Royal Bronton Hospital, Royal Kensington-Chelsea Central London.

In early December, Prime Minister Disraeli, who was canvassing for the general election in April next year, had just returned to London from Scotland, and immediately passed out at 10 Downing Street, and was then rushed to the Royal Bronton Hospital, the best in the United Kingdom.

After three days in a coma, the first person Prime Minister Disraeli saw when he opened his eyes was Foreign Minister Cecil, whom he trusted the most.

"Hi Robert, hello!" Prime Minister Disraeli looked at Cecil with a sad face and joked, "We haven't seen each other for a long time, why is your face full of thoughts for me, am I not a 75-year-old old man but some kind of young girl?" ”

"My lord, this joke is not funny at all." Cecil shook his head helplessly, "You've been in a coma for three days, and the doctors say that your illness is very serious, and it's likely that you will be measured in months..."

"Eighteen months, right?" Disraeli raised his hand and patted it gently, sitting on the edge of the bed Cecil's forearm, "I have known for a long time that my illness will allow me to stay in this world for a maximum of 18 months." Robert, our lives belong to God Almighty, and every day we live in this world is a blessing for a devout Christian. ”

"Okay, Robert, I know my body, please help me sit up, and talk about the things I don't know about the past few days." Disraeli shook his head slightly, motioning for Foreign Minister Cecil to talk about business.

Foreign Minister Cecil was well aware of the Prime Minister's temper, and the things he decided would be a waste of words for anyone to discuss, and after helping the Prime Minister sit up straight, Cecil simply reported to work.

"My lord, the test results of the third batch of samples from the Japanese gold mine are out." Cecil decided to start with the good news.

"Oh, is it the same as the first two batches?"

"It's even better, my lord, the twenty sets of samples in the third batch are higher than the forty groups in the first two batches." Cecil smiled and nodded, "According to the final conclusion of British and German miners, the location of the third batch of samples should be the core vein area of this gold mine. ”

"In the end, the total expected production from the mine is more than 170 tonnes of gold, with an average grade of 100g per tonne of gold ore. My lord, this grade is more than 15 times the best known gold grade to date. ”

"Shhhh

"And, unlike the usual pyrite and lead-zinc associated gold mines, this gold mine in Japan is of the gold-silver type, and its silver reserves are expected to exceed 20 million tonnes."

"Haha, Robert, I think I'm half better." Prime Minister Disraeli even began to signal Foreign Minister Cecil that he should go find a bottle of whiskey to celebrate.

Cecil shook his head and rejected Prime Minister Disraeli's poor suggestion, continuing, "Berlin has expressed the hope that the Anglo-German joint mining exploration team can continue to cooperate, and they believe that there are still some high-grade gold mines in Japan. Cecil paused and continued.

"The intention of the Chancellor Bismarck, if Britain agrees, that Germany can contribute their knowledge of geological prospecting to search for high-grade gold mines with the Reich, and that, according to Bismarck's telegraph hints, Germany has some similar gold clues."

"Oh...."Calm down, Prime Minister Disraeli gently tapped his fingers on the side of the bed, "Robert, what do you think?" ”

"The Germans want to bind us to them through interests, especially the interests of gold." In the words of Foreign Minister Cecil.

"Are East Asian regional interests bound or global interests?"

"Yes, sir. With our acquiescence, the Germans received four special zones from the Qing people. Foreign Minister Cecil raised a frown, "Actually, it's four colonies, but in a Gladstone-esque garb." ”

"The Germans did not have the right to garrison troops in the Qing Kingdom, so they need to use our forces in East Asia to maintain the security of the above-mentioned colonies, and the gold mines of Japan are the protection money that Germany pays to us in disguise."

"Hehe, Robert, whose idea do you think it was to use Japanese gold mines as protection money?"

"Well, I guess it's the eldest princess's husband, His Highness Frederick's thoughts."

"Yes, according to the stubbornness of Master Bismarck, he would not do this, and use financial interests as bargaining chips in everything, which is the usual practice of liberals, and His Royal Highness Frederick deserves to be a good student of Mr. Gladstone." Prime Minister Disraeli nodded.

"I just don't know whether the Germans are going to deal with colonial affairs in our way, or in the French way, Robert, what do you think?"

