Chapter 307 Unbreakable Alliance
Chapter 307 Unbreakable Alliance
The royal families of European countries frequently intermarry with each other and are basically a circle of relatives.
Shao Quanzhong visited Europe and formed marriage alliances with Spain, Britain and Russia, becoming a relative of the three countries and becoming a complete member of the royal circles of various European countries.
The visit to Lucia was a complete success, and Shaw and the Romanovs formed an unbreakable alliance.
Before leaving, Alexander II looked at his daughter kindly and told Shao Quanzhong, "Treat my daughter well. If you have trouble in the Qing Dynasty, come to Russia. The Order of Saint Andrew I have awarded you has a double-headed eagle on it, the Asian side. I can entrust it to my son-in-law."
The father-in-law and son-in-law said goodbye to each other with sympathy, and Shao Quanzhong led the fleet to Hamburg.
Newspapers all over the world reported Shao Quanzhong's visit to Lucia, but most people still preferred to read the California Terra because its ace reporter Mark Twain had the exclusive opportunity to interview Princess Lucia.
The princess was calm and cheerful in front of the camera and in the interview. Mark Twain described her as "favored, modest, and pretty", which is consistent with the impression Mark Twain got when he interviewed the princess at the Livadia Palace in Crimea.
This assessment is mostly correct, but modesty is the result of royal etiquette education. Mark Twain has never seen the princess pull out a gun from her fiancé's waist and fire five shots in a row.
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On October 1868, 10, the Nanyang Fleet arrived in Hamburg.
Here, Lin Tai led the Wang Fu-class steam ironclad sailing battleship Zhenxi, paired with four Johnson-class steam ironclad cruisers, ten thousand-ton small ironclad ships, and twenty auxiliary warships to form the Black Sea Squadron of the South China Sea Navy, bypassing the Mediterranean and heading to Sevastopol for a stay.
The Nanyang Fleet allocated half of its combat power to form the Atlantic Squadron stationed in Cadiz and the Black Sea Squadron stationed in Sevastopol.
There was only one flagship, Zhendong, left of the Wang Fu-class ironclad steam battleships, only four Johnson-class cruisers left, and only five thousand-ton small ironclad ships left. The total tonnage was less than 50,000 tons, and the scale was greatly reduced.
Even so, Bismarck, the Prussian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister who came to Hamburg to welcome Shao Quanzhong, was still shocked. Now the Prussian navy was too weak and even smaller than Denmark.
Despite its efforts, the Prussian Navy still had only three ironclad ships in service, including the Arminius of more than 1,800 tons, the Friedrich Carl of more than 6,900 tons, and the Crown Prince of more than 5,700 tons.
The only ship worth showing off is the King William, which weighs more than 9,700 tons and has just been launched and is being installed, but has not yet been put into service.
Judging from the size and combat record of the navy and the combat record of the army, the Qing Dynasty was obviously a stronger power than Prussia. Bismarck really couldn't understand why the army student named Yan was so sincere in cooperating with Shao Quanzhong, who was brought to him.
This is why he went to Hamburg to greet Shao Quanzhong in person. He couldn't wait to know what surprise Shao Quanzhong would bring him.
"Shao, welcome to Prussia. In the past, reporters said you were the Bismarck of the East. Now, I have been working hard to become the Shao Quanzhong of the West."
That is, Shao Quanzhong is now quite awesome. Apart from anything else, the person standing behind him, honestly translating for his conversation with Bismarck, is Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Lucia.
"No, Prime Minister Bismarck, please don't be modest in front of me. The Qing Dynasty's strength is temporary, and it is a strength bought by huge investments in ship purchases. Prussia's strength is invisible, and it has sufficient talent, industry, and military foundations. I dare to assert that within three years, Prussia will shock the world, surpass many powers ranked ahead of you, and gain the honor of being the world's second power. Under your leadership, it is not impossible to overthrow Britain and become a world leader."
Bismarck was a genuine world-class strongman. Hearing this was like a thunderbolt in his ears. He looked around nervously. Fortunately, there were no British people nearby. The person who said this was a member of the British royal family. Among the many medals on his uniform, the Order of the Garter was clearly hanging.
Can you say this publicly? Do you really want to kill Prussia?
"Shao, you are too serious. We dare not challenge Britain under any circumstances."
The implication is that Shao Quanzhong has full confidence in his judgment that Prussia can quickly overtake France, the world's second largest country.
Shao Quanzhong had an unpredictable smile on his face. "This is why I came here. The Qing Dynasty, with a population of 40 million and wealth second only to the British Empire, is willing to conclude a strategic alliance of the highest level with Prussia and do its best to transfer as much wealth as possible to help Prussia become the world hegemon."
The Qing-Prussian alliance that Shao Quanzhong wanted to reach with Bismarck was a truly unbreakable alliance.
Bismarck looked at Shao Quanzhong carefully. He didn't look mentally ill, did he? He didn't seem to have Prussian blood either.
How could Prussia have deserved the Qing Dynasty, which was more powerful than itself, to be its younger brother? Wouldn't it be much stronger if you could rely on your big brother Britain instead of us?
Shao Quanzhong smiled and said, "Of course, our help is not in vain. I also have my demands. Let's talk slowly on the train. Before that, please provide me with convenience and send a telegram."
Ping'er took Shao Quanzhong's memorial to send a telegram. In the telegram, Shao Quanzhong recommended Jian Seng'e Baturu, the first-rank official, and Xu Bangdao, the nominal governor, as the assistant minister of Crimea, and led 10,000 Chu troops to garrison Sevastopol.
At the same time, Shao Quanzhong, as the Grand Duke of Crimea, conferred the title of Count of Kerch and Minister of Defense of the Grand Duchy of Crimea on Xu Bangdao.
With this imperial decree, the Chu army was Shao Quanzhong's subordinate, and its garrison in the Grand Duchy of Crimea was reasonable and legal. The position of assistant minister appointed by the Qing Dynasty to Xu Bangdao was a secret.
This was the first time that the Qing army's native army was stationed in Europe. The Qing Dynasty's power was increasing and there was one less warlord in the country. The imperial court would definitely agree.
Xu Bangdao was a general under Zuo Zongtang. He sent the Chu Army to help Shao Quanzhong guard his private territory, which was supported by the Russians. In addition, Liu Mingchuan had already taken office in Hirado, and the Hu Army was supported by the Japanese. Now in the Qing Dynasty, apart from the Huai Army, the only remaining threats that were not controlled by the court were the Old Hunan Army and the Self-Strengthening Army.
Shao Quanzhong continued to expand the pie and helped the court to send warlords abroad. His reputation for unspeakable loyalty would surely resound throughout the court.
After seeing Ping'er come back after sending the telegram, Shao Quanzhong and Bismarck boarded a special train heading for Berlin.
As soon as they got into the box, Shao Quanzhong began a secret conversation with Bismarck. No one knew what they talked about. The attendants only saw that Bismarck, who was always steady and dignified, left the box five times to get some fresh air. His face was red, and he looked like he was about to have a heart attack and die.
The special train arrived in Berlin that evening. Shao Quanzhong stayed in a guest room in the City Palace, while Bismarck ran to meet William I urgently.
William I and Bismarck talked secretly until late at night. The next morning, William I met Shao Quanzhong in the hall of the City Palace.
The Prussian king had not slept all night, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was extremely excited.
(End of this chapter)