Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

On May 4, 1866, King Leopold II of Belgium was invited by his cousin Queen Victoria to visit the United Kingdom across the English Channel.

During his visit, he gave speeches to the British House of Commons and the House of Lords. In these two speeches, he stated that Belgium was still a familiar ally of the United Kingdom.

Unlike the high-spirited and confident person in Parliament, he smiled bitterly when Queen Victoria pulled him into the palace conference room in Buckingham Palace.

Especially when asked why Belgium followed the Netherlands and joined organizations that were clearly Dutch-dominated.

"Your Majesty the Queen, I don't want to either, but the current situation in Belgium is very strange. The royal family has been marginalized a lot of the time. You know, there, except for Brussels, other places either have their hearts set on France or... Our hearts belong to the Netherlands, and Belgium’s centripetal force has now reached an extremely low level, so this time we in Belgium are forced to join these organizations led by the Netherlands.”

When Ku said this, he looked annoyed.

Queen Victoria was silent.

The Leopold family took root in Belgium and became the eyes and ears of Britain in Europe. This was one of the biggest moves by Britain in Europe in the past few decades.

It was originally developing in this direction in the past few years, but now as Belgium is gradually divided, it has become a reality in name only.

The most important thing is that Leopold II is now almost ignored and cannot be moved out of Brussels. What is the difference between this and a mascot?

So, she reluctantly asked some people in the Belgian government how they operated.

Leopold II could only tell her what was happening in Belgium.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

When Leopold II was being 'cross-examined' by Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace in London, William IV, the biggest promoter of his predicament in Belgium, was talking about the Belgian Prime Minister Jules Danetant who was ignoring him and the Belgian House of Commons. Speaker Joseph Beit.

"Many people think that the best way to win the loyalty of others is to give them favors, but the truth is just the opposite. The best way is to let others give you favors."

Opposite Wilhelm IV sat Prime Minister Thorbeck, who listened silently.

"We owe this to Machiavelli in 16th-century Rome, who discovered certain fundamental aspects of human nature. He noticed that when a city was besieged for many months, when the people inside the city walls When they experienced great hardships and hardships, when they experienced fear and hunger for their king, their loyalty to the king did not decrease, but further increased.

From now on, they will even feel that their bond with the king is closer. "

Tolbeck asked curiously: "Why?"

"Because these men had sacrificed their houses and estates to protect him, they now looked up to him as having some obligation to him, as is the nature of man, whether it be an obligation to others, or to fulfill it himself. Obligation, he will feel the same joy.”

William IV wisely said: "Giving favors and receiving favors make people feel a sense of obligation. This is human nature."

Prime Minister Tolbeck heard this and agreed.

The prime minister worriedly said: "His Majesty Leopold II has become more and more worried about the two of them recently. That's right. Belgium's current prime minister and speaker of the House of Commons are both in charge of pro-Dutch factions. It would be strange not to worry.

This invitation from London has an unknown purpose and may have an impact on Amsterdam and even have a huge impact on the political situation in Belgium. We have to be on guard."

William IV smiled first, shook his head, and said confidently: "My Prime Minister, haven't Danetang and Beit been preparing recently?"

Seeing Tolbeck reveal something unknown.

"They have actually started to warm up for next year's Belgian election, and recently they have made thousands of people feel that they are investing more in their success."

Ignoring Tolbek's surprise, William IV continued: "Recently, they have been traveling between the provinces of Danetang and Beit, stopping at the homes of supporters one after another. They have weaved a strong bond between their supporters. The bond of loyalty is that every time you go to a city, you are not just a tourist, but a guest in other people's homes and eating their snacks or dinners,"

William IV sighed with emotion: "Danetan and Beit are now extremely proficient in their methods of getting involved in politics. There may not be many people in Dutch politics who can match them."

Seeing that Tolbeck continued to listen, William IV asked: "Let me ask you, how could you vote against someone who has slept on your sofa in the general election?"

Tolbek was stunned after hearing this.

Yes, between a person who has rested in your home and a person who has been giving orders in the office of a government building all year round, which one you choose is naturally the former.

At this moment, he agreed with what William IV had just said, but Danetang and Beit had become giants in Belgian politics.

Thinking of this, Tolbeck said worriedly: "Your Majesty, will this have a backlash on us?"

He was worried that the two of them would not be able to get along well, and would even have a dissatisfaction with Holland, which would be bad for Holland.

William IV paused, his gaze seemed to be pointed at Brussels, and he said casually: "Don't worry, everything is under my control."

When Torbeck saw this, he was immediately relieved.

"Your Majesty, I'm a little confused. Why do you like Argentina so much?"

After holding it in for a long time, he finally asked.

This time he was in a hurry to go to Argentina. Many people thought that he went with a plan, but only he knew that it was also the plan made by William IV to become a monk halfway.

He was not familiar with the overall plan as to the specific gist of the plan, so he couldn't help but ask.

Naturally, William IV would not hide anything, so he told the truth: "Argentina must hold on to this line. He is very concerned about the future development of the Netherlands, especially the Far East."

Far East?

Tolbeck thought that the Netherlands has been developing around the Far East recently. He once again felt William IV's firm will to develop the Far East, and thought to himself: "It seems that His Majesty really wants to focus on the Far East."

On May 5, 1866, Pedro II of the Brazilian Empire and Olivier, Prime Minister of the French Empire, met in Rio de Janeiro. During the meeting, Prime Minister Olivier requested that Brazil not attack the Paraguayan army.

However, Pedro II was very dissatisfied. Instead, he demanded that the French Empire not assist Paraguay and forced the French Empire to separate from Paraguay.

However, Olivier directly opposed it and asked Brazil to make concessions to Paraguay on the Uruguay issue. France would require Paraguay to withdraw from the occupied Brazilian territory in exchange. Pedro II directly refused.

This pissed off Paris.

So Prime Minister Olivier left Rio de Janeiro directly that day and headed north. A few days later, he visited Washington, D.C., where he was received by Lincoln.

In the end, the two countries made statements to enhance cooperation.

The French Empire stated that it would soon send a team to the Federal State to coordinate the two countries in South America to assist with the problems between the two countries. At the same time, it stated that France would no longer participate in the battle between the Federal State and the Alliance.

In Washington, D.C., Olivier obtained a promise from the Lincoln administration that it would not side with Brazil.

This time, Portugal could not sit still.