Italy bites the attitude of Borneo as long as it is done, and the two ambassadors also let the British and Dutch high-level know.

In London, Gladstone, who became prime minister for the fourth time, was devastated by the failure of the second Irish Home Rule Act during his tenure, but the idealistic prime minister still paid attention to the dispute between Italy and the Netherlands. (A few words about Irish self-government are hard to say.) Suffice it to say that Ireland has been rebelling against British rule, and the two are completely in the same pot. ）

"How much does Italy's desire to seize Dutch Borneo affect us this time?"

In the Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Gladstone, who had reached the end of his political line, opened his mouth to ask his Foreign Secretary, Rosberg.

Archibald Philip Primrose, the fifth Earl of Roseberry, as Foreign Secretary, was much younger than the aging Prime Minister. I saw him answer.

"It is impossible to say that there is no influence, and Rojas, the Governor of Malaya, complained to me in a telegram that Italy was becoming more and more visible in Southeast Asia, and that they were crowding out too many British merchants. The Chinese who have been pushed to the surface by them are wandering around Southeast Asia, competing with our businessmen. ”

As the Foreign Secretary's words fell, Prime Minister Gladstone then spoke. "In that case, let Rojas come up with a way to save it, so that we can talk to the Italians accordingly."

That's right, it is very normal for the British to use this Italo-Dutch conflict for their own benefit.

Britain is not a living **, and you also need to consider gains and losses when doing things. Italy did not threaten the core colonies of the Netherlands, although Borneo was not small, but it was a subordinate status in the Dutch colonies, and the British Empire rushed forward to do so.

Besides, the Dutch are not the younger brother of the British Empire, and it is good enough that the British Empire can help them stop the loss. And a small country must have the consciousness of a small country, don't think about what the British Empire can do for you, think more about what you can do for the British Empire. If you don't even know that, don't play politics.

The Dutch had some speculation about the intentions of the British, but the so-called good money was hard to give up, and the Dutch did not want to give up until the last moment.

A royal council was being held in the palace, and the Dutch were discussing the question of dealing with Italy.

Queen Wilhelmina, who is only thirteen years old and takes the shape of a loli, strives to maintain the demeanor of a queen, and behind her sits the regent Queen Emma.

In front of them, the two ministers were arguing fiercely, with the bald Foreign Minister Marco being particularly loud.

"Your Excellency West, I understand your concern for the colonies, but at present our country is not at all able to compete with Italy, although our country has the support of the British, but the support of the British is limited, and they will not take advantage of the fire for us. I think the military should be well aware of this, so I hope that Your Excellency will have a problem-solving attitude instead of messing around. ”

General West, the head of the military, who was accused by Foreign Secretary Marko, is trying to defend himself. "What His Excellency Marko said is completely disregard for the facts, and our military is not called nonsense, this is justified and justified."

In the face of Admiral West's defense, Marco exploded, only to see him slam the table and stand up.

"You are not calling it nonsense, sending 30,000 troops from the mainland to defend Borneo, have you ever thought about how much it will cost, and how to solve the problem of security. In addition, the possibility of interception of transport lines is too great, relying on the help of friendly forces, the risk is too high, and it simply cannot be used as a reliable plan. ”

Faced with the Foreign Secretary's accusation, Admiral West looked at his pocket watch and said with a disdainful expression. "Your Excellency Marko, you have not been a soldier, so you do not know the operation of the army. There is no 100% chance of success in any battle plan, and we can only try to maximize its success rate. So please rest assured that this is the best way for us to select our elite forces, and it is definitely not what you think. ”

Marco was even more furious at Admiral West's look at his unmilitary understanding, but at this time a hand pulled him back into his seat.

Pulling him back to his seat was Dutch Prime Minister Heisbet, a non-party prime minister who came to power in order to balance liberals and Christians, and whose prestige in the Netherlands is still very good.

I saw that after he had pacified the Foreign Secretary, he spoke. "General, I have also seen the military's plan, it is very exciting, but I only have one question, then I think the military also has enough funds to deploy so many troops in Borneo."

It is clear that Prime Minister Hasbet is saying that the government is not going to pay for it. What to do if you don't have money, especially if you have to transport more than 30,000 people and equipment half a world away.

No, after hearing the Prime Minister's words, Admiral West immediately jumped to his feet. "This is to protect the territory of the kingdom, and this cost should be paid by the government."

In the face of Admiral West's words, Prime Minister Haysbet spread his hands. "But at the moment the government has no money."

"How can there be no money?"

"Then listen well, the total fiscal expenditure this year is ......"

The prime minister made the expenditures public one by one, and as a soldier, Admiral West was qualified, but what could he know about the government's financial expenditures, so the admiral was surprised to find that there was no extra funds in the government.

"Then we can borrow, I think with the credibility of the kingdom, the problem of borrowing is not big."

"Your Excellency is right, it is not big. But borrowing takes time, and the more urgent we are, the higher the bank's requirements, and I think Your Excellency should know this. In addition, Italy has only given us seven days to reply, and it is already the third day, so what can you do to transport the army over within four days? Even if we procrastinate, it won't be long. ”

The Prime Minister's words were unanimously nodded by the government, and Admiral West, who was the head of the military, was furious and slammed the table.

"You are betraying the country, and you should be shot in the army."

