On February 12, A.D., Metternich's plane arrived at the Paris airport.

The Duke of Richelieu, the Prime Minister of France, came to greet him and gave Metternich, the prime minister of the great Tessie country, the courtesy he deserved.

The two then returned to the Palais des Grande des Families in Paris to meet King Louis XVII of France, formerly known as Prince Louis Charles.

Before coming to France, Metternich had been mentally recalling all kinds of information countless times, considering and analyzing the current state of France and the imperial court.

The current French court is dominated by the king.

Most of the ministers may be able to make suggestions, but none of them are capable of interfering with the king's decision-making.

Although Louis XVII did not lead France to victory in foreign wars, his actual prestige was not comparable to that of a powerful king like Louis XIV.

But through a series of means, he actually grasped a very high level of actual power.

Through force and power, he eradicated a large number of stubborn traditional nobles left over from the Middle Ages, and ensured his own control over the aristocratic class.

Referring to the Ming Dynasty, he organized and completed a series of institutional reforms, ensuring his control over the imperial court and the bureaucratic system.

It destroyed France's already small local power and further strengthened France's centralization.

He once again strengthened the power and control of the king and the court at the institutional level.

Compared to the rest of Europa, France is already highly centralized and integrated.

In the time of Louis XIV, the foundations of the state were completed.

At that time, the king of France already had control that the Austrian emperor and the court could not have imagined.

Oh, it's time for the Austro-Hungarian Emperor.

The current king has gone one step further in this direction, almost to the point of commanding his fingers.

Metternich felt that even the Prussian king did not have as much control over the country as the current French king.

At the same time, France has maintained long-term cooperation and exchanges with Daming, and has received the most technical support from Daming in all Europa countries.

This directly boosted the level of industrialization in France and also improved the standard of living of ordinary French people.

He did strengthen France's overall national power in general.

Now his own ideas of governance and reform have rightly won the support of the majority of the new bourgeoisie and the ordinary French burghers.

In the current French court and people, his status and influence are second only to the Sun King Louis XIV.

He is now the most authoritative monarch in fact except for the Ming Emperor.

When Metternich met Louis XVII at the Palais des Regis in Paris, he did not wear the usual Ming clothes as usual.

He changed into a more formal French king's dress.

This dress is also not a traditional French monarch's robe, but was redesigned by the designers of the Daming clothing firm.

It is said that His Majesty the current Emperor of the Ming Dynasty also provided design advice when he ascended the throne.

There are even rumors that this was designed by His Royal Highness Prince Daishi to his best friend in the first place, but no one has any tangible evidence.

In fact, Zhu Jingyuan did not participate in the design of this kind of clothes, but Liu Muyu, the queen of Louis XVII, provided a lot of ideas.

Liu Muyu probably wants to dress up her husband, who is already a little delicate, into a doll.

The final design of the main body itself was completed by the designers of the Daishoku clothing firm.

The gown retains the main elements of the traditional French monarch's robe.

These include heavy tunics with bourbon royal patterns, multi-layered silk and lace folded decorations, white stockings and leather shoes with red soles, and a cross medallion with a swallowtail.

At the same time, it draws on the simple clothing style that has been popular in the last ten years.

The main reason is that the outer robe is not as heavy as the dresses of the past, and the length is no longer at the level of mopping the floor, and it can move on its own without the need for a servant to carry it.

The current robe is more like a cloak than a robe, which can be simply taken off and set aside.

The style of the clothing inside the cloak is also more regular and simple, similar to the design of a short trench coat.

Of course, tight shorts and stockings have also been integrated, and the style of shoes has been replaced by new styles that are popular in society at the moment.

On the whole, a lot of Ming-style elements were added, such as jade pendants and sachets hanging around the waist, and the hem of the windbreaker was a pleated skirt similar to that of the Ming Dynasty.

The ornamentation on the body is still ornate, with a large number of silk and pearl decorations dotted on it.

However, most of the decorations hanging on the body are soft, and the scale of the hard structure is also controlled, so that it will not hinder the normal movement of the wearer.

