The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 387 Public Opinion
March 1737, 3, Chang'an, Louis Mansion (the French Embassy in Chang'an).

"...In the past few decades, our Great Qi Empire has always upheld the principle of equality and mutual assistance and maintained close and friendly relations with the Kingdom of France. When the Kingdom of France fell into extreme distress and was isolated and blockaded by the European countries, it was our Great Qi Empire that lent a hand and provided a large amount of loans and economic assistance for its domestic public construction and people's livelihood affairs, thus gradually helping it out of its predicament...."

"However, how did the Kingdom of France repay our Great Qi Empire? It frequently provoked our colonial territories overseas, instigated local natives to brutally massacre and kill our people, caused local unrest, and threatened the security of the empire. This behavior is outrageous and unacceptable. This is not something a civilized country can do. It is a naked atrocity, barbaric and shameless, and it is condemned by both humans and gods!"

"…The legal right to rule Sicily has long belonged to the Habsburg dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire, which has been unanimously recognized and acknowledged by all the European countries. …Based on the principle of political and economic mutual assistance, the Habsburg dynasty transferred the island to our Great Qi Empire at a reasonable price, which should be a normal diplomatic and economic affair between the two countries and should be respected by international justice. However, I never expected that the Kingdom of France would threaten the imperial government with its powerful fleet and insist on demanding that the empire withdraw from Sicily and hand it over to another country without compensation."

"…After the Empire rejected the impolite demands of the Kingdom of France, they continued to send thugs to infiltrate Sicily and stir up unrest on the island, causing hundreds of thousands of innocent people to fall into a huge disaster, becoming displaced, miserable and helpless."

"…On Saint-Domingue Island, our imperial envoy communicated and negotiated with the French colonial authorities with endless peace wishes, hoping that this molasses-filled island could achieve permanent peace and stability. However, the shameless French sent thugs to assassinate this brave and upright diplomatic envoy in the street, trampling the empire's peaceful wishes on the ground."

“…This is the civilization that the Kingdom of France claims to uphold, this is the peace that the Kingdom of France advocates, and this is the principle of foreign relations that the Kingdom of France upholds.”

"…We have reason to believe that the Kingdom of France is a warmonger with a 'fine tradition'. For a long time, they have constantly provoked incidents and launched wars in Europe and around the world. During the reign of King Louis XIV of France, this country attacked almost all countries on the European continent in order to satisfy their ambitious goal of dominating."

"...We all know the truth very well. The imperial government and the military have a lot of solid evidence from the Kingdom of France, which fully proves that this country is deeply hostile to the empire. Yes, they are brewing a war against the empire. They are trying to seize the empire's overseas colonies. They want to turn countless people who are bathing in the light of freedom of the empire into slaves crawling at the feet of their king."

"…Our Great Qi Empire is a peace-loving and equality-loving country. We treat every country sincerely and friendly, and enthusiastically help and support every vulnerable nation. If some countries regard our long-standing goodwill and humility as weakness and continue to press forward and make inroads, then our Great Qi Empire will give the most severe counterattack!"

"…The world is just and righteous. Right and wrong will be judged by justice. Facing the willful provocation and continuous military threats from the Kingdom of France, our Great Qi Empire will not back down, nor will it tolerate endlessly. Since the Kingdom of France wants a war, then let it be! We in the Great Qi Empire expect peace and cherish it very much, but when we are subjected to unwarranted humiliation and threats, we will face them bravely. We firmly believe that all peace-loving countries in the world will support our just actions."

"...When the war is about to come, our Great Qi Empire has made all preparations!"

After reading the headline editorial in the Empire Times in his hand, Isaiah Cordinier, secretary of the French Embassy in Chang'an, looked carefully at the French ambassador Count Mathias de Corot, who had a very serious expression opposite him. He was worried and subconsciously clenched the newspaper full of swords and shadows with both hands.

Last year, there was a period of time when public opinion in Qi widely reported and publicized the conflict between Qi and France, including the naval confrontation between Qi and France that broke out due to the Sicily crisis, the brief exchange of fire, the noisy border conflict in Chenzhou, and the accidental attack and death of Qi's envoys on Cape France (now Cape Haitien) on Saint-Domingue Island. Finally, Qi sent troops to clear out the "pirates" on Bourbon Island, causing the relationship between Qi and France to take a sharp turn for the worse. The people of Qi also developed a strong dissatisfaction with France in this wave of public opinion propaganda, and constantly clamored and called on the government to declare war on France in order to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the empire.

