New Shun 1730

Sometimes, fate is so bizarre.

The plight of Britain and France in India actually stems from Britain and France themselves.

Britain and France frantically traded slaves, planted sugarcane, and made sugar in the Caribbean.

The Dutch had to increase their control over sugar in Southeast Asia, continue to lower the price of sugar, and use cheap labor in the East to try to hedge the Caribbean sugar. More and more Chinese were pulled into the Batavia sugar plantation, the lower and lower sugar purchase price accumulated the anger of the Chinese, and the narrower market brewed a huge crisis.

So, many years later, when Britain and France turned their attention to India, they were surprised to find that they had personally sent their most difficult opponent to Ceylon, which was only a narrow strait away from India.

Because of Britain's slave trade act and sugar tax law, and because of France's Haitian black law, 70,000 to 80,000 Han people took root firmly on the islands on the other side of the earth.

At this time, Dupleix, who was already drunk, complained and was left with only envy.

"If...if there are as many Han Chinese French people in India as you have in Ceylon, I don't even need so many, just one-fifth, I can drive out the British forces in South India..."

Du Feng only said: "This may not be a bad thing. This proves that you French people live a good life and are unwilling to leave your homeland to immigrate to other places. I heard that you have very few immigrants in North America...You have to know that if the Celestial Empire is only as far away from that fertile and uninhabited land as from the capital to Hainan, there will be tens of thousands of people going there to open up and cultivate. No one is willing to leave their homes. If life is good, there will not be so many people choosing to go to Southeast Asia."

"For the Celestial Empire, what the Celestial Empire envies most is the land of America. As for wealth, silk, cotton cloth, and products...that is not what the Celestial Empire likes. What the Celestial Empire likes is the blank, uncultivated virgin land."

The French education that started when he was in Jinghai Palace, and the process of dealing with the French in Ceylon over the years, allowed Du Feng to communicate with Dupleix in fluent French.

He continued Liu Yu's statement, advocating that Dashun's favorite land was blank arable land, and inadvertently revealed a certain envy of the French people who lived a good life without large-scale immigration.

Dupleix did not completely believe Du Feng's words, but he did not completely disbelieve them.

"I don't know what kind of decision your Chinese decision-makers have made. It seems that every step you take is like a response to the impact of European countries after passively bearing the impact. Whether it is going out to sea for trade or squeezing out the Dutch... But there is no doubt that you have taken advantage."

"In India, you chose the same policy as the British in Europe, trying to build a balance in India, and build a balance between us and the British and Indians."

"But now, this balance is about to be broken. Gordon is a fool, and he is not capable of taking over everything I left. The British attack will not stop."

"I hope you can tell your Xingguo Duke, or report to your emperor: once the balance in India is broken, the victorious British will definitely not stop their steps. Using India as a fulcrum, they will continue to invade your sphere of influence."

"They have learned a lot of my methods. They can learn my methods, but I can't learn their methods because I can't learn their government's support for them..."

Du Feng thought about what Liu Yu had said before, and reminded Dupleix without any tact.

"Duke Xingguo said that your enthusiasm for India is actually a mistake."

"Because if France wants to maintain its advantage in India, it needs a strong navy to ensure the connection between Paris and Pondicherry, just like the Grand Canal of the Celestial Empire."

"But if France has a navy that is strong enough to ensure that Paris and Pondicherry are closely connected and will not be cut off."

"Then why doesn't France use this navy to cross the channel and land in Britain?"

"So, everything you do is in vain."

"The premise for France to own India is to have a navy that can defeat the British fleet and land in Britain. With such a navy, France will not choose India, but will choose to destroy Britain first."

"So, as long as Britain still exists, France will never get India."

"Similarly, if Britain does not exist, then So what is the friendship between the Celestial Empire and France based on? Does France have the ability to bypass the Cape of Good Hope and Africa and fight a decisive battle at the doorstep of the Celestial Empire to gamble on the fate of India? "

"The nearest city with tens of thousands of Han people is Gaolangbu under my feet."

"The nearest city with tens of thousands of French people is Bordeaux."

"India is just an embellishment to the crown of France."

"India is to the Celestial Empire like Liaodong a hundred years ago and the Dzungar Khanate not long ago. I may not get it, but I will never allow others to get it and rule the whole territory."

"To a certain extent, the French naval generals who keep pulling your legs and the French cabinet that does not support you have maintained the friendship between China and France."

"The Celestial Empire does not like the dense population of India, nor does it like the goods here that conflict with the Celestial Empire. But it does not like it to be occupied by others even more."

"The Celestial Empire likes the division here, because in this way, the Celestial Empire has 'hostages', and can use these 'hostages' to ensure the stability of trade between China and Europe, and will not be plundered by your privateers."

In fact, Dashun has used this "hostage" theory several times.

This is Dashun's helplessness. The earth is too big and the ocean is too wide, which destined Dashun to have no ability to directly participate in the European war.

This hostage theory was used most in the disputes between China and the Netherlands.

Only by using Nanyang as a hostage can the Netherlands be forced to compromise step by step, and finally squeeze out all the compromises before going to Nanyang.

What Du Feng meant was that when you two Britain and France were making trouble in India, Dashun would generally just watch.

Because the more fiercely you fight, the more valuable Dashun, as a bystander, is to take India as a hostage to force Britain and France to make some compromises on trade issues.

The British can indeed hijack Dashun's merchant ships, and Dashun absolutely has no ability to go to London for revenge.

