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"Your Excellency Prime Minister, your country's statement is nothing more than a threat of war, and the provocative actions of your army on the German-French border have brought Germany and France to the brink of war. The British Empire objected to the possibility of war on the European continent, especially between Germany and France. Any attempt to undermine peace in Europe is not in the interests of the United Kingdom, and the British Government will not sit idly by. ”

"Oh, dear Lord Marquess of Salisbury, as far as I know, my esteemed Prime Minister Disraeli likes to call my mother-in-law, Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Her Majesty the Fairy Queen. Now, I would just like to ask the question of how the British Government would react if the French openly painted Her Majesty the Queen with a pear face in the newspapers. ”

"As a student and son-in-law of the British, I am very willing to urge my country, my government, to act according to the model of modern civilization, that is, the British government."

"In the same way, as an admirer of liberal thought in Britain, I will ask my friends in the British press to do a survey on the above question, because I would like to hear the advice of the British people."

"Or you can ask the House of Commons, in the face of such shameless behavior by France, do the upright British parliamentarians demand that the cannon sound be echoed by the shamelessness of the French, or do they agree with the British government to smile and embrace the bastard French?"

Crown Prince Frederick picked up a thick, unshaped book in his hand, flipped to the page marked with a bookmark, and read it slowly.

"According to the British Imperial Code, as explained in the Treason Act 1351, any act of insulting the English crown is defined as treason."

Crown Prince Frederick closed the book casually, his eyes were fixed on Foreign Minister Cecil, and he said calmly, "In the constitution of the German Empire, we also recognize that any act of insulting the Kaiser is treason. ”

After that, he stared at Cecil's Foreign Minister and stopped talking, and the eyes of the room followed, which also fell on Cecil's body.

Foreign Minister Cecil felt a little embarrassed by the feeling of crampedness that he had not felt for many years, and originally thought that the main purpose of his visit to Germany was to communicate with the German Foreign Ministry. At most, that is, with Bismarck, who was in charge of diplomacy. ，

I really didn't expect and didn't prepare that Crown Prince Frederick would appear in this negotiation, and he was obviously the protagonist of this negotiation.

Cecil naturally did not dare to use some small tricks on the German Foreign Office and the old chancellor, and the preparations in advance became useless.

In desperation, Foreign Minister Cecil had to take out his handkerchief again and pretend to wipe his forehead.

"Oh.... It seems that the weather in Berlin has been too hot lately, dear Robert, I suggest you try this drink called Coca-Cola, in any case, it is better than a frequent handkerchief. ”

As soon as Crown Prince Frederick's words fell, laughter erupted in the conference room of the Berlin Foreign Ministry.

With this burst of laughter, Foreign Minister Cecil took advantage of the situation to get out of the predicament.

"Dear Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I understand your anger, but peace on the European continent is not easy to come by, let's put the monster of war in a cage first, you must know that if there is a war between Germany and France, no matter who wins or loses, it will only make the monster in the north profit." Foreign Minister Cecil squeezed the handkerchief in his hand with a calm expression and said with a smile.

"If the British are willing to sit on the sidelines, Germany can solve the affairs of the north." The old prime minister looked at the chubby British man in front of him and said indifferently.

"That's the problem." Foreign Minister Cecil shrugged his shoulders, "The British government does not want to see a resumption of war on the European continent. ”

"Germany has always been Britain's staunchest ally and friend on the Continent, and our friendship began as early as the time of Frederick the Great, would the English want to see Germany so insulted by the French?" The old prime minister tightened his brows and asked in a loud voice.

"It is precisely because I am a former ally and a friend that I have come to Berlin to personally persuade my most respected friends that a war between continental countries will not benefit anyone."

"Your Excellency, I think what you have to say is that this war is not in the interest of Britain." The old prime minister interrupted coldly, "Because I really can't think of any harm it can do to Germany." ”

"Your Excellency, the interests of Britain and the interests of Germany are identical, and you will not think that it is in the interests of Germany that Britain is on the side of France and Russia, right?" Foreign Minister Cecil was not afraid of the stern gaze of the old prime minister, and continued to smile, "Friends, if you do not use war as the only tool to resolve the conflict between the two countries, and are willing to sit down and negotiate first, the British government is very happy to see it, and it is always willing to stand side by side with your friends who hold peace and Germany." ”

This is a naked threat, and of course nineteenth-century Britain had the confidence to say such things to anyone.

No matter how hot the weather in Berlin is, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly drops to freezing.

