Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

Napoleon III and Olivier both woke up and it seemed like this was the case.

He continued: "Prime Minister Tolbeck spoke out and opposed the opinions of the British Dutch military, which makes people suspect that the whole matter was led by Tolbeck, because he was able to effectively handle the Netherlands, France, Prussia, and the United Kingdom. This is very unfavorable to the Netherlands' peripheral diplomacy. Therefore, although the liberals have made great achievements in the domestic economy and achieved good results in national development, they seem to be locked in diplomacy and have become a target of liberal attacks. The shortcoming is that the mid-term elections in Congress at the end of the year will be a big test for liberals, so I suspect this is Tolbeck and Huntington playing a double act. They urgently need to make some achievements to boost their support, and finally choose to seek a breakthrough. Let’s start with the embarrassment of Dutch diplomacy”

Napoleon III and Olivier reacted immediately. Thinking about it, this is really the case.

Napoleon III is worthy of being the emperor of the French Empire, and his political ability is not limited, so he even drew inferences from one example and said: "By doing this, they put the British Disraeli government into a dilemma, whether to see Tolbeck or not." , there will be completely different consequences. I remember that Tol Baker’s deadline for the 10-day appointment was February 18th, and Huntington’s mid-February statement meant that February 19th would be the last day. Haha, like this It's a good calculation. If Disraeli has not met with Tolbeck on the 18th, then it is very likely that Speaker Huntington will visit the southern coastal areas of Spain on the 19th while visiting Portugal. This wave of force is in line with William IV. It’s the way things are done in this world, so it’s self-evident that the person in charge of the whole thing is in charge.”

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Olivier looked at Napoleon III in disbelief, "Your Majesty is saying that His Majesty William IV is behind this?" This is unbelievable."

Edmond Drouin de Lu felt contempt in his heart. Olivier was so good at acting, and he didn't seem to have such a thick skin. This made him understand why he was only the foreign minister of Olivier's cabinet government. And while he is the Prime Minister, he is also his boss.

Although it was a little late, Edmond Drouin de Lu also showed curiosity at the right time.

Napoleon III enjoyed this kind of recognition very much. He pointed out: "William IV seems to be low-key, but in fact it is just that he is looking for a way to hide himself, but let the people below stand up for him. It’s just a management method.

In 1863, South Africa secretly confronted the British. He was so strong that he won over Prussia and us, causing the British to suffer a huge loss with hundreds of thousands of troops defeated. From then on, the British changed their minds when they heard about the Boers.

The Netherlands took the opportunity to recruit hundreds of thousands of Dutch people who had wandered in southern Africa and had been baptized by the war. This made the Netherlands more powerful and established its status as a great power in Europe. This operation can be said to be a sure blow to Britain, and British Prime Minister Palmerston, who is known as Metternich's second, is willing to lose."

Napoleon III said with envy in his eyes: "Then the Netherlands once again plotted against the Palmerston government and us in the battle for influence in Belgium in 1865. In the end, although we were in the south of Belgium, the Netherlands also stumped the north. But the Netherlands was even more proficient in calculations, and Belgium was completely calculated by him. Belgium has since become a country controlled by Dutch people. Leopold II, who succeeded the Belgian throne in 1865, became Prime Minister Jules Danetant and President of the Senate. Mari Philip and Speaker of the House of Representatives Joseph Beit have emptied all domestic and foreign affairs powers.

Isn't this the same as William IV's defeat in dealing with the British in South Africa? This once again shows how terrifying William IV's strength is."

After Napoleon III sighed for a moment, he sighed: "On the issue of North America, the Netherlands made arrangements ten years earlier, step by step, allowing the Dutch to reach the pinnacle of the American Commonwealth. Lincoln was assassinated, and Seward was assassinated. Being ousted shocked the entire America, and even Europe was dumbfounded. What the Netherlands did made even me, who has experienced many storms, feel unbelievable.

In addition, in recent years, the Netherlands has been continuously operating and establishing various fancy international organizations.”

Napoleon III warned: "We must be cautious about this, because the International Hague Tribunal organization currently dealing with us has taken the lead. Looking at the current economic difficulties our French Empire is encountering, we can know the power of the Dutch organization and other organizations. I think the effect shouldn't be that bad.

There are so many organizations of various types. We don’t need to guess. We all know that William IV is preparing for the next "ambush".

With William IV's strength, if he doesn't take action, he will use it. Once he does, it will definitely be a thunderous force, which will make people feel pain."

If William IV were here, he would definitely be surprised by what Napoleon III thought of him. He could even help but marvel at the saying that the people who know you best are always your enemies, not your friends. Napoleon III’s The statement even made William IV feel like he was being watched.

