Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli looked at the Keeper of the Seals, Marquis Gascoyne-Cecil, and the Foreign Secretary, Robert Arthur Gascoyne-Cecil, father and son, lit a cigar and said: "Robert, what important diplomatic news do you want to tell me?" ”

"Your Excellency, a few days ago our diplomats in Vienna managed to obtain an update on diplomatic information on the feedback from the Viennese side on the German draft of intent for the German-Austrian Alliance." Foreign Secretary Robert Arthur Gascoigne Cecil handed the Prime Minister the letter in his hand, "From the contents of this feedback, it appears that the Viennese demanded from Germany that the Germans should come to the aid of Austria-Hungary with all their might in the event of an attack by Russia, and that the Germans could not betray Austria by making peace with the Russians alone without the consent of Vienna." ”

"Robert, are you sure that the Germans had the intention of making a good contract with Vienna?" "After all, the Prime Minister has long practiced diplomatic freedom of action, and even when we hinted at him for a private alliance, he made it clear that he would not form an alliance with any country. ”

"Prime Minister, first of all, this Bismarck is a pragmatist through and through, and the so-called non-alignment was in fact nothing more than a match for his title of "honest broker". Since the Franco-Prussian War, Bismarck has been zealous in acting as an arbiter and mediator in disputes between other countries, and there is not even a trace of any claim to Germany's own territory and interests. ”

"The purpose of Lord Bismarck in doing this is nothing more than to make these countries trust and even rely on Germany, and as long as any territorial change or security matter concerning European countries requires Germany's participation in coordination, then a great power alliance with Germany as an enemy will never appear." Foreign Secretary Robert Arthur Gascoigne Cecil confidently analyzed, "So his so-called non-alignment is just one of the hypocritical diplomatic faces of Lord Bismarck, and just after the Berlin Conference last year, the Russians have seen through this hypocritical diplomatic face of Lord Bismarck." ”

"Because of last year's Berlin Treaty?" Prime Minister Disraeli asked.

"Yes, Prime Minister."

"Your Excellency the Keeper of the Seals," said Prime Minister Disraeli, turning to Robert's father, "the credit for making the Germans' long-time Russian allies see through the hypocritical faces of the Prime Minister is due to you, Robert, and to his genius diplomatic plan." You must know that last year, when our Mediterranean Fleet and the Russians were still in a tense confrontation in Istanbul, and the Reich was ready to fight another Crimean war with Russia, Robert advocated pulling the Germans into the water through Austria to avoid unnecessary sacrifices. ”

In the end, the Germans did as Robert said, and really intervened. At Robert's urging, the Germans took the initiative to negotiate with the Russians about revising the Treaty of San Stefano, just like Robert said at the time, even if Bismarck fairly revised the treaty, in the eyes of the Russians, this is the greatest humiliation. To this day, I remember how Robert persuaded us at the Imperial Council. ”

Disraeli said with a smile as he breathed out a smoke ring and smiled at the Marquis Cecil, the Minister of the Seals.

"Oh, Robert, you please continue. Please ignore the ramblings of an old man. Disraeli waved his hand at Robert and motioned for him to continue.

"Secondly, the Reich Foreign Office has always been making every effort to analyze the diplomatic characteristics of Bismarck. There have been many conclusions over the years, but there is one that I agree with very much. That is, Bismarck has always tried to ensure Germany's interests by maintaining free diplomacy and moving between the European powers. From the point of view of the Reich's diplomatic interests, if there is such a German arbiter in Europe, then no one will listen to the Reich's advice anymore, and in the end it will only make the Reich's voice on the European continent more and more weightless, so the Reich must break the role of the Germans as arbiters, which is why I strongly advocate for the Germans to preside over the Berlin Conference. ”

Robert paused for a moment, "After Lord Bismarck has lost the space for free diplomacy, an alliance can only be his only diplomatic option to protect German interests, so in the end, I think the Germans should be sincerely prepared to conclude a treaty with Austria-Hungary." ”

"Is it in the interests of the Germans to form an alliance with Austria-Hungary against the Russians?" Disraeli asked with a frown.

"Prime Minister, in fact, the ultimate goal of Bismarck's alliance with Austria-Hungary is also to win over the Russians." Robert smiled and said, "The advantages of an alliance between Lord Bismarck and Austria-Hungary are twofold: first, to ensure that Austria-Hungary is not under the influence of Russia and France, and to ensure that Austria-Hungary diplomacy is biased towards Germany; Second, to put pressure on the Russians to recognize that offending the German-Austrian alliance would only be detrimental to Russia when relations with the Reich were already strained. With Bismarck's diplomatic talents, I can even believe that he is fully capable of convincing the Russians to re-sign the Three Emperors' Alliance. ”

"Robert, what is your Foreign Office's proposal for this situation?" Disraeli asked as he took a drag on his cigar.

