What exactly is a hero? There is really no absolute standard for this. Some people say that a hero must have noble morals and a kind heart. This is correct, but it is also nonsense.
Genghis Khan was a hero of the Mongols, and the entire grassland people even respected him as the God of War, but what about the people of the Southern Song Dynasty? In the eyes of Xixia people? In the eyes of Europeans?
There are also Wei Qing and Huo Qubing who expedition to Mobei during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Of course they are great heroes to the Chinese nation, but what about the Huns? I don’t think these people would fall in love with them until they were forced to move westward to escape for their lives.
The so-called heroes are relative. The heroes respected by one country and nation may be the enemies, executioners and murderers hated by other nations.
Just like Xiao Letian, he is a well-deserved hero in the Ryukyu Kingdom and in the hearts of countless Han people who open their eyes to the world, but to the Manchus and corrupt Confucians, his image is complicated.
The world has been studying China for thousands of years. They know how huge the population and territory China is, and how much wealth this nation has accumulated over the long years.
More importantly, their history is too long, and there are too many experiences left in the history books. Whether they are failures or successes, these are the intangible wealth possessed by the Chinese people.
"This terrible nation cannot be given a chance. As long as a heroic figure raises his arms, as long as he can mobilize these tangible and intangible wealth, then this Chinese dragon will break free from the shackles placed on him by the aliens. Thus it soared into the sky..."
"That's right. We Europeans should really be grateful to the Jurchens, that is, the Manchus for their rule over the Han people. They are really our good helpers. It is precisely because of their 200-year rule that this dragon was nailed They have broken countless chains, especially their suppression of the people's hearts, which has cut off the soil that breeds heroes..."
"This is a good opportunity that has not been seen in thousands of years. We Europeans must seize every minute and every second to rush forward. We must widen the technological gap with the Chinese. We must try our best to drain them. As for the wealth of the people, every time we become stronger, the Chinese dragon will become weaker..."
"This is the fundamental reason why I refuse to cooperate with the Chinese. We cannot let them share our technology in vain, nor can we let them familiarize themselves with the military theories we have summarized from hundreds of years of conquests. All these things can make the Chinese stronger. Things must be strictly guarded and guarded, and the Chinese must not be allowed to get them..."
Prince Carl shouted loudly, and his noisy beard twitched, and he looked very humorous from a distance. I have to admit that his theory is indeed very popular in Europe and is in line with the interests of European powers.
But after the latest intelligence arrived in Frankfurt, his remarks became a bit ridiculous. When the prince heard the information, his eyes were as wide as a bell.
"What? Xiao Letian lost his composure? Why is it different from what the previous intelligence showed? In the Battle of Ryukyu, and in several conflicts with the Qing Dynasty, his performance was never so weak. Did you make a mistake?"
Old Moltke shook his head, "I don't know about the others, but I am very familiar with this Paul. In the previous Prussian-Dan War, the intelligence officers he led sent back a total of 120 pieces of important intelligence, and none of them had any flaws. I I believe in his quality..."
With the endorsement of Old Moltke, no one would doubt this information. Now even William I sighed, "It seems that the Chinese people have indeed been castrated mentally by the enslaving rule of the Manchus. Such a woman's heart is Can a politician really be called a hero?”
Bismarck also sighed with regret, "Yes, three hundred infantry can attack Besançon to rescue the Prime Minister, but eight hundred French cavalry can't do anything to them, and the French casualty rate is far greater than them. If this If victory is worth weeping, then our European military strategists may have to hang themselves..."
"Facts have proved that your concerns, Your Highness, are meaningless. Xiao Letian can only be regarded as a relatively good politician and a barely qualified military strategist. Such a person will help the Chinese people become richer and stronger. What about hegemony? Is this possible? Sex is really minimal..."
At this point in the lunch discussion, three votes were cast in favor of in-depth cooperation with the Chinese, with only Prince Carl still voting against it.
"Didn't Xiao Letian deliberately paralyze us? What if everything was just a show? Don't there are allusions to the story of the Chinese people about working hard to endure hardships?" Karl was still unwilling to give up his point of view.
"That's enough, Your Highness, please stop being so stubborn? Xiao Letian is not a fool, and his show is not so fake. Only more than one hundred and forty people died, and he cried until he collapsed. In Modern War, there were not thousands of people in that time. Thousands of people will die?"
"Listen to how those businessmen described the rebellion in China. The rebels even coerced hundreds of thousands of people and forced them to attack castles and fortresses with their bare hands. In one battle, there were even 100,000 casualties. How to survive in this kind of environment A politician, even if he is acting, he won't act so childish, right?"
Bismarck was a little angry, and his tone gradually became harsh. He felt that Karl was really not a qualified heir to the empire, and he was too narrow-minded to hold grudges just for that conflict in the Hamburg recruit camp.
