730 Win-Win

Zhu Wencong initially wanted to manage the Eastern market jointly with the Anglo-French, but unfortunately, they looked down upon him, considering him a toad lusting after a swan's meat.

As more and more small Western nations united within the Jiuding coalition, the market position of the Anglo-French faced an unprecedented challenge and they were forced to acknowledge Jiuding's strength.

The weakness of the Qing court was such that anyone could kick it and carve a piece of flesh from it; the Anglo-French wanted the Qing court to show some backbone, but sadly, it just couldn't.

Although Jiuding had become the leader among the Western nations, this leadership position was not easy to hold, as it was impossible to satisfy everyone's interests.

Zhu Wencong was prepared to give up cooperating with them and directly establish cooperative relations with the major players to ensure his interests were maximized.