The actions of the French provoked the wrath of London, and British Prime Minister William Hassel said in a public appearance at the British royal family's spring polo match, without naming names;

"As an influential and important country in the world, it should make decisions carefully, rather than being hijacked by interests and further complicating the situation in North America.

London, together with Chang'an, will work to restore stability in the region, which will require the efforts of everyone, including the French......"

Since Mr. Prime Minister's public speech was made at the opening ceremony of the Royal Spring Polo Tournament, which was attended by European celebrities, it had a great influence and was quickly published by the media of various countries present, causing great international pressure on France.

In an interview with the famous Le Figaro reporter, French Prime Minister Alain took a tough position;

"All the policies of the French government will be based on the interests of the French people, without taking into account what the politicians on the other side of the strait think?"

"Paris is ready for dialogue, but it will not accept pressure and blackmail, and it is as simple as that for French financiers to get back the money they lent."

"Declaring the country bankrupt does not evade debt service obligations, and the French expeditionary force will not withdraw from Washington until the problem is truly resolved. This is a very good chip and a good collateral. ”

Shortly thereafter

France announced that it would send more troops to North America by more than 5,600 troops to strengthen its military strength in the occupied areas, showing that it would not back down.

In May, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Nicholas, who presided over the opening ceremony of the Trans-Siberian Railway in Vladivostok, arrived in Beihai Province by boat for a week-long visit.

His Royal Highness Tang Li Zheng, the twenty-ninth son of the Tang Emperor, and officials of Beihai Province held a brief ceremony to welcome His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Tsarist Russia at the pier in Penglai City (Otaru).

Penglai (Otaru) is the capital of Beihai City, with a population of 131,200 people, the local environment is beautiful and beautiful, and the architectural style has strong Han and Tang characteristics, which is different from the Qing Dynasty on the mainland.

There are more than two dozen high-rise buildings in the heart of the city, most of which are the Asian regional headquarters of multinational banks or world-class telecommunications companies. The asphalted streets are wide and clean, the green areas are planted with tall hardy pines and cypresses, and the scenery is beautiful and charming surrounded by mountains in the distance.

It's a quiet little town, but it's also a city full of modern elements.

The city is served by several public trams, and the roads are dominated by cars and carriages, as well as a number of tricycles.

A group of black cars flying the royal coat of arms and flags drove into the city, attracting many citizens to stop and watch, pointing from afar.

In one of the cars

Nicholas, the crown prince of Tsarist Russia, sat leisurely in the back seat, holding a glass of vodka on the rocks, and sitting next to him was Prince George of the Greek Kingdom, and the two chatted with each other.

His Royal Highness Nikolai took a sip of wine and said;

"The Tang people are doing a good job here, if you ignore these strange oriental buildings, this place is very much like a small town in Europe, eh...... It's just that there are more cars. ”

Prince George of Greece withdrew his gaze from the car window and replied with a little contemplation; "The city dwellers look doing well, many of them are dressed in tweed, ruddy complexions and strong bodies, and they don't look like they're constantly starving."

"How is this possible?" His Royal Highness Nikolai was stunned when he heard this, and his eyes involuntarily turned out of the car window.

The street scene outside the car window kept receding, and the faces of local residents verified that Prince George was right, which made His Royal Highness Nikolai a little puzzled.

He thought for a moment and said;

"George, I know that this cold island can only grow one crop a year, is it possible that they can produce enough to feed everyone?"

Hunger was a lingering nightmare that haunted the Tsarist Empire, was, and is and will be, the greatest obstacle to the strength of the Tsarist Empire.

In this era when chemical fertilizers could not be widely used, in addition to the nobility and landlords, almost three-quarters of the White Russian population had to endure hunger, and there was always a difficult time of one or two months a year, and even more for the poor peasants.

Prince George shrugged his shoulders, took a sip from the glass in his hand, and replied; "Who knows? Maybe they can bring in food from home, and it won't be long before we know the answer. ”

"These Orientals ......," His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Nicholas said meaningfully, then took another sip of his glass and did not continue.

After the "westward expansion into Europe" policy was frequently blocked, the Tsarist Russian Empire fully turned to the national policy of "eastward expansion" in an attempt to further expand its colonial power in the east.

