Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 65 France and the Netherlands are deeply exploring Belgium
According to the latest intelligence assessment from Belgium provided by the British Empire, France is assisting the city of Mons, Hainaut Province, in the southern French-speaking region of Belgium, to build a local army in the town of Cargnon, southwest of Mons.

The evidence is conclusive because the British intelligence agency discovered locally that there were large quantities of various French firearms and military uniforms provided by France. These were munitions used by the French regular army for training and carrying out missions.

In fact, the Belgian region is not only a conflict between various forces, but also a field of competition between the great powers of Western Europe. Since the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and even Prussia and Austria have been very interested in the Principality of Belgium, which was part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at that time.
In particular, the principality has always been the intersection of Catholicism and Protestantism in Christianity in the central coastal area of ​​Western Europe. It has served as a buffer zone for the isolation of the two major sects in the north and south, and has become a bridge between the Protestant Netherlands, Prussia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom versus Catholic France, Austria, Spain and other faiths are at the forefront of the confrontation.

Since it became a territory of the Netherlands in 1815, until 1830, the Netherlands was troubled by the difficult historical grievances within the principality. The Netherlands itself is a country where Protestantism has the absolute upper hand, so the southern French-speaking area was also forced by the Vienna Agreement. Napoleon I was defeated and left to his own devices, and he succumbed to Dutch rule.

It is precisely because of this that the central point of Brussels has become the most chaotic place in Belgium and even in Europe.

It was under such circumstances that British Prime Minister Palmerston, a newborn calf who was not afraid of tigers, used the diplomatic philosophy of balance of power, joined forces vertically and horizontally, and used both soft and hard tactics. Finally, he integrated the opinions of several parties and allowed Saxony and Co. Leopold, leader of the Gotha family, became King of Belgium.

Leopold was previously the fiancé of the newly deceased Crown Prince of the United Kingdom. After the death of his fiancée, the British Crown Prince, it was his niece Victoria who succeeded the British Crown Prince. This resulted in a close relationship between Britain and Belgium.

This is even more conducive to Belgium, which is a new country, and to contain the Netherlands, which has lost its territory, and the ambitious France.

It is precisely because of this relationship that although the population in Belgium is dominated by the Dutch and French, the two ethnic groups in Belgium do not dare to provoke the Belgian throne at will, for fear of attracting dissatisfaction from the British.

In the past, the Queen of England regularly sent members of the royal family to visit Brussels every year to show that her original intention to support Belgium remains unchanged.

Shows power.

Even in the face of Belgium's sometimes enforced domestic repressive policies, the British government still treats them lightly. It can be seen that for the United Kingdom, Belgium's national interests are far more convincing than superficial fairness and justice.

However, for a long time, the United Kingdom has sold a large number of firearms to Brussels on the grounds that it would prevent Belgium from needing to strengthen national control and make Belgium more peaceful and stable. Therefore, both French and Dutch people in Belgium were helpless towards the actions of Brussels and the United Kingdom.

In the past, France and the Netherlands were reluctant to offend Britain because of this, and chose to pretend not to know, or turn a blind eye.

However, as the turbulent situation in Belgium has become more and more intense in recent years, the two major ethnic groups in Belgium have begun to be unwilling to be completely subject to the oppressive rule of Brussels, so their minds have become active.

Various associations were established one after another. For example, the Dutch began to establish the Dutch Alliance Development Association, which was used to assist the Dutch in solving various conflicts in Belgium and provide solutions. In the past few years, remarkable results have been achieved in the Netherlands. He is quite famous in the ethnic circle.

There is also the Netherlands-Belgium Chamber of Commerce, which is a business club-style alliance established by top Dutch businessmen in Belgium.

Its members include Dutch people who account for more than [-]% of the capitalists.

The influence is terrifying, and it has the function of influencing almost every Dutch person and even Belgian.

The third one is the Dutch Self-Rescue League, which rose rapidly only in 1859. It mainly protects the rights and interests of Dutch people in Belgium.

The fourth is the Belgian Gun Enthusiasts Association, a paramilitary armed organization that sells more than [-]% of Belgium's firearms.

Both the French-speaking area in the south and the Dutch-speaking area both love and hate this organization. It was founded in 1858 and occupied a huge share of Belgium in just 4 years. Even the Belgian royal family is said to be interested in this organization. envy.

Some nobles even had the idea of ​​​​taking advantage of others, but in the end they chose to give up such ideas because this alliance was too weird and mysterious. Even if Leopold I knew some of the inside information, he was forced to obtain the deep-rooted internal affairs in Belgium. Such forces supported it, so they chose to turn a blind eye.

In the same way, in France, what happened in the Dutch-speaking area in the north was followed by the French in the south. They turned their attention to France in the south. There was no firearms alliance, but Napoleon III of France was a big man. With a wave of his hand, a large number of French-made rifles, revolvers and other light weapons quickly reached the hands of the French-speaking people.