Later, with the convening of the World Science Congress and the occurrence of two hot current events, the strike and rally of coal miners in Yingzhou, the coverage of the conflict between Qi and France gradually subsided, giving the nervous French Embassy in Chang'an a temporary sigh of relief.

To be honest, any diplomat who has lived and worked in Qi would never have the idea of ​​going to war with Qi, because they were all shocked (afraid) by Qi's strong industrial manufacturing capabilities and the wealth of its people.

This country is worthy of being the world's number one superpower. It has huge cities and countless factories. The coastal ports are always filled with merchant ships waiting to be loaded with goods. The criss-crossing railways and roads transport huge amounts of goods from the factories to the cities and ports.

Some people say that Qi is the world's factory, and the goods and commodities it produces can be supplied to all countries in the world.

Everyone agrees with this after visiting and touring the large-scale factories in Qi.

It is best not to provoke such a powerful country unless it is absolutely necessary.

Ten years ago, the Kingdom of England attempted to challenge Qi's maritime hegemony and trade dominance, and launched a war with Qi beyond its capabilities.

The war lasted for more than three years, and everyone saw the fate of the Kingdom of England. Most of its navy was destroyed, trade shrank by 80%, countless merchant ships were sunk and captured, and finally even the Irish colonial territory that was so close to it was lost. It can be said that the Kingdom of England suffered a bloody defeat.

Worse still, the Russian Empire dispatched an army of more than 35,000 troops to brazenly invade the Caucasus territory of the Safavid Empire of Persia. As a result, it was defeated by the 20,000-strong Ziporić-Polish coalition force. Not only did it lose a large number of troops and combat supplies, but even the large tracts of territory that had been plundered by Tsar Peter the Great were seized by the enemy. It was almost completely driven out of the Caucasus.

The country has the largest naval fleet in the world and can project its military power anywhere in the world.

Needless to say, the Qi people also owned several stable colonial territories in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Once war broke out, they could use these strongholds to continuously deploy their military forces and then launch attacks on France.

Yes, as a French envoy who was well versed in the internal affairs of Qi, Count Colo was even more unwilling to see a military conflict between France and Qi.

Because, just like the annoying English, the people of Qi will use their powerful naval force to wage an asymmetric war against you.

They would blockade French ports, attack French coastal towns, isolate France's overseas colonies, and finally take advantage of the situation to seize those weakly defended overseas strongholds.

You may not be able to use your powerful force to cause serious damage to this enemy far away from the French mainland, but it can pose a fatal threat to France's security.

What is even more worrying is that the Qi people may have signed some kind of secret military alliance with the Dutch and Austrians, allowing Qi to launch military strikes against the French mainland from both land and sea. It is not surprising to receive this news, because the United Provinces is not a country that can keep secrets, and their merchants can sell any information.

A few months ago, when the first Austrian Habsburg ambassador to Qi arrived in Chang'an, Qi gave him a very high-level reception. The Deputy Prime Minister of the Cabinet personally went to the train station to greet him and delivered a warm welcome speech at the station.

When the Austrian envoy presented his credentials to the Emperor of Qi, a grand ceremony was held in Taichu Palace and a royal dinner was specially organized to show the high regard for the guest, which aroused the jealousy of envoys from various countries stationed in Chang'an.

In addition, according to news from Paris, the ongoing peace talks between France and Austria were suddenly stopped by the Austrians. Charles VI, who was ready to make major concessions to France on the issue of the Duchy of Lorraine, also became tough and demanded that all French troops must withdraw from Lorraine to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of His Royal Highness Duke Franz Stephen. Looking back, looking at this current affairs commentary on the relationship between France and France in the newspaper, the French could not help but feel a little frightened.

"...Bring the newspaper here." Count Colo picked up a pair of glasses from the small table next to him, put them on his nose, then reached out to take the newspaper from the secretary and read it carefully.

Count Colo had served as the Chinese ambassador to Qi for seven years, during which time he hired a professional Chinese teacher to teach him Chinese.

After several years of study and constant communication with the Qi people, he was able to speak fluent Chinese. As for reading books and newspapers, although he could not recognize all the Chinese characters, he could roughly understand the basic meaning of the article by connecting the upper and lower paragraphs and understanding the meaning of the text.

"Oh, warmongers?" Count Colo sneered as he read. "What about the Kingdom of France wanting a war...' and our 'continuous military threats against Qi...'? We have to admit that the Qi people's ability to manipulate public opinion and distort the truth is the best in the world, and their shamelessness is second to none among all civilized countries!"

