The French mission headed by Charles only stayed in Changdao for one night after paying a special visit to Liu Daozhi.
The next morning, the group immediately took a ferry to the opposite island of Manhattan, New York.
Bridges connecting Manhattan to Long Island, and bridges between Manhattan Island and the mainland, are still under construction.
Both bridges are designed as a road bridge and a railway bridge combined into one. Of course, the two bridges are also directly connected to the railway and highway. These two roads cross the top of Manhattan Island.
The two bridges can even be regarded as one bridge to a certain extent. The combined length of the two bridges on the river is longer than the length of the roads and railroads on the island of Manhattan.
Because the end point of these two railways is not in Manhattan, but the Lin County Terminal on Long Island.
The location of the bridge between Long Island and Manhattan Island is almost the location of the historical Brooklyn Bridge.
After the railway line and highway line entered Long Island, they were divided into east and west branches.
The West Branch extends southwestward into New York Bay and connects to Linn County's main port.
The East Branch continues to extend eastward, into the interior of Long Island, and completely runs through the two axes of the entire Long Island.
Mainly because the war has just ended, Britain and France are carrying out large-scale population transfers, and labor costs are the cheapest.
Therefore, a railway and highway network running through the entire island was quickly built.
Next to the construction site for the bridge between Long Island and Manhattan is the original traditional ferry terminal.
The French delegation headed by Charles took a ferry from here to Manhattan across the street.
Along the way, we were observing the passing ships and the conditions of the people on board.
Manhattan Island also experienced war, but the situation looked good, even better than Norfolk, which had not experienced war.
The people you can see now are basically construction workers or other hired workers.
Work on construction sites, transfer supplies on the water, and move supplies on the docks.
It's almost impossible to see anyone idle.
At the same time, although the wages paid by manufacturers in Daming are much lower than those in mainland Daming, they are still relatively high for local workers.
With reasonable wages, workers work harder and are less lethargic.
The battle in Manhattan was not intense to begin with, and it ended relatively early and lasted a short time.
Next to it is Ming Dynasty's Changdao, so both sides were relatively restrained during the battle and were not very destructive.
After the battle, the British moved the population from here to the south, and the French filled the population from the interior.
Norfolk was originally a small city, but now it is a transfer station for the British transfer population. There is no room for the transferred people, and it is impossible for the temporary transfer population to build long-term housing.
Manhattan was originally a big city, but now it is the terminal point for French population transfer. The population imported from France cannot catch up with the original total city population, and there are ready-made houses to live in when they arrive.
So there are no chaotic shantytowns in Manhattan.
Charles followed the railroad and highway construction sites to City Hall at the top of Manhattan Island.
The bureaucratic team that takes over Manhattan, New York, and the northern United States is currently in Manhattan's City Hall.
When Charles, the Crown Prince and Governor-General of Canada, came over, the main officials were all ready to welcome him at the City Hall.
The French officials were a little surprised by Charles' habitual gorgeous dress, but they were not too surprised.
I was just thinking secretly in my mind whether to change New York to New Normandy and use the feminine affix.
New York is actually New York, named after the Duke of York, the second son of the King of England.
This is now the capital of French Canada, and the name really should be changed.
Just like when the British changed "New Amsterdam" to "New York".
Charles's first title after his birth was that of Duke of Normandy.
It seemed appropriate to name the land acquired from the English after Normandy.
If Normandie is used as a city name, it seems that it can be regarded as a feminine word and does not need to be specially changed.
No matter what these officials think is appropriate, changing the name seems to be urgent.
The atmosphere at the meeting was quite harmonious. Charles briefly asked about some situations and said a lot of encouraging words.
Then the French mission headed by Charles temporarily settled in Manhattan.
The next morning, colonial officials came to Charles to ask if they wanted to change New York's name.
He also placed a piece of paper with "New Normandy" written on it in front of Ciel.
Charles had no reaction when he saw the word New Normandy. It was originally just a prefix added to the original Normandy.
The name of New York should indeed be changed, and there seems to be nothing inappropriate about using Normandy.
It was officially renamed New Normandy in New York (New York).
Charles stayed in New Normandy for most of the month to learn about the situation in French Canada and New Normandy.
