More than 5 months later

In February 1886, a detachment of more than 4,600 members of the French Foreign Legion was deployed to the port of Baltimore on the grounds that;

In view of the complexity and turbulence of the situation in the United States, France, at the special request of the International Creditors Committee, has increased part of its forces to stabilize the local situation and fulfill its international obligations to maintain post-war peace.

There is nothing wrong with saying this, because after the war, the United States was originally an occupied country and lost many national sovereignty, which was dominated by Tang, Britain, France, and Prussia (Note; Later, it was changed to Germany) and the Netherlands and other multinational armies, and they were stationed in different armies.

Germany and the Netherlands had already withdrawn their troops, and their troops were already small, with more than 600 Germans and 70 Dutch troops, only symbolically stationed in the first few years, and then withdrawn to the European mainland.

The French action was not known in London after the fact, and even the United States did not know about it beforehand, until the French army landed in Baltimore and settled in a military camp that was about to be abandoned after the disarmament of the Tang Empire.

London was immediately alarmed, and British Prime Minister William-Cecil personally called French President François Paul Jules Grevy and praised him;

"This confusing operation of the French army in North America was unexpectedly unknown to London beforehand. London is deeply concerned that such recklessness could open up a dangerous military confrontation......"

"It is necessary for France to articulate a clear and understandable North American policy to prevent strategic miscalculations."

"London neither likes nor is accustomed to such an act of neglect, which will certainly have a great impact on the further cooperation that is being promoted, and it is necessary for France to be cautious in the interests of the common ......"

London is tantamount to a naked threat, the rhetoric is full of arrogance, President François who saw the telegram was so angry that his face changed color, where can the arrogant French stand this?

He scolded on the spot; "Hell all these damn Brits, what does he think he is?"

As a matter of fact

After calming down, President François had to hold down the flying beast and patiently reply to the British Prime Minister, Sir William Cecil, in a well-spoken telegram, explaining in detail the difficulties of the French government.

Considering that the current strategic situation in Europe is unfavorable to France, German Prime Minister Bismarck established the existence of the Triple Emperor Alliance and the Triple Alliance at the same time by means of combining vertical and horizontal means, which is like two shackles firmly limiting France's strategic space.

In order to seek a strategic balance of power in Europe, France had to pinch its nose and move closer to Britain, hoping to disperse the huge military pressure of the anti-French alliance.

This is what Prime Minister William Cecil really meant when he said that "this is bound to have a big impact on further cooperation in the process", and you can "make London feel left out, but think about whether you can bear the consequences of this"

The answer is clear; France could not afford it.

German Prime Minister Bismarck was a brilliant diplomat and strategist, and he drew together Russia, Austria, and Italy, the three major powers surrounding France, to form a military alliance against France, and squeeze France's strategic space in all directions.

Look around the whole of Europe

The French were saddened to find that they did not have a single ally of sufficient weight, and that the Kingdom of Spain was the only one that could be used, and that there were a number of Dutch, Belgian, Danish, Swedish or Swedish, almost all of them Protestant countries, openly and secretly wearing the same trousers with England, and marrying each other frequently.

France had little choice but to hug the thighs of the British.

As for the Tang Empire on the other side of the Atlantic, the good relationship with Germany is almost wearing a pair of pants, and the trade friction with France has been continuous over the years, and the relationship has been bumpy and not smooth.

So after President François calmed down, he had to pinch his nose and write a tactful reply to London.

The second half of the 19th century

France's "usury empire" is becoming more and more famous, and now there are more than 4.3 million rentiers in the country, earning high profits by distributing large amounts of usury to the world. North America is one of the key markets, Europe is another key market, the Brazilian Empire in South America owes France a large war loan, and there are also countries such as the Qing Dynasty and Fuso in East Asia.

The focus of the problem now is the huge war debt owed by the United States during the Second North American War, which is now the follow-up repayment problem that the "international creditor committee" is most worried about.

This huge debt is as high as 985 million Tang Yuan, with an interest rate of 6.6% and a repayment period of up to 49 years.

After 24 years of debt repayment so far, the United States has repaid about 1.26 billion Tang Yuan principal and interest, and about 1.4 billion Tang Yuan is still short of principal and interest, which is expected to be paid off in the next 25 years.

As for the United States "tearing down the east wall and making up for the west wall" and barely maintaining itself by borrowing new debts to repay old debts, that is another debt problem.

French loan sharks account for more than 70 percent of the remaining international creditor's rights, and seeing that the first half of next year is the "repayment date" and the situation in the United States is so turbulent, it is a lie to say that there is no panic.

After receiving a huge amount of war compensation, the Tang Empire may withdraw from the "International Customs Supervision Commission", further reduce the troops stationed in the United States, or even withdraw completely, leaving this mess behind.

At that time, the United States will be split with a "snap," and the fun will be great.

Of the remaining about 1.4 billion Tang Yuan in principal and interest, the French loan sharks alone accounted for more than 1 billion Tang Yuan, the United Kingdom accounted for about 160 million, Datang about 130 million, and investors from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and other countries occupied the remaining share.

