Greece to roman road

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Constantine could not help being surprised when he heard the name Leopold.

In the original time and space, it was the King of Belgium, Leopold II, who hired Stanley to explore the Gangguo River Basin.

After the Berlin International Conference in 1884 that carved up Africa, Congo became the private domain of Leopold II.

Speaking of which, Leopold also has a close relationship with Greece.

Leopold was born into the Gotha family of Saxony, Coburg, Germany. Who was the father of Leopold II?

It's Leopold I (isn't this nonsense).

Saxe? Coburg? Gotha, how prestigious is this surname?

Until the 21st century, the British royal family was all born from the Saxe? Coburg? Gotha family.

When World War I broke out, Britain and Germany fought to the death on the battlefield.

As countries that are hostile to each other, the public opinion propaganda during the war is naturally to discredit the opponent and promote how just one's own side is and how evil the enemy is.

When the British saw it, they realized that the King of England was a German.

It’s no wonder, Saxe? Coburg? Gotha, this is an authentic German surname.

During a special period like the war, a royal family with a German surname seemed very awkward. Due to pressure from public opinion, the British royal family changed their surname to Windsor.

The prominence of the Saxe? Coburg? Gotha family is evident.

When Greece became independent in 1830, the Greek people elected Leopold I as the king of Greece. However, as a great aristocrat with a long history in Europe, they looked down upon the poor Balkan country of Greece, which had just become independent from the Ottoman Turks. .

Later Belgium became independent from the Netherlands and Leopold I was elected King of Belgium.

Belgium has always been a wealthy country in Europe. It is located among the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom. It has an important strategic position and rich coal and iron resources. It completed industrialization very early. It is not only an industrial country, but also a capital-exporting country. It was also a country in the Republic of China. Invest in railways.

The economic conditions are simply not comparable to those of Greece.

Later, Leopold I left a huge inheritance of 15 million francs to his son Leopold II.

It seems that there is a lot of money to be made in Belgium.

15 million francs in the 19th century. How to use such a huge sum of money effectively and make it profitable and flowable became a headache for the rich second generation Leopold II.

Because of the excess capital in Belgium and the fierce market competition, investment returns in Belgium are too low.

You can earn stable interest income from bank deposits, but others don't like it.

Belgium, which has just completed its industrialization, has the same troubles as other industrial powers:

Enough sources of cheap industrial raw materials are needed to serve as food for industrial machines.

Excess industrial production capacity needs to find an outlet in the consumer market.

The Belgian state itself also had interests in finding colonies.

This guy took the large sum of money left by his father, spent it everywhere, and formed an international organization called the "International African Association". At the same time, he directed newspapers to build momentum in public opinion.

With Leopold's support (and money), each major country also established branches of the International African Society in their own countries.

The purpose of the International Association is: Africans live in darkness and need European civilization to dispel ignorance, protect vulnerable African indigenous people from the bloody, cruel and evil Arab slave traders, and place Africa under the protection of European powers. Next, maintain trade activities.

These words are not entirely high-sounding rhetoric, but they do do some practical things.

At the end of the 19th century, Arabs were still engaged in the slave trade.

This call by the International African Association is in the interest of European countries, because everyone needs consumer markets and cheap industrial raw materials.

These Arabs arrested black people and raided black villages, making it impossible for Europeans to do business with peace of mind and seize wealth.

In addition, the slave trade is indeed unpopular and too barbaric and bloody.

European countries united to crack down on Arab slave traders, which eventually led to the disappearance of the slave trade in the early 20th century.

Really speaking, when Constantine paid Stanley to explore the Congo River Basin, he borrowed the momentum created by Leopold.

In order to deceive others and paralyze other countries, Constantine deliberately confused the flags of the "International African Association" and the "Congo Committee". Both flags have a blue background with a gold star, and there is no difference at all.

The Council of the Congo was an organization established in Greece by Constantine who persuaded King George I to follow the example of Leopold II.

Stanley's expeditions were all conducted in the name of the Congo Committee.

