Chapter 2036: Publicly Challenging

The crowd craned their necks to look at the slip of paper Liu Zheng had just handed to Morse.

The tiny bit of knowledge Liu Zheng had displayed was enough to drive them mad, let alone the information he had now written for Morse on an entire sheet of paper.

The crowd jostled and shoved, all wanting to see what content was written on the paper Liu Zheng gave to Morse.

Morse, however, was still immersed in the shock of what Liu Zheng had written, having not yet come back to his senses.

Seeing this, Liu Zheng did not linger, turning to leave and letting these scientists scramble for it.

After Liu Zheng left, they also saw the content on the paper.

Instantly, they were plunged into shock just like Morse.

……

At this time, in the European region.

France!

The three days Li Hongtian gave Louis XV passed quickly, but France showed no movement at all, not even displaying the slightest intention of peace talks with Longyan.

Seeing such arrogance from the French, Li Hongtian was thoroughly enraged.

He first took Zhang Mang to various newspapers controlled by Longyan to publish articles, wildly publicizing the evil deeds of France, and taking the moral high ground first.

Louis XV was not to be outdone, ordering people to publish the confession he had originally forced Zhang Mang to sign, compelling him to admit to the crimes of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country.

France even openly challenged Longyan to dare to face them in court!

These were originally baseless pieces of evidence, and Zhang Mang had even tampered with the so-called confession.

Longyan was also secretly collecting evidence of France's crimes against their scientists and engineers.

Under Longyan's thorough collection, they found quite a bit, and many Longyan engineers and scientists also found their way to the embassy.

Most of them had escaped following Zhang Mang.

This day, Li Hongtian called Zhang Mang in to deliberate.

"Sir, you were looking for me."

After Zhang Mang entered, he looked at Li Hongtian, who was slightly frowning with a worried expression.

Seeing that Zhang Mang had entered, Li Hongtian asked him to take a seat, but he himself sighed and said: "Zhang Mang, right now, we still haven't found all of our scientists and engineers, and tomorrow we have to face the French in court..."

Zhang Mang guessed Li Hongtian's meaning; he was afraid that France would hide those people even deeper, increasing the difficulty of their rescue.

"Tell me again about the situation you encountered before..."

Zhang Mang recounted the events they had encountered before, and Li Hongtian nodded as he listened.

Having already made up his mind, he said to Zhang Mang: "Tomorrow, you say nothing, and quietly watch the so-called evidence France brings out; I have other arrangements..."

……

In the city of Paris, Longyan agents who had long since infiltrated, led by Feng Zhenyun, lay in ambush in the outskirts of the city according to the information they had obtained.

They were just waiting for tomorrow's court confrontation between France and Longyan.

According to Li Hongtian's intentions, they had never thought about having peace talks with France.

Peace talks were merely to stall for time; he needed to figure out the current situation in the French city of Paris.

Regarding France's behavior, for Longyan, there was only one word: fight!

If peace talks were useful, what would be the point of preparing weapons? The other side did not have the slightest sincerity.

……

And at this time, on the European battlefield.

Frederick II was still mired in a bitter and arduous battle, while his opponents, Austria and Tsarist Russia, were living relatively easily and comfortably.

After Teresa returned to Austria, she no longer interfered in matters concerning the war.

But the war had developed to this point, and it was no longer something Teresa could intervene in.

Now, the operations between Austria and Prussia were entirely in the hands of Marshal Victor.

She, on the other hand, was focused on developing trade in the Mediterranean Sea, and having heard that Longyan had opened a Canal in Panama connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, Austria, which had few colonies, also wanted to develop more maritime trade.

This was to stabilize Austria's collapsing economy.

For this war, the people of their Austria had already owed too many debts to the Hungarian Nobles, and this money would eventually have to be repaid.

And on the other side, Tsarist Russia.

Austria's important ally, and at this time Teresa's close friend, Elizabeth I, was immersed in great joy and pain.

The joy was that she had waited for her nephew, and the pain was that the serious illness in her body was constantly worsening, seemingly ready to take her life at any moment.

And although the Russian-Austrian Allied Forces were currently attacking Berlin, they had not reached Berlin after all, and nothing had been concluded.

She needed time, at least until this war was over, for Prussia, which threatened Tsarist Russia, to be completely extinguished, and to hand over a Tsarist Russia that was about to become powerful into the hands of Peter III.

But now it seemed everything was too late.

She was racing against the Grim Reaper, and the boy born to Sophia gave her the strength to continue.

However, Sophia, who remained in Elizabeth I's hopes.

Now staying alone in the sickroom, having just finished giving birth, she was still enduring immense pain in her body.

But by her side, there was not a single person.

Peter III, Elizabeth I, Osilev... even the servants were cheering and celebrating the birth of this newborn infant.

And she, the mother of this infant, could only endure the immense pain alone, rolling off the hospital bed, suffering the tearing pain that every movement brought her.

Supporting herself on everything, she left with difficulty; she needed to find food to fill her stomach.

As Sophia passed by, she heard the cheers coming from inside for her child, and the corners of her mouth curled into an inscrutable arc, appearing as if she were crying and laughing at the same time.

Sophia did not linger, leaving alone in the cold wind...

……

And at this moment, the French Empire and Longyan faced each other in court.

Because of the momentum built by both sides, this case was heard even by the people of Prussia, who were still in the midst of war.

It goes without saying for other European countries.

Many countries sent Messengers, wanting to get to the bottom of it, as this was a topic currently being discussed by the entire populace.

The largest tribunal located in the city of Paris, France, was already packed with people at this time.

Louis XV held his sword, and soldiers wearing blue military uniforms opened a path for him.

His courtiers followed behind him, entering into the tribunal hall.

At this same moment, Li Hongtian and Zhang Mang did not care for so-called pomp; they simply had Longyan Soldiers wearing Armor, fully equipped with Muskets, pour into the city of Paris without restraint.

They were all Li Hongtian's guards, even though according to the rules in the city of Paris, no one except French Soldiers was allowed to wear Armor.

Let alone Longyan!

Li Hongtian completely ignored such rules and did not take them seriously at all; Louis XV stared at him with a cold gaze.

But he did not say anything.

It was Louis XV's courtiers who, upon seeing this, shouted sternly: "Li Hongtian, this is France, not your Longyan!"

Li Hongtian gave a cold laugh: "A minister of a great power is the sovereign of a small state!"

"A subject like you dares to reason with a sovereign father?"

As soon as Li Hongtian finished speaking, the three hundred Longyan Soldiers let out a thunderous roar: "Those who offend the sovereign shall be beheaded!"