This news made Louis XVI very happy: "See? I said France should ally with the Great Ming. If not for allying with the Great Ming, why would they let our French students study their military knowledge?"
Pierre was also very proud: "Although I don't want to claim credit, as it would be immodest, you know that this has a lot to do with my close ties with the Prime Minister of the Great Ming."
Louis XVI nodded: "Yes, I acknowledge your contribution. When you return to France, you will be rewarded with a title and a fiefdom."
However, the news that Pierre had been looking forward to for many years did not bring him true happiness.
If it were during the Qing Dynasty, Pierre would have been ecstatic about this news. But after the Great Ming, Pierre felt he preferred the Great Ming.
At least, he wouldn't have to endure the pervasive smell of sewage in France.
After much deliberation, Pierre politely declined Louis XVI's reward: "If I may, I would prefer to stay in the Great Ming to better assist France."
To make his words more convincing, Pierre even took the initiative to provide examples: "For instance, the method for resolving the French national debt was something I learned from the Prime Minister of the Great Ming. If it were someone else, the Prime Minister of the Great Ming might not have revealed it."
"For example, the muskets and cannons I had shipped back to France last time were transactions specially approved by the Five Military Commissions of the Great Ming due to my relationship with the Prime Minister of the Great Ming. In all of Europa, only France possesses such advanced muskets and cannons."
Louis XVI also acknowledged Pierre's statement.
Indeed, since Pierre's contact with the Prime Minister of the Great Ming, France had improved in all aspects. Especially the national treasury, which had once owed twenty billion francs, now only had ten billion francs in debt.
Why?
Because France began to gradually introduce the systems of the Great Ming and started to resolve the issue of officials and nobles who harmed the French people through confiscation.
Because France monopolized many goods from the Great Ming and earned a large amount of francs in trade with other European countries.
However, Louis XVI also felt a sense of guilt for Pierre's efforts: "Pierre, you have sacrificed too much for France."
Pierre thought to himself that as long as His Majesty didn't send him back to France and make him breathe the unique air of France, he, Pierre, would be willing to contribute even more.
Pierre shook his head and said, "It is all my duty. By the way, let's not talk about these matters for now. This is your first time in the Great Ming, I should take you to see the trains of the Great Ming."
Then, Louis XVI witnessed the steam locomotives of the Great Ming.
"According to the current counting system of the Great Ming, these steam locomotives can run at about forty kilometers per hour. Of course, this is just the theoretical maximum speed. In reality, when carrying full cargo, their speed is around thirty kilometers per hour."
Pierre proudly introduced the steam locomotives of the Great Ming: "This greatly reduces transportation costs. For example, transporting cattle and sheep from the Great Ming grasslands to Guangdong, which originally might have taken one or two months or even longer, now only takes about ten days by train."
"The advantage of this is not only to reduce losses during transportation but also to improve the speed of material circulation between various regions of the Great Ming, making the connections between different regions more intimate."
"If we must find a vivid way to describe railways, the most accurate would be a spider web, as it tightly connects the entire Great Ming Empire."
Louis XVI looked on with envy and asked, "Do you think the Great Ming will sell this to us?"
Pierre shook his head and sighed, "I am very sorry, Your Majesty. I also wish France could have railways. However, I have asked the Prime Minister of the Great Ming, and the answer is that production capacity is severely insufficient, and they will not consider exporting for at least five years."
"Of course, the Prime Minister of the Great Ming also promised me that as soon as the production capacity issue is resolved, France will be the first country in Europa to build a railway network, and no country will be ahead of France."
Louis XVI nodded in disappointment. After a moment, he suddenly asked, "What if France manufactures it ourselves?"
Pierre shook his head and replied, "You should ask the scholars at the French Royal Academy about this."
"However, the Prime Minister of the Great Ming once told me that the cost of laying a railway network is very high, so high that even the Great Ming cannot afford it. I also do not believe that France can afford to build railways."
"In fact, even the Great Ming, which is said to be paved with gold and is a superpower in the Far East, is currently only laying main trunk lines, connecting provinces to provinces. As for lines at the next level, it is estimated to take decades or even a century."
"If you truly want to lay railways in France, I think you should wait, at least until the national treasury is more relaxed and French citizens have more confidence in French national debt."
Disappointment was evident on Louis XVI's face.
In the end, it all came down to France being too poor.
However, when he took over France, France was already as poor as a beggar. Later, he married a "deficit madame" as the Queen of France, which made the French treasury even poorer, didn't it?
No, he still had to find a way to get money.
After pondering for a while, Louis XVI asked, "Speaking of which, are there any new items in the Great Ming that are in short supply throughout Europa? Or are there any items in Europa that the Great Ming needs?"
Pierre pondered what the Great Ming had that Europa didn't lack.
Grain? Europa had a significant deficit.
