After all, Bismarck and Xiao Letian are the same kind of people, and the so-called sympathy for each other is nothing more than this. When Xiao Letian said these heroic words, Bismarck's face became more and more solemn.
If you are an ordinary European or Qing Dynasty person, after hearing Xiao Letian's slogans that are not very nutritious, many people may feel cold all over and think that he is fake and sour.
Losing is losing, and failure is failure. Now the French fleet is about to bomb Ryukyu. You, Xiao Letian, are powerless. This is the ironclad reality. Can you deceive people just by shouting slogans?
There will always be the majority of people who hold this view. It is actually a common human problem to judge heroes based on their success or failure. If it had been before the Battle of Sadowa, if it had been before the Miracle of Stone Bridge, if Bismarck had heard Xiao Letian's bold words, even he might not have believed it.
But it was different now. Xiao Letian and his men shocked everyone with their blood and lives. Their image in the hearts of the Prussians was rising straight up like a hot air balloon.
It was because he had won the respect of the other party that Xiao Letian's bold words not only did not make people feel false and artificial, but made Bismarck sincerely admire him.
"Xiao! I find that I have a different experience every time I see you. You are a man surrounded by miracles. You are God's darling. China is really lucky to have you...Okay, what do you need me to do? ?As long as it is within my capabilities, I will try my best to meet your requirements!"
Xiao Letian was already happy when he heard this. He looked around and found that there was no one around. He took Bismarck a little deeper into the trench, and then he started to speak.
"China has lagged far behind in its rise. One bite cannot make you fat. In addition to what I have discussed before, what I need is a few more suggestions..."
Xiao Letian had previously reached a preliminary cooperation intention with Bismarck, and Prussia opened all schools to provide education for Chinese students. Wang Huaiyuan now has more than 2,000 people under his command. Even if only half of them are capable, there will still be more than 1,000 highly educated people in the future.
There are also battleships that make Xiao Letian's heart beat. Coming from later generations, he still knows it very well. Even though the German navy is very weak now, it can't stand up to its strong industrial strength. When armored battleships roam the oceans, Germany's industrial base will gradually of exertion.
Education, technology, and military equipment are the three major areas in Xiao Letian's plan, but today Xiao Letian wants to go a step further and make the cooperation between the two parties closer.
"Dear Prime Minister, I wonder what you think of the relationship between Prussia and the United Kingdom? Haha, of course I know that you are pursuing a continental policy now. You have been careful not to touch the British maritime interests, which is also true. It was your caution that earned Britain's neutrality..."
"First of all, I want to admit that your strategy is very correct. Prussia is still very weak now, and it is unwise to have conflicts with Britain. However, I hope you will think about it carefully. After Prussia has won a series of victories, After you leave the position of prime minister, how can you ensure that your successor will continue your national policies?"
Bismarck's eyes were getting bigger and bigger, as if he was looking at a devil. He really didn't expect that Xiao Letian knew Prussia so well.
"Xiao! Tell me, are you a devil?"
Xiao Letian rolled his eyes at him and continued, "In today's world, you should see it more clearly than I do. Whoever controls the most colonies will be the most powerful country. And the old countries such as Britain and France have almost divided the world, leaving There is not much left for Prussia..."
"In the future, after you have taught France a lesson on land, it will be difficult to find opponents on the European continent. At that time, if Prussia wants to become rich and powerful, it can only look to the sea, but then you will have to conflict with the British... "
"Oh oh oh... don't try to refute me. I know that your strategy does not allow war with Britain, but you will get old one day? What kind of character is Prince Carl? Where is the prince's son? What about you? I don’t even think about it anymore…”
After saying this, the old prime minister subconsciously took half a step back, and suddenly bumped into the trench. His eyes were wide open, and he looked at Xiao Letian as if he were looking at a devil.
Xiao Letian's words were actually what the old prime minister feared most in his heart. Bismarck knew Britain's heritage very well, and it was simply not something Prussia could contend with. Only by launching a world-level war would it be possible to knock Britain out of the third place. One pulled down from the throne.
Even if Prussia punished the French according to its own plan, even if North Germany was successfully unified in its own hands, its strength would still not be enough to fight the British, far from enough.
Therefore, Bismarck has been explaining his strategy to the royal family. He is afraid that one day the fanatical royal family will abandon his strategic choice and compete with Britain on the sea.
This is not a pessimistic guess, it is very likely to be true, because people are always easily dazzled by victory, and it is difficult to control what a nation wants to rise.
"No, no, no, that's impossible. You can look at the map. Britain is like a lid blocking the seaports of Germany, Poland, and Russia. The waterways leading to the Atlantic Ocean are all controlled by the artillery of the British fleet. Down below, the North Sea is the British inland lake!" Bismarck roared in horror.
