1884, early March

The outskirts of Qinglong City, Longhu Palace

Between the beautiful scenery of the mountains and rivers, a rippling lake surface of the blue waves arouses people's reverie, the pure lake water reflects the blue sky and white clouds in the sky, the green mountains and red flowers on both sides, and the peaks and peaks are stacked, showing the beauty of the paradise-like divine beauty.

This is the Red River Reservoir on the bank of Qinglong City, the Red River Reservoir is a typical first-line canyon reservoir, like a cyan dragon winding in the mountains, so it is also known as "Qinglong Lake".

Backed by mountains and lakes, it is such geographical conditions that cause Qinglong City to have an elegant environment, beautiful scenery, and a variety of schools in the city, which adds a humanistic and bookish atmosphere.

Longhu Palace is a garden-style Chinese palace that has just been completed, presided over by the royal architect "Style Lei" family from the Manchu Qing Dynasty, combined with the winding paths of the Jiangnan garden and the majestic atmosphere of the royal garden, drawing on the strengths of all parties, carefully built a lakeside court.

There is a small island on the shore of the lake, and on the island there is a 9-storey glazed pagoda.

The golden glazed tiles shine in the sunlight, the breeze blows, the copper wind chimes on the eaves of the tower make a pleasant sound, and the lake reflects the majestic and majestic tower body, as if the fairyland on earth.

Pagoda on the 9th floor

This is a diamond-shaped space of only a dozen square meters, and the window lattice fence made of precious sandalwood has exquisite carvings, exuding a faint sandalwood fragrance.

There is a small round table in the middle, the table is full of exquisite refreshments and fruits, Li Fushou sits at the top of the stairs, on the left hand is the third aunt Tai Fiona, on the right hand side is the ninth aunt Nicole, in the melodious guzheng music is enjoying the lake and mountains, looking leisurely.

Nicole sent the peeled grapes into Li Fushou's mouth, and the cool and juicy grape fruits carried the fragrant smell of a girl, and they were very pleasant to eat.

Li Fushou sighed secretly; This rotten and depraved enjoyment...... It's life!

For two years

He is under tremendous pressure, working and working most of the day like a winding clockwork, buried in a pile of official duties that can never be handled, and he really needs a good rest and a long vacation for himself.

He didn't want to die of overwork, and the example of Yongzhengye's violent death was in front of him.

In fact, after the Dutch were defeated, there were hardly any obvious hostile forces around the Earllands of Queensland, and the Royal Navy fleet of the British Empire had lost a few broken ships at Samarinda and Machen, and the signal was very clear.

The old colonists, mainly French, understood it and would not take the initiative to poke this hornet's nest.

Look around the world

In addition to the old colonial powers such as Britain, France, and Jose, Germany, Russia, and the United States did not have the ability to project naval power into the South Pacific, which was thousands of miles away.

From now until the end of the 19th century, Germany, Tsarist Russia, and the United States were all making every effort to develop their naval forces, and their power in the South Pacific was blank, and they had no time or ability to participate in regional hegemony.

The only thing that stood in the way of Li Fushou's progress was the white separatist forces in the south, but he was not in a hurry, and there was time to wait.

"My favorite Earl, what are you thinking?" Nicole tilted her head to look down, and saw Li Fushou looking at the distant lakes and mountains as if she was thinking, and asked curiously.

"I'm thinking about ......" Li Fushou turned his head and looked at Nicole's beautiful face that mixed innocence and maturity, and said with a smile; The scenery of this Qinglong Lake is stunning, and it is indeed a good place, but I always feel that it is less popular. ”

Nicole's smart eyes turned and said; "I know this, this reservoir can not only generate electricity, but also is the source of drinking water for several surrounding big cities, so no fishing, no boating, no hunting, no unrelated people are strictly prohibited from entering the reservoir area, how can it be popular?"

"You know a lot!" Li Fushou chuckled.

"My dear Earl, don't underestimate me, I still read the newspapers a lot, and I know a lot about the big things at home and abroad."

"Oh...... Tell me about it? ”

"Of course it's fine!" Nico is a French aristocratic girl who grew up in the United States, with a frank and unrestrained personality, and is deeply loved by Li Fushou.

She is the only one in the entire Red Fort who dares to call "My dear Earl", which shows the degree of favor.

