Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

In May 1878, the Second French Empire launched an attack on the Third French Republic in the Haute-Vienne province in the west of the Central Plateau of France. The north secretly dispatched 90,000 troops, while the south had less than 20,000 troops due to haste. The people resisted, and finally after 22 hours of resistance, the capital Limoges fell. The failure of the Third Republic of France in the South eventually caused a chain reaction, including the fall of the five western provinces of Charente-Maritime, Charente, Haute-Vienne, Creuse, and Mont-Dôme.

At this point, since the establishment of the Third French Republic in 1869, the Second French Empire of Napoleon III in the north used war for the first time to push the default boundary line between the two places southward. Especially the failure of the Dome Hill Province had a huge impact on the entire southern France. The Third Republic caused great tremors, and in the north the Second French Empire caused great joy.

Because the Dome Mountain Province is located in the center of France, in the north of the Central Plateau, to the east is France's small Loire Province, and to the east of Loire Province is Ontario, and the capital of the Third French Republic is the former capital of Ontario.

That is to say, this time the northern army goes south. As long as it successfully launches an attack on the Loire Province to the east, it can attack the southern capital of Lyon. This is definitely a good thing for the people in the north, but the south is in despair.

To this end, Southern President Adolphe Tire also urgently mobilized and deployed 120,000 people to deploy defenses around Lyon. At the same time, he directed the National Defense Forces to conduct emergency defense deployments in the Gironde, Dordogne, and Corrèze provinces, and in the central Additional troops were added to the Haute-Loire department in the southern part of the plateau.

At the same time, Adolphe Thiers also sent a request for support to Berlin.

On May 3, 1878, Bismarck, Prime Minister of the German Empire, publicly condemned the peace-breaking behavior of the Second French Empire in Berlin, "I believe that major war disasters should not occur in France. The German Empire has always recognized that the south is not French territory, and we support it." The two sides in the south are conducting peaceful negotiations to resolve the disputes between the two sides in the south. We support the policy of one France and do not believe that doing so will harm the interests of our German Empire.

Therefore, we have adhered to this principle unchanged for the past eight years from 1870 to now.

We have repeatedly publicly called for dialogue between His Majesty Napoleon III and President Adolphe Thiers, just as the British Empire supports peace talks between President Stephen Douglas of the American Confederation of America and President Alexander Stephens of the South.

Prime Minister Creston and I both believe that peace negotiations are better than attacking each other with artillery fire and are more popular, so I am now in Berlin once again calling on the Paris government not to launch any more peace-destroying attacks in the south, because this is unacceptable to the international community. It is said to be unpopular. You are the French fighting the French. The German Empire is willing to provide all conditions for negotiation. For example, it is willing to be an intermediary country in the negotiations between the two parties and provide a venue for negotiations. Well, it is in Alsace and Lorraine. The area can become a venue for negotiations between the two parties.”

Once Bismarck's call came out, many people were stunned. Why?

Because he had solemnly expressed his love for peace before, but the venue provided at the next moment was the Alsace and Lorraine regions that the German Empire had forcibly oppressed Napoleon III. Wasn't this deliberately irritating Napoleon III and the northern regime?

So no one would think that Napoleon III would do this.

Sure enough, on May 8, 1878, after taking over the five western provinces, the Second French Empire began to gather troops to suppress the border in the northern part of the Dordogne Province. At the same time, Napoleon III also abandoned the English Channel Maritime Fleet in the north and went south to the Quiberon Bay to integrate, preparing to attack the Southern Navy in the Bay of Burnave in the Dordogne Province from sea and land, and defeat France. The largest naval base of the Three Republics in the Atlantic Ocean.

In this case, the situation is urgent,

On May 9, 1878, Bismarck appeared again at a press conference and made it clear that he was dissatisfied with Napoleon III's hostile attitude towards the South and his disdain for the German Empire's conciliatory attitude. For this reason, in order to maintain peace on the European continent, the German Empire was willing to Make some radical moves.

No one knows what the so-called radical move is, because Bismarck did not say it clearly, but one thing is that it is definitely directed at Napoleon III in Paris.

For this reason, senior officials in Paris began to feel uneasy, and even many capitals and nobles who had enjoyed eight years of peaceful life dissuaded Napoleon III from attacking the south. The reason they found was that this would allow them to deploy more troops to guard against Germany in the east. The Empire, a euphemistic reminder that Paris should not fall under the clutches of the German Empire for the second time.

Obviously they were all reminding Napoleon III not to forget the past when Paris was occupied by the German Empire in 1870 due to Napoleon III's improper operations.

