Napoleon stood straight before Louis XVI, his expression unreadable, a mix of wistfulness and melancholy. Louis XVI’s own face was a canvas of shifting emotions, his complexion changing several times in moments.
This war between England and France differed from the Hundred Years' War or the Seven Years' War.
The Hundred Years' War had originated from the claims over Queen Eleanor and the Duchy of Aquitaine, while the Seven Years' War stemmed from the trade and colonial competition between England and France, and the struggle for hegemony within and outside the Holy Roman Empire's system between Prussia and Austria.
But what of this March War, which had ended after only three months?
Firstly, the cause was inexplicable enough, starting with the absurdly ridiculous reason of George III suddenly going mad. This was followed by Queen Charlotte's ambition to rule from behind the curtain, and the physician's intention to emulate the Han envoy An Guoshaojiao's tactic of seducing the empress dowager of Southern Yue, and then inducing England to completely submit.
Secondly, the course of the war was equally bizarre. Not only did French troops actively bring the war to their own soil, and English troops command under the likes of Hideki Tojo, a short, ugly man from Wa, but both armies were found to be heavily indulging in *fushougao* (opium), and the English army even mixed sand into their artillery shells.
Finally, the war's conclusion was also peculiar. The French army, which previously favored raising their hands to expose their armpits, displayed remarkable combat effectiveness under Napoleon's command. Conversely, the English army, which had initially charged fiercely, ended up raising their hands to expose their armpits, with even Edward and Richard being captured. Only young George managed to escape back to England under Justin's protection.
The entire war felt like both sides had grabbed the wrong script. It was as if a certain black-and-white-obsessed eagle was suddenly and madly clamoring to protect territorial integrity, while a rabbit that had always advocated for peace was suddenly shouting about combating terrorism. There was a comedic sense of incongruity on both sides.
Of course, whether it was comedic or not was unimportant to Louis XVI. What mattered were the repercussions of this war for France.
If one looked purely at the outcome, the French army had not only successfully defended French territory but also captured a large number of mid to high-ranking English officers, striking a mighty blow against the arrogance of the belligerent Anglo-Saxon bandits.
Even when considering governance, France remained the biggest winner. England’s influence within the "Little Broken Pot" would be significantly weakened, while France’s influence would be further strengthened. This would also enhance France’s standing among the European nations.
Although Louis XVI had no intention of challenging the Great Ming, being able to lend more weight to his words, and having all of Europe sit quietly to listen to him speak…
That feeling was quite pleasant.
Unfortunately, wars between two countries are never simply about their outcomes and political influences.
Firstly, France's strategic judgment was flawed.
When George III suddenly went mad and clearly intended to fight France to the bitter end, Louis XVI and Napoleon, along with other French high command, assessed that the war would be difficult. This was because England's navy was strong, at least stronger than France's navy, and geographically, England was isolated on its islands, not directly bordering France.
With a stronger navy and no direct border, England held the initiative. England could at any time bring the war to French soil, while France found it difficult to project its power onto English soil.
It was precisely for this reason that Louis XVI and Napoleon devised the strategy of "luring the enemy into the depths." They deliberately loosened some of France's coastal defenses, allowing English troops to occupy some ports, with the aim of luring the English army into a decisive battle on French territory.
In the early stages of this strategic plan, the English army was indeed quite cooperative. This was because Hideki Tojo, who gambled with other nations' fortunes without concern, recklessly staked England's fate, aiming to conquer all of France within three months. The physician, who wished to emulate Han envoy An Guoshaojiao in seducing the empress dowager of Southern Yue, cared not for England’s survival. Furthermore, Queen Charlotte, eager to sell England to further the Charlotte family's interests, was highly accommodating. As a result, England poured in reinforcements for two months after the war began, with the majority of its forces concentrated in France.
However, who could have imagined that George III would suddenly recover his senses!
Upon his recovery, George III swiftly dealt with Queen Charlotte and the Charlotte family. He then emulated the prime minister of Southern Yue, Lü Jia, and after obtaining the consent of the Great Ming's ambassador to England, directly had the ambitious physician beheaded.
After executing the physician, George III, with the cooperation of the Great Ming's ambassador to England, stripped Hideki Tojo of his military command. He also dispatched England's Prince of Wales, young George, to France to take command, ordering him to end the war and seek peace immediately.
To Louis XVI and Napoleon, this was a dire predicament—if they simply made peace and ceased hostilities, wouldn't their prior actions of evacuating some coastal civilians and nobles and allowing English troops to land in France become a monumental joke?
If this information got out, what would the chickens think? What would the geese think? What if dogs found out…
Damn it all!
Secondly, there were a series of consequences stemming from the flawed strategic judgment.
Even disregarding what the chickens and geese would think, or whether the puppies would spread the joke across the entire "Little Broken Ball," the war's impact on France was immeasurable.
For instance, while the French civilians evacuated due to the war had their lives spared, their homes were completely burned to the ground by the madman Hideki Tojo. It was easy to imagine that the process of resettling these civilians upon their return would be far from easy.
Furthermore, due to the war, France's efforts had been diverted, severely impacting its trade activities, both exports and imports. The French treasury, which had finally resolved its fiscal deficit, might very well face new deficits again.
Of course, these issues were not the most critical. The truly critical problem was that through this March War, Louis XVI discovered that the real combat effectiveness of the French army was not as formidable as imagined, and that the French army also suffered from numerous problems, such as indulging in *fushougao*.
And yet, these problems could not be solved.
As Napoleon said to de Gaulle: "If *fushougao* is not completely eradicated, the combat effectiveness of the French army will forever remain stagnant, with no possibility of improvement. However, completely eradicating *fushougao* would cause the French army to collapse immediately, and even plunge all of France into turmoil."
