Louis XVI pointed at Monroe and Livingston and told them, "Unless France's last woman is dead, France will absolutely not transfer Louisiana to the Stupid Eagle."
Louis XVI's statement directly scared Monroe and Livingston.
As everyone knows, although the French army was adept at fighting by raising their hands during the main campaigns, once led by a cripple or a woman, the French army became capable of fighting and could even confront the English army head-on.
Therefore, the statement, "Unless the last woman is dead," was enough to demonstrate Louis XVI's attitude and determination.
However, Monroe and Livingston were naturally unwilling to return home defeated. After all, the third leader of the Stupid Eagle, Jefferson, was not as accommodating as the previous two leaders, Washington and John Adams. On the contrary, Jefferson was a typical biting dog – usually quiet, but vicious when it moved.
Monroe and Livingston were also well aware that if they could bring Louisiana back to the Stupid Eagle from France, the future benefits would be obvious, and the leader would surely bestow immense rewards upon them.
But if they failed to bring back Louisiana and allowed France to continue controlling it, it would not just be a lack of benefits.
There would likely be a host of disadvantages.
Considering this, Monroe and Livingston naturally did not give up. Instead, they remained in Paris, one the one hand persuading Louis XVI by emphasizing the friendship between the Stupid Eagle and France, and on the other hand constantly raising the price of Louisiana.
However, what Louis XVI found most unacceptable was Monroe and Livingston's so-called increase in the purchase price – from one cent per acre to three cents per acre. Was this considered a high price?
Louis XVI mused that Louisiana was too far from France and happened to be in the heartland of their Stupid Eagle. If Jefferson insisted on Louisiana, it wouldn't be impossible.
But what was the meaning of offering a price of three cents?
What the hell were they trying to do?
Successfully disgusted by Monroe and Livingston, Louis XVI lost the mood to drag things out with them. He used the excuse of the upcoming meeting of the Five Good Neighbors in France to dismiss them and then arranged to meet George III in Great Ming.
Upon arriving in Great Ming, Louis XVI, who had been complaining all the way, suddenly felt wronged again. He thought, if there was any country on this small planet with the most formidable strength, it would undoubtedly be Great Ming. But Great Ming didn't bully people like their Stupid Eagle. Why was their Stupid Eagle so arrogant?
The more he thought about it, the more wronged Louis XVI felt. He found Zhu Jinsong and complained, "You say that piece of land, even if it were given to the Stupid Eagle for free, wouldn't that be okay? But you say he had to come up with a price of one cent? Isn't that disgusting?"
"Yes, they increased the price to three cents, and even said that the price was negotiable, and it was not impossible to negotiate up to four cents – damn it, I, Louis XVI, might be a bit poor, but do I care about a few cents?"
"Let me tell you, it's not about the money at all. I just can't swallow this indignity!"
"If they dare to look down on me today, they will dare to look down on you tomorrow. At the upcoming meeting of the Five Good Neighbors in France, I must vent my anger on the Stupid Eagle, otherwise this weakling will truly think his wings are strong!"
Zhu Jinsong wasn't very concerned about how strong the wings of the Stupid Eagle were. After all, the Stupid Eagle was thousands of miles away from Great Ming, and currently, it was in a state of weakness, posing no threat to Great Ming.
Compared to the Stupid Eagle, Zhu Jinsong was more concerned about Louisiana.
Louisiana was a state in the southern part of the Stupid Eagle, located along the Gulf of Mexico, bordering Arkansas to the north, Texas to the west, Mississippi to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its area was slightly larger than the Fujian Provincial Administration in Great Ming.
With such a vast area, wouldn't it be possible to relocate millions of Great Ming citizens there?
Of course, the number of Great Ming citizens that could be relocated and how much population pressure could be relieved for Great Ming were not the most important things. The most important thing was the geographical location of Louisiana, which perfectly controlled the main artery of north-south transportation for the Stupid Eagle.
To put it plainly, if Louisiana belonged to Great Ming, then the Stupid Eagle would have to be controlled by Great Ming.
As for Louis XVI's talk about it not being about money, Zhu Jinsong treated it as a joke.
As Mr. Lu Xun once said, if someone claims that a certain matter is not about money, then that matter is most likely about money.
In other words, the biggest reason Louis XVI was unwilling to sell Louisiana was that the price offered by the Stupid Eagle was not high enough.
Zhu Jinsong sighed and said to Louis XVI, "If the leader of the Stupid Eagle were still our old friends Washington and John Adams, such a ridiculous situation would probably not have occurred. In the end, it's because Jefferson is too young and doesn't understand the relationships between the Five Good Neighbors."
"How about this, after Jefferson also comes to Great Ming, I'll first invite you to watch a few plays, let Jefferson get acquainted with our other four good neighbors, so he won't always act on impulse."
"At the same time, I will also try to persuade him. This is a good thing for both the Stupid Eagle and France. There's no need to fall out over it. Matters that can be resolved at the negotiating table do not need to be settled on the battlefield."
After Zhu Jinsong said this, Louis XVI felt much better.
When people are in different positions, the effect of their words is also completely different. If George III had persuaded Louis XVI in this manner, Louis XVI would have treated George III as a joke. However, when the same words came from Zhu Jinsong's mouth, Louis XVI felt a warmth in his heart.
After thinking for a moment, Louis XVI said to Zhu Jinsong, "If that Jefferson is sensible, then everything will be fine. If he is not sensible, I think it is very necessary to teach him a lesson."
Zhu Jinsong first nodded with a smile, then shook his head and said, "Teaching him a lesson is not difficult. The key is that France and England are currently engaged in military action against the Habsburg family, and they cannot spare their hands to teach Jefferson a lesson anytime soon."
"In my opinion, Jefferson is precisely seeing this point, which is why he made such a demand for a forced purchase when you cannot spare additional troops."
