Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

After Messip, the special envoy of President Thiers of the Third French Republic, left, German Prime Minister Bismarck said: "Come out!"

Crown Prince William came out of a room inside.

The two sat down separately. Although the emperor's grandson and Bismarck had a monarch-subject relationship, because Bismarck was little William's teacher, the two of them sat casually and without particularity.

"You have also listened to the whole process. What do you think of what this Messip has brought?"

Bismarck asked the imperial grandson William.

Prince William said: "If Lyon doesn't show much sincerity, it will be just a show."

Prime Minister Bismarck said: "Whether Lyon is showing off or not. Whether Paris needs to beat them or not, whether they are also showing off, this trend is what we want to see.

If our German Empire wants to develop and become stronger, especially if it is not inferior to the strength of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands on a global scale, we must ensure that our country cannot stop in the game of expanding its territory. We have not seen the Tsarist Russian Empire and the British Empire. Are the Netherlands and the Netherlands continuing to develop their territorial expansion? "

"If the German Empire wants to develop into a global power no less powerful than Britain and the Netherlands, or even surpass them, it must first win over a few bones in its surroundings, such as suppressing the two bones of France and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Only then will our homeland be able to Put your energy into other areas.”

“The Austro-Hungarian Empire was attacked by our one-week war in 1867 and reached Vienna, which makes the current Austro-Hungarian Empire feel that it was hit and messed up in retrospect.

France was captured on the border between the two countries when Napoleon III was attacked by us in 1871, and then forced him to sign a treaty that was humiliating and humiliating. He had to recognize the Lyon government in the south of France. For a time, France was divided into three countries headed by Paris. The Second French Empire in the north, and the Third French Republic headed by the Lyon government in the south.

We bluntly supported the establishment of southern France, causing France, the hegemon of Western Europe, to split into two countries.

At this point, within the European continent, the only one left that can be our single opponent is the Saudi Empire. "

Bismarck said to Emperor William: "Therefore, we still need to support the Lyon government in the south. At least, it is most beneficial to us to prevent the unification of France and prevent Napoleon III, who hates us, from ruling the entire France. .”

"The great grandson of the Emperor, you must always remember that you should attack at close range and make friends at a distance."

"Okay." Prince William nodded.

"By the way, teacher, the Netherlands is becoming more and more low-key in Europe. It is almost difficult for us to see their presence, except for the international conference held by the International Court of Justice in The Hague every year. But the Netherlands is becoming more and more prominent in Latin America. Strong intervention, teacher, what is the Netherlands planning to do?"

Bismarck sighed and said: "The Netherlands is a country that your grandfather and I still don't understand. William IV is too low-key. He is so low-key that it is difficult for you to follow his footsteps. From 1861 It has been a full 21 years since he took office in December. However, the number of overseas visits was still relatively frequent at the beginning. Later, especially when Amsterdam was the capital of the Netherlands, he conducted various diplomacy in Europe, which was dazzling.

It is precisely because he travels so frequently inside and outside the Netherlands that the Netherlands quickly established a firm foundation for a network of allies in Europe and even around the world. To this day, the affinity that countries have for the Netherlands still lingers on from William IV’s various visits at that time. "

Bismarck saw Emperor William's disbelief and said with a smile:

"The Spanish Empire is the focus of William IV. Look at Isabella II, who still firmly supports the development of relations with the Netherlands. The close relationship between the royal families of the two countries, coupled with the government departments' diplomatic and military In coordination with the United Kingdom, the Netherlands supported the legal status of Gibraltar, the original Spanish territory north of the Strait of Gibraltar now occupied by Britain for more than 100 years.

Spain supports the Netherlands in countering Britain on a global scale, and even has a joint defense relationship between the two Spanish colonies in the Far East, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies. It suppresses the Malay Peninsula controlled by the British and the South Vietnam Peninsula controlled by France. It's so important. It is too critical for the Netherlands to control the situation in the Far East Ocean. "

“Look again, William IV also established the Nordic Alliance in the 1870s. Spain was also roped in by the Netherlands to become a member in 1871. Then in 1876, it strengthened the establishment of a fully militarized six-nation Latin American military group, and in that year Chile defeated the British garrison and replaced it with a Dutch garrison base on the Pacific side.

It formed a north-south echo with the Dutch garrison in Ecuador, the headquarters of the Six Latin American Group of Nations in the north, effectively linking the north and south of South America. "

"William IV further promoted the alliance with the United States. The two countries needed each other in many aspects. The Netherlands' strong military and diplomacy were both lacking in the United States. However, the United States was still difficult to deal with the United Kingdom, especially in 1861. When Lincoln came to power in 2011, when Southern agricultural plantation owners were opposed to the capitalization of the North, the British caused trouble, which led to the formation of the Southern Agricultural Owners Alliance, and the South became independent and became the Confederate States of America to compete with the Northern Union of America system.

As a result, the United States was actually supported by the Netherlands and the United Kingdom and became a divided country. To be honest, your grandfather and I were following the American model to promote the split of France.

According to the internal contradictions of the United States, it was transplanted to France, and it even did not hesitate to support the French Southern Republic.

The purpose is to consume France's own internal strength, and then take the opportunity to increase our development efforts, widening the gap in the comprehensive national strength of the two countries. "

After hearing this, Prince William gradually realized that his previous views were shallow.

"Without the model of the United States the year before last, it would have been difficult for us to think of a good way to deal with France and suppress them. I know some of your thoughts. You want to occupy France, but have you ever thought about it? But France's land area is about the same as ours. , the population is smaller than our German Empire, but much larger than the Kingdom of Prussia. With such a huge population, they are still proud Gauls. Such state suppression has only a short-term effect, but long-term occupation is impossible. , Britain does not want to see us being too powerful, and it also extends the national border to the opposite side of the English Channel.

If that were the case, your grandmother Queen Victoria would really be unable to sit still. "

Following Bismarck's explanation, Crown Prince William gained a better understanding of Germany's plans. At the same time, he had never stopped thinking about the rise of the Netherlands, and his memory became deeper.