The greatest threat to the first place is always the second place. This is the fundamental psychological appeal of the British Navy's pursuit of the dual-power principle. In the eyes of the British, the size of the Royal Navy must exceed the power of the second and third largest naval powers in the world at that time. sum.
This is actually a conscious effort to widen the distance from the second place, thereby ensuring Britain's national security. The Navy pursues such a principle. In fact, the entire UK pursues the same core philosophy in all aspects.
If you want to be number one forever, you have to work hard to distance yourself from those behind you. However, it is definitely not enough to just develop your own strength. You also need to have some underhanded tricks to trip up the second and third places. son.
It's like in a long marathon, the first place keeps sprinting forward, and then from time to time, sand and lime are thrown back to disturb the competitors.
If the second place player is really pushed too hard, Britain can also roll up his sleeves and rush in and beat him until he vomits blood on the ground and then rush forward again.
This is the fundamental national policy of the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets. Every dispute and war between it and other European powers is actually to protect its absolute leadership position.
This is so similar to the United States in later generations. When it was competing for hegemony with the Soviet Union, the United States did not hesitate to go on an ice-breaking trip with China. It provided a large amount of technology and funds to China and shared countless intelligence. At that time, China and the United States also had a honeymoon period.
Later, the Soviet Union disintegrated, and Europe was inspired to create an EU. The United States found that the euro was very competitive with the U.S. dollar, so it launched a war in Kosovo, which caused European capital to flee for safety.
Japan had its glory days after World War II, but the Plaza Accord brought Japan into recession that lasted for decades.
At the time when Xiao Letian traveled through, China had become the world's second largest economy, its military strength had also expanded rapidly, and the United States was targeting China again.
This is a routine, a routine that must be played by anyone who is number one in the world, and the same is true for the empire on which the sun never sets. At present, the closest economic strength and military strength to Britain in the world is none other than Britain's 'friendly' neighbor France.
"Dear Prime Minister, please tell me, in this war, who else can we support if we don't support Prussia?" The queen said in an unusually solemn tone.
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I let His Majesty down... I have realized my mistake, and I will correct my plan in time... If necessary, I will take the blame and resign after the war is over!" The mark on Benjamin's forehead Sweat rolled down.
Queen Victoria just wanted to slap Benjamin. She was not trying to force the Prime Minister to abdicate. Once she saw that her words had an effect, the expression on her face softened.
"Sit down, Ben! You don't have to be so nervous. I believe in your ability. As long as you find the right direction, you will definitely use your talents in the right direction. I have no doubt about this!"
"France really needs a beating. It has been 21 years since Charles Louis Bonaparte came to power. In these years, France has expanded its overseas colonies five times, won the Crimean War, the Qing War, and ordered offensives. Vietnam and Mexico even overwhelm us in the right to operate the Suez Canal..."
"He is not a friend of Britain, and never will be..." the Queen said very firmly, "What is the Napoleon family? They are just upstarts among European aristocrats!"
"Look at the many kingdoms in Europe. Which royal family does not have a thousand-year heritage? The United Kingdom, Prussia, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Austria... and even Tsarist Russia. In fact, all royal families have their roots in the earliest times. Those dynasties!"
"The Habsburgs, Capetians, Hohenzollerns, Romanovs, etc... After the fall of the Roman Empire, it was these families that supported the huge aristocracy in Europe. We intermarried and formed alliances with each other. , war with each other..."
"Unity and contradiction maintain the inheritance of European civilization. Although wars continue, the spirit we believe in remains unchanged, and our blood is pure!"
"Don't forget the kinship between the King of Prussia and the British royal family! But what is the Napoleon family? Just a warlord who made his fortune through war! Then the civil strife in France took advantage of the situation. How can the European royal blood be stained by them!"
"Now do you think I would fall out with my relatives because of an outsider?"
Benjamin wiped his sweat. He could not refute the Queen's words. This was a reality in Europe. The foundation of the Napoleon family was too shallow. Although the marriage gave him a bit of aura, compared with these thousand-year-old families, it was still not prestigious enough.
Those big families that have been together for thousands of years naturally reject these newcomers. No one is willing to let newcomers take away their old power. This mentality has always existed and will not change.
Benjamin finally realized where he was wrong. He completely forgot to analyze the problem from the perspective of the Millennium Family. He had always regarded himself as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to analyze the competition between countries, and used interests to deduce the situation. .
But this is not the case. The Queen has additional considerations, which are not humane to outsiders.
At the end of the meeting, the queen took a telegraph newspaper from the coffee table beside her and handed it to Benjamin. "This is the letter of credence sent by the Qing Dynasty. It clearly stated that Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty will come to Europe this year for a study tour and state affairs. Britain cannot avoid the visit, and the Qing Dynasty has finally officially issued its credentials!"
"Credits?" Benjamin was stunned. "Why didn't the Ministry of Foreign Affairs get this credentials?"
The Queen smiled faintly, "Perhaps the Qing officials didn't understand the British system. They thought I was a dictator like the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. The beginning of this letter of credence read: The Queen of the British Empire... They thought it was a private telegram. But I didn’t expect that after I read it, it turned out to be a certificate of credentials. I’d better leave this kind of matter to you!”
Emperor Tongzhi's trip to Europe was definitely opposed by the Qing Dynasty, but there was no way that the emperor was willing to go out on a study tour, and at that time Xiao Letian led the army to escort the young emperor out of the palace.
Even if the Manchu and Qing court didn't want to, they still had to hold their noses and admit it. They couldn't issue a statement to depose the emperor! Since the situation cannot be changed, we can only go with the flow.
The Emperor of the Qing Dynasty still had to have some dignity, so the Ministry of Rites drafted a letter of credence and sent it by telegram to the government of the country where Zai Chun was about to travel. This was a polite advance notice.
However, it was precisely because the Ministry of Rites did not understand the British constitutional monarchy system that the credentials that should be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were sent directly to Buckingham Palace.
After reading the letter of credence, Benjamin suddenly asked, "What kind of etiquette should we use to welcome the emperor of the Qing Dynasty? Your Majesty, please give me some advice!"
