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Around Christmas 1845, Prince Wilhelm of the Kingdom of Prussia and Prince Metternich of the Austrian Empire arrived in Paris. After arriving in Paris, they met with the Prime Minister of France, the Foreign Secretary of Great Britain, the Foreign Secretary of the Kingdom of Spain, and the Foreign Secretary of the Chinese Empire, hoping to allow them to join in the development of the canal. However, China, Britain, France, and Spain have already reached an agreement on this issue. Despite their efforts, they were unable to make any progress. It is in the interests of all countries, and all countries are unwilling to make concessions on this issue.

However, Prince Wilhelm and Prince Metternich did not give up, and the Russian Foreign Minister, Count Nesherro Die, was still on his way to Paris. Compared to the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire, Russia was much more powerful. With an army of 1.4 million troops, Tsar Nicholas I, who prides himself on being the policeman of Europe, wants to make Russia the hegemon of the Eurasian continent. Russia will certainly not give up the power of the canal this time. If China, Britain, France, and Spain, in the face of Russian pressure, had to agree to Russia's entry into the Canal Development Company, this would be an opportunity for the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire. Of course, although this chance is not very high, they are willing to wait.

Prince Wilhelm and Prince Metternich are not simple characters either. Both of them were outstanding figures in both countries during this period. Prince Wilhelm was King Frederick of Prussia. Son of William III. The current king of the Kingdom of Prussia, Frederick. Younger brother of William IV. And, Frederick. William IV had no children. Prince William became first in line to the throne. Historically, Prince Wilhelm became King of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1861 and in 1871. Became the Emperor of the German Empire! Such an outstanding person is naturally the object of Long Yufei's attention. If the Kingdom of Prussia could rise and unify Germany, it would make the situation in Europe even more chaotic. When the time comes, the Chinese Empire will be able to fish in troubled waters.

And Prince Metternich of the Austrian Empire, one of the most prominent diplomats of his time, was the first prime minister of the Austrian Empire. Metternich was born on 15 May 1773 into an aristocratic family in Koblenz. His father was a diplomat himself. Metternich himself received a good education from the universities of Strasbourg and Mainz. He witnessed the coronations of Leopold II in 1790 and Francis II in 1792. After a brief trip to England, Metternich was appointed Minister of the Netherlands, but the Netherlands were occupied by the French in the second year of his tenure. In 1795 he married his first wife, Eleanor. Feng. Koenitez married. This marriage helped him leap into the Viennese social circle. In 1825 his original wife died, and in 1827 he married Baroness Antoinette. Came to Cam to get married, and she died in 1829; Thereafter, he was married to Countess Melanie. Sich. Ferrari married in 1831, five years before Metternich. In 1801 he was appointed Austrian Minister to Saxony. In 1803 he was appointed Minister to Prussia. In 1806 he was appointed Minister to Paris. In 1809 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Austrian Empire. One of his first priorities during his tenure was to ease relations with Austria and France. He also contributed to the Austrian princess, Duchess Marie. Luisa's marriage to Napoleon. Soon after, as Foreign Minister, he pushed Austria to join the Sixth Coalition against France, signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau on behalf of Austria, and exiled Napoleon. He was president of the Congress of Vienna (September 1814 – June 1815), composed of European powers in the post-Napoleonic era. In recognition of his contribution to the Empire, the Empire conferred on him the title of Prince in October 1813. Under his influence, the "Metternich system" maintained Austria's alliance with Russia and Prussia for more than a decade. This was the pinnacle of Metternich's presence in Austrian diplomacy, after which Metternich was gradually marginalized by international diplomacy. From 1821 he was Chancellor of the Austrian Empire. The so-called 'Metternich system'. Also known as the 'Vienna System', it came after the destruction of Napoleon's empire. The Final Protocol of the Vienna Conference, signed by Britain, Russia, Austria, Prussia, Portugal, France, and Sweden on June 9, 1815, was the system that enabled Europe to maintain peace for forty years. Of course, history is like this, it is difficult to say whether there will be forty years of peace in Europe after the emergence of the variable of the Chinese Empire.

