Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 290 The visit of Karl XV and Christian IX

When both the Ottoman Empire and the United Kingdom want to follow the international sanctions imposed by The Hague on France, do they also join in and sanction the French Empire?
This incident has affected the calm situation in the Mediterranean.

After all, the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire control the Suez Canal. If there are sanctions from the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire, the French Empire is likely to ban French ships from passing through the Suez Canal, or increase the French ship fees for transit. These are all things that France needs to face. adverse effects.

What's more, among the sanctions, the International Court of Justice in The Hague also clearly expressed its approval of the European arms purchase treaty proposed by the Kingdom of Siam in response to France's invasion.

This gave European countries an excuse to sell their weapons to the Kingdom of Siam.

As a result, member states of the organization have provided arms and material assistance.Among them, due to geographical reasons, Spain, which occupies the Far East Dutch East Indies and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and occupies the Philippine Islands (although it is pro-French and pretended to abstain from voting in the sanctions vote, but makes money from arms sales, Spain is not ambiguous) is a member of the organization. China sells the most weapons.

The United Kingdom, which is not a member of the International Court of Justice, after all, owns the Malayan Islands around the Kingdom of Siam and Lower Burma in the west.

In just April, these three countries signed arms sales of more than 4 pounds to the Kingdom of Siam. Among them, the Netherlands sold army weapons, firearms, and food strategic supplies, and the weapons shipped from Jakarta reached 90 pounds; the United Kingdom sold 50 pounds from India; and Malacca also sold 25 pounds to the Kingdom of Siam, mainly naval battleships, etc., and Spain sold 15 pounds of firearms.

You know, these are ready-made weapons and supplies, and the Kingdom of Siam has reached these agreements with various countries in just one month, so that arms sales to these countries will reach record revenue this year. Many people speculate, especially the British The struggle for the Netherlands' position as the leading country in arms sales is very likely to enter a battle for change.

In short, the Netherlands has just passed the first quarter and finally won a large arms order again after the civil war in North America was suspended.This allows the arms trade industry chain in the Far East to continue to operate and the employment of hundreds of thousands of people in the Netherlands to continue.

On April 1867, 4, King Christian IX of Denmark and King Karl XV of Sweden jointly visited Amsterdam, the Netherlands. William IV also received these two Dutch allies.

Christian IX was worthy of being his father-in-law. From the beginning, he proposed to be wary of the French Act of sanctions against the Netherlands that major powers might promote, and reminded William IV to be careful in dealing with the suppression of the major powers by gunfire.

This made William IV sigh, indeed they were a father and daughter, and they thought of getting together with Queen Alexandra.

William IV said proudly: "The French Empire, Napoleon III, could not have imagined that the small and medium-sized European countries would reach an unprecedented consensus and choose to be wary of the French Empire.

Now all the big countries should realize that this is not just the Netherlands. Isn't this a desperate counterattack reminder by small countries against big countries? It implies that small countries will not sit back and watch a situation like the small countries around the French Empire witnessing the weak and the strong. It reminds the big countries that small countries will fight for the sake of the strong. To protect ourselves from neighboring countries being occupied, we will inevitably become the next target, so we collectively unite to fight back.

Although the Kingdom of Siam is far away from the European continent, it does not prevent countries from protecting this new member state that has joined the International Court of Justice in The Hague. After all, the Kingdom of Siam is also very keen on Europe.

Almost all European countries sent ambassadors and integrated into Europe. Therefore, morally and strategically, France faced condemnation from various countries. William IV said this and said to the two of them: "As everyone knows, the Tsarist Empire is now launching wars around the Balkan Peninsula and the Black Sea. This has made all countries wary. The same is true now for France. This has made this small and medium-sized country even more wary." Fear, coupled with Britain's actions in North America and the Prussian Empire's previous actions, whether by force or temptation, almost unified the countries of the German Confederation. The actions of these big powers are enough to cause other countries of ours to face strategic crises. "

King Karl XV asked: "So when you proposed the establishment of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, from the very beginning, your intention was to form an international organization to check and balance major powers?"

When Christian IX heard this, he also looked at his son-in-law William IV. If this was the case, his son-in-law who was riding a dragon had a long-term plan.

William IV did not deny it, saying: "Yes, your majesties should know. Although it sounds unpleasant, we have to admit the fact that it is really difficult for us as a country to match any of these big countries. The population gap It’s just a difficult threshold to cross, not to mention the economic gap.”

Karl XV's eyes flashed and he glanced at William IV profoundly: "Why doesn't His Majesty William IV continue to form an alliance with the Russian Empire to check and balance other big countries?"

Christian IX also looked at the Netherlands in confusion. In the past ten years, the Netherlands has been united among the big countries, distinguishing the better countries, allowing the Netherlands to fly with its long sleeves, and its economic and military strategies have developed rapidly. It has almost reached the top of the middle powers. Its status is now second only to Britain, the French Empire, the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, and is about the same status as Spain.This is a model and object of envy for other small and medium-sized countries. Therefore, as a beneficiary, I don't understand why William IV seems to have made an abnormal diplomatic move and seems unwilling to continue his previous positioning.

Puzzled, very puzzled.

William IV smiled bitterly and said: "The Netherlands has inextricably linked strategic partnerships with these big countries. Among them, the Russian Empire and the Netherlands are calculated in centuries. In the history of war between Sweden and the Russian Empire, the Netherlands almost always played a role in it. mediator"

Karl XV nodded in agreement.Indeed, the Netherlands is the mediator of the century between Switzerland and Russia.

Although the special strategic partnership between the Netherlands and Tsarist Russia for more than 200 years is not comparable to the Kamal Alliance between Sweden and Denmark, to this day, the Tsarist Russian Empire is still an important strategic partner of the Netherlands.

I don’t want to lie to either of you. The Tsarist Empire was at the core of the Dutch strategy and had the same status and importance as the allies of the two countries. "

He said: "We have no major disputes with the Tsarist Empire. We have common basic interests in the balance of interests and forces in the Eurasian strategic situation."

The frankness of William IV made Carl XV and Karl XV couldn't help but nod. This is indeed a symbol of natural allies. It is no wonder that the friendship between the two countries that has remained unchanged for hundreds of years makes them understand.

"As for the major countries' vigilance against the Netherlands," William IV said and looked at the two men.

(End of this chapter)