By the time Matilda entered the small reception room, Charles was already teaching Mary how to recognize chess pieces.

When she saw that the corners of Mary's eyes were a little red and swollen, but her eyebrows and eyes were already stretched, Matilda was also secretly relieved.

"Miss Dilion?" After seeing the other party, Charles greeted, "Why are you coming here too?" ”

"Fran is sick after all and needs a good rest, so it's too much trouble to receive us for a long time, isn't it?" Matilda replied, then looked at Charles with some interest. "So you like to play chess, too?"

"Well, yes. It's just a hobby. ”

"Oh?" Matilda raised her eyebrows, "Actually, I like it a lot, why don't we play the next game?" ”

"Absolutely." The Charr is as good as a stream.

Mary gave up her seat and sat next to her to watch the game.

Charles's style of chess tends to be steady, preferring to defend well first and then trying to attack, while Matilda is surprisingly a radical and always prefers to use offensive strategies, but his chess skills are not bad, so Charles soon put aside a little contempt just now and dealt with it seriously.

While playing chess, the two chatted.

"Speaking of which, this chess game can really correspond to reality." Matilda took a step, and then sighed, "A country, clear from top to bottom, each with its own duties, and its actions follow a certain order, and then through the combined liliang to fight with other countries......"

"It's a very haode summary of the object chess, miss." Charles complimented, and then took a step forward.

"However, it would be nice if governing the country could be as simple as playing chess! There are too many parties involved, and sometimes I can't do it even if I know what is good, so my grandfather often sighs for the state affairs. ”

Charles smiled. "That being said, if you can keep a cool head when playing chess, it will also help you govern the country. At least the disgrace of the March Cabinet could have been avoided. ”

[In March 1840, Thiers served as the prime minister of France, and at the same time declared that he would take a radical line in diplomacy and show the strength of France. As a result, he caused a diplomatic crisis. In July, Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia signed a secret treaty behind France's back, forcing the French-backed Egyptian governor Mohammed-Ali to submit to the Ottoman Sultan. 】

Hearing Charles's words implicitly criticizing the current regime, Matilda did not care, after all, the political position of the Marquis of Treville's family was not a secret. She just smiled, "So you're concerned about this kind of thing, too." ”

"Of course." Charles replied solemnly, "My lifelong vow is to see the day when France dominates Europe." ”

"You boys think about it all the time...... That's going to be a war, right? And it looked destined for war with the British. Matilda gave a simple assessment.

"England is a feud of France, isn't it? Think of how many times France has fought it over the centuries! Without its repeated alliances, Louis XIV and Napoleon would have accomplished the crowning feat of France. ”

"Then let's play a hypothetical game, just playing chess is a bit boring." Matilda took another step, then suddenly proposed.

"Huh?" Charles was a little confused.

"Suppose, if you were in charge of France, what would you do in order to achieve your wishes? Let France go to war with England? Matilda looked at Charles, then took another step.

"It's a fun afterplay." Charles replied, and then stepped infantry. "Well, it's okay to play. I believe that in order to fulfill the vow, England must be defeated, but in order to strangle England, France should first make peace with England. ”

"Huh?"

"Britain is too strong now, and France should not rush to challenge until it is certain enough. Instead, we should find the opportunity to strike at Russia first, and if we can cut off the bear claws that the Russians are reaching out to Europe, I can guarantee that the whole of Europe will cheer. ”

Matilda thought for a moment, then nodded. "Seems to make some sense."

Then she picked up a chess piece and took another step.

"At the same time, I think the most important task for France in the future is to try to make good friends with Austria." Charles jumped out of his horse.

"Huh? Austria? Matilda suddenly laughed. Is Austria that important? ”

"Quite important, miss." Charles replied.

"But it's in decline, and it's no longer as terrifying as it was centuries ago."

"That's why it's worth befriending, otherwise we would have been fighting it a long time ago." Charles took a step and then went on to emphasize, "The Habsburg royal family thought they were noble, but their children and grandchildren were turned into incompetent and unimaginative wretches." Yes, we all know that the current Austrian emperor is a poor worm and not worth mentioning. ”

[Referring to Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria, who reigned from 1835 to 1848, he was born with low intelligence and was completely incapable of governing the country.] 】

"But he's always going to abdicate." Matilda replied unhurriedly.

"Yes, and I'm afraid it will abdicate soon, even a country like Austria that is horribly conservative will not be able to endure an idiot emperor for another ten years." Charles nodded, agreeing with Matilda, "But look at his heir, that Franz Joseph is also a wretched creature, with an empty head, and he doesn't know anything about the power of change, and he doesn't know how to control his subordinates." He only has the talent of a broken innkeeper, and he only thinks about keeping the ancestral business of his family, but he doesn't know how to keep it, and he has nothing but being in good health. I dare say that even in another hundred years, this poor creature can only be remembered by a group of ignorant maidens as the embodiment of a prince in fictional romance novels. ”

"Hahahaha......" Matilda was amused by Charles's joke and took a step with her chess piece raised. You seem to hate the Austrians? ”

"No," Charles replied with a step back, and then lightly replied, "who hates the incompetent wretch? I think that such Austria is haode Austria, which should be well preserved as a natural ally of France. ”

"Huh?" Matilda didn't know why, so she took a step forward, and then looked at Charles with an inquiring look.

