"Looking for one? Actually, you've already decided, right? Edward VII punctured the petty tricks in his prime minister's speech: "Isn't there only one breakthrough?" Or do you change your mind and have a new choice? ”

"Your Majesty!" Balfour immediately sent it to the back of the air, although it was debunked by Edward VII, but there was no anger in the king's tone, and Balfour knew that His Majesty knew about the actions of the cabinet and the Admiralty, and it was also approved, so he felt a little at ease.

"Your Majesty, the Russians are extremely ambitious, Nicholas II has always wanted to annex the northeastern region of the Qing State and establish the so-called Yellow Russia, and once it succeeds, Russia's power in the Far East will be greatly expanded, so that it will directly conflict with our country, which has a large number of interests in the south of the Qing State.

Moreover, the Russians have always had their eye on India, coveted the jewel in the crown of Great Britain, and were eager to break out of the Black Sea and into the Mediterranean, which would lead to confrontation with our country in the Balkans and Asia Minor. In addition, because of the alliance between Japan and Japan, the relations between Russia and Japan are now bad, so it is difficult to reconcile the contradictions between Russia and Japan.

The Germans were extremely ambitious in the Ottomans, and the Germans were bent on making the Ottomans their India, and if it were not for our resolute attitude on the Baghdad railway, the Germans would want to monopolize it, which would also endanger our interests in the Middle East and even in the entire Eastern Mediterranean.

Moreover, the rapid development of Germany's industrial economy has made its production capacity surpass that of China, and the Germans' goods in the world market have had a huge impact on China's foreign trade, and the Germans have encroached on our market, grabbed our trade share, caused China's economic losses, and led to unemployment, enterprise bankruptcy, and other adverse social impacts.

Therefore, in the long run, the contradictions between Germany and our country will continue to deepen. Moreover, the demands of Germany and Russia are the same in a certain way, and if Russia and Germany come together, then our interests in the Middle East will be strongly threatened, and it will be difficult for our country alone to oppose the demands of Russia and Germany against the Ottoman interests. Balfour said, "In short, the pot is someone else's.

"So in order to fight Russia and Germany, we need to find a helper. And this helper is France, right? Edward VII said that Edward VII accepted Balfour's analysis, and as far as he was concerned, he also had a good impression of the country of France, and I don't know if it was because of the playboy's preference for the romantic capital of Paris.

"It is so, Your Majesty, that although France has a developed economy, its industrial capacity is far inferior to that of Germany, and it does not pose a threat to our country in the overseas market. And my country has always been stable in foreign trade. The contradictions between China and France are mainly concentrated in the colonies of Africa, but unlike Russia and Germany, as the second largest colonial empire in the world, the French already have a large number of colonies, so their demand for continuing to obtain greater and more benefits is much weaker than that of Germany, which has just developed and Russia, which is very greedy for land.

This, in turn, provides the conditions for our country to reconcile with it, the French have enough leverage to negotiate with us on the issue of colonial interests, and we can exchange interests to reach a compromise at a very small price. Germany and Russia clearly do not have such conditions. Therefore, it is the best option for our country to reach an understanding with France. Belfour explained.

Of course, there is another reason that Belfour did not say. That is, the Admiralty believed that the French Navy was a greater threat to Britain, and that the rogue French Navy strategy of breaking diplomatic relations relying on its vast colonies would cause great trouble for Britain.

"More importantly, even if we reach an understanding with the French and gain our support, the French will not be able to regain the advantage of the European continent, and the huge gap between them and the Germans will still not be eliminated, but it will allow the power of the European continent to rebalance." Edward VII nodded. Acknowledging Balfour's words: "As long as we can put aside the hostility brought about by history with the French, it will be in our favor in every way." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Balfour said respectfully: "Not everyone has the courage to let go of the hatred of history, and it is a blessing for our country that you can think so." And now is the perfect time to reach an understanding with France, and people no longer remember only the Hundred Years' War. Remember Trafalgar, remember Waterloo, now they are talking more about the share of trade, the Sitis incident, and under the guidance of such public opinion, we will have much less resistance to reaching an understanding with France. ”

"Isn't that what you're pushing for and want to see?" Edward VII was clear about what his ministers were doing: "If it weren't for your connivance, Fisher wouldn't have come to me to talk about the Copenhagen Plan as soon as he took office!" Great Britain needs to defend the interests of the world, and we cannot maintain a glorious policy of isolation, so we need to change our diplomatic strategy and find a suitable ally, but that doesn't mean I want to get into a war! ”

"Your Majesty, that Fisher guy wants to strike first against any enemy of the Royal Navy, and that's not our idea." Balfour immediately explained that Edward VII's tone was not angry, so he understood that His Majesty the King was only beating himself, not reprimanding, so he was not alarmed: "The Cabinet also does not want to be involved in a war, and we are also acting in the interests of Great Britain, but without the guidance of public opinion, it will be difficult for our people to accept our reconciliation with France, an old enemy, after all, Britain and France have been hostile for too long." ”

Knowing that what Balfour said was indeed the truth, Edward VII could only nod: "You're right, but let the Admiralty take care of our new First Sea Lord, his unkeeping mouth will get him into trouble one day." ”

"Please rest assured, Your Highness." Balfour respectfully agreed, but this is just to say, Fisher can be regarded as Edward VII's confidant, and his ability is well known, although he is not covered, but even if he causes some trouble, it does not pose a threat, and it is precisely because of the support of Edward VII and the cabinet that Fisher can be re-elected in the position of First Sea Lord.

