Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

King Louis I of Portugal sent Prime Minister Barreto to Rio de Janeiro for a visit shortly after French Prime Minister Olivier left.

"We firmly support our ally Brazil. Portugal and Brazil have the same position. We ask France to change its mind and not support Paraguay, a barbaric country that invades Brazil.

In order to help Brazil, Portugal will provide 10,000 firearms and supporting ammunition to Brazil in the next half month. We also reiterate that Portugal unswervingly supports Brazil."

But just waiting for the Portuguese Prime Minister to leave.

On May 8, Vice President Andrew Johnson of the Federal Republic of America visited Argentina on behalf of Lincoln Road.

Johnson said that the Commonwealth of America and Argentina have the same interests and both hope for peace in South America.

Vice President Johnson said that the Lincoln administration did not want Paraguay and Brazil to continue their negotiations. To this end, they would work with the Netherlands to coordinate the various countries, and the location of the mediation would be The Hague.

Argentine President Miter also called on the countries involved to agree to coordinate in The Hague.

After the news came out, the expressions of important officials from major countries changed.

The Hague?

"William IV is getting bolder and bolder"

Queen Victoria was stunned for a while, and then said to Viscount Palmerston: "This game of chess is getting more and more interesting."

Viscount Palmerston nodded in agreement: "I just don't know how Napoleon III will respond."

Bismarck in Berlin was even more impressed. He said to King William I of Prussia: "William IV's move is weak, but it is also oppressive. If the Netherlands directly asks France to participate, it will become the dock of the Dutch court in The Hague." In the plaintiff's seat, everything will be impossible.

However, now they are using several countries in South America as an excuse to dig holes to trap the powerful countries behind them.

Moreover, these countries can also attend the hearing as not the first plaintiff and defendant, which saves face for each country, allows the leaders of each country to explain to the country, and also allows each country to slowly and subconsciously accept the Netherlands. The position of a neutral mediator”

He sighed and said with admiration: "From now on, there will be an additional place for judging right and wrong in disputes between countries in the world. The mediation of various countries will become the focus of the Netherlands, exerting influence on various countries."

Before Crown Prince Frederick could speak, Crown Prince Wilhelm, who had just turned 17 this year (ie William II later in World War I), asked like a young adult: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister Bismarck, will this have any impact on Prussia?"

William I doted on the serious look of his only grandson, and then looked at the frowning face of Crown Prince Frederick. Why do I still feel that my grandson is more pleasing to my eyes than my son? Is this because of the separation of generations?

Bismarck smiled at King William and said: "The Netherlands has become the main venue for mediation among various countries. So, our Crown Prince and Your Majesty, if one day you want to expand your territory to the surrounding areas, which direction will you give priority to? ?”

"France is too powerful. If Prussia fights with France, both sides will lose. If we fight with Sweden in the north, let alone whether we can win. There are countless warships that need to be dispatched at sea, not to mention the cold weather over there. It has a strategic position against Prussia, but it is not rich in resources, so there will be little benefit from attacking it.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire in the east is now like a frightened bird. As long as Prussia makes a casual move, His Majesty Joseph I will go all out to resist Prussia. What's more, if Prussia takes the opportunity to annex Austria-Hungary, the Tsarist Russian Empire next to it will not let us easily succeed. Maybe we will face a scene where Tsarist Russia, Austria-Hungary jointly attack Prussia.

After all the calculations, the Netherlands and Prussia are the best breakthrough point."

After the grandson of King William finished speaking, he looked towards William I, but the old man did not nod to him, but just smiled noncommittally.

But his father, Crown Prince Frederick, said to Bismarck with a wry smile: "The Dutch are a bit naughty."

Seeing that his son, Prince William, was puzzled, Crown Prince Frederick explained: "Think about it, when Prussia and France were in a lawsuit in The Hague and waiting for trial, suddenly British warships at sea bombarded not far from the Hague Court. Okay, what do you think the mentality of France and Prussia is at this time?"

Prince William followed suit and said: "Britain is so disrespectful, so France and Prussia naturally side with the Netherlands."

Prime Minister Bismarck said: "Although it is not far, it is almost the same. The Netherlands is tying all countries to its chariot and making them recognize that its status is inviolable. The current members of the Hague Tribunal are not only the Netherlands, but also Greece and Luxembourg. Forgetting the pro-Dutch countries such as Sweden, Denmark, and Belgium, now 11 countries including Portugal, Italy, Spain, the Commonwealth of North America, and Argentina have joined.