"There is no 100% certainty, and a naval battle with the British would be courting death!"
This was the first time Xiao Letian saw Bismarck's panic expression, which was rare in history. He knew that he had hit the soft spot in the heart of the iron-blooded prime minister, which was also the weak spot of the Prussian nation.
"You know this truth, and so do I, but do people later know it? Or maybe they know it, but are they willing to know this sad truth?" Xiao Letian sighed and shook his head.
"It is foreseeable that the smoother Prussia's war is now, the greater the ambition of future generations will be. Prussia needs the nourishment of maritime interests, and fighting for colonies is an inevitable choice. Once it embarks on this road of hegemony, it will have to compete with the British. Conflicts are inevitable..."
"You just mentioned the map, so let me tell you about the map. The Three British Roads are just a cover, blocking Germany's waterway to the Atlantic Ocean. Even if you get a lot of overseas colonies, how will you use the resources? What about transportation? We will always pass through cautiously under the threat of British artillery..."
"Prussians are proud. This pride supports you to fight with all your strength, but this pride will also support you to fight irrationally. At that time, it will be a huge gamble on the fate of the country!"
Xiao Letian was really possessed by Su Qin and Zhang Yi at this time. Bismarck was so moved by the sharp words he said. He leaned in front of the Prime Minister and casually drew a simple world map on the soil with his fingers.
"Once a war breaks out and the British fleet blocks the North Sea, Germany's overseas colonies will be completely without reinforcements. At that time, the British Pacific Fleet, Indian Ocean Fleet, etc. will be able to slowly knock you out one by one. colony……"
"At that time, no matter how awesome your warships are, it will be useless if you can't sail them! So, today I am here to talk to you with 120,000 sincerity about a top-secret plan, a plan that you can't refuse. !”
"Come, come, come... Look here, right, it is my base camp of Ryukyu. If Prussia is willing to cooperate with me, of course it will be secret. It will be claimed to the outside world that it belongs to me, Xiao Letian, but we can sign internal top-secret documents..."
"How about we set up a large-scale shipyard in Ryukyu based on Prussian shipbuilding technology? Stop hiding your secrets, send your best technology and strongest engineers there, and let us cooperate to produce the best warships in the world. , Don’t worry, I have many drawings of mature iron-clad battleships in my mind, how about we share these design concepts?"
At this time, Xiao Letian even reached out and hooked up with Bismarck, as close as a street gangster. "Don't worry, the battleship that will be launched will nominally belong to me, Xiao Letian, but it contains half of your Prussian shares..." Look, without anyone noticing, you ambushed a powerful fleet in the Pacific Ocean!"
"Suppose one day, a world war breaks out, and the world's great powers are divided into two distinct factions fighting to the death, and Prussia reaches the point where it can't do anything without fighting. With such a strange army in hand, will you have an extra chance of winning? ?”
Xiao Letian's proposal seems a bit unrealistic, but it is undeniable that this is the best countermeasure against British maritime hegemony.
Xiao Letian was not without worries. If he ordered a powerful warship beyond this era at Fulqiang Shipyard, how to transport it back to China would be a problem.
Do you really think that Britain and France are honorable men? Will they really watch the emergence of a modern navy in China? The answer is no. As long as you threaten them, they will even seize the warship halfway or even sink it directly.
The only way is to build it yourself. Build large warships in East Asia. This is the only way out. Who told Xiao Letian that the design drawings in his belly were far ahead of this era? He could shock the world by just taking out a ship.
Bismarck was really tempted, but he still had worries. As a politician, it was their instinct to doubt everything. Regardless of what Xiao Letian says now, what if one day this kid really changes his mind? But considering the blood they shed in Stone Bridge Heights, Bismarck's question was a bit hard to explain.
"This matter is too big. This is not something I, the Prime Minister, can make the decision about. I have to have a confidential discussion with the King. However, I admit that your proposal has tempted me... But I want to remind you that I, Bismarck, believe in you. Credibility, but it does not mean that the entire Prussian leadership believes in you. You'd better be prepared..."
Just when Xiao Letian was about to open his mouth again to add fuel to the fire, suddenly there was a rush of footsteps and shouts from outside the trench: "Prime Minister... Prime Minister! Please rush back to the headquarters immediately, His Majesty the King... His Majesty and the General The chief of staff got into a quarrel, and it got really loud..."
"Ah?" Bismarck and Xiao Letian shouted in unison when they heard the news, "What happened? Why do we still have to quarrel after we have won the battle?"
...