"My lord, it's hard to say, the Germans' strategy in the colonies is still very vague, although we have seen their attitude towards the Qing Dynasty, but after all, there are our factors in this, they have obtained several colonies in the Bohai Bay of the Qing Kingdom, and have begun to invite our people to jointly manage them, especially in terms of economy and trade, whether it is a British merchant or a German merchant, the conditions enjoyed are equal."

"Judging from the results of this purge of the country, the Germans did not attempt to challenge our authority in East Asia while gaining great benefits."

"But in Africa, they act like a marauder, and they are moving very fast, and in the Congo River there are already clashes with adventurers financed by His Majesty Leopold, who has already brought the complaint to Her Majesty the Empress, hoping that Her Majesty will mediate the conflict between her German relatives."

"What about Egypt and South Africa?" Prime Minister Disraeli thought for a moment and asked again.

"My lord, the news from the German Foreign Office privately, Chancellor Bismarck, tells us that he has drawn two red lines for the German adventurers, north and south, far away from Egypt and South Africa, and from the current progress of the Germans, it seems that they are advancing more into the interior of Africa."

"Heading inland?" Prime Minister Disraeli frowned, "Doesn't it mean that the interior of Africa is full of unknown dangers, such as sleeping sickness and so on, such terrible diseases?" ”

"Yes, these terrible diseases have always been a great threat to Europeans exploring Africa, and I originally thought that the Germans would be equally helpless in the face of these terrible diseases, but there is no shortage of crazy guys in this world, and it is said that in September a new group of Germans rushed to West Africa, under the banner of some charity, to use African blacks to test some new German drugs."

"If it turns out that the drugs can alleviate the symptoms, the group of madmen that the Germans have found from their own death row prisoners, they will continue to venture inland with those black servants."

"How effective are the drugs of the Germans?" Prime Minister Disraeli gets straight to the point.

"The information from the intelligence officers had some effect on blacks, but considering the racial differences between whites and blacks, the Germans were not sure whether these poisons would work on white Europeans."

"Poison?"

"Yes, my lord, arsenic, this poison."

"Crazy man, actually give this to black people, is this treating them or poisoning them..... Robert, pay more attention to this group of German maniacs. ”

"Of course, when those German lunatics get out of the jungle, our intelligence officers will immediately report back the news." Foreign Minister Cecil replied.

"Well, Robert, you need to understand one thing, His Majesty Leopold is trapped at the mouth of the Congo River and can't penetrate deep into the interior of the Congo, and it's because of these damn diseases, if the poison of the Germans can work, you need to let His Majesty Leopold know."

"Her Majesty the Fairy Empress will be glad that we can help His Majesty Leopold." Prime Minister Disraeli patted Cecil on the arm, "It's still the same, as long as you don't touch and threaten Egypt and South Africa of the British Empire, the Germans will toss around." ”

"But the Germans should also be reminded to reaffirm the British Empire's commitment to Belgium and Portugal, and that we will always defend the interests of Belgium and Portugal."

"Yes, sir." Foreign Minister Cecil drew a horizontal line under Belgium and Portugal in the notebook at hand.

"What else did the restless Germans do?"

"Originally, according to the judgment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the speech of His Majesty Wilhelm I in the port of Kiel, the Germans would take the opportunity to expand the size of the navy and raise a new wave of shipbuilding, but the latest information we have received from the German government is that the Germans have ended the shipbuilding program of 1873 ahead of schedule, and the latest plan submitted by the German Navy, until 1883, they have no new warship construction plan."

"Oh, didn't you say that a new fee of 50 million marks was approved, so that the German Navy would not build warships?" Prime Minister Disraeli asked in surprise.

"Yes, my lord, part of this money is used as the cost of the German Marines, and the other part is invested in naval education, according to the opinion of the Royal Navy intelligence officers who have long observed the German Grand Fleet, the overall level of the German Grand Fleet is low, and this is a problem that the Germans need to solve urgently."

"After all, the Germans don't have anything decent naval officers to take their hands on, and I think the Germans themselves realized this time. So they began to recruit retired naval instructors and officers in the UK, and made requests through diplomatic channels in the hope of engaging in military exchanges with the Royal Navy. ”

Prime Minister Disraeli just listened with a blank face and did not say anything.

