Chapter 110 The Duke is so considerate (additional update from brother teng1861)
In order to maintain the legitimacy of colonizing the world, the Europeans devised a system based on "natural selection and survival of the fittest". A core theoretical system to defend its predatory behavior around the world.
Just wait and see, it won’t be long before Europe, which is experiencing a period of decline and prosperity, will no longer mention the Theory of Evolution.
"Theory of Evolution" is definitely not popular in Romania, because Romania is a country that is not qualified to survive within the system of "Theory of Evolution".
"You are absolutely right. Romania does not want to be a threat to any country. We just want to live freely on Romanian soil -" Ferdinand seized the opportunity to reveal his true feelings.
George worked hard to win over Ferdinand, the crown prince, and Ferdinand also hoped to be on good terms with the powerful men of the Russian Empire.
"This is easy. It is Russia's obligation and responsibility to protect the right of all Slavs to choose their own way of life!" George's words made Ferdinand excited.
The Duke is so considerate and knows exactly what I am thinking, unlike some guy who only knows how to show off his power.
George is not pretending, he only needs to bring in some habits from his previous life, which is enough to impress Ferdinand and Wen Tiele.
There is really nothing to see in Bucharest. The business atmosphere in the entire city is not strong, and there are not many unique products.
Ferdinand and George walked into a shop on the Dembovica River. George casually said "thank you" to the welcoming shop owner at the door. While the shop owner's face glowed with excitement, Ferdinand's face was also a little red.
Don't look at Ferdinand being cautious in front of George. To the Romanians, Ferdinand was a superior crown prince. He was used to the respect and flattery around him, and it was taken for granted.
George is trying to integrate into this era, but some deep-rooted habits from his previous life still have a great impact on George.
This is not a bad thing. The first rule of the noble code is to stay humble and remember to say sorry before killing others.
As long as he is not an idiot like Franz, George is very tolerant towards everyone, especially on occasions like this when he needs to gain the favor of the Romanians. George does not need to pretend at all, he only needs to show his truest self. , can become a model gentleman of this era.
Ferdinand's surprises grew more and more today.
Before becoming the crown prince, Ferdinand was the prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Like George, he received a traditional aristocratic education.
No matter whether the core content of aristocratic education is survival of the fittest or survival of the fittest, on the surface it is all about tenderness, peaceful coexistence, and a celebration of the people of the world.
Ferdinand is also polite, but his politeness is only for people with similar status. For civilians, Ferdinand, like Nicholas, will deliberately keep a distance to maintain a sense of mystery.
With this comparison, the respect and protection George mentioned are really not disguises.
George also had a choice when buying things. He didn't choose expensive or flashy things. He only chose a few handicrafts with Romanian characteristics. Mario paid for them in gold rubles.
The common currency of Romania is leu, but gold is used all over the world.
Mario probably gave a lot of tips, and the shop owner was very grateful. He hoped that George would get a few more tips and allow the shop owner to use them as publicity.
"What a smart businessman, you will definitely make a fortune!" George picked up another hand-knitted straw hat and put it on his head on the spot, and left with the shop owner's gratitude.
Ferdinand looked at this scene thoughtfully.
The outside world's evaluation of the Russian royal family is like a dragon in ancient times, greedy and lustful, and most likes shiny gold coins and beautiful women.
Ferdinand did not come into contact with many members of the Russian royal family. George left a very good impression on Ferdinand. On the contrary, Archduke Otto Franz from the Austro-Hungarian Empire was hard to describe.
This morning, Otto Franz left Bucharest for Bulgaria, the second stop of his round-the-world journey.
Coincidentally, George and Milyutin will also end their visit to Romania tomorrow. The second stop of their Balkan trip is also Sofia, the capital of the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
After Otto Franz left Bucharest, the official who received Otto Franz described the room after Otto Franz left as being hit by a hurricane.
