"If Germany and France were to go to war again, and if France were to win, it would be the day when … it would be … the day when democracy would sweep across Europe, and it would also be the time when the monarchs would ring their death knell … so, so … so …" William I, the Emperor of the German Empire, almost every time he recited a sentence, he would carefully read a paragraph written on a huge piece of paper.
The passage was not long, and it was written by German Prime Minister Bismarck himself. "If Germany and France go to war again, if France wins, it will be the day when democracy becomes popular in Europe, and it will also be the day when monarchy rings its death knell. So, this is not just a war between the German and French governments, but a decisive battle between monarchy and democracy on the European continent. Can Russia, as the stronghold of monarchy, stand by and watch?"
The Berlin Conference on Bulgaria was about to begin, and the Tsar of Russia was going to visit Berlin in person. One of the most important contents was that Tsar Alexander III wanted to meet his uncle, William I. In the face of his grandson, Tsar Alexander III, who was already 88 years old, needed to explain Germany's attitude toward maintaining the Three Emperors Alliance with the height of an emperor.
For several days, the old man recited and recited it. Time was so ruthless. Although it was just a few short sentences, he could not remember them. Sometimes, when he recited it, William I began to speak incoherently. For ten days, the old man spent all his time on this matter. However, with the perseverance of a soldier and the pride of an emperor, William I finally conquered the castle.
On October 11th, in front of his grandson and nephew, who were sitting upright and still in the Imperial Palace in Berlin, William the First narrated these words in an extremely smooth tone. From the standpoint of a monarch, he also clearly explained the political philosophy of the monarchy, as well as the stance of the monarchs to unite against the democratism.
Alexander III, who was 40 years old, didn't know what kind of hardship his granduncle had gone through. He originally thought that this old man would ramble on about maintaining the Three Emperors Alliance, and it was very likely that he would use the stubbornness and willfulness of an old man to force his request. Unexpectedly, the old man did not order, did not make a scene, but came up with a theory. This made Alexander III couldn't help but admire him.
From the perspective of an emperor of Russia, Alexander III had to consider the increasingly bad actions of the German government toward Russia. But as an Emperor, Alexander III had to admit that his granduncle William the First's ideas were indeed correct. There was an irreconcilable contradiction between the monarchy and the republic. And Alexander III really disliked the system of the French Third Republic.
No one really thought that the 88-year-old old man should attend the state banquet from beginning to end. A few minutes after the start of the state banquet, the 88-year-old emperor symbolically raised his glass to toast the participants, and then left with the 74-year-old empress. Looking at the two elders, the group of healthy people in the palace didn't feel disappointed. Instead, they heaved a sigh of relief. For the Germans, if the old emperor were to fall sick from exhaustion, no one would be able to bear the responsibility. As for Russia, they didn't want to bear the responsibility of making their old man sick.
Looking at his granduncle's back, Alexander III's eyes were filled with admiration. Speak appropriately, speak with substance, and know when to stop. It was indeed very rare for these characteristics to appear on an old man at the same time. However, after a few moments, when Alexander III turned his head and looked at the group of people left in the palace, the admiration in his eyes had disappeared. William the First was an excellent soldier and a true gentleman, but the group of people under him were real tigers and wolves. He had to be careful in dealing with them.
The Crown Prince and the Crown Prince were fine, but it was the 70-year-old Prime Minister Bismarck who made the 40-year-old Alexander III perk up. Just as Alexander III expected, the conversation with Bismarck was tit-for-tat from the beginning.
"Your Excellency, Russia's call for an alliance with France is getting louder and louder. Do you know?"
"The supreme power in Russia is His Majesty. As long as His Majesty doesn't agree, all the voices will soon be silenced."
"But Russia needs funds now, but you prohibit Russia's securities from being used as collateral in Germany. I think this is a matter for Your Excellency to decide."
"This requires the adjustment of Russia's financial system. Russia's securities must be recognized and approved by Germany. Isn't this the job of His Majesty to lead the Russia government? "
"What about Germany's view on Bulgaria? If France attacks Germany, Russia has the obligation to support Germany. Now that Britain has openly attacked Russia, what position is Germany going to show? "
"In order to coordinate this issue, the Berlin Conference will discuss it. Isn't what His Majesty needs now to express Russia's attitude to Britain through this conference? "
…
Such a conversation was going on between Alexander III and Bismarck. The Crown Prince, who was listening at the side, frowned deeply. To the 26-year-old young man, Bismarck's attitude toward the Tsar of Russia changed too frequently and was too disrespectful.
Bismarck had already seen the Crown Prince's expression, and a displeased expression flashed across his face. He called his secretary over and made a simple gesture. The secretary quickly left. After a while, the Crown Prince's attendant rushed over and said to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, the Prince is asking for you."
