Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

At this moment, many British people were stunned at first, and then full of surprises. Even Viscount Palmerston and the British Queen, who had always been the calmest, were full of gratitude to William IV of the Netherlands at this moment.

Britain's face is finally saved.

With the departure of almost all Dutch people in the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State Republic, the British would sweep across the Zulu Kingdom.

At that time, Britain had freed up 100,000 troops. Will the situation in Africa still be peaceful?

At this moment, the leaders of various European countries were secretly scolding the Netherlands. In this way, the Netherlands actually helped the UK.

Because the 100,000 British troops can finally escape the dilemma in South Africa, the colonies of various countries in Africa will face a strong opponent. Those countries that have not yet begun to participate, such as the North American power United States and the South American power Argentina, are dissatisfied with this move of the Netherlands. Some actions.

But what they didn't know was that, in fact, it was all related to a meeting two days ago.

July 24, 1862, London.

Robert Cecil was stunned when he heard what Mike Davis said. Oops. He looked at the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UK in front of him, knowing that this man definitely understood the current tense situation in the UK. He looked a little nervously. I glanced at the calm British Foreign Secretary Russell next to me and admired him deeply.

He is worthy of being a Prime Minister.

He is now the assistant to Foreign Secretary Russell. The person summoned by Russell, the Foreign Secretary, at the British Foreign Office this time was the Dutch Ambassador Mike Davis.

Russell stayed for half a minute before he said: "Hey, Davis, although our two countries have not been happy recently, I have to say that you have gone too far. Oh my God, there are so many armed personnel in South Africa." , what do you want to do? Except for you Dutch people, the rest only account for about 20% of the population. Dutch people must leave South Africa. We ask them to leave immediately."

Davis tilted his head and stared at Russell. This was a very impolite move. Even Robert next to him felt a twitch in his heart. Russell's words just now were considered polite according to his character. After all, the two of them There is an imbalance in people's identities. But what does the appearance of the Dutch ambassador in front of me mean?

Davis smiled hoarsely: "Minister Russell, you are very good. You are the only one who thought of asking the Netherlands to help. I don't think anyone else understands the benefits of doing so. You can call me here today, and you obviously have a comprehensive plan." , We are all smart people. If you act like just now, I think it is better to cancel this meeting as soon as possible so as not to delay everyone's official business."

What a way to delay everyone's business!

Robert felt something strange in his heart.

This Dutch ambassador is courageous and likes to interact with people in a direct and domineering way, often hitting the mark unexpectedly. Just like now, he knew that Minister Russell would not let him leave easily, so by saying this, he had the advantage of having the right to speak.

Russell's face was still expressionless, but Bu Guo felt helpless in his heart because of the other party's difficulty. The two were twice as old as each other, but they negotiated to become rivals. This confrontation between the old and the young sparked sparks.

But for the current Britain, and even more specifically, for the Whigs and him, it is out of date.

In fact, if it was in the early years, he would have been blushing, because the lesson learned in South Africa this time was a lifelong shame for him and Viscount Palmerston, otherwise he and Viscount Palmerston would not have chosen to The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is here.

Nowadays, the situation in Britain is turbulent, and the Tories are watching the Whigs' weaknesses. Had it not been for the firm support of Queen Victoria, Palmerston's cabinet would not have known that he, the foreign secretary, would at least have been replaced because Britain had failed so miserably in South Africa.

There are even many people calling for them to step down.

The current situation has been temporarily stabilized due to the Queen's support, and the Tories dare not make an attack at this time for fear of offending the Queen.

Therefore, this window period is his opportunity.

The purpose of Davis bringing up the old story was to anger him, and he naturally knew it very well, "I said Ambassador Davis, you know, the British Navy has not diminished at all, and it is still sailing around the world unimpeded."

Threaten me!

Britain has superior naval strength around the world. If the Dutch mainland is blocked in the Atlantic Ocean, the Netherlands' southward support for colonial shipping lanes will enter a dangerous situation.

"Minister Russell, you know, the Netherlands has allies in Prussia and the French Empire." Davis raised the banner of the two allies of the Three Kingdoms Agreement.

Russell smiled slightly, but Davis felt that his eyes were sharp and the content of his words was even more thorny.

"France? I actually summoned the ambassador of the French Empire to Britain before you, and we had a good conversation. As for the Netherlands' other ally, Prussia, Davis, you know, Princess Victoria, Crown Princess of Prussia, and Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia The martyred crown princes are very pro-British, so Prussia is a potential ally of Britain. The Queen has written to Berlin a few days ago, asking to ensure close ties between the British royal family and the Prussian royal family. William I has responded positively."

If you want to resolve it, there is no way!

"The minister must have made a mistake, that is, Prussia needs me more than we need them, just like the UK supports Austria now, and they need our support to seize the leadership position in the German Confederation."

Russell was stunned for a moment, and then said calmly: "Ambassador Davis, you should know that Britain can actually ease its relationship with France more."

