On the evening of the fourth day of the first lunar month of AD, Zhu Jingyuan once again held a large-scale banquet at the Zhoushan Military Port.
A banquet was held for the accompanying personnel participating in the ship review, including guests from the Ming Dynasty, overseas, and Thailand and the West, and more importantly, generals from all aspects of the navy, land and air force.
The atmosphere at the beginning of this banquet was still very harmonious and very smooth.
This is the banquet at the end of all the ceremonies in Zhu Jingyuan's enthronement hall.
However, when it came to the free activities, someone soon came to Zhu Jingyuan to report some unharmonious things.
The Prussians were the quickest to respond. They first asked for permission to meet Zhu Jingyuan.
William III and Gneisenau met with Zhu Jingyuan together, and then directly told their affairs:
"Your Majesty, we are very honored to be able to participate in His Majesty's coronation ceremony, as well as all military parades and ship reviews.
"I am very, very sad to say goodbye, but we cannot continue to waste His Majesty's time.
"Your Majesty governs the largest and most prosperous Ming Dynasty in the world. He is truly responsible for everything, and all time is very important.
“After this banquet is over, we will return to Europa.
"In order to avoid subsequent misunderstandings and troubles, I will report clearly to His Majesty Prussia's plans for the next period of time.
"I hope His Majesty can give permission or suggestions...
"After returning to Prussia, we will issue an ultimatum to Denmark and demand that Denmark be annexed to Prussia.
“If Denmark refuses, Prussia will directly declare war on it.
"Of course, if Ming Dynasty firmly objects, we will not carry out this operation..."
Zhu Jingyuan sat on the throne leisurely, not surprised at Prussia's intention to attack Denmark.
Dealing with Denmark is the natural choice for the Prussians...
Of course, it may also be Zhu Jingyuan's memory from his previous life that gave him this understanding.
It’s hard to say whether the current Danes themselves have this understanding.
Zhu Jingyuan was still a little curious, and with a bit of joking attitude, he asked suddenly:
"Are you going to attack Denmark first? I thought you were going to declare war directly on Austria..."
William III was obviously taken aback:
"This...this...we don't have this plan for the time being..."
Zhu Jingyuan asked with half a smile:
"Really not? Isn't your Prussian goal all along to unify the entire German region?
“Others may think you are just talking in vain, but I don’t think so, and you yourself probably don’t think so either.
"And this goal requires you to destroy Austria, because the opponent's core territory is the recognized German region..."
William III was immediately helpless.
I didn't expect Zhu Jingyuan to ask about these situations so directly.
Prussia's goal of destroying Austria and completely unifying Germany is now well known.
So there is no way to deny it now.
William III was silent for half a second, and tried his best to speak in words that would not let Zhu Jingyuan misunderstand:
“We do intend to completely defeat Austria and thereby completely unify the German regions of Austria.
"But that's not what we're going to do right now..."
Zhu Jingyuan waved his hand gently:
"It doesn't matter, I don't care about the war between you, but you all remember what I said.
“How you deal with countries outside the alliance is your own business.
“But countries within the alliance must follow the rules of the alliance.
"There are no clear rules in Ming Dynasty. You can handle and respond to it according to the actual situation.
“But if the Ming Dynasty has established rules, you must implement them in accordance with the established rules.
"Otherwise, Daming will not rule out the possibility of using any means to punish violators with any surname."
Zhu Jingyuan's tone of voice was not harsh, and his tone was quite natural and even relaxed.
But William III trembled subconsciously, almost losing his balance and retreating.
As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Jingyuan, as the person with the greatest power in the world, has just demonstrated these powers to the outside world through a military parade.
Now Zhu Jingyuan has erected the majesty of a very powerful ruler.
There is no so-called momentum in fantasy, nor is there any magical coercive energy that is as real as reality.
But as long as others think of his status and the things he has control over and can use, they will instinctively feel cower and panic.
Zhu Jingyuan's words contained warnings and threats.
Even the slightest threat can make William III, the monarch of a powerful European country, involuntarily feel panicked and short of breath.
Because the other party's power can really destroy itself easily.
After William III tried hard to stabilize his mood and posture, he bowed again very honestly and said:
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for reminding...Prussia must strictly abide by the rules of the alliance..."
