Chapter Ten: Alliance of Interests

  Two days later, Feng Chengqian spent his last penny and ended his folk visit.

  "Was anything gained?" Frederick III did not care how much money Feng Chenqian spent, but only cared whether the money and time spent had any gain.

  "It's not something that can be put into words right now, it's just a very unique feeling."

  "How does it feel?"

  "The British have a strong sense of patriotism, even among those who are struggling to make ends meet and working-class laborers, they take pride in being subjects of the great British Empire."

  "Patriotism is not just for Britons."

  "Your Majesty is right, but it should also be known that patriotism is the highest loyalty of citizens to their motherland, and at times, it is also the last bottom line."

  "What's the meaning of this?"

  "Would those hardworking laborers be willing to endure hardships without a sense of patriotism?"

  "This..."

  "It cannot be denied that the British Empire is very powerful and its people are also very proud, but there are many unseen problems at the bottom of society."

  "For example..."

  "At least, British industrial workers were treated no better than those in the Empire, with working and living conditions extremely poor."

  Frederick III smiled and said: "Alright, even if what you say is true, what's the use of that?"

  "How did Akari die?"

  Frederick III was taken aback and did not react immediately.

  "Your Majesty, the next war will be a comprehensive war of great powers, and what will be tested is not only the military, but also the society as the foundation of the country, especially the endurance of the grassroots people. Many problems that are not taken seriously in peacetime will be magnified during wartime." Feng Chengqian paused for a moment and said, "If we make full use of the enemy's weaknesses, we can achieve victory with half the effort. The current problems in Britain are like the heel of Achilles. We have a proverb that says 'a thousand-mile dike collapses because of an ant hole'. When these seemingly insignificant problems accumulate and explode simultaneously at a certain moment, they will surely bring down the British Empire."

  "It seems you've thought this through very thoroughly."

  "We cannot defeat the British Empire without a long-term plan, and we will not be able to replace it."

  "We?"

  "As a subject, one naturally thinks for Your Majesty and for the Empire."

  Frederick III smiled and said: "So to speak, you have gained a lot in the past two days. However, you must stay here as the Imperial War Minister to participate in the negotiations."

  "Negotiation?" Feng Chengqian furrowed his brow.

  "France has already granted loans to Russia, and British Prime Minister Salisbury has offered to negotiate with us."

  "Joint Response to Franco-Russian Alliance?"

  Frederick III nodded and said, "France provides loans to Russia for the construction of the Siberian Railway, threatening not only us."

  Feng Chengqian also nodded, indicating that he understood the Emperor's meaning.

  Among the many powers, Russia's desire for expansion was the strongest. Although it suffered a crushing defeat in the Crimean War and the Russo-Turkish War, Russia did not give up its ambition to expand its territory. Since Peter the Great, Russia's greatest ambition has been to acquire an open warm-water port.

  In the Far East, Russia actively sought to acquire the Liaodong Peninsula.

  In the Near East, Russia has been nibbling at the Ottoman Empire.

  Although Britain dreaded the industrial potential of the Second German Empire, it feared a powerful Russia even more.

  In the eyes of any politician, the planned Siberian Railway will become the foundation for Russia to achieve industrialization or enter the industrial era.

  "How does Your Majesty think?"

  "This is also what I wanted to ask you."

  Feng Chengqian smiled and said: "Salisbury's initiative to negotiate shows that the British authorities have doubts about Russia's development and growth."

  "If it hadn't been for England, Russia would have dominated the Balkan Peninsula long ago."

  "Essentially, British politicians like Salisbury were worried not about how much territory Russia would swallow up, but whether it would become an industrial power."

  Frederick III furrowed his brow, thinking that these two questions were originally one question.

  "In my view, today's Russia and even future Russia are not worthy of fear."

  "Why?"

  "Your Majesty, in terms of territory, population and resources, is the Empire a match for Russia?"

  "This..."

  "Undoubtedly, the empire's territory is less than one-tenth of Russia's, its population is less than half of Russia's, and its resources are far from comparable to those of Russia. But is the empire weaker than Russia?"

  Frederick III furrowed his brow, waiting for Feng Chenqian to continue.

  "The Industrial Age has arrived, and in the Industrial Age, what determines a country's strength is neither its land area nor its population and resources." Feng Chengqian paused for a moment before continuing, "In an industrialized era, the key to a nation's power lies in its industrial production capacity. It cannot be denied that Russia has vast territory, a large population, and rich resources. Unfortunately, a country that even needs to import rifles can hardly be considered industrialized. The current Russia is just a paper tiger with a strong exterior but weak interior, not worth worrying about."

  "What you said is right, but Russia has a solid foundation."