Although the Crown Prince was unwilling, he still got up and went to his father. Seeing the crown heir leave, Bismarck's inner anger was self-evident. While the Russian Tsar was having such a conversation, someone in Germany actually wanted to show a different attitude from Bismarck. Even if this person was the crown heir, Bismarck could not accept such a thing. Alexander III also did not like this arrogant and neurotic cousin. The Crown Prince's departure made Alexander III feel more relaxed. He said more bluntly, "I think Germany needs to fully support Russia's position in this matter."
Prime Minister Bismarck replied calmly, "Your Majesty, I know that Britain's attack on Russia has caused a great shock to Russia. Shouldn't Russia work together to deal with this matter? If Russia is willing to buy Germany's warships, we will definitely provide Russia with more powerful battleships in the Baltic Sea. "
"Battleships as powerful as the Chinese Navy?" Russia's Tsar Alexander III finally found a chance to mock Bismarck.
Bismarck was not moved by this mockery at all. He replied, "The quality of the warships that Germany can provide to Russia is definitely better than the battleships that Russia can build now. For Russia, it would be better to increase the number of battleships immediately. "
There were smart people in Russia. Even if Prime Minister Bismarck was extremely wise, he was still a person. Furthermore, he was a German Prime Minister who was changing from a revolutionary and destructive person to a conservative one. In terms of interests, the more intense the conflict between Russia and Britain, the more Russia had to rely on Germany. The conflict between other countries was an important basis for Germany's balanced diplomacy. It was just like the conflict in Europe was an important basis for Britain's balanced diplomacy.
Therefore, Prime Minister Bismarck's offer of help did not make the Tsar of Russia excited. Instead, it made him sad. When Bismarck's answer perfectly matched Russia's internal prediction of Bismarck, the Tsar already knew that he was unlikely to get Germany's support on the Bulgarian issue.
Since this was the case, Alexander III no longer entangled with Prime Minister Bismarck. He said bluntly, "If Germany can't support Russia on the Romanian issue, then it is inevitable that Russia and France will cooperate more. We hope that Germany can have a very clear understanding in this regard. "
After that, Alexander III got up and left. Leaving Bismarck behind, the Tsar of Russia walked toward the direction of a group of German court women. It was not that Alexander III was lecherous, but because Bismarck couldn't always chase him into the group of court women. At this time, Alexander III's chest was full of anger. He didn't know what he could say if Bismarck shamelessly chased after him. At this time, Alexander III, who was used to seeing beautiful women in the court of Russia, didn't care about the German Dragoons' sturdy body.
In terms of appearance in Europe, China's central bank governor, Wang Mingshan, thought that the Mediterranean style of Italian beauty was in line with China's aesthetic standards. Li Weiren's Osman Empire's princess wife shocked the upper class with her appearance, and the son she gave birth to was too beautiful. This child was a genuine Chinese, at least at this stage, everyone liked his beautiful appearance very much.
Therefore, with a beautiful Italian beauty accompanying him, Wang Mingshan felt a little better. At this time, China's central bank governor was very unhappy. He didn't expect the Italian foreign minister to be so unreliable. He brought him to Florence and introduced Wang Mingshan to the local bigwigs, but he himself went to an international conference. If this was in China, Wang Mingshan would have already scolded him. But he was a guest in Italy, after all, and could only take note of the Italian foreign minister's unreliability.
But being unreliable was just being unreliable. At least the foreign minister introduced Wang Mingshan to a local Marchioness. The young Marchioness was widowed at this time. Her husband, who was in his sixties, passed away the year before last. The 32-year-old Marchioness finished dealing with the property issues. At this time, she could completely take off her black veil and appear in public with Wang Mingshan.
Although he wasn't a literature lover, Wang Mingshan had read Dumas's "The Count of Monte Cristo," which had a good description of European customs. The description of Italian women in the upper class was quite vivid. Coincidentally, the Marchioness's name was also G.
For Italian women in the upper class, their lives were spent in society, so there was nothing to hide. The fact that Marchioness G and the governor of China's central bank were traveling together, no matter how strange it was to ordinary people in China, and even had all kinds of associations. In fact, Marchioness G herself and the group of people around her didn't think so.
It was a tradition for a beautiful madam to lead a foreign bigwig into Italian society. What's more, this bigwig was a central bank governor, a person with huge business opportunities. The Italian foreign minister didn't want to make things difficult for Wang Mingshan. On the contrary, the foreign minister found the best way for Wang Mingshan. As for whether Wang Mingshan could cross the cultural differences between countries and finally do things in the best way of Italy. That was Wang Mingshan's problem. The Italian foreign minister had done his duty, and the rest was "let others judge the right and wrong, and I will be a good person."
