announced that the talks had officially begun, he still asked Shen Fu to speak on behalf of Ming Dynasty first.
Shen Fu did not directly raise the "price of peace" to Lucia like last time, but first asked the question that Zhu Jingyuan had raised:
“According to Prince Dashi’s request, as the party who took the initiative to tear up the peace treaty, Lucia should make compensation for this.
"We demand that Lucia hand over all the land in the Lena River basin and the upper reaches of the Yenisey River."
Representative Lucia's expression was already gloomy, but it became even more gloomy upon hearing this request.
The place Shen Fu wanted didn't seem to be particularly large, and it was indeed not large in terms of area alone.
But these places are concentrated in the southern part of the Xianbei region (Siberia).
The valuable place in Lucia's Xianbei region is originally in the south, because the north is too bitter and cold.
What Shen Fu asked for was the most valuable land in the entire Central Xianbei (Central Siberia) region.
If these lands were directly handed over to the Ming Dynasty, it would not be much different from directly giving up the entire Zhongxianbei.
The key is that this is only compensation for Lucia tearing up the treaty, and there is no talk about the price of signing a peace treaty again.
Prince Nicholas looked at his companion, Wedemeyer, the chairman of the Lucia Empire Ministers Committee.
Wedemeyer stood up directly, with an expression as if he was ready to die:
"His Royal Highness the Food King, Shen Shaoqing, there is no need to dwell on this so-called compensation.
"You might as well be straightforward about what Lucia needs to pay for peace."
Shen Fu looked at Zhu Jingyuan, the situation seemed a bit unexpected.
Lucia's representative did not compromise, but seemed to be generous.
Zhu Jingyuan was somewhat prepared, and now he stated his request decisively and directly:
"With the Ural Mountains and the Ural River as the boundary, the east belongs to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty can promise permanent peace to Lucia."
Wedemeyer seemed to have expected it and did not make any answer after listening.
Then Prince Nicholas stood up, with the same expression of despair:
"Abandoning the east of the Urals will make our Romanov dynasty unsustainable. We will die no matter what, and we can only fight like a trapped beast."
Zhu Jingyuan and the representatives from Daming were a little surprised, but they didn't show any shock.
Zhu Jingyuan said without comment:
"Are you fighting among trapped beasts? What does it have to do with our Ming Dynasty?"
As soon as Zhu Jingyuan finished speaking, all the other Thai and Western representatives stood up:
"What if we all came together!"
“We all Europas stand with Lucians!”
"We Europeans will not be defeated by the Ming Dynasty one by one!"
"If Ming insists on this, then let the war continue!"
"We will fight together to the last man!"
Zhu Jingyuan and the representatives of Daming were really surprised at this moment, and they quickly understood the logic.
Zhu Jingyuan's pile of operations during this period continued to put pressure on Lucia, and once again the pressure on them from Daming was overwhelming.
Representatives from various countries in Europe and the West also realized the consequences of betraying their teammates because of Osman's departure from the alliance.
That is to say, oneself will also be defeated one by one.
In the end, all countries have to pay the highest price to achieve humiliating peace.
So they stood very firmly behind Lucia this time.
However, although Zhu Jingyuan was surprised, he was not panicked.
Although I didn't know what moves the Taixi people would have, I was already prepared for the worst.
At most, the war will continue to be delayed for a few years. It is not that Ming Dynasty cannot bear it now.
In particular, Ming Dynasty has now pulled Osman off the bus and directly obtained a large area of land next to the Qinhai Sea.
The coast of the Great Qin Sea, the two river basins and the Persian Gulf are completely connected.
The power of Ming Dynasty will no longer be restrained by the narrow environment of the Xihai Peninsula.
The war in the Great Qinhai Sea has basically ended, and the next step is to seize the coastal areas of North Africa.
Next, just grab Lucia and output it with all your strength.
So Zhu Jingyuan remained noncommittal:
"That is to say, if the Ming Dynasty insists on claiming all the land east of the Urals, then the European and Western countries decide to fight to the end with Lucia?"
This time it was the Prince of Wales who responded as a representative:
"Yes, we will fight alongside Lucia."
Zhu Jingyuan waved his hand indifferently:
"Then please go back to Taixi and prepare to fight. Don't waste time here and see your guests off."
Other representatives of the Ming Dynasty stood up one after another, really showing off their guests.
Daming’s reaction made the representatives from various countries in Thailand and Spain obviously stunned.
Then, after a brief period of astonishment, they slowly prepared to leave together under the reminder of representatives from Britain and France.
Zhu Jingyuan and representatives of Daming were watching quietly here.
Then after seeing them a few steps away, first the Prussian representatives slowed down, and then the Austrian representatives.
Next came the Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Finally the English and French also stopped.
Only the Lucian came to the door.
The representatives of the Thai and Western countries were a little broken inside.
Then they looked at the representatives of other countries who had stopped before them, with expressions of hatred on their faces.