So Nicole was not stunned at all, and could see that she had done some homework, and she said with her fingers crossed;

"That'...... You see......

Let's start with the Far East, the situation in the Far East is the focus of the recent report of the World Journal, and I know that the Manchu Qing State signed the Entente in Korea and obtained the Incheon Qing Concession, and it is said that the Fuso State has strongly protested, and the Mauritian Russia in the North has also expressed serious concern.

And what's more......

The French Expeditionary Force annexed the Kingdom of Cambodia, but suffered repeated setbacks in the northern part of the Kingdom of Vietnam, and heard that it had lost three consecutive battles, and even the French Prime Minister dissolved the cabinet, so he resigned.

Although the land war was frustrated, the fleet of the French Expeditionary Force shelled Keelung Port, and Liu Mingchuan, the military superintendent stationed in Taiwan, led the army to resist, and the fort was destroyed.

After the attack failed, the French fleet attacked the Fujian naval division again after a gap of more than a month, and the Battle of Mawei broke out.

The Nanyang Fleet rushed to the battle, and the flagship "Yangwu" was damaged by French mines, but hit the French flagship with its tail gun, killing and wounding many French sailors.

In this battle, the Fujian Navy Division lost 7 ships, suffered more than 700 casualties and killed and wounded officers and men, and the Mawei shipyard was destroyed in the war at the same time, and the French Expeditionary Force fleet struggled to win back a game.

But on the land battlefield, the French lost the underpants, so the fighting between the two sides stopped, and peace talks were underway......

According to American newspaper reports, preparations are now being made from New York to Washington to celebrate the 100th anniversary of independence, and the Statue of Liberty presented by France has been placed and will become a symbolic totem of New York. ”

Nicole muttered a lot, then raised her face and opened her beautiful big eyes to stare at Li Fushou, with an expression of "praise me" in her eyes.

"Well, the newspaper is well memorized." Li Fushou teased a little narrowly.

This immediately caused Nicole's dissatisfaction, and she puffed out her mouth angrily, for these boring international political dynamics, she really spent a lot of effort; "No, could you please explain, what does it mean to memorize a newspaper well?"

"If you know everything, you have to know why, then I'll test you......" Li Fushou smiled and said without saying a word; Why did the Manchu Qing state enter Incheon and cause dissatisfaction among the Fuso state? ”

"What's so difficult about this, everyone knows that peninsula is a piece of fat, and how can there be a reason not to bite in front of you?"

"Huh...... That's good. Li Fushou's admiration came from the heart.

In this era of extremely inconvenient transportation, it is difficult for the elite to have an overall vision even if the elite class is limited by the times.

"My dear Earl, don't treat me like a childish child, okay?" Nicole rolled her eyes helplessly.

"Oh......" Li Fushou smiled dumbly, he really underestimated Nicole.

Nicole grew up in France, an old colonial country, and after the age of 12, she crossed the Atlantic to the United States, and at the age of 17, she crossed the Pacific Ocean to Australia.

Nicole is a smart girl with an aristocratic education, and her vision is not a little bit stronger than that of a deep lady who does not go out of the door.

Li Fushou had the intention to test her, and threw out a very difficult international question and said; "Nicole, do you know the Congo problem? If you can answer, I'll reward you. ”

"What reward?" Nicole asked with interest.

"If the answer is good, then give you the Wind Lotus House in the Red Keep, and you won't need to live in Fiona's Normandy Garden Annex."

Wind Lotus Temple???

Nicole immediately became excited, she knew that the entire Red Fort had 12 courtyards, large and small, each of which had its own style, and the Wind Lotus Courtyard was one of them.

The Earl has a wife and 9 aunts, and almost everyone has an annex, but the ninth aunt, Nicole, who married the latest to enter the door, now has no independent courtyard and still lives in the Normandy Gardens.

The 12 courtyards vary in size, but each one is carefully built and exquisite, and it is worth savoring.

For example, Mrs. Gu Liuyan's Jingsi Pavilion is the original Gusu garden style, the Taihu Lake stones piled up with rockeries are transported from Gusu all the way, pavilions and water pavilions, rockery ponds, it is really a step and a scene, winding paths and secluded.

