Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

On November 9, 1880, when most people were paying attention to the military exercises of the Netherlands and other countries around the British Isles, a piece of news came, which ignited everyone who paid attention to the event.

Just this morning, the latest news published by the British "London Times" stated that two Dutch and Spanish battleships appeared in the north of the St. George's Strait in the west of England and entered the Irish Sea that day, and were far away from Dublin, the first city and capital of Ireland in the west. , only 30 nautical miles from Dublin Port.

If the previous practice of the Netherlands and allied navies around the British Isles felt a bit general, then this time the Dutch and Spanish warships sailed directly to 30 nautical miles east of Dublin, giving people a real sense of the exercise. How close it is to the UK mainland.

This news undoubtedly lit the fuse and ignited panic among the British.

This, in turn, brought unprecedented pressure to the British rulers.

"It's 30 nautical miles. If you go all out on horseback for a short distance, it won't even take an hour. It's only about an hour at sea."

When Napoleon III heard the news, he was stunned.

That's the United Kingdom, the world's largest naval power. Even his own uncle Napoleon I only blockaded the coasts of places ruled by the empire, preventing coastal ports from importing British products and suppressing the sales of British products.

But now the Netherlands actually sailed its warships directly to the St. George's Strait and the Irish Sea, which are inland waters of the United Kingdom. To the United Kingdom, they are similar to the inland rivers of other countries. If the Dutch warships directly entered, they really touched the tiger's ass. Napoleon The third generation can imagine that Britain will never give up.

"Your Majesty, the Dutch warships have now sailed into the Irish Sea, which the UK has always regarded as its internal waters. France and the UK are allies. Both sides are currently conducting joint warship exercises in the English Channel. Prime Minister Creston of the UK sent a telegram. Requests have been made for the English Channel exercise to be broadened”

Just when Napoleon III was frightened by the boldness of the Netherlands, Queen Eugenie came in with a telegram from the side.

Napoleon III was born in 1808. After he was 45 years old, he began to suffer from various diseases, including kidney disease, bladder stones, chronic bladder disease, prostatitis, arthritis, etc.

This made Empress Eugenie (born in 1826) resentful. There was an 18-year age difference between the two. When Napoleon was 45 years old (in 1863), Empress Eugenie was just 27 years old, and it was the time when the demand for young women was strongest. At that time, Napoleon III's kidney disease and other related diseases appeared, which made Queen Eugenie happy.

With age, after Napoleon III turned 50, a series of age-related diseases such as arthritis, ventilation, and obesity appeared one after another, and Empress Eugenie's resentment became deeper and deeper.

However, it is precisely because Napoleon III was plagued by various diseases, and unlike William IV that Napoleon III passed away in 1873 after being defeated by Germany in world history, Napoleon III still retained part of his power, so he was plagued by serious illnesses. Empress Eugenie received many of the powers of the regent starting in 1871,

No, Napoleon III, who was lying in bed recuperating from illness, had all his information coming from the intelligence gathered by the regent, Queen Eugenie.

When Napoleon III heard that A= expanded the scope of the exercise, his eyes showed vigilance.

He looked at Queen Eugenie, "What does the Queen think?"

Eugenie paused thoughtfully, then shook her head and said: "I don't agree.

Napoleon III asked curiously: "Why?"

He suddenly remembered that Queen Eugenie and Spain's Isabel II were sisters. Eugenie's mother was Isabel II's nanny. Could it be that the reason why she didn't support it was to align with Spain's stance and be anti-British?

I have doubts in my heart, but I don't show it.

Queen Eugenie Huang= didn’t know what her elderly husband was thinking, but she was extremely cautious and knew how to protect herself. She said: “At present, Britain is weak and is in an isolated situation, but the British navy is the best. The world has not changed much. In the past, France fought against the German Empire in order to gain British support, so His Majesty supported the development of a closer alliance with Britain. Few people in Paris opposed this, and even actively supported it."

Seeing that Napoleon III did not object, Eugenie felt relieved, and then continued: "However, the situation has changed now. Since Britain completely broke off diplomatic relations with the Netherlands in 1878, the circle of allies that we did not care about in the past has become more advantageous. In the past, it was independent. Britain, which comes and goes alone, is a natural advantage, but now it is a disadvantage."

Seeing that Napoleon III still had no objections, Queen Eugenie said: "The Second French Empire is currently facing a crisis of halving its strength with the existence of the Thiers regime in Lyon in the south. We are currently facing a threat to our survival. Your Majesty, I think it is time for Britain to understand its situation."

"Let England understand her situation" Napoleon III repeated to savor the meaning of this sentence.

He raised his head and said, "You mean to tell Britain not to confront the Netherlands?"

Queen Eugenie nodded and said: "The war between Britain and the Netherlands is currently going on, and any outcome will be unfavorable to the Second French Empire.

Britain has won. For us, we still have to follow Britain. We even need France to lower its head a little lower. If Britain loses, the German Empire in the northeast will be moved. At that time, can Britain still help us fight against the German Empire and the Thiers government in the south? "

Upon hearing this, Napoleon III immediately sat up from lying down and leaned against the head of the bed. Not to mention, Queen Eugenie's worries were beyond his expectation.

There really shouldn't be a fight between Britain and the Netherlands.

Queen Eugene said: "Your Majesty, the worst result is that Britain starts a fight, and we in France cannot directly participate in it. We need to preserve our strength. Is Britain a threat to the future German Empire?"

Napoleon III: "The Queen is right, let's do as you say, but be more tactful. After all, we still need to rely on London."

Queen Eugenie nodded, and suddenly she seemed to remember something. She hesitated for a while and said: "The relationship between the Netherlands and us is somewhat bad at present. The nobles in Paris have begun to have ideas about changing this situation, but I have suppressed it for the time being. However, as London becomes more and more unfavorable in the future, we will be under increasing pressure, and your Majesty may need to prepare in advance."

Napoleon III took a deep breath, then spit it out and said, "You have to figure it out."

After saying that, he lay back and closed his eyes.

Queen Eugenie took a look, then bowed and left.

After she left, Napoleon III opened his eyes, flashed his eyes, and said softly: "Back then, the Netherlands supported Bismarck and William I, which caused my majesty to fall. Prussia marched to Paris. I have always kept this hatred in my heart. Now Britain's incompetence , France can only put hatred aside first, and then, hum."