The rise of Prussian Germany is inseparable from a key figure, that is, the Iron-blooded Prime Minister Bismarck, and the origin of the name of this Iron-blooded Prime Minister refers to the three classic battles during the German unification period.
The three battles of the Prussian-Danish War, the Austro-Prussian War, and the Franco-Prussian War are known as the battles for the unification of the German nation in historians.
In 1864, Prussia and Austria launched a war against Denmark, targeting the Schleswig and Holstein areas controlled by Denmark. Prussia and Germany won this battle and gained control of the Jutland Peninsula.
In 1866, Prussia and Austria went to war. Under the leadership of Old Moltke and Bismarck, Germany actually mobilized 600,000 army troops nationwide to prepare for the war, while the Austrian allied forces also mobilized more than 500,000 people. The two sides launched a war in the heart of Europe. An army battle lasted only for more than two months but the situation was unprecedented.
It is worth mentioning that Prussia used a large number of breech-loading guns during this war, while the Austrian army still used primitive front-loading guns. Prussia’s domestic railway transportation and telegraph network were also far ahead of Austria. This war started with technology. From a perspective, it is already an asymmetric war.
Of course, the most glorious victory of Prussia and Germany was the Franco-Prussian War launched in 1870. The war lasted for more than ten months. Prussia and Germany defeated France, which was known as the world's strongest army at the time, and surrounded Paris with heavy troops in 1871. , forcing France to sign a treaty to cede the Alsace and Lorraine regions and pay compensation of 5 billion francs.
From 1864 to the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, in just seven years, the German nation jumped from a loose state to the strongest army in Europe. It was the coronation ceremony in the Hall of Mirrors in France that made William I from The king was promoted to emperor of Germany.
The key figure in winning the three battles was Bismarck. This politician with almost flawless strategies completed three huge gambles. It was precisely because of the continental policy he followed that confused the British and made the then-sunset empire adopt neutrality. This diplomatic stance loosened the rope for the German Army and allowed it to fight for years without any scruples.
Now, the Prussian-German envoy Xiao Letian faced was personally selected by Prime Minister Bismarck, not only because Jonas was obsessed with oriental art and proficient in Chinese, but also because Jonas's family was originally a descendant of the Teutonic Knights. He is an honorary knight who can absolutely be trusted. The word betrayal will never appear in their dictionary.
Bismarck never expected to receive any actual assistance from the East, because he knew that the entire Qing Empire did not even have a ship that could sail around the world, let alone that the Qing Dynasty, which was troubled by civil war, would provide other support.
But the Qing Empire was, after all, a recognized ancient civilization in the world at that time. If it could support the Prussian-German movement in diplomacy, Bismarck would also accept the favor. What a pity, the fake foreign devil Ziyi? He simply doesn’t understand what a powerful nation Germany is, and he doesn’t know how valuable this favor is.
In the entire Qing Empire, Xiao Letian was the only one who knew what was going on. He knew what kind of impact the German Empire would have on the future world, and he even knew how terrifying the power that this nation would unleash was.
"Jonas... about... Nas... let go..." No matter how strong Xiao Letian is, he can't compare to the tall Nordic man. Moreover, in order to show his sincerity, he did not arrange any guards within a hundred steps of him. He is now Already out of breath.
At this moment, a sharp cry suddenly rang out, "Ah... let me go... you bad guy!" Then two waves of fragrance rushed over, a plate of sweet and sour carp and a plate of sea cucumbers roasted with green onions. On Jonas's head.
"Bad guy, you dare to pinch me... I'll scratch you to death!" Those who rushed in were Qingwen and Fangguan who were serving the dishes. The two little peppers opened their nails and scratched their heads and faces. Jonas's face suddenly blossomed. .
"Oh, my God, you are so unladylike... It hurts, it hurts so much, how can you bite someone..."
As an honorary knight, he could not use force against a lady. Faced with the joint attack of two beauties, he could only protect his head and retreat, shrink into the corner and scream.
Qingwen and Fangguan were as angry as two little tigers. They said to themselves that we had worked hard all afternoon to cook for you, and the master had put down so many things just to accompany you. You, a bad guy, actually dared to strangle the master and scratch you to death! I'll bite you to death!
At this time, Xiao Letian rubbed his throat and coughed a few times, "Cough cough cough... Okay, okay, stop fighting. Mr. Jonas was also confused for a moment. Stop fighting. Quickly clear the table and prepare a few more Side dishes…”
After persuading Qingwen and Fangguan away, Xiao Letian's guards also rushed in. Seeing this posture, they knew that the adults had not suffered any harm and withdrew, but this time no one respected the prohibition of no one within a hundred steps. , everyone protected the wing tightly.
"Jonas, can we have a good chat now? I will answer your questions bit by bit. Don't worry, I have no ill intentions towards the German nation..."
In Xiao Letian's words, the rise of the German nation was described with blood and tears. The loose country was bullied by the surrounding powers, including Denmark, Finland, Austria, and of course France.
"What a great nation this is. Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Goethe... Beethoven, Bach, Martin Luther... This nation has contributed countless talents to human civilization, but how does the entire Europe treat Germany? What about?"
"It's suppression. It's suppression by countless countries. Those old empires have obtained countless colonies around the world, but what about your German nation? You don't even have one. Unification is a luxury!"
"Is this fair? Why can't the four southern states return to the embrace of Germany? What reason does Napoleon III have to obstruct the unification of the German nation? Why can't nations with the same culture, race, and blood come together?"
