Chapter 4: The Storm Rises

  Mao Qi and Bismarck were originally at odds. When Earl Luon was alive, he mediated between them, which made the two men get along peacefully.

  As the saying goes, when the lips are gone, the teeth get cold. Now that a new emperor has ascended to the throne and reinstated an obscure Easterner, Bismarck and Moltke both have lingering fears, so they naturally rely on each other.

  After listening to Ma Qi's complaints, Bismarck remained silent for half a day.

  "Chancellor, this time it's absolutely not a matter of indifference. If an outsider were to grasp the military power of the empire, I'm afraid..."

  "Marshal, how did you know he was an outsider?"

  Mao Qi was shocked and did not expect Bismarck to say such a thing.

  "Your Majesty's attitude is very clear. Feng Chengqian is Your Majesty's lifesaver. Can he be called an outsider?"

  "But..."

  "Your Imperial Majesty has already appointed Feng Chengqian as the Earl of Brandenburg, with a title equal to yours and mine, both being imperial nobles." Bismarck let out a long sigh and said, "A new emperor ascends to the throne, naturally he will appoint a batch of senior ministers. Although you and I are both old-timers of the empire, there will come a day when we will retire, so why bother about so much?"

  Ma Qi furrowed his brow, feeling utterly perplexed.

  "Your Majesty has already said that the Minister of War is only in charge of military equipment matters, and other things still rely on the Generalissimo."

  "Armaments are a great national affair, how can..."

  "As long as the army is in the marshal's hands, what is there to fear?"

  "This..."

  "I heard you have tendered your resignation to His Majesty?" Bismarck looked at Moltke with an expression of discontent, as if he was displeased that Moltke had brought up the subject of resignation at this time.

  Mao Qi sighed and said: "Although you and I are both elders of the empire, it's inevitable that one will die and the other will be cooked."

  "Isn't it too early for the Commander-in-Chief to say such things?"

  "What does the prime minister mean..."

  "The late Emperor's passing will inevitably stir up turmoil." Bismarck sighed and said, "Today I received news that France will provide a loan of 400 million francs to Russia."

  "Is the news reliable?"

  "It's extremely reliable, and there will be more to come soon. France will definitely try its best to win over Russia, and may even provide more loans to Russia in the future."

  "In other words, France deliberately created trouble."

  Bismarck nodded and fell into thought at once.

  Since the time of Napoleon, France and Germany have been sworn enemies. It was the Prussian army under Marshal Blücher that helped Wellington defeat Napoleon at Waterloo. Eighteen years ago, King Napoleon III of France was defeated and captured at Sedan, and German troops immediately marched into Paris, where Emperor William was crowned in the Palace of Versailles, marking the establishment of the Second German Empire. Thus, the glory of the empire is built on the shame of France.

  After the Franco-Prussian War, Alsace and Lorraine were annexed by the Empire, making reconciliation between France and Germany impossible.

  Ma Qi fell silent for a long time before saying: "If France and Russia form an alliance, it is inevitable that there will be another war on the continent, and the Empire will likely fight on two fronts."

  "This is exactly where we must strive to avoid."

  Mao Qi nodded thoughtfully, indicating that he understood Bismarck's meaning.

  After the Franco-Prussian War, Bismarck's diplomatic policy was aimed at improving the Empire's situation on the European continent and avoiding simultaneous enmity with France and Russia.

  It must be admitted that the empire's geographical environment is not ideal.

  If it were to fight both France and Russia at the same time, the empire would have to fight on two fronts, which would be extremely difficult.

  "What are your views?" Bismarck threw the question at Waldersee and Schlieffen.

  Wade was Moltke's designated successor and served as Quartermaster General of the Army, always staying close to Moltke.

  Schlieffen was a very special military officer, still a major general at the age of 55, and entered the General Staff at the age of 32. For decades, he had not directly participated in a major battle, but was highly appreciated by Moltke. He is now the head of the War History Department of the General Staff, assisting Moltke together with Waldersee.

  "Even if France and Russia were to unite, it would not be sufficient cause for apprehension." Waddington said with confidence.

  He was probably a long-time companion of Moltke, and in many respects resembled him, possessing all the well-known characteristics of the typical Prussian soldier.

  Bismarck smiled and turned his gaze towards Schlieffen.

  "If it were just France and Russia, that would indeed be insufficient to inspire fear." Schlieffen paused for a moment before continuing: "The crucial question is whether there are any other potential enemies beyond France and Russia."

  "General, why do you look at me like that?"

  "The Sino-Russian alliance is missing one prerequisite."

  "What?"

  "The glue that holds these two countries together."

  Bismarck's eyebrows jumped a few times, indicating that Schlieffen should continue.

  "France prides itself on being a democratic and free country, while Russia is the most backward feudal monarchy in Europe, so there is no basis for public opinion in France to ally with Russia." Schlieffen paused slightly and said, "In addition, the Empire and Russia have no irreconcilable contradictions, so Russia also lacks the basis for allying with France. Without external factors, it is impossible for France and Russia to form an alliance in the short term."

