The bet is lost, the bet is lost! When Gladstone heard the first-hand information about the battle in the Vosges Mountains, he fell down on his chair as if he had been struck by lightning!
How did he tell the Crown Prince and the Duke of Newcastle in the first place? He said that Prussia's temporary advantage would never last long, and he even believed that the Vosges Mountains were a trap!
McMahon used Strasbourg as bait to trick Prince Carl into attacking the fortified city, thereby creating an opportunity for his own encirclement!
But I never expected that Prince Carl would not be fooled. He actually gave up the cake and chose the unpalatable black bread of the Vosges Mountains!
He never expected that the Prussians would mobilize so many troops and smash McMahon's army out of the Vosges Mountains alive with an absolute strength advantage of four times!
"No, we can't let the situation develop like this. We must contain Prussia's fierce offensive! Prepare the carriage, I want to see your Majesty!"
The Prime Minister's carriage sped from Downing Street to Buckingham Palace. Along the way, Gladstone saw countless gentlemen with anxious faces. Those people were holding the financial pages of The Times, and their faces were extremely ugly!
Not everyone can see the Queen anytime they want. Even the Prime Minister has to notify her first and wait for the Queen's approval, otherwise he will never be able to enter the palace gate.
Gladstone felt the pressure today. Usually when he came to Buckingham Palace, he never waited for more than half an hour for a notification, but today he actually waited for more than two hours without receiving a reply.
What is the queen doing at this time? She was discussing the current situation with her son. The queen's face was calm but there was a hint of impatience in her eyes.
"Let him continue to wait. Since he has made a wrong decision, he must accept punishment..."
"And you, why should you trust his judgment, why don't you think for yourself? The Duke of Newx did a good job in this matter, but he didn't listen to you, didn't he abandon Prussia's financial products!"
"Look at you, you are not calm at all. Just one month after the war started, how many times have your attitudes changed?"
Edward looked embarrassed, and he couldn't argue with his mother, but in his heart he was very unconvinced.
My heart said, Mother! The Duke of Newx had a close interest relationship with Xiao Letian. He had no choice but to support Xiao Letian all the way.
Who makes Chinese restaurants need Chinese chefs? Who makes Chinese restaurants inseparable from the mysterious seasoning Xian Zhiyuan? That’s why he bit the bullet and didn’t dare to sell! He was afraid of ruining his relationship with Xiao Letian.
But I didn't expect that this guy was so lucky that he got the bet right!
"Mother... Actually, Gladstone can't be entirely blamed. After all, no one in the entire political arena is optimistic about Xiao Letian and Prussia this time!"
"Nonsense!" Queen Victoria looked at her son and then threw a letter over. Take a look for yourself!
The Crown Prince opened the envelope and read it at a glance. The more he looked at it, the more surprised he became. "Oh God! Benjamin's letter? He actually made 80,000 pounds from this war?"
This letter was Benjamin's private letter to the Queen. In the letter, he judged every aspect of the war in detail, and pointed out that the French Emperor was at the end of his strength and could no longer control the empire.
France is bound to lose, and Britain must prepare early!
Moreover, in order to prove his judgment, Benjamin wrote down his investment behavior in detail during this period, from buying and selling stocks to investing in war bonds. Through continuous market fluctuations, the old man actually made 80,000 pounds.
This is a very convincing letter, and the Queen and Crown Prince were extremely frightened to read it!
Queen Victoria sighed and said, "It seems that my judgment is correct. Benjamin is not good at internal affairs, but he is very good at analyzing diplomacy and conspiracies between countries..."
"Gladstone, on the other hand, is on the contrary. He is not good at diplomacy or global strategic vision. The only thing he is good at is domestic affairs... Are there no talents in this world who can have the best of both worlds?"
The queen has controlled the empire for so many years. She is very clever in employing people and has a very vicious eye on people. Just these two comments are very penetrating!
History gives the same answer. Prime Minister Gladstone's greatest achievement during his tenure was actually the implementation of compulsory education for all and the improvement of people's livelihood and infrastructure in the country. He did a great job in these tasks.
He is not good at external affairs. His only bright spot is to quell the riots in Ireland through gentle means. This is his only bright spot externally.
Is this kind of person going to analyze the intricacies of the Franco-Prussian War? That's really a blind man lighting up a lamp in vain!
Benjamin is just the opposite. He can clearly see even the subtle situations in East Asia and is very good at conspiracy. However, this person has difficulty gaining support from the domestic people because his internal affairs talent is too low.
There are no people in this world who have the best of both worlds. The Queen can only lament!
Listening to his mother's sigh, Prince Edward felt like a flash of lightning in his mind, and a figure suddenly appeared.
Xiao Letian is the figure of Xiao Letian! The crown prince suddenly wanted to refute his mother, because he felt that Xiao Letian was the legendary talent who had the best of both worlds.
He is good at internal affairs, military affairs, and even diplomacy, scientific research, finance, education... almost all walks of life!
Can’t such a talent be considered a generalist who has the best of both worlds?
But he would not say this to his mother. As a crown prince, all he had to do was humbly listen behind his mother.
"Then mother... what should we do about this matter today? Gladstone was officially elected after all..."
"What are you thinking? Do you think I want to get rid of him? What a nonsense! Many internal reforms in the empire are inseparable from him, what are you thinking..."
"Let him come in. I guess he wants me to coordinate diplomacy... It's really annoying!"
The Queen finally showed mercy and sent a message to Gladstone. The Prime Minister was already sweating on his forehead after seeing the Queen.
"Your Majesty, I'm really sorry for disturbing you again. I think you already understand the situation. My opinion is that I hope that Your Majesty can exert some influence... It is best to start negotiations immediately!"
"The war must stop. If it continues like this, the variables will be too great!"
"The empire's system of checks and balances cannot be challenged. We cannot push France's gourd and another Prussian gourd rises!"
Press the gourd and the ladle will rise. This is a saying that Xiao Letian taught Europeans. This sentence is very popular among politicians because it fits the complex shape of the political arena.
As soon as the Queen heard this new remark, her expression suddenly became much more relaxed.
"Are diplomatic negotiations really useful? Do you think so?" the Queen asked calmly.
