The Japanese were not afraid that the Qing had the strong reinforcement of Germany, but the Germans, from Crown Prince Frederick and Prime Minister Bismarck to Joey, were now afraid of the Qing country's teammate.

The originally unusually smooth German-Qing relationship can be said to have reached the juncture of only the last kick.

Originally scheduled for June, as soon as the private meeting between the Qing emperor and his second brother was successful, the German and Qing governments would immediately sign a communiqué, and then the Qing silver would continue to flow to Germany, and Germany's industrial products and arms would also find a huge market, and a win-win situation was about to come.

It is true that Major General Dietrich, who did not know that string was on the wrong line, actually made a war plan against Japan on his own terms, which made the already fiery relations between Germany and Qingdao even more hot, and the wise rulers of a country really have to consider whether there is a deeper influence behind this fiery relationship between the two countries.

But don't you understand that the Qing Dynasty has only been in contact with the world for 40 years, during which time you have been beaten twice, don't you still understand that the law of the jungle in the 19th century determines the development and rise of a country or nation, and it must be a cannibalism.

As long as the Qing and Japan want to develop into modern countries, before the outbreak of science and technology, limited resources will inevitably lead to feud between the two countries.

Joey, who was very familiar with the military history of the world in his previous life, naturally knew very well that in the Qing-Japanese War that affected the world at the end of the 19th century, after learning that Rear Admiral Dietrich only asked for a mere 10 million taels of silver, which was only 5 million gold marks, he was willing to send the Grand Fleet of the German Navy to help the Qing and send its future feud Japan to the hell of iron and fire.

Such a big historical opportunity, actually sold so cheaply, what a loser! It's a shame on the German business community!

Major General Dietrich's cheap sale had already made Joey furious, but Qingguo's next reaction made Joey feel that his monstrous anger had swallowed him, and Qingguo didn't hurry up to agree in front of such a big bargain, but shrunk directly into his shell like a frightened coward.

It's okay to be timid and retract into the shell, and don't agree with the German plan, it's a big deal not to help you fight Japan, Joey doesn't want to do it at such a cheap price! But the collateral effect of the Qing high-level retraction into the shell was the reason for Joey's anger.

In an instant, the pace of the Qing Kingdom, everything suddenly slowed down, and the process of opening mines, building roads, and setting up factories to buy arms was no longer in a hurry, but began to treat people and things slowly like an old man.

Qing You can slow down, but Germany can't slow down, this is an industrial age where you catch up, Joy is looking forward to countless great plans are only too late, not too early, if you want to realize these plans early, you must need a lot of start-up capital.

The current German economy is already booming, but the domestic money in Germany is not unlimited, and Joey does not want to squeeze out the development funds prepared by his father and godfather to build a new German economy, so he must find a way to get more external funds.

At the end of the nineteenth century, the international circulating capital was mainly controlled by France, Britain and the Americans, and Joy was unwilling to control the source of funds for his own plan in the hands of France, Britain and the United States, so in Joy's mind, finding a source of funds that was not affected by French, British and American capital was very necessary for Germany to maintain a transcendent position in the world pattern in the future.

The Qing Dynasty, the distant Qing State is the best partner for the source of funds in Joey's heart, the Qing State has money, and there is no conflict of interest between Germany and Qing, both are imperial countries, and both have been oppressed by France and Russia, is there a more natural partner than this?

However, the reality is hot to tell Joey that it seems that you have never considered the existence of pig teammates among the partners you have chosen.

Sitting in the study of the Imperial Palace, watching the heated discussion between his father, the Prime Minister and the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Infantry Admiral Stockch, Joey took a sip of Coca-Cola in his hand, and after burping hard, Joey, who felt powerless for the first time, could only pin his hope on the distant second brother.

I hope that my second brother can read the letter he wrote carefully and carefully, and then give full play to the talent of the first person in the diplomacy of the Hohenzollern family in the Qing Dynasty.

Since the palace was equipped with a primitive steam air-conditioning system, Crown Prince Frederick's study in the palace was more like the chancellor's office of Lord Bismarck, who stayed here from morning to night six working days a week.

Of course, the official reason is that Schulenburg is building and installing air conditioning, and the noise of the workers has affected the work of the chancellor, and in the hot summer, in order to better serve the German Empire, Crown Prince Frederick invited Lord Bismarck to come to the palace to work and spend the summer heat of Berlin once in 50 years.

Privately, if you have the opportunity to enjoy the coolness of Germany's new technology as soon as possible, why let yourself endure the summer heat, and the most important thing is to prove to the world the solidity of the Hohenzollern-Bismarck political system.

In the imperial womb, General Stockch's attitude towards Prime Minister Bismarck completely confirmed the correctness of Lord Bismarck's idea of killing three birds with one stone, and this time Lord Bismarck finally felt the long-lost respect from the Imperial Navy.

Lord Bismarck has been in the high position of the Prime Minister of the Empire for a long time, and he is accustomed to seeing the sophistication of human feelings, so he naturally understands what false feelings are and what sincere respect is.

