The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 812: Iron-blooded Prime Minister, abandon your illusions, a strong country will surely dominate!

Berlin, Chancellery.

At seven o'clock in the morning, a copy of the Berlin Daily was placed on Bismarck's breakfast table. The front page was printed with the bold black headline "Prussian Army Defeated the Franco-Austrian Coalition in One Day".

He put down the coffee cup and tapped the silver spoon on the porcelain plate, making a crisp sound. Outside the window, the boots of the Berlin garrison stepped on the gravel road in unison, as if the whole of Europe was trembling under the iron hoof of Prussia.

"Sir, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom ambassador Weng Tongjue requests to see you." The adjutant reported in a low voice.

Bismarck frowned slightly and put down the newspaper: "Let him in."

The door opened, and Weng Tongjue, dressed in a dark blue Chinese robe, walked into the reception room with steady steps. He bowed slightly and spoke in fluent German in a neither humble nor arrogant voice: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I am sorry to bother you."

Bismarck motioned him to sit down, poured a cup of black coffee and pushed it over: "Mr. Ambassador, thank you for the 'anti-tank mines' and 'colloidal nitroglycerin explosives' provided by your country. They played a huge role in the Battle of Strasbourg."

Weng Tongjue smiled slightly and did not respond. Instead, he took out from his sleeve a copy of a telegram that he had translated himself using the code book and then translated into German: "His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu asked me to convey three questions to you."

"The King of Wu's question?" Bismarck's face darkened.

King Luo Yaoguo of Wu is a prophet!
"Please ask!" Bismarck said.

"The first question," Weng Tongjue unfolded the telegram and said in a steady voice, "If Prussia chooses 'Little Germany', then it must form an alliance with Austria, right?"

Bismarck narrowed his eyes, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and chose his words carefully: "Austria is part of Germany, but it does not have to be included in the empire."

"But if Lesser Germany does not form an alliance with Austria, how will it deal with France and Russia, two evil neighbors that cannot be moved away?" Weng Tongjue looked directly at Bismarck. "France will definitely find a way to take revenge, and Russia - it is expansionist by nature and is not worthy of the trust of any of its neighbors. Lesser Germany has such a small territory and no depth. It is located on the Central European plain with no strategic location. If we don't bring in Austria, our fellow countryman, we will be threatened on three sides!"

Bismarck sighed in his heart.

Prussia has this broken terrain, plus France and Russia are two powerful neighbors that are not easy to worry about. If it is hostile to Austria, it will really be attacked from three sides!

Weng Tongjue continued: "Russia and Austria are eyeing the Balkan Peninsula covetously. The contradiction between Russia and Austria is simply irreconcilable!"

Bismarck was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "Prussia can still mediate the relationship between Russia and Austria."

"Mediation?" Weng Tongjue sneered, "That's now! But the decline of the Ottoman Empire is inevitable. When it completely declines, the Balkans under its name will be an absolute powder keg! Austria wants to be the master of the Slavs, and Russia claims to be the protector of the Slavs, but in fact it also covets the Balkans. So sooner or later, these two countries will go to war! When the time comes, what will small Germany do? I'm afraid it will still help Austria, its cousin?"

Bismarck's face darkened.

"The second question follows the first one," Weng Tongjue continued, "If France and Russia form an alliance, what will happen to Little Germany? France and Russia, these two evil neighbors, do not share a border, and you and Austria are sandwiched between them. If the contradiction between Austria and Russia is irreconcilable, and the contradiction between Little Germany and France is also irreconcilable, then... it is probably only a matter of time before France and Russia form an alliance, right?"

Bismarck was a little speechless because the analysis of Weng Tongjue, or the prophet, hit Prussia's soft spot.

The relationship between Russia and Austria is really difficult to adjust! Not only did Austria compete with Russia for the Balkans, but Franz Joseph also betrayed Nicholas I out of gratitude!
The relationship between France and Russia is mutually attractive! There are too many "France fans" in Russia. The only one who caused the enmity between France and Russia was actually Napoleon III. If the Bonaparte dynasty collapses, it seems that Russia and France will definitely get closer or even form an alliance.

Weng Tongjue continued, "The third question is that Prussia's industry is developing rapidly. Its steel, cannon casting, and steam engine technologies have surpassed Britain, and its shipbuilding industry will catch up sooner or later. By then, will Britain sit back and watch Prussia rise?"

Bismarck said coldly: "Prussia has no intention of competing with Britain for sea power."

"But a strong country must dominate!" Weng Tongjue suddenly raised his voice. "Now that Prussia is strong, doesn't it need overseas markets and raw materials? Without colonies, how can industry continue to prosper? If Prussia wants colonies, it must develop its navy! And Britain will never tolerate a powerful German fleet appearing in the North Sea!"

Bismarck clenched his fingers and his face turned a little pale.

