"Opening 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne (
On May 4, 1866, King Leopold II of Belgium was invited by his cousin, Queen Victoria, to cross the English Channel to visit England.
During his visit, he gave speeches to the British House of Commons and the House of Lords, in which he said Belgium was still a familiar ally of the United Kingdom.
Different from being high-spirited and confident in Parliament, he was dragged to the palace conference room by Queen Victoria in Buckingham Palace, but he smiled bitterly.
Especially when asked why Belgium should follow the Netherlands in a group that is clearly dominated by the Netherlands.
"Her Majesty, I don't want to, but the situation in Belgium is very strange now, the royal family is a little bit marginalized at many times now, you know, there, except for Brussels, other places are either for France, or The heart belongs to the Netherlands, the centripetal force of Belgium has reached a very low level now, so this time we in Belgium are also forced to join these organizations led by the Netherlands.”
Speaking of this bitterly, he looked annoyed.
Queen Victoria was silent.
The Leopold family took root in Belgium and became the eyes and ears of Britain in the European continent. The division has actually become the point of existence in name only.
The most important thing is, now that Leopold II is almost overhead, there is no difference between Brussels and this auspicious baby.
So, she reluctantly asked some people in the Belgian government how they operated.
Leopold II could only tell her about what was going on in Belgium.
......
Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
When Leopold II was being 'cross-examined' by Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace in London, William IV, one of the biggest promoters of his predicament in Belgium, was talking about the Belgian Prime Minister Jules Dane Tang Zhenghe Joseph Beit, Speaker of the Belgian House of Commons.
"Many people think that the best way to win the loyalty of others is to be kind to others, but the truth is the opposite. The best way is to let others be kind to you"
Opposite William IV sat Prime Minister Tolbek, who was listening in silence.
"In this, we owe to Machiavelli of the Roman region of the sixteenth century, who discovered certain fundamental aspects of human nature, who noticed that when a city has been besieged for many months, when the During this time of great hardship and hardship, when they went through this fear and hunger for their king's sake, their loyalty to the king was not diminished, but further increased.
From then on, they would even feel a stronger bond with the king. "
Tolbeck asked curiously, "Why?"
"Because these men have sacrificed their houses and estates in order to protect him, they now look up to him as they feel they have some kind of obligation to him, as is the nature of man, whether it is an obligation that is demanded of others or that he does himself. Obligations, he will feel the same joy."
William IV wisely said: "Giving favors and receiving favors make people feel obligated, which is human nature."
Prime Minister Tolbek heard the words, but agreed.
The prime minister said worriedly: "His Majesty Leopold II has become more and more scruples towards the two of them recently, and yes, the Belgian Prime Minister and the Speaker of the House of Commons are both pro-Dutch factions, so don't worry.
The purpose of this London invitation is unclear, it may have an impact on Amsterdam, and even have a huge impact on the political situation in Belgium, we have to be prepared.”
William IV smiled first, shook his head, and said confidently: "My Prime Minister, aren't Dannetang and Beit preparing recently?"
See Tolbek revealing unknown.
"They've actually started to warm up for Belgium next year, and they've made it felt to thousands of people recently, and they're investing more in their success."
Ignoring Tolbek's astonishment, William IV continued: "Recently traveling between the provinces of Danetang and Beit, stopping in one after another, they have weaved a strong thread among their supporters. Loyalty bond, every time you go to a city, not as a tourist, but as a guest at someone's house, eating their snack or dinner,"
William IV sighed and said: "Danetang and Beit are now in a state of perfection in their means of mixing in politics, and there may not be a few people in Dutch politics who can compare to them."
Seeing Tolbek continuing to listen, William IV asked back: "How could you possibly vote against a person sleeping on your sofa in a general election?"
Tolbek was stunned when he heard this.
Yes, a person who has rested at your home and a person who has been giving orders in the office all year round, which one do you choose is naturally the former.
At this moment, he agreed with what William IV had just said, that Danetang and Beit were giant crocodiles who had already developed Belgian politics.
Thinking of this, Tolbeck said worriedly: "Your Majesty, will this form a backlash against us?"
He was worried that the two of them would be too big, and even had a disagreement with Holland, which would be bad for Holland.
William IV paused, his eyes seemed to point to Brussels, and he said casually: "Relax, everything is under my control."
Seeing this, Tolbek immediately felt relieved.
"Your Majesty, I don't know, why do you like Argentina so much?"
After holding back for a long time, he finally asked.
This time, on the hurried trip to Argentina, many people thought that he was there with a plan, but only he knew that he was also the plan that William IV made halfway through becoming a monk Regarding the specific gist of the plan, he has not Familiar with the overall plan, he couldn't help asking.
William IV naturally won't hide it, so he said: "The Argentine side must keep this line, and he has a view on the future development of the Netherlands, especially the Far East."
Far East?
Tolbeck thought that the Netherlands has been developing around the Far East recently. He felt William IV's firm will to develop the Far East again, and thought to himself, "It seems that His Majesty really wants to focus on the Far East."
......
On May 5, 1866, Pedro II of the Brazilian Empire and the Prime Minister of the French Empire, Olivier, met in Rio de Janeiro. During the meeting, Prime Minister Olivier asked Brazil not to attack the Paraguayan army.
But Pedro II was very dissatisfied. Instead, he asked the French Empire not to assist Paraguay, and forced the French Empire to cut off with Paraguay.
However, Olivier directly opposed it, asking Brazil to make concessions to Paraguay on the Uruguay issue. France would ask Paraguay to withdraw from the occupied Brazilian territory in exchange for it. Pedro II directly refused.
This annoys Paris.
So Prime Minister Olivier left Rio de Janeiro that day, headed north, and a few days later visited Washington, where he was received by Lincoln,
In the end, the two countries issued a statement to strengthen cooperation.
The French Empire stated that it will send a team to the Federal States to carry out coordination work between the two countries in South America recently to help the two countries.
In Washington, Olivier received a promise from the Lincoln administration that it would not stand with Brazil.
Now, Portugal can't sit still.