Containment, after the Franco-Prussian War, the British have always been containing Germany, even at the cost of standing with Britain's current worst enemy, the Russians. Germany can defeat the French again, and it may be able to withstand the Russians with its teeth, but in any case, it is impossible to hold Britain, France and Russia on its back.

Compromise, like waltzing, takes a step back in order to take two steps forward.

"Dear Robert, I don't think it should be a matter of negotiation, but how the French will atone for their sins, otherwise there is no talk of it." Crown Prince Frederick happily drew the bottom line.

"Dear Highness the Crown Prince, I agree that the fault in this matter lies with France." Cecil also set the tone cheerfully.

"But I wonder what my German friends want the French to do to atone for their sins in the midst of this terrible mistake?" After greeting Crown Prince Frederick, Cecil turned his gaze to Chancellor Bismarck, signaling that he was willing to accept the German bottom line and was willing to bargain on it.

"Ahem!" Count Bülow, Secretary of State of the German Foreign Office, cleared his throat and said slowly:

"1. The French government must issue a formal apology."

"2. The French government must close down the newspapers and media that are disrespectful to the Kaiser and the German Chancellor."

"3. The heads of the French press and the media must be tried by the German courts."

"4. The French government is not effective in supervising the news media, and must pay compensation to the German royal family and government for this matter, and the amount should not be less than 100 million gold francs."

"5. The French government must reduce the number of troops stationed on the German-French border, and the number of permanent troops in the French army should not exceed the level of 1874, that is, not more than 150,000."

"6. The cause of the dispute between Germany and France was instigated by the French, and France must compensate Germany for the wear and tear in the process of military mobilization, and the amount of compensation should not be less than 100 million gold francs."

Cecil glanced at the Germans present and said with a smile, "Your Highness, Your Excellency, Your Excellency the Count, this is our civilized way of settling disputes in Europe, and I am glad that my friends have made a request." ”

"But, from the point of view of a friend, it is certainly necessary for the British government to make some suggestions for the demands of the German friends." Cecil bared his neat white teeth, like a harmless fat bunny, smiling.

Crown Prince Frederick and Bismarck looked at each other and knew that the British had begun to bargain for themselves under the guise of the French.

A seasoned diplomat of an established empire certainly knows when and how to make his demands.

"An apology is necessary, and the specific content can be negotiated, but the closure of the media is really against the principle of freedom of speech."

"The content of the apology must meet Germany's requirements, which is non-negotiable, and the closure of the media is due to the criminal conduct of these media outlets, which has nothing to do with freedom of expression."

"I am afraid that the arrest of the head of the press and his trial in Germany will not be acceptable to those arrogant Frenchmen."

"The heads of these newspapers violated German law and did not accept the punishment of German law, and proud Germans could not accept this humiliation either."

"But they are, after all, French, not Germans, and in principle German law has no right to govern a Frenchman ...."

"Your Excellency the Foreign Minister, the French slander against His Majesty the Emperor is a serious civil case, and under the laws of the British Empire, the English courts may exercise jurisdiction as long as an act taken abroad produces an effect in the United Kingdom, whether or not the perpetrator has his own nationality or domicile, and whether or not the act is in accordance with local law, and as long as the nature of such effect or effect gives rise to a cause of action relating to an Englishman."

The man who interrupted Cecil's foreign minister was Dr. Karl von Hoffmann, the newly established German Minister of the Interior in 1879, a professor of law at Humboldt University's Faculty of Law, who was well versed in common and civil law.

Cecil turned his head to look at the legal counsel in his entourage, and the senior legal adviser of the British Foreign Office nodded lightly, signaling to Foreign Minister Cecil that in British law, there is indeed such a long-arm law principle.

After seeing Foreign Minister Cecil's affirmative reply, Dr. Hoffmann continued, "In the same way, the same long-arm principle existed in the civil law of the German Empire. ”

"Dr. Hoffmann, I noticed that you are talking about civil law, that is, Germany will not use criminal law to sentence a Frenchman to death?" Cecil was alert to the difference.