One billion Tang dollars is equivalent to about 4 billion francs, which is equivalent to twice the huge compensation of the Franco-Prussian War, such a large sum of money, which cannot be given up under any circumstances.

Even a decimal point cut in debt restructuring negotiations is enough for the French to feel distressed for a long time.

If President François of France fails to take a tough stance on this issue, he will be ousted by the angry loan sharks in a matter of minutes.

If the French government fails to solve the problem of overseas debts and a strategic alliance, the former will die immediately, and if the latter does not solve it, the future will be worried......

In the high-level bickering between Britain and France, the country concerned has been forgotten, because the opinions of the weak do not need to be taken seriously.

On this issue related to the vital interests of the United States, it is ridiculous that it does not have the slightest right to speak.

Britain and France also tacitly did not mention another strong power, the Tang Empire, as the real decisive force in the whole Americas, and now the Tang Empire is busy with the grand ceremony of the 40th anniversary of His Majesty's accession to the throne on May 1, 1886, and all international and domestic issues are standing behind.

Britain is also facing such a grand ceremony, which is about to be held on June 20, 1887, on the 50th anniversary of the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, exactly one year apart.

One is in North America and the other is in Europe, and in terms of influence, the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's coronation is definitely more solemn and widespread, and it can be called a major celebration in the world.

Fortunately, the time has been staggered for more than a year, so it will not completely steal the limelight.

In order to successfully hold an unprecedented grand 40th anniversary celebration, the Tang Empire has begun to actively plan as early as more than a year ago, inviting international guests, mainly royal guests in Europe, heads of state and vassal states in East Asia in the Americas, a total of 23 heads of state, emperors, and kings are expected to be present, and there are thousands of powerful dignitaries and dignitaries from various countries, representing more than 40 countries around the world to participate in the celebration.

Just when the Tang and Britain were preparing for the imperial enthronement ceremony, the Qing Dynasty ordered four powerful ironclad cruisers in Britain and Germany and other countries were built one after another, and Li Hongzhang ordered the naval governor Deng Shichang to go to the European continent to pick up these four powerful ironclad ships and prepare for the formation of the "Beiyang Naval Division".

And at this time

After the Southwest War, Fusang further strengthened the policy of learning from the Tang Dynasty in an all-round way, carried out in-depth reforms in all aspects of social, political, economic, and military affairs, eliminated accumulated shortcomings, and made every effort to implement the reform policy.

The victory in the Southwest War gave the Tokyo government a relatively powerful modern army, which coerced the feudal daimyo to abolish the local armed forces, abolish the scattered and fragmented state of their own affairs, implement modern county and city administrative divisions, and raise funds to start industrialization, which greatly promoted the modernization process.

In order to prepare for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Holy Emperor's accession to the throne, the imperial capital Chang'an began large-scale urban construction more than two years in advance, widening roads and bridges, bulldozing many early messy shantytowns, and building new high-rise buildings.

The first subway line of the Tang Empire, the cross-sea Kinmen Bridge, the 80,000-ton deep-water port wharf, the Longshou original tram terminal, the statue of the Holy Emperor Mountain, the Imperial Monument and the Arc de Triomphe, the Grape Valley Palace and other landmark projects have started construction one after another, and many of them have reached the completion stage under the heavy investment.

Today's imperial capital of Chang'an, with its wide roads and towering buildings, as well as urban gardens and green spaces in the middle of the street, can be seen not far away.

Three months in advance

The Imperial Capital Police General Administration, together with the Royal Janissary Guard, began to attack some bulls, ghosts, snakes, gods and underground underworld forces in the imperial capital of Chang'an, from the Lantern Festival to April, the military and police forces repeatedly combed the streets of Chang'an.

Residents of Chang'an can often see police carts roaring past full of prisoners, and the royal locks block off the entire street, house by house, to check for suspicious people, and to search for fugitive suspects.

Some of the most powerful gray characters in the neighborhood have fallen, and these powerful people who used to be invincible are now just panicked street rats under the iron fist of the imperial military and police.

The spirit of Chang'an City, the imperial capital, is lifted from the inside out, the public security is unprecedentedly good, petty thieves are difficult to see, and the street gangsters and strong characters who usually bully and dominate the market, and are neighbors of the evil township are almost swept away.

The Tang Empire implemented the block squire system, and there were some people who were enthusiastic about public welfare and reputable to take the lead in management, and the Royal Police Administration specially opened a report box to implement the policy of "catching mistakes and not letting go" for all gray and black characters reported by citizens, and the effect was surprisingly good.

Entering April

The rehearsals for the grand procession of the masses have been carried out on a large scale, and it is common to see citizens with gongs and drums hanging from their waists on the streets, which are the rehearsals of those who have participated in the majestic gong and drum corps of 10,000 people.

There were also people dressed in various costumes, each with a smile on their faces before the grand celebration, chattering about the trivial matters of the rehearsal, and their eyes glowing with a strange light.

Everyone is looking forward to the day when this unprecedented scale of the festival will be officially held......

(End of chapter)