If you have a certain amount of patience, you can even dress normally for work and travel, and directly participate in various ceremonies and ceremonies.

This kind of clothing gives Metternich quite a sense of amazement.

I subconsciously sighed in my heart, Paris, France really deserves to be the fashion capital of Europa.

The other kings are placed here, and they all have a bit of a dirt bun feeling.

If someone from later generations were to stand here and see the current image of the King of France, they would probably think of the costumes on the stage of later generations.

In fact, his current clothes are in this style.

On the ceiling above the new king's throne, there is also a special ring of soft lights.

Directly made a few copies of the stage lighting effect.

That's why it makes people feel extra fresh and bright at a glance.

Metternich didn't dare to look at it much, mainly to confirm the Europa-style clothes worn by the king, then he had to bow respectfully.

If it's a Ming-style costume, then you don't have to bend your knees, just give it up.

This is now a matter of course for the main ministers of Taixi, so most people even want their own kings to wear Ming-style clothes.

Louis XVII did not bother Metternich either, and after saluting and greeting, he began to talk with a smile.

After Metternich finished saying the greeting scene, he went straight to the point:

"Your Majesty, through the greeting of Denmark, you must have seen the ambitions of Prussia, and the threat of another war on the continent of Europa.

"On behalf of the United Empire of Austria and Hungary, and on behalf of the Habsburg royal family, I sincerely hope that you, Your Majesty, the greatest king of Europa, will be able to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining peace in Europa.

"Austria hoped to be able to work with France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Ottomans to contain Prussian expansion."

Louis XVII sat in his place, his right hand lightly tapped on the armrest of the throne, and replied in a light tone:

"I understand Austria's concerns about Prussia, but my suggestion is that Austria should first go to the League of Nations to think of a solution."

Metternich immediately said:

"The League of Nations did not completely prohibit wars between members within the League from the very beginning.

"His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has also recently re-stated his position on the relevant regulations.

"As long as the rules of the alliance are followed, the countries within the alliance can go to war.

Therefore, the League of Nations could not contain the expansion of Prussia.

"Your Majesty, you should have read the Theory of the Six Kingdoms, 'The land of the princes is limited, and the insatiable desire of the tyrannical Qin'.

"Prussia is my Europa's tyranny.

"It's basically something that people with lofty ideals in the countries of Europa agree on.

"If the countries of Europa are fighting their own wars and cannot be contained at the time of their origin, there will be no one to control them when they become bigger.

"If Prussia were to attack Austria and Austria was quickly defeated and surrendered, who would be its next target?

"Did you know that Italy is already preparing for an alliance with Prussia?

In this way, France is the next natural target for him.

"Rather than wait for Austria to fall and become the aid of Prussia, France will stand alone against the power of Prussia and Austria.

"It is better to unite with Austria now against the power of Prussia alone.

Moreover, there was the oppression of France and Austria on both sides, and the Italians, accustomed to being left and right, did not dare to fall specifically to Prussia.

"If the United Kingdom can be drawn into the camp, then Prussia will have no chance of winning."

Louis XVII thought again for a few seconds, and then asked Metternich rhetorically from another angle:

"We all know that Prussia's goal has always been to unify the German region.

"Therefore, there is a good possibility that Prussia will cease foreign wars after the annexation of Austria.

"At the same time, even if France did not participate in it, Austria would have to resist Prussia on its own.

"Even if Prussia were to successfully annex Austria, Austria would have been massively depleted of its war potential.

"The ethnic territories within Austria are now a burden to Austria and will be a burden to Prussia in the future.

"After the annexation of Austria, it is unlikely that Prussia will continue its foreign wars......"

When Metternich heard this, he was a little excited and said:

"You're leaving your fate to someone else's choice!

"In my opinion, no mature politician would do such a thing!

"What's more, we all understand that in the present state of Prussia, the war cannot be stopped if he wants!

"You should have received the news that after the surrender of Denmark, there were large-scale demonstrations and celebrations in all the major cities of Prussia.