"France and Austria are both Catholic powers, and for the glory of God, to resist the invasion of infidels and the rebellion of heresy, are they not born to stand together and fight side by side?" Charles replied.

"You're kidding......" Matilda laughed. Who would consider faith in national politics, I remember that our ancestors allied with Turkey in order to weaken the Habsburgs. ”

"Well, of course the reason is a joke." Charles also smiled, "But it's also a very haode propaganda excuse, there will always be people who need to believe it......"

"The real reason?"

"Obviously," said Charles, raising the elephant and eating one of the other soldiers, "Austria is both strong and not strong enough, and it is not strong, for it has such a large territory and such a population, and after all it has an administrative system that has been in effect for many years, and it is a friend worth making by virtue of this; Say it's strong? It's incredibly weak! Its rulers are incapable and unenterprising, and if you peel back the outer veil, you can see that it is just a forcibly pinched assemblage, and the parts of the organism cannot be fused together at all, and the internal problems alone are enough to make it languish. ”

"So you mean that Austria is strong enough to be an ally, and for internal reasons not to become too strong to influence the position of France?" Matilda replied as she spoke.

"You're really understanding." Charles glanced at Matilda approvingly, then continued, "We must see that the real pillars of the Austrian Empire were the 8 million Germans, who were the main source of Imperial officials and officers. In addition, within the empire, 8 million Hungarians were relatively submissive. But this is not necessarily the case with 16 million Slavs and 10 million Italians...... How much energy does Austria have to expend just to maintain an empire in which the ruling nation is in the minority? As a result, because of the lowest strength, Austria has the lowest requirements, is the easiest to satisfy, and the easiest to rely on us. ”

"Makes sense."

"So if France wants to dominate Europe, it must at the same time exclude the influence of England and Russia on the continent, and it will be too difficult for France to do it alone, and Austria will be a potential helper in this great cause of France, if it is used. Of course, making friends with Austria does not mean actively making it strong......"

"So what should be done?"

"Encourage it to maintain its domination over Italy, to fight against Turkey, to infiltrate the Balkans, but Austria must not be allowed to continue to expand within Germany, and if it happens, it must be stopped, even if it is a war!" Charles picked up the car.

Checkmate.

"Austria must not be allowed to expand its internal territory and population?"

"Yes. In general, no one or any country should be allowed to unite Germany into one state, and if anyone tries to do so, he should be ...... "Charles picked up the queen, "and crushed him into powder!" ”

Matilda looked at the chessboard.

"Oh, I'm checkmated." She smiled, and didn't seem to be affected by the failure.

Charles smiled back, "You're doing well. ”

"There is some truth to your point of view, judging by your narrative, at least it sounds ...... me," Matilda continued to laugh.

"It's just a casual conversation during a game of chess, and it's not worth mentioning." Charles shook his head slightly, "It's just an after-dinner mental pastime." ”

"It's not easy to do this kind of thing as an after-dinner mental pastime, how many such youths are left in France today?" Matilda, however, still praised Charles, "How many of our contemporaries, especially among the nobility, have considered France in this way?" Whether you're right or not, at least you've done something more meaningful than gambling, horse racing, amusement, and feasting, haven't you? ”

"You've won a prize." Charles smiled back.

Matilda slowly swung her pieces back into place. "Mr. Treville, it's really interesting to talk to you."

"I feel the same way, Miss Delion." Charles also slowly swings his pawns back into place.

After packing up the chess pieces, Matilda looked up at Charles, her gaze behind the lenses a little uncertain.

"Mr. Treville, I forgot to say something, and that's one of my reasons."

"What's the matter?"

"My sister Julie will be holding her twentieth birthday ball at home in a few days, and I have come to invite you, will you and your sister be able to enjoy it?" If I am willing to appreciate it, I will ask the servant to bring an invitation when I get back. ”

Well? Charles was a little surprised.

"You don't have to think about positions and anything like that, this is our young people's ball, and it has nothing to do with what emperor or position." Matilda laughed heartily, "I think I can still do it by choosing one or two people to attend my sister's ball." Therefore, I would like to cordially invite you and your sister to be able to attend ......"

Then she turned to look at Mary, who had not spoken.

"Mary, you should be available to attend then, right?"

"Huh? Me? Mary came back to her senses after a moment, "Of course! ”

Matilda looked back at Charles.

Everyone has said that this is the part, and there is nothing to refuse, right?

Charles only thought for a few seconds before replying, "Since you can be so favored, of course Fran and I will be here then." ”

“haode。” Matilda nodded politely, "Thank you." ”

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