The cleaning staff found vomit and excrement in Otto Franz's room. Many items in the room were damaged. The mirror in the dressing room was smashed. There were traces of shoe polish on the sheets and on the bedroom door. There was a shocking hole, and after the staff took inventory, they also discovered that a set of cutlery was missing.
Compared with Archduke Franz from Vienna, George from St. Petersburg is simply an angel.
Based on this understanding, Ferdinand sat with George at the luncheon.
The luncheon was a long table, with Carol I sitting at the head table, Milyutin on the left, Jan Bretianu on the right, George and Ferdinand sitting opposite.
This occasion is a stage for elders to communicate. George and Ferdinand whispered.
"Can you drink?" Ferdinand didn't know whether to raise his glass or not.
“You can have a drink.” George took the initiative to raise a glass of wine and sprinkle some water.
Brandy and wine are famous specialties of Romania. George has written to Julian that if French champagne is not sold enough, Romanian brandy can be considered.
People have different tastes and preferences about wine. Not everyone can afford expensive champagne.
Compared with champagne, Romanian brandy is much cheaper, tastes good, and has a larger market.
What’s great is that brandy doesn’t conflict with vodka either.
“This kind of bacon is also good. It needs to be marinated with spices for ten days before smoking. It is smoked with apple wood and lychee wood. The most wonderful combination is mustard sauce.” Ferdinand is enthusiastic, his face The smile definitely comes from the heart.
“It seems I need a Romanian chef.” George exclaimed, this thing is similar to mutton kebabs.
Romania has been ruled by the Ottoman Empire for a long time, and its diet is greatly influenced by the Ottomans. The bacon Ferdinand enthusiastically recommended is more similar to the Turkish barbecue in George's memory.
"It's easy, I'll help you find it." Ferdinand was very happy, and George's happiness was not a disguise.
"When I return to St. Petersburg, I will write to you, and you can also write to me." George hoped to keep in touch with Ferdinand for a long time.
"Then I will give you my address in Germany." Ferdinand is still studying in Germany.
The frequency of communication between George and Ferdinand was obviously beyond the normal social level.
Seeing this scene in the eyes of the three people opposite, they all felt a little complicated.
Not to mention Carol I and Jan Bretianu, Milyutin must have seen it and was happy in his heart.
Winning over the Balkan countries is a completely new attempt for the Russian Empire.
In the past, the Russian Empire had never carried out such complicated operations. They just asked for whatever they liked, robbed them if they were not given, and killed them if they refused. The fighting nation lived up to its reputation. Now Russia has also begun to play the role of vertical and horizontal alliances, which requires a large number of skilled and outstanding diplomatic talents.
It is not that there is no talent. Ignaev, who was just dismissed from the post of Minister of the Interior by Yasan, is an outstanding diplomatic talent.
Ignaev became famous in the Second Opium War that broke out in 1856.
The Russian Empire did not participate in the Second Opium War, but Ignaev, under the banner of "mediation", forced the Qing Empire to sign the "Aihun Treaty" and became the country that benefited the most from the Second Opium War.
Ignaev was only 28 years old that year.
After the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, Ignaev forced the Ottoman Empire to sign the Treaty of San Stefano, which was extremely beneficial to the Russian Empire.
But because Ignaev failed to obtain more favorable conditions for Russia at the Berlin Conference, Ignaev resigned after the Berlin Conference, ending his diplomatic career.
Two months ago, Ignaev proposed to rebuild the parliament. The power of the tsar was weakened. Ignaev lost the trust of Yasan and resigned as Minister of the Interior.
George's performance in Bucharest confirmed Milyutin that George cannot be limited to the military field.
Back at the temporary residence, George and Milyutin talked about Romania. Both of them were optimistic about the prospect of an alliance between the Empire and Romania.
"Carol is a smart man and knows how to be more beneficial to Romania. I can now confirm that Carroll has not completely fallen to the German-Austrian alliance. We still have a chance." Milyutin was very happy. , the worst has not happened yet.
