Palmerston is indeed very proud at the moment. (Due to caching reasons, please visit the browser directly.\nCOM website to watch the fastest chapter updates)
After many years of suffering, the elders of the previous era who stood in his way either died or retired. When he saw that he could become the foreign secretary of the cabinet, and show off on the European stage like Pitt and Carlesley in the past.
Before he came to power, England's old enemy gave him a generous gift at the right time.
This is simply unimaginable luck!
Of course, Palmerston understood what this small piece of land meant to Britain - as long as the friendly relations between Belgium and Britain were ensured, it would become both a barrier for Britain on the continent and a barrier for Britain on the continent in the future.
window of influence.
How many thousands of lives have been wasted by the Dutch, Spanish, French and Austrians for this small piece of land? However, it is now beckoning to them, and they can even take it into their arms without any effort.
Just as Prince Talleyrand judged, Palmerston, who was ambitious and only wanted to be famous in history, simply could not refuse such a temptation.
Of course, on the surface, he still pretended to be reserved, saying, "If the King of Rome can be so reasonable, I think the English will feel greatly relieved, forget the unpleasantness of the past, and have a good impression of him."
Although he did not say it explicitly, he was actually guaranteeing that he would never interfere with the restoration of the empire by force.
When he met with the Duke of Wellington before, Count Alexander Valewski had already received the Duke's personal assurance. However, after all, he belonged to the Tory Party that was about to lose its power in power, and now, the Whig Cabinet was about to emerge.
Important figures also personally made the same guarantee - which meant that the Roman King's path to the throne was unimpeded.
In the previous twenty years of the anti-French alliance war, the key hub was England, and only England's financial resources could support the countries to continue fighting against the French Empire. But now, if the British stand by and watch the restoration of the empire, then no matter how much the monarchs of other countries hate France,
The Napart family was unable to organize a crusade against France.
Although the price is high, it is all worth it - Alexander thought to himself.
"Judging from the current situation, the Belgian issue is a rather regrettable trouble at the Congress of Vienna. The wise foreign ministers originally thought that Belgium and the Dutch could barely coexist in one country, but they did not expect that more than two hundred years of
The estrangement has made the two regions incompatible. The current turmoil is not the result of instigation by any big country, but the people's spontaneous resistance to the Dutch - precisely because it is spontaneous, it is particularly difficult to resolve.
, At present, it seems that there is no better way besides turning Belgium into a country. Otherwise, the bloodshed will only continue, and our country's northeastern border will be plunged into continuous unrest." Palmerston is not worried.
He made his statement slowly.
"Your opinion is completely consistent with that of His Majesty and Prince Talleyrand. If Belgium can become independent, it will be of great help to the prosperity and stability of the entire Europe." Alexander nodded and agreed with the other party, "And now the time is urgent, and every delay
Every day will cause the people there to shed more blood. Britain and France are indispensable powers in Europe. We must shoulder our due international responsibilities, and we should also give them a fairer and more popular order!"
These high-sounding clichés are, in essence, naked interventionism by great powers. Neither Aigron nor Talleyrand wanted to ask the opinions of the parties concerned, and Palmerston happened to be the same person.
"You are indeed a very talented diplomat, Mr. Count." Under Palmerston's originally stern expression, a smile suddenly appeared.
But the smile disappeared immediately, "Then, assuming - I mean assuming - through our efforts, Belgium does become an independent country, then the King of Rome and Prince Talleyrand hope that it will become an independent country.
What kind of country is it?”
coming!
When he asked this question, Alexander knew that it was tantamount to admitting that he was indeed very interested in the proposal.
"It should become a monarchy, a permanent neutral country that has no disputes with the world. It can live its own life peacefully, as long as it ensures that it does not participate in any military alliance against other countries."
This answer did not surprise Palmerston. It could even be said to be exactly what he wanted.
"At present, the foreign troops most likely to set foot on Belgian soil are you French... I have to remind you that if you make a binding guarantee, if one day you break your promise, England will
I will do my best to maintain the dignity of my reputation!”
Even if we don't make any guarantees, you still won't start fighting... Alexander complained coldly in his heart.
Of course, on the surface, he still showed a serious attitude and made a solemn guarantee.
"His Majesty's sincerity is by no means a whim. He knows the value of peace better than anyone else, and has no interest in trampling on his credibility. He will become the protector of Belgium and safeguard its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. The Bonaparte family will also
We will always have good neighborly relations with this new country."
"So, who does the King of Rome think should be the monarch of this country?" Palmerston asked coldly.
"His Majesty believes that this should not be an issue decided by him alone. The person who can become the monarch of this country must be someone unanimously recognized by all countries. He must abide by morals and principles, love his country and people, and most importantly
Yes, he must respect the dignity and interests of every big country." Alexander first cleared his brother of conspiracy suspicions, and then changed the subject, "In addition, your Majesty believes that on the Belgian issue, your country should have the priority to propose candidates for the throne.
right……"
"In other words, do we propose candidates and then all countries meet to discuss and agree?" Palmerston immediately grasped the essence of it, "Do we have priority?"
Alexander nodded slightly and made a guarantee on behalf of Aigron. "That's it. However, considering the feelings of the French people, His Majesty believes that the candidates for the throne cannot come from the most famous royal families, lest the people think that we have been affected by new people.
border threats."
Palmerston did not refute, but fell into deep thought.
In today's era, newly created countries are constantly emerging in Europe, and the monarchs of these countries are selected from German princes by default. Even Britain itself now has German princes as its monarch.
However, there are huge differences even among German princes. The princes of Habsburg, Hohenzollern, and Wittelsbach are powerful, while many princes and nobles are poor, except for those with a long history above them.