The atmosphere at the scene was a little awkward for a while.
Zhu Jingyuan suddenly remembered an idiom: Fifty steps to laugh at a hundred steps.
This group of representatives obviously did not have the authority to abandon negotiations completely.
They must have discussed it and prepared to force Daming to make certain concessions through joint advancement and retreat in the negotiation field.
However, Zhu Jingyuan did not accept this trick at all.
The old emperor was worried that the war would be delayed too long and affect the Ming Dynasty's rule, but Zhu Jingyuan felt that the war would not last long.
The Ming Dynasty did not need to directly occupy much land in Lucia.
As long as vassals are established in Khiva and Kazakhstan and the front is pushed directly to the Urals, it will be difficult for Lucia to hold on for another year.
How long other countries in Europe and the West can persist is also a question.
In a battle in history, Lucia always persisted in the war, but she collapsed. After transforming, she continued to persist in the war, and then collapsed a second time.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire felt that it was in ruins, so it surrendered first, but then collapsed again after the surrender.
A civil uprising broke out in Germany, drove the emperor away, and then surrendered.
If you simply look at the battlefield maps at that time, when Germany and Austria-Hungary surrendered, the front lines of both countries were still abroad.
At that time, Germany occupied a large area of Lucia's land, and had even just signed a treaty with Lucia that gave it great advantages.
As a result, just a few months later, he also disappeared.
By the time of World War II, Free France continued to fight even though it was gone, and Germany finally resisted to the city of Berlin.
World War II and World War I were two completely different wars.
During World War I, the entire world was still dominated by princes and nobles.
At that time, noble groups in various countries still drove ordinary people to participate in wars.
Therefore, while the nobles participated in the war, they also needed to spend additional energy to maintain their rule.
When the continuous world wars consumed the strength of the nobles and made them unable to continue to maintain their rule, the domestic order collapsed on its own.
Of course, they suffered a huge defeat on the battlefield and had no choice but to surrender.
By World War II, the form of war had undergone fundamental changes. Nobility no longer drove citizens to go to war.
In a war in which the citizens themselves directly participate, they can fight until the very end.
Of course, if the people do not want war, they may surrender instantly, such as the French Republic.
Because France had fought to the end in World War I and lost a generation.
The current form of war between the Anti-Ming Alliance and the Ming Dynasty is similar to the First World War in the original time and space.
It is the nobles who drive ordinary people to fight, so maintaining domestic rule is very important.
Once power is exhausted, both war and rule may collapse.
Although Ming Dynasty still has some strength left, it cannot be said to be particularly easy.
Otherwise, the Ming royal family would not have started selling out their interests.
But it’s a little easier than in other countries in Thailand and the West.
As long as you persist, the enemy should collapse first.
The Ming Dynasty could watch the enemy collapse and only capture the real strategic targets without thinking about fully occupying the western continent.
That's why Zhu Jingyuan is so generous.
Of course, being able to defeat others without fighting is also a better result.
After all, Ming has its own time traveler, so it would be more beneficial for Ming to fight again twenty years later.
Zhu Jingyuan looked at the awkward representatives of the Thai and Western countries and said with a smile:
"What's wrong, everyone? Do you have anything else to say? Do you want to declare war again?"
Prussian Hardenberg smiled dryly and said:
"I think there are still things we can discuss and war is not the only way to solve the problem."
Prussia was the last to want to continue the war, so of course it was the first to speak.
Prince Nicholas of Lucia stood at the door of the hall, looked back at the people behind and scolded loudly:
"The Prussians are all cowards!"
At this time, French Foreign Minister Talleyrand also came out to dissuade:
“Whether it is outright making extreme concessions or continuing to fight the war, the empire could collapse.
“But if you make some concessions, you can get a few years of buffer time.
"Even if you want to fight until the last moment, it's better to have time to prepare!"
Prince Nicholas's face turned completely dark.
What Talleyrand said is indeed true.
Even if you want to fight Ming Dynasty desperately, the effect will be better if you hand over a few things now to delay the time and accumulate strength to fight again.
But now that you are not acting according to the plan, it is also true that you are directly betraying the truth on the spot.
Zhu Jingyuan still watched this scene quietly without speaking.
Shen Fu seemed a little impatient as he reminded and urged them:
"Everyone, do you still want to leave?"
Others looked at Lucia's two representatives with strange expressions.
Prince Nicholas still had a dark face and said nothing.
Wedemeyer had to speak:
"What will Lucia have to pay for twenty years of peace?"
Shen Fu looked at Zhu Jingyuan again, and representatives from various countries also turned their faces.
Zhu Jingyuan thought for a while and said:
"Central Xianbei was ceded to the Ming Dynasty, and Western Xianbei was listed as a demilitarized zone, and Lucia troops were not allowed to enter."
After receiving Zhu Jingyuan's formal response, all the representatives looked at Representative Lucia again, but both of them remained calm and silent.
