The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 343: The Qi People Joining in the Fun

"What do you Qi people want to gain from this crisis?"

The estate of Count Wojciech Szczesny, the civil affairs officer of Tanze, is located near a cliff by the sea, facing the vast Baltic Sea, with lush forests and rolling hills behind it.

Through the porch, there is an open cobblestone square, every corner of which is decorated with carefully trimmed shrubs and seasonal flowers. Occasionally, servants shuttle between them, dressed neatly and walking hurriedly. Along one side of the square, there are rows of exquisitely crafted statues, with different expressions, as if they are the unique pursuit of beauty by the owner of the manor.

The garden outside the manor is a carefully arranged natural maze, with winding paths leading visitors through flower beds, hedges and fountains, each of which is an independent landscape painting. The sculpture in the center of the fountain shines in the sun, and the water droplets are like jumping elves, jumping and dancing in the air.

As the sun sets, the golden afterglow shines on the roof of the manor, making the entire manor look magnificent.

French Minister to Poland Baron Aurelien Jean Armeny faced the gorgeous sunset in the sky, narrowed his eyes slightly, then exhaled a long breath, turned his head and looked at Qi Shengping, the Qi State Minister to Sweden, with a smile.

We in France support Stanislaw I because he is the father-in-law of our French King Louis XV. At the same time, we want to restore our relationship with Poland, our traditional ally, in order to balance the Austrian and Russian forces in Northern Europe and Eastern Europe.

The Swedes also supported Stanisław I, who wanted to re-establish their influence on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea and prevent the Russians from gaining power in Poland.

Spain echoed the actions of France and Sweden in an attempt to seize the Austrians' territories in Italy.

Prussia, Saxony, Austria, Russia and other countries got involved in the succession to the Polish throne out of geopolitical considerations. They did not want foreign forces to interfere in Poland and thus change or influence the political landscape of the entire region.

In addition, the above four countries may also take the opportunity to weaken Poland's strength and divide its territory.

So, what are you from Qi trying to achieve by coming here so eagerly to join in the fun?

"We in Qi have always been committed to promoting peace and stability in Europe and oppose any form of regional hegemony. We must also resolutely stop the unfair behavior of some big countries bullying the weak." Qi Shengping said solemnly: "As everyone knows, the Kingdom of Poland is a completely sovereign and independent country. It has the right to elect its own king and handle all internal affairs independently. No country should impose its will on the Polish people. Stanislaw I was formally elected by the Polish Parliament of Nobles and should have performed the duties and powers of the king normally, but he was strongly opposed by some countries, and they openly sent troops to try to overthrow his legal status. We in Qi believe that this is a kind of robbery behavior of brutally interfering in the politics of other countries. It should be strongly condemned and resolutely stopped."

After hearing the interpreter's retelling, Baron Armeni was stunned.

What do you mean?
Are you from Qi State going to maintain peace and stability in Europe and oppose any form of hegemony?
Please don't be so shameless, okay!
A few years ago, which country relied on its strength to bully the weak and launched a cross-sea expedition against England?
Which country invaded the Republic of Venice, which has a thousand-year history, and then ceded a large amount of territory to it?
Also, which country provided financial and military assistance to the Ottomans for decades, enabling them to launch continuous wars against the Catholic world in Europe?
Moreover, you vowed to safeguard Poland's sovereignty and right to self-determination, and opposed Russia's unauthorized military intervention to change the results of the Polish throne election. It all seems a bit fake!

Because of your close relationship with the Ottomans, it seems that the whole of Europe, except for the Austrians, only the Poles don't like you Qi people very much, and even formal diplomatic relations have not been established.

This also means that when it comes to issues involving Polish affairs, you, the Chinese Minister to Sweden, have to step in.

Therefore, the words of your Excellency, Minister, sound very fake and hypocritical.

"Mr. Minister, I think our conversation should be more frank." Baron Armeni stared straight into Qi Shengping's eyes and said seriously, "Just now, we exchanged our views on Polish affairs and reached a certain consensus. But in order to coordinate and unify the political statements and military actions to be issued next, we in France need to understand your country Qi's true attitude on Polish affairs to avoid unnecessary misjudgments and conflicts in the future."

