The Second Emperor of the French Empire, Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, also known as Napoleon III, is 57 years old this year.

Thanks to his healthier lifestyle, Napoleon III is still in good health.

Today, he will attend a cocktail party open to the upper class public to curry favor with the shrill citizens of Paris.

Contrary to the traditional impression of the closeness between Britain and France during this period, although Britain and France did cooperate during the reign of France III, confronting the Russians in Crimea, the Far East, North America and other places, and also beating the Qing Dynasty together, in essence, the relationship between Britain and France was not harmonious.

Today's British Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, is trying to maintain the balance of power in Europe, but he is still very wary of France.

It is even rumored that the reason why the British did not send troops to North America at the invitation of the French at the beginning of the American Civil War in 1859 was because they were wary of the French moving away from the mountains and taking the opportunity to invade the British mainland.

In short, the daily life of the imperialist mountain is full of intrigue and intrigues.

Compared with them, "I Daqing" is really stupid and sweet in handling international affairs.

Of course, it was Bismarck who saw it best, "only iron and blood are the most reliable."

The alienation of Anglo-French relations is also reflected in the fact that the British do not respect Napoleon III, the French emperor, and can even say that they want to milk when they have nothing to do.

Because after ascending the throne, Napoleon III began to look for a wife, thinking that he would give birth to a legitimate heir.

But most European royal families were reluctant to marry the Bonapartes, another nouveau riche.

After successive failed courtships in England, Sweden, Langenberg and other places, Napoleon III had no choice but to lower his demands, and finally chose Eugénie de Montijo, a Spanish noblewoman of Scottish ancestry, as his wife.

Scotsman......

Nor is it much higher than that of the Irish.

It was precisely because his wife was of Scottish descent that Napoleon III was ridiculed by the hateful and arrogant English.

And Napoleon III, who attended the dinner today, was in a bad mood again by a British journalist who appeared out of nowhere.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, is it rumored that your country hired Tatars as mercenaries to participate in the war in Japan, does this mean that your country's military operations in the Far East are not going well?" (The people of Jianzhou were not Tatars, but they were called so in various books and documents in Europe at this time, and Han Chinese with shaved hair were sometimes shot, which is one of the reasons why it was once common practice in the revolutionary party to call themselves Shina.) ）

Looking at the face of the under-beaten Englishman in front of him, Napoleon III was tempted to snatch the pen from his hand and turn him upside down and stuff him into his damn hole.

But Napoleon III knew he couldn't.

He is not his uncle who is unparalleled in Europe and has a good reputation at home.

The Second French Empire, known as the empire of liberty, allowed parliament to hold free debates, publish minutes, and relax censorship.

In fact, liberal member Emil Olivier has been a favourable contender for the next prime minister.

In short, he was a parallel Napoleon, and there were many places where he needed to compromise with the liberals.

Since he could not be a tyrant, Napoleon III regarded himself as an "enlightened engineer" and always paid attention to maintaining his character.

He smiled and raised his red wine and motioned to the British reporter: "Mr. Reporter, you British always want to find big news for France, and then criticize me, the emperor!" ”

"Your Majesty the Emperor, you are serious, just as a close ally, we are just very concerned about the situation in your country in the Far East, you know, Britain also has a lot of interests in the Qing country, I want to know, whether your country has reached any secret treaties with the Qing country?"

Napoleon III took a sip of red wine and smiled through everything, "Regarding the hired Qing mercenaries, I can tell you that these emaciated Tatars are the same as the Sikhs you hired from India, just a normal employment relationship, and there is no more exchange of interests. ”

"As for whether our country has suffered a setback in the Far East at the outset, this is completely unrealistic and malicious speculation."

After a pause, Napoleon III raised his voice and said to the nobles present at the banquet: "Ladies and gentlemen, our valiant French soldiers have not only succeeded in Japan, but also in Indochina, and the government of Annam has agreed to cede to us the three southern provinces. Let's raise a glass and cheer! ”

·

It was actually a few months ago that France ceded three provinces from Vietnam.

This time Napoleon III brought it up again, mainly to divert the topic.

Because France and the Manchus, to be exact, the party of the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, did sign a new treaty, the "Beijing New Testament".

According to the New Treaty of Beijing, France would receive special benefits from Lee's Gyeongsang-do and Jeolla-do, and open a port in Busan, setting aside a large area of land as a French concession.

At the same time, the Manchu government will send 50,000 green battalions, which will be transported by the French and financed by the Qing government, to Japan to quell the rebellion.

Of course, according to the treaty, France also needed to go to war against the Ming as soon as it obtained the above benefits, and provide a series of military equipment assistance to the Manchus in the next three years.

Of course, the Beijing New Testament is only a secret covenant at the moment.

The French had no intention of going to the west coast of North America to fight against the Ming Kingdom, and were ready to follow the example of Tsarist Russia to prostitute the interests of southern Korea.