Perhaps it was the "atrocities" of the German Empire that lingered in the Paris people's fear, so many people among the people asked Napoleon III to stop as soon as he got good.

Winning five provinces has greatly satisfied the majesty of Napoleon III. Napoleon III does not have to continue to expand the results.

Just when he was about to stop pretending to be a pity and the international community breathed a sigh of relief, a piece of news from the Far East made the world's attention shift away from France, even Napoleon III.

On May 10, 1878, a warship conflict occurred between the navies of the British Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands on Gmorda Island in the Nicobar Islands. Participants in the conflict were the British cruiser battleship HMS Hot Sleep and two Sail battleship.

The Netherlands has the battlecruiser Renaissance, the heavy artillery battleship Indian Ocean, and three level 5 sailing battleships.

A small fleet composed of the British Hot Sleeper cruised eastward from the island of Sri Lanka and was preparing to enter the Sea of ​​Myanmar via the Nicobar Islands and then enter Malacca. But at this time, the Dutch fleet had just cruised the southern waters of Sumatra and was preparing to enter from the waters between Gemorda Island and Little Nicobar Island. The so-called enemies were extremely jealous when they met.

The two sides confronted each other. The commander of the British cruise ship Hot Sleeper claimed that the Nicobar Islands belonged to the British territory, and asked the Dutch Renaissance and Indian Ocean to leave, and requested not to pass through the islands.

It’s okay, the Netherlands has never recognized that the Nicobar Islands belong to the United Kingdom but are Dutch territory. Therefore, the British requirements naturally cannot be met.

Even the Dutch Renaissance and Indian Ocean docked directly at the south of Gemolda Island to get closer.

Naturally, the cruising Hot Pillow cannot watch the Dutch warships do this. Otherwise, what is the purpose of cruising?

So the British Hot Sleeper also moved closer to try to stop each other.

Suddenly something unbelievable happened. A Dutch Level 5 sailing warship hit the British cruiser HMS Hot Sleep with such force that the 600-ton Dutch Level 5 sailing warship with a crew of 200 people capsized without the protection of iron armor. Falling into the water.

This shocked everyone.

The Dutch fleet was naturally unwilling to give up, so it prepared to attack the British fleet. At this time, the British fleet was naturally unwilling to bear the anger of the Netherlands for losing a warship, so the British fleet wisely chose to escape. Yes, it turned around and directly Deep into the western Indian Ocean, the direction is opposite to the Strait of Malacca.

Whoever doesn't run is a fool!

On board Hot Pillow.

"It was so dangerous. I was almost hit by the shells of the Dutch heavy artillery ship Indian Ocean. The firepower of the Dutch heavy artillery warship is no weaker than our heavy artillery ship of the British Empire, and it is even stronger than ours in terms of speed. If it weren't for us If all the cruisers dispatched this time are fast enough, we might be about to face an attack by the cruiser Fuxing and the heavy gunboat USS Indian Ocean of the same level there. But at that time, there was only one outcome, that Even if they were sunk or captured. General, under your wise leadership, we escaped. What's even more exciting is that all three of our warships survived. We defeated more with less. The Netherlands lost a fifth-class sailing battleship"

The 45-year-old Captain Hutfield of the Hot Pillow is also the commander of this patrol fleet. He has distinguished himself in the British Navy and won many honors. During the American Civil War in North America, he was assigned to support the South. of the Confederate States Navy, becoming Britain's highest naval lieutenant commander in support of the South.

During that five-year war, he helped the South train a large number of naval elites. He was transferred back to London before 1870. Three years ago, in 1875, he was promoted to rear admiral and became one of the three major naval admirals of the Indian Ocean Fleet. Responsible for cruise operations in the Indian Ocean and the Malayan Peninsula.

He often went on cruises himself, so he had a great reputation in the British navy.

The dispute between the Netherlands and Britain in the Strait of Malacca made him think it was an opportunity, so he has appeared frequently on this route recently.

As long as he conscientiously performs cruise missions and prevents Holland's ambitions, his opportunity to be promoted to Vice Admiral of the British Navy will be realized right before his eyes.

The deputy general's words just now made him feel that he was closer to realizing his dream of promotion.

There were 3 ships against 7 ships, and one of them was allowed to sink, and all of them escaped completely.

This achievement should be enough to put him in the British military merit book.

Even for this reason, I might become a hero-level figure discussed in the streets of Britain and a role model for British children.

Will his name even become a household name in Europe? Since then, Hutfield has successfully entered the field of vision of European countries?

When he thought of this, he said directly to his deputy general: "Hurry up and prepare the telegram to send our news back to London. Do you know how to write it to highlight us?"

The deputy general nodded knowingly.