Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

England, Isle of Wight, Carisbrooke Castle.

Expand the map of the UK mainland, and you will see a small island floating at the foot of the island of Great Britain. The island is irregularly twisted and seems to be in the shape of a rhombus. It will be bustling with people in the summer. This is the Isle of Wight, a resort for the British royal family. Although it is only 22 kilometers wide, 40 kilometers long, and has an area of ​​only Half of London, but the Isle of Wight holds a rather unique place in British history.

Every year, Queen Victoria spends at least a week here to recuperate.

Compared with previous years, the number of people this year was much smaller. Only three people, Queen Victoria, Crown Prince Edward and Princess Alice, came here to pay homage to Prince Albert.

Faced with the dissatisfaction of his mother, Queen Victoria, the 40-year-old Crown Prince Edward became more relaxed.

He said: "Currently civil strife in the Netherlands may occur at any time. Mother, I think it's time for us to expand our global influence."

A thick smell of cigarette smoke floated out. Queen Victoria frowned and glared at him: "Smoking cigars will harm your health. I heard that you have no less than 10 cigarettes a day. Be careful that you leave earlier than me."

Crown Prince Edward was stunned when he heard this, and then quickly lowered his head.

Over the years, he smoked more and more cigars and couldn't stop at all. Except for rest, he almost smoked one cigar every hour. There was a strong smell of cigars wherever he went, and the smoker couldn't feel it. But people who don’t smoke feel that the air is seriously polluted.

His mother, Queen Victoria, and his closest sister, Alice, were both the closest people to him, so facing the smell of cigars made them feel uncomfortable, which made him feel a lot of shame. At the same time, he had been reminded countless times not to smoke. The Queen Mother, he couldn't help but bow his head and admit his mistake.

Unfortunately, cigars have penetrated deeply into his bones and it is too difficult to quit.

Queen Victoria also seemed to be used to this rhythm. Seeing that the other party did not refute, but she also did not allow her to quit. Although she was dissatisfied, she had no choice but to give up forcing him.

"Do you think now is a good time to expand Britain's global influence?" Since the Queen sees that things are irreversible, she can only go back to the original thing.

"Yes, the Dutch Christian Party split into the Old Christian Party and the New Christian Party. It seems that the Liberal Party has ambitions and is unwilling to be offended by the Socialist Party. The Socialist Party is trying to absorb the Old Christian Party and enrich its historical foundation."

He looked up at Queen Victoria and said expectantly: "The Netherlands has no time for others to take care of its internal affairs, but this is an opportunity for us in the UK. I feel that there are still more than two months between the Dutch election and the new government taking office in February next year. This is a rare opportunity for us. Opportunity"

Queen Victoria frowned, and then said with a half-smile: "Do you think so, or does Disraeli or Gladstone think so?"

Compared to the past, Prince Edward, who is now middle-aged, is much more mature, and even his subordinates' methods are no longer as rough as before. More than a decade ago, Edward leaned towards the Tories, but now he is close to both parties, although his relationship with the Tories is better than with the Whigs.

This made Queen Victoria a little dissatisfied with him, but she was somewhat relieved to see him grow up.

Especially when she received intelligence recently, the eldest son in front of her was constantly interacting with the two parties and integrating their ideas to develop foreign policy, which was very good.

Prince Edward frankly admitted: "I combined their views and then processed my own ideas."

The Queen changed the topic noncommittally and asked: "Then, if you take the opportunity to expand your influence now, where do you think you will start first?"

The Queen was now curious.

Crown Prince Edward confidently said: "Myanmar"

Queen Victoria immediately cast her sharp eyes on her eldest son. After a full 30 seconds, seeing that the other person was a little nervous, she asked: "Why there?"

Crown Prince Edward: “Because it is the place closest to the mainland of the Netherlands. At the same time, it is also our strongest edge in the Far East, whether it is the Qing Dynasty to the north, the Kingdom of Siam to the east, Sumatra Island in the south of the Netherlands, or even the entire south. The Indian Ocean, there's a lot of room for expansion all around, and I think that's the reason."

Queen Victoria stood up and did not take steps immediately, but said seriously: "If you want to, then do it, but you must be accompanied by Gladstone and Disraeli."

Done!

Crown Prince Edward knew at this moment that he was taking another step towards pro-government.

After the Queen left, Princess Alice stood up and congratulated: "Edward, congratulations."

Edward hugged the sister he had been closest to since childhood, and then let go: "Alice, thank you for saying so many good words for me. I will never forget your kindness. Don't worry, I won't let go of that hurt. Our King William IV will not let her have an easy time."

Both of them were hurt by William IV. Princess Alice was rejected when she confessed her love, while Prince Edward hated William IV for taking away his wife.

Princess Alice opened her mouth to say something, but finally she sighed and gave up the explanation. But what she didn't know was that in the future, after the man in front of her came to power, this tone would lead Britain to launch a war against the Netherlands, resulting in nearly 100,000 casualties. It could be called the country's biggest loss in a century, but the source came from emotions. reason. When future generations found out, they were speechless.

In the early 19th century, Britain led the first industrial revolution and became the most powerful industrial power in the world. It united with other Europeans to defeat the Napoleonic Empire that swept across the continent, and repelled the American invasion of British Canada. , ascending to the position of world hegemony.

The British colonists who landed in the Indian subcontinent as early as the 17th century took advantage of the Mughal Empire's succession and the extreme weakness of the Maratha Alliance to intensify their colonial activities in the Indian region, including the provinces of Madeira, Bengal and The United Provinces were incorporated into the colonial territory, so that British power bordered Burma.

What was the situation like in Myanmar at that time? The Konbaung dynasty that ruled Myanmar was once the overlord of Southeast Asia in the late 18th century. With its ambitions, it was naturally unwilling to continue paying tribute to the Qing Dynasty, nor was it willing to live in peace with the Kingdom of Siam in the east.

Therefore, it launched the Myanmar-Siam War for external expansion, and at the same time, it fought a war with the Qing Dynasty while not knowing whether to live or die. After the war, the country's national power was greatly weakened and internal divisions intensified. It was surrounded by powerful enemies. By the beginning of the 19th century, it could be said that it was suffering from internal and external troubles. At this time, the colonial power of the French Empire also set foot on the Indochina Peninsula, trying to capture North and South Vietnam.

The British were afraid of France's involvement in India and Burma, so they hurriedly took advantage of their maritime warship power to control Singapore Island and the Strait of Malacca, and mastered the passage from the Indian Ocean to the Gulf of Siam (Gulf of Bangkok) and the South Ocean to ensure that they Exclusively enjoy the colonial interests of this area.

The UK sets its sights on Myanmar for two very important reasons. One is that it is located in the west of the Indochina Peninsula and borders the Bay of Bengal to the south. It not only facilitates the consolidation and expansion of British shipping and influence in the Indian Ocean coastal areas, but also opens a land passage from the southwest to the Qing Dynasty with a population of 300 million. The first is to seize Myanmar's rich teak and mineral resources and build it into a warehouse for agricultural products in British colonial India's Asian colonies to continue to meet the needs of Britain's own rapidly developing capital economy. economy