Chapter 497 The British who want to cut flesh (third update, please subscribe)
What is Britain?
The famous "shit stirrer"!
When the Prussians and the French were fighting, the British were so happy! They were just drinking tea and eating snacks to enjoy the chaos on the European continent.
But what about now?
The British are annoying!
Because the development of the situation was completely beyond their expectations, Prussia, which seemed to have strong military power, was actually defeated!
France, which was facing numerous internal and external troubles, actually won!
"We must save the situation, at any cost!"
William Ewart Gladstone answered bluntly.
"For hundreds of years, Britain's European policy has been to attack France and maintain the balance in Europe by attacking France, thereby guaranteeing Britain's interests. But now this balance has been seriously damaged! Not only do we have to face a France without any other country to check and balance us, but we also have to face a newly rising country."
“William, do you mean Nanhua?”
Victoria thought of the man her best friend mentioned in the letter. Although Eugenie did not mention their relationship in her letter, the love in her words was hard to conceal.
"Yes, sire."
As he nodded, Gladstone felt mixed emotions.
"Nanhua is simply a disruptor of order! Your Majesty, after Spain's South American colonies gained independence through the Napoleonic Wars, British politicians spent more than half a century to create a South America that we can control. From Peru to Chile, from Argentina to Brazil, they all rely heavily on British capital, and their domestic and foreign affairs are all influenced by us. However, the emergence of Nanhua has destroyed all of this. They not only occupied Chile and Argentina, but also destroyed our layout in Europe."
Nanhua is a disruptor of order!
In the political circles of London, people hate South China "to the core". The reason is simple: the sudden emergence of South China directly destroyed the "British balance" that Britain had carefully built over half a century. This so-called "balance" is actually the foundation for Britain to usurp interests around the world, but now all of this is facing a situation of collapse.
"Your Majesty, the situation we are facing now is the worst since the Napoleonic Wars!"
The Prime Minister's words surprised Queen Victoria.
"how so?"
Although she was not interested in government affairs, as queen Victoria she certainly cared about her kingdom and Britain's world dominance.
"Your Majesty, the balance in Europe has been destroyed. Without constraints, France will compete with us all over the world. Whether we like it or not, this is an inevitable reality. In Mexico, the French army is still there to support Maximilian I's Mexican Empire. In Southeast Asia, France has occupied Cochinchina (Southern Vietnam). This is the past. What will we face in the future?"
Looking at the frowning queen, Gladstone continued.
"We also have to face Nanhua's expansion in South America. Nanhua has formed an alliance with France. While we focus on South America, France will expand in other regions. While we pay attention to France, we will inevitably relax our attention on South America. Your Majesty, this is exactly the situation we are facing!"
One against two, this is a situation that Britain has been trying its best to avoid for many years. Britain has always used diplomatic efforts to put its opponents into a situation where they are one against many, but the alliance between France and Southwark changed everything.
"And what does the Cabinet intend to do?"
Again, Queen Victoria asked.
"We must use other forces to restrain them and confront them through extensive alliances and diplomacy. There is no other way!"
What has enabled Britain to become a "troublemaker"?
It all depends on diplomacy and alliances.
Now faced with such a dilemma, Britain naturally thought of its best weapon: using diplomacy to sow the seeds of future conflict between countries, thereby creating a situation that is favorable to itself.
"Your Majesty, a few months ago, the Hudson's Bay Company agreed to sell the Northwest Territory of North America to the American Company, also known as "South China". Although there are still some problems with this land transaction, legally speaking, the government has no power to stop this transaction."
When it comes to the land transaction of millions of square kilometers in the Northwest, Gladstone couldn't help complaining about the greed of businessmen. They only have interests in their eyes. If the law did not allow it, those damn businessmen would even sell the entire Hudson's Bay Company to South China.
However, that was in the past. Now, everything has quietly changed.
"So the Cabinet is ready to stop blocking the Hudson's Bay Company from selling its land?"
Victoria took a sip of her tea.
"Yes, Your Majesty, not only do we agree to sell them the Northwest Territory, we can even sell them the Colony of British Columbia as well!"
"What? British Columbia!"
Victoria asked, frowning.
“That’s our colony!”
British Columbia, located on the west coast of North America, borders Alaska to the north and the United States to the south, with an area of 944,700 square kilometers. In fact, in the past few years, Britain has been planning to transfer this place to Canada, firstly to prevent the United States from taking the entire Pacific coast of North America; secondly, to get rid of this heavy burden of high debt, sparse population and "no economic growth potential".
Although it was a burden, it was still a British colony anyway.
"Your Majesty, the British Columbia Colony is just a sparsely populated and heavily indebted colony, but Americans have never stopped their desire and ambition for that piece of land, especially after the split of the United States. The North has always been eager to strengthen itself by purchasing land. Even if we give this land to Canada, it will be a burden for Canada. But if it is sold to South China, it will not only make South China border the United States, but also intensify the contradictions between the two countries. Moreover, during the Civil War, South China exported a large amount of arms to the Southern Alliance, which even directly led to the split of the United States. If the British Columbia Colony is purchased by South China, under our diplomatic manipulation, it will inevitably lead to a war!"
With a slight smile on his lips, Gladstone said in a proud tone.
"There is a war between South China and the United States. Of course, we can get a lot of money by selling land. Of course, we are not short of this money, but we will ask them for another thing we need!"
(End of this chapter)
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