Neither of them was sure whether the empire would be able to hold on after these conditions were brought back and implemented.
At the same time, Zhu Jingyuan thought about it again and said:
"But if you really want peace, I actually have two other options here."
Prince Nicholas of Lucia and Wedemeyer were both stunned, as if they had fallen into the water and grabbed the last straw, and looked at Zhu Jingyuan together.
Representatives from other Thai and Western countries also turned their faces, waiting for Zhu Jingyuan to speak.
Zhu Jingyuan explained his thoughts unhurriedly:
“The first option is to directly cede the Lena River Basin and Yenisey and the upper reaches as compensation.
“Then, the Xianbei region of Lucia was split off and used as a buffer state between the Ming Dynasty and Lucia.
“The country belongs to the Romanov family, and the monarch is appointed by the descendants of Emperor Paul, but the national system must fully adopt the Ming style and become a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.
“You can allocate those who are committed to the Ming Dynasty to this country, and keep those who are more nationalistic in Lucia back home.
"In this way, as far as the Romanov family is concerned, there should not be much actual loss, and the land they rule can become more stable.
"The Ming Dynasty can guarantee not to withdraw the vassal state, not to refuse favors, not to change its establishment, and to allow this vassal state to exist forever. The Romanov family promises never to merge the country's territory.
“The second option still requires the cession of the Lena River Basin and the upper reaches of the Yenisey River as compensation.
“Then, you Lucia as a whole surrender to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty can make an exception and give the leader of the Romanov family princely treatment.
“At the same time, Lucia must fully adopt the Ming system and pay one-tenth of its annual tax revenue to the Ming Dynasty as tribute.
"The area east of the Urals is classified as a demilitarized zone. Lucia is not allowed to deploy standing troops here, and the Ming Dynasty will not require troops to be stationed in Lucia.
"The Ming Dynasty also promised not to withdraw the vassal, refuse favors, or change the establishment."
Zhu Jingyuan said these two choices one after another, and the expressions of the representatives from the Thai and Western countries soon became more and more exciting.
Paying tribute to one's subjects is a Chinese style.
The division of territory is a Thai-Western style.
Both options appear to have some feasibility.
Although it seems very insulting, the actual damage to interests is not great.
For the traditional European aristocratic ruling class, it is not uncommon to merge or split the territories they rule.
It is not uncommon for certain parts of the land ruled by one's own family to belong to other superior monarchs at the same time.
The actual status is determined by the highest territory, and the rest is nothing more than tax issues.
The international status of Emperor Lucia was originally equivalent to that of Prince Ming.
After the whole body surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, he became the prince officially recognized by the Ming Dynasty, which was not a loss in status.
As for the one-tenth tax, it is equivalent to long-term war reparations.
The biggest problem is the comprehensive adoption of the Ming system, which is actually a comprehensive and thorough Ming reform.
In a state where nationalism is rapidly developing in Lucia, this can really be said to be extremely toxic.
Maybe half way through the reforms, Lucia would collapse on her own.
Therefore, although surrendering to the Ming Dynasty as a whole can maintain overall strength, it is obviously difficult to maintain.
Dividing the Xianbei region into vassals of the Ming Dynasty and dispersing people with different ideological tendencies in the two countries would indeed make the rule more stable.
However, after the division, the Ming Dynasty had great problems. It was obvious that it would quickly and comprehensively turn to the Ming Dynasty and become a real Ming vassal state.
At that time, it is not certain whether that part of the land can still be regarded as the territory of the Romanov family.
But no matter which option you choose, it is much better than directly ceding the east of the Urals.
It is even easier to accept than ceding Central Xianbei and listing West Xianbei as a demilitarized zone.
The outcome of the current war, which ends with paying tribute or dividing territory, can be considered a reasonable outcome for both sides.
But these things are issues that the Lucians themselves are considering.
The problem that the British and French considered was that no matter which method Lucia accepted, she would follow in the footsteps of the Ottomans and break away from the anti-Ming alliance.
After Lucia also left, the anti-Ming alliance was really completely destroyed.
The only boundary line between the European and Western countries and the Ming Dynasty is North Africa, with the Ming Dynasty vassal Egypt in the middle.
Ming Dynasty really always aims to tear down the alliance!
The Prussians and Austrians considered whether Lucia as a whole became a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, or the Xianbei region was divided into a buffer zone, there would be no pressure on the east of Lucia itself.
Then you can come in with all your strength to deal with yourself!
It is impossible for me to become an ally of Ming Dynasty!
The question that Ali of Egypt considered was that if the Ottoman Grand Vizier was still there...
When the Grand Vizier found out that Ming Dynasty might reconcile with Lucia, what would he think of the peace treaty signed before and the land handed over?
Will the Ming Dynasty support Lucia in turn and let Lucia invade Ottoman European lands?
Sure enough, as long as Daming's promise is not on paper, you can't believe a word of it!
