Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 1111 Warship Confrontation in the Gulf of Mexico

When William IV was delivering a speech in the Dutch Parliament on the 20th anniversary of his accession to the throne (succession is different from accession to the throne), newspapers around the world reported a piece of news, which instantly attracted global attention.

On the previous day, on the eastern coast of Mexico, the Austro-Hungarian navy and army began to approach the Atlantic coastal city of Tuxpan east of the Mexican capital from the south.

More than 5000 Mexican troops are stationed here.

As for the approaching Austro-Hungarian army, the navy was led by the steam battleship Vienna, and there were as many as seven second-level and third-level sailing warships wandering in the southern waters outside the port of Tuxpan.

The war is about to break out at any time.

At this time, Dutch warships appeared, as well as a large number of American and Mexican warships approaching Tuxpan Port from the north.

In this situation, even with the naked eye in the port, the shadows of ships can be seen gathering.

The Dutch Ministry of Defense directly informed the media this morning that six warships led by the ironclad Suriname were patrolling the Gulf of Mexico without disturbing anyone. This is a cooperation that Mexico and the Netherlands had negotiated as early as last year and was not born recently. .

The Dutch military stated that Dutch warships are cruising in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the agreement, Dutch warships are carrying out scheduled navigation operations in the Gulf of Mexico and will not be affected by other countries.

The Mexican Ministry of National Defense responded on the morning of April 4 that Mexico has entrusted the Netherlands to help supervise the dynamics of ships in the waters off the coast of Mexico. The cooperation between the two countries has prepared response plans for various situations, and based on the strength, they can effectively respond to various emergencies. An accident occurred.

The Mexican Ministry of Defense also said that the port of Tuxpan City is still under Mexican control. The six warships patrolling the Netherlands have been stationed at the Port of Tuxpan in accordance with last year's agreement, which can greatly improve Mexico's maritime security. capabilities, while also being able to cope with Mexico's weaker naval strength gap relative to Austria-Hungary.

On the afternoon of April 4, a large number of Mexican fishing boats began to appear around Tuxpan and gathered around.

According to "informed sources" in Mexico, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Austro-Hungarian naval fleet contacted each other to communicate.

According to the "European Times" citing local sources in the Mexican city of Tuxpan, the Austro-Hungarian warship first appeared 9 kilometers south of Tuxpan Port around 10 a.m. that day. The Mexican flotilla and fishing boats assembled to respond, but an hour later The Dutch fleet suddenly appeared 3 kilometers south of the port of Tuxpan.

The difference between the two sides is less than 7 kilometers.

The Dutch fleet blocked the Austro-Hungarian Empire's northward route into the city of Tuxpan.

Because of the clear weather, the Netherlands and the Austro-Hungarian Empire could even directly stare at each other's ships at sea with the naked eye.

Because of the emergence of the Dutch fleet, Tuxpan is still actually controlled by Mexico.

At that time, ships related to the Netherlands and the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not enter the waters inside the Tuxpan port, but these British ships were around the port, which raised the alert level at the port.

According to a report in the "European Times", the Mexican Ministry of Defense and the Tuxpan City Hall paid close attention to the development of the situation around the Tuxpan Port and reported back to the presidential palace and staff in Mexico City, "and through the naval fleet of the ally the Netherlands, the latest maritime intelligence”

In short, as the Dutch navy found excuses to intervene in disguise, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was caught off guard. The original plan was in vain, but it caused a headache for the generals and staff of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Veracruz, the temporary headquarters of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Mexico.

Vienna Imperial Palace.

Princess Sissi, Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria, wife of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, Queen of Austria and Queen of Hungary, Elisabeth Amalia Eugenie, heir to the Wittelsbach family of the Bavarian royal family.

Holding the information that had just been passed on from her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the mature and gorgeous face frowned at this moment.

"boom!"

In the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Emperor Franz Joseph I slapped the table hard with an embarrassed expression.

I ignored the redness of my palms.Sitting at the bottom were Crown Prince Rudolf (only son of Franz Joseph I, born in 1858) and Crown Princess Stephanie (Princess of Belgium, daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium, born in 1864), whose faces were not good-looking either.

"Father, the Netherlands has gone too far. They don't take our Austro-Hungarian Empire seriously."

Stephanie said with anger on her face.

Crown Prince Rudolf glanced at his wife, and then said: "The Netherlands has been going smoothly in these years and has developed too fast. When we helped them rebuild the country, the Orange-Nassau family went too far. If we had known earlier, we should have let them It’s right to destroy the country”

When Stephanie heard this, her eyebrows flashed with joy. As a Belgian princess, she had witnessed the process of Belgium's prosperity and decline. Now Belgium doesn't even have coastal ports. They were all occupied by the Netherlands, and the southern land was taken by France. What frightened these two bandits was that Belgium's territory was reduced by 1871% in 80, leaving only Brussels.

It's just too nasty.

That year, she was only 7 years old.

Every day I see how my grandfather Leopold I was angered to death by the then Prime Minister of Belgium, now the newly elected Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Jules Danetant, together with the then Speaker of the Belgian House of Representatives, and now the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Netherlands, Joseph Beiter. of.

And how my father was so sad that he could not sleep at night in tears.

Therefore, her hatred for the Netherlands is absolutely intense.

On May 1881, 5, she accepted the arrangement of her father Leopold II and married her current husband, Crown Prince Rudolf. Her mission was naturally to maintain the friendship between Belgium and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and was Belgium's role in the Anglo-German-Austrian Alliance. obtain benefits.

It is best to promote the three countries to turn against the Netherlands and let Belgium get the support of the three countries to take back the former European territory from the Netherlands.

It even went a step further to seize Dutch territory in Europe.

Franz Joseph I had a very violent temper, but he was a very conservative monarch.

Although he wanted to go to war with the Netherlands directly to regain the dignity he had just lost, the strength of the Netherlands made him hesitant.

After many years of married life, Empress Sissi shook her head carefully and said: "You can't be at odds with the Netherlands now."

Seeing the three people looking over, she said: "Mexico is too far away from us. We can attack Mexico one-on-one, but we can't cope with the Netherlands."

"But if we don't fight, how will Europe and even the world see us in Vienna?" Stephanie said.

Empress Sissi naturally knew that Stephanie had beaten Xiao Jiujiu, but this was what she and her husband Joseph I had expected. Instead, she did not help her natal Belgium. That was unpredictable and terrible.

Franz Joseph I glanced at the three people who were closest to him, and then said: "It seems that I should have a good talk with the old guy Kaiser Wilhelm I, otherwise that guy Wilhelm IV of the Netherlands will get more and more... The less they take us seriously."

Several people heard this and had different expressions.

Empress Sissi was in distress.

Crown Prince Rudolf was eager to try.

Crown Princess Stephanie showed her excitement.

(End of this chapter)