Chapter 2023: Ignoring the Situation

At this time, the French Empire.

In the city of Paris, inside Versailles.

Ever since the Prime Minister was gone, Louis XV, who basically ignored state affairs, rarely summoned his ministers.

The ministers of France looked at the anger and sorrow displayed on his originally handsome face.

Louis XV stared at the Marshal of the French Empire and asked coldly: "Why did our troops suffer defeat on the Australia battlefield!"

The Marshal stared blankly at Louis XV, not knowing what to say for a moment.

It was common knowledge that the French Battleship fleet was simply no match for the Longyan army.

When the attack on Australia was first proposed, his position was to let France only obtain the engineers, scientists, and some factories provided by Longyan.

This was to improve the overall technological level and strength of France.

Although they had implemented delaying tactics against the Longyan army at the time, everyone in France understood that their troops had no ability to defeat the Longyan fleet.

The Marshal looked at Louis XV and said: "Your Majesty, we have already obtained the scientists and engineers from Longyan, and that is enough."

"Australia is too far from us, and the original intention of our war was not to conquer Australia..."

Louis XV said angrily: "But now we have lost, we have lost a large number of battleships, and the number of Longyan engineers and scientists we obtained who study Longyan weapons is only a few; we gained too little from this war!"

"Marshal, you bear great responsibility for the failure of the war."

The French Marshal was speechless; the current French Empire under the command of Louis XV was like a child who wanted everything.

He wanted to maintain the battlefield on the European continent.

He also wanted to maintain the overseas colonial battlefields, and he even thought about expanding his colonies.

The Marshal said in a muffled voice: "Your Majesty, America has already been defeated, Australia has also been defeated, and the Egypt theater has yet to reach a conclusion."

"We should concentrate our energy on the European continent; Prussia is currently encountering an attack from the Russian-Austrian Allied Forces, which is the best opportunity for us to seize Prussian territory."

Louis XV did not listen to the Marshal's dissuasion; he believed that the setbacks on the battlefield were entirely due to their army.

"Continue to increase our troop investment; I want Egypt, and I want America too!"

"I want Australia too!"

The Marshal looked at Louis XV, and everyone fell into silence.

After the bellicose expansion in the late reign of Louis XIV, the French economy was already in a state of impending collapse.

Moreover, the French Empire was still a Monarchy.

Louis XIV was a shrewd emperor; during his reign, even with the arrival of the Industrial Revolution and the budding of capital, the impact on the French Monarchy was not exaggerated.

France's neighbor, the British royal family, was forced to establish a Constitutional Monarchy after the Industrial Revolution.

The King's power was restricted.

But because of the rule of Louis XIV, the contradictions hidden under the Monarchy did not erupt.

Later, after Louis XV succeeded to the throne, he also covered up these problems because of the support of the Catholic Cardinal Prime Minister.

But with the departure of the Cardinal Prime Minister, coupled with the increasingly extravagant and decadent life of Louis XV, war broke out in Europe again.

Under such circumstances, the social class contradictions in France had already been exposed.

If Louis XV continued to maintain the overseas battlefields and the domestic battlefield, the French Empire would very likely collapse across the board.

At that time, they would be the sinners of the Empire.

The Marshal did not want to become a sinner of the Empire, so he said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I am powerless in this war; I beg you to allow me to withdraw from this struggle..."

Louis XV looked at that Marshal and said with extreme coldness: "Fine."

He looked at his ministers and said: "Who else among you wants to leave? Today I will give you the opportunity."

The crowd did not continue to speak; after the Prime Minister died, Louis XV already held absolute power.

Seeing everyone fall silent, Louis XV looked at that Marshal and said in a deep voice: "Soldier, send him to meet the Lord."

A team of French Soldiers rushed in and dragged out the Marshal who had once performed meritorious service.

This Marshal shouted coldly: "Louis XV, you cannot treat me like this!"

Louis XV looked at him indifferently.

Hearing a 'Crack!' sound from outside, that Marshal let out a miserable scream, and there was no more to be said.

The air was filled with a deathly silence.

The expressions of the crowd changed.

Looking at Louis XV, they were both shocked and terrified!

They did not expect that Louis XV would kill him directly!

Louis XV looked at the court officials and said coldly: "Do you have any other objections?"

The crowd said timidly: "We have no objections."

They were truly afraid of this move by Louis XV; if Louis XV went crazy and killed them along with him, what would they do?

After the Prime Minister died, Louis XV truly held all power in his own hands.

The crowd sighed; they seemed to see another Louis XIV about to be born, and the one once called 'the most beloved Louis XV' seemed to be gradually disappearing.

Thinking of this, the crowd felt a sense of melancholy in their hearts.

And just at this moment, a servant broke into Versailles; he rushed into such an important meeting in a hurry.

He even ran in rolling and crawling; Louis XV looked at him with a cold expression and scolded: "Audacious, who let you break in? Get out!"

The servant pointed to the doorway in a panic and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, Longyan has sent a Messenger, saying that you must give them, Longyan, justice!"

"Otherwise, they are going to attack!"

Louis XV frowned; he did not expect that Longyan would send someone so quickly.

After Australia was recaptured by Longyan, he had long expected that such a day would come.

But he did not expect it to be so soon.

"Have the Longyan people captured from Australia been arranged?" Louis XV asked his trusted servant in a low voice, and he felt relieved after receiving a definite reply from the other party.

At this moment, because of the concealment by Prince Baru, they did not yet know that those captured Longyan people had escaped.

They were even less aware that Zhang Mang had already found the Longyan Messenger.

Louis XV sat on the throne with unperturbed confidence and summoned the Longyan Messenger.

Li Hongtian walked in with a bold and vigorous stride; seeing Louis XV sitting on the throne, he did not pay his respects, but instead shouted directly: "Louis XV, is your French Empire trying to start a war with our Longyan!"

"You attacked Australia and even dared to abduct our Longyan people!"

"I see that your time on the throne has come to an end!"

"My Longyan has a million brave soldiers currently waiting at the border of the French Empire."

These words from Li Hongtian were thrown directly into the face of Louis XV.

Such arrogant words were perhaps something only a Longyan Messenger would dare to say.

Li Hongtian was merely a scholar, yet he dared to be this arrogant on French territory because their Longyan troops had already gained a firm foothold in Europe!

It was not difficult to strike directly at the French Empire from Saxony!

Louis XV was choked, his throat full of words, yet he could not speak.