Only when it is lost and regained can it be cherished, so the old prime minister in front of General Stockch is no longer the snarky and weird appearance, but in the matter of Major General Dietrich, he has made a fair evaluation and assumed the responsibilities that the imperial government should bear.

"It must be said that General Dietrich made this decision, the responsibility lies with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of me, I just asked General Dietrich to fully cooperate with Minister Barland, but did not give a specific plan for how to cooperate, as an imperial soldier and his staff team, in the face of the enemy, it is normal to make this battle plan, after all, the general's duty is to fight."

"Frankly, I admire Admiral Dietrich for his determination and courage in battle, and although I don't know much about the Navy, I feel a hint of Duke Nelson in Admiral Dietrich, who is worthy of the duties of commander of the Grand Fleet."

A superior who dares to take responsibility and does not hesitate to praise his subordinates, always the most respected leader, today Prime Minister Bismarck's performance is as classic as a textbook.

Admiral Stosch could only thank him and say in return, "As the chief of staff of the navy, I also have a responsibility, and if there is a problem in the decision-making process of the navy, even if General Dietrich's intentions are good, it should be reported to the naval staff first, and then the general staff should report to the government, and the imperial government will decide whether to submit this plan to the Qing state, instead of submitting it to itself." ”

"I take responsibility for the mistakes of the navy, and the responsibility for the change in the Qing plan this time lies with the navy and me. Here, I swear to God that the Prime Minister can trust me that the Navy will not make similar mistakes again! Admiral Stockotch straightened up and swore in a thick voice.

All Prime Minister Bismarck could do was to re-emphasize that the government should also take responsibility, and for a while, the atmosphere in the study of the imperial palace was extremely harmonious.

Crown Prince Frederick, who was watching this scene, quietly winked at his old friend, as if to say, "Hey, Sioux people, I said it earlier, respect is the best glue in work." ”

In a blink of an eye, I saw Joey who was competing with a large bottle of Coke, and couldn't help laughing, "Jojo, it seems that there is something wrong with the extension of our European policy in Asia, do you have any new ideas to say?" ”

"Hmm...."Joey hesitated for a long time, and said a little unconfidently, "Or, we will apologize again for this battle plan?!" ”

"Nope! Never! The old prime minister raised his eyebrows and said categorically and directly.

"It's definitely a bad idea, Jojo, trust me!" General Stockch also clearly disagreed.

After the old prime minister and General Storsch glanced at each other, the old prime minister nodded slightly, opened his mouth and said, "The dignity of the empire is supreme, we can say sorry to the suffering Qing people, but the empire, the Hohenzollern family, and the German government will never say sorry to another country, a government!" The old prime minister looked at Joy and said slowly, "This is the principle and the bottom line." ”

"Whatever the reasons for General Dietrich's decision, you must always remember that this decision was made by General Dietrich as commander of the Imperial forces at the front, and those of us in the rear have only unconditional support, which is why the Prussian army is invincible on the European continent."

The top and bottom have the same desire, and they will win when they fight, this is the truth.

The old chancellor now likes Joey more and more, and likes that he can always come up with some weird ideas in a different way, bringing a lot of new ideas to the diplomatic field of the German Empire, but sometimes he will be angry with Joey, and he will always be a little inexplicably soft-hearted, and in this jungle world, anyone who has a good and soft heart will only be eaten by those black-hearted politicians in the end.

Prime Minister Bismarck didn't want this kid with a bit of his own diplomatic talent to be swallowed alive by that group of black-hearted guys, so he has been beating Joey mainly lately.

In the eyes of the old prime minister, Frederick and his wife were so fond of the little guy that they didn't even blame him, and it seemed that sometimes he should bear the burden of shining leather boots kicking the little guy's ass.

But after the beating, looking at the little person in front of him, he nodded honestly and admitted his mistake, and the old prime minister suddenly moved his heart of compassion again, and continued, "Besides, Prussia defeated France, but it cost 5 billion francs, and Dietrich, a fool, only asked for 60 million francs from Qing to destroy Japan?" ”

"You know, the biggest regret in my life is that I underestimated France's financial resources, and the reparations of only five billion francs were too underestimated by the French, and those French people made up four and five billion francs at the end of 73 and drove us out of France with money."

"Therefore, General Dietrich really underestimates the financial resources of the Qing State, and if the Qing Kingdom does not pay the price of five billion francs, I will not approve this matter!" The old prime minister raised his eyebrows, like a lion looking down on the world.

