Zhu Jinsong was quite vexed.
When it came to fabricating history, Zhu Jinsong was supremely confident. Even if Wang Xuance hadn't buried any broken pots or discarded relics back then, Zhu Jinsong could easily find enough records in history books. If necessary, he could even have people quickly bury some.
At most, he'd find a few Tang Dynasty tombs, dig up some Tang Dynasty artifacts, and bury them. The Central Plains Hall wasn't lacking such items.
The key issue was the timing – you couldn't mistake England for a husky just because they resembled one. Strictly speaking, England at this time was more like a wolf disguised as a husky.
Although Zhu Jinsong wasn't afraid of England and was confident he could win any fight, if the two sides were to clash, it would likely result in the entire world's first large-scale brawl, and a few of the Great Ming's pots and jars would inevitably be broken.
Besides, England and France were already embroiled with the Habsburg family in Europe over the issue of the "little pot." If the Great Ming were to suddenly beat up England, wouldn't that affect the "little pot"?
Therefore, the current situation was much like what Shakespeare said: to fight, or not to fight, that is the question.
The same question also presented itself to George III.
This situation delighted William I, the last Stadtholder of the Netherlands who had once sought George III's help but was rejected, and the first King of the Dutch royal family.
"What did I say back then? Oh, I remember now. I said: the Ming Kingdom is like a gluttonous king who is never satisfied, ravenously devouring everything it sees!"
"Clearly, George, now it's the turn of British East India. There are only two paths before you. Either, like me, you hand over Dutch East India and also hand over British East India to the Ming Kingdom, making the already immensely vast Ming Kingdom even larger."
"Or, you return directly to Europe, rally the other European nations, and together declare war on the Great Ming – let that damned 'little pot' perish. This world should not be ruled solely by the Ming people."
However, to William I's disappointment, and even anger, George III looked at him as if he were an imbecile.
"William, I have told you countless times, England's core interests align with the Ming Kingdom."
"This world is indeed not ruled solely by the Ming Kingdom, but by the five great benefactors of the 'little pot' – coincidentally, England is one of the five great benefactors, and the Ming Kingdom is the one that dominates the 'little pot.' Do you understand now?"
George III said mockingly, "Or, to take a step back, even if England, France, the Habsburg family, as well as the silly goose, the Ottoman Empire, and the silly eagle, all united to attack the Ming Kingdom, who do you think would win in the end?"
William I said solemnly, "Of course, Europe will win – no matter how powerful the Ming Kingdom is, can it be powerful enough to oppose the entire world?"
George III laughed and said, "Of course not, my silly William."
But before William I could show a smile, George III continued, "But the Ming Kingdom can sanction the entire world!"
"The best steam engines currently are manufactured by the Ming Kingdom. The artillery and flintlock muskets equipped by the French and English armies are made by the Ming Kingdom. Including the cigarettes you smoke, the soap and sulfur soap you use for bathing, the toilet paper you use, and the world's finest silk and porcelain, all these are produced by the Ming Kingdom."
"Without the Ming Kingdom, are you planning to return to the barbaric Middle Ages?"
"Furthermore, you must understand how vast the land of the Ming Kingdom is, how large its population, how immense its army and military equipment are – the Ming Kingdom occupies more than one-third of the world's population. They have a standing army of nearly a million, and can even expand it to three million or five million at any time. Their army size accounts for half of all armies in the world!"
"With what will you fight the Ming Kingdom? With the now-declining Netherlands? Or do you want the entire world to completely regress to the Middle Ages?"
"Wake up, foolish William. The conflict with the Ming army this time was entirely a misunderstanding. The truth is that those damned diaper-heads attacked the Ming army without authorization, and the Ming army was merely retaliating."
William I snorted, "And then? The Ming army's retaliation was clearly not just retaliation; they almost destroyed your British East India!"
George III shrugged nonchalantly, "The misunderstanding has been resolved, hasn't it? There was a conflict, but no war occurred."
"Moreover, our England is prepared to abandon British East India. Those damned diaper-heads are simply disgusting. They always do inexplicable things and always create a pile of messy problems."
"Just like the silly goose sold Alaska and Siberia, our England is also preparing to sell British East India – I believe the Ming people will give us a fair price."
This time, it was William I's turn to view George III as a fool. "George, I still firmly believe that you will regret this, and all of Europe will regret it. Your indulgence of the Ming Kingdom is precisely the Ming Kingdom's greatest backing!"
George III shook his head and said, "Never mind. We are about to reach the territory ruled by the Ming Kingdom. I think this topic is about time to end – remember, William, you came to the Ming Kingdom to seek an opportunity for the restoration of the Netherlands and to have the Netherlands join the 'little pot.' I hope you won't cause any more trouble for yourself or the Netherlands, okay?"
