Qianlong: Qing Dynasty?What about my Daqing?

Chapter 201 France's Rhapsody of Domination

"Da Ming is not asking for your opinions, but telling the British that the choice of war or peace is in your hands!"

Chen Tingxuan said sharply.

"Our conditions are these. This is not a negotiation, but an announcement. If Britain does not agree to Da Ming's request, then what is waiting for you is not Da Ming's diplomats, but Da Ming's army and navy!"

Facing aggressive threats from Ming diplomats.

Richard Wellesley's face was extremely ugly.

Since Britain has seized the supremacy of the sea, which country in the world dares to talk to Britain like this?

However, facing the threat of Chen Tingxuan, Richard Wellesley did not have much confidence.

After all, just a few days ago, the British Eastern Intervention Fleet was completely defeated by the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Ming Empire.

On the east and west sides of the South Asian subcontinent, the Chinese now occupy an absolute advantage.

Chinese warships cruise the coast.

The Chinese gunboat rushed to the shipyard in Calcutta and almost destroyed the shipyard in Calcutta with artillery, completely cutting off the possible maritime ambitions of the British Indian colony.

If you want to deal with Ming's Indian Ocean Fleet, you can only get the support of the fleet from the mainland of Britain.

But that big defeat of the Eastern Fleet made Richard Wellesley realize it.

Even if all the gunboats of the British Empire were dispatched to the east coast of the South Asian subcontinent, they would definitely not be the opponent of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Ming Empire.

Because the era of sailing battleships is over.

The present ocean belongs to the age of the ironclad ship.

Britain's remaining naval power is no longer sufficient to project power in the direction of the Indian Ocean.

The only thing that makes Richard Wellesley feel lucky is that.

The voyage of ironclad ships is limited by fuel, unless the Ming Empire can establish a series of supply bases from Guangzhou Port to Malacca, the southern cape of the South Asian subcontinent, the Arabian Peninsula, the east coast of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope, the west coast of Africa, and even the coast of Western Europe. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for ironclad ships to appear in Europe and mainland Britain.

That means at least.

The Atlantic can still be controlled by Britain.

In addition, this also gave Britain time to build its own ironclad fleet.

Of course, wars in the age of ironclad ships are destined to be different from those in the era of sailing battleships.

Richard Wellesley tried to negotiate.Guarantee the interests of Britain in the Indian colony as much as possible.

But the request of the Ming Empire was not a negotiation at all, but an ultimatum of unconditional surrender.

The first is compensation.

This is actually negotiable, but the Ming Empire has insisted on a compensation of more than 1000 million pounds, which is an unacceptable price for Britain.

Britain's annual fiscal revenue is more than 3000 million pounds.

£1000 million in damages.

That would kill Britain, how could it be accepted?
With this 1000 million pounds, it is enough to organize local mercenaries in India to resist the attack of the Ming Empire.

So this claim for compensation is too unrealistic in Richard Wellesley's view.

The second is to cede land.

The lions of the Ming Empire opened their mouths wide, they wanted the entire Bengal estuary area!

Although the territory is not too large compared with the territory of the entire South Asian subcontinent and the British colony in India.

But this is the confluence of the Ganges River and the Brahmaputra River. It is a rare estuary delta area in the South Asian subcontinent. It is densely populated and has a developed economy. West, along the Brahmaputra River to expand to the northeast.

This is something that Britain cannot accept under any circumstances.

Compensation and land cession cannot be promised.

There is only one open trade that can be negotiated. After all, the east and west coasts are now controlled by the Ming Navy. Even if the Governor-General of Calcutta does not agree to open trade, the states under the British Indian Colony will buy from other Indian territories that have not surrendered to the Governor-General of British India. Bang smuggled goods from Ming Dynasty.

The Governor-General of the British Indian Colony did not actually achieve direct rule in India.

In India, the British also need to rely on compradors and submit to the British state to govern India indirectly.

For the Britons, the Britanization of India was not their goal.Their goal is to plunder the Indian states while controlling the cost of governance.

So although the scope of the British Indian colony is very large on the map, the territory that can be completely controlled is very small. When the British fleet can control the east coast of the South Asian subcontinent, this kind of rule with a low degree of control is nothing. But if it is necessary to go to war with another power now, it is actually difficult for the Governor-General of the British Indian Colony to get any effective support from the state that surrendered to them.

Even if the troops of the Ming Empire appear in India.

It is not certain whether those native states will honestly send rupees every year.

Facing Daming's aggressive demands.

