Although Camille himself preferred to work with the British, and he won the support of the new government as soon as he took office, he was undoubtedly a standard politician who followed the national interest. Camille had no reason to refuse the delicious carrots that the Germans had offered to him. After pondering for a long time, Camille's mind turned, and he slowly pondered his words: "Thank you for your efforts to heal the wounds in the hearts of the Ottoman people. With regard to Austria-Hungary's support for the increase in tariffs, we will hold friendly talks with the Vienna side. ”

"Your Excellency has made a wise choice. However, in order to gain the support of the German-Austrian League on the tariff question, you need to first agree with Vienna on the question of Bosnia to renounce its claim to the land which is already under the de facto control of Austria-Hungary by a large ransom. This is the best solution that Berlin would like to see in the settlement of the dispute within the framework of the two countries, which are also friendly countries of Germany. Qingying smiled slightly, but it directly met the key point that Camille tried to deliberately avoid.

"Sir Grand Vizier, I beg you and your Government not to have any other thoughts. At present, there is no better alternative to the goodwill mediation of the German Empire, and it is even more pointless and foolish to insist on resistance. "In response to Camille's vacillating attitude, Qingying looked solemn, and showed the Turks a big stick with full weight after the carrot, "Russia, which had suffered great losses in the war in the Far East, can no longer take a tough attitude in the Balkans; This was at a time when Serbia was protesting against the Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and was trying to mobilize. It was St. Petersburg that put pressure on him to compromise. Without the help of Russia, neither Serbia nor the more powerful France could have the strength to confront the German-Austrian alliance in the Balkans. As for the United Kingdom. Do you still expect to be able to bring these guys to their aid and to give them substantial help to your country in the Bosnian problem? ”

Qingying spoke lightly, and her words were full of undisguised sarcasm: "Politically, the Saxons, who have completed industrialization, have completely forgotten that they were also a group of sea robbers who lived by plundering; I think His Excellency the Grand Vizier, with whom the English have spoken a lot, knows better than I do about your country, which was defeated in the Russo-Turkish war and has long been demonized as a sick man and a villain. Have the British ever given your country the slightest benefit to you? They simply want to destroy the friendship between Germany and your country, and they can never assume any obligations for your country! ”

"Religiously, Britain, France, and Russia have only endless hostility and hatred towards pan-Islamism. London regards the Muslim people as slaves, and only the German Empire has sympathy for you. Ten years ago, my father, His Majesty the Kaiser, arrived in Jerusalem as the first European monarch to visit the Holy Land of Muslims. The donation of a mosque for the worship of Allah is proof of Germany's tolerance and honesty in the religious field. Militarily, the British are even more incapable of giving aid to your country on the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina; With their army of idiots who were beaten by the Boers, they only had to be thrown into the chaotic and turbulent Balkans. Then its role can only be to help the Austro-Hungarian Legion brush up countless battle trump cards! Qingying raised her eyebrows. To put it bluntly, "I am sure that the choice of the Grand Vizier will not disappoint me in the face of Germany, which is sympathetic to your culture and situation, and which has brought tangible benefits to your country, and England, which has repeatedly abandoned your country like a broom and provided no real benefit to your country." ”

Camille fell silent when he heard this, and the past began to creep back in his mind.

In previous decades, with the exception of Sultan Hamid, the tyrant, the vast majority of members of Ottoman politics had a strong pro-British complex. This is not only because the British Empire is the most powerful country in the world, but also because they are the Ottoman Empire's premier trading partner. and their fierce battle against the worldly enemy Russia. Due to the occupation of the Turkish domestic market by British goods, this dying "sick man of Europe" has developed a strong economic dependence on London; In order not to completely reduce the state finances to the puppet of the "National Debt Management Committee" under the control of France. The Ottomans had to cling to the thighs of trade with Britain. In addition, due to the centuries-long historical feud between the Ottomans and Russia, the Turks had a strong longing and affection for Britain, which had beaten Russia to the ground in the Crimean War and engaged in-for-tat countermeasures with Russia within the world. They hated to be in the form of them, armed with sharp spears and swords, and tore to shreds all the Slavic cattle who dared to call the great Istanbul "Tsargrad".

