On the ornate dance floor, well-dressed gentlemen and ladies dance, and the splendid palace is set against the backdrop of large crystal chandeliers, outlining the lavish scene of the late 19th century European high society night banquets, which is unforgettable.

In the second half of the royal banquet, Li Fushou and Nicole left quietly.

He really couldn't stand the curious eyes of the gentlemen and noblewomen, and the naked wind was undisguised, especially the fiery look of admiration from His Royal Highness Edward, which was really unbearable for him.

NND, what the hell is it?

The luxurious carriage drove very smoothly, and the captain of the guard, Fu Peng, sat beside the coachman, watching the quiet streets around him vigilantly, not letting go of any unusual situation.

He was destined not to discover anything, but London, the capital of the British Empire, was home to a high-society gold grotto, a heavily guarded Buckingham Palace, guarded day and night by the world-famous Royal Police of Scotland Yard, and the first place where stealing a few pounds of cotton yarn would result in severe exile.

Even if there is petty theft, it belongs only to the East End, where the middle and lower classes are concentrated, where security is slightly worse.

In the middle and high-end neighborhoods of London's West End, under the gas street lamps in the middle of the night, you can only occasionally see elegant gentlemen walking alone, and in the dark shadows, the vigilant eyes of royal policemen in oval stiff top hats look around, almost everywhere.

The British buildings against the dim gas street lamps are solid and heavy, and the quiet streets give people a sense of security, only the crisp sound of horses' hooves knocking on the granite pavement, choosing to be so comfortable and calm.

Lei Xiaohu, the personal guard officer, sat in the lead carriage in front, his hand tightly resting on the handle of the gun at his waist, and his eyes were sharp-eyed to pay attention to the movements around him.

There were 27 European guards in total, all of whom were highly skilled officers, loyal men who had experienced the test of bloody battles, and could protect the Count from danger with their lives in a critical moment.

There were a total of 11 guards who participated in the night banquet at Kensington Palace, except for three who were personally escorted in the carriage of Lord Earl, the other 8 people were in the pilot carriage, and in front of them sat side by side the coachman (also the officer establishment of the personal guard) and Lei Xiaohu, the captain of the guard team, and there were 6 young officers with loaded guns in the carriage, and there was even a Maxine machine gun full of bullets.

At no time will the pro-guard take it lightly.

In the carriage

The dim gas lights shone through the small glass window of the carriage, and were completely absorbed by the red velvet trim, and the interior of the carriage appeared extremely quiet.

The light of the carriage shifted, interweaving extreme seduction on Nicole's beautiful angel-like face, and a smile as if it were all alive.

"Master, I'm really scared today, those strange people look like they're going to eat people." Nicole lay down in Li Fushou's broad chest weakly and bonelessly, and raised her face with a pitiful appearance; "Master, will you protect me from being robbed?"

Li Fushou lowered his head and looked, Nicole's delicate face completely coincided with the French goddess Sophie Marceau in her memory, pure without a little fireworks, delicate as an angel, and the mature ketone body contained a fatal temptation, which was unstoppable.

Somehow, at this moment, the four words "red face and trouble" appeared in his heart.

Later generations once believed in metaphysics people said that everyone can find their place in history, from the photos, you can see what you looked like a hundred years ago, if there are photos preserved......

Li Fushou believes in this assertion, and from this point of view, he is very fortunate to be able to own the "French rose" from a hundred years ago and regard it as a treasure.

"Yes Nicole, no one will want to take you away from me, not even if you are the crown prince of the British Empire, this is my solemn promise, if you don't leave, I won't give up." Li Fushou replied categorically.

"Oh God, I love you so much, my dear lord."

The passionate Nicole didn't know where the strength came from, and she hugged Li Fushou's neck with her hands and kissed it frantically, her lips were cold and fragrant, full of luscious taste.

Li Fushou responded enthusiastically, and the two of them lingered gently in the carriage......

The next afternoon

Whitehall, Dawn's Cafe

There are not many people in the café, the environment is deep and elegant, Li Fushou sits alone in a position by the window, and his expression seems leisurely and comfortable.

