While Louis XVI, Napoleon, Pierre, and others were calculating against England and George III, the royal palace where George III resided was shrouded in gloom.
Ever since George III had a sudden attack and announced his intention to fight France to the death for the "deficit lady," the entire English stock market had plummeted like an aged man in decline, not even giving time to find a traditional Chinese doctor.
This was because England's current market environment was similar to France's, and in some aspects, even inferior. France could still conduct some secondary market activities on primary raw materials, such as imitating porcelain. England's so-called "Made in English" had been utterly crushed by "Made in Great Ming" and "Made in France," reducing it to a market for basic raw materials.
The consequence of becoming a raw material market was that the majority of England's economic activities relied on raw material exports. The largest importer of raw materials was the Great Ming Empire, and the second largest was France.
Now, England's king, the renowned Mad King George III, was determined to fight France to the death for a "deficit lady." This also meant that England's raw material exports would be blockaded by France.
What caused even greater consternation throughout the English court was that George III had designated the country's name as the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland." Furthermore, he had abandoned the title of "King of France," which had been claimed by successive British monarchs since Edward III. While abandoning the "King of France" title wasn't the most critical issue, George III's failure to accept the title of "Emperor of Britain and Hanoverian Territories" was dire.
His refusal to accept the imperial title meant George III admitted to being merely the king of the British Isles, effectively relinquishing the territories bestowed by John I upon Philip II.
Now, with George III intending to fight France to the death over the "deficit lady," his actions were inherently legally flawed in terms of governance.
Such flawed governance implied that, aside from the Habsburg family and their allies, other European nations would not support England and George III's declaration of war against France.
Of course, whether European nations supported England was not a primary concern for the English Prime Minister, Pitt. After all, England, as one of the "Five Virtuous Ones" of the "Small Cracked Pot," relied on the Great Ming Empire for support and truly had no need to care about the opinions of the petty nations of Europe.
The problem was that George III's decision would thoroughly offend the Great Ming Empire.
Therefore, as long as France was willing to pay a certain price, the Great Ming Empire might very well cease importing English raw materials.
Thinking pessimistically, what if the Great Ming Empire and France joined forces to blockade England? How would England, now possessing only the British Isles, face such a blockade?
The Honourable East India Company?
The Honourable East India Company itself possessed numerous privileges and often did not fully comply with the orders of the English court. When faced with the choice of perishing alongside the English court or becoming a loyal dog to Great Ming, how would the Honourable East India Company choose?
The copper mines of Sri Lanka?
The thought of the copper mines in Sri Lanka sent waves of despair through Prime Minister Pitt.
Sri Lanka was too close to Great Ming and too far from England.
Even without considering the risk of rebellion from the Honourable East India Company at any moment, Pitt did not believe England could hold onto the Sri Lankan copper mines. As long as the Emperor of Great Ming willed it, the armies of Great Ming could launch an attack on the English forces in Sri Lanka at any time from East India or any other naval base, and the English army would only face annihilation.
Pitt knew even more clearly that the collapse of the English stock market was merely the beginning. What would follow was the complete collapse of England's economy, the living standards of its common people, and its military.
And indeed, all of England.
To salvage this situation of sudden ruin, the only way was to quickly cure George III, who was in a state of illness, and simultaneously send a diplomatic note to Great Ming explaining the cause and consequences of this misunderstanding.
Then, Pitt felt even more despair.
Sending a diplomatic note to Great Ming in the name of the English Prime Minister was simple, but what followed the diplomatic note?
Would England be able to gain the understanding of the Emperor of Great Ming?
Would France cease its confrontation with England due to England's diplomatic note?
More critically, could King George III's madness be cured? Would he regain his senses and revoke his absurd and fatal orders?
The hurried footsteps and reports of an attendant interrupted Pitt, who was contemplating these chaotic thoughts. "My Lord Prime Minister, His Majesty the King has been revived, but..."
Seeing the attendant's hesitant expression, Pitt's face grew even more grim, and he demanded, "But what? How is His Majesty the King now?"
The attendant replied with a troubled expression, "His Majesty the King is muttering incessantly, frothing at the mouth, his eyes are bloodshot and swollen, looking like two purple grapes. The Ming doctor said..."
Pitt's face immediately darkened further, and he repeatedly inquired, "What did the Ming doctor say?"
The attendant cautiously replied, "The Ming doctor said that His Majesty the King's brain disease has gone deep into the bone marrow, and it is a great fortune that he is still alive. There is no possibility of a cure."
Hearing this, Pitt's heart grew heavier.
Seeing Pitt's changeable expression, the attendant cautiously added, "However, the good news is that the doctors at the Royal Hospital of England believe His Majesty the King can still be cured."
Pitt let out a cold laugh and asked, "What kind of treatment plan have those damned imperial physicians proposed? Will they tie the King up and scold or threaten him? Or will they smear some nonsensical substances on the King's body?"
The attendant was taken aback at first, then gave an affirmative answer, "Dr. Francis Willis said he would tie His Majesty the King's legs to the bed and then bind him all over with a wide cloth band."
"If His Majesty the King still refuses to eat or continues to be noisy, they will use a special chair to restrain his movements and treat him through scolding, intimidation, and wearing a tight straitjacket."
"As for Dr. Warren, he intends to apply a poultice of poisonous insects and mustard all over the King's body, stating that the resulting blisters and unbearable pain will draw out the 'bad humors' from the King's body."
After hearing the attendant's description, Pitt simply sank back into his chair and murmured, "Mad, all mad – the King is mad, and these damned doctors are all mad!"