Weng Tongjue pressed on: "When the merchants in Hamburg complained about the difficulty in exporting their goods, and when the factory owners in the Ruhr area cried out about the shortage of raw materials, would you choose to bankrupt the capitalists and make the workers unemployed, or would you send warships to Africa, South America, South Asia, and West Asia to seize colonies?"

Bismarck's breathing became heavy.

"Britain has India, France has Algeria, Russia has Siberia, we the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom have Southeast Asia and Peru - and what about Prussia?" Weng Tongjue's voice fell like a hammer, "An industrial power without colonies is like a steam engine without coal. Sooner or later it will stop!" The study fell into silence, with only the ticking sound of a Swiss-made clock continuing.

Suddenly, Weng Tongjue stood up abruptly and slapped his palm on the table, shaking the coffee cup: "Mr. Prime Minister, give up your illusions! A strong country must dominate! Prussia is already strong, it will inevitably seek hegemony in Europe and compete for overseas colonies! Conflicts with France, Russia, and Britain are inevitable!"

Bismarck's pupils suddenly contracted.

"You want to deceive Britain and Russia by pretending to be a small Germany? It's unrealistic!" Weng Tongjue's voice exploded like thunder. "The only way out for Prussia is to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to annex Austria, Czech Republic, and perhaps part of Croatia, and perhaps Venice. In short, we must establish a Greater German Empire! A large country with a large population will have enough room for maneuver. And a Greater German Empire, without the burden of Austria, may be able to maintain a non-aggression relationship with Tsarist Russia."

Outside the window, the morning bells of Berlin rang, and the loud sound pierced the sky.

Bismarck raised his head slowly, his eyes were very complicated.

"Mr. Ambassador," he said slowly, "Do you know that Napoleon also thought that his empire could rule Europe for hundreds of years?"

Weng Tongjue sneered: "But Napoleon failed because he had no real industrial foundation! And Prussia - has Krupp's steel, Ruhr's coal, and the world's best engineers and soldiers! What are you still hesitating about?"

Bismarck remained silent for a long time, still without saying a word, staring at Weng Tongjue with sharp eyes - although he knew that what the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom ambassador said was very reasonable, but why did he say this to him?

What's his purpose?
Weng Tongjue also knew that Bismarck was an old fox and was not easy to fool. He had to come up with some key information. Thinking of this, he lowered his voice and said, "Prime Minister, we have reliable information that a great revolution is brewing on French soil! This will be a revolution that will terrify the Russian Tsar and the British capitalists. And you can decide now whether this revolution will succeed?"

"What?" Bismarck stared at the diplomat from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in front of him with wide eyes.

Paris, Countess Feng Wanlin's Mansion on the Temple Mount
The night was dark, the lights along the Seine River flickered in the rain, and everything seemed so peaceful.

Prince of Yu Hu Wansheng stood in front of the French window, his eyes looking towards the direction of the Durelli Palace in the distance.

"Your Highness," he began without turning his head, "do you think France can still be saved by Napoleon III?"

Behind him, Prince Napoleon - Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte - slowly put down the wine glass in his hand, and a hint of gloom flashed in his gray-blue eyes. He sat in an armchair by the fireplace, and the firelight reflected his angular profile. The former conqueror of Mexico and the second heir to the French throne looked solemn at the moment.

"Your Highness," he said hoarsely, "are you suggesting that I betray the Bonaparte dynasty?"

Hu Wansheng turned around, his eyes sparkling: "No, I'm suggesting that you save France."

The flames of the fireplace flickered, reflecting an oil painting hanging on the wall - Napoleon I crossed the Alps, his horse neighing, full of vigor and vitality. But now, the most elite French army was being defeated, and Napoleon III and Marshal McMahon led 200,000 second- and third-line French troops to rush into battle, which was likely to be dangerous.

"You know the current situation in Paris." Hu Wansheng took a few steps closer and lowered his voice. "The Republicans and the Workers' Association have secretly stockpiled weapons. Once the news of the emperor's defeat spreads back, the people of Paris will launch an uprising—" He looked directly at Prince Napoleon, "And you are the last hope of France!"

Prince Napoleon turned pale.

"If the emperor loses again, how can I save France? Rely on the National Guard?" He murmured in a low voice, "Can those ragtag armies of citizens and workers resist the Krupp cannons of Prussia?"

"No." Hu Wansheng answered straightforwardly, "But what if there is support from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Vatican?"

The prince looked up suddenly: "What?"

Hu Wansheng took out a secret letter from his pocket and handed it over: "The 'Eastern Crusaders' have assembled in Rome, 8,000 elite soldiers, equipped with the latest breech-loading rifles and Gatling machine guns. As long as you are willing to step forward and lead the national army, this force will immediately go to France."

Prince Napoleon's fingers trembled slightly as he unfolded the secret letter, which was stamped with the seal of Luo Yaoguo, the King of Wu of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the personal seal of Pope Pius IX.

"Why?" He looked up, his eyes full of disbelief, "Why would the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom help France?"

(End of this chapter)