After hearing this, Zhu Jingyuan waved his hand gently again:
"Well, I understand. If you have nothing else to do, just go back and do your work."
William III bowed again to express his resignation.
He hunched over and slowly took several steps back. When he reached the door of the lounge, he turned around cautiously.
Quickly walked out of Zhu Jingyuan's lounge.
Then he subconsciously touched his forehead, and sure enough, he was sweating profusely.
William III looked back again to confirm that he had left the door.
Then he let out a long breath, took out a handkerchief, wiped his forehead and hands, and quickly left the area.
After William III, Zhu Jingyuan once again met with the royal families of the Thai and Western countries, as well as the monarchs of the overseas vassal states of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Jingyuan casually chatted with them for a few words and accepted their personal thanks and farewells.
Emperor Nicholas of Lucia, like William III, stated his intention to seize all of Scandinavia.
Zhu Jingyuan was not surprised by this.
The Lucians wanted to obtain the warm coastline of their native land and made efforts in several directions throughout history.
The first one is northwest, towards the Baltic Sea and then continues westward, seizing the land of Finland and Sweden, and then running towards the Atlantic Ocean.
The second was to the southwest, to capture Constantinople and gain access to the Mediterranean.
The third was to the south, capturing Afghanistan and Persia and gaining access to the Indian Ocean.
The fourth is the far east, gaining access to the Pacific Ocean.
Zhu Jingyuan also reminded and warned them casually, just like William III, asking them to abide by the rules of the alliance, and then let him leave.
After that, the monarchs of other countries did not directly report any war plans.
It can now be seen that the two countries with the highest tendency to invade are Prussia and Lucia.
Now that there is no direct conflict between the two countries, it is obvious that they will separately implement their war plans against other countries.
Zhu Jingyuan looked at the kings of Denmark and Sweden without saying anything unnecessary.
They themselves do not seem to be aware of the direct danger, or they may not believe that there is any direct danger.
Perhaps in their opinion, Prussia must deal with Austria, and Lucia must want to seize Constantinople from the Ottomans.
He doesn't seem to be the most dangerous one.
Of course, it was also because Zhu Jingyuan had given them Ming's intentions the last time they met.
To obtain direct protection from the Ming Dynasty, one must become a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.
In the absence of a direct threat of war, it is difficult for the monarchs of these currently independent countries to make decisions of this level.
So they naturally delayed and observed.
This time, the family of King Louis Charles of France was second to last.
This meeting is a farewell meeting, so the closer the relationship is to the person, the more it has to be arranged later.
In fact, Zhu Jingyuan's personal relationship with the Prussians was not bad, but the Prussians seemed very anxious about everything they did now.
So Zhu Jingyuan simply asked them to come to meet him first.
Charles came to Zhu Jingyuan and bowed his hands to Zhu Jingyuan very respectfully:
"Your Majesty, thank you for your hospitality. Although I want to stay here for a longer time, I am also the king of France after all.
"The situation in Europe is too tense now, so after this banquet is over, I have to return to France as soon as possible."
When Zhu Jingyuan saw Charles leaving, he stood up from his seat and walked directly to Charles.
He patted Ciel lightly on the shoulder and said:
"Don't worry too much. I believe everyone knows our relationship. Even war madmen will not attack France easily."
Charles was startled by Zhu Jingyuan's actions.
Before Charles became the king, before Zhu Jingyuan became the emperor, the two could be regarded as rare noble friends.
Charles really regarded Zhu Jingyuan as a friend, so much so that he could sit on the same bed with Zhu Jingyuan and chat and joke without anyone noticing.
But now, Charles didn't dare to do that at all, and he didn't even dare to get too close to Zhu Jingyuan.
Zhu Jingyuan is now the emperor of Ming Dynasty. He is the most powerful person in the world and can easily decide the fate of France.
Ciel already instinctively did not dare to be too casual in front of him.
Now seeing Zhu Jingyuan's action, Charles breathed a long sigh of relief after panicking for a few seconds.
I feel that although Zhu Jingyuan is the Ming Emperor, he has not left his former best friend aside. The friendship between the two parties still exists.
Then there is no need to worry too much about the future of yourself and France.
