Xiao Letian never expected that the negotiations with Bismarck would be completed in such a peaceful state. Except for Bismarck's probing of him at the beginning, which made him feel pressured, at other times the iron-blooded prime minister was more like An old naughty elder, completely different from the rumors.
Watching Bismarck's carriage going away, Xiao Letian always felt like he was punched in the cotton bag. Before meeting, Xiao Letian imagined countless scenarios of confrontation with the iron-blooded prime minister. In his heart, Bismarck was better than Zeng Guofan. A tougher big shot. No, no, no, a politician with such great influence like him can already be called a great man.
Confronting real great men in history is a pressure that ordinary people cannot imagine. In his previous life, when Xiao Letian was running business, he met a division-level cadre whose authority was already awe-inspiring. Then look at those national-level officials on TV. The cadres can feel the powerful pressure through the screen. That kind of momentum is simply not something that ordinary people can resist.
Ordinary politicians are already so difficult to deal with, let alone the famous great men in history. Xiao Letian was even mentally prepared for a complete defeat. He had no idea whether the aura of the time traveler or the aura of the great man was stronger or weaker.
But reality played a big joke on Xiao Letian. After Bismarck played a prank that made Xiao Letian at a loss, the negotiation entered a gentle and drizzle atmosphere.
Rather than saying this is a confrontation between Eastern and Western prime ministers, it is better to say that it is a case of support from the seniors to the juniors. A set of theories about the relationship between heroes and nations made Xiao Letian nod his head. In the end, even Xiao Letian's wife was convinced. She was really a kind elder.
But no one knew that when the small carriage drove out of the garden, the smile on Bismarck's face gradually solidified. After a while, he took out a notebook from the hidden compartment of the carriage and began to record the meeting.
"Xiao Letian, this is a very potential rising political star in the East, with keen vision, profound knowledge, and extraordinary courage... Unfortunately, he is still too young, and his grasp of emotions is far from mature... "
"As a politician, you should not expose your weaknesses easily. Relatives, comrades-in-arms, colleagues...all kinds of social relationships can easily allow enemies to take advantage of you. Successful politicians should be cold-blooded. Unfortunately, Xiao Letian is simply not cold-blooded enough..."
"Although I personally feel very sorry for Xiao Letian, an Eastern politician with weaknesses is conducive to Prussia's national interests. This is the basis for our long-term cooperation with the Chinese..."
Xiao Letian never expected that just when he and his officer corps were celebrating the success of the negotiation, Bismarck had already begun to examine him in great detail. And this information will be kept in the Prussian Secret Archives for a long time. Even if Bismarck dies, his successor can still get his policy guidance.
It was God's will. Xiao Letian's gaffe on the special train and his defeat in the garden confrontation seemed to be a sign of weakness, but it was precisely because of this sign of weakness that Xiao Letian got a blessing out of his mistake.
At this time, Xiao Letian's power was far from strong. Facing the Western powers, he was as weak as a baby. Not to mention powerful countries like Britain, France and the United States, even declining European countries such as the Netherlands and Portugal wanted to deal with them. He was also a breeze.
There are not a single modern naval warship, the army is only more than a thousand people, and the land, population and other resources it controls are only one county. To say he is a baby is a bit of an exaggeration. Xiao Letian's current power can only be said to be in its infancy.
Bismarck's test is not just for himself. His analysis results will be telegraphed to His Majesty the King as quickly as possible, and in less than three days, senior members of the Habsburg family throughout Europe will receive this information. information, except France.
The British, Spanish, Italian Principality, Dutch Royal Family...these big figures who actually control Europe will all see Bismarck's analysis, and the iron prime minister's vision is something that even Queen Victoria admires.
With Bismarck's endorsement, Xiao Letian will become a "flawed politician" in the eyes of these big shots. It is precisely because of his flaws that Xiao Letian is easy to control or defeat. People will not worry that Xiao Letian will one day evolve into a ferocious liger, thereby damaging the Europeans' global interests.
Sure enough, when Queen Victoria in Buckingham Palace saw the private message and this information sent by her cousin three days later, the European grandmother finally smiled. She even stroked the back of her eldest daughter's hand and said teasingly.
"Your husband is a little too cautious. He actually regards Xiao Letian as a dangerous person who can threaten Europe... Hehehe, come and take a look at this information..."
Sitting next to Elizabeth is the eldest princess Louise. This white beauty with a bit of baby fat is currently living in the UK on vacation with her son. The weather in Berlin is still a bit uncomfortable for her.
After reading Bismarck's analysis report, Louis covered his mouth with a folding fan and laughed softly, "Hahaha... Karl has been fighting for too long, and his mind is full of dangerous calculations. In his eyes, everyone is Dangerous elements... How can a small Ryukyu island country with a medieval political structure pose a threat to Europe?"
Queen Victoria also smiled, "Maybe, but you have to know that China is very rich. Even now I am not sure that the wealth of Britain has exceeded that of China... Which country is so big that it covers an area larger than the entire Europe……"
At this time, a boy who was reading a book next to Princess Louise said, "Oh, grandma, what you said is not accurate. The land area of Tsarist Russia in the north is much larger than China, and China can only be regarded as second!"