For these reasons, the Ottoman Empire involuntarily began to move closer to Britain in the second half of the 19th century, and Britain also needed to support a force to contain the expansion of the Russian giant in the Balkans, the Bosphorus, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, thus starting the honeymoon period of Anglo-Turkish relations. In addition to the significant increase in trade between the two sides, a large number of Royal Navy officers began to join the Ottoman fleet, and trained a regional presence capable of demonstrating its might in the Aegean Sea for the aging empire.

However, with the passage of time, the situation in the world has changed, and the originally good Anglo-Turkish relations are gradually losing the external conditions on which they depend.

Emotionally, England, which had been reluctant friends with the Ottomans for so many years, had become more and more intolerant of this barbaric and backward, weak and poor pagan country; It is exactly like the noble and dignified gentleman and celebrity who has to endure the long-term recklessness of a distant relative who has no good manners at all in his well-decorated and elegant villa. The Ottoman Empire's notoriety for its harsh government and brutal slaughter has always stinked at London. As Russia's ambitions in the Balkans were effectively curbed by the Treaty of Berlin and Russia's strategic center of gravity shifted eastward, the Ottomans, who had lost most of their strategic value, were inevitably kicked away by the British; London is eager to distance itself from this barbaric country in order to maintain its glorious image as a civilized country.

If the deterioration of Anglo-Turkish relations was due to the eastward shift of the center of gravity of Russian expansion, which led to a sharp decline in the role of the Ottomans in resisting Russia; Russia's return to the Balkans after its defeat in the Far East seems to be an opportunity for Anglo-Turkish relations to warm. However, the situation in Europe today is as different as it was half a century ago; The rise of Germany in Central Europe seriously undermined the balance of power in Europe, and Britain urgently needed to co-opt Russia to contain Prussia's powerful war machine in the east. Although Britain still adheres to the London Straits Convention and firmly opposes the right of Russian warships to pass through the Bosphorus normally, the hearts of decision-makers in London are already like mirrors in the hearts of the two sworn enemies, Russia and the Ottoman Empire. For Britain, preventing Germany from dominating Europe is undoubtedly the most important thing to do! Therefore, the tactic of winning the favor of Russia towards Britain by alienating the Ottomans became a strategy that London had to adopt.

For the Ottoman Empire, Britain's proximity to its long-cherished rival Russia was undoubtedly a serious betrayal. The proximity of these two old powers immediately put the Ottomans in an extremely disadvantageous position. The Ottomans, deprived of British support, would become increasingly unable to resist the expansion of their rival Russia, which had lost a great deal of its fleet and military dollars in the Far East, but its formidable army in Europe was still alive because of the limited capacity of the Trans-Siberian Railway; The Black Sea Fleet was a blessing in disguise due to the constraints of the London Strait Convention, and threatened the entire northern coast of Turkey with a complete lineup without any losses! Although Britain still adheres to its principles on the Bosphorus issue and shows no signs of relenting, as Germany's strength continues to grow, God knows whether the British will choose to promise glorious Istanbul to the Tsar as a temptation in order to entrap the insatiable Slavic cattle? At that time, what strength will the Ottoman Empire use to resist?

"Your Excellency, your country, rather than seeking a fragile balance like a tightrope between Britain and Russia, which will inevitably be crushed by the betrayal of England, should choose to cooperate fully with our German Empire! Germany has sufficient commodities and capital to meet all your economic, trade and investment needs; Germany also has an unrivaled army and a large navy that will help your military on the path needed to modernize. The German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Kingdom of Italy, and your country are all countries that need to change the current world of the past and redistribute the benefits of the sun. Our shared national identity allows us to forge stronger alliances than other powers. Don't you want to defend Istanbul under Russian aggression? Don't you want to have a strong army? Don't you want to recreate the prosperity and power of the empire of yesteryear? As long as your country is willing to unite with friendly and powerful Germany, what these British can't give to your country, my German Empire will give it! Qingying's voice pierced the silence in the room, echoing in Camille's confused struggle.

"Changing the current world and redistributing the benefits...... Camille muttered, his eyes gradually lit up. He stared at the young man in front of him, then slowly stretched out his right hand.

The palms and fingers are filled with warmth and smoothness. (To be continued......)