The warm incense pavilion where the aunt and Mrs. Taixiang live covers an area of three and a half acres, is a typical Ming and Qing Dynasty official mansion style, five into three courtyards symmetrical and neat, the layout is rigorous, the front hall and the back garden have a unique charm.

The Normandy garden, where the third aunt Fiona lived, was in the French neo-romantic style, with stone pillars and exquisite carvings, revealing French architectural characteristics everywhere.

Of course, the largest is the Lingxiao Pavilion, which covers more than half of the entire Red Castle, which is located on the top of the hill, overlooking the entire Red River Valley City, and has many surrounding annexes and courtyards, which are settled in the various directly subordinate institutions of the Earl's Palace, including the Secretariat, the Inner Treasury, the General Affairs Office (the Inner House Butler), the Guard, the Telegraph Station, the Audit Office, the Academy, etc., which is the core area for dealing with government affairs and the most heavily guarded place.

Nowadays, there are still two empty courtyards in the Red Castle ~ Wind Lotus Courtyard and Lanfang Pavilion.

Although the Chinese name is the Wind Lotus Courtyard, it is an authentic British Victorian architectural style, with only a strong Italian charm of Victorian architecture, with a very conspicuous tower and a towering roof.

The main building is divided into two floors, made of white rock throughout, with round Romanesque windows and entrance doors, wide cornices supported by stone brackets, and beautifully carved motifs of mountain flowers.

Such a European-style building is more in line with Nicole's aesthetics, she likes this kind of courtyard with a strong Mediterranean style, and the thought of being able to have it, Nicole is a little excited and can't breathe, and red clouds appear on her fair face.

Not only Nicole, but Fiona was also surprised.

Located on the edge of a small lake, the Lotus House is nearly twice as large as the Normandy Gardens, nearly 16 acres, and it is also one of the top courtyards in the Red Castle, which shows that the Earl's love for Nicole is indeed from the heart.

Li Fushou saw Fiona covering her mouth in surprise, Nicole was so excited that her face was flushed and her breath was short, and she couldn't help laughing and said; "Don't be too happy, Nicole has to answer questions that satisfy me."

"Uh-huh, the Wind Lotus Courtyard definitely belongs to me."

"So confident?"

"Of course ......"

Nicole puffed up her chest, this question may be difficult for others, but Nicole knows it very well, because her geography teacher Jim was once a member of the Metropolitan Museum's Congo River Basin expedition, and in 1875 he accompanied the team to explore the tropical jungle.

After Mr. Jim returned from Africa, he never forgot about that mysterious and primitive continent, and often mentioned the unique customs and landforms, cultural and historical aspects of the Congo and the surrounding African continent, and looked forward to returning to Africa one day for more detailed investigations.

Therefore, Nicole knows a lot about this, and it is bound to win.

"My dear Earl, let your lovely Nicole explain to you in detail the past and present of the Congo question."

Nicole's angelic face became serious, and she spoke eloquently after a little thought;

"In general......

Congo refers to more than 2 million square kilometers of land in the Congo River basin in Africa, where there are many branches of the Congo River, abundant water, rich mineral resources, large areas of dense tropical jungle, and a variety of wild animals.

In 1875, he followed the Congo River Basin expedition organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States to enter this vast green jungle and deeply investigate the cultural history and resources of the local indigenous tribes, which is his proudest life experience.

Nowadays, the so-called Congo issue is nothing more than a delicious steak on the table, but more than a dozen guests come to eat with knives and forks, and some of them are very unreasonable.

Africa is a beautiful and rich continent, and the Congo River basin is one of the most shining pearls on this continent, where the original indigenous kingdoms and indigenous tribes have lived here for generations, and sadly, they do not have the power to determine their own destiny......"

Speaking of which

Nicole paused, her big beautiful eyes glanced at the Earl intentionally, and saw that he nodded with a serious expression, obviously agreeing with Nicole's words, which made Nicole excited and spoke more confidently.

"My dear Earl, let us go together to see the origin of the Congolese problem.

In 1875, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art expedition arrived at the lower Congo River, the French tricolor was already flying along the river, and a Frenchman expedition arrived two months before the Americans, who had discovered gold in the resource-rich lower Congo River.

When the news came, Europe was in an uproar.

King Leopold II of Belgium was a very ambitious man for foreign expansion, and he had always had deep ambitions for the rich and vast African colonies.