A classic dilemma: "Rebel, perish. Don't rebel, perish."
Within France, a large number of opposition figures had already emerged, openly questioning Louis XVI's capabilities.
It was precisely because of these messy reasons that Louis XVI was left staring at Napoleon, Pierre, and other confidantes in consternation.
As the atmosphere in the Palace of Versailles grew increasingly heavy, Pierre was the first to speak, breaking the solemn mood: "Regardless, we won this war. In future judgments, we can demand more benefits, which should be enough to compensate for this loss."
Seeing Louis XVI and Napoleon remain noncommittal, Pierre simply shrugged and asked, feigning nonchalance: "By the way, Your Majesty, what did you discuss with the Emperor of Great Ming during your trip there?"
Upon Pierre's question, Louis XVI's expression became even more amusing.
Louis XVI certainly did not return empty-handed from his trip to Great Ming. He not only secured substantial arms contracts but also brought back numerous trade orders.
These were things he could directly tell Napoleon and Pierre.
However, how was he supposed to convey hints like "be prepared for a full-scale conflict across the Little Broken Ball" from the Emperor of Great Ming to Napoleon and Pierre?
Or rather, in what manner could he reveal this matter without it seeming too abrupt?
After careful consideration, Louis XVI decided to just go with the flow and said directly to Napoleon and Pierre: "During my trip to Great Ming, the Emperor of Great Ming hinted that the entire Little Broken Ball might fall into turmoil in the coming years, and we in France must be prepared to cope."
Upon receiving this news from Louis XVI, Napoleon and Pierre were initially shocked, then fell into a deep silence.
Unexpected?
Not unexpected.
Although they were greatly surprised upon hearing the news, after calming down and thinking about it, it was not difficult to realize that the future turmoil of the Little Broken Ball had become inevitable.
This was because the lives of smaller nations, outside of the "Five Great Benevolent Ones," were becoming increasingly difficult.
Take the small nations of Europe, for example. These small nations had no power to resist the "Five Great Benevolent Ones" like England and France, just as the Habsburg alliance had been severely beaten by France before.
Whether it was England, France, the "Silly Eagle" (likely referring to the United States), or the "Sable Goose" (likely referring to Russia), these nations, descended from Anglo-Saxon bandits or Viking pirates, had no concept of sustainable development in their minds.
The consequence of having no sustainable development ideas was that these descendants of bandits would, like their ancestors, oppress the smaller nations fiercely.
The various small nations, ruthlessly plundered and bled dry by England, France, the Sable Goose, and the Silly Eagle, were experiencing internal unrest. Friction between them was increasing, making conflict the inevitable means for these small nations to vent their pressure.
The reason these small nations had not yet united to resist the four insatiably parasitic "Great Benevolent Ones" was primarily due to the reputation of the "Little Broken Pot" and its "Five Great Benevolent Ones."
And now, because the mad King George III, that idiotic fellow, suddenly went insane, England and France engaged in a March War, which had severely impacted the "Little Broken Pot's" facade of unity. It had also severely impacted the "Little Broken Pot's" prestige on the "Little Broken Ball."
Coupled with the English army's pathetic performance and France's acquiescence to England bringing the war to its own soil…
After exchanging glances, Napoleon finally stood at attention and declared: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, the French army will certainly defend France's dignity!"
Louis XVI, however, reached up and rubbed his forehead, sighing, "France's dignity? This time, it's not just France's dignity that has been ruined by that madman George III, but even the dignity of the 'Little Broken Pot'!"
Rubbing his forehead, Louis XVI continued, "You should know that the reason I returned so late this time was that I coincidentally attended a 'Little Broken Pot' meeting, shouldn't you?"
Pierre nodded and said, "Of course, after all, it was a conflict between England and France, so it was only natural for the 'Little Broken Pot' to convene a meeting."
Louis XVI nodded and grunted, "Indeed, it was a meeting convened specifically for this war—but you absolutely cannot imagine the joke that arose from this meeting!"
Napoleon and Pierre were immediately stunned.
The "Little Broken Pot" could cause a joke?
Let alone that the "Little Broken Pot" itself was initiated by Great Ming, and that its headquarters were located in the capital of Great Ming, surely no one would dare to make a joke at a "Little Broken Pot" meeting, right?
After all, making a joke at a "Little Broken Pot" meeting was equivalent to provoking Great Ming's authority, especially at a specially convened interim meeting. Was this a death wish?
Seeing Napoleon and Pierre's bewildered expressions, Louis XVI’s expression became very peculiar: "The King of Banghasi, Hamis, who nominally belongs to our French vassal states, attended this meeting. First, he openly announced his secession from French rule, and then, in front of the Emperor of Great Ming, he spent ninety minutes accusing the Great Ming Empire of being a vampire sucking the blood of the 'Little Broken Ball.' He accused our other four 'Great Benevolent Ones' of being accomplices, claiming that the conflict between France and England would plunge the entire 'Little Broken Ball' into turmoil. He even claimed that all countries on the 'Little Broken Ball' should unite and take down the 'Five Great Benevolent Ones' of the 'Little Broken Pot.'"
"It seems that in his eyes, the 'Little Broken Pot' is not worth mentioning at all, like a small fry that can be dealt with casually…"
Napoleon and Pierre immediately became animated, repeatedly urging, "And then? And then?"
If Hamis, that idiot, had not first openly declared his secession from France, then his statement would not have been merely him digging his own grave. This was because France was the suzerain of Banghasi, and if Hamis spoke nonsense at the "Little Broken Pot," Louis XVI would naturally not be able to shirk responsibility.
However, Hamis had already openly declared his intention to secede from France, to establish himself as an independent nation, and to no longer recognize France's suzerain status. Therefore, Louis XVI no longer had any reason to be responsible for Hamis's words and actions.