The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 828 Bismarck's Fantasy - The Great Alliance of Britain, Russia, Germany, France and the United States

In the Berlin Palace, William I held a copy of The Times with a frown on his face. The front page of the newspaper read "A Savage Victory: How the Prussian Army Burned the Palace of Versailles", and the words were full of contempt and condemnation for the Germans.

"These British!" William I slammed the newspaper on the table. "Have they forgotten that their queen is also a barbaric German?"

At this moment, following a report from the guards, Prime Minister Bismarck pushed the door open excitedly, holding a letter in his hand, with a rare look of joy on his face.

"Your Majesty," he bowed slightly, "good news!"

William I raised his eyes and said, "What good news? Have the British changed their tune?"

"No," Bismarck shook his head, "it's the Russians who have taken sides!"

He handed over the handwritten letter from Tsar Alexander II. William I took the letter, glanced at the cursive German letters, and his brows gradually relaxed.

"The Tsar...thanked us for burning down the Palace of Versailles?" William I murmured, "It seems that he really hates the ungrateful French."

At the end of the letter, Alexander II made it clear that he would personally attend the coronation ceremony of William I, and proposed that Russia and Germany conclude a "Holy Alliance" to jointly deal with the "revolutionary plague in Europe."

William I put down the letter with a complicated expression: "The Tsar has openly sided with us...but what will the British do?"

Bismarck smiled and said, "Your Majesty, are you worried about an alliance between Britain and Red France?"

"Of course!" William I said in a deep voice, "The Russians are poor, but the British have fleets, factories, and colonies! What should we do if they join forces with the radicals in Paris?"

Bismarck had already thought of a countermeasure, and he immediately replied: "Your Majesty, instead of worrying about an alliance between Britain and the French Workers' Association, we should take the initiative to win over Britain."

"To win over Britain?" William I was stunned. "How to win over Britain?"

"To establish a grand alliance of Britain, Russia, Germany, France and the United States."

William I's eyes widened. "What? France? Are we going to negotiate with the Workers' Association?"

"No," Bismarck shook his head, "not with the Workers' Association, but with the Bonaparte dynasty or the Orleanists."

He walked to the map and pointed to Paris. "Everyone knows that young Russian nobles are a group of Frenchmen in spirit. They are easily seduced by radical ideas from France. Therefore, the Tsar has always been very wary of radical ideas in France. British capitalists are afraid that workers' riots will sweep across London. If we can help France restore the monarchy, both Britain and Russia will support us."

William I frowned: "What about the United States? What does Europe have to do with them? The Americans don't even have a king, so how can they support the restoration of the French monarchy?"

"They are afraid of the Yellow Peril!" Bismarck said coldly, "This is also what Britain fears!"

“Is Britain also afraid of the Yellow Peril?”

"Yes." Bismarck explained, "The British are most afraid of two things - the emergence of hegemony on the European continent and the rise of the yellow empire in the East. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom now controls half of the Pacific Ocean and even threatens Britain's Australian colonies. The Inca Heavenly Kingdom, which recently competed with Chile for saltpeter, was also supported by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. This has reached South America! And the Northern Federation of the United States will inevitably solve the problem of the yellow people in the West after the war. Eleven of the twelve states in the western United States are controlled by people of color, and the American True Testament controlled by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is the real master of these states of people of color! If our new and powerful white empire can shape the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom into a common enemy of white civilization, Britain, Russia, and the United States will stand with us."

William I pondered for a moment: "What if the Tsar wants Constantinople?"

"Let him take it!" Bismarck said firmly, "As long as the Russians keep their eyes on the Ottoman Empire, they will not cause trouble for us. The British will definitely have a fight with the Russians. At that time, the German Empire will be the only mediator."

William I nodded slowly: "So...what is our goal?"

"Short-term goal: restore order in France and curb the revolution." Bismarck's eyes were blazing. "Long-term goal: let the European powers jointly deal with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the East, while the German Empire... reaps the benefits."

"Sit back and reap the benefits?" William I's feeling improved immediately. "Do we also have a chance to sit back and reap the benefits?"

"Yes, Your Majesty! After all, our country is very far away from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and we don't have any overseas colonies."

For hundreds of years, Germany has always been the cannon fodder in the front line, reaping the benefits. It’s really exciting to think about it!

William I was silent for a long time, and finally smiled: "Okay, let's do it."

Bismarck bowed slightly: "Your Majesty is wise."

William I quickly wrote his invitation to Alexander II, writing in a neat and solemn handwriting:
To His Majesty Tsar Alexander II:
As the first emperor of the German Second Empire is about to be crowned, I sincerely invite you to come to Vienna to witness this historic moment together.

The future of Europe should be shaped by us together.

Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig

He put down his pen and turned to look at Bismarck: "I'd better be crowned in Vienna. It's more suitable than Versailles. It is the center of Europe and was once the de facto capital of the First German Empire. It is the best stage for us to announce the rise of the Second German Empire to the world."

Bismarck nodded slightly: "Your Majesty is wise. Your coronation in Vienna means that the Second German Empire you founded is the successor of the Holy Roman Empire. And the Holy Roman Empire was once the leading country on the European continent."

William I hesitated for a moment and asked, "Should I also write an invitation letter to Queen Victoria?"

"I should write a letter out of courtesy," Bismarck thought for a while, but she probably won't attend in person. "William I smiled and said, "It's okay if her representative can come!"

December 12st, Berlin Central Station.

Despite the cold wind, the platform was packed with the Prussian honor guard and journalists from various countries. William I, wearing a black cloak, stood at the end of the red carpet, staring at the end of the railway track.

"Woo——"

With a long whistle, the Tsar's train slowly pulled into the platform. The carriage door opened, and Alexander II strode out, followed by Foreign Minister Gorchakov and several guards officers.

"William!" The Tsar laughed heartily and opened his arms to greet him.

"Alexander!" William I responded enthusiastically, and the two hugged each other tightly in public.

Reporters were frantically recording this scene - the two most powerful monarchs on the European continent publicly stood together more than 20 days after the burning of the Palace of Versailles.

"I am honored by your letter." Alexander II whispered, "Vienna is a good choice. It is more symbolic than Berlin. It symbolizes the birth of the new Vienna system!"

William I smiled and said, "Yes, I hope that this coronation will not only be a celebration of Germany, but also the starting point of a new order in Europe."

The Tsar nodded in agreement and added, "I hope that will also be the starting point of a new world order in the future!"

Two gilded carriages slowly drove towards the palace. In the first carriage, William I and Alexander II sat side by side; in the second carriage, Bismarck and Gorchakov sat in silence, each calculating their next bargaining chips.

"William," Alexander II spoke first, speaking fluent German, "how are you going to deal with the French situation?"

William I murmured: "The workers' association must be eliminated, but France cannot be left in a vacuum."

"The Bonaparte dynasty has collapsed, and the Orleans faction is too weak." The Tsar sneered, "Who else can we support? It can't be the Republicans, right?"

William shook his head. "No, of course not a republican. We are all monarchs. How can we support a republican restoration? My suggestion is that Britain, Russia and Germany should jointly support a moderate monarchical government."

Alexander II narrowed his eyes: "You mean... the restoration of the Orleans faction?"

"It could also be the Bonapartists," William said calmly, "but of course it can't be the restoration of Napoleon III. He once hurt the Russian Empire and is not fit to be emperor anymore."

The Tsar suddenly laughed when he heard this: "William, you are really my good friend."

William laughed: "Of course! Our two countries not only have a traditional friendship, but also common interests!"

In the meeting room of the Berlin Palace, the fire in the fireplace was burning. William I, Alexander II, Bismarck and Gorchakov sat around a long oak table, on which was spread a map of Europe and a newly drafted "Draft of the Five-Power Alliance".

"Will the British agree?" Gorchakov questioned.

"They have no choice." Bismarck sneered, "The capitalists in London are now most afraid of two things - a workers' revolution in Paris and the Taiping Rebellion in the Pacific. And an alliance with us will solve these two major problems at the same time."

William I nodded: "Earl Derby is not a fool. He knows who the real enemy of the British Empire is."

"What about America?" asked the Russian Tsar.

"Lincoln is still struggling to fight the Southern Confederacy. After defeating the South, there are still eleven states in the West with people of color waiting for him to deal with." Bismarck pointed to California on the map. "If we promise to support the United States in solving the 'yellow peril', they will definitely join the alliance."

Alexander II nodded and said with a smile, "Okay! That's settled - let's work together to promote the Five-Power Alliance of Britain, Russia, Germany, France, and the United States!"

William I raised his glass: "To a new order for Europe and the world."

"For the future of the white people," the Tsar responded.

The two drank it all in one gulp.

After the meeting, Gorchakov quietly pulled Bismarck aside and said, "Mr. Prime Minister, regarding Constantinople..."

Bismarck smiled and said, "Tell the Tsar that we support Russia in dealing with the Ottoman Empire. As for the British position, we can work together with Britain after the alliance is established."

At the same time, William I stood at the window, looking at the Tsar's carriage going away, and whispered to Blumenthal, the First Quartermaster General beside him: "Send a telegram to Moltke and ask him to return triumphantly from Versailles."

"Your Majesty?" Blumenthal was stunned. "But General Moltke has just completed the siege of Paris..."

"Without Red France, there would be no Five-Nation Alliance of Germany, Britain, Russia, the United States and France?" William I said coldly, "Besides, a divided France with civil war seems more reassuring."

(End of this chapter)