"I think the assistance to Emperor Tongzhi should be given in batches and in stages. We will provide as much assistance as he shows sincerity..."
"I think the opening rights for new ports, the right to build railways, and the rights to directly invest in factories are not as important as one thing..."
"If we want to control Emperor Tongzhi, I think we should find a way from his harem and do our best to let Emperor Tongzhi marry a European princess as his queen. This may be a breakthrough!"
"Oh God! Do you really dare to think that?" Queen Victoria was stunned by her son's boldness.
"Edward, you have to remember that the emperors of China do not believe in God! They are still the most primitive polygamy, but we are strictly monogamous!"
"Are you going to let our princess be a Chinese mistress? Or become a queen and share your favor with countless women? Remember, this is not as simple as finding a few lovers, this is about God's will! "
"But mother, Xiao Letian is also a Protestant! He has two wives. The Protestant bishops all pretended not to see it and didn't even mention it..."
“It’s related to the country’s key strategy, and I think God will also be lenient!”
"If Emperor Tongzhi marries a European princess, it will prove that he is determined to declare war on the conservative forces of the Qing Dynasty, and it will also prove that he is pro-Western in his heart. This is a guarantee he must give us..."
Queen Victoria shook her head, "This matter is difficult to handle. Let's discuss it again. Do you have any other ideas?"
Edward nodded, "Of course, we can't put all our bets in one basket, we can put more bets! Support more pro-British forces in Asia, for example...for example, Xiao Letian!"
"Emperor Tongzhi is the core of our key training, but we also have to put a certain amount of pressure on him to let him vaguely know that someone can restrain him or even replace him..."
"Who is he most afraid of? Of course it is Xiao Letian. My intelligence shows that Emperor Tongzhi has no dignity at all in front of Xiao Letian. He has even been beaten by him several times!"
"The power of the Chinese is getting stronger and stronger, and the majority of the Chinese are Han people. This is inherently in conflict with the interests of the Manchus. The overseas Chinese are like a shark outside the school of fish, threatening them all the time. I think this threat from Manchu rule should be strengthened!”
"Choose Xiao Letian?" The Queen frowned. "The Prime Minister doesn't see it that way. He has been admonishing me that Xiao Letian is the biggest threat to the British Empire. He always wants to get rid of him quickly. You actually want to support him?"
"Mother, of course I don't support Xiao Letian unconditionally. Everything depends on subsequent negotiations. We still have a lot of time, so don't rush..."
"If Xiao Letian can comply with our strategy and is willing to cooperate well, the Sun Never Sets Empire will not treat him badly, and it is not impossible for his Chinese people to survive on some islands..."
"But if he has other intentions... let alone one steel battleship, so what if he has a hundred? Too few, his power is too weak, we can destroy him at any time!"
"In a word, use Asians to control Asians, and we find the balance point... This is the only way to invest the least and gain the most!"
"Believe me, my mother, according to Benjamin, it is completely a bad idea for us to directly send troops to kill Xiao Letian. There is no benefit at all! The final result is nothing more than making the reformed Qing Dynasty the dominant power in Asia!"
"Without restraint on power, untimely delusions will always appear! At that time, no one can guarantee Emperor Tongzhi's loyalty to me until the sun sets!"
History once again proved that Edward was not a genius in governing the country. All he was proficient in was diplomacy.
In real history, during the years when Edward was in power after Queen Victoria's death, he completely relied on his mother's money. His greatest contribution was the establishment of the Triple Alliance between Britain, France, and Tsarist Russia.
This is the prototype of the Allied Powers during the One Stop period. Don't think that such an alliance is simple. In fact, it is very difficult. First of all, these three countries all have historical grievances.
During the Crimean War, Britain and France teamed up to kill Tsarist Russia, while during the Franco-Prussian War, Britain went sideways and crippled France. The grievances between the three countries were very deep.
It was Edward who won the respect of the other party through unremitting efforts and clever and superb diplomatic skills, and also won the hearts and minds of the other party's people, which laid the prototype of the agreement.
But his achievements were nothing more than that. In other aspects of domestic and military affairs, Edward did not make any obvious achievements. Everything was just following the old tradition.
Today, when faced with his mother's problem, he also first sought a breakthrough through diplomatic means, instead of directly resorting to military means like Benjamin, or relying on internal affairs like Gladstone to resolve it.
In the eyes of the Chinese, all his central ideas are just four words: "Use the barbarians to control the barbarians". Relying on Asians to control Asians. This is indeed a good method that does not require death or too much effort.
But he forgot one thing. True dragons and hidden dragons are not extraordinary creatures. They can't be restrained just by wanting to restrain them.
More than ten years later, when the rising Chinese race spread the flames of war to the territory of the Empire where the sun never sets, Edward realized that the Hidden Dragon was simply not something he could suppress, and by then it was too late to regret.
The Queen has not thought about how to formulate a strategy for Asia, but she knows better that the Eastern Mission will stay in Europe for a long time, probably two or even three years.
Britain still has enough time to slowly do its homework, and the Queen is already older. The fifty-year-old Queen has become accustomed to the wonderful feeling of being number one in the world, and her heart has already swelled.
This time Xiao Letian and Emperor Tongzhi gave her enough face during their visit, which made the queen feel very good and naturally lowered her vigilance towards the Chinese.
The mother and son had no idea what kind of dragon they were facing. Every weakness today and the future would need to be made up for with the blood of the Empire where the sun never sets.
"Okay, you arrange this matter. Just show it to me after the plan is finalized... You are the heir to the future empire. It's up to you to handle these things! You also have to learn to deal with big things..."
Just when Edward expressed his filial piety to his mother with all his gratitude, a faint voice suddenly came from outside the garden. The prince looked at the attendant not far away in confusion, and the attendant hurriedly ran out.
After a while, the attendant ran back from the gate sweating profusely, still holding a thick stack of newspapers in his hand, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness! Today's Times has been delivered, and now the streets are in shock. The newspaper The genuine news is all about Orientals!”