"Mr. Baron, on behalf of Qi, I solemnly declare to you, France, that we Qi have no territorial claims on Poland, nor any excessive political demands. We sincerely hope that the Kingdom of Poland will restore the existing peace and stability, thereby providing a safe business environment for our Qi merchants to enjoy the prosperity and hope brought by free trade."

You people of Qi, do you just want to gain Poland's commercial interests?

Baron Armeni looked at the other party suspiciously, his mind working rapidly, as if he wanted to capture more useful information from the other party's words, and then get a glimpse of the true thoughts of the Qi people.

"Mr. Baron, in fact, on the issue of Poland, our Qi country and your country have a high degree of consistency in their views." Qi Shengping had already seen a manor steward coming over here. It was obvious that the host had prepared a sumptuous dinner and was ready to invite the guests to dine. Then he cut to the chase and ended this shrouded meeting. "Poland's independence must be guaranteed. No major country around it can have the idea of ​​dividing or controlling Poland because of its own ambitions, which would cause the situation in the entire region to lose its proper balance. We in Qi will fully understand and support your country's decision on the handling of Polish affairs. Even when your country needs it, we in Qi can further provide military support within our capacity."

Well, you French are determined to support Stanislaw I as the King of Poland in order to gain the diplomatic and military support of this country and balance the power of various countries in the region, especially to prevent the Austrians and Russians from extending their claws to the area and take the opportunity to expand their respective power. We strongly agree with the above-mentioned proposition of you French and are willing to follow your lead and act in coordination with you, and we can also provide necessary military support.

"We have huge commercial and political interests in the Mediterranean region. Therefore, we also hope to gain your full respect and understanding in France in terms of maintaining the security of necessary trade routes, combating piracy, and calming local conflicts."

Mediterranean?
Do you people of Qi want to exchange your support for France during the Polish succession crisis for the right to "free action" in the Mediterranean region?
You people of Qi are overthinking it!
Although we in France are actively involved in the succession to the Polish throne, we will not necessarily devote all our energy to Stanislaw I, nor will we exchange Poland's interests with your Qi for the freedom to act "wantonly" in the Mediterranean region.
-
July 7, Königsberg.

King Frederick William I of Prussia rode on a majestic warhorse, reviewing the army in front of him with great interest.

The sun shines through the sparse clouds, scattering mottled light on this vast field. Soldiers march in neat rows to the sound of drums and trumpets. Their uniforms are so bright. The dark green uniforms look very energetic in the sun. The dazzling silver buttons on the black pants are neatly arranged like a rigorous musical score. At the front of the team is a burly officer, with golden tassels hanging from the brim of his hat, swaying slightly in the wind. He holds his command knife high, continuously issues a series of military orders, and leads his soldiers to pay the highest respect to the king.

The soldiers wore pointed hats made of black velvet with red ribbons shining brightly in the sun. Everyone's face was slightly tanned, but they all showed determination and pride.

They were holding imitations of the Qi State's Type 15 muskets, also known as Potsdam muskets (produced in the Potsdam Arms Factory), with the black gun body reflecting a cold light in the sun. The muzzle was slightly tilted forward, showing a posture of being ready at any time.

As they took heavy steps, the metal spurs made a crisp sound when they hit the ground, which intertwined with the melodious echo of the bugle in the distance to form a majestic military song.

On the flank of the team, a flag bearer held high the flag of the Kingdom of Prussia, a black and white flag with a black eagle on it. The flag fluttered in the breeze, as if telling the endless glory and history of the Kingdom of Prussia.

"Your Majesty, are we really going to send troops?" General Florian von Rodel, Chief of the Prussian Army, asked the question that had been on his mind during a break in the King's inspection.

"Of course we have to send troops!" William I said with a smile, "Otherwise, we have prepared for a year, and it is not just for the pleasure of reviewing the troops."

"Your Majesty, Tanze is a tough nut to crack!" Admiral Rodel showed a look of embarrassment. "The Tanze defenders, mainly 4,000 Swedish troops, have turned the entire city into a solid fortress. According to intelligence from various sources, in order to hold on to this last piece of territory and wait for military support from France and Sweden, Stanislaw I mobilized almost all the people in the city for more than a month and dug several wide defensive trenches outside Tanze. At the same time, they also demolished many buildings in the city and used the stones and wood they obtained to further heighten and reinforce Tanze. If we rashly attack Tanze at the invitation of the Russians, it will definitely cause huge casualties."