After an unsuccessful attempt to invade Xinjiang, Tsarist Russia set its sights on the Korean Peninsula and the sparsely populated provinces of the three eastern provinces, planning to expand its colonization in the region.

In the court of Tsarist Russia, there was even a plan to make "Dalian" the capital of the East, echoing St. Petersburg in the West.

It is under this kind of national policy considerations that the Tsarist Empire devoted all its efforts to the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and these secrets should not be discussed in the open.

From the heart

His Royal Highness Nicholas adhered to the usual arrogance of the Tsarist Russian royal family, both looked down on the Orientals and resisted the strength of the Tang State from the bottom of his heart, and everything he saw in this city made him feel uncomfortable.

The whites of Tsarist Russia are hungry, how can the Easterners have their stomachs full?

The city's convenient tram traffic, wide and flat asphalt roads, and hundreds of thousands of cars during the passage have made His Royal Highness the crown prince's mentality unbalanced.

The Tang Empire did not fully expand in East Asia, and there were only 4 vassal states in the entire western Pacific region, namely the Kingdom of Amami, the Kingdom of Luzon, the Kingdom of Cebu and the Kingdom of Mindanao, and its influence was mainly in the south.

In the whole of East Asia, only Beihai Province and Amami Kingdom directly belonged to the Tang Empire, and Fuso and Ryukyu Kingdom were independent vassal states of the Tang Dynasty, which were different in nature from the former.

The welcome party was quite grand, in addition to the host of His Royal Highness Tang Li Zheng, the twenty-ninth son of the Tang Emperor, there was also Prince Weiren of Qichuan Palace specially sent by the Fusang Kingdom to show his attention.

Prince Weiren had studied in the Tang Dynasty for many years, could speak fluent Chinese, and was a small middle-aged man with a modest attitude.

In addition, there are many regional presidents of multinational banks and telecommunications companies, celebrities and wealthy businessmen gathered together for a high-level welcome dinner.

At the dinner party

The young crown prince Nikolai behaved decently and generously dealt with people from all sides, and naturally became the center of attention, showing the elegance of the royal family with his gestures.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your hospitality and for making my trip wonderful. Appreciating this completely different scenery from the European continent will inevitably make people have a strong interest in oriental culture. Crown Prince Nikolai said with a smile.

His Royal Highness Tang Li Zheng, the twenty-ninth son of the emperor, is about the same height as Prince Nicholas, tall and straight, with a well-groomed mustache at the corner of his lips, and responded with a smile;

"It is so good, and strengthening the close connection between the royal families of the two countries has always been the long-cherished wish of the Tang royal family. We look forward to the visit of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, which will surely deepen this relationship......"

The conversation at the lavish dinner was full of unnutritious scenes.

Everyone knows that the relationship between the Tang and Russian royal families is estranged, and no prince has ever visited Tsarist Russia, and the imperial royal family has no interest in that remote and cold vast territory.

The exchanges between the two countries are more likely to appear in a hostile manner on the battlefield, and the soldiers sacrifice their lives to fight and kill.

Prince Weihito, who was short in stature, stood beside the two highnesses, like two adults with a child.

Prince Weiren had to tilt his head and listen to their chat, and from time to time he would say "Hi Yi", "You are so right", "I think so too", to show his presence.

The dinner was in the form of a buffet, and after His Royal Highness Don Li Zheng greeted him for a while, and after leaving politely, a large number of people immediately surrounded him.

Among them, the two regional presidents of the World Telegraph Company and the Pacific Telegraph Company were the most eager, and they both wanted to make a good impression in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

The reason is simple

The Trans-Siberian Railway, which was built with great effort by the Russian Empire, gave the telegraph company hope of a second long-distance telegraph line to Europe.

As long as the telegraph line is laid along the Trans-Siberian Railway, it can be easily connected to the European telegraph network, which is a telegraph line with huge benefits!

Now

It was the French who led the laying of the long-distance telegraph line from Europe to St. Petersburg and Moscow, and extended all the way to Kazan in Western Siberia.

This telegraph line is expected to continue eastward, eventually reaching Vladivostok.

For the industrialization of Tsarist Russia, the French provided a large number of loans, which also made Franco-Russian relations gradually closer.

But this kind of thing is purely a matter of having dates and not hitting two shots, what if there is a harvest?