Not far from him sat Fu Peng and Lei Xiaohu, and in the distance sat two other Praetorian Guard officers as guests, and on the two luxurious carriages parked on the street outside the café, there were other officers in civilian clothes on guard.

Didn't wait long

Lord Gulliver and a middle-aged gentleman entered the café side by side, looked left and right, walked straight in front of Li Fushou and said; "Dear Monsieur Earl, may I sit down in the seat in front of you?"

The English gentleman is so polite, and there are so many polite words that it makes people's scalp tingle, and there is a feeling of overflow.

Although they behave very politely, they can't hide the arrogance of rejecting people thousands of miles away in their bones, and it is extremely difficult to become friends who can make friends, so just listen to the kind words, don't take it seriously.

"I've been waiting a long time, my lord, and I am deeply honored that you have brought the café to life." Li Fushou stood up to greet him, and then invited the two to take their seats.

"So let's introduce you, this is Sir Clare, the Commissioner for African Affairs of the Colonial Office, who is an experienced geographer who has participated in the excavation of the Suez Canal, has a deep affection for Asia and Africa, and is very familiar with the cultural and historical changes there."

Sir Clare is a commoner-born official, in the British badly issued various medals, the difficulty of getting is much easier than the colony, the name is suffix Sir (for the sir, sir) honorific of countless bureaucrats, from judges, primary school principals, lawyers to the respected Royal Police, most of them are awarded different ranks, can be named after the name of Sir, understood as Sir so-and-so.

He looked weather-beaten, with gray sideburns and swarthy skin from years of exposure to the tropics, but his eyes were piercing as he looked at the young earl in front of him, who had made a name for himself in the East Indies.

Li Fushou was a little uncomfortable by Sir Claire, and said quietly after the café waiter brought the coffee and refreshments for the two; "It seems that Mr. Claire is interested in me, as a knowledgeable geographer, have you ever been to Australia or ancient China?"

"Frankly no, when I was young, I served in the Viceroy of India and the Straits Governor's Office, and went to Thailand, Burma and Batavia, where I met Chinese people with long braids and melon-skin hats, and they gave me the impression that they were reserved and introverted, not good at talking, but very hard-working." Sir Blair withdrew his compelling gaze and took a sip of espresso, his brow visibly furrowed.

Unsweetened and milk-free espresso is drip strained to enjoy the rich bitterness of the coffee itself, and each serving is a very small cup.

Sir Blair paused visibly, then continued; "I beg your pardon for being blunt, you give me a very different feeling, as if a sharp blade has just come out of the sheath, full of aggressive edge and aggressiveness, I have read the information about you, the history of the development of Australia is full of pioneering, especially the development of science and technology and human history, focusing on cultivating the next generation of young talents, showing a far-reaching strategic vision."

...... of Dog Day It's another person.

This reminded Li Fushou of his father-in-law, Lord Gu Yanchuan, who had repeatedly written to Dundun to teach him, even if he was thousands of miles away, Gu Yanchuan could also perceive Li Fushou's edge from the letters, and he would take the trouble to warn him;

Those who achieve great things do not move like a mountain, and those who move are like thunder in the nine heavens, sweeping away all ghosts and ghosts, and the good ones are also good!

But I am used to being powerful in Queensland, and I often don't know how to converge the light, and as a result, as soon as I arrived in Europe, I was looked at by others, and I made a mistake, what a mistake!

Li Fushou's advantage is that he can change his mistakes, he quietly looked at Sir Blair and then at Lord Gulliver, and said with a smile;

"Huh...... I'm afraid Sir Blair has forgotten that I am a British colonial aristocrat divided by Her Majesty, a cowboy roaming the vast Australian wilderness, and in the gold mines, in order to protect his own interests, he can even kill people, and the environment changes people, and in that harsh environment of life and death, a gentle and introverted personality will not live long. ”

"So I'm very curious, how far can Your Excellency the Earl go?"