Edmond Drouin de Lu and Olivier were very sure that these words of Napoleon III showed that he already had a sense of fear towards William IV. Yes, it was a first-class power that was afraid of a man who had just The fear of being promoted to a first-rate power.

This made both of them understand that perhaps the French Empire's previous strong diplomacy towards the Netherlands would soon change to adapt to Napoleon III's ideas.

Austria-Hungary, Vienna.

Franz Joseph I, like other countries, was also discussing this incident with Prime Minister Archduke Rainer Ferdinand and Foreign Minister Reichberg.

Foreign Minister Reichberg: "Originally, Prime Minister Tolbeck of the Netherlands visited Northern Europe some time ago, and organized a gathering of several East and Central European countries in Amsterdam some time ago. It can be said that he has gained a lot of influence. However, currently It seems that despite the poor relations between Britain, France and Prussia, the Netherlands has become a recognized first-class power in Europe and even the world."

Prime Minister Rainer Ferdinand said: "The British Empire uses warships to protect its interests around the world, making countries dare not speak out. Even the French Empire sometimes chooses to keep a low profile. But since the defeat in South Africa , was defeated by the American Commonwealth in North America, and suffered heavy losses in the Balkans, the British Empire's disastrous defeat in Belgium undoubtedly highlights that the British Empire's influence around the world is no longer what it used to be."

Under British Prime Minister Disraeli's current diplomacy, which seems to only be able to obtain the support of France, Prussia and other countries, the British failed to provoke the Netherlands in South America or other parts of Europe some time ago and returned to London empty-handed. It is obvious that the British The peak of his power has passed.

The current rise of the Netherlands has not stopped. Europe is small, but its territory elsewhere is very large. Now there is news that Speaker Huntington visited Spain. It cannot be ruled out that the Dutch government is letting loose and using sausage-cutting tactics to improve the Netherlands and the country. relations with Spain, and at the same time challenged British dominance in the Strait of Gibraltar, the throat of the western Mediterranean. This was done to test Britain's bottom line and response, and also to see how many countries responded. After all, no one was willing to let the western entrance and exit of the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean be ruled by Britain and restrict the naval operations of various countries.

This move is extremely powerful. Invisibly, the attitudes of various countries will affect the attitude of the UK in the future, and perhaps even those in the UK have not thought of this. "

"The Prime Minister is right." Foreign Minister Reichberg: "Huntington is the fourth person in Dutch politics. His visit to Spain and his support for Spain will make Europe and the world think that this is Spain's official position and send a strong message to Spain." The signal of support will also have a imitative effect on the countries with which the Netherlands has good relations, and its leading role will make the UK very frightened and afraid that other countries will follow suit. This will be intolerable to London."

"Therefore, with the serious warning issued by the British Empire, all consequences must be borne by the Netherlands and Spain. At this time, Prime Minister Tolbeck spoke out against it, causing Huntington's trip to Spain to change. It can be canceled if the visit is cancelled. The crisis in the tense relations between Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom will also make Tolbeck's 10-day appointment to invite Prime Minister Disraeli a success, resolving a potential geopolitical crisis and establishing the Netherlands' ability to fortify itself in front of Europe and the world. The role of Britain’s great power in resisting the superpower is too great.”

The Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister also said: “In addition, the Dutch Prime Minister has taken on some regional issues and global affairs, such as conflicts of interest in North and South America, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and Africa that could not be resolved when relations between the two countries were previously stiff. With this contest, the Netherlands, which has the upper hand, will be able to seek concessions from the United Kingdom and benefit the Netherlands."

The other two people agreed with Foreign Minister Reichberg's statement.

Franz Joseph I said: "Although the relations between the two countries are tense, these are all superficial things. Superficial people look at the superficial side. We have to look at the interaction between the two countries. In fact, the Netherlands overthrew the British superpower at this time. The status of a great power is not very beneficial to the Netherlands. After all, where there is a decline, there is a rise. If another country rises, it may not benefit the Netherlands very much."

He pointed out: "The current royal marriage between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom is the best buffer, so let's see if it works, and don't take it too seriously, because no one knows whether the two parties have frequent private contacts, and are even working for both parties now. It is also unknown whether the Prime Minister's meeting will pave the way for the meeting. Disraeli is currently in a state of "asking for help," while Tolbeck is eager to talk to Disraeli. One is unwilling to give up easily to contain the other, and the other is very anxious. I am not in a hurry. What the Austro-Hungarian Empire needs to do is to take care of its own affairs and show goodwill to both countries. The rest is their business, so we can only listen to their words and watch their actions."