Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

On March 15, 1870, after being trapped for two weeks, the Paris defenders used 65 hot air balloons to carry 164 people out of Paris, including Gambetta and carrier pigeons who firmly advocated the war of resistance to maintain contact with various field-war armies. .

The third uprising was held in Paris on March 27, 1870. After the French Second Empire government suppressed it, the 10 pan-Prussian countries including the United Kingdom jointly pressured the Kingdom of Prussia to negotiate an armistice with the Paris government.

At this time, Queen Eugenie and Crown Prince Eugène evacuated to Rouen, the capital of the Seine-Maritime province on the Seine River west of Paris for temporary refuge.

On the Prussian side.

Perhaps out of desperation this time, or perhaps with other plans, the Bismarck government ordered the Prussian Army Command to conduct the first round of formal negotiations after consulting King William I of Prussia.

This time, Prime Minister Charles and Prime Minister Bismarck were conducting face-to-face negotiations. British Prime Minister Disraeli, Dutch Prime Minister Tolbeck and other 10 prime ministers, as representatives of the armistice coordinating countries, participated in the West Verde in the south of the Netherlands. Negotiations were held in the coastal city of Ostend in the southwestern Rand province.

At the same time, the Paris military and the Prussian army command were conducting military negotiations in Paris at the same time. When Crown Prince Frederick led the Prussian Third Army to the southwest of Paris, even the British Disraeli had already begun to Concerned about the declining advantage of the French Second Empire in the armistice negotiations.

When Bismarck asked all countries to recognize Prussia as a new European empire in Ostend, West Flanders in the west of the Netherlands, and in the presence of the prime ministers of the 10 pan-Prussian countries, he asked the prime ministers of each country to attend the Kingdom of Prussia that William I was about to hold in Paris. When it became the declaration of the German Empire, it completely shocked all of Europe.

"We in Prussia can withdraw from Reims in Paris, we can withdraw from Saint-Quentin, and we can retreat to the east of Verdun. However, we in Prussia need other countries to recognize that Prussia is now worthy of being promoted to the title of empire."

Tolbek raised his head and looked at Bismarck, who was at the negotiation table and ignored the bitter expression of Prime Minister Charles of the Second French Empire.

He seemed to ignore the increasingly gloomy gaze of British Prime Minister Disraeli.

Dutch Prime Minister Tolbek had to admit that his Majesty William IV had guessed Prussia's purpose again.

After working on it for a long time, it turned out that Prussia really used defeating France as a clarion call, officially announcing that Prussia had replaced France as the most powerful European hegemon in Central and Western Europe.

On the contrary, look at France now divided into two. The French Second Empire in Paris is still struggling to survive, while the south, with the support of Prussia, has become a stable ally of Prussia despite the dissatisfaction of the nobles.

Faced with Prussia's increasing pressure, life in Paris was too difficult.

Prime Minister Charles saw that his original idea of ​​being somewhat proud of the help from the 10 Pan-Prussian countries had already crumbled as Prussia almost captured Paris.

Prime Minister Disraeli frowned and said: "Prussia's current practices have made other countries feel that the practices before Napoleon I have appeared. If Prussia thinks that Europe is still the Europe before Napoleon, we will feel that Prussia actually seems to It still needs some heat, and even if it is similar, the final fate of Napoleon I is also a lesson for others."

After speaking, he turned his attention to Dutch Prime Minister Tolbeck.

The Netherlands is what Prussia currently needs to take care of.

However, he wanted to give the next speaker's position to the Austro-Hungarian Prime Minister Archduke Rainer Ferdinand, who was a victim of the Prussian War.

After Austria was defeated by Prussia and was kicked out of the German Confederation, it had no choice but to persuade Hungary to successfully form the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As the Prime Minister of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Rainer Ferdinand naturally would not support the Prussian side. Everyone saw at this time Disraeli turned his attention from Tolbeck to him. Naturally, it was self-evident that this was for the Austro-Hungarian Prime Minister to stand up and attack Bismarck, the old opponent who caused Austria's decline.

Archduke Rainer Ferdinand lived up to expectations and criticized: "The status of the French Empire in Europe naturally does not require me to say more. I think Prussia should withdraw from Paris immediately and allow His Majesty Napoleon III to return to the Second French Empire, and then it will be suitable for France. Fair negotiations. By the way, I would like to remind Prime Minister Bismarck that the international community is already discussing whether Napoleon III was mistreated in Berlin. I think we should get a clear answer to this matter at today's talks."

"Yes, it is always not a good idea to detain the king of a country. In any case, Napoleon III, as the reigning emperor of the French Empire, was captured by Prussia. The European royal family should not be allowed to do more embarrassing things. .”

Spanish Prime Minister Ramon Narvaez unexpectedly stood up.

Then, Danish Prime Minister Monrad seemed to be unwilling to lag behind and complained to Bismarck: "Prussia is not taking the whole of Europe in its eyes. The balance of Europe has changed with the Prussian initiative to provoke Prussia, Prussia, and now France. Under the war, it seems that European order and rules are completely chaotic, everyone."

Monrad first criticized without naming names: "If this continues, is Europe about to engage in the law of the jungle where whoever has the strongest fist will directly go to war? If so, then we have something to announce."

Disraeli looked at Monrad in surprise.

Bismarck, who originally didn't care, also showed his thoughts. He seemed to be thinking of something else, but a little bit, he didn't seem to care about Denmark's accusations. Instead, he was interested in what Monrad was going to announce.

Tolbeck showed his dissatisfaction at the right time, but he held back his words.

His expression made Spanish Prime Minister Ramon Narvaez and Swedish Foreign Affairs Prime Minister Ladwig relieved. Seeing this, Monrad next to him also let go of his worries. Under the attention of others, he said: "In order to prevent the invasion of other ambitious countries, I would like to use this opportunity to inform you in advance that Spain has officially become the fourth member of the Nordic Alliance. At the same time, Spain will actively participate in maritime cooperation with Denmark, Switzerland and the Netherlands in the future. and land military alliance.”

What!

Spain in southern Europe has quietly become the fourth member of the Nordic Union?

Even Bismarck was shocked when he heard this. This was definitely different from what he expected. Disraeli was also surprised by the news.

Spain passes through the English Channel and then goes through the Norwegian Sea and the Baltic Sea to join the three seas? Nonsense, right?

The previous confrontational attitude between Spain and Britain and the two countries' maritime hegemony in the 18th century made it difficult for Britain to tolerate Spain's rise again, especially at sea. You must know that the purpose of occupying Spain's Gibraltar was to keep an eye on Spain's actions in the Mediterranean, and the British fleet in the Atlantic was just following it. Therefore, Spain alone can be said to not pose a great threat to the United Kingdom, but if Denmark, Switzerland, and the Netherlands are included, , that’s different. Although the populations of the last three countries are wrong, whether it is Sweden, which ranks at the forefront of European army combat power, or the Netherlands, Spain, and Denmark, which rank third, fourth, and sixth in navy, together they are definitely a force. A power far superior to that of Britain. Disraeli was not cautious.