Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

This time the French Empire launched an invasion of the Kingdom of Siam. In fact, in European history, this was a very common thing, especially at the top.

But the lower-level people don’t think so. Wars are initiated by the higher-level people. The lower-level people are guided by public opinion and bound by national justice. They finally achieve a sense of pride. But in the process, to be honest, the lower-level people don’t understand it and only see the results.

Therefore, when William IV understood this principle, he chose to use newspapers to amplify the Kingdom of Siam. The invasion of the Kingdom of Siam by the French Empire caused social unrest, the murder of civilians, and the coldness of the French Empire's invasion. The ambition of the French Empire harmed the interests of all countries, and other combinations eventually created a law-hating mentality in all countries.

The anger at the bottom eventually rose to the top, so under pressure, the top leaders of various countries could only join the Dutch team, put the rope prepared by the Netherlands around their necks, and gave the other end to the Netherlands, who controlled the French Empire. Initiate sanctions.

Easier said than done.

Anyway, this was the result of many calculations by William IV.

Several major organizations that were originally founded have even added strength to it.

In short, this time the French Empire was indirectly confronted by the Netherlands before Prussia launched the Franco-Prussian War in the future. Although it was not as strong as the future Prussia led by Bismarck and William I who directly crushed the French Empire led by Napoleon III, it also created a strong Well, now the Netherlands has forced open the door to the European powerhouse club and squeezed in. Although there are still some unfair names, but it has already entered, right?

As for the Netherlands not to be kicked out in the future, it will have to rely on hard power.

William IV, however, put his hope in the development of the Far East. As long as it develops there, these big countries will have to recognize the status of the Netherlands even if they don't recognize it.

This time when the French Empire launched a war to invade the Kingdom of Siam, France actually also launched a war of public opinion. Its characteristics and effects deserve some comment from William IV.

In the early stages of the war, the French Empire continued to station troops and exercises between the Kingdom of Siam and the South Vietnamese border of the French Empire's Far East Colony. Public opinion before the war did not seem to be very high.

At that time, the North American Civil War and Britain's participation were far from comparable to those in the Far East, let alone the wars in countries such as Tsarist Russia in the Balkans. This also made it difficult for the international community and the people in the French Empire to judge Napoleon III's true intentions.

Many people think that Napoleon III just saw that the Netherlands and Britain were expanding too fast in the Far East, so he hurriedly declared his presence.

It now appears that Napoleon III was poorly prepared before the war. Part of his misjudgment of the entire strategic form during that period was that he believed that he had a sure chance of victory. He thought that as soon as the French Imperial Army advanced, there would be no time for other countries to focus on the European and American continents. While he was thinking about it, he suddenly launched a surprise attack, creating a fait accompli in one fell swoop, making it impossible for Britain, the Netherlands and other countries to stop him from completing the set task.

But he never expected that the Kingdom of Siam would not be knocked down by one blow, and there would be fierce and effective resistance and fighting. In addition, all the French Empire's foreign wars in history would be supported by the arrogant French people. , so this time Napoleon III also felt that it was unreasonable to make much pre-war public opinion preparation.

It was not until before the war that the French Empire issued a statement and casually found an excuse to say that the Kingdom of Siam threatened the security rule of South Vietnam, so the French Empire needed to send troops. The purpose was to demilitarize the Kingdom of Siam and no longer have the ability to threaten the French Empire. rule in South Vietnam.

Although the French Empire launched a raid and initially captured several eastern cities, it encountered strong resistance elsewhere. The French Empire suffered even more heavy losses.

Thousands of people's lives remained in the Far East forever.

This made the French Empire an object of ridicule by the international community, and its image changed from a tall one to an ugly duckling.

William IV analyzed the words of Napoleon III: the invasion of the sovereign state of the Kingdom of Siam was disguised as "the Kingdom of Siam threatening French rule in South Vietnam."

Therefore, France needs to launch a war to understand this threat to the Kingdom of Siam and make France feel at ease.

Even a three-year-old child wouldn't believe this reason. After all, it would be incredible for an 18-year-old adult to say that he was threatened by a 5-year-old child.

The French Empire could not produce any concrete evidence that the Kingdom of Siam had invaded them, so it was like making up nothing.

This approach has touched upon the definition of threats in various countries around the world, which makes the rulers of various countries very dissatisfied.

In addition, people from various countries were angered by the ruthless killing of civilians during the French Empire's invasion, so they also participated in anti-French actions.

Therefore, after the war broke out between France and the Kingdom of Siam, it is understandable that newspapers in various countries began to almost unanimously oppose the French invasion.

Although the French Empire later reacted and wanted newspapers from various countries to help with its official propaganda to help improve its image.

But how could William IV get what he wanted at this time, so the Dutch government ordered a ban on official propaganda of the French Empire in the Netherlands. Other countries also followed suit and participated in this move initiated by the Netherlands. , causing the image of the French Empire to plummet.

In terms of international exchanges, the French Empire was offended by the massacre of civilians in the Kingdom of Siam, although the French Empire denied it and in turn accused the members of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom and other countries of joining forces to create a conspiracy.

France also excuses itself and plays word games, making random accusations everywhere and talking nonsense. Unfortunately, there is no evidence and facts to support the accusations. In addition, countries block France's debate channels, making their words more and more muddled. The top leaders and people of various countries are even more disgusted.

At this point, William IV knew that the overall situation had been decided, and it was difficult for the French Empire to escape the trap he had set.

Looking back at history, both the French Empire and Germany were the most miserable empires in history. Every time they wanted to truly rise, they were defeated by the alliance of Britain and the Russian Empire. This was the case with Napoleon III, William II in World War I and World War II. The same goes for medium and small beards.

The historical epitome of the Austrian Empire is the future fate of the two countries. Therefore, their strength in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century was just a flash in the pan. By the second half of the 20th century, they had actually become followers of the two superpowers. , and by the beginning of the 21st century, it had become a so-called first-class power besides the two and a half superpowers.

Until William IV crossed over, the so-called European Troika had been surpassed and approached by several other emerging powers, and the status of the first-class powers was in jeopardy.

It was precisely because of his familiarity with these that William was so determined in his plan to move the Netherlands to the Far East.

"Without the Far East, the Netherlands cannot compete with Britain, France, and Germany in Europe, and it cannot even compete with Sweden, Spain, and other countries. As the land of prosperity for the Netherlands, the Far East is imperative."