"But in that case, Britain will have to pay a heavy price. You know, His Majesty Napoleon III is not a country owner who is greedy for petty gains. He is a wise Majesty with great talents and strategies. I don't think he is willing to be controlled by others. "lord of the country"

After hearing this, Russell said something difficult in his heart, and then laughed and scolded: "Ambassador Davis, you don't know that since the Netherlands and the United Kingdom exchanged those two territories, Her Majesty the Queen has been dissatisfied with you William IV all day long. World chess is superior, but in the situation in Belgium, it actually lost to your back move.

I have to say that your young Majesty William IV is really a genius. He actually thought of not being greedy for more when dividing Belgium with France and Prussia. The originally almost balanced situation became as the Netherlands harvested two Belgian provinces. Harvesting three Belgian provinces with France was originally just a numerical advantage, but in terms of expanded territorial area, the Dutch language was also larger than the French language.

Even in the Belgian general election, a relatively unpopular figure, Danetang, finally emerged. There is almost no suspense about Beit's speaker of this year's parliament.

In this way, the Netherlands almost outflanked Belgium. Do you think the Queen would look down upon William IV of the Netherlands at this time? After all, the current Dutch King Leopold II of Belgium is the queen's cousin. It is precisely because of this that the queen regrets letting the Dutch take advantage of her this time. "

Davis laughed, diluting the pressure exerted by Russell on Davis by taking advantage of the Queen, and said: "Minister Russell, now it is not a matter of who takes advantage, but that the British want the Netherlands to go to South Africa and kill those Dutch people." They brought their descendants out of South Africa, but how will these people survive after they leave, and where will they end up?”

“An area the size of the Netherlands”

"That's different, Minister Russell, you know, the Netherlands also needs compensation. These people and ethnic groups are also victims. After all, it was you who drove them to the northern land, which caused the subsequent development of the founding of the country. In general "The UK should take full responsibility, and we in the Netherlands are the victims."

Robert saw the two people talking and laughing freely, which was something he had never seen or imagined in his previous writings on foreign policy.

That was just talking on paper. This was a live-fire exercise with real swords and guns. He had learned a lot in the past few days. What was in front of him was real diplomacy.

This Dutch ambassador named Davis is really difficult to deal with.

But Russell is not someone to be manipulated lightly.

"The Netherlands is naturally a victim. After all, in the East Indies, the population of the Netherlands is too small, which makes it difficult to control. It often encounters indigenous attacks on your rule there. Therefore, we feel that the number of four to five million people is no more or no less. If you migrate people there and join the population of East India, the Netherlands will have nearly a million people there, and then there will be no more traps."

Are you so kind-hearted that you think about our Netherlands so thoughtfully?

Definitely not well-intentioned.

"Of course, without immigration, our rule there will be the same as yours in Malaya now."

Russell said directly: "Ambassador Davis, I think the relationship between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom can actually be closer. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Davis nodded and said, "We in the Netherlands have always believed that Britain and we are very close partners."

"No, I think the Netherlands is more suitable as an ally of the United Kingdom." Russell smiled: "The Netherlands and we once had the same king, just like we and Hanover did more than 20 years ago. Unfortunately, the Hanover Constitution stipulates that the king is not passed down from male to male. Female, otherwise Queen Victoria would take over, and then it would be a good thing for the two countries to believe that they love each other and become neighbors, and the same is true for the Netherlands."

What a wonderful thing!

This was a disguised form of coercion and warning to him.

The Kingdom of Hanover next to the Netherlands is a close blood friend of the United Kingdom. Be careful that the Netherlands is attacked by Britain at sea and the Kingdom of Hanover on land.

"Minister Russell, you know that the Netherlands is well-known around the world for loving peace. The Netherlands does not want to cause war, so the Netherlands will arm itself to prevent hostile people from offending, even though we know that the other side will lose."

Who would believe it!

Russell: "Then what can the Netherlands do to help Britain join the ranks of peaceful countries?"

coming!

Here comes the topic!

Robert looked at Davis nervously.

Because now the ball is in the ambassador's court, and he just doesn't know what the Netherlands will want.

Davis was stunned when he saw Russell being so direct, but his reaction was also quick.

He asked rhetorically: "How can the UK make up for our losses? After all, as Minister Russell just said, if our people evacuate, what if France and Prussia become dissatisfied with the Netherlands? These losses should also be counted. Come up and work together to make up for the loss that the Netherlands may have lost due to its allies.”

What Davis said seems true or false. Now that Russell has shown up to invite him, it is impossible to always play side games and not get to the point. It is better to put the matter out in the open. I believe that based on this, the Netherlands will not They have already figured out that they would fall out with the British, and even pay attention to practicality and the actual Dutch character. In this case, it would be a good start for him to start with this.

"The Netherlands may lose the trust of its allies?" Russell smiled bitterly, and Robert was also in a daze. Is there anyone in the world who can talk nonsense better than the Dutch ambassador?

Chapter 1 today, please recommend and vote for support!