The Italian Foreign Minister did not know that his recommendation had a good effect. After receiving Vézé's instructions, Wang Mingshan used his relationship with Marquise G to acquire Marquise G and several small Florentine banks, and soon established the first European stronghold of China banks. Three days later, the second stronghold in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, a major client of China's pasture, began construction. One in the Mediterranean Sea, and one in the Atlantic Ocean. The banking fulcrum across most of Europe began to be established. If Mr. Foreign Minister really knew this, he would be happy.
At the 1885 Berlin Conference, the Italian Foreign Minister's task had nothing to do with China. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy had a deep discussion on strengthening the alliance.
The Triple Alliance between Russia, Germany, and Austria-Hungary was aimed at isolating France. But for Germany, the only real ally was Austria. They were all countries of the same race. Hapsburg and Hohenzollern were both electors of the Holy Roman Empire. France's Voltaire laughed at the Holy Roman Empire, saying it was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. This joke accurately ridiculed the Holy Roman Empire, because the Holy Roman Empire was not a unified empire, and its territory did not include Rome, nor was it recognized by the Holy Church.
But once the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy was solid, except for the ancient Roman Gaul and the old Byzantine Empire in the East, the main areas of ancient Rome were within this alliance. In a sense, the Holy Roman Empire did have a faint smell of reconstruction.
From the map, Romania and Austria-Hungary had signed a treaty to defend against Russia's attack. If these four countries could be completely tied together, they would form a vast area located in the center of Europe, north to the Baltic Sea, west to the North Atlantic Ocean, east to the Black Sea, and south to the Mediterranean Sea. To the north of this behemoth was Russia, and to the south was France. And it was separated by this alliance into two unconnected areas. Although England was covetously watching from the west, England's strongest force was its navy. Although the Sixth Army was strong enough, it was not strong enough to completely overwhelm the Sixth Army of Germany, which was in the limelight in the Franco-Prussian War.
Men had a hobby of drawing maps. Just from the map, the future of this alliance looked quite good. The situation was very good. Not a small one, but a very good one. Therefore, the foreign ministers of the three countries were in a relaxed mood, especially the foreign minister of Austria-Hungary, who was determined to win this meeting. The Austro-Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his opinion forcefully. "The Grand Duke of Bulgaria must be approved by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Otherwise, any so-called Bulgarian leader is illegal!"
Italy did not have a good impression of France. Italy's independence and Germany's founding were based on France's crushing defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. And the powerful France itself was a huge threat to Italy. Although Italy did not have the ability to really influence Bulgaria, this did not prevent the Italian Foreign Minister from using this matter to gain benefits for Italy.
"If Britain declares war on Germany and Austria-Hungary, Italy will not be able to fulfill its obligations to the Triple Alliance. Gentlemen, please confirm this point first. "The Italian Foreign Minister said.
Without waiting for Germany and Austria-Hungary to answer, the Italian foreign minister continued, "For Italy's expansion in Africa, we request Germany and Austria-Hungary to give a friendly response."
Prime Minister Bismarck was well aware of Italy's desire for Ethiopia. At this time, the frenzy of dividing up Africa was surging. At this time, the big countries with ocean-going capabilities were frantically planting their flags in Africa. The small country Belgium occupied nearly a million square kilometers of Central African land. Far to the east of the Island of the World, China followed the previous various actions and separated the vast territory of East Africa, leaving only Tunisia for Italy. And China did things very strangely. They did not invade Ethiopia. Instead, they reached an agreement with the Ethiopian court and completed the preliminary border demarcation.
Even the British did not dare to behave atrociously in the Indian Ocean and China, and the Italian Navy was even less likely. Therefore, Italy's target turned to Ethiopia, the only African country in Africa that had been independent for a thousand years.
Seeing the Italian Foreign Minister's impatient expression, the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister laughed and said, "Did China give Italy a clear guarantee?"
The new battleships of the British Grand Fleet could not pass through the Suez Canal. The Red Sea had almost become China's bathtub. Although China did not set up any blockade in its own bathtub, foreign ships could freely pass through under the system established by China and were even guaranteed. But it was unrealistic for Italy to attack Ethiopia without China's tacit consent.
The Italian Foreign Minister just smiled confidently. China did not give Italy any public promise, and the two sides did not discuss the issue of Ethiopia. But overall, Italy did not believe that China would send troops to stop Italy's actions. Moreover, the cooperation between the Italian Foreign Minister and the governor of China's central bank, Wang Mingshan, was also aimed at a good relationship with China.
After all the preparatory work was done, the meeting was soon held. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy did not say a word. The main convener of the meeting was actually the United Kingdom. Bismarck gave a simple speech and did not say a word. The Foreign Minister of Russia immediately jumped out and said, "Now that Bulgaria has elected its own Grand Duke, we ask the European countries to recognize the legal status of Bulgarian Grand Duke Milosevic."
The United Kingdom did not immediately say a word. The British Foreign Minister looked at the Foreign Minister of the Osman Empire sitting next to him. The Foreign Minister of the Osman Empire immediately stood up and retorted, "Bulgaria is a vassal state of the Osman Empire. Whoever becomes the Grand Duke of Bulgaria must be decided by the Osman Empire. No other country has the right to bypass the Osman Empire to do so. "
Although the voice was loud, the other major European countries did not respond. As the sick man of Europe, it did not matter what the Osman Empire said. Without the support of the United Kingdom, whether it was Austria-Hungary or Germany, they believed that they had the ability to deal with the Osman Empire alone. Among the European powers, the only ones who could not defeat the Osman Empire alone were probably Russia and Italy.
The Foreign Minister of Russia could not do anything. He could only explain the Bulgarian Grand Duke in favor of Russia. This caused a feeling of joy to appear in the venue. The people of Russia talked about popular elections, and the sun was about to rise from the west.
The Osman Empire insisted on its position, "Bulgaria is the territory of the Osman Empire. The national unity and sovereignty of the Osman Empire cannot be violated."
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