The biggest problem in French Canada is probably the integration of ethnic groups.
Although Britain is migrating its population south, locals, including those in New York, may not be willing to leave.
So there is still a large English population in and around New Normandy.
The royal family and court officials in France were not prepared to force them away.
At present, we can only follow Zhu Jingyuan's original suggestion to migrate the French-speaking population from the inland areas that originally belonged to Canada.
Dilute or even suppress the English-speaking population with the French-speaking population.
It is conceivable that in the future French Canada South, the use of three languages for various documents will become the norm.
Ming Yayan, as well as French and British.
Because there are now a large number of Ming businessmen investing in the local area, and Ming Yayan is also a common intermediary language.
Shire has not changed the local situation. The current plans are basically stable and there is no need to make special changes.
While understanding the situation in French Canada, Charles also followed Zhu Jingyuan's suggestion and selected and organized a guard of 500 people here.
They will accompany them back to their homeland to carry out their own cleanup plans.
…………
Charlotte, Queen of the United States, also began to perform her duties in Richmond.
Spend half a day every day with the regent's uncle Frederick, listening to reports from the cabinet members headed by Monroe, or going to Congress to listen to meetings chaired by Jefferson.
Then sign and seal various new laws and bills, declaring them officially effective.
The remaining half of the day is for personal rest and entertainment.
From Charlotte's perspective, there wasn't much to do in Richmond except for the amusement city under construction.
The situation in Richmond was probably somewhere between New Normandy (New York) and Norfolk.
Richmond is not a coastal port, but a river port, and there is no need for a large number of immigrants from the sea to transit.
But Richmond's location on land was also very important, as it was also a place where immigrants from overland passed through.
Although there is no need to build a large number of shantytowns or a large number of stranded immigrants, there are always a large number of people passing through.
At the same time, much of Richmond's original urban area was destroyed during the war.
The entire city is now being rebuilt.
Fortunately, there was a relatively abundant labor force that migrated from the north.
Accordingly, the entire city is a large construction site, and there are no places for recreation and entertainment.
The environment in Richmond obviously disappointed Charlotte, who spent most of her time in the amusement city under construction.
The really busy people here in America were Monroe and Jefferson.
The two rebuilt the American court and parliamentary institutions and made them run normally.
Maintain order in the United States, take over and preside over the subsequent construction plans of the United States.
This is not something that can be accomplished in a short time.
Half a month later, Charlotte received news that it was time to return to London.
Although she is the Queen of the United States, she is also the only granddaughter of the King of England and the only daughter of the Prince Regent.
I haven’t been home for more than three years. Now I want to at least go home first and then consider whether to return to the United States.
As the king, Charlotte has recently signed a large number of documents and bills. Even if she leaves the United States for a period of time, it will not have much impact. After all, she has not yet taken charge of the government.
Charlotte was already a little disappointed with Richmond, and her anticipation of returning to London to see her grandfather and father became stronger.
It was a little regretful to give up the amusement park, but as she was still considered a child, she couldn't decide these things.
Charlotte followed her uncle and aunt, said goodbye to Monroe and Jefferson, and took the river boat to Norfolk.
They joined the British delegation headed by Grenville and took a large passenger ship to Dongyi Guolin County Pier.
Charles, along with Talleyrand and other French representatives, boarded the ocean liner.
At the same time, the Ming Dynasty's high-speed fleet has also completed its rest and once again accompanied the passenger ships representing the British and French representatives to go to sea for a visit to the western continent.
Just like when they came, the entire fleet maintained a speed of twenty knots and headed north along the coastline of Beiyinzhou.
After sailing more than 2,000 kilometers, we arrived at Xinfadi (Newfoundland) Island, where the passenger ship refueled and then crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
On June 15, the fourth year of Ankang in the Ming Dynasty, and July 27, 1809 in the Western calendar, the fleet arrived at Le Havre, a port in northern France.
The news of the end of the Yinzhou War has already spread throughout the middle and upper classes of France in the past half year.
News of the return of Crown Prince Charles and the visit of the Ming Dynasty fleet have also appeared frequently in various newspapers in the past month.
The nobles headed by King Louis XVI and his wife, as well as some officials headed by the Duke of Richelieu, had arrived in Le Havre from Paris in advance.
