Accompanied by a long whistle, a quaint special train embroidered with the Hohenzollern family logo arrived in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, in the warm summer breeze.

Ten years ago, the red, white and black iron cross flag was also hoisted in the streets of Istanbul to welcome the distinguished guest Kaiser Wilhelm for a friendly visit to the city. Due to the admiration and yearning of the then Sultan Hamid II for Germany, a Central European empire, Wilhelm II's visit was a great success; From that time on, Germany and the Ottoman Empire entered a stage of development of comprehensive cooperation. The deepening of mutual trust and the acquisition of common interests have made the relationship between each other stronger and closer; If this trend continues, within a few years, the Ottomans will fall to the side of Germany and Austria from the top down, because of the ideas of the ruling class and the benefits of the people at home.

However, the seizure of power by the Young Turks and the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary brought about a dramatic reversal of the otherwise good German-Turkish relations. The Shabaab's resentment against the former Sudanese dictator Hamid and Austria-Hungary led Germany, which had a close relationship with them, to the ground, and suffered a misfortune that did not belong to them. When Qingying stepped out of the train door, what she felt was the cold aura contained in the smiling face of the greeting official; The lineup of Ottoman officials who came to greet him was also as starry as the moon and the stars when William visited.

Faced with this situation, Qingying felt more and more that her trip was very important; The attitude of the Ottoman Empire was not only related to the success or failure of the Mediterranean strategy of the Allies, but also determined whether Germany could end the quagmire of the Eastern Front of the war against Russia in a relatively short time. He carefully compiled the words that he had thought about for a long time in Berlin and on the train, and then boarded the car. Gallop towards a magnificent building in the Byzantine style.

The hall is tall and wide. Splendid. Muslim-inspired sculptures and pendants. Decorate the whole building with magnificence; The sober silver and sparkling gold of precious decorations such as diamonds and pure gold transform the entire area into a sea of opulence. A lavish display of gemstones the size of a pigeon's egg, intricate sculptures made of solid gold and mythril...... As Qing Ying walked, he only felt that a true local tyrant style permeated every corner in front of him, which strengthened his persistent pursuit of being friends with the owner of the room.

"Your Royal Highness, on behalf of the Ottoman people and the Sultan of Mohammed, I would like to extend my deep blessings and respect to you and your father. The 300 million Muslim brothers will pray for you both every day that you will be protected by Allah. "The new Grand Vizier Kamil of the Ottoman Empire, who was old but already bright-eyed, appeared in front of Qingying after the waiter pushed open the door; He took a few quick steps. With a pair of cold palms like withered bark, he clasped tightly with the other party's slender and warm hands. After hearing the translator translate it into German, Qingying smiled and replied, "Thank you for your care." Ever since my father visited in the last century, he has never been thinking about the great glory of the Ottoman Empire and Istanbul. During my visit, he specially entrusted me to bring my sincere greetings to Your Excellency and his heartfelt wishes for the friendship between the two countries to last forever.

Hearing Qingying's last words, a strange light flashed in Camille's eyes. As an old man who has been in politics for decades, he has honed the keen insight necessary for a qualified politician in countless battles; Combined with the current mutation of German-Turkish diplomatic relations, Camille has already tasted a little different taste in Qingying's seemingly normal and polite words.

"It's true. Your Excellency Camille, the purpose of my visit to Istanbul. It is hoped that you will have a correct understanding of the various friendship treaties signed between the former Sultan Hamid and our Germany during his reign, and that they will continue to be fully and thoroughly implemented in the empire led by the new Sultan Mohamed. After some false politeness, Qingying directly explained the problem to Camille in the attitude of a great power.

