Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

"Since I took charge of the Kingdom of Prussia, I have begun to use the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the French Empire, and the United Kingdom to surpass their goals step by step. Now the German Empire has always been world-famous as an emerging power. The original goal was only Austria-Hungary, France, and the United Kingdom. , now the Austro-Hungarian Empire has been defeated by us in 1867 and is even willing to rely on us. The French Empire is divided into two, and civil wars in Paris and Lyon can start at any time, not to mention threatening us. Their internal strife is too beneficial to us.

Originally, we only had the United Kingdom and Tsarist Russia as our targets. The Tsarist Russian Empire was only half of it, because that country was too poor, and the only things left were weapons, serfs, and agricultural products.

And being restricted to land, it is the United Kingdom, which is our biggest opponent.

Haha, no one expected that the Netherlands would move to the Far East, far away from our means of checking and balancing their homeland. The sky is high and the birds can fly.

Now the UK has also been pulled down by the Netherlands in the field of education. The Netherlands has stepped up and is leading the world.

Even a small Netherlands can take the top position, but our German Empire can only admire the bottom of the top three. The United States is not even close to us in terms of quality, and Spain is also catching up. Everyone here, if we don’t work harder, be careful that our status as an emerging power will really be overtaken by the Netherlands in the field of education. "

The people present understood William I's dissatisfaction very well.

The rapid rise of the Netherlands was something that he, the German emperor, and the iron triangle of German Prime Minister Bismarck, Chief of General Staff Moltke, and Military Minister Ron did not expect.

Many of Bismarck's plans at that time were probably realized. Austria-Hungary was pulled out of the German Confederation. After Prussia became the leader, it began to fight against France in 1870. It reached Paris and captured the French Emperor. In the end, not counting the compensation from various parts of France, Bismarck also Use tactics to divide this powerful neighbor in the south and prevent it from rising again.

However, with day and night defense and calculations, they did not expect that the Netherlands, which was originally sandwiched between Britain, France and Germany, would rise so fast. No one had any countermeasures, and the Netherlands successfully rose and became one of the most powerful countries in the world. List. Even the United Kingdom and Germany do not dare to attack the Netherlands easily now.

This made it difficult for Bismarck, William I and others to continue their plans. Therefore, they had to form a German-Austrian alliance with Austria-Hungary last time to seek a new situation and let Austria-Hungary and the Netherlands compete hard. Germany took the opportunity to look at the situation and make choices. Timing intervenes.

But seeing that the Netherlands was rising so fast, William I couldn't help it anymore, he was anxious.

Bismarck, Ron, and Moltke looked at each other, and then Military and Political Minister Ron said:

"Your Majesty, the education in the Netherlands is now the best in the world. Not to mention us, even the UK, the strongest country in the past, is still having a headache."

When Military Minister Ron mentioned that Britain had a headache, William I felt more comfortable.

Military Minister Ron continued: "From the perspective of legal professionals, today's rankings of world-famous universities have been dominated by Dutch and British universities, and the top five in almost all lists are not ranked by Dutch or British universities.

Even the rankings of small universities in continental Europe are ranked outside the Netherlands and the UK. Why is this? "

William I asked: "What's the reason?"

Military Minister Ron: "After observing for a long time, I discovered part of the reason: strength determines everything, and the strength of the country is the real determinant of university rankings."

He followed: "Why do you say that? This is reality.

The so-called most authoritative university rankings in the world that we usually come into contact with are the global university rankings published every year by the European Times.

It has been 20 years since you started this list in 1862. Have we all gotten used to it and turned a blind eye? Or choose to be blind, what if the connection is seamless? Now that everyone has become accustomed to it, it has become a normal psychological state. "

Bismarck said at this time: "Sir Ron, you mean that we should not focus on this list, but establish another pro-German list, or directly establish our own list secretly and overtly."

William I was moved when he heard this.

In fact, no one among the world’s top officials knows that the European Times belongs to the Principality of Luxembourg, and the Principality of Luxembourg is indeed the private domain of every king of the Dutch royal family. It is equivalent to being controlled by King William IV of the Netherlands.

The direct point of this list is that the Netherlands has given itself an advantage in ranking. Although the Netherlands has never denied it, it has never dared to admit it.

Bismarck: "In recent years, with its influence, the Netherlands has been regarded as a paradise for international students from all over the world. The Netherlands has achieved its wish by increasing its high-end population and young labor force. This was when I was in Prussia and had just conquered the entire German Confederation. After the implementation of the ban on emigration policy, the Netherlands faced new attacks.

Alas, although the German Empire as a whole has had less population outflow, due to the autonomy of each country, especially Bavaria, Württemberg, and Saxony in the south are very dissatisfied with Prussian rule, and many people there have long complained about it, so the Netherlands The developed economy and educational environment are very attractive to their vision for the next generation, but the policies are too siphonic for the people in these places.

If our universities can enter the top five and even compete with the Netherlands or the UK in terms of quantity and quality, then we can be more attractive to recruit talents.

But Sir Ron, this list in the Netherlands has gone through a process from unfamiliarity to familiarity to dependence and authority. "

Military Minister Ron waved his hand, and then said helplessly: "The first one to do it will always be popular, we can only start from scratch."

Old Moltke glanced at the two of them, and then said to William I: "Your Majesty, I feel that since the authority is not as powerful as the Dutch list, it is better for us to come up with another strange move."

William I asked with interest: "How?"

Bismarck and others also showed curiosity. No one dared to underestimate Moltke, the German Chief of Staff, so everyone took it very seriously.

Old Moltke said with a smile: "Since the Germans do not agree with the ranking list being run by one country, why don't we find several countries to run it together, such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the American Federation?"

William I was stunned for a moment, then showed excitement, "Yes, in this way, the position of the United States neutralizes the biased position of our Germany and Austria, and it can absorb the approval of some people. That's it."

No one else objected.