Zhu Jinsong's words stunned Thomas Jefferson, the third-generation leader of the Foolish Eagle. After a long pause, he stammered, "How did you know it was Louisiana?"
Zhu Jinsong smiled and shook his head, saying, "Because before you, Louis XVI had already come to see me."
Thomas Jefferson's heart sank as he asked, "Then, what did Louis XVI say to you? And how did you respond to him?"
From "you" to "you," it truly exemplified the Foolish Eagle's essence of using people when needed.
Zhu Jinsong didn't seem to mind Thomas Jefferson's attitude, instead letting out a light chuckle before saying, "Louis XVI wanted to give Louisiana to me, and I..."
Thomas Jefferson's heart leaped into his throat.
Zhu Jinsong glanced at Jefferson and chuckled, "I refused him."
Jefferson immediately felt relieved, thinking that this Ming Emperor Zhu was somewhat reasonable and still gave their Foolish Eagle some face.
However, before Jefferson could be happy for two seconds, Zhu Jinsong, as if taking a deep breath, continued, "After all, we are all benevolent people among the Five Great Benevolent Ones, and France was the first to form an alliance with Great Ming. Naturally, I couldn't take Louis XVI's Louisiana for free – so, I offered him a price of one tael of silver per mu. However, Louis XVI insisted on selling it at one tael of silver per acre. There was nothing I could do but agree."
This was pure provocation.
When Jefferson had previously sent people to France to discuss the purchase of Louisiana with Louis XVI, he had offered a price of four cents per acre.
Although Jefferson was unsure which price was higher, four cents per acre or one tael of silver per acre, and he also didn't understand the relationship between a mu and an acre, he could deduce from Zhu Jinsong's words that an acre was larger than a mu.
So, it was as if the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Jinsong had proactively offered a higher price, and Louis XVI had desperately haggled for a lower one?
Damn it all!
Other than these two words, Jefferson couldn't find any other words to describe his feelings – I painstakingly sent people to find you, Louis XVI, to discuss the purchase of Louisiana. Although the initial offer wasn't high, I never said you couldn't counteroffer!
Besides, I didn't intend to buy all of Louisiana, just those few crucial ports. Even if you had any dissatisfaction, we could sit down and talk it through.
But you, on the other hand, directly sold the entire Louisiana to the Ming Emperor, and at a bargain price!
Jefferson felt increasingly uncomfortable and became less polite when speaking to Zhu Jinsong. "My dear friend, Louisiana is vast and requires a large number of troops to defend it. How many troops does the Ming intend to station there?"
Zhu Jinsong, unbothered by Jefferson's utilitarian approach, continued to smile and say, "Let's send about a hundred thousand troops first. If that's not enough, we'll send more. Anyway, two million land troops are not a problem."
Jefferson was immediately more intimidated by Zhu Jinsong's casual attitude. After a long pause, he came to his senses and said with a wry smile, "You must be joking, my friend. Two million land troops is a colossal number – in fact, Europe as a whole might not have two million land troops."
Zhu Jinsong chuckled and said, "You should get to know Great Ming better. If you truly understood Great Ming, you would know that when I say I can dispatch two million troops, it means I can dispatch three million or even five million troops. Two million is just the most conservative estimate."
With that, Zhu Jinsong leaned forward slightly, staring at Jefferson, and said word by word, "Great Ming has a population of four hundred million. If we draw one soldier from every hundred people, we can raise an army of four million. In fact, Great Ming has never worried about a shortage of troops; instead, we have to rack our brains every year on how to reject the civilians who want to join the army."
Jefferson couldn't help but lean back, his gaze towards Zhu Jinsong filled with avoidance.
It was only at this moment that Jefferson truly understood the meaning of "Great Ming." He also finally understood why Thomson had resigned and fled – Great Ming's power was despair-inducing, and yet the gentlemen in Congress, or even he himself as the leader, would cease sending students to Great Ming and stop learning from Great Ming?
Thinking of this, Jefferson couldn't help but sigh slightly, forcing himself to perk up and stubbornly retort, "My dear friend, Louisiana is too far from Great Ming and too close to the Foolish Eagle. Moreover, there are many barbarians there who will constantly attack us, the civilized world."
Zhu Jinsong first hummed, then retorted, "And then?"
Jefferson was immediately choked.
Yes, and then what?
No matter how close or far Louisiana was to anyone, Great Ming could station a million troops there – with a million troops stationed, was distance still a problem?
Similarly, even if the remaining Native Americans in Louisiana occasionally launched attacks, what of it? Could they possibly fight against a million troops?
It was impossible to think otherwise!
Even more critically, if the Great Ming Emperor truly decided to station a million troops in Louisiana, wouldn't the Foolish Eagle be in danger?
As Jefferson's complexion shifted between green and white, Zhu Jinsong's face broke into a smile. "However, I don't plan to station a million troops in Louisiana, after all, Louisiana is too far from Great Ming and too close to the Foolish Eagle."
"Out of consideration for your Foolish Eagle, I intend to enfeoff Louisiana to our Great Ming's Prince Qin as his domain, and simultaneously let it shoulder the important responsibility of being the trade hub between the Foolish Eagle and Great Ming."
Hearing Zhu Jinsong say this, Jefferson, who had almost despaired, perked up again and asked, "Trade hub?"
Zhu Jinsong smiled and nodded, "Yes, I have this intention, but specific matters will only be decided after thorough discussion by the Great Ming's cabinet ministers."
Thomas Jefferson couldn't help but ponder.
It was well known that the Foolish Eagle had a flawed gene from its inception. After all, the people who founded the Foolish Eagle were mostly ruffians, bandits, swindlers, thieves, and ambitious missionaries.
