Chapter Eleven: Taking the Initiative

  When he saw Salisbury, what Feng Chengqian noticed first was the mustache that covered half of his face.

  It's probably a characteristic of this era that men like to grow beards, and it seems many people think the more and thicker their beards are, the more masculine they look.

  Salisbury was also sizing up Feng Chengqian, but his expression remained inscrutable.

  To be honest, Salisbury was a bit disappointed with his first impression of Feng Chengqian, as this oriental man with distinct features neither had a beard nor an outstanding appearance.

  "Prime Minister, don't you think I look familiar?" Feng Chengqian couldn't take it anymore.

  After arriving in this era, Feng Chengqian would say this sentence every time he saw someone, because everyone would look at him with an embarrassing gaze.

  "Of course not, this is actually my first time meeting Earl."

  "The Prime Minister is being polite. I hear from Your Majesty that the Prime Minister intends to discuss some matters related to France and Russia with me?"

  "His Lordship the Earl understands, so let's talk about it easily." Salisbury smiled and said, "France assisting Russia in building the Siberian Railway poses a serious threat to your country, so I suggest taking joint action to put pressure on France and Russia."

  "Did the Prime Minister mean that this also constituted a threat to the British Empire?"

  Salisbury's eyebrows twitched a few times, and then returned to normal. "The Earl is right, this railway will make Russia brand new, and a brand-new Russia must necessarily disrupt the existing balance of power, and also pose a substantial threat to your country and mine."

  "So, does the Prime Minister have any good advice?"

  "I think as long as our two countries can stand together, it is the best response."

  "Stand together?"

  Salisbury nodded and said: "First issue a diplomatic statement expressing serious concern over France's assistance to Russia in building the Siberian Railway."

  "Does the Prime Minister mean to let it be?"

  "This..."

  "Merely expressing concern is fundamentally useless and at most will only make Russia and the law have some scruples. Even if it can delay for a few days, I'm afraid that in the future it will still become a nightmare come true."

  "What does 'Earl' mean?"

  Feng Chengqian smiled and said: "If you want to stop France from assisting Russia, you must take concrete actions."

  "What action?"

  "It depends on the Prime Minister."

  Salisbury furrowed his brow, indicating he didn't understand Feng Chengqian's meaning.

  "If we take things as they are, my suggestion is to retaliate in kind and adopt tit-for-tat measures."

  "For example..."

  "For example, building a railway that can counterbalance it in strategic value and pose a threat to both France and Russia, such as the railway from Berlin to Baghdad."

  Salisbury stared at Feng Chengqian in a daze, looking a bit unbelievable.

  "Of course, this is just a stopgap measure in response to the current threat."

  "What does the Earl mean? Is there a long-term plan?"

  "France assisted Russia in building the Siberian Railway, aiming to achieve a Franco-Russian alliance. The Prime Minister must have known that if France and Russia formed an alliance, it would definitely break the current balance of power on the continent, posing a threat not only to our country but also causing your country's continental policy to go bankrupt."

  Salisbury remained silent, indicating he did not oppose Feng's view.

  "Since it's a long-term plan, we need to think further ahead. So my suggestion is that your country must change its usual diplomatic stance."

  "The meaning of Earl is..."

  "If we can sign an alliance treaty with your country, I believe..."

  "This can't be!" Salisbury burst out, immediately realizing he had misspoken. "Something this important, I'm not authorized to decide."

  "The Prime Minister misunderstood, this is just my suggestion."

  "Your Lordship is surely aware that such a momentous matter must have the support of Parliament, and in the Lower House, I fear no one would be found to second such a motion."

  "If you don't try, who knows what will happen?"

  "This..."

  Feng Chengqian couldn't help but laugh, Salisbury was in a difficult situation now.

  The idea of building a railway from Berlin to Baghdad, later known as the "Baghdad Railway", did not originate with von der Goltz, but was borrowed by him from others. Years earlier, there had been plans within the Empire for a railway that would run through the Bosphorus and on to the Persian Gulf. Through this railway, the German Second Reich would be able to control Asia Minor, establish an advance base in the Persian Gulf, threaten the Caucasus and Egypt, and drive a wedge into Britain's road to India, laying the foundation for the Empire's global strategy.

  If it had not been for Feng Chongyi, Bismarck would also have taken action within the year.

  In the familiar history of Feng Chengqian, it was Deutsche Bank and Württembergische Bank that entrusted Kaula to obtain the operating rights of the railway line from Smyrna to Ankara, and then established the Asia Minor Railway Company. Five years later, the plan was abandoned due to opposition from various powers.

  Because he was familiar with this piece of history, Feng Chengqian voluntarily brought it up to Salisbury.

  It is better for us to take the initiative than to let Britain intervene afterwards.