"There is no need to worry about this, the high level of trust of the Royal Navy and the support of Victor and the Duke of Norfolk fully demonstrate that the direction that Queensland adheres to is highly consistent with the interests of the United Kingdom, we emphasize a unified large market within Australia, oppose any separatist behavior based on their own narrow interests, expand the influence outside, all ports are unconditionally open to the Royal Navy and British merchants, of course, merchants have to pay the necessary taxes, after all, Queensland is not a charitable organization, Rather, it is a collection of interests made up of many shareholders who also want to earn pounds to maintain a decent life. ”

When Li Fushou said this, his eyes looked at Lord Gulliver, intentionally or unintentionally, and saw that he listened carefully with his eyebrows lowered, and knew that these words had reached the heart of the Minister of the Colonial Department.

What is Lord Gulliver asking for?

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne, stability and stability are above all else, don't make any trouble at this time, just live in peace.

If before this big day, conflicts or even wars break out in Australia because of the division between the north and the south, it doesn't matter who is to blame, what matters is that it affects the overall situation and the joyful and peaceful atmosphere of the celebration, it will be terrible.

Gulliver, the Minister of the Colonies, is not immune to the responsibility of the Colonial Ministry, who has only been in office for more than a year and is about to face a general election, and he does not want to be troubled at this critical time.

After listening to a few brief words exchanged between the two, Lord Gulliver finally spoke; "Mr. Earl, this time I invited you to come to London for an interview, for a few questions about colonizing Africa, presumably you are very concerned about international developments, at the upcoming Berlin Conference, the international pressure on Great Britain is quite great, some European countries and the United States have joined forces to exert pressure, hoping that we will spit out some African interests, including the French will also withdraw from the Congo River Valley, this is really not good news for us, but this is the reality."

He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, and teased in a relaxed tone; "The bureaucrats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who are above the top, are now in a hurry, and within a week they have received thirteen groups of envoys from various countries, and most of the messages conveyed are the same, hoping that the British country will show a true gentlemanly demeanor and set a good example for all countries to participate in the development of Africa, and the European and American countries have deep expectations for this......

Li Fushou listened attentively, nodded his head from time to time to express understanding and sympathy, and quickly made a small calculation in his heart.

It is true that Britain is the leader of the world, the 19th century is the century of Great Britain, and it is not wrong that the Royal Navy is invincible in the seven seas, but two fists are invincible to four hands, and in the face of surging international pressure, Britain has to back down.

After all, Britain's shortcomings are obvious, that is, the army is not strong.

If you take the ranking of the combat effectiveness of the world army, the Tsarist Russian army, known as the "European steam steamroller", deservedly ranks first, and millions of gray cattle who are not afraid of death pour up, and even the Prussian army with strong combat effectiveness trembles and is difficult to stop.

The German Empire proved itself strong through the Franco-Prussian War and could be ranked second, the traditional European army power France could only be ranked third, and Austria-Hungary was fourth with more than 600,000 standing troops.

But don't look down on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the strength of the Orson Empire is still very strong today, and its territory ranks second in Europe, second only to Tsarist Russia.

In terms of population, it is slightly inferior to Tsarist Russia and the German Empire, and is ranked third in Europe.

In terms of industry, the machinery and instrument manufacturing industry and the steel and munitions industry rank fourth in the world, second only to the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States, among which the heavy artillery weapons produced by the Skoda Arsenal are the first in the world. The total reserves of resources and the total number of troops that can be mobilized ranked fourth in Europe, behind Tsarist Russia, Germany and France, and ahead of the British Empire.

On paper, the weapons and equipment are at the second-rate level in Europe, and the combat effectiveness is not bad at all.

Austria-Hungary surpassed other countries in terms of the variety of agricultural products and crude oil produced, ranking first in all of Europe, almost on par with the United States.

However, because of the problems left over from history and the entanglement of practical interests, the centripetal force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is not working, and the various nationalities under its rule have a strong tendency towards independence, which is a historical problem that can never be avoided, and its territory includes Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc., and its ass is sitting on the Balkan powder keg, which can blow up the Austro-Khaki at any time.

When all things are calculated, the British Empire's 260,000 troops can only barely rank fifth, ahead of the more numerous, but outdated Ottoman Empire, which ruled the decaying Ottoman Empire.