If these countries only have the same stance on some issues, it will be a powerful force for all countries. Even France and the United Kingdom will feel more pressure from this. Therefore, the Netherlands is putting more pressure on itself and allowing the major countries to increase Be careful and don’t act rashly against the Netherlands”

At this time, William I also said with admiration: "Young people are awesome. What if I don't see William III? But William IV has performed extraordinary. It seems that in the future, the world will still have to rely on young people."

After finishing speaking, he ignored Crown Prince Frederick's embarrassment and said to Prince William: "Little William, don't lose to this William IV in the future."

Little Prince William naturally agreed.

On May 15, 1866, representatives of Brazil and Paraguay participated in the International Tribunal of the Hague. The reason why Brazil came was because Portugal was a member state of the Tribunal. One of the three judges sent by the International Tribunal of the Hague was from Portugal. A judge of his native place.

The second place was a judge from Spain. Spain was pro-French, so Napoleon III asked President Peros to send a Paraguayan delegation to participate.

The third place is the Dutch judge who has just been elected as the president of the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

This is a well-crafted case.

William IV worked hard this time, fearing that the two parties would not come, so he balanced the forces of the two parties.

Therefore, this court attracted the attention of the world. It is said that even the Kingdom of Siam in the Far East (future Thailand + Laos + Cambodia = Siam) has cast hopeful eyes.

Therefore, the International Court of Justice must do its job this time.

On the first day of the court session, in addition to Paraguay and Brazil, other delegations from France and Portugal also sent delegations to attend the hearing. They only read out the positions of the two countries.

Afterwards, they made their own explanations and went to court. This attracted reporters from various countries, and even many Dutch people came over to listen with interest.

Everything that happened here was immediately telegraphed by the media from various countries, almost making The Hague the place where the most telegrams were sent in one day from the same place since the advent of the telegraph as a new thing in the world.

And as more and more people know about the International Tribunal held in The Hague, the Netherlands, to try Paraguay and Brazil, this little-known place in The Hague, the Netherlands, has become the most talked about in Europe and even the world. , the Netherlands has become a place of justice and strictness, and has become a holy place for peace negotiations in the hearts of people around the world.

Being able to determine the conflicts between countries is much higher than the lawsuits in life. Therefore, the Netherlands has also become a place of faith for all countries, especially those in the "peripheral countries" outside Europe.

It seems that it is slowly becoming a small city of faith in addition to the famous pinnacles of faith such as the Vatican in Rome and Constantinople.

Although faith is incomparable, it is better than nothing.

According to statistics, there are hundreds of foreign newspaper reporters and assistants in the Netherlands at this time. At this time, any news in the Netherlands will spread throughout Europe and even the world immediately.

He was glad that he had deployed many shady things to the Far East instead of in the small mainland. Otherwise, with those omnipotent reporters who dig deep into the ground, these guys might really find something that is not good enough for the Netherlands. Come out and report.

Everything has pros and cons, it all depends on how you guide it.

William IV watched everything move towards his expectations, and pursuing victory has always been his style of doing things.

On May 18, 1866, the International Red Cross, established in Rotterdam, officially passed a resolution to formally absorb donations from the society to help refugee activities around the world.

Another draft was also passed, that is, each member state agreed to form a team of 100 people to carry out voluntary actions around the world.

On the day the bill was passed, the Wilhelm Group of the Kingdom of the Netherlands took the lead and donated 10,000 pounds to the International Red Cross. The entire Kingdom of the Netherlands began to donate in an endless stream, and finally in May Within three days on the 20th, the Netherlands donated more than 30,000 pounds to the International Red Cross, which was enough to purchase a small fifth- and sixth-class sailing battleship.

The Netherlands's enthusiasm has naturally received a burst of praise from the global community. Now, the reputation of the Netherlands has gone up a few notches.

This made Prussian Prime Minister Bismarck and William IV, who had previously expressed their appreciation for William IV, even more impressed at this moment.

King William's grandson secretly targeted William IV, preparing to lead Prussia on the same path of being respected by the world in the years to come. From now on, William II began to pay attention to William IV's Every move made him become a complete fan.

If William IV knew about it, he would definitely be full of confidence. After all, the future William II will be his fans, so will the future Prussia

Because the trial is ongoing in The Hague, South America has temporarily entered a period of stability.

Even the Lincoln and Davis administrations in North America were watching.

The three countries of the Balkan Peninsula, Britain, Russia and Austria, have stopped provoking.

They are all looking at The Hague to see how effective the international court in The Hague will be.

All this happening in Europe has caused the Netherlands' status to rise sharply, making it the most dazzling country outside the five major countries.