Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

January 25, 1862, Buckingham Palace!

"asshole!"

Henry John, Viscount Palmerston, Tapper had not known how long it had been since Queen Victoria had been so angry in front of him.

The most recent time, I remember, was when the G death whirlwind that swept through Europe in 1848 finally hit the British Empire.

After all, that whirlwind wanted to bring down the European royal families collectively.

This was something that made Queen Victoria furious.

But now, she was angry again, with shocking anger!

"What, he dared to refuse this request? It can't be a lie, right?"

Before Henry John Tapper said anything, John Russell, the current Foreign Secretary of the British Empire, and William Ewart Gladstone, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, looked at each other.

John Russell is now the second-ranking figure in the Whig Party. He was previously the Prime Minister of the British Empire from 1846 to 1852.

When Viscount Palmerston formed the cabinet, he was invited to serve as the Foreign Secretary of this cabinet. This was the case between him and Palmerston, taking turns to be the prime minister and forming the cabinet, while the other served as an important member of the cabinet and supported each other.

However, both of them are over 70 years old. The newly trained finance minister Gladstone is 53 years old, so he is the key target of their training.

As a result, Gladstone now became the third-ranking figure in the Whig Party and served as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

These people are all the most powerful figures in the world today. Any instruction they give can change the fate of many countries, affecting hundreds of millions of people.

It is precisely because they understand the power of the British Empire that they are now being rejected. For them, not only are they embarrassed, but they are also dissatisfied with the person who damaged the majesty of the British Empire.

Buckingham Palace is now beginning to be called the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets. Although the Roman court has not yet recognized the Queen as the Queen, it is only a matter of time.

Especially as the British Empire supported the Kingdom of Sardinia to unify Italy and increasingly threatened the rule of the Roman court there, the other party had wanted to talk to the British Empire many times, but several people on the British Empire side refused to let go.

This time, the court must recognize that the British Empire is an empire, and the king of the British Empire is also an emperor. This is their purpose.

They believed that the other party would compromise. After all, the Kingdom of Sardinia, the agent of the British Empire, would not resist the instructions issued by London.

London's status is due to the warships that dominate the world. Which country in the world with a coastline dares to ignore the existence of the British Empire and dares to say that it is more powerful than the British Empire. As long as the British Empire's navy is still there, then it will The British Empire has maintained global maritime hegemony.

However, now they are faced with a serious test of difficulties.

Because, in France, which is not much weaker than them, some people dare to attack diplomatic envoys in Belgium, a country that has always been regarded as Britain's bridgehead in Europe, and even kill them directly.

If this issue is not handled properly, not only will the British Empire not allow intrusion in the UK itself, which the British Empire has built around the world over the years, but the British will not allow other countries to casually harm the interests of the British Empire around the world.

These three points will be difficult to maintain, because if you can't even protect the official people, how can you make other countries fear your other interests.

You must know that the mainland is small and relies entirely on overseas resource supply to support the current power of the British Empire. If one day, other countries are no longer afraid of Britain, then it will not be far away from these supply chains being interrupted. .

Especially with the former colonies. The United States, which was specifically used to exile prisoners, left British rule and established a country. They learned from European development experience and unexpectedly exceeded the expectations of the British Empire and became the fourth largest industrial country in the world, second only to the United Kingdom. The German Confederation that combined the Empire, the French Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and the Kingdom of Austria.

The rise of these countries has put the economic hegemony of the British Empire in jeopardy. In terms of consumption level, the French Empire and the German Confederation combined are already almost the same as the British Empire.

Industry is equal to strength. It is no wonder that the most powerful country in Europe and several powerful men in the British Empire have gloomy faces.

Especially what happened to France's Napoleon III over the years. With the support of Prime Minister Olivier, Napoleon III can now be said to be a powerful enemy of the British Empire.

The two parties originally did not want to provoke each other, but they agreed on some issues, such as the Crimean War and U.S. containment, and reached unanimous cooperation agreements.

However, in the Mediterranean, Britain supported the Sardinian dynasty in southeastern France to unify Italy, and supported the Prussian rule in northern France to lead most of the territory of the German Confederation. This made France very alert.

Therefore, the two countries have always had strategic interests but no actual allies.