For the happiness, stability and unity of the African people, the great Constantine, driven by a sense of justice, resolutely devoted himself to fighting against the evil forces in Africa.

He did not hesitate to spend a large amount of money out of his own pocket.

It is such selfless dedication, not self-interested, and dedicated to benefiting the African people.

As for why they deliberately confused the flags of the "Congolese Council" and the "International African Association".

South of the Congo River is the Portuguese colony of Angola. They have been operating this colony since the Age of Discovery.

North of the Congo River is the French sphere of influence, and the French are the hegemon in all of North Africa.

Just across the estuary where the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean, there are often Portuguese and French gunboats patrolling back and forth.

If Stanley had not flown the flag of the International African Society on the ships of the Congo Committee, the French and Portuguese would have intercepted the adventurous fleet at the mouth of the Congo River.

Whether it is the French or the Portuguese, they are determined to win the Congo River Basin. If they knew that the Congo Committee was operating under their noses and had nothing to do with the African Association, they would have taken action long ago.

In this way the entire African project completely failed.

In order to gain the opportunity to contribute to the African people without disturbing the French and Portuguese colonists, Constantine ordered that the flag with a blue background of Venus be flown.

After all, everyone has the same dream and the same world, right? It doesn't matter if we borrow it.

Now I suddenly heard what Stanley said. The Cameron expedition supported by King Leopold of Belgium appeared on the coast of Tanzania in Africa and wanted to advance inland. How could it not be touched?

The Cameron expedition must be stopped no matter what, otherwise it will be very troublesome in the future.

"Do you have any plans, Mr. Stanley?" Constantine asked, looking at the old god Stanley.

"Your Majesty the Duke, it's nothing more than???", after saying this, he paused for a moment, without further words, Constantine raised his head in surprise and looked at Stanley.

I saw Stanley waving his right hand like a knife.

Constantine was silent, lowering his head and thinking.

If it's just a competition for financial resources, others may not be inferior to you.

Moreover, Belgium's national strength pales in comparison to Greece's domestic mess.

Since there is no other way, we can only take decisive measures.

"What do you need me to do?" Constantine lowered his head and stared at the table, tapping his five fingers on the table in turn.

Stanley was really surprised when he heard this answer and looked at Constantine's childish appearance.

It was obvious that Constantine knew what his actions meant.

It was only at this time that Stanley, an experienced explorer who was accustomed to adventure in Africa, put away his contempt for Constantine, a fifteen-year-old child from an upper-class noble family.

After thinking about it, Stanley said, "Leopold II is a rich man, and the expedition team he organized is not weak. If you want to make a move, you must be absolutely sure, otherwise there will be a fight if the matter is exposed." big??".

Constantine interrupted Stanley's words, stared at Stanley, and said: "You only need to ask, what do you need me to do?".

"I need the support of professional military personnel. You know, the mercenaries recruited by our expedition are amateurs with varying quality," Stanley said.

"There are 500 members of the Royal Guards, well-equipped, part of the Royal Guards, which is the limit that I can mobilize," Constantine said.

"In addition, I will give you another 1 million francs as a fee for the next period of time. Banning will receive this check," Constantine said with a straight face.

Banning was responsible for the financial expenditures of the Congo Commission, remained with the African expedition, and was a confidant of Constantine.

He has played an important role in bringing the Africa Plan to this stage smoothly. He is also the chairman of the Congo Committee.

Banning replaced Constantine to supervise the activities of the adventure team.

Although Constantine is the Crown Prince of Greece, he is only 15 years old after all. He is still studying at the Athens Military Academy. The 500-member Royal Guards is the limit of what he can use.

Constantine has exerted all the power in his hands. If this operation fails, I am afraid that all the previous efforts will be in vain.

The royal family will no longer support Africa plans.

Stanley was shocked by Constantine's decisiveness. He not only added 500 professional military personnel, but also took the initiative to increase exploration funds by 1 million.

For a moment, Stanley felt happy and a little worried.

I was happy that I got the full help from Constantine, but I was worried about the consequences of unfavorable things.

It's a lot of pressure.

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