There is almost nothing left except the title.
It is completely understandable that France does not want the newly born Belgium to become the new territory of a powerful German royal family. Even Palmerston himself does not want to see such a situation happen.
As for finding someone to be the king from the smaller princes and nobles in Germany, there are many candidates to choose from - it may be difficult to find a reliable cook these days, but isn't it easy to find a prince or noble who wants to be the king?
Just as Palmerston was thinking about the candidates, Alexander spoke again and put forward Aiglon's special conditions.
"His Majesty believes that Britain has the right to recommend the king, but as a compensation, or as a compensation measure, he also hopes that France will receive due respect, that is, he will recommend the queen."
This request did not surprise Palmerston. After all, diplomacy is about bargaining. Since the other party is willing to transfer such a large bargaining chip, it is natural for him to put forward some conditions accordingly.
"So does the King of Rome want the new king to marry a member of his own family?"
"Partly yes, but not completely." Alexander shook his head first, and then continued to explain, "There is no suitable candidate in the Bonaparte family now, so His Majesty found an alternative plan. He hopes to let the new king
Marry a daughter of Prince Eugène de Beauharnais to be married, in order to maintain a close and friendly relationship between the two families..."
Upon hearing Alexander's explanation, Palmerston's frown relaxed again.
Because he was loyal and humble, Prince Eugene had a good reputation. Even after the collapse of the empire, no one in the Anti-French Alliance camp came to find trouble for him.
Moreover, Prince Eugene's wife is Princess Augusta of Bavaria, and she can be considered a bloodline of German princes, which is also justified in other countries.
Therefore, if the marriage was really carried out according to this plan, he could conclude that there would not be much obstruction and resistance.
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it became, and then he became excited.
However, while he was excited, he also had some faint fear in his heart.
He could clearly see that the young earl came well prepared. He had almost prepared all the plans before meeting him, and he was very targeted. It was both reasonable and completely feasible.
If all this is entirely done by Prince Talleyrand behind the scenes, that would be fine. It can only be said that this old man has become more and more sophisticated as the years go by; but if the "producer" of this plan also includes that young man
If so, that would be very bad.
If this is the case, it means that this young Emperor Bonaparte has a sharp vision and a sense of the overall situation to control the overall situation. He can even discern the changes in the situation in neighboring countries and turn it to his benefit.
Direction guidance.
The most frightening thing is that he has not yet reached the age of 20. If nothing happens, he will still have decades to make trouble.
If this is the case, then perhaps he will become the British Empire's most difficult opponent in the future.
"Your Bonaparte family is really a headache..." he couldn't help but sigh with sincerity, "but it's also admirable."
Alexander felt a little baffled by this meaningless emotion, so he didn't answer and just listened silently.
Fortunately, Palmerston's lamentation did not last long.
From the Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, who repeatedly defeated Louis XIV's France in the War of Spanish Succession and led the Anglo-Dutch forces into France, to the massive Seven Years' War, and then to the Napoleonic Wars that swept across Europe,
Britain has been winning for too long. It has eliminated almost all maritime threats. Whether it is France, Spain, Denmark or Russia, their navies have been severely damaged by the British. And with the help of unparalleled maritime superiority, Britain has also seized the world's most powerful navy.
A rich and fertile colony.
In a word - it is like the sun in the sky, it is the real empire on which the sun never sets.
Victory brings pride, and long-term victory naturally breeds arrogance.
Palmerston proudly believed that his motherland was unparalleled and did not need to be afraid of any future challenges. Britain did not get its current status because of compromise, but because it defeated all its opponents. Since it could tenaciously fight in the past,
If you defeat your opponents, you can do the same in the future.
No matter how terrifying the Bonaparte family is, it will never be able to shake the Empire on which the sun never sets - Palmerston is not the only one who firmly believes this.
Therefore, after a brief period of fear, Palmerston finally returned his gaze to the present.
Britain has no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Since France, now owned by the Bonaparte family, is willing to recognize Britain's status and realize Britain's interests, then it is an "ally".
As for what happens in the future, we'll talk about it later. If you want to be friends, it's best. If you want to be enemies, you can stay with me until the end.
With confident pride, Palmerston spoke again.
"Okay, I have completely understood what the King of Rome and Prince Talleyrand meant. I have to say that they provided me with a proposal that is full of imagination and even temptation. I personally can't see it.
What's wrong with Britain is that I think it's well worth a try."
At this point, he changed the topic again, "Of course, no matter how interesting the idea is, there will always be some distance between it and being implemented in the real world, so I can't say anything, let alone give you any guarantee. I can only ask you to tell Rome
His Majesty the King and Prince Talleyrand, I am willing to work with him and work for a glorious era of peace in Europe——"
After he finished speaking, he bowed slightly, and then quietly left the box with the same stealthy steps as before.
Alexander knew that it would take a lot of effort to implement this proposal, and it would also require many rounds of secret behind-the-scenes communication and coordination, so that each major power could understand its position and the boundaries of its interests, and even use force to intimidate when necessary.
.
And these all take time.
Therefore, it is impossible for Palmerston to make any promises in a short period of time.
But it doesn't matter. After he makes such a positive statement, things will definitely slide in the direction His Majesty wants to see - after all, in this era, with the unified stance of Britain and France, there is no
No country can withstand this kind of pressure.
Since you want it to come true, it must come true!
At this time, the singing on the stage also reached its climax. The actors singing loudly raised the atmosphere of the stage to the extreme. The audience cheered one after another, as if they were preparing for the big event that was going to happen next.
It’s like cheering in advance.
I have completed my task, and he will definitely reward me - Alexander thought with a little happiness and pride.