"The foreign policy of the Reich is to ensure the equilibrium of the parties on the continent, and now that the cunning Germans have been forced into the Colosseum, all that remains is to balance the forces between the two sides of the gladiatorial battle. If, according to Bismarck's vision, the alliance of the Three Emperors is re-established, a weak French will not be able to deal with the Germans, so on the one hand, we must continue to mix sand in German-Russian relations, for example, let the French continue to pay for it, and one of the ways to encourage the Russians and Germans to continue to fight a trade war is to do so. On the other hand, the empire continues to put pressure on Russia and France, allowing them to huddle together for warmth. ”

"Will the continued pressure on France and Russia give the Germans the opportunity to unite Europe against the Reich?"

"Your Excellency, as long as we grasp the core of the contradiction between Germany and France, this situation will not arise."

Disraeli pointed at Robert and said with a smile to the Marquis Cecil, Lord of the Seals, "Your Excellency the Lord of the Seals, you have seen Robert's talent!" ”

The Marquis de Ségéscoyne-Sil, Lord Keeper of the Seals, also smiled and said, "I never thought that Robert would have such an amazing talent for diplomacy, and I am truly proud of him." ”

"No, no, Robert's talent and promise are not limited to the post of Foreign Secretary. Go for it, I promise, Robert, and you will have the full support of the Imperial Government. "By the way, Lord Seal, you have brought me the message of the Empress, and I would like to hear his opinion as well." ”

The Marquis Cecil, the Lord of the Seals, explained the contents of the two telegrams that the Empress Victoria received from the Crown Princess yesterday, and also stated the attitude of the Empress Victoria in her unequivocal support for the eldest princess.

"Robert, let's talk about this list of private tutors!" Disraeli asked.

"Mr. Sanier-Barnaby, Director of the Naval Shipbuilding Bureau, I disagree with this." Robert looked at the copy of the list in his hand, pointed to one of the names, and said, "Mr. Nathaniel-Barnaby is a jewel in the world of British Empire warship design, and such a treasure cannot and should not be allowed to leave the Empire. ”

"Hmm." Disraeli nodded in agreement.

"Both,said Mr. Barnaby. Remember the other Mr. Barnaby who has been making a fuss in the newspapers lately? Marquis Cecil, Lord of the Seals, asked.

"That cousin of Mr. Nathaniel-Barnaby?"

"Yes, Robert." The Marquis of Cecil, the Minister of the Seal, said with a smile while looking at the materials in his hand, "It's him... He was a materials science engineer who worked as an assistant to Sir Edward Reid and as a materials science engineer at Armstrong Shipyard. Compared to his cousin, he is a guy with a low reputation in academics, but on the lace news, I think you've seen it in the tabloids on Fleet Street... If we can send him away, I think our Navy Shipbuilding Director will be grateful. ”

When the Marquis Cecil, the Lord of the Seals, told the Barnaby family lace news, both Disraeli and Robert laughed unrestrainedly.

Disraeli smiled and waved his hand, "Since you all agreed, I will immediately ask someone to find the younger brother of Director Nathaniel as quickly as possible, and send him away quickly, which can be regarded as a favor for Nathaniel." ”

"I'd also like to have Robert MacLeod, an old friend of mine, or his student in the field of chemistry..... I'm going to ask Herbert who he can recommend. Sissel touched his nose and looked at the other names on the list, all of whom were some well-known experts in the field of physics and chemistry in the Empire.

"Father, this list is a bit interesting, according to the words later in the list, because there are many members of the Imperial Royal Society involved in the invitation list, Her Royal Highness the eldest princess is willing to invite them to visit and play in the name of the German royal family, and on the other hand, he wants to ask the students of the academicians to deign to be tutors." Robert laughed, "It's kind of interesting." ”

"Robert, do you think there's a problem with the eldest princess's invitation?"

"No, no, the eldest princess enjoys a high reputation in the German scientific community, this invitation is normal, this is science and not politics, there will not be so many conspiracies." Robert shook his head.

"Her Majesty is waiting for a reply now, do we want to help hire the people on the list according to the eldest princess's wishes?" Marquis Cecil, Lord of the Seals, asked.

Disraeli looked at Sissel, who hesitated for a moment and said: "Your Excellency, in principle, I have no objection to this matter, first of all, the Germans have always been reluctant to hire British people to work in education in Germany, and now this is a breakthrough. Secondly, the position of the Empress and the government has always been to support the German crown prince and his wife, and it is morally imperative that we need to help the eldest princess do so. Finally, Bismarck was planning a contract with the Austrians, and in order to allow Bismarck to enter the gladiatorial arena with peace of mind as soon as possible, the Reich wanted to show some goodwill to the Germans, which was an opportunity. ”

"My suggestion, we agree, Prime Minister." After a slight pause, Robert gave his own answer.

Disraeli smiled and bowed his head in agreement.

"Both, if it's all right, then I'll go and reply to Her Majesty." The Marquis Cecil, Lord of the Seals, was pleased to be able to solve the problem satisfactorily for Her Majesty.

"Your Excellency Lord Seal, your son Robert will shine on the name of the Marquess of Salisbury!" Disraeli said loudly.