Upon regaining his composure, Pitt hastily instructed the attendant, "Quick, inform them to let the Ming doctors take full responsibility for His Majesty the King's treatment, and keep those damned quacks away from His Majesty the King!"
Of course, whether European nations supported England was not a primary concern for the English Prime Minister, Pitt. After all, England, as one of the "Five Virtuous Ones" of the "Small Cracked Pot," relied on the Great Ming Empire for support and truly had no need to care about the opinions of the petty nations of Europe.
Therefore, as long as France was willing to pay a certain price, the Great Ming Empire might very well cease importing English raw materials.
Thinking pessimistically, what if the Great Ming Empire and France joined forces to blockade England? How would England, now possessing only the British Isles, face such a blockade?
The Honourable East India Company itself possessed numerous privileges and often did not fully comply with the orders of the English court. When faced with the choice of perishing alongside the English court or becoming a loyal dog to Great Ming, how would the Honourable East India Company choose?
The copper mines of Sri Lanka?
The thought of the copper mines in Sri Lanka sent waves of despair through Prime Minister Pitt.
Sri Lanka was too close to Great Ming and too far from England.
Even without considering the risk of rebellion from the Honourable East India Company at any moment, Pitt did not believe England could hold onto the Sri Lankan copper mines. As long as the Emperor of Great Ming willed it, the armies of Great Ming could launch an attack on the English forces in Sri Lanka at any time from East India or any other naval base, and the English army would only face annihilation.
Pitt knew even more clearly that the collapse of the English stock market was merely the beginning. What would follow was the complete collapse of England's economy, the living standards of its common people, and its military.
And indeed, all of England.
To salvage this situation of sudden ruin, the only way was to quickly cure George III, who was in a state of illness, and simultaneously send a diplomatic note to Great Ming explaining the cause and consequences of this misunderstanding.
Pitt felt even more despair.
Sending a diplomatic note to Great Ming in the name of the English Prime Minister was simple, but what followed the diplomatic note?
Would England be able to gain the understanding of the Emperor of Great Ming?
Would France cease its confrontation with England due to England's diplomatic note?
More critically, could King George III's madness be cured? Would he regain his senses and revoke his absurd and fatal orders?
While Louis XVI, Napoleon, Pierre, and others were scheming against England and George III, the royal palace where George III resided was filled with a pervasive gloom.
Ever since George III had a sudden bout of illness and declared his intention to fight France to the death over the "deficit lady," England's stock market had nosedived as if aged beyond repair, with no opportunity even for traditional remedies.
This was because England's market environment at the time was akin to France's, and in some respects, even inferior. France, at least, had some secondary markets for primary raw materials, such as the imitation porcelain industry. England's so-called "Made in English" had been utterly decimated by "Made in Great Ming" and "Made in France," relegating it to the status of a mere raw material market.
The consequence of this reduction to a raw material market was that the majority of England's economic activities relied on the export of raw materials. The largest importer of these raw materials was the Great Ming Empire, and the second largest was France.
Now, England's king, the infamous Mad King George III, was determined to fight France to the death over a "deficit lady." This, in turn, meant that England's raw material exports would be subject to a blockade by France.
What caused even greater distress to the entire English court was George III's decree to rename the country the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland." Furthermore, he had renounced the title of "King of France," which had been claimed by all successive British monarchs since Edward III. While giving up the "King of France" title was not the most critical issue, George III's failure to accept the title of "Emperor of Britain and Hanoverian Territories" was a grave matter.
His refusal to accept the imperial title signified that George III acknowledged himself as merely the king of the British Isles, thereby implicitly relinquishing the territories bestowed upon Philip II by John I.
Now, with George III intent on fighting France to the death over the "deficit lady," his actions were, in legal terms, fundamentally flawed in terms of governance.
Such governance irregularities implied that, with the exception of the Habsburg family and their allies, other European nations would not support England and George III in their declaration of war against France.
Naturally, whether European nations supported England was not a matter of great concern to England's Prime Minister, Pitt. After all, England, being one of the "Five Benefactors" of the "Cracked Pot," had the backing of the Great Ming Empire, and thus had little reason to be concerned about the opinions of the petty European states.
The problem was that George III's decision would thoroughly alienate the Great Ming Empire.
Therefore, if France was willing to offer a suitable price, the Great Ming Empire might very well cease importing English raw materials.
If one were to consider a worse scenario... what if the Great Ming Empire and France jointly blockaded England? How would England, currently possessing only the British Isles, cope with such a blockade?
The East India Company?
The Honourable East India Company possessed significant privileges and often operated independently of the English court's directives. When presented with the choice between facing destruction alongside the English court or becoming subservient to the Great Ming, how would the Honourable East India Company react?
The copper mines of Sri Lanka?
The mere thought of the copper mines in Sri Lanka filled Prime Minister Pitt with a profound sense of despair.
Sri Lanka was geographically too close to Great Ming and too distant from England.
Even disregarding the constant threat of defection from the Honourable East India Company, Pitt doubted England's ability to retain control over the Sri Lankan copper mines. Should the Emperor of Great Ming so desire, the armies of Great Ming could launch an assault on the English forces in Sri Lanka from East India or any other naval base at any given moment, and the English army would inevitably face utter defeat.
Pitt was acutely aware that the collapse of the English stock market was merely the prelude to a comprehensive downfall that would soon engulf England's economy, the livelihoods of its citizens, and its military forces.
In essence, the entirety of England was on the precipice of collapse.