"The common people of Prussia and the bourgeoisie are pushing their country to continue the war with their own strength.

"The very fabric of the state of Prussia was a machine built for war.

"Once it's really moving, it can't stop normally again unless it's completely defeated and collapsed.

"And its future goals are basically unlikely, first Austria and then France.

"The joint containment of Prussia by France and Austria is the most correct choice at present!"

Louis XVII nodded lightly after hearing this:

"What he said does make sense, and I can understand his thoughts and concerns.

"But sir, don't be too anxious, Austria is also my traditional power in Europa, and it should be able to resist the Prussian attack.

"Of course, France hopes that Europa can continue to be peaceful, which is actually the common idea of the Ming and the League of Nations.

"The League of Nations does not completely prohibit wars among its internal member states, but only illustrates situations where war has become unavoidable.

"The purpose of the alliance is still to avoid war as much as possible, and if it really can't really avoid war, to reduce the destructive power of war as much as possible.

"So, Austria should first try to coordinate relations with Prussia through the platform of the alliance.

"In this process, Prussia should not dare to declare war on Austria unless it voluntarily withdraws from the League, which would be the enemy of the entire Union.

"As a member of the League of Nations, France certainly wants to contribute to the maintenance of peace in the world and in Europa.

Therefore, France was also willing to work with Austria to resolve the contradictions between Austria and Prussia.

"If Prussia's foreign war could no longer be stopped, then France was willing to work with Austria to put an end to it.

"However, all this must be carried out within the framework of the League of Nations, in the presence of the Alliance's leaders."

Metternich couldn't help but frown when he heard this.

Are you, the king of France, official, or do you really have some kind of decision and commitment?

Now that the situation was urgent, Metternich did not have time to delve into it carefully, so he simply asked Louis XVII:

"I'm very sorry, Your Majesty, that I didn't fully understand what you meant.

"May I ask what you mean by working together with Austria to stop the war in Prussia?

"You can warn through the alliance channel that if Prussia declares war on Austria, will France fight with Austria?"

Louis XVII responded without much hesitation:

"Yes, if Prussia insists on going its own way, then France will stand with Austria and fight together against Prussia.

"Of course, this is only the final bottom-line situation, and we should first try to solve the problem through negotiation on the platform of the alliance."

Metternich was overjoyed at once, slightly surprised by Louis XVII's directness.

In fact, although Metternich had hope for France, he was not very sure of this hope.

Because France is too close to the Ming Dynasty.

If France made up its mind to rely on the Ming Dynasty, it would not participate in continental affairs as much as possible, and once Prussia attacked itself, it would go directly to the Ming Dynasty for help.

I really can't help it.

Because if France had done that, it would have not suffered particularly huge losses, and perhaps even the least losses.

Unless, Daming intends to let the countries of Europa lose each other.

It was not until France fought to the end, and even after France was defeated, that it really sent troops to help Louis XVII recover.

However, even so, Bourbon could have chosen to surrender early.

Let mainland France not experience war.

Once both France and Austria were occupied by Prussia, the Ming would have to intervene.

Even if Da Ming is reluctant, he can only help France recover.

Otherwise, the reputation of the Ming Emperor will be affected.

After all, the fact that this French king was a close friend of the Ming Emperor was well known to the world.

On the contrary, the losses incurred by France, which sided with Austria in advance and took the initiative to participate in the war to stop Prussia, may be incalculable.

But the French king seems to have his own ideas.

Could it be that France wanted Prussia's native coal mines and colonial oil?

Or was the French king's existing prestige and reputation such a thing as he did not allow him to make the choice of surrendering outright to preserve his strength?

Or does he hope that through this war, he will fill in what is missing in his own history of governance?

Even though France is in the best internal state among the countries of Europa, it is not completely healthy and has many problems.

He also wants to divert these potential contradictions through war?

However, whatever the reasons for this decision, it is a good thing for Austria.

Even if he only paid lip service, and only said a few harsh words within the Union, it was possible to delay Prussia's decision to attack.