At that time, Tsarist Russia and the Qing government signed a secret agreement first, and then announced it when the raw rice became cooked rice.

Because this kind of treaty that deceives fools is most afraid that there will be a good Samaritan to mention that fool.

For example, the British in front of you.

·

Seeing that the French people around him were all arrogant, pretending to cover their mouths and chuckling elegantly, and raising their glasses to celebrate France's bravery in sticky French, the British reporter shook his head speechlessly.

These stupid Gallic chickens!

Napoleon III reminded with a smile: "Mr. Reporter, you must record my words in detail, otherwise you will be responsible for any deviations in the report in the future!" ”

The British reporter nodded, recorded the words of Napoleon III in a notebook, and then asked: "Your Majesty the Emperor, it is rumored that the mastermind behind the crime of persecuting Catholics in Japan this time is actually Zhu Fugui, who is known as the 'Dragon of Satan', what do you think about this?" Will France fight Zhu Fugui's army in the Far East? ”

"Zhu Fugui, my God! That vile and cowardly barbarian is not worthy of the title of 'Satanic Dragon' at all! ”

Napoleon III shook his head, "You know, I once sent troops to Italy, overthrew the evil rule of the Roman Republic, and restored the authority of the Papal States.

From Brasilia to the summit of Mount Fuji, saints all over the world cheered for my victory, and even Notre Dame Cathedral and Vatican Cathedral echoed my name all night long.

If the Oriental who had brought shame to the United States of America appeared in Japan, the warriors of France would capture him, put him to death, and put him to God's judgment!

Remember, it's not just you Britons, we French are also the nightmare of the old East! We have also smashed the ancient imperial capital and burned down their most elegant gardens.

An elegant garden that the pagans don't deserve!

You can call me the knight of the Lord, the brave dragon slayer! The dragon of the East must bow its sin head before the guns and roses of France!

France will surely bring the gifts of the Lord to Japan, Vietnam, China, Tatar, and Korea, and praise God! Praise to France! Praise Bonaparte! Alleluia! ”

"Hallelujah!"

Most of the guests in the banquet hall made pleasant noises while enjoying the unfertilized eggs of sturgeon and foie gras.

However, at this moment, a discordant voice rang out.

"Your Majesty, urgent electricity! Far East Express"

A telegraph officer in a blue coat and red pants and a wig rushed into the banquet hall.

"It's Zhu Fugui, it's the 'Satanic Dragon', he'...... The Ming Dynasty condemned us for carrying out illegal missionary work in Japan, corrupting people's hearts and morals, and has declared war on us in France! ”

Thank you to Wall Street, to the London Futures Exchange, to the capitalists of New York and London!

Although the Civil War did not end in the first half of this year, as it has historically been, the Atlantic submarine cable connecting North America and Europe was still laid as scheduled.

Therefore, the telegram of the Ming declaration of war was accurately 31 minutes in advance, one minute earlier than the plan of Yamamoto Fifty-six, and reached the Paris telegraph office, and reached the ears of Napoleon III and the nobles present.

·

"What?"

The wine glass in the hands of Napoleon III fell to the ground and rolled twice on the soft velvet carpet without breaking.

"When? What do these damn Orientals want to do? Also, why do you come to the banquet and shout about such a thing, your French tone! ”

Napoleon III glared angrily, "By the way, are you a diplomat?" What about the Akito's declaration of war? ”

"Your Majesty, times have changed!"

The herald wept and said, "There is no national letter at all...... Emperor Ming, he has electricity all over the world again! He said in the telegram that paperless office is low-carbon and environmentally friendly, and benefits the world...... As for the time of the engagement, it was 31 minutes......"

The herald glanced down at his pocket watch and said, "Just 10 minutes later, Ming's Pacific Fleet is like launching an attack on our Far East Fleet!" ”

"Sneak attack, this is a despicable sneak attack!"

Napoleon III was like a mad lion, waving his fists in rage.

Suddenly, he slipped on his own glass of wine, and fell backwards on all fours.

Click!

I don't know from which corner of the banquet hall, a crisp sound sounded, and the funny scene of Napoleon III was forever frozen in black and white photos.

"The products produced in this Ming country, although extremely expensive, are exquisite and high-quality, and they are really worth the money! The craftsman spirit of the Ming people is worth learning from our Germans! ”

A young Junker aristocrat in the banquet hall hid a black-and-white camera imitating the Pearl River in his pocket along with the negatives taken, and then quietly left the crowd and headed for the Prussian Consulate General.

If Napoleon III was as knowledgeable as the 17th-century Versailles aristocracy who indulged in "chinoiserie", he should know an idiom called "Ye Gong is a good dragon".

And now, perhaps it should be called "taking the gong to slay the dragon".

Now, the evil dragon of the east is really coming, I don't know if it is good to take the sword of the public?

"Iron and Blood" will give the final answer.

France's good neighbors will also be silently watching their answers to the east.