"The Foreign Minister of China has arrived." The secretary came in to inform Bismarck. The Prime Minister replied, "Let him in."
As he got up, the Prime Minister closed the first volume of the German edition of Capital. Because of China, Uncle Ma's research had almost become a prominent subject in the upper class of Europe. The reason why "almost" was used to describe it was because Uncle Ma's famous book, The Declaration of Freedom, bluntly declared the end of the exploitation system.
Some of the articles by the emperor of China, Vézé, gradually spread to Europe. These articles described the end of the feudal system from the standpoint of a ruler. Regarding the capitalist system, the emperor of China, Vézé, also had a lot of quite incisive expositions. These expositions were undoubtedly pertinent and impolite.
With the theory and the successful practice based on this theory, Uncle Ma's influence in the upper class of Europe increased day by day. Even in Germany, there were very few people who proposed to cancel the expulsion of Uncle Ma himself and allow him to return to Germany to teach. After all, Uncle Ma was a German. What was the point of letting him live a wealthy life in Britain with China's funding?
Regarding this kind of artsy proposal, he sneered at it. Although he was ideologically opposed to freedom, in essence, he was a genuine materialist. Just like how he cracked down on freedom, he found a better way to govern the country from Capital. For the Prime Minister, the value of everything was whether it could play a role in the present. In the face of the stupid and ignorant German Junkers and the timid bourgeoisie, the Prime Minister could only shout "iron and blood" in a language that these people could understand. For those who only knew how to use theory to describe a future paradise, the Prime Minister could not have the slightest favorable impression and approval.
When Li Xin walked into the office under the guidance of the attendant, the Prime Minister was already standing in the center of the office. This was a courtesy to the foreign minister of China. The Prime Minister recognized China, which got rid of the oppression of Britain with its own strength and became a world power. Perhaps the emperor of China was a theorist, but more importantly, the emperor of China represented by the ruling class of China was a doer.
The Prime Minister, who was already in his prime, had a bulging belly and began to look old. However, Li Xin would not underestimate the founder of the Second Reich and the current Prime Minister just because of this appearance. Bismarck's contribution to Germany was comparable to Weiser's contribution to China. Germany went from being a pile of loose sand that was oppressed by the European powers to becoming a European power with an area of 540,000 square kilometers. Bismarck was also a European power with natural advantages on the European continent.
The first part of the discussion was the same as before. Germany hoped to purchase the most advanced warships from China. Li Xin could only respond in a perfunctory way. At this time, the most powerful navies in the world were the People's Navy of China and the Royal Navy. Both countries chose to keep their naval technology a secret. Although it was not certain, thanks to the navigation capability of the Suez Canal, there was no possibility of an all-out naval war between China and the United Kingdom for the time being. There was no need for China to create too much trouble for the United Kingdom at the moment.
More importantly, China's naval technology could not only be used on the navy. The tube-retractable artillery was already the standard equipment of China's sixth army. Giving Europe the ability to resist the United Kingdom was not the best choice for China, at least for now.
After this matter was settled, it was Osman's turn to ask questions. The Prime Minister clearly expressed Germany's position. "We oppose the United Kingdom's plan."
Li Xin was not surprised. The natural advantage of the Second Reich was that it was a Northern European country, a Western European country, and a Central European country at the same time. This country in the heart of Europe was a land of war, and Germany's industrial strength and powerful army allowed Germany to fight everywhere. In response to Germany's situation, a young staff member of the European Department of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs put forward a view called "Germany's Dilemma in Europe."
This dilemma was due to Germany's geographical advantages, industrial and institutional advantages, coupled with Bismarck's materialistic way of doing things, which led to the "Qinization" of the Germans. Xunzi, who was recognized by Vézé, had been to the Qin Kingdom in history. After praising the current system and social standards of the Qin Kingdom, he believed that the Qin Kingdom lacked a humanistic political concept, so it was very dangerous in the long run.
The trend in Germany was similar. Freedom and a good organizational model based on freedom, the pursuit of efficiency, and the wonderful fit of scientific exhibitions. It made "the Germans enrich the system, but not the soul. The Germans can overcome mistakes, but not avoid the wrong path." From Wei Changrong's son's somewhat poetic summary, Li Xin keenly smelled a trace of Vézé.
"So what do you think is a more reasonable way?" Li Xin asked.
"It can't be led by the United Kingdom, and it can't be led by Russia. Only by avoiding the leadership of these two countries can the Balkans be stable and peaceful. "Bismarck put forward his opinion.
Li Xin muttered to himself, "So it's still up to Germany to lead."
But Li Xin didn't say this out loud. He asked a question, "Germany is a member of the Three Emperors Alliance. What kind of impact will it have on the Three Emperors Alliance if Russia is excluded? As far as I know, France and Russia have a lot of economic cooperation, and Germany has a great advantage in economic exchanges between Germany and Russia. Not to mention that Russia thinks that it should naturally lead its Slavic brothers in the Balkans. From an economic point of view, Germany can't provide the support that Russia needs like France. So if Germany can't meet the needs of Russia politically, how can the Three Emperors Alliance go on? "
The Prime Minister was silent for a while. Li Xin's question was sharp and to the point. The purpose of the Three Emperors Alliance was to attack France. There were many contradictions between Britain and France. When Britain occupied Egypt, the contradictions intensified. So the possibility of an alliance between Britain and France became very low. The Osman Empire leaned towards Britain, and Italy was just a bystander. Fifteen years ago, the Three Emperors Alliance was still stationed in Rome. So it was impossible to expect Italy and France to fully cooperate.
As long as Germany maintained the Three Emperors Alliance, it would cut off the possibility of France finding an ally. With Germany's strength, the result of a one-on-one fight with France would be another Franco-Prussian war.
The purpose of this alliance was to deal with France. Once Russia and Austria-Hungary used it to meet their own strategic goals in other aspects, Austria-Hungary would take the lead in confronting Russia. Part of Germany's territory was in Central Europe, and Austria-Hungary was a completely Central European country. As a Central European country, Austria-Hungary couldn't accept Russia as the overlord of Central Europe. Bismarck was faced with such a complicated situation.
Li Xin didn't expect Bismarck to really answer this question. This involved a country's core strategic judgment and core strategic operation. However, if Li Xin were to think this way, he would inevitably fall into the error of judging others by his own standards. In fact, Bismarck wanted to be able to answer this question with confidence. Because if Germany could answer this question, it would solve Germany's biggest dilemma strategically.
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