Richard Wellesley said in a cold voice: "The request made by the Ming Empire is impossible to be granted. The Governor's Office of Calcutta has enough army power to defend Britain's interests in India!"

"Then there is nothing to say, let's meet on the battlefield!"

The person who said this was the commander of the coalition forces of the Ming and Indian princes, Gongsun Shiyi from the United Kingdom.

Sun Shiyi knew exactly what Emperor Zhu needed him to do in India.

The negotiations were only a means of delaying the time when the army was fully landed in the French Indian colony.

In fact, Sun Shiyi is very clear that what the emperor wants is to monopolize the interests of India.

He invested so much in the coalition army of the Ming and Indian princes, but he didn't just put this army in front of him.

The troops of the Indian vassals of the Ming Dynasty have been training for more than a year.

The soldiers are fine and well-fed, the guns are sharp, and the horses, infantry, and guns are all fully equipped, except that they do not have the most advanced rifled guns.

The weapons and equipment have reached the level of the Ming army two years ago.

Mutton-finned shells, mortars, flintlock guns.

Everything is available.

Raising such a large army is not a display.

Sun Shiyi himself is already in debt.

If you don't "take it from India" as soon as possible, then the repayment of the principal and interest of the first batch of loans will not be able to continue.

No matter what you have to fight.

So this negotiation is just for show.

The two sides soon broke up unhappy and began to prepare for the war separately.

The British Indian colony has just begun to spend a lot of money to recruit local mercenaries, while the Indian vassals of the Ming Dynasty seized the time to land in the former French colony.

The location is about a thousand miles south of the mouth of the Bengal River on the east coast of India. After completing the landing, assembly, and a period of adaptive training, the war against the British Indian colonies can be launched northward.

Just when both Ming and Britain were preparing for a war on the land of India.

The Eastern Mission of the French Republic is already preparing to sail from India, continue westward, and return to Europe.

Louis de Saint-Just and Napoleon stood on a battleship belonging to the French Indian colony, looking at the Indian coastline that was getting farther and farther away.

"The Chinese and the British are vying for the rich land of the South Asian subcontinent, but we can only withdraw from it." Louis de Saint-Just said with a sigh.

Napoleon smiled slightly and said: "For France, the European continent is the foundation. We are not the Ming Empire. The Ming Empire has a vast land and a population larger than that of Europe, so they can have both a large army and a large navy. .But not France!"

Napoleon turned his head and stared at Louis de Saint-Just and said: "France can only choose between the Continental Army and the Grand Navy. Either the Army or the Navy. And I think that France actually has no choice, we are the land A country in the world must have a strong army to defend the security of France!"

"What's more, what France is now facing may be the encirclement and suppression of feudal monarchs all over Europe. At this time, it is the most sensible to give up the interests of overseas colonies, especially in places that are too far away like India. In the era of ironclad ships, a fleet capable of crossing thousands of miles of oceans and intervening in the East gradually emerged."

"But we are very lucky. Naval battles in the age of ironclad ships are naturally conducive to defense, aren't they?" Louis de Saint-Just blinked and said.

"That's right, France only needs an offshore defense fleet that doesn't need to be too large in tonnage. In the age of ironclad ships, this is the most cost-effective approach." Napoleon looked at the coastline of India that was getting farther and farther away. There is a bit of ambition in it.

"France's core interests lie in continental Europe," Napoleon said.

"If France can own the German region, conquer the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Poland and Lithuania, it will be enough to dominate the Western Hemisphere."

"Is it just the Western Hemisphere? Marshal." Louis de Saint-Just asked strangely. He didn't really believe that France could do this, but even the whole of Western Europe belongs to France. Can't you imagine world hegemony?
"And what about Russia? This country is so big, maybe it is also a threat."

"Mr. Louis, dominating the western hemisphere is already a big deal, because the opponent to dominate the world is the Ming Empire. As for Russia... I think this country should be a buffer country between Ming and France, and the future world competition in the Old Continent may tend to be Gently, there will be buffer countries like Russia and the Ottoman Empire between Europe and China, and the place where the two sides will really fight... may be the New World."

said Napoleon.

"Well, maybe this is a beautiful fantasy. The first thing we need now is to ensure that the French Republic can survive. Our enemies are quite powerful." Louis de Saint-Just felt that the guy in front of him was simply too unreasonable. In reality, he changed the subject.

"And what about the subcontinent? Britons or Chinese, who will win here?"

"The Britons are lost, maybe they can win a battle or two, but they will lose the subcontinent in the end."

Napoleon shrugged.

(End of this chapter)