There is an old saying in the Central Plains courts, "Receive the ruler's salary, bear the ruler's worries," which means that if you take the salary given by the emperor, you must help the emperor solve difficulties.
Now that the Emperor Zhu is troubled by the situation with the short, ugly fellows from India, Zeng Cheng and other high officials, who are the Grand Secretaries of the Ming Dynasty, naturally have to share his worries.
However, Zeng Cheng did not dwell on his headaches for long. He quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, did you not just complain about the barbarians from Europe, Russia, and the United States always causing trouble? Now that there are tens of thousands of short, ugly Japanese, why not..."
Emperor Zhu's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Tell me more?"
Zeng Cheng continued, "We happen to have some military bases overseas, and the military expenses for these bases are not borne by our Great Ming. It also happens that our Great Ming is preparing to crack down on pirates... After all, Japan has its own pirates."
Liu Huaiwen, Liu Hemming, and others also brightened their eyes.
For Liu Huaiwen, any idea that required spending money was a bad idea. Only methods that could settle these short, ugly fellows without costing the Great Ming any money were the best.
Zeng Cheng's proposed method perfectly met Liu Huaiwen's conditions.
As for Liu Hemming and other leaders of the Five Military Commissions, whether it cost money or not was secondary. The key was how to turn these seventy thousand short, ugly fellows into cannon fodder and deplete them before the Great Ming made a move against Japan. These were over seventy thousand short, ugly fellows, who had accumulated years of combat experience in India. Even if the Ming army wanted to deal with them cleanly, it would not be an easy, simple, or pleasant task.
Emperor Zhu was naturally indifferent to the matter.
For Emperor Zhu, it wouldn't matter much even if all the Japanese dogs were wiped out, as long as these short, ugly fellows remained temporarily stable until the Great Ming no longer needed Japan.
However, as Emperor Zhu and the Ming Dynasty's leaders were calculating their moves against Japan, many European countries, except for France, were also calculating their moves against the Great Ming.
No one expected that the one to initiate the scheme against the Great Ming this time would be Alexander, who had just been taught a lesson by the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard.
This matter began on the night his most beloved sister, Yekaterina, inexplicably disappeared. For Alexander, Emperor Paul I's mysterious death was nothing, and the fact that his beloved warhorse had its four legs cut off was also nothing. But Yekaterina's inexplicable disappearance for one night...
This was something Alexander could not accept.
Although Yekaterina claimed that nothing happened that night, who could guarantee that nothing had indeed happened?
That stormy night was like a thorn deeply embedded in Alexander's heart.
Coupled with the terms of the contract signed with the Great Ming by Koshelev and Batitsky, Alexander felt a sense of humiliation so profound that he wished he could burrow into the ground but could find no hole to do so. If Alexander had not misjudged the Great Ming's strength from the start, why would he have signed such a humiliating treaty later?
Therefore, this treaty was actually an indelible stain on Alexander's life.
With numerous messy reasons combined, Alexander desperately wished he could eliminate the Great Ming immediately to wash away his shame.
However, Alexander understood in his heart that Russia alone could not deal with the Great Ming. Even if the "Four Great Virtues" of the "broken pot" (referring to Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Ottoman Empire) joined forces, they might not be able to defeat the Great Ming, let alone France, which was loyally following the Great Ming.
To prevent France from reporting to the Great Ming, Alexander deliberately did not try to win over France. Instead, he individually courted England, the Habsburg family, and the Ottoman Empire.
Even the matter of discussing how to eliminate the Great Ming was not dared to be held in the Russian imperial palace. Instead, the meeting place was set at the Eagle Fortress of the Habsburg family.
In Alexander's and others' opinion, if there was any place in the world that the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard could not infiltrate, it could only be the Eagle Fortress. The entire Eagle Fortress was staffed by the Habsburg family's own people, who had barely interacted with the outside world. If even then the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard could gather information, it could only be attributed to God's arrangement.
As for the Ottoman Empire, which had previously sought help from the Great Ming after being severely beaten by Russia, it was now colluding with Alexander to deal with the Great Ming... Such a thing was quite normal for Europe and the Ottoman Empire.
Especially the Ottoman Empire, which was famously described as a "husky among nations," with a thought process that ordinary people could not fathom.
After King George III, Mahmud II, and others had all arrived, Emperor Francis II, as the host, first arranged a "grand" banquet, and then handed over the leadership to Alexander.
Alexander did not show any politeness and went straight to the point, saying, "All of you here, in terms of status, are like the Emperor of Ming, rulers of your own nations. Yet, among us, which one of us has not suffered the wrath of the Emperor of Ming?"
"You, George III, we all know what that doctor from the Ming country did."
"You, Francis II, how glorious the original Habsburg family was! But the Ming country first supported those damned French frogs, and then supported that failed art student from Austria. Now the Habsburg family..."
"And you, Mahmud II, your Ottoman oil could have been sold at a high price, but what about now? Can you decide the selling price of your own oil? Moreover, the shadows of the Ming people in your two previous rebellions, Mahmud, I believe you are also very clear?"
When Alexander finished speaking, the faces of George III, Francis II, and Mahmud II turned extremely unsightly.
There is an old saying in the Ming country: do not hit someone in the face when you strike, and do not expose someone's shortcomings when you scold. But Alexander, on the other hand, every word was specifically aimed at hitting faces and exposing shortcomings, stabbing directly into people's hearts and lungs!
George III, with a grim expression, snorted and said, "Emperor Paul I's inexplicable death, your warhorse had its four legs cut off, I heard..."
Alexander's face sank, and he snorted coldly, "You don't need to hear – the fact is that Yekaterina inexplicably disappeared for one night, and she disappeared from the Russian imperial palace. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen the Eagle Fortress as the meeting place."