However, if the British hijacked Dashun's merchant ships in the Atlantic, Dashun would choose to retaliate in India. If they couldn't go to London, they couldn't go to Fort St. David?

It sounds like it's right.

And it sounds like it makes sense.

An India that is competing with four parties can be used as a hostage; while an India that is unified by one force can only be used as an enemy.

At least, this is a self-consistent deception based on a certain geopolitical theory.

In fact, at this point, deception is meaningless.

Du Feng just continued the inertia of the past deception.

Inertia will not last too long, so after a few glasses of wine, Du Feng did not talk about the relationship between China, Britain, France and India, but when facing Dupleix, who was transferred away by the King of France with a transfer order, he felt an indescribable worry of being a fellow human being and feeling sympathetic.

With this mentality of feeling sad for the death of the rabbit, he relayed Liu Yu's private evaluation of Dupleix to Dupleix.

"You know what? Duke Xingguo said your problem is that you don't understand where your power comes from."

"All this comes from you not knowing who you are or who you want to be."

"Duke Xingguo said that you have an excellent sense of smell in troubled times. This is an enviable talent."

"But it's just a talent."

"If you consider the reality, you have never figured out whether you are conquering India as an Indian or being loyal to the king as a Frenchman."

"Your power comes from France. But you try to be an excellent Indian king. Because what you have to do is to establish a unified centralized government, otherwise the tax collection you envisioned will not be possible."

"However, when you are ready to be an Indian and the king of India, you have no power. A person without power cannot be the king of India."

"If you kick France away, and you are not a Frenchman, but an Indian, an Indian vassal general, can you complete your grand plan?"

"You are swinging back and forth between being a Frenchman and an Indian."

Dupleix frowned after a little consideration.

His interactions with the Indian governors and his involvement in the disputes between them were based on his official French identity and the power of France behind him.

Although he claimed that "If I leave India, India will be corrupted."

But he did not deny that it was precisely because of the power of France that he was qualified to be regarded as a friend, benefactor, or something else by those Indian princes and governors.

Liu Yu said that he had a talent for separatism and a keen sense of troubled times.

But this talent... In fact, there are many people with this talent in Dashun, but they know very well who they are and their position, so now they are all honest.

This talent and a keen sense of troubled times are not rare things.

"Duke Xingguo said that you are a poor French general, because if you think you are a French general, from the perspective of a French general, your strategic vision is very poor."

"Duke Xingguo said that you are a poor Indian governor, because if you are an Indian and think you are a separatist force in India, then you are not capable enough - the history of the Celestial Empire tells us that in troubled times, a person who can start a career is not enough to be able to maneuver, and in terms of fighting the enemy, he must be in the top three in the troubled times."

"Emperor Gaozu of Han ranked third in the world, but he could not defeat the Marquis of Huaiyin and the Overlord of Chu, and others like Ying Bu were terrified when they heard that he would personally lead the expedition; Emperor Taizong of Tang ranked first in the world, and he was unmatched in the battle; Emperor Taizu of Ming and Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong of this dynasty are needless to mention."

"But you, you are average in the battle, and you are not good at training. Soldiers and field warriors are just that. So if you think of yourself as an Indian, you are incapable. "

"And as a Frenchman, you should understand one thing. "

"The reason why the Celestial Empire went to Southeast Asia is that since the First Emperor, the rich, climatically suitable, and arable land in East Asia has been taken. Compared with the Central Plains, Chengdu, Jiangnan, and the Pearl River Delta, Southeast Asia is a poor and rotten land. "

"And what about France?"

"Again, if France wants to keep India, it must have a navy that can defeat Britain. But if France has a navy that can defeat Britain, keep Paris and Pondicherry open, and gain control of the sea, why would France come to India? "

"Isn't the land in England fertile enough? Aren't the lowlands of the Netherlands rich enough? Aren't the grapes in Alsace sweet? "

"You can defeat the British navy, why did France choose to come to India instead of another Norman conquest, not to seize the long-cherished lowlands, and not to restore the natural borders you have always missed?"

"But if the French navy cannot defeat Britain, how can France stabilize India?"

"The Dutch navy cannot beat our new navy, so where is the Dutch Nanyang now?"

"So, as a Frenchman, you have no strategic vision; as an Indian, you are not capable enough. You only have a keen sense of smell in troubled times, but lack the talent of using troops like a god that is necessary for heroes in troubled times."

"You are a qualified staff and chief of staff, but not a qualified commander."

"The premise for India to belong to France is that the British navy does not exist and the Celestial Empire retreats east of Malacca after being defeated in Ceylon. Without one of these two premises, India will not belong to France."

At this point, Du Feng smiled and said, "It's you yourself As for the problem of India, it only takes a small number of elite European troops to cooperate with local princes to complete the conquest. "

"Since it is a small number of European troops, the navy is the decisive force, because the British army is also a European army. You can do the army, and he can do it; and the navy can do it, and it can do it in a way that you can't. He has everything you have, and he also has everything you don't have, so how can you win?"

"In this situation, if you still want to win, you need to think of yourself as an Indian, a great king who wants to conquer India. The question is, you have left your French identity, do you have enough ability?"

"If you have enough ability, you can arrest Gordon at this moment and say that this is a chaotic order and you don't obey the order. But you know very well that you don't have enough ability, so you can only choose to return to Paris in frustration."

"You choose to return to Paris, which has nothing to do with loyalty, but because you don't have the ability to rely on yourself without relying on France, from Pondicherry to Calcutta, right?"