In particular, the recent situation in Belgium has been strange and unpredictable, and under the deliberate promotion of Napoleon III, people in the French-speaking area have sought assistance from the garrison in northern France. So much so that in the first two months of this year, France delivered multiple batches of firearms to them.

Due to the long-term cooperation between the two parties, France even began to assist the French in the French-speaking area to make their own firearms in order to deal with the threat that the Dutch-speaking area had already established and completed the production chain.

However, it is precisely because of this that the huge commotion between the two parties seems to have aroused dissatisfaction in Brussels, which is preparing to sanction relevant people in these two language areas.

It can be seen that Brussels has discovered the seriousness of the problem, especially British intelligence showed that this time it was discovered that France chose to support the southern French in an upright manner.

This completely angered King Leopold I, so although he did not directly choose to confront France and the Netherlands behind the two language areas, he used this election as a medium to prepare to teach them a lesson, especially in Zhizhi. I became more confident after meeting Queen Victoria and receiving a positive and supportive reply.What worries him is that, compared to the increasingly upright and aboveboard Napoleon III in the French-speaking region, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is very low-key in terms of military support.

However, the Kingdom of the Netherlands's cooperation with local governments is actually more serious than France's, and it has exceeded Leopold I's bottom line.

They reached an economic agreement between the local government and the Netherlands on a selfish basis without obtaining approval, which was already touching the authority of the king in Belgium.

This is a huge shock to their royal family. If it is not handled well, it is very likely that the royal family's prestige will be reduced or even marginalized.

By then, the Belgian royal family will be completely swept into the dustbin of history.

He wanted to directly send troops to suppress these northern local governments, but he was afraid of causing greater disturbances. He even wondered whether William IV of the Netherlands would be looking at him with a mocking smile and murmuring a sneer. He said: "Come here, arrest them, torture them and interrogate them."

Shaking his head, Leopold I got rid of this hateful thought.

But at the same time, I felt worried.

Despite the fact that the British are so majestic now, European countries dare not offend the British easily. It seems that the British have completely secured their position as the number one maritime hegemony, but who is Leopold I?
His achievements are also extremely brilliant!

He was born in 1790 and is now 72 years old. He has experienced countless changes in various parts of Europe. Even big figures like Napoleon I resisted without pressure when he was young.

The reason was that when he was 16 years old, Napoleon I admired his title as a genius European strategist and wanted to invite him to be his marshal.

However, he refused because his father ruled the Principality of Saxe, Coburg and Gotha at the time. When he was 15 years old, it was occupied by Napoleon I. He succeeded the duke in the same year, and then when faced with this choice, he directly declined the invitation.

The situation in Britain today is no better than that of France during the Napoleonic period, at least in terms of strength.

Britain only had the upper hand at sea.

Napoleon I, on the other hand, fully dominated the European continent, although in the end he was completely defeated due to the failure to attack Tsarist Moscow, and was eventually liquidated by various countries.

But it is undeniable that Napoleon I achieved the ability and strength to conquer various countries in Europe.

With the rapid development of various countries on the European continent in recent years, especially the rise of Prussia in the German states, the influence of the British in Hanover, Saxony and other principalities has declined sharply.

Moreover, since this year, after the opening of the Suez Canal, Britain has focused its energy on the Indian Ocean. It is not an exaggeration to say that the British navy dominates the world. The tonnage of the entire fleet even exceeds the second-place France's 19 tons. of a quarter.

But this is obvious. Which country doesn’t have its own hidden cards?
As Britain's closest continental ally, the King of Belgium and Queen Victoria's uncle.

King Leopold I even knew that the British naval tonnage had already begun to increase. It was not the 23 tons announced by the Amsterdam Safety Index Association, but 1.5 times that of France, about 28 tons, especially steam. Among the armored battleships, there were not just one or two as announced, but a terrifying four, twice as many as France.

However, the tonnage has increased, but with the expansion of overseas colonies, Britain originally only had three fleets, but now it has expanded to five fleets.

There are only two major fleets in the Atlantic Ocean, the Home Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet stationed in Canada.

In addition, the Chinese Navy is stationed in the Mediterranean, as well as the Indian Ocean Fleet in colonial India and the Australian Fleet in Sydney.

On average, except for the 8-ton native fleet, the tonnage of each of the other four fleets is controlled at around 5 tons.

It seems that the power is not reduced, but due to the long distance between them, if there is a naval battle, will they be defeated individually?
King Leopold I didn't know if the British people had ever thought about this. Perhaps in the hearts of the extremely arrogant British, no one dared to take action against them.

　Chapter 1 is presented.At the same time, continue to press for votes!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)