Wang Mingshan initially sent a telegram to his good friend Shen Xin. Shen Xin was really a good friend. He immediately contacted the Central Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' intelligence department took out a document. Vézé, who was undoubtedly the most understanding person in China, finally made the decision that no one was allowed to discuss this issue. So Wang Mingshan roughly knew what China meant.
And Marchioness G didn't have any malicious intentions. She quickly helped China contact the local bigwigs in Florence, bankers, parliamentarians, and nobles. A group of local bigwigs in Florence held several cocktail parties in succession. Marchioness G hadn't appeared in public for a long time. Holding Wang Mingshan's arm and returning to the diplomatic circle, Marchioness G was in a good mood.
The men talked about men's problems, and the women began to talk about women's topics. Marchioness G's situation had been very bad because of the family property after her husband's death. She was her husband's second wife, and the first wife left behind three sons and two daughters. The previous wife's family status was very high, and the inheritance lawsuit was very disadvantageous to Marchioness G. In fact, except for her husband's house and a small amount of savings, Marchioness G's life was already very difficult.
"I heard that the central bank governor of China can bring a lot of money." Her friends, who were quite close to her, discussed in a low voice in the corner of the female guests.
"Are you going to represent his business in Italy?" There were also people who were quite interested in this business opportunity.
No one thought that Marchioness G was going to have a sexual relationship with Wang Mingshan. That kind of relationship was not a big deal in the upper class of Italy. Marchioness G was a widow, and it was not a problem for her to do anything with Wang Mingshan. The only question was whether she still had money. If she was penniless, then she might as well disappear from society forever. What the society valued was the lady's purse and how much money she could bring to the upper class of the society. As long as she would become very rich, or at least make someone very rich. Even if her husband did not die and accompanied the central bank governor of the distant eastern empire to the upper class of Italy, no one would make any negative comments.
Wang Mingshan was not a narrow-minded person. In the current Chinese political scene, the sun was undoubtedly the chairman of the Restoration Party, His Majesty Vézé. Other than that, the moon was probably the traditional military and the Huizhou merchant group. Like Shen Xin, Wang Mingshan was a good student of the Military Governor Of Vaize. He had one foot in the military and the other was from Anhui. When the Military Governor Of Vaize was in Anqing in 1853, he went to the school under the governor and went south with the Liberation Army in 1855. Apart from a very small number of Founding Elders, no one else could compare to him in terms of experience.
He talked with a group of high-ranking officials and dignitaries in Florence about the establishment of a China bank in Florence. He soon discovered one thing: the Italian Foreign Minister was really helping.
In the social circle, Wang Mingshan asked a few very stupid questions. He asked the local people in Florence, "What will the Italian central government think about the bank?", "What will the Italian central government do to the bank?", "Will the Italian central government agree to set up a branch of a diplomatic bank in Florence that will have great influence in the future?"
After all, the Italian upper class had hundreds of years of accumulation. They did not laugh at such a strange question, but tried to discuss it with President Wang Mingshan. After all, the governor of the Central Bank of China was not Italian. As the host, it was his duty to answer the questions of the guests.
After three consecutive days of banquets, Wang Mingshan had a discussion with a number of Italian bigwigs who were highly respected or powerful. Wang Mingshan, who was considered smart, came up with several conclusions. First, these people were all bragging and lying.
If these people were not bragging and lying, Wang Mingshan's conclusion was: Second, the Italian central government did not have any impression of local affairs. Third, the Italian central government basically had no say in local affairs. Fourth, as long as they could make Florence pay a little more taxes to the central government, the group of people in the central government would want to rush over and kiss the ass of these big taxpayers.
This kind of understanding was a real eye-opener for Wang Mingshan, who was born in China. There were also some training within the Restoration Party in China that targeted the system, and the proportion was not very low. No matter how smoothly these people wrote "the state is a tool of class rule, and the ruling class uses the state as a tool to realize the will of the ruling class" when answering the test paper.
Everyone felt that everyone was united around the central government with the Military Governor Of Vaize as the core to realize the resolution passed by the central government. Everyone also knew that they were the ruling class, but this feeling was not strong. These people were the ones who were left after many times of elimination. Those who could not pass the test paper had to stand aside. And those who could pass the test paper at least knew what the Military Governor Of Vaize wanted to do. These people did not lack money, nor did they lack status. They knew that the Military Governor Of Vaize did not like to promise the future of pigs becoming monkeys. The Military Governor Of Vaize's hobby was to teach them personally. If they could not learn it, the Governor Of Vaize would directly open a pig feast.
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