If anyone in Buckingham Palace dared to interrupt the Queen, it must be a member of the Queen's family. This young man was the famous William II in later generations. He was the son of Prince Carl and the grandson of Queen Victoria.
"Oh, my little Victor asked a question. This aggressive momentum must be a brave king in the future... Well, let grandma tell you..."
"Although Russia's land is huge, 70% of it is in the cold zone. Those places are not suitable for human habitation at all. Although the Russians legally occupy a large amount of land in Siberia, they have not even built roads in those places. It's completely a wild land..."
"But China is different. This is an ancient civilization with a history of thousands of years. The land they control is very suitable for human habitation. Over the long years, they have accumulated countless wealth. This country has been the world of mankind for thousands of years. We have been trying to surpass them for a long time..."
"Oh, grandma, do you think too highly of this country? Hasn't China already defeated you twice? Haven't we in Europe already had the upper hand?" The young William II asked in confusion.
Queen Victoria stroked her grandson's hair and said softly, "My child, you don't understand at all. What we defeated was not that country at all. What we defeated was just the Manchu government. Both wars were fought against the Manchus." In the war, those Han people did not participate in the war at all..."
This statement is a bit profound, and a child obviously cannot understand it. In the end, his mother, Princess Louise, helped him to understand: "My little Victor, you can understand it this way, China represents the German nation, and the Manchu people The relationship with the Han people is like the relationship between Prussia and Austria, except that the politics in the East are more complicated and there are no clear geographical boundaries to divide them..."
"I understand!" Victor shouted, "The Manchus are now the royal family of China. They are like emperors crowned by the Pope. The Han people are now deprived of the throne due to their previous failures and are hiding behind the Manchus. But Their power is still very strong, and they have been looking for opportunities to overthrow the Manchus..."
"Haha, I understand. I want to write down my understanding in my diary. The British expedition to China twice had only one purpose: to defeat the Manchus and then make profits through commercial trade and various treaties. However, the main ethnic groups in China not only do not want Fight with them, and even help the Manchus to control..."
Queen Victoria was very pleased as she looked at her grandson who was busy writing. At this moment, a palace maid came quietly and reminded Her Majesty in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, it's time for the French Ambassador to make an appointment with you. The Ambassador has been waiting for a long time!"
Queen Victoria did not stand up, but just took a sip of black tea, and then said, "I will not go to see him. Tell the French ambassador that we will not cooperate with their expedition to East Asia. Not only will we not attack the Qing Dynasty, but we will also not attack the Qing Dynasty." Ryukyu, doing this is not in the interests of the UK..."
At this point, Victoria looked at her grandson and whispered, "I have to give my cousin some face, and that old guy in Bismarck. If I don't give him face, I'm afraid he will scold me everywhere again..." "
The maid turned and left, leaving only the grandfather and grandson in the study. Princess Louise asked puzzledly, "Mother, wouldn't this be too cheap for the Chinese? Although Xiao Letian was teaching the French, it was also the same What about the face of us Europeans? Not to mention, is Bismarck’s analysis reliable? Isn’t this Xiao Letian a deeply hidden careerist?”
The eldest princess' question made young Victor stop writing in his hand, and they both waited patiently for the queen's answer. The result was a long sigh from the Queen.
"I share your concerns. This Xiao Letian is not a big threat now, but he may become a tiger in East Asia in the future. And now both Prussia and the United States attach great importance to him. With the support of these two countries , Xiao Letian’s power will definitely grow by leaps and bounds..."
"But I have no choice. If the Qing Empire only strives for a little bit of power, I will not let the situation in East Asia change in any way. You must know that our biggest threat at present is Russia in the north. They can covet Nuanshui Port. Idiots can See clearly, their national strategy is to challenge Britain’s maritime hegemony!”
At this time, Queen Victoria exuded an aggressive aura, and the domineering power of the Empire on which the sun never sets was clearly visible on her.
"In Crimea, we blocked them north of the Caspian Sea. As a result, the polar bear turned around and ran towards the east. They had already rushed their fangs towards the Qing Dynasty. They wanted to get a foothold in the Pacific. This is absolutely true for the British Empire. not allowed!"
"The incompetent Manchus lost more than a million square kilometers of land after being intimidated by the Cossacks six years ago. Now the Russians are supporting Central Asian warlords in an attempt to separatize Xinjiang... The Russians have been forced to do this, and the Qing Dynasty There is still a civil war and there is no resistance at all..."
"I'm afraid, I'm really afraid. One day the Russians will establish colonies in the Liaodong Peninsula and the Jiaodong Peninsula. When the time comes for a warm water port to be backed by the endless resources of the Qing inland, it will be a serious problem for us!"
Queen Victoria sighed, "Now I have to prepare for the worst. If the Manchus can't stop the polar bears, I have to support a few more powerful forces in the Qing Dynasty to delay it for a while..."
...