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit tense, Francis II immediately tried to mediate, "We gathered here to discuss how to deal with the Ming country, not to quarrel with each other."
Alexander, however, snorted coldly, "I'm not saying this to argue with you, but to tell you a truth – abandon your illusions. No matter how kind the Emperor of Ming appears, he is ultimately a man-eating dragon. Today it is me, tomorrow it will be him, and the day after tomorrow it could be you. In short, if we don't find a way to eliminate the Great Ming, can anyone sleep soundly?"
After Alexander finished speaking, everyone present fell silent.
Although Alexander, that scoundrel, had been hitting faces, exposing shortcomings, and scolding them, George III, Francis II, and Mahmud II present could not help but admit that what Alexander said was very true.
They had all suffered the wrath of the Emperor of Ming and had been bled by the Ming – or rather, the nations present were currently being bled dry by the Ming.
After a period of silence, George III finally spoke, "No need for superfluous nonsense. Since we are all here, we are here for the same goal."
Mahmud also nodded in agreement, "By the true God, if any of us have ulterior motives or come with other intentions, may the true God rain hellfire upon them!"
Francis II looked at George III and then at Mahmud II, and couldn't help but sigh softly, saying, "The problem now is how can we defeat the Ming country? With our armies?"
Saying this, Francis II couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly, "Let alone the Ming army, can any of you deal with the army of those French frogs?"
The atmosphere fell into silence once more, and the faces of Alexander and Mahmud II also turned extremely unsightly. The Habsburg family and England were relatively better off. Although they had been bled by the Great Ming, the Habsburg family's army and England's army had not directly engaged in combat with the Ming army. They were aware of the might of the Ming army but inevitably harbored some hopes.
However, the Russian and Ottoman armies had fought directly against the Ming army.
Russia had fought with the Great Ming over Eastern Siberia, and the Ottoman Empire had fought with the Great Ming over oil. Both, without exception, were thoroughly beaten by the Great Ming, and they had a more direct understanding of the Ming army's combat effectiveness.
Francis II even felt a hint of regret. He had finally managed to cling to the Emperor of Ming's coattails. If this gamble failed again... how could he have been so misguided by Alexander, and even considered the Eagle Fortress as the venue for this secret meeting?
Just as Francis II was feeling uneasy, Alexander glanced at Francis II with a half-smile and said, "Without the support of the Ming people, how could France and that failed art student from Austria have ravaged the Habsburg family, which had dominated Europe for centuries, to this extent?"
Francis II's expression gradually became firm.
Alexander then continued, "We alone cannot defeat the Ming army, but when did I ever say that we would eliminate the Ming country with just us?"
George III tapped his pipe and said, "Who else do you plan to rope in? Or in Europe, who else can you enlist? You know, many countries in Europe are now willing to be dogs of France. They are not qualified to be dogs of the Ming people, so they rush to be dogs of those French frogs. The current attack on Western Kunlun by France is proof of this."
Francis II's old face turned red. After all, the Habsburg family had also sent a contingent of subordinate troops, clamoring to eliminate Benghazi along with France, but they had to give up due to the increasingly strong offensive of the Austrian art student.
However, Alexander smiled and said, "Apart from those damned French frogs, the whole of Europe is an object we can win over. Don't forget, countries like Portugal and the Netherlands have suffered losses at the hands of the Ming people, especially compared to the former Great Qing, this feeling of loss is even more unbearable."
Upon hearing Alexander mention the Great Qing, a look of doubt appeared on George III's face.
Whether compared to the Ming country over a hundred years ago or the current Ming country, George III firmly believed that the Great Qing was better!
Thinking of the once-great Great Qing that no longer existed, George III couldn't help but feel sad, "I truly miss the Great Qing of the past."
Under the bewildered gazes of Francis II and Mahmud II, Alexander also sighed deeply, "Yes, I truly miss the Great Qing of the past. Whether it was ceding Nerchinsk, Yakesa, or Lake Baikal and Sakhalin Island, the Great Qing showed no heartache. Even the Ming, single-mindedly pressing us Russians to cede territory."
After a sigh, Alexander continued, "Besides the countries in Europe, we can also win over the countries near the Ottoman Empire and the Kunlun slaves in Western Kunlun. Although the Kunlun slaves are stupid and foolish, and only know how to sun themselves, we don't expect these Kunlun slaves to be of much use. As long as they can tie down France."
George III also nodded, "And the silly eagle. The silly eagle can also be courted. According to my knowledge, the silly eagle's household is already in chaos, and this matter is definitely not unrelated to the Ming people."
Upon hearing George III's statement, Mahmud II and Francis II were immediately stunned.
Although compared to George III, who was coastal and closer to the silly eagle, the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg family were almost landlocked countries, ever since they joined the "broken pot," the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg family had also obtained the "broken ball" maps printed by the "broken pot." Mahmud II and Francis II were well aware of the distance between the Great Ming and the silly eagle.
And when they thought about how such a vast distance could not stop the Ming people from messing with the silly eagle...
Francis II, whose expression had just been extremely firm, began to waver again, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of despair in his heart.
However, Alexander looked at George III with a solemn expression and asked, "Are you sure you want to court the silly eagle? Even if we don't consider the messy affairs between your England and the silly eagle, you should know that the Great Ming has two princes whose fiefs are very close to the silly eagle. Even if we can successfully court them, I'm afraid the silly eagle won't be able to help us much."
George III took two strong puffs from his pipe, his face illuminated by the smoke and fire, appearing particularly ferocious, "Compared to the pressure brought upon us by the Great Ming, the trivial matters between England and the silly eagle are nothing!"
"Also, I am well aware that the silly eagle cannot help us much. They can't even protect themselves. However, what I need is a pretext, a pretext for the whole world to unite against the Great Ming!"