"In addition, I also want to remind His Highness the Crown Prince that the empire's foreign policy must and can only be decided by me. If you think that diplomacy can be managed well by relying on banditry, then I can choose to resign!"
The iron-blooded prime minister was mercilessly exposing his old story. He pointed directly at the farce where Karl stole money last time. Karl's face turned red with anger in just one sentence.
"Oh, I'm feeling a little unwell. I'm going to leave now!" Carl blushed and turned away.
Prince Carl, later known as the Hundred-Day Emperor Frederick III, recorded in history books that the relationship between him and Bismarck had always been very bad. Bismarck had always looked down on the reckless crown prince, and Prince Karl looked down upon him even more. Bismarck's domineering power to dominate the government.
Originally, this pair of monarchs and ministers should have staged a wonderful political struggle in history, but unfortunately, Frederick III died of throat cancer only one hundred days after taking the throne.
Fortunately, his son, the last emperor of Germany, Wilhelm II, avenged him. Bismarck was actually fired in the end. It is recorded in the history books that he was strictly ordered to resign, which was a relief for his father.
With three votes in favor and one abstention, Xiao Letian finally passed a hidden difficulty. The Prussian state machinery began to take action and began to make various filings against possible retaliation against the French.
The protection level of Xiao Letian's special train has been raised to the same level as that of the king, and troops have been sent to blockade all the stations, bridges and complex terrain that the train passes through.
Under the order of Bismarck, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin began to intensively send top-secret messages to overseas ambassadors, asking them to contact governments immediately, hoping to remain calm in the coming storm and not to stand in the same boat as the French.
Even William I wrote a sincere letter to Queen Victoria, hoping that his cousin could calm down the British politicians and not go crazy with the French.
The Germans' premonition was very accurate. When news of the Besançon tragedy and the humiliating defeat on the border reached the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon III was completely furious. This emperor who had made his fortune by suppressing the National Assembly was maintained by war. The king he rules has never been so angry in his life.
The glass windows in the Palace of Mirrors were smashed by messy debris, and glass particles rolled all over the floor.
"Shame, the shame of France. The empire has raised so many troops, but it can't even deal with such a few gangsters. The dignity of France has been completely trampled to the ground..."
"Your Majesty, this attack is indeed unexpected... No one thought that the Chinese would be so bold and dare to invade our French territory... In addition, since Besancon is on the French-Swiss border, the quality of the army here is not that of the imperial army. The highest among…”
Before the guard finished speaking, an ink bottle flew out after wiping his head and smashed to the floor. The blood and ink on his forehead flowed down together.
"I don't want to listen to explanations. All excuses are invalid... No matter what reasons you have, remember that those are Chinese, and they are Chinese who have degenerated into ignorant savages... We captured their capital six years ago. They burned down their palace and they didn't even dare to protest. How dare they invade our French territory now..."
"Summon the Chinese ambassador and issue a solemn protest to him. I want to declare war on China..."
The guard whose head was covered with ink and blood did not dare to clean up the wound at all. He still stood upright. When he heard His Majesty the Emperor's obviously angry words, he quickly explained.
"Your Majesty the Emperor, please calm down... We cannot summon the Chinese Ambassador..."
"Idiot, pig, are you going to piss me off to death? As the emperor of France, can't I summon an envoy from a barbaric country?"
The guard mustered up the courage to reply loudly, "Your Majesty... It's not what you think. The Qing Empire didn't send envoys to Europe at all? There is no Chinese ambassador in Paris. Besides, although Xiao Letian is Chinese, his official position is Prime Minister of the Ryukyu Kingdom, these are soldiers. Legally speaking, they belong to the Ryukyu Kingdom..."
Napoleon III's face turned as red as pig liver, "Idiot, why didn't you tell me earlier! These cunning Chinese, don't think that I don't have a way to deal with you, pass on my order to mobilize all French fleets in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean , gather together and bombard this damn Ryukyu..."
The guard did not dare to neglect, turned around and ran out. Hearing the emperor's crazy shouting behind him, he almost burst into tears.
"Your Majesty, you can't do it. This is a mess... Our naval power in Asia is already weak. If we all concentrate on Ryukyu, if something goes wrong, our French colony will not have a fleet to protect it..."
"The United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, and even weak naval countries like the Netherlands and Prussia will take advantage of the chaos to attack and seize our colonies... No, no, no, I would rather die than issue such a random order. I will do my best. I have the power to hide this order and delay it as long as possible..."
Behind him, the irritable French emperor shouted like a mad dog, "War, there must be war! I will destroy the Ryukyu Kingdom, I will bombard China again, and this time I will burn down the Forbidden City..."
...