Considering that Belgium is a small third-rate country, he made a name for international development, and in 1876 established the "International Association for the Investigation and Development of Central Africa", which was later simply renamed the "International Congo Association", and actively planned African expeditions.

In fact, the French were faster.

As a veteran European colonizer, the French knew that there was no reason why they were quick and slow, so they reacted immediately.

After the establishment of the "International Congo Association" in 1876, the French entered the Congo under the name of the "French Branch" and were led by the Italian Brazza and signed a treaty with the local indigenous Batek king Makoko.

Under Brazza's coercion and inducement, Makoko "recognized" France's right to "protect" all of his territory.

The Belgians slowed down, and in July 1878 Leopold signed a five-year contract with the American explorer Stanley.

Under the terms of the contract, Stanley was to lead an international expedition of Belgium to open a 200-mile road into the Congolese interior under the banner of the International Association.

It is also stipulated in the contract;

Stanley was responsible for inspecting the resources and human geography along the Congo River basin, and was responsible for "persuading" the local chiefs to sign treaties that recognized the "protection" of the international association.

Therefore, the Congo issue was initially a matter of open and covert struggle between France and Belgium in an attempt to bring this rich and vast land under their own name.

Under the leadership of the veteran American explorer Stanley, the international expedition completed an expedition across equatorial Africa from east to west, discovering the main channel and estuary of the Congo River, thus setting off a long-lasting "Congo fever" in Europe.

In the face of the faster moves of the French, Stanley knew how to use the pressure of international public opinion to win benefits for himself and the Belgian side he represented.

Stanley's book "Through the Dark Continent" became a bestseller in Europe and the United States after its publication, and his propaganda about the construction of railways and the development of the rich gold resources of the Congo attracted great attention from European princes and ministers, wealthy businessmen, and produced a sensational effect.

This is the first time that the contradictions between France and Belgium have been internationalized and made public, and according to my opinion, Belgium knows that its voice is not as big as that of the French, so it has drawn onlookers in to uphold justice and muddy the waters.

It has to be said that this is indeed a genius idea.

In October 1880, Brazza established a stronghold on the right bank of Lake Malebau, raised the French flag, and declared the area part of the French Central African colony.

In July 1881, a Belgian expeditionary force led by the American explorer Stanley reached the left bank of Lake Malebau, 400 kilometers from the mouth of the Congo River, after nearly two years of arduous trekking.

But they were dismayed to find that a French flag was flying over Ngumar on the right bank, and that French soldiers were guarding the tricolor.

This shows that the French Expeditionary Force, led by Brazza, has taken a head start in the race to penetrate deep into the interior of the Congo.

After stationing the Belgian expeditionary force under Stanley's command on the left bank of Lake Malebau, he openly declared the treaty signed by Brazza null and void.

Stanley induced King Makoko into signing another treaty, agreeing to have the Belgian "International Association" stationed on the left bank of Lake Malaibo.

As a result, a sharp confrontation between Belgium and France in the lower Congo River was created.

At the time of the Franco-Belgian conflict, the Portuguese came out to protest against Stanley's occupation of the mouth of the Congo River, further complicating the Congolese situation.

The Portuguese government has claimed rights to the land since the 15th century.

The basis was the partition of the colonies of Portugal and Spain by His Holiness the Pope, with Portugal having de facto authority over the southern hemisphere.

Seeing that there was a great advantage to be taken advantage of in the Congo River Valley, the British took advantage of the Anglo-Portuguese alliance to conclude a treaty:

Britain recognized Portuguese sovereignty over the Congo Riverbank, and Portugal guaranteed Britain the same commercial and shipping rights in the area.

As a result, the Congo question spread to France, Belgium, Portugal and Britain, the French government protested against the signing of the Anglo-Portuguese treaty, Germany, which was at odds with Britain, immediately openly supported France's protest note, and the United States was also involved, and then Italy, Spain, Austria-Hungary, the Netherlands and Tsarist Russia took their respective positions, and since then more and more European countries have been involved.

Well, the Congo question is now a mess, and as to who can eat this piece of steak on the table, my dear Earl must have a unique opinion, and if she is willing to share it, Nicole is more than willing to hear it. ”

"Bang Bang Bang ......"

Li Fushou applauded vigorously, and used this clear action to show that Nicole had expounded very well, and he was really very satisfied.