  "What kind of external cause would it be if there is one?"

  Schlieffen hesitated for a moment before saying: "There is only one country that can bring about an alliance between France and Russia."

  Bismarck nodded thoughtfully, and Moltke and Waldersee also caught the implication behind Schlieffen's words.

  The only one who can bring about an alliance between France and Russia is Britain.

  It is clear that if France and Russia were to form an alliance in the short term, Britain would certainly be counted among them, so the Empire would face three powerful enemies at the same time.

  Bismarck glanced at Mauch and Wadsee, and couldn't help but secretly sigh.

  Even Wadeci didn't have the confidence to defeat three strong enemies at the same time.

  "Marshal, now you should understand why you can't resign, right?"

  Mao sighed and said: "Things are like this, but I'm already old, at most I can only work until the end of the year. Your Majesty also promised to let me return home to rest when the time comes."

  "Is this the marshal's decision?"

  Mo Qi nodded and didn't say anything more.

  Bismarck sighed silently and didn't say anything more.

  Tonight, there were many people who did not sleep well, such as Queen Victoria and Crown Prince William, even the distant Downing Street was affected.

  Salisbury received the news while dining that Emperor Frederick III appointed a man named von Verdy du Vernois as Imperial War Minister, in charge of overseeing imperial military construction.

  The Prime Minister's first instinct was "preposterous".

  Salisbury thought at once that this mysterious Oriental was certainly no ordinary person.

  More than half a year ago, Frederick, who was still the crown prince at that time, was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and it had already reached an advanced stage. Because he refused surgical treatment before the tumor spread, Frederick's condition continued to deteriorate. A month ago, Salisbury received news that Frederick again refused surgical treatment.

  According to Mackenzie's report, Frederick is probably not long for this world.

  As a result, Frederick did not die and ascended to the throne as German Emperor, immediately appointing Feng Chongyi as Minister of War of the Empire.

  Those rumors, Salisbury had also heard of them, but didn't take them to heart. Now it seems that the rumors are not false, and it's very likely that the Oriental person cured Frederick.

  Having been reused by the German Emperor, this person is definitely extraordinary.

  It is necessary to know that Frederick III was by no means a mediocre emperor.

  As the only son of William Frederick Louis, Frederick received a strict military education from his youth and participated in all wars before the founding of the Second German Empire. He served as a regimental commander in the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War, achieving great military merit, with talents not inferior to those of Emperor William.

  Can such an emperor use the wrong person?

  Frederick III's retention of Bismarck and insistence on retaining Moltke prove that he was not a weak emperor, so the people he used would never go wrong.

  That Feng Chengqian must have done more than just save Frederick III.

  The key is what kind of change this mysterious Oriental will bring to the Second German Empire.

  Salisbury was not optimistic at all, one Bismarck was already a headache, and now there's another mysterious guy, the good days of the British Empire are probably over.

  That night, Salisbury sent someone to Berlin to investigate Feng Qingyuan.

  However, the Prime Minister did not inform the Queen of this for the time being. As the situation with Feng Chengqian was not yet clear, Salisbury temporarily felt it unnecessary to disturb the Queen.

  As for France providing loans to Russia, Salisbury did not take it to heart at all.

  For a long time, Britain's basic national policy has been not to form an alliance with any powerful continental country, using secondary powers on the continent to contain the most powerful country. For example, during the Napoleonic era, Britain united with Russia, Prussia and Austria to form an anti-Napoleon alliance, ultimately defeating Napoleon's army at the Battle of Waterloo and shattering his dream of dominating Europe again. Immediately afterwards, Britain allied itself with France and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Crimean War, thwarting Russia's growing influence and crushing its dreams of expanding southwards into the Balkans.

  Britain's continental policy has one core: preventing a powerful nation with significant threat from emerging on the European continent.

  Whether it was Napoleon's First French Empire, Nicholas I's Russian Empire, or Frederick III's Second German Empire, as long as they posed a threat to Britain's vital interests, they were Britain's enemies and would become the object of British attack.

  The German Second Empire before us is very much like the French First Empire of old.

  In terms of national power, the German Empire far surpasses France and Russia, and is not much different from Britain. Given time, it will inevitably become a major threat.

  What worried Salisbury more was that the Second German Empire did not want to be a continental power in Europe, Bismarck had long proposed that Germany should seek "land under the sun", actively seeking and taking colonies in West Africa, East Africa, East Asia and the Pacific.

  If Germany had acquired vast overseas colonies, it would have been more than just a continental power.

  Moreover, the resource-rich colonies had long been carved up by the great powers, and what was left were mostly barren lands. If the German Empire attempted to seize colonies from other countries, it would inevitably disrupt the existing world order, causing the results of Britain's painstaking efforts over several decades to come to naught.

  Britain is the biggest beneficiary of the current world order and would be the biggest loser if it changes.

  It won't be long before the German Second Empire becomes the French First Empire of yesteryear, and Britain will once again face a life-or-death challenge.

  In that case, uniting France and Russia or bringing about a Franco-Russian alliance would be a more desirable choice.