"..." Cordinier looked at the angry ambassador and wanted to say something to comfort him, but when the words came to his lips, they felt so pale and powerless, as if they were meaningless.

Since this current affairs commentary could appear in such an influential newspaper, it must be in line with the intention of the Qi authorities to once again start smearing the Kingdom of France, while also inciting anti-French sentiment among the people of Qi.

"When the war is about to come, our Great Qi Empire has made all preparations!"

They seemed, no, they were very sure that Qi was preparing to launch a war against our Kingdom of France.

It can be imagined that with such overwhelming domestic public opinion and such propaganda, their arrangements in many areas such as diplomacy and military affairs must be about to be completed, and the process of war has begun.

Having lived and worked in Qi for nearly five years, Cordinier had fallen in love with this country deep in his heart and was extremely reluctant to see a war break out between Qi and France.

When you first arrive in Qi, the first thing you will see is the criss-crossing railways and the tall and magnificent buildings in the city. Every rail, every building, and every chimney seems to be a symbol of strength and craftsmanship, embodying the pride and glory of this country.

There are many shops on both sides of the city streets, with a wide variety of goods. Walking in the bustling city, you can hear the enthusiastic calls of the vendors and smell the fragrance of tea wafting from afar.

Leave the bustling city and step into the boundless wilderness. Here, ancient trees are towering, green shades are like canopies, and between the lakes and mountains, there are occasional cruise ships passing by leisurely, with melodious piano music on the boats and beautiful girls dancing, resonating in harmony with nature.

The grand banquet organized by the people of Qi made people appreciate the style of a great country. Whether it was their imperial palace or the mansions of aristocratic merchants, the splendor and elegance complemented each other, which was a feast for the eyes.

In the grand and majestic theater, the oriental classic dramas performed one after another enchanted the audience. The actors and dancers dressed in gorgeous costumes danced to the music, making everyone immersed in this wonderful audio-visual feast.

The universities in Qi State are home to countless wise scholars and passionate students. They soar in the endless ocean of cutting-edge science and lead mankind to move forward.

When night falls, the whole city will take on a different look. Strolling on the cobblestone road amid the brilliant lights, you can feel the sleepless charm of this city. The sound of bells from afar is melodious and deep, accompanied by the cool breeze at night, which will make people feel extremely peaceful and happy.

It is full of light, freedom and rationality. It is simply a perfect country.

Mr. Voltaire had a very high overall evaluation of Qi. He believed that Qi's political system was not only much superior to that of the Kingdom of France, but also surpassed England, which is known as the holy land of democracy and freedom in Europe. It should be the most perfect form of government in the world.

Voltaire believed that Qi had a respected and wealthy emperor who loved his country and his people and was willing to take on his responsibilities. He used his supreme power to strive to develop and promote national progress, but had no intention of doing evil or acting recklessly.

As the head of a free, powerful, industrially advanced and business-savvy country, the Emperor of Qi was loved and supported by countless citizens.

Voltaire particularly emphasized the checks and balances mechanism in Qi's political system. On one side was the cabinet government, and on the other side was the sacred royal family, which enjoyed separate powers from each other. This mechanism effectively prevented the emergence of autocracy, thereby avoiding abuse of power and corruption and ensuring peace and prosperity of the country.

He pointed out that when the king is autocratic, it will cause unrest in the country, and only when the king is not autocratic can peace, prosperity and public happiness rule the country.

In addition, Voltaire also mentioned Qi's relatively complete legal system, emphasizing the importance of law and the principle of equality for all: "If a prince breaks the law, he shall be punished the same as the common people," which guarantees the freedom and rights of the people.

Voltaire believed that although England was the only country in the world that resisted the monarch and achieved the goal of restraining the monarch's power, its attention to the human rights and freedom of its citizens, as well as the social and people's livelihood, was far less than that of Qi.

Voltaire's comprehensive evaluation of Qi was based on his high recognition and appreciation of Qi's political system, legal system and social freedom.

His evaluation was not only an affirmation of Qi, but also an inspiration to France and other countries, attempting to promote political system reform and enlightenment across Europe.

Now, such a country that is admired and longed for by people all over the world is going to launch a war against France, which makes Cordinier deeply shocked and... confused.

Could it be that our Kingdom of France has indeed committed an unforgivable crime against the State of Qi?
(End of this chapter)