Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 1110 We cannot be timid
"If we hadn't had a large number of allies in Latin America to intimidate us, and if we hadn't just agreed beforehand that Mexico join the Thirteen-Nation Alliance, Mexico might now be helpless and face Austria-Hungary, one of the five major powers in Europe, alone."

"On the beaches, landing sites, fields, and streets of Mexico, the Mexicans may not have the courage to resist the Austro-Hungarian invasion, and the Austro-Hungarians will not worry too much and will not stop killing."

"We must not forget that invaders are never kind people, and we must not forget that it will never be easy for us to win in a fierce and terrible war on a fierce battlefield. If we want to win in the end, we must rely on The courage and character of the Mexicans won the final result, but they also needed adequate help from their allies."

The people present were not stupid. After William IV talked about this, they finally stepped on something.

Some words can't help but come to mind.

Is the Netherlands really going to support Mexico's resistance war?
Is the Netherlands going to start a war head-on with Austria-Hungary, a European power?
Can the Netherlands face Austria-Hungary and win?

Will His Majesty enter the war in the Pacific or the Atlantic?

The locations of the two places are different, and the risks that the Netherlands needs to take are also different.

"The Netherlands is a peace-loving country. Sometimes we are peaceful, but sometimes we need to respond to violence with violence."

William IV's words shocked the atmosphere present. Except for a few people, such as Jules Danetant, who were in the ruling party, who knew the inside story, the others couldn't help but tighten their hearts.

"Precisely for world peace, and therefore for the security of us and our allies, even if we are well aware of the cost of war, we need to establish a network that is sufficient to defend us outside the Pacific, as well as protect our interests around the Indian Ocean and on both sides of the Atlantic, while containing us A powerful alliance of enemies.”

"The core basis for the establishment of the Dutch Universal Alliance was the simple philosophy of the Second Article of Dutch Diplomacy: No ally who signed a treaty of alliance with the Netherlands would have to defend itself in isolation. All allies would always support each other. I originally led the Netherlands and Denmark in 1865 Starting from the establishment of the Nordic Alliance with Sweden, this alliance network of the Netherlands has reached its 17th anniversary.

The Nordic Alliance is the most successful and durable alliance in the history of Europeans."

The Nordic Alliance was originally initiated by William IV, and his father-in-law, King Christian IX of Denmark and King Karl XV of Sweden, led their respective countries to join a Nordic regional alliance.

At that time, the Netherlands and other three countries were all middle-to-upper-middle countries in Europe.

Sweden faced its old enemy the Russian Empire in the east, and across the sea was the rapidly rising Kingdom of Prussia.

Denmark's opponent was the Kingdom of Prussia, which had ambitions for Schleswig and Holstein.

The Netherlands faces each other across the North Sea, and has been fighting with Britain for more than 100 years.

To the south is the separated Belgium and the ambitious France across Belgium.

To the east are the many confederates of the German Confederation, of which the Kingdom of Prussia in the northeast poses the greatest threat.

Because of this, William IV, who had just succeeded for three years, Christian IX who had succeeded for two years, and Karl XV, who had succeeded for the sixth time, faced the common defensive opponent Prussia, so the three countries quietly formed an alliance.

Prussia and Denmark in 1864, Denmark failed.

In 1865, the Netherlands took advantage of the situation and tried to win over Denmark to form an alliance. Sweden was afraid of being isolated from its neighbors, so it chose to join.Denmark agreed that the Netherlands led the alliance, and Sweden reluctantly supported it.

The audience at the scene were all people in the Dutch system, so they naturally knew this history. “Today we fight against one or more enemies, pirates around the world who threaten the ships that trade on our seas, damage our strong maritime economy and, more egregiously, take away the people on board these ships who contribute to the Dutch economy. The Dutch took their lives.”

"There are many in the Atlantic Ocean, and many along the European coasts. Austro-Hungary, the suspected enemy that threatens our interests, seems to be killing people wantonly outside Mexico City."

"Although the Austro-Hungarian and German Empires sought to engage in a turf war and bold exploratory war with the Netherlands and their allies in Latin America."

"But, and more than that, we must remember that they started a war that killed tens of thousands of men, women and children in Mexico."

"Originally in my plan, I never thought about and would not support war with the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

"But now, I find that I seemed to be too optimistic in the past and no longer believed that Vienna was a good person."

“More than half a year has passed since the war between Mexico and the Austro-Hungarian Empire started in September 1881, but the war has no intention of stopping. The main reason is that the Austro-Hungarian Empire is unwilling to armistice with our ally Mexico and withdraw from the occupied territories. "

"This was an unjust war launched by Austria-Hungary, and our ally Mexico was the victim."

"The Netherlands must continue to prevent Austro-Hungarian adventures."

"We are going to participate in the war. The focus of our battle is not to defeat the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Europe, or even to show off its power in the coastal areas of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the northern Adriatic Sea of ​​the Mediterranean, but to prevent the Austro-Hungarian Empire's invasion in Latin America."

"In this just war, we will never be soft. Mexico is our ally. Since we have repeatedly asked the other side to cease the war, but the other side has ignored it, it proves that the Austro-Hungarian Empire is contemptuous of the international status of our Netherlands. , don’t take us seriously.”

"Perhaps those noble nobles of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were living in the 1880s, and their heads were still living in the glory of the Habsburg dynasty in the 17th and 18th centuries."

"The Austro-Hungarian Empire thought it was united with the German Empire. They thought it was the reappearance of the Holy Roman Empire and the reappearance of its hegemony in Europe."

"But they forgot that they deliberately covered their eyes with their hands. Today is different from the past. The Holy Roman Empire dominated Europe back then because there were not many opponents back then."

"But look at it now. The Tsarist Empire in the east is vast and has a population of over [-] million."

“Although the Ottoman Empire in the south and southeast is slightly weaker, it is enough to withstand their attack.

Although Greece and Italy in the south were not opponents of the German-Austrian alliance, they were enough to restrain each other's hands and feet. Especially Italy and the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary's old rivals in territorial disputes, were eyeing it.

Although the French Empire in the southwest is facing division and scattered power, it is enough to prevent Germany from being distracted. After all, Berlin defeated Paris in 1871 and deliberately divided France.We, Denmark and Sweden are naturally wary of two of Europe's top five alliances. "

"Although Britain is eager to join the alliance with Germany and Austria, it is also wary of them becoming too powerful."

"As global newspapers speculate, Germany, Austria and Britain are preparing to join forces to launch a strategy in the Americas. If we hesitate again and again, we will regret it in the end. Believe me, I feel that Germany will eventually reveal what they have hidden for a long time. Ambitious"

(End of this chapter)