Comparatively

The regional executives of those multinational banks are much more reserved, and Tsarist Russia is not a good customer of international financial loans, and has always been poor and arrogant in the international market, and its credibility is extremely poor.

France had no choice but to seek a balance in the alliance with the Three Emperors led by Germany in order to alleviate the strategic pressure of its own disadvantage.

Datang has no such concerns, nor does it have this kind of demand, so it naturally seems to be more reserved, and even a little arrogant in the eyes of Crown Prince Nikolai.

"Do these hateful Orientals really think that by cutting off their braids, they can get rid of the inferior race?" His Royal Highness Nikolai did not need to put on a friendly face in front of his close friend, Prince George.

The money-hungry Tsarist Russian royal family, like ordinary people, hoped that the rich bankers would cling to them, and put on a high-ranking royal style.

After seeing those Chinese bankers who have always been known for their wealth and wealth, they only maintained polite greetings and did not move forward at all, and there was a strong sense of superiority between their eyebrows.

At this moment, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince broke the defense.

His own family knows his own affairs, and His Royal Highness Nikolai knows how short of money the Tsarist court is.

The dignified crown prince traveled through European countries and the Far East, with neither an accompanying fleet, nor a comfortable luxury cruise ship, nor a cloud of servants, only an ironclad ship "Memories of the Sea of Azov" accompanying him.

The "Memories of the Sea of Azov" ironclad is a 1,300-ton iron-clad sail warship, with a cramped living environment and low ride comfort.

Although the captain obediently gave up the relatively spacious captain's cabin, the small space was destined to not be able to carry many passengers, so there were only about 10 entourage.

This bit by bit reveals the embarrassment of the Russian royal family.

Today, the largest project in the country to tighten their belts is the Trans-Siberian Railway, and the expenses of the Russian royal family have been greatly reduced to ensure the progress of the project.

Prince George was very conscious of a small country, nodded and agreed; "It is true that these Orientals are reserved and introverted, and it is neither easy to approach nor easy to integrate into their circle."

With a sneer, Crown Prince Nikolai regained his arrogant demeanor and said condescendingly;

"Let them run rampant for a while, and when the Trans-Siberian Railway is completed, and the armies of the Russian Empire continue to arrive in the East, these vile peoples will prostrate themselves at my feet and ask for grace."

"The Tsarist army is no longer the fear of the Western world, and in the future, it will be the fear of the Eastern world." Prince George was a well-timed fart.

His words made Crown Prince Nicholas feel quite comfortable, and he glanced at Prince Weiren of Suchuan Palace, who was standing not far away, with disdain, revealing a strong sense of superiority.

Prince Weiren of Qichuan Palace could clearly feel this unfriendly gaze, forcibly suppressed the discomfort in his heart, and half-turned around and bowed.

Compared with the powerful Tsarist Empire, the Fuso Kingdom at the end of the 19th century was still very weak, and the Fuso government attached great importance to the visit of His Royal Highness Nikolai, the crown prince of the Tsarist Empire, and did its best to receive it.

Prince Weiren of Qichuan Palace came to Beihai Province to greet the marquis, which is extremely high etiquette.

It's a pity

For the Tsarist Russians, this is simply a flattering eye to the blind, and what they get is full of humiliation.

His Royal Highness Tang Li Zheng, the twenty-ninth son of the Tang Emperor, witnessed all this, and was not very happy with the arrogance of the guests of Tsarist Russia, after all, Prince Weiren of Qichuan Palace behaved very respectfully and obediently, giving enough face to the royal family of the Celestial Empire.

So he took the initiative to come over and said with a smile in his eyes; "His Royal Highness Prince Weiren, we have been old friends for more than ten years, and I hope that the hospitality here will make you feel at home, and you can say anything you need."

"Your Highness is so polite, we came here to cause you trouble, I really don't want to go!"

"Where, where...... It's too late to welcome a distinguished guest like you, just like your own family often walks around, so why bother with it! Hahahaha...... "His Royal Highness Don-Li Zheng laughed.

His gentle and sincere expression was like a warm current, which made Prince Weiren of Qichuan Palace feel deeply, is it the ceremonial state of the Heavenly Empire?

Compared to these Tsarist Russian barbarians, it is simply one day and one earth, and it cannot be compared at all.

The welcome dinner was grand and warm, but the actual feeling was very different.

(End of chapter)