This is why Britain’s hegemony must be maintained in the European continent and a single power cannot emerge and develop beyond the sea. If Britain is threatened by a single country, it will be very dangerous. After the defeat of Portugal and the Netherlands decades ago, these three countries have been in decline since then, and the conclusion was reached without entering the top five negotiating seats at the Vienna Peace Conference.

At the same time, this is also the reason why over the years, although Queen Victoria knew that the rise of Prussia would inevitably lead to a powerful enemy in Europe, she did not prevent Prussia from quickly annexing other German Confederation Kingdoms and Principalities. To take precautions in the bud, use Prussia to Check and balance Tsarist Russia in the north, Austria in the east, and France in the south. At the same time, Prussia will be watched closely by other countries around it. Britain makes a fortune at sea and strengthens itself. Is there such a good pattern?

I originally thought that such a situation would make Britain comfortable for a while, but the sad Queen Victoria, who had been widowed for two months, was actually angered by the news from Belgium.

France, is it itchy?

These were the first words they heard the Queen say when they first came to Buckingham Palace.

Several other people are also asking: Is France testing the bottom line of the British Empire?

Several people looked at each other, and even Queen Victoria saw the surprise in each other's eyes. You must know that France now has to take care of the three powerful countries on the land due to Prussia, namely Prussia in the northwest, Austria in the northeast, and now Although Italy in the east and Spain in the south are very close to France, they also need to be on guard.

Is it possible that France, surrounded by so many great powers, still wants to provoke the British Empire?

Did Napoleon III really think he was his uncle Napoleon I?

Viscount Palmerston was thinking deeply. He had felt uneasy some time ago and couldn't find the reason. Now he has found some clues, but he still can't grasp it. This made him slightly uneasy. I felt very uneasy and moved up a level.

He always feels that what happened recently is not that simple. Logically speaking, although it makes sense, the fact that it happened one after another in such an order revealed one thing, that is, there is a hand in control. The pulse beats as things unfold.

When something goes wrong, there must be a monster!

If it's too smooth, it's weird!

At this thought, his face became solemn and slightly gloomy.

The atmosphere had not been strong for long, and the Queen's speech broke the silence of the palace reception room.

"Prime Minister, what do you think of his letter just now?"

His eyes were not dull at all because he was over 60 years old. Instead, his eyes were squinted, with a strange light showing from time to time, and he said:

"His guess is correct. The Monroe Doctrine is indeed the United States' attempt to seize the influence of our European countries for many years. This Monroe is very shrewd and knows that this is the only way to get rid of the United States and Europe's excuses to interfere with them. The best excuse for the country.

Well, I can describe it as a denial strategy. On the surface, it is to prevent us from interfering in the Americas, and it has won the recognition of the moral high ground of people in the Americas. Unknowingly, it has recognized that the United States is the leader of the entire Americas and is willing to accept their command.

In fact, it is just to add a layer of external protective film to their country. Let everyone in Europe know clearly that if you want to intervene in America's country, you must intervene in these countries first.

Monroe, Monroe, you are really a genius of our time, and you are indeed a respected leader in America."

Russell and Gladstone also had expressions of admiration on their faces.

Queen Victoria certainly understood the meaning of Viscount Palmerston's expression when she saw it, because it was an expression of eagerness to hunt.

The latter served as Foreign Secretary for sixteen years. Unfortunately, when he first took up this position, Monroe had already left the post of the United States in 1825.

But to be honest, Queen Victoria was somewhat impressed by the idea of ​​this plan, and she lamented that the other party had a long-term vision! It's just a pity that he doesn't have the service of the British Empire!

But wasn't such a plan cracked by the young man who inherited the throne at the end of last year?

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glance across the East China Sea, where the Kingdom of the Netherlands was located.

"But Your Majesty, he is not simple. Although he seems to have not attracted much attention in the position of crown prince in recent years, he has not done much.

However, the Netherlands has experienced rapid economic development in recent years. In 1860 alone, the former crown prince invented a new type of clothing called denim clothing and established a company called Dutch Denim Clothing. The denim clothing and jeans sold in the past two years, Even cowboy hats, etc., have sold more than one million pieces in Europe and America. Calculated at a unit price of 1 pound for a pair of jeans, the revenue exceeds 100 million pounds. You must know that the previous first-class sailing battleship cost only 100,000 pounds. Just pounds”

What a money-making guy!

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