Silk? Europa could not produce it.
Tea? Europa had no tea at all.
Porcelain? France could produce it, but their porcelain was far inferior to that of the Great Ming.
As for muskets, cannons, and steam locomotives, there was no need to even mention them.
As for the rest...
Pierre replied with a troubled expression: "Europa lacks all the items from the Great Ming. However, regarding items from Europa, the Great Ming only needs laborers and grain. They need almost nothing else."
"Honestly, I don't understand why – just eight years ago, when it was still ruled by the Tatars, they still needed to import some European goods. But now, it is Europa that needs the Great Ming, and the Great Ming does not need Europa."
After receiving this unsurprising answer, Louis XVI fell into deep thought.
If this continues, then Europe's gold and silver will flow into the Great Ming continuously, making the Great Ming richer and stronger, while Europe will become increasingly impoverished.
After much consideration, Louis XVI could only sigh helplessly and say, "Fortunately, France and the Great Ming are allies. The stronger the Great Ming becomes, the more benefits France can gain in Europa."
Along with Louis XVI's troubles were George III of England, the leader of the silly thief eagle, John Adams, and a large number of French monarchs.
But unlike Louis XVI, that degenerate Louis XVI was too shameless, claiming from the beginning to ally with the Great Ming. By reselling Great Ming goods in Europa, France had made quite a bit of money.
However, other European countries and the silly thief eagle did not catch up with this good fortune. Even though everyone saw that silver was constantly flowing into the Great Ming and their own silver was becoming less and less, no one had any solution.
As for challenging the Great Ming and forcing open their gates with cannons...
That was even more impossible.
Not to mention that their own muskets and cannons were not as powerful as those of the Great Ming. Even if they were exactly the same, the hundred or so small and large countries in Europa could not unite.
England was at odds with the silly thief eagle, England was at odds with France, and any few countries in Europa might have grudges against each other. Moreover, France was the most loyal ally of the Great Ming in Europa. Once war broke out, who knew which side those unreliable French frogs would take.
Therefore, until the kings and leaders of Europa, each with their own worries, arrived at Jinan Prefecture, these people could not come up with any way to stop the outflow of silver.
...
Just as the kings and monarchs of Europa were contemplating how to open up new sources of wealth to counter the outflow of silver, Zhu Jinsong was also discussing with Zeng Cheng how to dig pits and bury people faster and more efficiently.
Zhu Jinsong said, "The little broken pot speaks for itself. On the surface, there must be five entities, and these five must be divided into two classes, so that the world knows that it is not that our Great Ming is unreasonable, but that the little broken pot is not acting humanely."
"The headquarters must, of course, be set up in the Great Ming. Should it be set up in the territory of those barbarians? The Ministry of Works will find a place in the capital later to build a headquarters for the little broken pot."
"Let various countries contribute real money to maintain the operation of the little broken pot. Our Great Ming cannot be the scapegoat. Also, remember to tell them that those who join the little broken pot will be protected by it, and those who do not will naturally not be protected."
"For example, if two small countries go to war, then it shall be decided by the little broken pot. Whoever the little broken pot declares guilty, that is who is guilty."
"What if the Great Ming goes to war with other countries?"
"Isn't that nonsense? The Great Ming is definitely punishing the wicked and assisting the people, so how can it arbitrarily start a war?"
"What? What about the remaining money? Of course, it cannot be directly deposited into the national treasury of the Great Ming. We will use the remaining money to relieve disaster victims, save the suffering people of the world, and strive to achieve world peace as soon as possible."
"For example, if there is a flood somewhere in the Great Ming, this little broken pot can provide money. For example, if there is an earthquake somewhere in France, this little broken pot must also provide money."
"Also, the little broken pot will be managed by individuals from other miscellaneous small countries, but they must first obtain the consent of the Great Ming and the other four decisive powers."
"The Great Ming and the other four decisive powers cannot be changed. This must be written into the charter of the little broken pot. I believe you can plug those messy loopholes."
"Remember, punishment does not extend to the five great benefactors, and courtesy does not extend to the barbarians."
Listening to Zhu Jinsong's rambling explanation, Zeng Cheng couldn't help but look dumbfounded, with two faces of dumbfoundedness, and then infinitely squared dumbfoundedness.
Zeng Cheng couldn't figure it out no matter how he thought about it – if it were according to His Majesty's words, then wouldn't this little broken pot be serving the Great Ming?
But the Great Ming is already so powerful, why must it create such a little broken pot to save face? Why not just crush anyone they dislike?
Zhu Jinsong naturally had his own explanation for Zeng Cheng's question: "This matter is not calculated like that."
"If it were two to three hundred years earlier, even just over a hundred years earlier, I would not have bothered with this little broken pot."
"The problem is that our Great Qing was too formidable!"