"So, how are you going to open the French breakthrough?" Edward VII asked.

"The Madrid Convention, signed in 1880, provides for equal trading rights in Morocco for both foreign countries and foreign citizens, and does not confer exclusive rights to any country. But France was not satisfied with this, and they tried to take Morocco's interests into their pockets. Therefore, the French offered to carve up Morocco with our country, but we rejected the request of the French at that time, considering that the Moroccan question also involved the attitude of the Germans.

However, the French did not stop there, and the Bank of France has been trying to lend money to Morocco with Moroccan customs revenues as security, so as to control its foreign trade and finances. And I believe that this will not be the end goal of the French, that the 'reforms' of Morocco and its eventual French colonization are the goals of the French.

However, the French did not go well, because our country had said that it would take into account the attitude of the Germans and did not support the actions of the French, and Germany also had great interests in Morocco, and the trade volume of tens of millions of marks a year also made the Germans not give up lightly. Spain, which also had a say in Morocco, would not support France on the matter because it still owed the Germans, so the French could now be said to be struggling.

At this time, if our country supports the actions of the French. and to recognize the French occupation of Morocco, then the French will be grateful to our country. With this as a breakthrough, in exchange for French recognition of our occupation of Egypt and finally a solution to the African colonial question, the conflict of interests between our country and France will no longer be an obstruction.

More importantly, as long as the French occupied Morocco, they and Germany would inevitably have a struggle in the region, which would deepen the contradictions between Germany and France. In this way, France will have to seek the support of our country in order to maintain the balance of power in the dispute with Germany. This will contribute to the further deepening of relations between our country and France. "Balfour talks about dirty politics without any psychological burden.

What's even worse is that because of the existence of the Madrid Convention, Britain and France must have reached a secret agreement, so that Germany, which does not know the specific content of this agreement, can easily make a wrong judgment and eventually take inappropriate measures, which in turn will lead to the deterioration of relations between Germany and France.

Hence the German interests in Morocco and the commitments made by Britain to Germany at the beginning. It was in such a secret room agreement that was sacrificed, and the so-called international convention was nothing more than a piece of waste paper.

This is exactly the usual trick of the British, who have achieved their goal of fishing in troubled waters by meddling in irrelevant affairs and worsening relations between countries in other regions. As for the fate of the sovereign state of Morocco? What does this have to do with the British Empire?

"Good. This matter will be done according to your plan, so that Sir Landsdorne will make contact with France, and the current French ambassador is Paul? Combong, get in touch with him first, convey what we mean, and then see how the French react. Edward VII nodded and approved of Belfort's construction.

"Yes, Your Majesty, the French will surely be overjoyed, and thank you for your generosity." Seeing that His Majesty the King agreed, Belfort immediately sent another sycophant.

"If the French are interested in this, then I feel that it is necessary to further improve the hostility between the two countries, and diplomatically, we need to do a little more." Edward VII said.

"What do you mean?" Balfour was a little puzzled, the hostile relationship between the two countries could not be changed in a day or two, even if the French government and Britain reached a secret agreement, it would take a lot of work and a long time to reverse the hostility at home.

"If the French show goodwill, then I have decided to make a visit to Paris myself." Edward VII had long hoped to visit Paris, and how could he pass up such an opportunity.

It seems that the monarchs of Europe had a vision of Paris, as was the case with Edward VII and William II, but due to problems with Franco-German relations, William II never set foot on the land of the city in his life.

"Your Majesty, this is not appropriate!" Belfort was shocked by the whims of his own king: "Perhaps the French government is in dire need of our country's support, so it can handle the relationship between the two countries rationally, but the French people's bad feelings towards our country are not so easy to dispel." The impact of the Boer War on France has not been eliminated, and the subsequent gold issue has caused a direct conflict between the two countries. Even if you go to Paris, it is impossible to resolve the hostility between the two peoples! ”

"The more this is the case, the more I go there as the King of Great Britain, the more we show our sincerity, don't we? It was foreseeable that I would be met with a cold reception when I went to Paris, but I don't have to worry about my safety, even the French government could not put me in danger and ruin their only chance of getting Morocco, right?

And even if I get the favor of the French people on my trip to Paris, it will be considered a progress, right? Edward VII said with a smile.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Belfour had to admit that although his private life was chaotic and although he was a playboy, his own king Xià had a special personality charm in dealing with people.

However, he added at the end: "However, His Majesty's visit to Paris must be made in sufficient sincerity on the French side and substantial progress in the agreement between us, otherwise I and the whole cabinet will oppose His Majesty's visit." ”

"Okay, I accept your opinion." Edward VII smiled and nodded. (To be continued......)