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At seven o'clock in the evening of the 26th, Chancellor Bismarck came to the palace as promised, and only Crown Prince Frederick and Joey, Crown Princess Victoria and other members of the Hohenzollern family were still busy with the final end of the charity event in Berlin Cathedral.

When Crown Prince Frederick and Chancellor Bismarck walked into the study together, Joy was still on the sofa in the corner of the study carefully reading the newspapers of the last three days, not only in Britain and France, but also in Russia.

Thanks to the many years of correspondence between Toprussia and the Russian court, Joey was barely fluent in Russian, but it took more time to read Russian newspapers than he did with English and French newspapers.

Judging from the latest newspaper reports of various countries on the day of the 26th, apart from the fact that the left and right wings of the British public opinion circles continued to fight each other, and that the whole people in France remained as excited as ever, the Russian newspapers continued to discuss the Winter Palace masquerade ball at great length, and did not make any public comments or reports on the Franco-Russian alliance proposed by the French.

While the newspapers in Germany are still staring at the matter, and a small number of professionals are still commenting, most of the attention has turned to the charity of the Berlin Cathedral during Christmas, and what could be more sensational than a group of aristocrats wearing shiny Prussian blue costumes to serve the commoners of Berlin?

During the day, it was easy for Chancellor Bismarck, and the cautious reaction of the British in the morning was in their own diplomatic judgment, and in the same morning news came from the German embassy in St. Petersburg that Alexander II, at the ball last night, had publicly declared that friendship with Prussian Germany was Russia's most precious treasure.

The news of Duchess Pavlovnapa from secret sources also corroborated the German embassy's claim.

The quality of relations between Germany and Russia, or rather, the quality of Russia's foreign relations, is basically transferred by the will of the tsar, so from the point of view of the friendship between the nobles of the two countries, the relations between Germany and Russia are stable, at least so far, the Russians have never found any clumsy excuse to threaten Germany, and the rest is to bargain with the Russians to get what they need.

The French army on the Alsace-Lorraine front also did not make any changes, Paris in the carnival did not shout the move of expanding compulsory conscription, and the French Foreign Ministry also did not trouble Germany, judging from the experience of outsiders, there are moderate factions in the French Eastern Front Army, or old generals called conservatives, and the French Army on the Western Front of Germany will never dare to start a war against Germany alone.

Now it seems that if the sudden incident of Christmas is not intensified again, it will quickly drift away in the wind of history, just like countless diplomatic storms in the past.

As the helmsman of German diplomacy, all you have to do is to find Germany's interests in this fleeting opportunity.

For example, a proper blow to the Danes to seize control of the three straits of Zealand, if successful, would undoubtedly be to control the Baltic Sea, and to protect Prussia's soft belly.

In addition, the three straits of Zealand were too important for the German navy in terms of security, and if the port of Kiel could be locked up, it is estimated that the tense relations between himself and Admiral Stosch could be improved.

On the French side, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's economic reforms are advancing, and it would be unwise to engage in an armed conflict with the French, and now it is up to them to keep their eyes open and see what they can extort from France.

Always blackmailing the poor Frenchman by default, it seems that from the subconscious of Master Bismarck, taking benefits from the French is as natural as taking money from his own wallet.

This proximity between France and Russia may also allow him to convince Emperor Franz to take a proper step forward in the long-delayed agreement of the Three Emperors.

According to the plan discussed in the palace at the end of spring, at the beginning of this summer, he made it clear to the Austro-Hungarian side that the German government agreed to the alliance proposal put forward by Austria-Hungary, but Germany still attached some preconditions, such as the premise of defending Austria-Hungary is not to support Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Russia, which also includes not supporting Austria-Hungary's strategy of advancing eastward, not supporting Austria-Hungary's all-out attack on Ottoman Turkey's European territory, and opposing the inclusion of more Yugoslav nationalities in this huge empire.

For the WYN government, Russia to the north, Germany to the west, and the Kingdom of Italy to the south, either can't be provoked or can't eat, and the only direction that can carry out territorial expansion is the territory of Ottoman Turkey in the east, and the Germans actually do not support their plan to move eastward, if so, what is the point of the German-Austrian alliance?

Before Count Andrásy left WYN and returned to Budapest, the German-Austrian alliance was still on the table of Emperor Franz.

This time France and Russia approached, diplomatically provoking Britain, and geographically threatening Germany, but the impact on the first two was not as good as the fear caused to Austria-Hungary, for the potential threat of war, the Germans had a lot of historical confidence to face calmly, but WYN could not, even if there was such a powerful existence as Marshal Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf, the Archduke of Teschen, Austria-Hungary still had a natural sense of awe for the Russian army that bloodily extinguished the Hungarian rebellion.

If France and Russia were really united, Austria-Hungary would have only two routes, the British Royal Navy would indeed be invincible, but the British Army, forget it, the Austrians never believed that the British Army could reach WYN faster than the Russian Army.