Joey grinned silently, "Five billion francs, about eight hundred million taels of silver, well, this price is in line with the conditions of Germany's offer, Master Bismarck is indeed Lord Bismarck, the transaction is fair!" ”

Admiral Stockch looked at the smiling little Joey, and couldn't help but rub Joey's head vigorously, telling Joey a joke he had just heard, "Dietrich, this guy, the battle plan is indeed very reckless, but this reckless plan still scared the Japanese, before I came to the Imperial Palace, some generals in the Imperial General Staff Headquarters and the War Department specially approached me, saying that the Japanese military attache in Berlin made a suggestion to them, which seems very ridiculous to me. ”

Looking at the inquiring glances cast by the crown prince, the prime minister and Joey, Admiral Stockch shrugged his shoulders and said incredulously, "The Japanese military has conveyed such a message through several generals that Japan is willing to pay 20 million taels of silver, about 10 million gold marks, to invite the Grand Fleet to attack the Qing Kingdom together with the Japanese army. ”

"The Grand Fleet only needs to be responsible for the artillery bombardment of the Qing State's Dagu Pass, as for the follow-up landing and attack, the Japanese Army is willing to undertake the main attack task, such as forcing the Qing State to sign an indemnity contract, the Japanese are willing to take out another 60% of the Qing State indemnity to pay the Grand Fleet."

"Oh, is it the same as the old Prussian ancestors, another modern version of the mercenary career, whoever pays more money will fight for whom?" Crown Prince Frederick and Lao Zai glanced at each other, and this thought invariably appeared in their minds.

"Although General Dietrich's battle plan scared Qing Guo back, the Japanese bit this hook!" Joey jumped up excitedly.

"Let the Japanese remit the money first, and tell the Japanese that this money is not enough for the German Grand Fleet to attack the Qing State, but the Prime Minister just said that Japan is worth five billion francs in our eyes, and the larger Qing State, in our eyes, is worth at least two billion francs."

"Therefore, this money can only be used as a credit guarantee for the German Grand Fleet not to attack Japan for the time being, and we do not guarantee that if the Qing Dynasty pays five billion francs, the Grand Fleet will not do anything to Japan."

Joey shouted in a sharp voice, although there was still a hint of milk in his voice during the voice change, but the vicious bandit flavor in his words was very much in line with the taste of Master Bismarck, who had the nickname of "Xingaosen Robber Knight", and the bandit-style diplomacy of robbing while the fire was hot, but Lao Zai had relied on it for many years to become famous in Europe.

After Bismarck winked at Crown Prince Frederick and Admiral Stockch, the three adults decided to see how far Joey, the new robber, or pirate, could go.

"Of course, as long as Japan pays 20 billion francs, the Grand Fleet will definitely cooperate with Japan to enter the capital of the Qing Kingdom, which is also a serious commitment!"

"I also want to tell the Japanese that we have regarded the proposal of the Japanese military attache in Berlin as an inquiry in a serious transaction, and that Germany accepts the inquiry of the Japanese, and that as long as Japan meets Germany's offer of 20 billion francs, they will be able to trigger the transaction, and in order to ensure the seriousness of this transaction, the Japanese must pay a deposit, and the amount of the deposit is the 10 million gold marks that the Japanese say! Otherwise, the Grand Fleet wouldn't mind sailing to Japan once and begging for it in person! ”

"To say such a shameless thing, Joey does have the qualities of a good diplomat." The old prime minister's eyes twinkled like stars in the night sky.

"Also, we also have to inform the Qing State that the Japanese invited Germany to attack together through official diplomatic channels, and tell our Qing friends that in the face of an asking price higher than double the price we promised to Qing Guo, the German government has kept its original intention, and we hope that Qing Guo can reward our loyalty, and the amount of this bonus for loyalty should be 10 million taels of silver that General Dietrich said." Joey shook his fist and shouted excitedly.

"If a fleet is placed there, and nothing is done, Qiao Qiao can come up with a request for merit on both sides, and open his mouth to extort 30 million taels of silver and 15 million gold marks from the Qing and Japanese countries?! If Jojo is really in charge of Imperial diplomacy, oh my God, this is a crime..."

Admiral Stockch finally understood who was the real pirate king in the nineteenth-century world tide between diplomats and the navy.

"Everyone says that the navy is a gold-swallowing beast with a bottomless appetite, but according to Qiaoqiao's thinking, the navy is a gold-swallowing beast, and it is simply a goose that lays golden eggs. If this can be done, I think my old friend, the ideal of having a large fleet will not have so much resistance within the Empire. "Crown Prince Frederick suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and at last there was something that could prove the correctness of the German Empire's development of the navy.

"Jojo is right, but I have to warn you that there are a few things to be aware of." The old prime minister, who tried to hide his pride, became a stern teacher again.

"First, we must be clear about the reasons behind the fact that the Japanese do not go through the regular diplomatic channels, but through the military attachés, the channels of the German military."

"Second, although the Japanese offer is good, we don't know whether they can afford it, and we need Japan to prove that they have the ability to pay."

"Third, if the Japanese can't make a lump sum payment, we need what Japan will compensate for, and this homework must be done first."

"Fourthly, what would these actions be if the Japanese just wanted us to let our guard down and prepare to make some moves behind our backs? And are you prepared for the worst? ”

"In the end, the Qing State reacted with weakness that was beyond our expectations, and we must think about how to use this weakness to neither let us fall into it nor let us miss anything."