Gladstone knew that he couldn't do anything if he didn't say something. As Prime Minister, he had an unshirkable responsibility for the current situation!
"Your Majesty, I understand your concerns, but I don't think Prussia and the Chinese can challenge the international status of the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets just by virtue of this war!"
"Prussia's comprehensive national strength is not as good as France's. I have always insisted on this judgment. In the final analysis, this time it is the complete military centralization that defeated France's chaotic democratic ideas!"
"It's not so much that the French were defeated by the Chinese and Prussians, it's more that they died from internal friction! I don't think Bismarck, a smart man, can't understand this!"
"If I guess correctly, Bismarck will have secret communication with us soon, and he should give us a lot of promises..."
"Prussia still has a lot to do. Even if it is unified, it will take a long time to develop its economy... As long as we firmly control the sea, Prussia has nothing to worry about!"
Queen Victoria thought for a moment and her expression softened a little, "What about Xiao Letian? I'm not too worried about Prussia. After all, they are also our relatives. Even if we let them take advantage, it will be divided among the family..."
"But the Chinese can't do that! They are not of the same nation as us, and they have no blood connection... Giving Xiao Letian face is just for business interests!"
"What I want is absolute control!"
"Yes!" Gladstone stood at attention respectfully. "We can listen to his words and watch his actions! In this post-war negotiation with France, Xiao Letian will definitely give the French a hard blow!"
"At that time, we will watch coldly from the side... As long as Xiao Letian dares to take a gold coin back to Asia, then we will cause an accident on the high seas and kill him!"
"If he is smart, he is willing to deposit all the gold from the compensation in British banks! Then it means that this person is obeying the order established by our empire on which the sun never sets!"
"As long as our empire, the Sun Never Sets, controls gold, oceans, and powerful industrial power! Then our status will be unchallengeable!"
Queen Victoria laughed coldly, "Haha...I'm afraid someone will leak the secret to Xiao Letian..."
As soon as the cold words were spoken, Duke Newx's back suddenly became wet, and his heart skipped a beat and he almost fell to his knees.
"Dear Your Majesty... I can close the Chinese Food City today, I can close all businesses that are joint ventures with the Chinese... I am the Duke of the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets, and I belong to an ancient noble family that has been passed down for hundreds of years!"
"How could I betray my motherland! Your Majesty, I am willing to give up everything to prove my loyalty to the royal family..."
The Duke of Newcastle shed tears, and the expression on his face was extremely aggrieved!
After all, the Queen is still older, and the seniors still have old feelings for their relatives around them. She just gave a slight warning, but when she looked at Newx, the Duke felt aggrieved and had snot bubbles popping up in his nose, and he also felt a little regretful.
"Okay, I've seen people picking up money, but I've never seen people picking up scoldings. I'm not talking about you. Why are you taking advantage of me?"
"Keep up the good work in the food court. I still want to eat the food there... However, I also want to warn everyone that this is a period of serious concern for the Chinese!"
"No one is allowed to leak any information, otherwise he will be charged with treason! Prime Minister, go and warn the people in the Financial City, no matter who has any interests in East Asia..."
"Whoever dares to deliver news to Xiao Letian this time is committing treason! Only one of them will die!"
yes! Everyone bowed respectfully to the queen and then exited the conference room.
When Gladstone left Buckingham Palace, he sat in the carriage and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. "Xiao Letian, I didn't expect you to be so lucky. You actually hitched a ride on Prussia..."
"But you have also successfully put yourself in a dangerous position. As long as you dare to take away a gold coin from Europe, your end will be death!"
The wheels rolled over the stone pavement, and the clattering sound made the Prime Minister very upset!
How important is gold? Gold is of course very important. Gold has been equivalent to wealth since ancient times, but its strategic significance in the 19th century was even more extraordinary.
It was a world based on the gold standard. The control of gold was also the control of global currency issuance. Whoever owned the most gold also owned the currency with the highest credibility in the world.
To give an easy-to-understand example, the pound sterling in this era became the world's dominant currency by locking in gold.
After World War II, the U.S. dollar became the world's dominant currency because it was locked in gold. However, in 1971, Nixon abolished the link between the U.S. dollar and gold.
After that, the U.S. dollar began to be locked with oil. Through the joint efforts of politics, diplomacy, and military, the United States forced all global crude oil transactions to be settled in U.S. dollars.
There is no country in the world that doesn't like oil, so without the backing of gold, the US dollar is also the world's dominant currency.
This comparison can help us understand the Europeans' obsession with gold in the 19th century. The desire to control gold is the same as the desire to control crude oil in later generations, both for world hegemony.
Most people cannot understand the rules of this game, but top politicians and financial experts can understand them, including the bearded man in London.
It is a pity that the bearded letter has been destroyed by Zai Chun. At the moment, Xiao Letian is immersed in the aura of successive victories and is heading towards Paris!
Xiao Letian had no idea that a dangerous siege net had locked onto him!
"Report to the head of state! An emergency telegram was sent from the Romanian Fire Department ahead. His troops have approached the suburbs of Paris... The vanguard has already exchanged fire with part of the Paris garrison!"
"Location... map..." Xiao Letian turned over and jumped off his horse. He rubbed his numb legs and began to study the map with Xiang Ying.
"Master... General Luo Huo and Sima Yun have arrived in Bobigny, a suburb of Paris. They are only ten kilometers away from the city center..."
"Our location is in Mocheng... we are still thirty kilometers away from the two generals..."
Xiao Letian's eyes searched back and forth on the map, "Where are the Prussian vanguards? Where are they? How far away are they from us..."
"First! Hahaha, I am indeed the first to enter Paris... It's time to teach those arrogant Parisians a lesson. Dig out the eyes on the top of their heads and return them to where they should be. s position……"
"But we can't kill too many people... What we want is honor and deterrence. Let others do the killing..."
Xiao Letian's greatest luck is that he has personally trained a group of loyal and highly savvy officers. They can understand the true intentions of the head of state, because these people have grown up with Xiao Letian.
The four kings of the army initially worked with Xiao Letian to negotiate, engage in diplomacy, plot and frame traps, and even political propaganda... They all did this series of work personally.
In addition, Xiao Letian has a continuous training mechanism, and the head of state's small classroom is not in vain. Such efforts have made the political scores of senior military generals generally high.
For them, if Xiao Letian's order does not make sense from a military perspective, then it must have important political significance!
Note: There will be more updates soon!