The Russian Foreign Minister, Count Nesher Rody, arrived belatedly and did not arrive in Paris until after the New Year of 1846. However, after his arrival in Paris, the city became more lively. When the earl arrived, he immediately protested to the four countries, believing that the exclusion of other powers from the canal development company by the four countries was extremely wrong, which would lead to fierce contradictions in Europe and thus a new crisis. Even the 'Vienna System' is in danger of collapsing. There was a great market for this remark of Count Niechel Rodie, and Prince Wilhelm of the Kingdom of Prussia and Prince Metternich of the Austrian Empire also waved their flags for him, and for a while, the situation in Europe became more tense. As the four major shareholders of the Canal Development Corporation, China, Britain, France and Spain are under tremendous pressure.

"Your Majesty, the Russians are really capable of making trouble, and after their foreign secretary arrived in Paris, the voices of the European countries against us were much louder. In particular, opposition to the empire has become almost mainstream. Imperial Foreign Minister Lin Zihao said with a wry smile. In this world, after all, white people began to dominate. The rise of the Chinese empire pricked the nerves of these whites. Britain and France, with deep roots, will not be affected. But the Chinese Empire is different, and the image of the Chinese Empire in Europe is not good. This time, it has become the main force of shelling by European countries. Some European newspapers were even more alarmist, believing that the Chinese Empire controlled the largest stake in the Canal Development Company, which was tantamount to putting the strategic route of East-West communication in the hands of the Chinese. Demand that all countries unite and take back control of the canal from the Chinese.

"If you want to say the greatest enemy of the Empire, the polar bear is definitely one of them, even more threatening to us than the British. The UK mainland does not share a border with us, and it is very far from China. However, polar bears are different, they are in the north of China, and the market is coveting our territory. I can guarantee that if our war with the Manchus breaks out, the polar bears will join in. Long Yufei said. Historically, after the decline of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Russia took advantage of the decline of the Manchu Qing Dynasty to seize millions of square kilometers of territory from the hands of the Manchu Qing Dynasty? These territories are almost all the most elite lands in China. It has been said that the richest places in China are not Suzhou and Hangzhou, which are known as the land of fish and rice, but those lands north of the Heilongjiang River and south of the Outer Xing'an Mountains. Although the weather is cold, it is rich in resources and has huge reserves of various mineral deposits, including gold. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia survived the most difficult period only by selling the resources of these places. Long Yufei was a dick in his last life, and he couldn't do anything about it. Now, he will definitely not let such history repeat itself.

Lin Zihao nodded, as the foreign minister of the empire, he also knew a lot about the European powers. The Russians are also very greedy for land, even to the point of obsession. Otherwise, Russia would not have grown from a small Grand Duchy of Moscow to a vast empire spanning the Eurasian continent. Of course, the Chinese are also very persistent about the land. After the establishment of the empire, isn't it also desperately expanding abroad? It is foreseeable that in the near future, these two countries that are equally greedy for land will definitely collide fiercely.

"Your Majesty, what should we do now that the Russians are constantly stirring up relations between us and other European countries in order to join the Canal Development Company?" Lin Zihao asked. The current situation is indeed very unfavorable for the Chinese Empire.

"The British and the French, who are not fools, know what will happen if the Russians join the Canal Development Company. Russia's strength was terrifying enough, and Britain and France would not have allowed the Russians to succeed if they had tried to preserve their interests in the Middle East. Long Yufei said. The declining Ottoman Turkish Empire, which began in 1676 to the present, has been fighting the Russians for more than 100 years, and has fought 8 wars. The Ottoman Turkish Empire was defeated more than victorious, and was no match for Russia at all. If it weren't for the support of Britain and France, Russia might have been defeated long ago. It can be seen that restricting Russia's expansion has become an important foreign policy of Britain and France.

"As for the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire, they were nothing more than soy sauce. The naval strength of both countries is very weak and cannot affect Europe at all. They wanted to join the Canal Development Company only for profit. If we were resolute, they wouldn't be able to do it. Long Yufei continued.

Regarding Long Yufei's analysis, Lin Zihao thought so. It's just that there is still a breakthrough missing. If the Russians continue to make trouble, it will not do much good to the Chinese Empire.

"The main reason why many European countries are in charge of the empire is that they are afraid that the empire will control the canal. However, in the Canal Development Company, we only have a 32 percent stake, and we have no control at all. In addition, we can also declare that the canal is undefended and that no country can use the canal for military purposes! Long Yufei said. (To be continued......)