  "Russia indeed has a solid foundation, but it failed to turn it into a system of national strength."

  "System?"

  "Political system and social system."

  Frederick III furrowed his brow again and began to ponder Feng Chengqian's words.

  "What the outside world pays attention to is only Russia's strength, but few people see its weakness. A country that does not give citizens equal rights and still maintains serfdom will never have a bright future." Feng Chengqian smiled and said, "It's just that this situation is beneficial to us."

  "Your meaning is, we can take the opportunity to unite with Britain?"

  "It's just a surface-level union."

  "Why?"

  "It is true that Britain suppresses Russia, but no matter how much Russia expands, it will not conflict with Britain's fundamental interests. Russia's core goal is to dominate the European continent, not to become a global colonial empire. To be precise, before dominating the European continent, Russia will not seek more overseas colonies. Unfortunately, in order for us to develop and grow, we must actively seek overseas colonies, which inevitably poses a threat to Britain's core interests. Weighing the two evils, Britain is now willing to join hands with us to deal with France and Russia, but it does not mean that they will stand on our side in the future." Feng Chengqian let out a long sigh and said, "As long as politicians like Salisbury think that we pose a greater threat than the Franco-Russian alliance, they will turn their guns around and join forces with France and Russia to deal with us."

  Frederick III nodded thoughtfully, indicating he understood Feng Chengqian's meaning.

  "What we need to do now is to make full use of this opportunity, to win over Britain as much as possible and maintain friendly relations with Britain for as long as possible."

  "What do you plan to do?"

  "Feng Chengqian was taken aback for a moment and said, 'Your Majesty, I am only the Minister of War. The one responsible for diplomatic affairs of the empire has always been the Prime Minister.'"

  "The prime minister is not here, so you have to take his place."

  "But..."

  "Our relationship with Britain is, after all, a military one, isn't it?"

  Feng Chengqian was stunned for a moment, and then smiled bitterly. Frederick III's meaning is that the cooperation between Germany and Britain is based on common interests, and containing France and Russia is itself political and military cooperation.

  "You don't have to worry about it, this is just the first contact."

  "Since Your Majesty has said so, I can only obey."

  "Very unwilling?"

  Feng Chengqian smiled and said: "It's not that I'm unwilling, I just think that replacing the chef isn't a good thing, after all, I'm just the Minister of War."

  "You're too blunt when you speak."

  "There is no need to beat around the bush in front of Your Majesty."

  Frederick III smiled and shook his head, saying: "Alright then, you go find Salisbury tomorrow and say what needs to be said."

  "Is there anything else Your Majesty would like to command?"

  "Do you know Salisbury?"

  Feng Chengqian did not make a sound, he didn't know Salisbury very well.

  "I had Gustav prepare some materials for you to take a look at when you have time." Frederick III yawned and said, "That's all, you can go down first."

  Seeing the emperor's fatigue, Feng Chengqian immediately stood up and bid farewell.

  Salisbury was the leader of the Conservative Party in Britain before becoming Prime Minister, serving several times as Secretary of State for India and also as Foreign Secretary. During his tenure as a member of the House of Commons, he strongly opposed the Reform Act. As Foreign Secretary, he attended the Berlin Conference aimed at preventing Russia's expansion into the Balkans, forcing Russia to revise the Treaty of San Stefano and give up all the fruits of the Russo-Turkish War. Three years ago, Salisbury formed his first cabinet, followed by a second one, adhering to a policy of high pressure towards Ireland and opposing Irish Home Rule. In foreign affairs, Salisbury insisted on the "policy of splendid isolation", believing that Britain could better maintain the balance of power in Europe by not allying with any country, and focusing on colonial expansion, preventing the rise of new powers like the German Empire.

  There is no doubt that Salisbury was extremely hostile to the Second German Empire, believing that a growing and powerful Germany posed a serious threat to Britain. But as a politician, Salisbury was also well aware that the Second German Empire was still temporarily a key pawn in restraining other European powers.

  As a realist like him, it must be hard to cope.

  The question is, which politician is not a realist?

  Feng Chengqian felt that Salisbury had a lot in common with Bismarck, only Salisbury was not as famous as Bismarck.

  The thought of facing Solzhenitsyn in negotiations made Feng Chengqian feel a bit of a headache.

  After some thought, Feng Chengqian felt relieved. If he could handle himself in front of a great man like Bismarck, why should he be afraid of an unknown British Prime Minister?

  It was Salisbury who proposed negotiations.

  It is clear now that what is needed more than ever is England and not the Second German Empire.

  After relaxing his mood, Feng Chengqian had a good sleep and replenished his energy.