Therefore, when the fleet entered the port, the pier was filled with people and it was extremely lively.
Ming Dynasty's two "giant" battleships triggered continuous cheers and discussions.
The highest-ranking nobles, headed by King Louis XVI and his wife, and the highest-ranking officials, headed by the Duke of Richelieu, watched the warships getting closer and discussed at the places circled by the guards on the special pier.
Louis XVI's face was full of emotion:
“Looking at the photos in the newspaper, looking at the estimates on paper, there’s no real sense of it.
"When he really came to the scene, he could intuitively feel that the battleship could be so huge."
The situation of Ming Dynasty's two super battleships has long been sent to Taixi via telegrams and faxes.
The royal families and senior officials of various countries have already heard about it, and many have even received professional assessments from their own navies.
The result is: invincible.
Queen Marie Antoinette also said:
"Are those around us our battleships? I thought they were quite big before, like toys in front of them."
Louis XVI nodded instinctively, and then looked at Duke Richelieu beside him:
"Can France build such a large warship?"
Duke Richelieu responded with a complex and solemn expression:
"Your Majesty... if you simply want to build a ship of the same size, it should be possible.
“However, if we build a warship of the same size, it is basically impossible for its combat capabilities to reach the same level.
“The key is that with our financial situation, we cannot build too many warships of the same class on a large scale.
"And Ming Dynasty's plan is to have at least thirty-two ships. We are currently completely unable to compete with them."
Louis XVI immediately waved his hand and said:
"Armand, you misunderstood what I meant. I don't want to compete directly with Daming.
“I just hope that we in France can also have warships of the same size, and the number does not need to be too many.
“We only need a few, or even just one or two, as symbols of our navy and even our country.
“Then with this kind of super-standard warship, we can gain a more favorable position in the West.
"Do you think France's finances can afford to build a few of these warships?"
Duke Richelieu fell silent, thought carefully for a while and said:
"His Majesty's thinking is correct. If we have a warship of this size, we can stabilize our position in the West.
“We don’t need to build a large number, as long as we have warships of this size.
“As for financial pressure, of course there is.
“However, we already have a shipbuilding budget and can reduce the number of planned small-scale warships.
"With the gradual recovery of domestic industry and market, we should be able to afford to build three to four ships step by step."
Louis XVI nodded directly and gave the order subconsciously, but as soon as the words came out, he forcibly stopped them:
"Then make a plan when you get back... No, don't be in a hurry...
“When Charles comes back, we will discuss it with him and make a decision after actually visiting the Ming Dynasty’s warships.
"Ciel should know more about the situation..."
The Duke of Richelieu bowed slightly as he listened:
"Your will."
At the same time, among the crowd of nobles not far away, the Duke of Orleans and his son were also watching the Ming Dynasty's battleships and discussing.
The father and son seemed not to be in a good mood.
The Duke of Orleans said harshly:
"After the Ming Dynasty's warships, these sea fortresses like steel fortresses, appeared on the docks of France, those timid guys were even more afraid to move..."
Philippe, the eldest son of the Duke of Orleans, said dryly:
“The Ming Dynasty’s help to France, and Prince Dashi’s help to His Highness Charles, can really be regarded as their dedicated efforts.
“The Ming Dynasty court provided loans with normal interest rates, and Prince Dashi provided low-interest loans, which helped the royal family close the deficit.
“There is still a large amount of investment from Ming Dynasty in the market now, involving all walks of life and absorbing a large number of refugees.
"When refugees have a job, a source of income, and can live a normal life, they will not pursue violence to change reality."
The Duke of Orleans sneered:
"Help? How can that be considered help? It is just a means to control France.
“Da Ming’s capital has penetrated into every aspect of our French life and competes with us French people in all walks of life.
"This is usurping and seizing the interests that originally belong to us. We must find a way to stop this."
Philip asked subconsciously:
"How to stop it? His Majesty the King has obviously acquiesced. There is no way we can be enemies of the Ming Dynasty."
The Duke of Orleans looked at the approaching huge battleship with a straight face. After hesitating for a long time, he said:
"When you return to Paris, ask the Rothschilds to come see me."
(End of chapter)
