"Ah! Don't..." A sharp scream sounded in the villa on the bank of the Elbe River, and then the whole villa was brightly lit, with countless figures and footsteps everywhere.
"Alert... everyone alert... Sir! What happened, Sir?" Master Long asked nervously, holding a pistol outside the bedroom. He waited for a long time before Huniu's voice came from the bedroom.
"It's okay. You all can go down. I just had a nightmare!"
Xiao Letian indeed had a nightmare. In that dream, Naha once again turned into a sea of fire, but this time it was even more tragic. Countless scenes of massacres actually appeared in the dream.
The woman with the baby's body on her bayonet was being bullied, the old man was blown to pieces by artillery fire, and the brave soldier was knocked down by a hail of bullets.
"Naha is burning, and the flames are higher than the last time we fought the Japanese... I seem to be flying in mid-air. I can see the mountains and rivers of the entire East Asia, and the Ryukyu island chain in the Pacific has turned into a sea of fire..."
"In the dark night, it was like a string of torches were lit... Countless people were watching, their faces extremely ferocious. They watched the fall of Ryukyu, as happy as the New Year..."
Huniu hugged Xiao Letian, tears falling down. She knew that Xiao Letian was under too much pressure during this period. The finishing work of the European trip was extremely complicated, and all cooperation intentions had to be completed in the shortest possible time. Finalize and sign the agreement.
Today I will discuss cooperation with East Asia Shipyard with Mr. Nobel, and tomorrow I will have a secret discussion with Vulcan Shipyard on the design of new warships.
I finished transferring to various universities in the morning, and in the afternoon I had to discuss the operating details of the Sino-German Fund with Prussian bankers.
Not only was he busy during the day, but Xiao Letian couldn't rest at night. Most of the Prussian senior officials and emissaries from various countries chose to meet Xiao Letian at evening cocktail parties and dances. The exchange of glasses and cups was often a battlefield of verbal exchanges.
By the time the day's work was over, the time had already pointed towards midnight, and Xiao Letian still couldn't rest at this time. He always sat on the map of East Asia by the withered lamp, quietly looking at Ryukyu and the progress of his career. starting point.
"I'm sorry, I'm really useless, I can't help you at all..." Huniu cried bitterly while hugging Xiao Letian.
As a mature politician, he will not let his emotions get out of control for too long, even if it means having nightmares. Xiao Letian patted Huniu on the back, indicating that his mood had returned to normal.
"It's okay, the sky hasn't fallen yet. Our career has just started. Even if all our weak family assets are destroyed, what's the regret? Didn't you do a good job before? Help me stabilize in front of everyone. We have won the hearts of the people, now we have to be strong, and our momentum will never fail..."
"Brothers are looking at me, and the Europeans are also looking at me. Only if I maintain my mentality will they continue to follow us boldly and continue to cooperate with us!"
Huniu wiped her tears and sighed, "I don't care about others, I just feel sorry for you... To be honest, sometimes I really want to leave all this behind and find a country where we can live peacefully and quietly." How wonderful it would be to live our lives..."
"But I know that you are on the cusp of the storm now, and you can't retreat even if you want to..."
Xiao Lezhen couldn't take back Huniu's words. Since ancient times, fighting for hegemony has been a one-way road with no turning back. From the moment you step on this road, you are destined to have enemies all over the world.
Do you want to quit? Will the first brother who follows you agree? Second, will the enemy you have always taught you a lesson be generous? The battle at the top of the pyramid of human society is not that simple.
"What time is it now... Oh, it's already five o'clock in the morning... Forget it, let me take a walk in the garden. There must be a way for the car to reach the mountain!"
Falling asleep at three in the morning and being woken up by nightmares at around five in the morning. Taking more than two hours of rest is considered self-abuse for normal people, but for this group of politicians, it is commonplace.
He is also the Prime Minister. Bismarck has even less time to rest than Xiao Letian. Now he is lying on the couch with his eyes closed and several secretaries around him are quietly reporting to the Prime Minister.
"Your Majesty the Prime Minister, after consultation with the Austrian Emperor, the meeting place was set at Nicholsburg, and the time was set for the 22nd... For this negotiation, the French Emperor also sent a special envoy. They seem to be more eager to reach an agreement than we are. …”
Bismarck did not open his eyes and said with a smile, "Napoleon III is only so broad-minded. I can tell you some things now. I had a secret verbal agreement with him before the war. Prussia will recognize it no matter whether the war is won or not." French title to lands west of the Rhine..."
"Haha, you fool blinded by greed, do you think I will fulfill my promise? First ask us Prussian soldiers if we agree!"
The secretary never expected that there would be such an episode before, and everyone's awe for the Prime Minister deepened. "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, through the news we sent from the Austrian intelligence network, the Austrian Emperor was flattered by our peace negotiation proposal. He was absolutely flattered by it." I never thought that our requirements would be so little..."
Hearing this, Bismarck raised his hand to stop the secretary, "I don't want to hear the good news. Send all the good news to the king. Please complain to me about troubles and difficulties... the more, the better!"