"Who said we were going to follow the Russians and storm Tanze?"

"Your Majesty, if you want to force Tanze to surrender by besieging it, that's unlikely." Admiral Rodel shook his head and said, "Tanze is a seaport. As long as they can control a section of the dock, they can get a steady stream of material assistance from the outside world. ... We can't trap them to death."

"General Rodel, we are not actually going to attack Tanze," William I said. "We are going to attack Kościerzyna with our troops to gain a land route connecting East Prussia."

"Your Majesty, didn't Russia and Austria promise us control of Kościerzhna and thus a land route to East Prussia before the war?"

"If it hasn't fallen into our pockets, it doesn't belong to us yet." William I gently stroked the horse's mane with his left hand and said softly, "If Augustus III, after obtaining the Polish crown, refuses to recognize the conditions promised to us by Russia and Austria for the safety of Saxony and to curb the development and growth of our Kingdom of Prussia, how should we respond? Since everyone is begging us now, why not take this opportunity to take the benefits they promised first, and then decide our next military action based on the development of the situation? In this crisis of succession to the Polish throne, both the Austrians and the Russians are full of suspicion and calculation towards us Prussia. General Rodel, how many troops do you think can be recruited after a general military mobilization with Russia's huge population size?"

"Based on the size of Russia's population, they can at least recruit 400,000 to 500,000 troops after full military mobilization."

"Yes, an army of 500,000 is enough to scare any country." William I couldn't help but clench the whip tighter in his right hand. "But now they use the excuse that their distant eastern border areas have also been attacked by the Tatars, and they need to spare a considerable part of their troops to deal with the threat there, which has caused a serious shortage of their military forces in Poland. Do you believe this reason?"

“…” Admiral Rodel shook his head.

In fact, the Prussians really did something unfair to the Russians. They did encounter major challenges in all directions, and were in an awkward situation where they were unable to cope with everything.

Ten days ago, Marshal Pyotr Petrovich Lacy, commander-in-chief of the Russian army in Warsaw, received news from Moscow that the eastern border areas of the Russian Empire were under fierce attack by two groups of Tatars. Novokacchinsky Fort (now Krasnoyarsk) and Tomsk were captured. The entire Siberian Governorate was immediately plunged into a huge disaster and urgently needed emergency rescue from the imperial government.

When the Ottoman Empire in the south heard that the Russians had implemented a general military mobilization and sent more than 100,000 troops to the southern Russian steppes, it also mobilized a large number of troops to enter Moldavia and Crimea, and launched an armed confrontation with the Russian army. War was about to break out.

At the same time, the Kingdom of Sweden was constantly mobilizing troops to Finland, Karelia, Livonia and other regions to respond to Russia's sudden general military mobilization. The Swedish King Charles XII even went to Vyborg (which Sweden recaptured from Russia in 1730) to preside over the specific deployment of the army on the front line.

For a time, except for the north, the Russian Empire was in alarm almost everywhere, and there were enemies everywhere. This made the Russian government, which had originally wanted to continue to invest more troops in Poland, hesitate and temporarily suspended the mobilization of subsequent support troops.

As a result, the Russian troops that had entered Poland seemed somewhat insufficient, especially after controlling key Polish cities such as Warsaw, Poznan and Lodz. The mobile force available for attacking Tanze was only a mere three to five thousand troops, and was simply unable to capture it in one fell swoop.

Therefore, the Russian commander-in-chief, Marshal Lacy, not only urged Augustus III to transfer more Saxon troops to Poland, but also sent several envoys to meet with William I, requesting Prussia to dispatch a large army to cooperate with the Russian army to attack Tanze, so as to settle the mess in Poland as soon as possible.

It was obvious that William I was not willing to invest his precious military forces in the solid military fortress of Tanze for the benefit of the Russians.

"I heard that the Qi people are also very enthusiastic about intervening in the Polish succession crisis." William I said leisurely, "In addition to wanting to cause trouble for the Russians, they may also have the consideration of maintaining the balance of power in the region. Although we Prussians do not want to be pawns at their disposal, we cannot offend them completely. Therefore, it is a wise choice for us to avoid Tanze and instead grab what should belong to us."

(End of this chapter)