It is estimated that after repeated comparisons, WYN will also have to admit that the national security of Austria-Hungary still depends on the commitment of the German ground military forces.

As for the British, as the little guy said, be patient, be patient, be patient, chase a beautiful English lady, and the German gentleman must constantly show the bright spots in himself in order to attract the attention of the proud woman.

I heard that this little guy seems to be chasing the granddaughter of Empress Eugenie, and although the analogy is a bit vulgar, it does have a little feeling.

The only small regret is that the current ambassador of the empire to Istanbul is still one of his opponents, otherwise letting the Ottomans know something about the inside story may add some trouble to the chaotic Balkans, and help WYN put away that arrogant mood more quickly and be an honest German Catholic housewife.

"I don't know what that cute little guy will say to himself in the face of these thoughts of his own, childish but never lacking interesting and shining ideas." On the way to the palace, Prime Minister Bismarck couldn't believe that he actually had such a mood in his heart.

When Chancellor Bismarck recounted in more detail the diplomatic ideas he had spoken with Crown Prince Frederick at noon, Joey was surprised to find that in a short international diplomatic conflict, the old chancellor wanted to plan so many things in every detail.

Prime Minister Bismarck looked at Joey, his face could not hide the smugness, he tapped the table lightly, and said with a smile, "Jojo, my old brain is still enough, right?!" ”

"My lord, your idea really made my socks fall off! (Note 1)" Joey complimented in a rough slang language, looking at his somewhat puzzled father and prime minister, Joey scratched his head and explained, "This is a new slang term I learned today, which means that everyone wants to see a big man's face, and they all trample off other people's socks. ”

"Oh, I remember." Chancellor Bismarck nodded, "When I was young, after watching a circus show, there were always a lot of lonely shoes left on the ground, and if the socks were all stepped on, it seems that what I said today is really good!" ”

"No, you're comparing me to a circus.... Jojo, don't try to flatter me with a clumsy slang, I've never lacked flattery, so I don't care about your flattery. Prime Minister Bismarck suddenly put away his smile and said extremely seriously, "Let me see your true ability, don't let me look down on you!" ”

Although Joey's face was embarrassed, he secretly rejoiced in his heart, and it seemed that after a year of ideological collision, the old chancellor had finally positioned himself in the role of a suggester and complement of German foreign policy.

And this kind of role, in fact, is also Joey's favorite, looking at problems from an independent third perspective, which is very much in line with the role of providing professional advice to clients in his previous life.

Just do it, dragging mud and water has never been Joey's character.

"Judging by the wording of the British Foreign Office, this is an empirical statement that plays down the conflict, but such a statement does not seem to be suitable for a ruling Conservative government in the current British political environment."

"Looking at the British newspapers in recent years, Prime Minister Disraeli's government has always been a hardliner in terms of foreign policy, whether it is in the Russian-Turkish war, or on the Suez Canal, Afghanistan and Zulu issues, it is rare to see Prime Minister Disraeli make such a low-key diplomatic statement, which can even be described as weak."

"I have also read the defense of Prime Minister Disraeli in The Times, and if I had placed it at other times, I might have been able to fully understand it, but at this critical moment, when the general election of the British Parliament is about to begin, I really can't understand why the Conservative government does not take this opportunity to stir up British public opinion and strengthen its Conservative Party position."

"The abnormal Conservative government makes me feel uneasy." Joey shook his head.

"Jojo, what do you think prompted the British government to be so cautious this time?" Crown Prince Frederick asked.

"No, I don't know." Joey continued to shake his head, "I have some guesses, but I think they're too unlikely, and probably my hypothesis with insufficient evidence. ”

"Jojo, just say it." Chancellor Bismarck suddenly spoke, "I need your wild conjectures, and we will judge whether they are correct or not." ”

"Hmm." Joey nodded, thought about it carefully, and then slowly spoke, "First, it may be that the Disraeli government doesn't care about this matter, but the evidence that can support this point of view can only be supported by the ridicule of the French and Russian navies in today's "Times" editorial, but this is only an isolated piece of evidence in the newspaper, and it cannot be confirmed or falsified. ”

"Second, the British newspapers used this incident to attack each other fiercely from different positions of the two parties, but the basic starting point was to be dissatisfied with the military action of the Russians, which is enough to prove that the Russians have in fact angered the British social elite.

And Mr. Disraeli is still so calm, either he still has a strong backhand enough to appease the British elite, or the prime minister is very sick and no longer strong enough to control everything as before. ”

"I have no evidence of the former point, which will take time to prove, and the latter point is seriously ill, and I asked the Allensbach Institute of Investigation to do a statistical work, and from January 1876, the number of hospitalizations and visits to the countryside for the recuperation of Prime Minister Disraeli due to illness has increased year by year, and this year it has reached a peak of 17 sick leave, with a total of 93 days, the longest of which is 27 days."

