Xinshun 1730

Chapter 610 The Son of Heaven's Chosen

Hearing that the opportunity seemed to be close at hand, William IV showed panic rather than excitement.

At a loss, the words in his mouth began to tremble intermittently.

"You...you...you mean?"

Earl Bentinck had no idea what William IV was talking about, but he still nodded as if he understood the implication.

"Your Highness, the people have been suppressed for too long. They both miss the strength of the past and hope for internal changes. If internal changes cannot be made, then they will never be strong; but if they want to change, they must first pretend to be strong externally, and then take enough prestige."

"People will always remember that it was the Orange family who led the Dutch to defeat the foreign enemy and frightened the enemy on the battlefield."

"Whenever people feel lost, they miss the Orange family."

What happened in the Netherlands at this time, many years later in history, a similar scene happened in France.Napoleon's nephew, wearing his uncle's skin and holding his uncle's bone, ascended to the throne by relying on the people's memory of Napoleon.

Loss, decay, dissatisfaction, whenever this happens, most people don't look forward, but look back, looking for the real savior in the past history, and then transfer this emotion to the savior who can wear bones and old skin on people.

But it is precisely because of this that William IV looked at the handsome Earl of Bentinck and thought that if I were as tall and handsome as you, with no deformity in the spine and no chicken breasts, I would not have to cough when I walked a few steps on a horse To the extent that my lungs are coughed up, people will of course regard me as the shadow of their ancestors.

but……

He quietly turned his head and looked at his ugly figure in the mirror, feeling sad in his heart.What the public needs is a chosen son who wears the skin of an imaginary savior god, so ugly that his wife says he looks like an African baboon, which seems a little far away from the chosen son imagined by the public.

Moreover, even if they become the ruler, the previous generations of Princes of Orange have proved one thing, the centralization of power can only lead to the result of being hostile to all big businessmen, oligarchs, and iron-clad gentlemen in various cities.Which of the previous generations of Princes of Orange was not better than himself?But is it done?
"Earl Bentinck, even if I become the ruler, what can I do? What should I do?"

"Take the seemingly simplest trade issue with China as an example. How should I solve the trade issue between the East India Company and China? Of course you know that it is impossible to agree to China's request and release tariffs. , Set up a trade agreement. Could it be that, as you said, for the sake of glory and national integrity, you cannot become a tributary state, so you gave up trade with China?"

"The East India Company waited for a full 100 years for direct trade with China before finally getting the opportunity."

"The war against Japan that broke out last year, and the arrival of the Chinese envoys in Amsterdam this time, are all declaring one thing: their navy is capable of curbing smuggling."

"Could it be that the first thing you want me to do when I become the ruler is to arouse the resentment of all shareholders and the board of directors of the East India Company?"

William IV didn't think there was anything wrong with being a tributary state, because he didn't know what a tributary state was.

The tributary country he thought...was just like one of the treaties that Cromwell forced to sign after the Anglo-Dutch War: Dutch ships must pay tribute when they see British warships.

However, it wasn't what he thought it was.

Only if he lives in East Asia, or if he has been to Korea and Ryukyu, can he truly understand the meaning of the tributary state.

This is not as simple as simply paying tribute when you see a warship.

In fact, Earl Bentinck did not understand very well. There are cultural differences between the East and the West.

In fact, neither of them thinks that there is anything wrong with the status of the tributary state they understand. It is better than giving up the trade with China that has been going on for a hundred years.

However, this incident itself can be instigated and become the fuse to stir up people's emotions.

The regency oligarchs have money, but not many troops at their disposal.Friesland is north of Amsterdam, so there is no need to worry about the French army rushing over. Even if they rush over, they must first run over the southern provinces.

The regency oligarchs have disarmed and lost even a field regiment. The few remaining troops are piled up in castles in the south near France and the Austrian Netherlands, and they can only rely on fortresses for defense.

Therefore, as long as the opportunity comes and the people's emotions are stirred up, they only need to recruit a team, and they can march towards Amsterdam smoothly.

Big deal... build the palace in The Hague.In this way, it is possible to control the province of the Netherlands and avoid being in Amsterdam, where the merchants are the most powerful and intertwined.

The tributary status is just an excuse to make trouble.

"Your Highness, in fact, we don't need to cancel the de facto tributary state status, and we can continue to maintain the cooperation trade. Because when the opportunity comes, the Chinese special envoy has already left and the treaty has been signed. Even if they know the news and want to change the contract, It will be three or five years later, after all, the transportation is inconvenient."

"Once His Highness becomes the ruler, we can order the East India Company to deal with this matter. The East India Company will definitely give us a 'satisfactory answer'. The people don't need facts, they just need a chance to vent their emotions."

"And, when you become the ruler, there are more important things waiting for you. That is to expand the army, cooperate with the British army, fight a beautiful battle, and gain enough prestige."

"What you need is a 'Gaul War' and a bold statement of 'I come, I see, I conquer'. If the Netherlands wants to revive, it needs a Caesar who takes the same path as Caesar. Rely on military victory , to achieve enough prestige to promote internal changes and unite the seven provinces of the Netherlands."

