 De Guignes, as a Frenchman, is naturally an antagonist for Laurence and Temeraire.Although he does not secure an alliance with China, he gains Napoleon a significant asset by persuading Lien, a dragon, to join the French and revenge herself on Laurence and Temeraire.This action results in significant alterations to the historical timeline in future books, as Lien is shown to be an intellectual equal to Napoleon.