Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

While various judgments are being made around the world, a more grand war is still brewing on the battlefield in the Far East.

"In order to deal with the tense situation in the Far East and calm the indignation of the citizens of the French Empire.

Therefore, after our careful discussion, we have come to the conclusion that our French Empire will continue to expand its influence in the Far East and maintain the responsibility for the security and stability of the Far East. Within the next week, our military will again send two Another army composed of three divisions formed the Second Expeditionary Army to continue to complete the unfinished tasks and fight for the honor of the French Empire."

The French Empire did not keep those who were paying attention to them waiting for too long. On December 20, the Prime Minister of the French Empire, Olivier, stood up and officially announced the news, which was obviously a tough style.

After the anti-monopoly movement was suppressed by Napoleon III, the French Empire naturally used the government's full propaganda to launch xenophobic propaganda to the market, especially the "fact" that tens of thousands of people were "sacrificed" in the Far East, so as to civilize the people. Grief turned into strength, and he turned his attention to the Kingdom of Siam in the Far East.

With the support of public opinion, all walks of life in the French Empire strongly stated that they would go all out to support the decision made by the government and resolutely implement it.

Compared with the French Empire, where all the people are focused on foreign affairs, the world is a little annoyed.

Especially the British Empire, except for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is now having trouble sleeping and eating, and this time it is true that both the Whigs and the Tories are in the same position and are concerned about any changes in the battles between the Kingdom of Siam and the French Empire. .

"This war has developed to this point. It is no longer a factor of a few colonies, but has been linked to who is the real hegemon of the Far East. If the French Empire wins this time, it is not difficult to imagine that the reason we originally cherished It will definitely be easier for the ambitious French to challenge the status of our British Empire. This matter is no longer a matter for the Kingdom of Siam. Her Majesty the Queen, should we increase sanctions on the French Empire for the time being, so that France and Siam can The war between the Luo Kingdoms will be carried out after the outcome is reached."

"No, Lord Creston, I object to this. Now is definitely not the time for us to worry about this and that. Your Majesty, I think now is the time for us to continue to layout Europe. In the Far East, there are the Netherlands and the French Empire. It will be obstructed by the Netherlands in the Far East. Now that Britain is involved, it will have a huge impact and cause countless casualties. British lives will remain there and be in danger.

This war between France and Siam is a time to distract the French Empire. If the Dutch support them and give them a fatal blow, Your Majesty, I think we should proceed as planned, continue to integrate the Indian natives, and improve the rule of Burma. , continuing to invest troops to occupy Upper Burma is what we need most at the moment. As long as we occupy Upper Burma, we will slowly occupy the western area of ​​the Kingdom of Siam, and it will not be too late to take action at that time."

Disraeli, the current Tory Prime Minister, strongly opposes this. Are you kidding me? His cabinet government is at war with the French Empire over a small country in the Far East?

If he wins, he will only get a few bonus colonies. If he loses, the British reputation will be damaged. The British people will definitely find a scapegoat, and he will be judged by the people for this. He and Thomas Both parties will face the risk of defeat in the war or even the collapse of the government.

At this time, Creston's Whig party can launch an attack. Regardless of whether the overthrow of the government is successful, at least in the ground election, it will face the possibility of a disastrous defeat.

After Prime Minister Disraeli glanced at Creston several times, he finally looked at Queen Victoria.

Disraeli didn't seem to have much surprise. Creston was really capable of saying these words just now, and if he really wanted to say it,

Creston was indeed closer to Queen Victoria, but he got to this position for his own reasons.

"What Prime Minister Disraeli said is actually very reasonable." Creston praised it first, "However, some things still need to be clarified better, although my perspective just now was from the position of the hegemon of the Far East. Judging from his standpoint, the Prime Minister continues to focus on Europe and also thinks about the lives of the British troops, which is very good. I also agree with Prime Minister Disraeli’s approach to national security.”

Disraeli was still present, sitting at Queen Victoria's lower right hand. After listening to Creston's words, he smiled at Creston, who was holding Queen Victoria's left hand, but that was all, because he knew that the other person had more to say.

Sure enough, Creston added: "Everyone must know that our Whig Party owns the Financial Times and The Times. These two newspapers, together with the Tory Party's Times of London and The Guardian, are the national newspapers. The largest newspapers, they are spread all over the country, and even overseas in Europe, America and Asia. They specialize in collecting the latest news from all over the world. If compared, it is actually similar to intelligence collection, but in terms of scale and acceptance It is still much weaker than the "European Times" in Luxembourg, the Netherlands."

Creston's words made both Queen Victoria and Disraeli think deeply. They were not thinking about the comparative sizes of several newspapers, but what kind of borrowing power Creston played in this regard. , because they have already experienced Creston's eloquence, which is so powerful that there is really nothing to say. Back then, in the British House of Commons, he single-handedly aroused the resonance of members of both parties with his speech, and stopped many Whigs. proposal.

Queen Victoria smiled because he had guessed something, while Disraeli's eyes flashed with jealousy. It would be difficult to detect without paying attention.

"They collect information, but when it reaches a certain level, they are also patriots. They will pass on the information that our country's interests need most to us, so that our British Empire can continue to grow and get more timely information. information"

After saying this, Creston smiled back at Disraeli, and then said kindly to Queen Victoria, who was sitting at the top and could not tell what she was thinking from the beginning to now: "After our spread in Europe and America, it is important to According to the news, after the French Empire suffered a heavy blow in the Far East, it has attracted more international attention. According to the opinions of major political experts in Europe, many European politicians have become wary of the French Empire. Among them, the Netherlands is the most concerned, and Prussia is the most wary. Neighboring countries such as Spain and Italy are also wary. Even Queen Isabel II of Spain announced in the Spanish Congress that she would increase military force in the Philippines, a colony in the Pacific, to deal with the Far East threat from the French Empire."

"Queen, I also think this is a very important opportunity for us. I agree with Prime Minister Disraeli. Taking advantage of the war between the French Empire and the Kingdom of Siam, we should first occupy the entire Upper Burma."

Disraeli was shocked, and even Queen Victoria looked at Creston in surprise. She objected just now and now she agrees?

Disraeli suddenly realized, what a Creston, you have really been deceived.

Queen Victoria also gave Creston a serious look.