Speaking of this, Zhu Jinsong tapped the table with his finger and said in a deep voice, "Also, after all, the Stupid Eagle is one of the Five Good Neighbors. It's okay to teach him a lesson, but ultimately, we cannot completely destroy him, otherwise, the American continent will also be a problem."
Louis XVI said hatefully, "Damn it, this Louisiana has actually become a hot potato!"
Zhu Jinsong thought to himself, if this potato weren't hot, how could you willingly give it to me?
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Jinsong simply told Louis XVI, "Here's the thing, the Habsburg family won't last much longer. It's estimated that in about half a year or a year, the Habsburg family will be completely wiped out. Then you can focus on dealing with the Stupid Eagle, how about that?"
"As for now, why not let them be pleased for a while? We'll listen to whatever they say. If they want to buy Louisiana, we'll stall. We won't admit to the transaction, nor will we completely shut down the possibility."
"When France is free, I will send reinforcements with more advanced weaponry to let you vent your anger on the Stupid Eagle."
After Zhu Jinsong said this, Louis XVI said gratefully, "Thank you, my friend. I think the most correct decision I've made in my life is to become your friend."
However, after a moment's thought, Louis XVI felt it was not entirely safe. After all, beating the Stupid Eagle to vent anger was easy, but it would be very difficult to keep Louisiana.
As the saying goes, distant water cannot quench near fire. If the Stupid Eagle is determined to annex Louisiana, will France really have to fight a real battle with the Stupid Eagle?
It seemed impossible, as France had just dealt with the Habsburg family. Although they had gained a lot of benefits, it would take time to consolidate these benefits. Meanwhile, the Stupid Eagle had not fought many wars, so their preserved strength would definitely be greater than France's.
Thinking of this, Louis XVI couldn't help but sigh and say, "Never mind, my friend. I know you want to help me vent my anger, but Louisiana is too far from our France. Even if we can hold on for a while, we probably can't hold on forever."
Zhu Jinsong shook his head and patiently persuaded, "That's not necessarily true. I've thought about it. The size of Louisiana is about the same as the Fujian Provincial Administration. If you are willing to migrate millions of citizens to France and station hundreds of thousands of troops there, then no matter how powerful the Stupid Eagle is, Louisiana will eventually belong to Louis."
Louis XVI gave a wry smile and shook his head, "Migrate millions of citizens? No, my friend. Great Ming can migrate millions of citizens to Old Port and Lanfang, but France cannot migrate millions of citizens to Louisiana. Great Ming can station hundreds of thousands of troops in Old Port and Lanfang, but France cannot station hundreds of thousands of troops in Louisiana. Even stationing ten thousand troops is impossible."
Zhu Jinsong looked curious and said, "What do you mean? I heard that France is considered a prestigious and powerful nation in Europe. Migrating millions of citizens might be a problem for others, but it shouldn't be a problem for you, Brother Louis, right?"
It had to be admitted that Louis XVI was indeed an honest person. Faced with Zhu Jinsong's question, Louis XVI had no intention of hiding anything. Instead, he nodded honestly and said, "For me, migrating millions of citizens is indeed a problem."
"You must know that the total population of this small planet is only around one billion. Great Ming accounts for more than 400 million of them. The remaining more than 200 million are the diaper-heads who are about to be recruited as laborers. The remaining more than 300 million are scattered among the other more than 100 countries on this small planet."
"In other words, each country may have an average population of only a few million."
"Even if France, England, the Stupid Eagle, and Russia are stronger and have larger populations, our populations are not very large. Migrating millions of citizens, although it would not empty the entire of France, would actually have a significant impact."
"As you said, to completely occupy Louisiana, millions of citizens must be migrated there, and then hundreds of thousands of troops must be stationed there, otherwise, we cannot resist the Stupid Eagle."
Speaking of this, Louis XVI couldn't help but sigh and say to Zhu Jinsong, "To be honest, I really envy you. Great Ming not only possesses vast and boundless land but also the largest population on this small planet. With these citizens as a foundation, you can achieve almost anything you want."
Zhu Jinsong accepted Louis XVI's praise and envy without hesitation. After all, the Central Plains gang was powerful because it had been powerful since ancient times. The players on the table of this small planet had changed one after another, but the Central Plains gang had always been in the position of the dealer. Who knew how many card friends would die before it, why shouldn't Zhu Jinsong strive?
After silently thanking his ancestors, Zhu Jinsong smiled slightly and said to Louis XVI, "Don't be discouraged. We have an old saying in the Central Plains gang: food is eaten bite by bite, and roads are walked step by step."
"Your France doesn't have that many citizens, and neither does the Stupid Eagle. Your France cannot dispatch hundreds of thousands of troops, and neither can their Stupid Eagle."
"So, you don't need to migrate millions of citizens to Louisiana immediately. You just need to migrate them slowly. At most, you can station about ten thousand troops there to deal with the Stupid Eagle."
Louis XVI shook his head and said, "However, the key problem is that France not only does not have millions of people available for migration, but even if it did, the cost of continuously transporting supplies to Louisiana would be unaffordable for France."
At this point, Louis XVI's eyes suddenly lit up.
France indeed did not have millions of people to migrate to Louisiana, nor could it dispatch hundreds of thousands of troops, nor could it be responsible for the subsequent supply transportation issues.
However, while these problems were a problem for France, what were they for Great Ming?
Migrating millions of people?
As long as the Emperor of Great Ming was willing, he could migrate tens of millions of people.
Stationing hundreds of thousands of troops?
As long as the Emperor of Great Ming was willing, he could station millions of troops.
As for transporting supplies...
Although Great Ming's capacity in maritime trade was not impressive, in terms of maritime military transport, the entire small planet still respected Great Ming!