Chapter 98

New book, seeking collections, recommendations, and Three Rivers votes, third update.

The brand new year 1845 arrived in the blink of an eye. Zhu Jishi had been in this timeline for more than two years. Fortunately, his luck was good, and he did not waste his time. He made a lot of money, gained a great reputation, and formed relationships with several prominent European figures. In the end, he also slept with many exquisite European beauties—fulfilling a long-held wish from 170 years later.

However, living a carefree life in Europe was not his destiny. Since the end of 1844, the strange dream that had troubled Zhu Jishi for many years began to recur frequently.

"Jason..."

"Jason..."

A sweet, seductive voice called his English name.

Zhu Jishi woke up again, drenched in cold sweat. The morning sunlight had already flooded the room. He looked around, and the room was very spacious, with exquisite French furniture all around.

Maria Clementina, almost completely naked, was kneeling on the bed, her sky-blue eyes fixed on Zhu Jishi.

"Jason, you've been having nightmares lately... What's going on?"

Zhu Jishi smiled and pulled the beautiful woman into his arms, kissing her smooth, delicate cheek. "I think it's time for me to leave."

"Leave?" Maria hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are you leaving Europe?"

Zhu Jishi nodded, remaining silent.

This trip to Hong Kong was fraught with uncertainty. From now on, he would not be doing business or pursuing academia, but rather entering politics and the military, embarking on a completely unfamiliar path to save the country.

Zhu Jishi knew his own capabilities very well. In Europe, he had thrived, not only due to his extraordinary luck but also because he possessed medical and chemical knowledge 170 years ahead of his time. His status and wealth were earned through natural science. However, politics and the military, which involved social sciences, were far more dangerous than business and academia. One misstep could lead to a catastrophic fall!

"Maria, before I leave Europe, I want to see Charles Bonaparte and bid him farewell," said Zhu Jishi.

Charles Bonaparte had briefly served as Zhu Jishi's secretary but was more like his teacher, imparting the "Bonapartism" doctrine to him. The core of this doctrine was to rely on the military to establish a nation-state, implement a constitutional monarchy, and use the power of the state to promote capitalist industrial and commercial development while also considering the interests of the working people. If Zhu Jishi had studied politics and history in his later life, he would know that "Bonapartism" and Prussia's "State Socialism" (the policies implemented by Bismarck, which were the precursor to national socialism) were both "concessionary policies" implemented by the bourgeoisie to resolve social conflicts and were transitional stages in the development of capitalist constitutional governance in countries with strong feudal traditions...

After spending some time with Zhu Jishi, Charles Napoleon suddenly disappeared one day, along with the Countess Isabelle de Neuville. The public explanation was that the countess had fallen in love with a poor French boy and they had both gone to America to start a new life. However, Zhu Jishi knew that Charles Napoleon could not leave Europe, let alone Britain, and was instead hiding somewhere, secretly working to overthrow the French Orleans dynasty.

"Alright, Charles Bonaparte also wants to meet you before you leave Europe. He wants to repay his debt to you."

"Debt to me? He's not the Emperor of France yet, right?" Zhu Jishi was slightly taken aback, thinking, "Is it too early for Napoleon III to repay his debt now? If he becomes the Emperor of France..."

"Jason, you're not the Emperor of China now either. If you want to take that position, it's best to accept his help."

Maria paused, looking at Zhu Jishi seriously, and continued, "Jason, you and Charles Bonaparte are both in opposition now. You don't need to consider the national interests of China and France, as Charles Bonaparte can provide you with as much help as possible. But once you both ascend to the thrones of China and France, national interests must take precedence over personal friendship. Whether he can still help you will depend entirely on the interests of the French Empire!"

"Alright, I understand. I will also prioritize China's national interests when the time comes," Zhu Jishi took a deep breath and looked at Maria with a complex expression. "Maria, what are your plans?"

"I am French, and I will always be French," Maria Clementina said solemnly. "I won't go to Asia with you now, but I might become your empress in the future—however, I will always be French, so please don't forget that."

"Alright! If possible, I hope to see you again in Guangzhou." Zhu Jishi genuinely admired this political bed partner. Although Maria's private life was overly indulgent, she was a woman of great strength, and she had indeed kept her promise to be "faithful" to him during this time.

"Me too." Maria did not act like a young girl, but instead kissed Zhu Jishi's cheek and got out of bed. She opened the drawer of the dressing table, took out a check with the amount already filled in, and handed it to Zhu Jishi. "This is the 50,000 pounds I promised you, in gratitude for saving Emperor Louis Bonaparte's life."

Zhu Jishi took the check, thinking, "This debt, Maria has repaid on behalf of the Bonaparte family."

Maria then said seriously, "If you and Charles Napoleon both ascend to the thrones in the future, I can come to Asia to be with you—enter your harem, like an empress of an Eastern empire, and I will bring at least 1 million pounds as my dowry."

To have a top French beauty in his harem and receive 1 million pounds! However, Zhu Jishi only smiled faintly. There's no such thing as a free lunch, let alone a "lunch" like Maria Clementina! He had just said that—she will always be French! This means she can come to his side for the benefit of the French Empire and give him 1 million pounds, but he must provide corresponding benefits to the French Empire in return!

The reason she adopted this approach is probably related to France's current national strength. France does not have the power to openly poach from Britain, but a French woman driven by love can throw herself into Zhu Jishi's arms and even pay him, and the British Empire would have no grounds to interfere...

"1 million pounds, huh, you've almost convinced me," Zhu Jishi's tone turned playful, "but compared to your body, what is 1 million pounds?"

Saying this, he reached out and pulled the naked beauty onto the bed, then pounced on her.

...

"Jason, this is my repayment to you."

That afternoon, Maria Clementina led Zhu Jishi to a secluded villa on the outskirts of London, where he met Charles Bonaparte, who was living in seclusion.

"This is..." Taking the piece of paper from Charles Bonaparte, Zhu Jishi saw it was not a check but a list of names. He read them softly: "Jerome Peel, Henry Rey, Joseph Delon, Louis Mocquard, Henry de Virginy... Louis, who are they?"

"They are all remarkable soldiers, each of whom has followed the Emperor on numerous campaigns. After 1815, they served as military advisors to Pasha Ali in Egypt," Charles Bonaparte said solemnly. "They will all go to Hong Kong with you. Each of them has the potential to be a general. If they had served the Orleans dynasty, they would already be generals!"

"Alright, I will make good use of them," Zhu Jishi thought, "Napoleon III is repaying his debt with five old men? Not as practical as Maria!"

Charles Bonaparte seemed to see through Zhu Jishi's doubts and smiled coldly, continuing, "Jerome Peel was once a battalion commander in the Old Guard. The line infantry he trained are the best in the world! Henry Rey is an artillery expert; the Emperor's artillery was the strongest. Joseph Delon and Louis Mocquard are cavalry officers, one skilled with light cavalry and the other with cuirassiers. As for Henry de Virginy, he is a light infantry commander, also extremely capable. When you leave Britain, Maria will bring them to meet you."

Charles Bonaparte raised his head, lost in thought, and said, "The British will only help you train junior officers, but a truly powerful army cannot be sustained by lieutenants, captains, and majors. You need generals! Before you have your own generals, you can only rely on these five."

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