"According to the information published in Germany, the additional income of 450 million marks this time was basically used by His Royal Highness Frederick in the economic field, and it seems that the Germans hope to breathe a sigh of relief from the economic crisis that began in 1873."

"Originally, the German Navy hoped to create a plan for a large fleet in 1883 that would not be inferior to that of France, but now it seems that this was not an easy task for the Germans."

"As for the establishment of the Marine Corps by the Germans, this was expected by us half a year ago, and Germany must have military support to seek overseas colonies, and the Marine Corps is the most suitable candidate."

"There is only one point that exceeds our expectations, I originally thought that according to the Prussian practice of forming an army, the size of the Marine Corps should be at least 2-3 divisions, but I did not expect the Germans to be so cautious that it was less than the size of a full Prussian infantry division."

"On the whole, our previous analysis of His Royal Highness Frederick is correct, and His Royal Highness Frederick, who is pro-British, pays more attention to the German economy and free trade, and is still cautious about expanding Germany's military power." Foreign Minister Cecil concluded.

"So, Robert, the Germans are changing, and the British Empire needs to change too." Prime Minister Disraeli gently tapped his head with the index finger of his right hand.

"The world is big and there is a lot of land, and we can't stop other countries from seeking colonies, but no country should seek to challenge the Royal Navy's sea power in the process of seeking colonies."

"We can tolerate the expansion of the size of the army and the marines, but the expansion of the navy and the challenge to the Royal Navy in terms of ship tonnage must be suppressed!"

"In fact, we want to encourage those countries that have acquired colonies to vigorously develop colonial garrisons and defenses." Prime Minister Disraeli narrowed his eyes at Cecil, smiling with a hint of cunning and coldness.

"My lord, do you mean ...... Professor Herbert Spencer's theory of the relationship between the mother country and the colonies?"

Seeing Prime Minister Disraeli tilt his head, Foreign Minister Cecil understood that he had guessed correctly.

The British colonial policy was completely different from that of the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Spaniards and the French, and at the beginning of the British seeking colony, they consciously or unconsciously pursued a policy of colonial autonomy, of course, this policy of autonomy was not aimed at the autonomy of the natives, but the autonomy of the British white people who emigrated to the colonies.

Over time, after the defeat of the United States on the question of independence, Britain began to relax its autonomy policy even more, and its overseas colonies enjoyed more and more autonomy.

For example, in 1859, the Canadian self-government announced the abolition of the most preferential tariff on British goods and began to impose high tariffs on foreign goods, which made the British government and factory owners angry, but no matter how the British government and the colonial minister protested and threatened, the Canadian self-government did not budge, and finally forced the British government to agree that the colonial self-government had the right to formulate its own trade policy, and the British Imperial Parliament had no right to intervene.

The same thing happened in Australia, where the British wanted to obtain public land in Australia, which was granted by the British government free of charge, but with the increase in immigration, the British government decided to sell Australia's public land, and the final price was one acre and one pound, but this price caused a strong backlash from Australian farmers.

Eventually, in 1852, the British government agreed to relinquish the right to dispose of Australian public land, with other self-governing rights, to the Australian Home Rule Government.

In the eyes of the people of Britain, the white people living in the colonies of Canada and Australia not only manage themselves, but their taxes are lower than those of the British mainland, and their living enjoyment is better, which is simply paradise, but they bear a high tax burden and live like hell in the damp and cold British Isles.

What's worse is that the management fees and security fees of the colonies are paid by the British mainland, and every year on the management and garrison of the colonial government, tens of millions of pounds are spent on the British government, and this huge government expenditure makes the British complain.

The most typical argument is that this unjustified expenditure is protecting the expatriates at the expense of the people of the home country.

The idea of not suffering from a few but suffering from inequality is very democratic and very British, after all, people are selfish, and they only want to give and not ask for anything in return, and they are saints.

So after Prime Minister Disraeli came to power and delivered the Crystal Palace speech, Britain began a large-scale withdrawal of troops from the colonies and gave the colonial self-government the power to defend itself.

