Xiao Letian looked at the direction Leopold II was leaving with a sneer. "Previous intelligence from the Foundation showed that Belgium has sent four expedition teams to the Congo River Basin in Central Africa... Is he really interested in geography?" Pull it down, this is to explore the way for the next step of colonization!"
"Belgium is a country that is too weak. It is a country that was split from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was founded only a short time ago and has a poor industrial foundation. The only thing that thrives is the financial industry and ocean trade that they inherited from the Netherlands."
"Leopold II was very ambitious. You see, when he was negotiating with me, he repeatedly asked about the Chinese market's trade volume in diamonds, gold sands, rubber, spices, ivory, timber and other commodities..."
"There is something in his words. His subtext is very clear. He just wants to tell me that Belgium is also a potential supplier of these resources!"
"Where are these resources? They are not produced in Belgium. After all, they are still in black Africa! I think they are in the Congo River Basin!"
"Look at the high-sounding words he said when chatting with us, such as humanitarianism, international rescue, and peaceful development in Africa... He said it as if he was the savior of the Central African people!"
“But at the end of the day, he still wants Africa’s resources!”
"I estimate that in a few years, he may use the excuse of abolitionism to annex the land in the Congo River Basin, because now the colonies of Britain, France and other countries have occupied all the coastlines, and if he wants to open up, he can only go to Heading inland!"
"Focus on him. This person's colonial methods are different from those of Britain and France. They are also different from our methods. They are very research-oriented... Of course, as long as he does not harm the interests of our Chinese people, then why should we remain friendly?" It doesn’t matter!”
"You have to remember, it will be beneficial to have better dealings with these small European countries in the future!"
Luo Huo, who was standing by, asked in confusion, "What are these small countries for? Is a little commercial interest enough to fill our teeth? These small countries do not have strong armies..."
Sima Yun smiled, "Of course there are benefits. Although these small countries do not have great strength, they have a righteous name! They also have culture!"
"Due to religious, historical, kinship and other relations, these countries have had inextricable relationships with powerful countries such as Britain, France, Germany and Austria for thousands of years. Of course, there are conflicts but also close cooperation!"
"The reason for establishing good relations with these countries is not that they can help us fight the war. In the final analysis, we want them to help us break through in diplomatic situations!"
"Sometimes, the reason at the negotiation table really doesn't depend on the size of the country... Is the Papal State small in size? If there is a negotiation, do you think the Pope's words will have any influence?"
Xiao Letian nodded, "Yes, these royal nobles are all relatives within relatives, and relationships within relationships. One or two small countries cannot stand up to Britain and France, but if there are too many countries talking, even the Queen of England will give in." of!"
"The more important point is that these countries can help us find many technological breakthroughs! You must know that countries such as Britain and France are very precious about technology!"
"They will never give the Chinese the best technology. They will do everything they can to hide the latest technology!"
"But these small countries that are extremely close to their culture and blood have no such barriers. They can even get the latest technology from the private sector!"
"If the big powers don't sell us the latest technology, we can find these small European countries to sell it to us! Sometimes it's easier to reach the destination by taking detours..."
"Just like the decisive battle that is about to break out. If we don't leave the Prussian command headquarters, Bismarck will definitely try its best to keep us away from the battlefield..."
"But we withdrew and retreated to Belgium. It was nominally for self-cultivation, but we were waiting to see if there were any opportunities for war! Once the French Emperor really retreats to the Ardennes, we will have the opportunity to join the war!"
"So! It's not a bad thing to take detours occasionally in life... Let's go and send away those who should be sent away. Let's go back to eat. The beer from Belgium is no worse than the beer from Germany..."
Wang Huaiyuan shook his head, "Forget it, I still can't get used to the smell of horse urine in beer, so you should enjoy it..."
Hahaha... A group of soldiers surrounded the top leaders of the Chinese community and walked slowly on the country roads of Belgium.
In this era, the Chinese have become stars in Europe! The continuous victories on the battlefield allowed the Chinese to shake off the impression of Asians as useless and win the respect of Europeans.
Coupled with the series of reports on the Oriental Chinese that cost a lot of money, it has deepened the goodwill of ordinary people!
And countries like Belgium, which have no conflicts with the Chinese, will not stop Xiao Letian's propaganda. As a result, even in border towns like Synie, many people have heard of various legends of the Chinese.
Xiao Letian and the others were welcomed by many local residents along the way. The women hid behind the grapevines and peeked at these young and handsome Eastern soldiers, while the men took off their hats and bowed to the head of state!
The people are naturally in awe of the big shots, and the officials in front of them who are shining with gold stars are said to each have a title and belong to the top nobles in Asia, which makes the common people even more in awe.
Xiao Letian only had a thousand guards around him at the moment. At first, the small town of Xunyi was a little frightened when he saw these thousand Eastern warriors covered in blood and fire.
But after getting along for a few days, they were completely relieved!
I have never seen such a well-disciplined army. Even when walking on the street on vacation, there are two people in a row and three people in a file. The military appearance is absolutely meticulous!
Moreover, the purchasing power of these soldiers is actually higher than that of European soldiers. Regardless of the goods in the town, these Chinese soldiers do not care about the price when buying.
In just a few days, a temporary market for these thousand Chinese people was temporarily formed in the small town of Syni. People from the surrounding villages spontaneously brought their treasures to sell here.
Xiao Letian and his group walked to the edge of the city wall and looked at the long stalls around the quaint city gate. As they walked and browsed, Xiao Letian even found two dusty bottles of century-old red wine.
Although it is not a fine wine from a well-known winery, the honest farmer swears by God that these two bottles of wine were definitely brewed and stored by his grandfather and have a history of more than 30 years.
Xiao Letian held the dusty red wine bottle in his hands, raised it above his head and shouted to Luo Huo behind him, "I have two bottles of good wine. You are responsible for buying sausages. Let's eat grilled sausages with red wine tonight..."
"How much does it cost, boss?"
"Oh... Dear Sir... This is thirty-year-old red wine... I... want at least a hundred francs!"
"No problem! Pay for it...next time you have such good wine, you can bring it to me!"
The farmer didn't expect that the head of state from the East would be so amiable and hurriedly promised, "No problem, sir, I'll go home right away. I should still be able to find him..."
It was getting late. Xiao Letian and his party purchased the ingredients for dinner by themselves, without the help of soldiers to carry them. They were all marshal-level generals, but they walked shoulder to shoulder on the lively street. An accordion was played not far away. And the sound of acoustic guitar started to sound...