"Isn't it up to the judge to decide who to sentence for what crime, my esteemed Foreign Minister, when will a British government official who respects the law be able to take the place of a judge?" The old chancellor said lukewarmly, "The German Empire is a country governed by the rule of law, and it should be decided by the German judges what the French are guilty of, and the adjudication power is not in the hands of the German government." ”

"Haha." Cecil laughed coolly, and said in his heart, "Damn it, this place is waiting for me, and I still don't miss a flaw in saying that it should be judged by a German judge, what a cunning old fellow." ”

"This group of stubborn Germans is really well prepared, and they really refuse to back down at all!" After scolding in his heart, Cecil smiled and changed the topic, "The British government welcomes the reduction of the number of troops stationed on the German-French border, which is conducive to peace between the two sides, but Germany only unilaterally asks France to reduce the number of troops in the garrison, without talking about Germany's reciprocal measures, which seems unreasonable." ”

"Your Excellency, according to the peace agreement between Germany and France in 1873, Germany has the right to maintain more than 300,000 troops on the border in Alsace and Lorraine, and this contract has been approved by the French Parliament and approved by successive French governments." The Secretary of State, Count Bloe, replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"But in this contract, there is no stipulation on the number of French troops, and now the number of French troops is required to be half that of Germany, I am afraid that the French government will not be able to accept it, after all, the French are afraid of you. On the European continent, the German Army, like the Royal Navy, was an invincible presence. ”

Cecil tried again to change tactics, trying to flatter the Germans.

"The Royal Navy has a glorious history of more than 200 years, and the German Army is nothing but young children, both in history and honor, dear Robert, your praise for the German Army, but this group of young children cannot afford it." Crown Prince Frederick remained sober.

"Dear Royal Highness the Crown Prince, this is not an exaggeration, the German Empire, in addition to having a great army, under the wise leadership of the Prime Minister, has surpassed France in the output of pig iron, steel and coal, and is about to catch up with the level of the British."

"I dare not accept the praise of the Foreign Minister, for according to the results of a survey conducted by the University of Cambridge in your country, in 1878 Britain accounted for 30 per cent of the world's industrial production, while Germany was only 15 per cent, and Britain was still great in comparison." Lord Bismarck's mind was no worse than that of Crown Prince Frederick.

"Haha!" Foreign Minister Cecil laughed and cursed, "What a bunch of goddamn bastards! ”

"In any case, it is a fact that Germany has surpassed France in all aspects, which must be acknowledged, so I would like to ask my German friends to consider whether the amount of French reparations demanded should be less, for example, only a symbolic amount, how about it?" Foreign Minister Cecil has made a new proposal.

"Foreign Minister, although Germany's share of industrial production just surpassed that of France in '78, this does not mean that Germany is richer than France. You know, the French can easily come up with 14.5 billion francs in 73 years. Bismarck continued indifferently, "Had it not been for the insistence of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederick, a symbolic claim of 200 million francs from the French, in fact the German government would have claimed two billion francs." ”

Cecil straightened up, carefully glanced at the Germans in the room, and said in a rather sincere tone, "Gentlemen, if Germany and France want peace talks to continue, I suggest that you always show sincerity. ”

Chancellor Bismarck leaned back, leaned back in his chair, and spread his hands, "Your Excellency, do you think that this request is not sincere?" If so, is the German government, out of respect for Her Majesty the Empress, willing to wait a few more months before opening Franco-German peace talks, for example, after next year's British parliamentary election? ”

"Perhaps, a liberal government understands the meaning of respecting the law better than a Conservative government, and it is easier to communicate?" Bismarck looked at the Englishman in front of him and smiled meaningfully.

"I didn't expect the Prime Minister to think so highly of Mr. Gladstone, and I'm really happy for the liberals in Britain, but the Prime Minister is so convinced that Mr. Gladstone will win?" The smile on Cecil's face was even bigger, and it was a completely victorious expression.

"Before the Kurds massacre Armenian Catholics, I believe Prime Minister Disraeli's re-election is a foregone conclusion." Chancellor Bismarck said sincerely, "Before the Zulu War, before the Afghan War, I sincerely believed that the Conservative government would be re-elected. ”

"But, after this series of terrible diplomatic failures, dear Foreign Minister, do you still think that the British Conservative government should look for victory in this dispute between Germany and France?"

"Your Excellency, why don't you think about it, in fact, the French are the most suitable targets for British diplomatic victory, such as the stake in the Suez Canal?" In Cecil's eyes, the old prime minister was like a devil with rhetoric.

But the devil's sweet words are always the deadliest.

"What a long day, dear Prime Minister and Robert, I suggest that we take a break for a while, and during the coffee break, in addition to the Suez Canal, perhaps we can talk to us about the current Qing Guo issue, and even the application of Professor Richthofen's volcanic theory to the Japanese gold mines, which can bring great prestige to my esteemed Prime Minister Disraeli and his government."

The son-in-law of the British always understands the paranoia of the British gentleman under the face of a gentleman.