The secretary shrank in fear and quickly flipped through the folder in his hand, "Of all the bad news, this is the most troublesome... The French Emperor rejected all attempts to negotiate against the Chinese, and the envoys from our country and the United States were rejected in person. …”
"Oh! It seems that this madman doesn't want to let Xiao Letian go... This is really difficult to handle!" Bismarck suddenly opened his eyes, and the waiter behind him quickly handed over a wrung hot towel for the Prime Minister to wipe his face.
Bismarck hasn't had much sleep for three days in a row. He works non-stop. When he's really tired, he leans on the sofa and closes his eyes to rest for a while. And the weirdest thing is that he won't rest for more than half an hour. , and then he will definitely wake up.
Running an empire is not that simple. There are reasons why the king allows him to be so domineering.
"Poor Xiao, he has shared the anger of France for us Prussia. We owe him... Go and inform Xiao Letian that no matter how Ryukyu is destroyed by the French, Prussia will support him unconditionally. We can help He devised a plan to rebuild..."
"I know that Xiao Letian is very rich, and he is still very influential in the Qing Dynasty. I have studied his methods, and he is very good at mobilizing the accumulated wealth within the Qing Dynasty. This is good, let him provide the money, and we Prussia will contribute With technology and talent, we can guarantee that we can return him a brand new Ryukyu in less than two or three years..."
The secretary wrote quickly and recorded the Prime Minister's order word for word. "Great, I think Mr. Xiao will be very happy to get this news..."
Just as Bismarck and his secretary were busy facing the morning light, a sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the study: "Mr. Prime Minister, urgent call from Hamburg! The Earl of Derby in England has requested a secret visit to Prussia... The cruiser the Earl is currently traveling on is cruising at sea!"
"What!" Bismarck was wiping his face with a hot towel. When he heard this, he stood up. "Earl of Derby! Which Earl of Derby?"
Bismarck was knowingly asking this question. Who else could be the earl who could mobilize the cruiser as a host ship besides the Prime Minister of Derby who just took office in June?
"Quick, prepare the dress, prepare the special train, I'm going to Hamburg...Immediately send electricity and notify Hamburg to arrange for the Prime Minister to move in. Remember, everything must be kept confidential..."
Now Bismarck's mind is working rapidly. The British Prime Minister's secret visit is the biggest variable in all his plans. Although Britain's national interests have always been at sea, this does not mean that he does not care about the political situation on the European continent. Variety.
In the Prussian-Austrian War, although countless diplomatic efforts were made to keep the British neutral, there was no secret visit from the prime minister in the script. It would be strange if the newly appointed Earl of Derby could make a secret visit to Prussia. .
The train was speeding across the European plains, and on the railway line from Berlin to Hamburg, all trains, including military trains, were making way for the Prime Minister's special train. On the sea west of Hamburg, the passenger ship arranged by the city council has picked up the Earl of Derby. This old man walking slowly on crutches is the leader of the British Conservative Party and the newly appointed Prime Minister, the Earl of Derby.
"Dear Earl, the Prime Minister of Bismarck has arranged a villa with the most beautiful scenery for you. You can take a bath and rest first. The Prime Minister will arrive in the afternoon..."
The Earl of Derby was not a very good-tempered person. European politicians had a very clear impression of the old earl. He was involved in horse racing, gambling, gout, and a very aggressive eloquence. What this kind of person dislikes most is letting others make decisions for him. .
"No need. In addition to meeting old friends, I also want to come and see new friends when I come to Prussia this time... There is a dazzling new star in the international political arena. As the Prime Minister of the British Empire, how dare I not come and pay a visit? What about? Arrange a carriage immediately, I’m going to see Xiao Letian!"
The commissioner sent by the city council shrank his neck and sighed in his heart, "Mr. Xiao, please wish yourself well. This hot-tempered old man is not easy to mess with... That's right. He can become friends with the iron-blooded Prime Minister Bismarck." This man’s temper is probably not much better.”
At this moment, the commissioner saw the Earl's slightly sloping left foot at a glance. He knew very well that the old Earl's gout had relapsed. Now was the time when he was in the worst mood. It was not a good time to meet Xiao Letian at this time. .
The commissioner's guess was correct. The Earl of Derby, who had been transferred to the passenger ship, had no intention of enjoying the scenery on both sides of the Elbe. Perhaps in his mind, only the scenery on both sides of the Thames was worth seeing. He kept nagging along the way.
No one dared to eavesdrop on the Prime Minister's chatter. If they were allowed to hear it, they might really have to observe a moment of silence for Xiao Letian.
"An East Asian barbarian, a complete liar, actually asked me to come on this trip... Damn it, if I find his weakness, I will definitely give him a lesson, not to mention the French sent To punish the fleet, now even I want the navy to blow up your hometown..."
"Bah..." He spit out a mouthful of thick phlegm into the river, but it seemed a bit unlucky that a small amount of phlegm was blown by the headwind and fell onto his face.
"Damn...damn it!" The Earl of Derby took out a handkerchief and wiped his face. At this time, the gouty area on his left foot began to torture him again. The faint stinging pain made him quickly lean on the railing.
"Damn Chinese, if it weren't for you, why would I have made this trip... Just wait, damn Xiao Letian, just wait!"
[This book was first published from, be the first to see the genuine content! ]
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