"In addition, many British newspapers have hinted that the reason why Prime Minister Disraeli is on vacation is mostly because of headaches, insomnia, easy falls and heavy drinking."

Chancellor Bismarck and Crown Prince Frederick glanced at each other, and both of them knew that the great power of the Allensbach Institute of Investigation, which had only been established for half a year, was particularly adept at extracting some wonderful ideas from open sources, such as newspapers, periodicals, and academic papers in various countries, which could always give great support to their decisions, both politically and economically.

"So, Alensbach thinks that Mr. Disraeli is very ill?" Crown Prince Frederick asked solemnly, "You arranged a special study?" ”

"Yes father, the researchers in Ahrensbach handed over the symptoms of Prime Minister Disraeli that had been publicly collected to several of our country's leading physicians for an anonymous joint diagnosis of the condition, and the doctors were inclined to have these symptoms as serious brain diseases." Joey nodded in acknowledgement.

"How serious is it that you can't govern?" Chancellor Bismarck immediately asked.

"Well," Joey muttered, "from the analysis of the collected data, this conclusion cannot be reached, and the analysis of the work results of the British government in the past four years shows that Prime Minister Disraeli's work score is more than 4 points. ”

"This strong old fellow." Chancellor Bismarck shook his head.

"But a young investigator from Allensbach, a young investigator called Azendorf Ludwig (note 2), discovered an interesting phenomenon." Joey was a little hesitant to tell Bismarck the conclusions of the study.

"Assendo Ludwig, what did he find?"

"Your Excellency, his name is Adamdorf Ludwig, from Bentwisch in Rostock, and his father, Ernst von Ludwig, served in the 7th "von Seydlitz" cuirassiers, also known as your regiment, and participated in the victory of Wyonville with Sir Herbert during the Franco-Prussian War. ”

Prime Minister Bismarck waved his hand, signaling that Joey himself knew, urging Joey to get to the point as soon as possible.

"Mr. Ludwig found an interesting phenomenon that before 1876, Prime Minister Disraeli took an average of 19.5 days to formulate a policy, and the success rate of policy implementation was more than 90 percent, but after 1876, the time to formulate policy was rapidly reduced, and this year the average time for the disraeli government to formulate a policy was only 4.1 days, and the policy success rate dropped to 67.9 percent."

"Of course, there are many reasons for this, such as the disraeli government simplifying the decision-making process, or putting in place a more efficient executive structure, or using the Conservative whip to spur Conservative members to give more support to the government in Parliament."

"I'm going to listen to the best possible." Chancellor Bismarck sank deep into the couch and said to Joey.

"Most likely, we suspect that Prime Minister Disraeli will not have enough energy to support the long process of policy discussions, and will have to rely on a short period of time to make the most favorable decision."

"So, you and Asendorf-Ludwig of Allensbach are still inclined to Monsieur Disraeli to be very sick?" Crown Prince Frederick asked word for word.

"Yes, Father. If we analyze it further, even if Prime Minister Disraeli is seriously ill and only has a short time to think, his decision-making rate is still a terrible 70%, so I am worried that there is something hidden in this British diplomatic statement, and maybe something bad for us. ”

"I can't figure out what it is." Joey shrugged his shoulders and shook his head helplessly, "But, father and my lord, if you want to hear my thoughts, my advice is to wait and see, I have a vague sense that something may happen, maybe after the New Year, maybe later." ”

"Jojo, what do you think will happen?" After Crown Prince Frederick finished asking Joey, he turned his head to look at Chancellor Bismarck, and the two saw curiosity in each other's eyes.

"A British newspaper gave me the feeling." After speaking, Joey moved the corner of the sofa where he was sitting, the neatly folded newspapers, to the back of the crown prince's desk, and Joey specially found three newspapers from them, all of which were the British "Daily Telegraph".

Joey pointed to the newspaper he had picked out and said, "I've been reading the front pages of all the British newspapers these days, whether it's the Manchester Guardian, The Times, The Observer, The Morning Star, the Daily Mirror, and so on. ”

"On the 25th, the Daily Telegraph devoted only a small section to a very simple report on the arrival of Russian warships in France, and it was silent and silent at a time when Britain was arguing so much today, which is very abnormal."

"According to the British public opinion credit survey conducted by Allensbach, the Daily Telegraph is currently the best newspaper in the UK in terms of news seriousness, objectivity of reporting, and timeliness of emergencies.

"It never rains but it pours has always been the style of the Telegraph, and I personally think that we should leave a few days for the reporters and gentlemen of the Daily Telegraph, and perhaps they will surprise us."

"No matter how you look at it, time is Prime Minister Disraeli's worst enemy, but fortunately, time is our friend."

Note 1: Knocked my Socks off is a slang term that means to beat me, and by extension, breathtaking

Note 2: The first trick appears, sprinkle flowers!