Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

At a Privy Council meeting in the Netherlands, the British Treasury was also alarmed by the recent decline in the value of the pound.

Even Prime Minister Gladstone was very troubled by this.

Since the 18th century, Britain had four naval battles with the Netherlands, especially the third time when Britain and the Netherlands tied, and the fourth time when Britain defeated the Netherlands. The tulip financial capital of Amsterdam was replaced by London, England. Since then, London, England has been the most powerful financial capital in the world for hundreds of years. Even the rising New York and its old rival Paris in France cannot compare with London.

The rise of the pound followed the British steam revolution, and industrial products accounted for more than 40% of the world's share, establishing the UK as the world's most influential currency power, and thus strengthening the UK's global hegemony.

The UK attaches great importance to its financial status, and the pound is the strongest currency in the world, comparable to gold.

However, as the Netherlands rose too fast in the 1860s, Britain's diplomatic failure caused a hit to British industrial product exports. The Netherlands began to catch up in the early 1870s. Even Britain's most proud military industry could not escape. surpassed in 1876.

Sitting in front of Greenleyton were the most important members of the British cabinet, Foreign Secretary Greville, Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir William Vernon Harcourt, and Secretary of State for Industry and Commerce Robert Lowe.

Robert Lowe, the Secretary of Industry and Commerce, frowned and said:

"In the past ten years, Britain's global share of exports has dropped from 40% to 20% now, a 50% decline, a drop of 20 percentage points. On the contrary, the Netherlands has increased from 18% in 1870 to 35% now. Nearly one-third of the global share of exports increased by 17%, almost doubling.

Although the South became independent in the Confederate States of America, it has almost doubled from 7% in 1870 to 12% now.

The German Empire increased by 10 points from 7% in 1870 to a global share of 15%.

In the above ranking, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States account for 75% of global cross-border trade and three-quarters of the world. They are the top four trading and industrial powers in the world.

Your Excellency, Prime Minister, the Netherlands' foreign trade is getting stronger and stronger. Not only is it taking away our share, it is also comprehensively suppressing our competitiveness in many European countries. If it is not stopped, Britain may eventually lose its status as the world's second industrial power. In just ten years, Britain has transformed from the world's largest industrial power to the second largest industrial power in the world. It is in jeopardy. It is unbelievable."

Robert Luo's words ignited a feeling of sadness in the hearts of several people present.

The finance minister next to him, Sir William Vernon Harcourt, was also worried: "Yes, the Dutch industrial strength is too strong. Their three major consortiums are among the best in the world in terms of capital and financial strength, as well as industrial patent strength. Yes, and in a country like this, it’s a blessing to have such a consortium. Even in the UK, due to the excessive concentration of property in the hands of the aristocracy, there are too many restrictions on the operation of capital, making it difficult to use it as flexibly as one’s own arms. , look at the new patents issued by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences every year, which is the best reflection of industrial strength. Alas, our industrial innovation is too far behind the Netherlands, making it difficult to match the opponent in foreign trade."

"As my country's foreign trade has narrowed, the pound's global position has weakened. Especially in the past two years, the pound has been falling against the Dutch guilder, franc, US dollar, krona, etc. About three years ago, 1 pound was exchanged for The price is still 1:25, but now it has become 1:10. Many people in London predict that at the end of next year, the pound against the Dutch guilder may fall to 1:8. Many people even predict that by 1890, the pound against the Dutch guilder will drop to 1:8. The price of Dutch guilders may only be 1:5, which is a new low since the British pound and Dutch guilders can be exchanged.”

Gladstone suddenly felt even more unhappy. Behind the depreciation of the pound against the Dutch guilder was a thrilling power game.

On January 1, 1880, the Netherlands began to launch the Dutch guilder's global allied exchange rate, making the Dutch guilder the first choice for all Dutch allies to exchange foreign currencies, surpassing the number of countries that use the pound sterling in one fell swoop.

In March of the same year, the Dutch guilder officially entered global currency trading. On that day, the pound-to-dutch guilder ratio in the Sydney and Amsterdam foreign exchange markets jumped from 1:25 to 1:15. By the end of September this year, the pound-to-dutch guilder ratio once reached 1; 10 is the lowest point for the pound against the Dutch guilder.

As the global circulation of h Dutch guilders increases, the depreciation of the pound against the Dutch guilder becomes inevitable, and the strengthening of the Dutch guilder against the pound is also a trend.

Foreign Minister Greville said at this time: "Now that the Latin American War has begun, this has affected the basic base of the Dutch allies. The Netherlands has twelve allies there, plus the United States in the north is at a distance from the Netherlands. If the Netherlands in America is because of the war, If it continues to expand, the Dutch economy will inevitably be affected.

You must know that the Netherlands has implemented different traditional economic colonization in those countries, and the Netherlands' practice of stationing troops there will make the Netherlands unable to extricate itself in South America. And this is our UK's biggest opportunity against the Netherlands in Asia, Europe and Africa.

Mr. Prime Minister, I think the most important thing the UK should do at the moment is to support the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This will consume the strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the same time, it can also drag down Germany, which has just established the German-Austrian Alliance, and also drag down this emerging European power. The threat from the world's third industrial power has been lifted. After all, Berlin's current foreign trade is only two percentage points lower than ours.

Only by disrupting Latin America, where the Netherlands' most important allies are concentrated, will the Netherlands be in chaos, and at the same time, Germany, a ruthless shark-like character, will enter the game we have set up."

Finance Minister Sir William Vernon Harcourt nodded, and then sighed: "Currently, due to the decline in foreign trade in the UK, the national unemployment rate has increased to more than 10%. Such low national employment will trigger large-scale protests. At present, more than 5 million people in the UK are dissatisfied with our government's employment policy, so quickly transferring domestic conflicts will become our best tool. Of course, the other is to do practical things and mess up emerging industrial countries such as the Netherlands and Germany. at home and then take their jobs back to the British Isles."

Afterwards, Greville said: "The Netherlands' global diplomacy is the biggest obstacle to the development of the British industrial economy and military economy, because these countries are quickly making up for the shortcomings of the Dutch population being nearly ten million less than the British, and are constantly sending top talents to the country. In the Netherlands, the labor force has also increased a lot.

It has become a gathering place for talents from both sides of the Pacific Rim. This is the biggest threat facing the UK. Alas, if the Irish and Scots fully support our English rule, then we can govern in the Commonwealth of America. It is a pity that the Irish people still cannot forget that we starved to death millions of Irish people in 1800 and vigorously suppressed the hatred of Scotland against English rule. Instead, it has developed into the most anti-British force in America. "