On the surface, the withdrawal of colonial garrisons was to save tens of millions of pounds a year in the homeland and save taxpayers, but what was hidden under this surface was the cunning and ruthlessness of the British.

With the rise of continental powers, the British realized that they wanted to concentrate as much as possible on defending the United Kingdom, and entrusted the task of countering foreign aggression against the Empire's distant colonies to the maritime supremacy of the Royal Navy.

Therefore, the withdrawal of the troops stationed in the colonies and the self-government of the colonies to take charge of their own security, while Britain only took on the important task of defending the British Empire in wartime, would not only not bring any weakening to the security of the British Empire, but would make the defense more efficient.

Britain only needs to firmly control the global trade routes, seize sea power, and ensure the security of India, and the British Empire will naturally be safe and sound forever.

No matter how many colonies other countries occupy, in the eyes of veteran British politicians like Disraeli, they are nothing more than islands in the ocean, ready to be cut off from the enemy's mainland by the power of the Royal Navy.

If someone vainly tries to challenge Britain's maritime supremacy, Britain, which has no land defense responsibility, can devote all its forces to developing the Royal Navy, relying on the first-mover advantage and profound heritage of the industrial revolution, to provoke a war and destroy all those who dare to challenge their own sea power.

The British Navy, with confidence, tradition, and strength, is eager to fight another naval battle.

If someone followed the British approach, allowing the colonial government to govern itself and the colonies to govern themselves, the British would laugh even more.

Looking at the entire European continent, no country dares to adopt the constitutional monarchy of the British, and no country has such a huge bourgeois power in Britain, and there is a monarch with real power who is willing to give up the power of the army in his own hands and let the people below go to self-government?

No!

Even the French, who do not have a monarch to claim a republic, play in the colonies without contradictions, instigate contradictions, and expand contradictions if there are contradictions, so that the natives in the colonies are better off fighting each other to the death, and they dare not try the play of the Dominion at all.

Besides, Germany, an emerging country, has no experience in managing colonies, so that after the Germans occupy a bunch of colonies, the British only need to fan the wind and ignite the fire, such as supporting the expansion of His Majesty Leopold and His Majesty Louise in Africa, provoking the contradictions between Peter and Portugal in Africa, and then obtaining benefits by intensifying or stabilizing the contradictions, which is what the British are best at.

Let the Germans taste that if they eat the African colonies, they will consume the money of the national treasury to maintain the law and order of the colonies, and they will be unwilling to vomit out the embarrassing situation of the colonies.

At that time, the colony will not be a tasty fat meat, but more likely a grinding stone around the necks of the Germans, crushing the wealth of the Germans like a stone mill, draining the patience of the German mainland, and causing the people to complain about the Hohenzollerns.

"So, Robert, the Imperial Government is also going to change its policy towards the Germans, and I am prepared to accept the Germans at the expense of the gold mines of Japan, and of other regions, in exchange for our verbal promises, and we encourage the Germans, the present plan of controlled colonial expansion." Disraeli smiled and said, "The Royal Navy is committed to ensuring the safety of the Germans at sea. ”

After glancing at Cecil, who was hesitant, Prime Minister Disraeli guessed what he was thinking, and said with a smile, "Robert, you are worried about next year's general election, and it is likely that the Liberal Coalition led by Gladstone will form a government, right?" ”

"Hehe, Robert, you must only know that in the heart of every Britishman, there is a feeling of the British Empire, and in the face of the interests of the Empire, there is no difference between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party."

"No matter what label we put on us, we are in fact united in a common cause, and our differences and disputes only lie in what means are used to achieve this goal in the end, and we are united in the strategy of the British Empire."

"Don't worry, Mr. Gladstone will say yes."

"One thing, Mr. Gladstone and I both know, is that we are merely following the tide of British democracy, meandering like a river."

After that, he gestured with his hand to the bend of the river, "There is a lot of resistance over there, so change the political party and change the direction, and finally rush forward." ”

"Don't be fooled by the various gestures that imperial politicians put on to defeat their political opponents, and use a politician's campaign performance as the main basis for judging him, if you really take the words of the campaign seriously, then there is only one end, you will misread and misjudge the real purpose of British politicians."

"Robert, please remember my words!"