However, Charles was still not too relaxed in his etiquette, and still expressed his gratitude to Zhu Jingyuan quite seriously:
"Thank you for your Majesty's support, which I and all of France will bear in mind."
Zhu Jingyuan nodded lightly, chatted with the Charles family for a while, and then let him go back to rest.
The person who arranged to meet at the end was the British.
Zhu Jingyuan has a normal relationship with other people in the UK, but Charlotte is his de facto princess, and his son is also the future king of England.
This de facto relationship is truly unparalleled.
In fact, Charlotte stayed with her child in Zhu Jingyuan's palace last night.
Today is just another meeting.
Zhu Zhuyu and his sister ran over to salute their father, and Zhu Jingyuan also hugged the two children with a smile.
Finally, he held Zhu Yuewei and looked at Charlotte:
"Are you leaving too? You are not the king now, and your child is still young. In fact, you can stay here for a few more years..."
Charlotte was also reluctant to leave:
"But I have to let my children learn to be kings, since Ming cannot understand the local situation in Britain.
"Although, even if Di Yu grew up in the Ming Dynasty, he would definitely be able to succeed to the throne normally.
“However, it is really difficult to say how much power a king who grew up in a foreign country will gain after he succeeds to the throne.
"This is probably the reason why the ministers and nobles of the Western and Eastern countries like to invite kings from abroad.
"Foreign kings don't understand the local situation, which makes it easier for them to seize power..."
Zhu Jingyuan nodded helplessly:
"I see……"
Zhu Jingyuan had a little chat with Charlotte, his daughter, their family, and his two children, and didn't let them leave until very late.
The banquet lasted until midnight, but Zhu Jingyuan went to bed at ten o'clock in the evening.
When he got up the next morning, Zhu Jingyuan once again accepted the formal farewells of all foreign guests in the main hall where the ceremony was held at the military port.
Zhu Jingyuan drove directly back to Yingtian Mansion and began to formally continue to perform his duties as Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
Representatives from the various countries in Thailand and the West, as well as representatives from the Ming Dynasty vassal states and overseas, also embarked on their way home one after another.
All the representatives from the Thai and Western countries came by boat when they came, but when they went back, some of them did not take the boat.
Including the monarchs and principal ministers of Prussia and Lucia.
They chose to take the Shenou Continental Bridge Railway to return to their homeland.
The external explanation is to visit the mainland of Ming Dynasty and experience the scenery inside the mainland.
The train is certainly not as comfortable as the boat ride.
Life on large passenger ships and battleships is actually not much different from that on land. It's like living in a large castle that you can't leave.
However, the width of train carriages is indeed limited.
Therefore, nobles and wealthy people are more willing to travel on large passenger ships if they are not pressed for time.
However, it is also an understandable excuse to visit the interior of the Ming Dynasty.
If you want to go to the interior of the mainland, you really can only take a train.
In addition, Prussia and Lucia were originally closer to the Ming Dynasty by land.
It takes a boat to go around most of the western continent.
So their choice didn't attract too many people's attention.
However, after the special car they took set off, the two monarchs and their main ministers gathered together.
Start discussing subsequent actual operational planning and coordination matters.
Gneisenau explained his thoughts in a restricted manner:
“It is indeed a feasible plan for the two His Majesties to take a train and return to the mainland early and immediately declare war on Denmark and Sweden.
“But my suggestion is that there is a possibility that needs to be considered.
“That’s because a small country like Denmark was on the verge of collapse, and after the entire territory collapsed rapidly, their king has not yet returned to the West.
"Then they may choose not to return to Taixi, but turn around and go back to Ming Dynasty.
“We can’t tell whether Ming Dynasty will take them in.
"Would it even be possible to send troops to help them regain their country on the condition of becoming a vassal state?
“Although this possibility is not very high, it is definitely not impossible.
"Sweden has the same situation, and we also have to consider the possibility that Lucia's army can take over the entire territory of Sweden in one go.
“According to the tactics we have recently studied, it is not impossible to occupy most of the territory in one month.
“So, we should be prepared for both.
“The first is to control the time well, and if the progress is too fast, control the speed a little.
“To ensure that the monarchs of the two countries can return normally, and at the same time quickly destroy the remaining forces after returning to their homeland.
"The second is to prepare the navy to intercept the ships of the two monarchs at sea."