  Don't forget that it was the British Prime Minister who proposed joining hands to contain France and Russia, and even the German Empire would benefit from it, with the initiative in the hands of the empire.

  Even if Salisbury doesn't take Feng Chengqian's words seriously, it will still have other effects.

  For example, Bismarck could be put forward to formally propose the construction of the Baghdad Railway and share benefits with Britain, thereby reducing the conflict of interests between Germany and Britain.

  Feng Chengjian's negotiations with Salisbury also ended in disagreement.

  Feng Chengqian did not delay and immediately went back to report the situation to Frederick III.

  "Was it you who proposed building the railway?"

  "It was just mentioned, after all, it's England that is seeking people now."

  "But...," Frederick III sighed, "the Persian Gulf is one of the core areas of Britain, and it will not be allowed to be touched by others. Although you have a strong grasp of timing, doing so would only create unnecessary suspicion and would not help in promoting Anglo-German friendship at all."

  "Does Your Majesty think we have friendship with England?"

  "This..."

  "The nature of an alliance based on interests is that it gathers when there are benefits and disperses when the benefits are exhausted. Although we currently have common interests with Britain, this mode of cooperation is fundamentally unreliable. Britain can cooperate with us today for the sake of interests, but tomorrow they will also cooperate with France and Russia for even greater interests."

  "You're right, but..." Frederick III sighed again and didn't continue.

  "I know what Your Majesty is worried about, but if you don't take a stand now, it will be even more difficult to deal with later."

  "What's next?"

  "Even if I didn't bring it up, someone else would have. A few years ago, someone proposed building a railway through the Bosphorus to Baghdad and several of the Empire's banks were very interested. With such great benefits at stake, even if Your Majesty opposes..."

  Frederick III immediately furrowed his brow, as if he had no knowledge of this matter.

  "Anyway, it's already happened."

  "It can only be like this." Frederick III thought for a moment and said, "You take the initiative to bring it up, which is much better than letting Britain use it as an excuse later."

  Feng Chengqian nodded and didn't say much.

  "This matter, let the prime minister handle it." Frederick III took a deep breath and said, "Tomorrow, the queen will inspect the main fleet of the Royal Navy. She invites us to attend. Don't you want to see the fleet of the British Empire? Prepare well and don't miss this good opportunity."

  "Is the queen showing off to us?"

  Frederick III smiled and said: "All right, if the queen comes to visit, I will accompany her to review the imperial army."

  "Are you jealous, Your Majesty?"

  "Jealous?"

  "The Queen has the most powerful fleet in the world, while Your Majesty has..."

  "I have the strongest army in the world."

  "But without a fleet, even the strongest army cannot cross the English Channel. Napoleon could not do it, and I suppose Your Majesty's army cannot either."

  "I told you, you're too straightforward with your words, leaving no room for maneuver."

  Feng Chengqian smiled and said: "I can gain your trust, how dare I speak falsely to flatter you?"

  Frederick III also smiled and said, "To be honest, I'm a little envious. If we had such a powerful fleet, even if it was slightly inferior, I would be satisfied."

  "It's just..."

  Frederick III looked at Feng Chengqian. "Do you know what I'm going to say?"

  "If I'm not mistaken, Your Majesty will say that it's not the navy but the army that decides the fate of an empire, so what the empire needs most is a powerful army."

  Frederick III smiled; this was indeed what he wanted to say.

  "Has Your Majesty ever considered that even with just a powerful army, the empire would still be unable to accomplish anything?"

  "You mean..."

  "Does Your Majesty know that several years ago an American traveling in England invented a powerful automatic weapon."

  "Ma Keen?"

  Feng Chengqian nodded and said: "Then has Your Majesty ever thought that this kind of automatic weapon will change history, making war change its face?"

  Frederick III's eyebrows jumped a few times, seemingly somewhat skeptical of Feng Chengqian's words.

  "Your Majesty, it's not about believing or not believing, but we must understand that in this era of rapid scientific and technological advancements, what changes is not just the mode of production, but many, many more things. The next war will inevitably be a contest of comprehensive national strength. Without a powerful navy, an empire would have no overseas trade, nor would it obtain overseas resources. Can an empire win the next war with only its own domestic resources?"

  Frederick III neither agreed with nor contradicted Feng Qian.

  Feng Chengqian didn't say anything more, after all, changing the consciousness of a Luquan Empire Emperor that had been formed since childhood was absolutely not something that could be accomplished with just a few words.

  The Second German Empire needed time and Frederick III needed time.

  Feng Chengqian believed that as time passed, under the influence of what he had heard and seen, Frederick III would definitely change his mind, recognize the importance of sea power, make up his mind to build a powerful navy, and make the German Empire, which was already the number one power on the European continent, a truly global power.

  Perhaps when he sees the main fleet of the British Royal Navy, Frederick III will have some insight.