"During the course of the war, the people will be infinitely tolerant of you. I am sure that you will not make changes, but only because of the severity of the situation, you must put the outside before the inside, and the war before politics. The process of the war itself is also your accumulation of prestige. the process of."

It sounds very simple, but after all, this is not the later generations to take the chariot of Su Meiying to fight Germany and Japan, but to even Austria to fight Prussia and France.

William IV was just cowardly and deformed, but he wasn't too stupid. After listening to the route planned by Bentinck, he asked slowly: "What if...fails?"

Bentinck secretly sighed in his heart, thinking that if you want to do something big, you can consider failure, that is to prevent failure, but you should not consider the result of failure.

"Your Highness, everything has a price. Victory in the war against France is the first step towards the revival of the Netherlands. We can only hope for victory on the battlefield. Without victory, you will have no prestige; without prestige, you will not be able to change "Without reform, the Netherlands will be like a coffin buried in the soil, decaying, eroding, and eventually turning into soil."

"Reforms in places with too many disadvantages can only be accomplished by highly prestigious military leaders."

"If the war fails in the end, your fate is nothing, because the Netherlands will be completely reduced to a third-rate country, and there is no hope. It is meaningless to consider the consequences. Our only hope is victory."

As a person who really thinks about the Netherlands, Earl Bentinck certainly knows how difficult the road ahead is.

It's just that after talking about such a little difficulty, William IV has already hesitated, and he can't continue to talk about more difficulties in the future.

Many conditions are required for the revival of the Netherlands. The war against France mentioned by Bentinck is only the first step.

In the future, the whole war will need to be drawn into an anxious draw. The two sides are unable to fight any more, so they can recuperate and wait for the next opportunity.

After the centralization of power is needed, William IV should not be an earbud. If a boy is born in the future, he must find a Dutch nobleman as a court teacher, instead of letting Princess Anne find a British court teacher.

Because Earl Bentinck, as well as most of the Orange faction, did not have a good impression of the British princess.The eldest princess’s eyes are higher than the top, and she thinks that Britain is superior to the Netherlands, and she is dismissive of all kinds of things in the Netherlands. If the future heir is too pro-British under her influence, the Netherlands will not be able to revive—the Netherlands, you can’t be foolish as the United Kingdom Bridgehead in continental Europe.

The situation that Earl Bentinck hoped for was that the war of Austrian succession would end in a draw and the parties would be unable to fight again.Then quickly reverse the diplomatic situation, neutralize, take advantage of the truce period to complete internal reforms, integrate forces to complete the real unification of the seven provinces, and then unite with France and oppose Britain, break the "Navigation Regulations", and break Britain's commercial and industrial suppression of the Netherlands.

In a whole set of plans, every step is full of difficulties, and it needs the right time, place and people to reverse the situation and revive successfully.All kinds of accidents may ruin the plan.

The simplest accident, such as the early death of William IV, which led to Princess Anne's ascension, will the princess of England be anti-British and pro-French?
But there is no way.

Population, depth, geography, location, these prerequisites determine that if the Netherlands wants to wear the crown of hegemony, it has to pay more than those big countries and needs more God's favor.

The ups and downs of a country, it is said that we should not pin our hopes on the fact that the international situation will all change in our own favorable direction.

But this is just like the phrase "distance from distance and near attack", which is meant for big countries, and it does not apply to all sizes.Big countries can change the international situation by themselves, but small countries can only find the right direction and follow the trend in the confusion of the international situation.

If the Netherlands wants to be revived, all conditions need to be met, and every step can not be unexpected.

However, William IV felt that the first step was too difficult.

He understands that the key to the first step is to use the "tributary state" to incite the people's enthusiasm for a great country and the dignity of the state, and let the regents take the big pot.

But in fact, he did not solve this problem when he was in power, but acquiesced to the East India Company to continue to do so, as long as the people gradually forgot about it.

As for the latter, we must pin all our hopes on victory on the battlefield.Without the prestige brought by victory, he, the consul, can do nothing.

"Dear count, do you mean that I have no promises to the people?"

Earl Bentinck agreed with this sentence, and replied respectfully: "Yes, Your Highness. You must remember that you cannot make any specific and substantive promises to the people."

"As long as you don't promise, you don't need to be responsible. And what the people want, the Regency must not promise. In terms of internal affairs, maybe nothing has changed since you came to power, but at least it will not be worse than the Regency. Then, the Regency How could it be possible to drive you down again?"

"If the war is won in the future, it can be done, but it must not be said in advance."

"I will have some contact with the Marquis of the Chinese Empire and ask about his visit itinerary. When they set sail and leave, that is when we are preparing to march to Amsterdam."

"This Lord Marquis has helped us a lot. Whether the Regents accept the exploration cooperation trade or the tariff agreement, we have reasons to arouse enough emotions."

"For China, these are two different options. But for you, for us, the meaning is the same - a crisis of the Regents in power. No matter what they choose, it is a crisis."

(End of this chapter)