"Since the Berlin Conference 30 years ago, the newborn Germany has shown the most sincere friendship towards your country. As a result of our German efforts, Macedonia and the new Pazar were returned to your rule, and Batumi, which had been annexed by Russia, became a free port, which undoubtedly greatly helped your country to resist Russian expansion in the Balkans. Since then, Germany has carried out extensive and far-reaching cooperation with your country in various fields. The completion of the Vienna-Istanbul-Ankara railway, led by Deutsche AG, has brought your country closer to Europe and greatly boosted your national economy. My father's two visits to your country 20 years ago and 10 years ago brought the friendship between your country and my country to a new height. ”

Speaking of this, Qingying's words carried a hint of dissatisfaction, and said: "But at present, the behavior of your country has greatly disappointed the German Empire. The newly formed government of your country not only wants to change Germany's dominance in the Eastern Railway, but also repeatedly makes public statements of hostility to the Reich; I would like to ask you, is this how you repay the German Empire, which has been helping your country to modernize and to creating the most advanced means of transportation in the world? What is the attitude of the Turkish Al-Shabaab government towards the former Sultan Hamid, that is your own internal affair, in which the German Reich has no right to interfere; But please do not transfer your resentment against your predecessor, His Excellency Sultan Hamid, to my German Empire, for rational reasoning is the most desirable quality of your government. ”

Seeing that the young man in front of him was indeed here for the recent sudden changes in German-Turkish relations, Camille also put away his previous expression, and his expression instantly became solemn. He was silent for a moment, and then said slowly: "Abdul has been the caliph for thirty years, and his brutal tyranny has brought great disasters to our country; Young revolutionary heroes have long been angry with him, so it is inevitable that they will be prejudiced against your government, with whom he is very close. Since the Berlin Conference, I am deeply grateful for the great help you have given to the Ottoman people; Here, indeed, we should apologize to your country for this situation. However, Your Highness, a qualified politician, will not decide on the strategy to be adopted based on the likes and dislikes in your heart! ”

"Two months ago, Austria-Hungary flagrantly annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, a sacred territory belonging to our country, which is undoubtedly a flagrant violation of international law and a grave provocation against the Ottomans, which have a glorious history of 600 years. Instead of dissuading this barbaric act of Vienna, your country openly expressed its support for the annexation of Austria-Hungary; Your Highness, I beg all due diligence to say that this action has seriously hurt the feelings of all the people of our country. "In the face of Qing Ying's slightly questioning questioning, Camille did not have the slightest cowardice, and expressed his voice to the heir to the most powerful empire on the European continent in front of him, "Therefore, the heroes of the revolution are not the key to the obstacle to the friendly relations between our country and your country at present, but your country's connivance with Austria-Hungary is the real main reason." ”

Qingying was slightly stunned when she heard this, as if she did not expect Camille to directly point out the main reason for the deterioration of German-Turkish relations. Looking at the other party's plain face, Qingying's heart suddenly burst into a thought that made him palpitate: Could it be that the Ottoman chief state minister, who had a close relationship with the British in history, had reached some kind of agreement with the British, so he dared to straighten his back in front of him?

Qingying pondered carefully for a moment, and then slowly but firmly ruled out this possibility in her heart. The country's harshness, decadence, poverty and backwardness have always made the British feel stinking; The pretentious gentlemen of London who believed in Jesus could never have put down their dignity and joined hands with what they considered to be "filthy and vicious villain heretics"!

Historically, the British have reached an outrageous point of contempt for Turkey due to cognitive differences and cultural ruptures: among the vast majority of the core members of the Liberal Party, represented by Churchill, there is a general consensus that the aging empire has no value worth taking seriously. In August 1914, just as the Ottoman Empire was swinging back and forth between the two camps, and both France and Russia were aware of her importance and were anxious about it, the British looked down on it with an immovable attitude. Not only did they ignore the actions of the Turks, who were clearly more likely to lean toward the side of the Entente, but they also brazenly seized two large battleships for which the Turks had already paid in full. In such a crucial situation, the British were able to remain completely indifferent to the Turks' position, not to mention the fact that the present tension is far less than the historical conciliation of the same period in August 1914!

Therefore, the reason why the British adopted a relatively friendly attitude towards the new Turkish regime this time was that their purpose was certainly limited to destroying Turkey's previous friendly relations with Germany and aborting Germany's strategy of Middle East expansion, but it was absolutely impossible for them to sincerely win Turkey into the Entente, still less to assume any responsibilities and obligations for the comfort of this empire. In addition to Britain, France and Russia are even less likely to make any guarantees to the nascent Turkish regime in today's strong Germany and Austria. Therefore, Camille's words can only be a psychological blackmail against Qingying!

Thinking of this, the corners of Qingying's mouth hooked slightly. (To be continued......)