Xiao Letian was a bit ghostly at this time, as if Hitler's soul had possessed him through time and space. His exaggerated body language and ups and downs of tone almost made the German nation look like miserable African slaves.
Jonas finally believed in Xiao Letian's identity as a master of Western learning. He did not expect that a Qing man would be so familiar with the modern history of Europe, and that he would be so close to the German nation. He simply agreed 100% with Germany's national policy.
"I won't repeat the wisdom of His Majesty the King. Here I want to pay tribute to Prime Minister Bismarck and General Mauzy. I firmly believe that under the leadership of these two commanders, Prussia's victory over Austria will be an absolute breeze..."
Mentioning the respected Prime Minister, Jonas also stood up. Regardless of the dripping vegetable soup on his body, he held Xiao Letian's hand tightly with both hands and said with red eyes, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you. Your love for the German nation cannot be ignored." Fake, I apologize for my rude behavior just now... But can you tell me what this has to do with our meeting? Why do you want to see me? "
At this point, the topic has opened up. Xiao Letian pondered for a while, "Mr. Jonas, please change your clothes first. Let's eat and chat. I will give you a big gift later..."
After the banquet resumed, after three glasses of water and wine, several guards came in carrying a heavy wooden box. When the wooden box was opened, the shining silver coins inside dazzled Jonas's eyes.
"My Lord Envoy, the rejuvenation of the German nation is now at a very critical moment. The war potential of the entire nation has been tapped out, and domestic financial expenditures are stretched. If possible, I am willing to provide Prime Minister Bismarck with a high sum of money." amount of war loans..."
With a hiss, Jonas gasped, "Are you kidding me? A businessman actually wants to lend money to a country? Do you know how big a gap that is?"
Xiao Letian shook his head, "I don't know how high Germany's military expenditure is now, but I once learned about France's annual military expenditure, which is about 70 million US dollars. Today's Germany is far from being comparable to France, but it is as high as France's. Half of that should be possible…”
"With a military expenditure of about 40 million U.S. dollars a year to support the rejuvenation of the German nation, don't you think the risk is too great? I now have one million taels of silver in cash, which is equivalent to 2.5 million U.S. dollars. I I think this money is enough for Germany to equip another five to one hundred thousand troops, and I can provide Germany with 1.5 million taels of secret loans every year for the next three years..."
There was just a bang, and Jonas fell to the ground with his chair. He looked at Xiao Letian and felt that he turned into an angel for one moment, and then turned into a devil for the next.
During the Tongzhi period, the Qing Empire's thousands of years of wealth had not been completely destroyed, and the amount of wealth accumulated among the people was unimaginable in Europe. Our ancestors had a good habit of burying gold and silver in the ground, leaving behind a massive amount of precious metals for future generations. Coupled with an unimaginable population, Europeans were moved even more.
No one can calculate the huge amount of wealth among Chinese people. Anyway, in the late Qing Dynasty, only billions of taels of silver were spent in reparations, and the wealth of the entire people is definitely greater than this number. Now it depends on who can mobilize it.
"Xiao Letian... I, I, I... I am an envoy representing Prussia. I will not ally with any careerist. Don't imagine that Prussia will join your rebellion... No amount of money will do! "
Xiao Letian secretly sighed in his heart, why don't you keep your eyes on the shining silver coins even though you are saying the same thing? You should be aware of Prussia's current financial situation. This is not the Germany after defeating France and receiving 5 billion francs in compensation. Now you have to break every copper in half.
"Hahaha, what do you mean by this, Lord Messenger? When did I say I was going to rebel? Didn't you come to East Asia without even the most rudimentary intelligence work? How about I, Xiao Letian, lend you a loan as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Ryukyu? This is interesting enough..."
After saying that, Wang Huaiyuan, who was standing at the door, brought in a beautiful mahogany box. When he opened it, a green light flashed, and the prime minister's seal carved from a whole jade appeared in front of Jonas.
"Take a look. This is the prime minister's seal given to me by the Kingdom of Ryukyu. I am the general person in charge of the royal administration of Ryukyu. Even King Shoutai is my student. When you return to the country, you can go to Shuri Castle and ask in person!"
With one million taels of wealth on one side and the seal certificate of the Ryukyu Kingdom on the other, the Nordic knight was finally shaken. He now finally understood what kind of person Xiao Letian was, and those bizarre rumors were actually true.
"How much interest do you want? What do you want from Germany?"
Xiao Letian clapped his fingers and discussed his conditions one by one. "First, you return to China immediately and take away my three new army companies. I believe in the strength of the Prussian Army. I hope they can participate in the war as mercenaries. I I want them to learn truly modern warfare... I want to participate in the Prussian-Austrian War!"
"Second, send students to Germany in the name of the Ryukyu Kingdom, hoping that Germany can accept one thousand to two thousand outstanding young people from China and ensure that all funds for their schools will be paid out of interest..."
"Third, when Germany is unified, I hope that German engineers can build the most advanced iron-clad warships for the Kingdom of Ryukyu. Personally, I still prefer Germany's industrial power..."
Xiao Letian raised his head and drank a glass of wine and sighed and said, "On these three conditions, I will cover the interest on these war loans, and I don't have to pay back the principal. You can use ironclad ships and advanced lathes at a discount. I think this condition is Not even God can say no.”
