Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

On June 23, 1881, Cantur, Director of the National Security Council and Coordinator of Atlantic Affairs of the Netherlands, who was visiting the Kingdom of Denmark, met with the Minister of Military Affairs of the German Empire Ron in Groningen, the Netherlands, for two days. Luxembourg's "European Affairs" The Times published an editorial on this, saying that the reason why the Kingdom of the Netherlands responded "lukewarmly" was because the German Empire had harmed the interests of the Netherlands for a long time and had made the Dutch people "heartbroken."

This article emphasizes that the importance of the relationship between the German Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands is self-evident, and the Netherlands has always, from the standpoint of a responsible major country, earnestly advised the German Empire to correct its perception of the Netherlands, return to rationality, and maintain good Dutch-German relations. 's first button.

The article urges the German Empire to take practical actions to prove that it is indeed managing competition responsibly rather than dealing with the Netherlands in an opportunistic manner. "What Berlin needs to understand is that the kind of speculative diplomacy that wants to wipe out the old European balance of power will definitely not get any profit here in the Netherlands."

Cantur once again stated in the article, "The German Empire needs to be clear that this meeting took place when the German Empire became hostile to the Netherlands, established the German-Austrian Alliance, and tried to reveal its invasion ambitions to the Netherlands' Latin American allies. This has already happened. This was carried out against the background of serious damage to mutual trust between the two countries. The partnership that the German Empire had trusted the Netherlands in the past was now infinitely close to bankruptcy in Dutch society.

As Director of the Dutch National Security Council and Coordinator of Dutch Transatlantic Affairs, I believe that Germany and the Netherlands need bankruptcy and reorganization. If the Dutch have misunderstood Germany, then please ask Germany to provide evidence to prove that it is a misunderstanding. Otherwise, this will not only be an obstacle to the relaxation of relations between the Netherlands and Germany, but also may make the Netherlands and Germany become a worse intensification factor. I always think that our Majesty William IV The saying that is often said is true: when a person’s heart is cold, it takes some effort to warm it up again.”

"European Times" quoted Cantur, the head of the Dutch National Security Advisory Service, as saying bluntly, "Since the German Empire has done so many things that harm the interests of the Netherlands, it is impossible to expect the Dutch to remain indifferent. , even warm to you.”

Cantur said that the German Empire has three images in the eyes of the Dutch people.

First, they are unwilling to see the Netherlands become prosperous and powerful, and cooperate with the United Kingdom to contain and suppress the Netherlands by any means;

The second is disrespecting and provoking the influence of the Netherlands in the world. For example, in the Commonwealth of America, Germans have repeatedly launched overt and covert attacks on Dutch people, undermining the interests of Dutch people in the United States.

It has repeatedly provoked the core interests of the Netherlands, and intensified its efforts to defend the Netherlands' allies in Latin America with unclear intentions, destroying the Netherlands' global chain of interests.

The third is that the German Empire likes to say one thing and do another. The Netherlands feels that the German Empire currently seems to have a credibility problem. It is difficult for the Netherlands to believe that what the German Empire says now will be changed before the future contract expires. , which is what we often call breach of contract.

Cantur said that he had directly stressed to Ron, the Minister of Military and Political Affairs of the German Empire, that it was the German Empire that constantly used actual actions to confirm and strengthen these three impressions of the Dutch. It was difficult for the Dutch not to think so.

After Ron's visit to Groningen, he also visited Amsterdam, where he met with the German Chamber of Commerce and encouraged them to contribute to the friendly relations between Germany and the Netherlands.

The two met here in Amsterdam the next day, and the atmosphere seemed to have relaxed a lot this time.

Perhaps the German Empire understood that the German-Austrian alliance and the American approach seemed to be too hasty, and they did not expect the Dutch reaction to be so big.

That's why William I sent Ron, one of their German iron triangles. This iron triangle refers to Bismarck, who manages the cabinet government, Moltke, the chief of staff who manages the military, and Ron, who trains officers and soldiers and is in charge of German logistics. The three have almost equal status and trust each other. They are the three most trusted political allies of William I.

This meeting was able to organize the empire to come with sincerity. Perhaps it was Kantur's strong dissatisfaction on the first day that made Berlin retreat.

On June 24, 1881, Cantur, the Director of National Security Affairs of the Netherlands, and Ron, the German Minister of Military Affairs and Logistics, concluded their meeting in Amsterdam, the original European capital of the Netherlands.

Ron: "The Netherlands and the German Empire agreed that both sides should put aside the fighting between Germans and Dutch people in the Commonwealth of America, and restore communication and stable relations between the two countries when problems arise in the interests of the Commonwealth of America."

Cantur said: "What the German Empire has done for a long time has time and again disappointed and indignant the Dutch society, which originally had goodwill and goodwill towards Germany, and made the hearts of the Dutch people colder and colder. Now. Many Dutch people who were originally pro-German do not believe that Germany can change its course soon, especially in the Far East. A large number of Dutch people now express their disbelief that Berlin will change its hostile attitude towards Dutch opportunism, especially in Latin America. On the issue, I think Germany is preparing to take advantage of the Anglo-Dutch struggle to seize territory."

However, as if to vent his feelings after the interview, Cantur followed up with an expectant tone: "The Netherlands and the German Empire are closely related to each other. The two countries have been good partners many years ago and have reached a number of cooperation projects. , such as the African colonies, the purchase of territory in the Middle East, the French 'rights protection action', etc. These are the achievements that the Netherlands and the German Empire have achieved together for more than ten or twenty years. Today's visit by Minister Ronda proves that the German Empire There is still hope for relations with the Netherlands, and the Netherlands hopes that the German Empire and I can work toward each other, rather than be opposites."

No matter how Cantur expressed his dissatisfaction, Military Minister Ron's statement quickly became the information harvested by spies from various countries in Amsterdam, and this news was quickly conveyed to various countries.

"The German Empire actually made concessions to the Netherlands!"

Many people in the UK had moved their stools to sit and watch the show, but now they are dumbfounded.

In particular, Crown Prince Edward was very angry:

"Germany is so spineless that it actually compromised with the Netherlands. We originally expected Germany to be on our side, but now, the idiots in Berlin have given in first."

Disraeli, who was in the opposition party next to him and had served as the British Prime Minister twice, said with a sarcastic smile: "Bismarck, like Viscount Palmerston, is a wallflower. To put it nicely, it is just balance of power diplomacy.

Your Majesty the Crown Prince, it seems that Gladstone made a miscalculation in uniting Germany against the Netherlands."

Crown Prince Edward also sighed: "You are right. My eldest sister, Princess Victoria, was the Crown Princess in Berlin, but she seems to have no influence now. It seems that my mother needs to make some decisions."

Disraeli was stunned for a moment, and then asked: "Your Highness, what do you mean?"

Crown Prince Edward: “If we can oppose the Netherlands, why can’t we enact anti-German policies?”

Disraeli suddenly woke up and said thoughtfully: "That's true."

What the two of them didn't know was that Edward and his team's decision would lead to more than 65 million troops participating in the war, more than 15 million troops killed in battle, and civilian deaths reaching 10 million? The war is accelerating.

Different from history, this time it will be much worse for the UK, so I won’t mention it for now.