With Admiral West's actions, the scene was plunged into a tense atmosphere. William Mina, as the queen, looked at the prime minister and the general nervously, afraid that they would fight over it.

It's just that the young queen didn't notice that most of the people present didn't show nervous expressions, even if the two of them were angry.

Because they are not at all worried that the two will have a conflict, they are both insiders.

That's right, this clash of military and political chiefs is actually a play, and it's not just a play for the young queen. Believe it or not, the contents of this meeting will be leaked out in the evening.

The reason is simple, where do the senior military and political officials of the Netherlands not know the gap between themselves and Italy, they know very well how big the gap is. It's just that sometimes it's one thing to know, and it's another thing to do how.

As a small country, Dutch politicians have their own way of doing things.

For example, if there is a problem as difficult to resist as Italy, then this requires the cooperation of senior military and political officials.

First of all, the military needs to show a tough stance and show that the Dutch absolutely cannot give in. Then the government showed practical difficulties that the battle could not be fought, and in the end, under the attitude of the government to move with emotion and reason, the military finally had no choice but to accept the reality.

Of course, it is not often that the military gains and the government suffers, and the military will make concessions to the government in some respects afterwards, which can be regarded as a model of tacit understanding between the military and the government. Although the senior Dutch military and political officials did not use this cooperation in the right way, it was greatly beneficial to the stability of the Netherlands.

Moreover, the senior military and political officials present knew that in the end, the Netherlands would suffer, but at least let the uninformed people know that the senior military and political officials also tried to stop it.

Therefore, this scene is necessary, and it will not be over until the first day of the lanterns.

The military and political officials of the meeting left the palace in their own carriages, and as the protagonist of this scene, the 69-year-old Prime Minister Heisbet was naturally tired.

However, although he was not tired, but today's business was not over, and as soon as he arrived home, the housekeeper came to report the visit of the French ambassador Euleka.

"How long has Ambassador Eueka been here?"

Before entering the house, Prime Minister Hasbert asked about the situation first.

"The ambassador has been here for a while, and he is one to visit."

The butler is also a confidant, knows what the prime minister wants to ask, and comes out of the tray with his own knowledge.

A person came to visit, and Prime Minister Hasbert grasped the key information, and he knew it in his heart.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome, what kind of wind has invited Your Excellency here."

As soon as he entered, Prime Minister Heisbet put on a warm and smiling face and greeted the French ambassador in the living room.

"Prime Minister Heisbet, this time it is not right to take the liberty of interrupting, but on behalf of France, I would like to express my sincere concern about the present difficulties in your country."

As soon as Ambassador Euleka opened his mouth, he impatiently expressed France's concern, which made Prime Minister Heisbet's heart sink and he saw that his face did not change. "Thank you for your concern, and the whole Netherlands is very grateful for this."

In the face of Prime Minister Haysbet's quiet words, Ambassador Euekka has no time to waste. Because he has his own channels and knows the attitude of the Dutch, he can't talk slowly like the prime minister in front of him.

"Prime Minister Heisbet, we are very indignant at the persecution of your country by Italy in Borneo, and we believe that your country needs help, and we are willing to give some help to this end. For this reason, my Government is willing to sell to your country a quantity of arms that can be used to defend your country's interests. Here is the list of weapons. ”

Facing the list handed over by the French ambassador, Prime Minister Heisbet took it and looked at it. "Actually, your ambassador can submit this matter through normal channels, and there is no need to go directly to my house."

Although Prime Minister Heisbet didn't take a closer look, he knew at a cursory glance that France's list of weapons had a lot of benefits, but was the Netherlands short of weapons?

Ambassador Eueka also knew what he meant, and immediately asked rhetorically. "My country also wants to help your country militarily, but does your country dare to accept it?"

Well, in addition to the military help of weapons, isn't that just sending troops to support, Prime Minister Heisbet really didn't dare to take it.

Because the Netherlands did not dare to accept such help from France, for the simple reason that it was contrary to Dutch foreign policy.

The neutrality that the Netherlands relied on on on was biased towards Germany, after all, the powerful Germany was on the side, and France was separated by Belgium, and the Netherlands did not dare to get too close to France. In the colonies, it was the United Kingdom. France's current relations with Britain and Germany are not very good, and accepting France's help will do more harm than good, and the gains outweigh the losses. Even if the Netherlands suffered a loss on the issue of Borneo, the vast Spice Islands were still in their hands.

And what is France's intention to help itself, how can the Netherlands not know, isn't it just adding to Italy's blockage.

For this reason, Prime Minister Hasbert can only talk about him left and right. "My country is grateful to France for its selfless help, and I need to look at this list in detail before I can give a reply."

In the face of Prime Minister Heisbert's reply with a bit of an expulsion order, the visiting Ambassador Euekka knew that the Dutch were a little afraid to accept France's good intentions.

In fact, this visit to Prime Minister Hesbert was not his intention, but the order of Paris must be carried out, so he could only go once, and the result was not expected. The timid Dutch did not dare to express a tough attitude on the Borneo issue.

"Okay, I'll wait for Your Excellency's reply and take my leave first."

After the French ambassador left, Prime Minister Heisbet looked a little serious. It seems that the Netherlands cannot delay the Borneo issue, and must resolve it as soon as possible.