With that, George III made the sign of the cross on his chest and said to William I, "Do you know, William, the Ming Kingdom is the only country I've ever seen that encourages its civilians to rebel? Although they prohibit civilians from owning artillery and firearms, they ensure that all civilians can receive military training. Their emperor has publicly stated in the newspapers that if this country has problems, he will allow the common people to overthrow his rule, and the Ming army must stand on the side of the civilians."
"Throughout history, the emperors of the Ming Kingdom have acted this way, and so has the Ming army. When there are dangerous situations every day, their soldiers would rather sacrifice themselves to protect the safety of their civilians, which fosters trust between their army and civilians."
"There is a saying in the Ming Kingdom: If even the emperor and the army cannot be trusted, then whom can we trust?"
"Their civilians can send their youngest child to the army or send the last bit of grain from their homes to the army as provisions."
"William, you haven't been to the Ming Kingdom. You don't know how their civilians view their emperor. The civilians of this country are willing to give everything for their emperor's command, even their own lives. If the Ming emperor orders a war, then all the people of this country will happily take up firearms to fight, including women and children."
"Furthermore, Napoleon, who has recently shone brightly in the war against the Habsburg family, only had average grades at the Ming Kingdom's military academy. The Ming Kingdom can find several thousand, or even tens of thousands, of generals more capable than him."
"You cannot afford to offend such a country, none of us can afford to offend such a country. All we can do is try not to provoke it."
William I nodded in agreement, but the expression on his face was as gloomy as if he had eaten three pounds of rotten dog feces.
However, William I did not entirely believe what George III had said, because William I could not believe, no matter what, that such a country could exist in the world.
An emperor who encouraged civilian rebellion?
Exchanging their own lives for the lives of civilians?
Sending the last bite of food to the army as provisions?
Ha, this was simply the most laughable joke in the world. With so many countries and armies in Europe, which one was like this? And Napoleon, his grades at the Ming Kingdom's military academy were just average? That must be the Ming Kingdom's military academy deliberately downplaying his achievements!
Just as William I was silently complaining about the Great Ming in his mind, the ship where William I and George III were located paused slightly and then came to a steady stop.
William I took a deep breath and said, "It seems we have arrived in the Ming Kingdom now – I should properly witness the Ming Kingdom you speak of."
George III shook his head and said, "You are mistaken, William. We have now arrived at Old Port Province, which was originally Dutch East India. It is still a long way from the mainland of the Ming Kingdom."
As they spoke, the two of them came to the deck, and upon seeing the busy dock and the buildings rising in the distance, William I couldn't help but ask, "Is this the former East India?"
George III nodded and said, "Yes, this is the former Dutch East India. It has now reverted to its Ming Kingdom name, known as Old Port Province."
"William, after only a few months, can you still see any trace of Dutch East India here?"
William I shook his head and said, "No, but I have read the letters from the Seventeen Gentlemen. The East India described in their letters was not as prosperous as this."
George III chuckled and said, "Prosperous? Perhaps. Perhaps in our eyes, this is a metropolis comparable to London or Paris, but in the eyes of the Ming people, this is undeniably a rural area, and a rather poor one at that."
William I felt that George III was trying to fool him. Just looking at the ceaselessly busy construction sites, the constantly moving carriages and workers, and this unimaginably huge port, how could such a prosperous place be called a rural area?
William I also chuckled and said, "I am rather looking forward to seeing the real Ming Kingdom, to see how prosperous they truly are."
George III shook his head and said, "You have probably misunderstood – the reason the common people of the Ming Kingdom call this a rural area is because it is far from the mainland of the Great Ming."
"Of course, compared to many larger cities in the Ming Kingdom, this is indeed a poor rural area. You will know this once you see the cities of the Ming Kingdom."
Although he had the title of the Mad King, George III's intelligence was still somewhat intact. Coupled with having hired Ming Kingdom doctors to help him regulate his nerves, George III had not suffered from madness for a long time.
When his mind was clear, George III could certainly be considered a very good tour guide.
"This is Danang, and it has not been under the rule of the Ming Kingdom for a very long time. Look, isn't it even more prosperous than Old Port?"
"Paradise? No, no, no, this is not paradise, but Guangzhou Port of the Ming Kingdom. In the Qing Dynasty, it was known as the Thirteen Hongs of Canton, where all trade had to pass through and could only pass through here. Now, it is merely one of the major ports of the Ming Kingdom."
"Can you please not act like a yokel, William? I remember I already told you that we are still a long way from Tianjin Port of the Ming Kingdom. This is Quanzhou Port, which is also one of the major ports of the Ming Kingdom."