With these mixed genes, the Foolish Eagle was destined to have a greedy and evil nature from birth – if Great Ming didn't station too many troops in Louisiana, and if Louisiana was allowed to serve as the trade hub between the Foolish Eagle and Great Ming... it seemed not entirely unacceptable?
After all, the consequences of war with Great Ming were unbearable for the Foolish Eagle, and doing business with Great Ming was profitable.
After thinking about it, Thomas Jefferson couldn't help but tentatively ask, "Is there a possibility that our Foolish Eagle could purchase some ports from your Great Ming?"
Saying this, Thomas Jefferson forced a look of difficulty onto his face. "You know, the geographical location of Louisiana is too critical. Without the ports of Louisiana, the transportation and commerce between the north and south of the Foolish Eagle would be greatly affected."
However, Zhu Jinsong smiled and shook his head, "From the moment Louis XVI sold Louisiana to Great Ming, Louisiana has been within the territory of Great Ming."
"And I, as the Emperor of the Great Ming Empire, have many things I can sell, such as firearms, cannons, grenades, and even steam locomotives, but the territory of Great Ming absolutely cannot be sold."
With that, Zhu Jinsong suddenly changed the topic and looked sincerely at Thomas Jefferson, saying, "I suggest you stay in Great Ming for a longer period and get to know Great Ming well – once you truly understand Great Ming, you will realize that any emperor who sells territory will be nailed to the pillar of historical shame!"
Thomas Jefferson couldn't help but argue, "But, from what I know, your Central Plains dynasty historically had a Qing Dynasty, which sold a lot of land."
Jefferson's words immediately darkened Zhu Jinsong's expression.
After a long while, Zhu Xisong let out a cold laugh and said, "The Qing Dynasty is already gone! I was the one who finished it! Those Jian夷 slaves and their chiefs are also nailed to the pillar of historical shame!"
With that, Zhu Jinsong's gaze towards Thomas Jefferson became somewhat impatient. "You are comparing me to those Jian夷 slaves. Are you intending for me to be nailed to the pillar of historical shame as well, hmm?"
Thomas Jefferson suddenly felt his heart racing wildly, occasionally skipping a beat or two. It felt like being stared at by a fierce beast, or like a drowning person unable to breathe.
However, Zhu Xisong did not let Thomas Jefferson off the hook, instead coldly saying, "I forgot to tell you earlier – no country on this small planet can defeat the Five Great Benevolent Ones simultaneously, but Great Ming's absolute power can eliminate several of you, and then establish new Great Benevolent Ones!"
Thomas Jefferson forcefully argued, "But others won't let your Ming country bully them arbitrarily!"
Zhu Jinsong chuckled and said to Thomas Jefferson, "Remember this, I am not attacking you because I don't want to attack you yet! If you have the guts, you can declare war on Great Ming, or I can declare war on your Foolish Eagle!"
Thomas Jefferson's face immediately turned ashen, and he muttered, unsure how to respond to Zhu Jinsong.
Completely losing his patience, Zhu Jinsong decided not to stand up. He turned and instructed Zhang Dequan, "Have someone escort the Foolish Eagle's leader back to rest. We can talk about other matters when his head clears up."
Thomas Jefferson didn't even know how he got back to the guesthouse where he was staying.
It wasn't until Monroe and Livingston arrived in Thomas Jefferson's room that the still shaken Jefferson slowly came to his senses. He looked at Monroe and Livingston and instructed, "Please help me gather intelligence on the Great Ming Emperor. Remember, all the intelligence."
Monroe and Livingston were somewhat bewildered by Thomas Jefferson's abrupt change in demeanor – before going to the Great Ming Imperial Palace, Thomas Jefferson had been perfectly normal, even exuding confidence. But after his visit to the Imperial Palace, Thomas Jefferson had become like a frightened quail!
Livingston cautiously asked, "Sir, what happened in the Great Ming Imperial Palace?"
After a long period of silence, Thomas Jefferson shook his head and did not answer Livingston's question – keeping today's events a secret would mean only he, the Great Ming Emperor, and the few people around the Emperor would know about his embarrassment. If he told Monroe and Livingston about these matters, the embarrassment would be directly spread back to the Foolish Eagle!
Thinking about it, Thomas Jefferson sighed and said, "There has been a new development regarding Louisiana – that scoundrel Louis XVI sold Louisiana to the Great Ming Emperor, and at a very cheap price."
Upon hearing Thomas Jefferson say this, Monroe and Livingston were immediately thrown into disarray.
Anyone who was a big shot in the Foolish Eagle's court knew the importance of Louisiana to the Foolish Eagle – besides its crucial role in connecting the north and south, Louisiana's area was almost equivalent to the entire Foolish Eagle!
If the Foolish Eagle could acquire Louisiana, it would mean a significant increase in the Foolish Eagle's territorial expanse!
However, with Louis XVI selling Louisiana to the Great Ming Emperor, the Foolish Eagle court's long-held desire to acquire Louisiana had vanished into thin air.
Even more critically, Great Ming's strength was far greater than France's, even to a despair-inducing degree – if the Foolish Eagle might still have been able to snatch Louisiana from France, then with Great Ming involved, the Foolish Eagle should now be considering how to protect itself from being devoured by Great Ming!
After thinking for a long time without understanding why this had happened, Livingston asked Thomas Jefferson, "Your Excellency, hasn't the Great Ming Emperor been quite good to our Foolish Eagle? Why this time..."
Thomas Jefferson let out a bitter chuckle, his smile looking more like a grimace than a smile. "Yes, why indeed?"