“Ferdinand has no ambitions and is also a smart man. I will try to maintain a good relationship with him, but this is not enough. We need to use power at the national level to make Romania fully dependent on the empire. . "George was ambitious and wanted to take full control of Romania.
The control here does not mean to isolate the royal family, but to force Romania to remain consistent with Russia under any circumstances.
"Is Ferdinand engaged?" Milyutin is more sophisticated, and there is nothing better than a marriage.
It was through political marriage that the Austro-Hungarian Empire now has the second largest territory in Europe. The motto of the Habsburg family is: Let others fight. You, happy Austria, get married! What Mars, the god of war, gives to others, Venus, the god of love, will give to you.
Now you know why the Austro-Hungarian Empire is the sick man of Europe.
“There shouldn’t be——” George was not sure whether Ferdinand was engaged or not. Ferdinand was only 18 years old this year.
Under normal circumstances, male members of the European royal family will not consider marriage until they are 20 years old.
"Great, this is an opportunity!" Milyujing was very happy and gained another level of confidence.
Ferdinand didn’t know that Milyutin and George, the young and the old, even plotted against his marriage.
Later, Ferdinand sent George many gifts, most of which were handmade fabrics and wood carvings full of Romanian characteristics.
George was sorry that he had no experience in this area and had not prepared a gift in advance, so George gave Ferdinand the pistol he carried as a witness to their friendship.
"This gun was modified by myself. It is the only one in the world. I hope you will like it." George is not exaggerating. Igor and his apprentice made this gun exactly according to George's requirements. The gun is truly unique.
"Can you still design weapons?" George gave Ferdinand more and more surprises.
"Know some, you know, I have already started serving." George's modesty was just right.
"I also want to be an outstanding soldier, but my father does not allow it." Ferdinand is sorry, every boy has a heroic dream.
"Your father is right, Romania needs a qualified monarch more than an outstanding soldier." George hoped to gain Ferdinand's trust and considered the issue completely from Romania's perspective.
If Ferdinand was the crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then George would like Ferdinand to do all kinds of evil in eating, drinking, prostitution and gambling.
Romania is the target of Russia's wooing, and George does not want to have someone like Italy in his own camp in the future.
The next morning, George and Milyutin boarded the train to Bulgaria amid Ferdinand's reluctant farewell.
Compared with Romania, the situation in Bulgaria is more complicated.
Through the Treaty of San Stefano, Bulgaria gained independent status. Its territory extends from the Danube River in the north to the Aegean Sea in the south; from the Black Sea in the east to Lake Ohrid in the west, and includes almost all of the Macedonia.
This is the largest territory in Bulgarian history.
During the Berlin Conference, Greater Bulgaria was divided into three parts. Eastern Rumelia and Macedonia in the south remained autonomous provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Only the Principality of Bulgaria in the north became an autonomous country and still nominally accepted the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
The first two years of the Bulgarian Principality's autonomy were administered by the Russian Imperial garrison.
In 1879, under the promotion of Imperial Commissioner Deondukov Korsakov, Bulgaria adopted the "Tvernovo Constitution" and established a Russian-style constitutional monarchy, based on the first Bulgarian constitution created by the Berlin Conference. The National Assembly elected Prince Alexander of Battenberg in Germany to become the Grand Duke of Bulgaria.
Alexander served in the Prussian army in his youth. After the outbreak of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War in 1877, Alexander began to serve in the Russian army.
Alexander’s background is very complicated. He is German, but he is also the nephew of Maria, the second queen of Asia, and is also related to the British royal family.
During the Berlin Conference, the selection of the Grand Duke of Bulgaria caused controversy among all parties. All countries hoped to find someone with close relations with their country to serve as the Grand Duke of Bulgaria.
The reason why Alexander was selected was not because of his outstanding abilities, but because he had some connections with Britain, Germany, Russia and Austria, and was not obviously politically inclined to either party.
This can also explain why Alexander wavered between countries.
In May 1881, Alexander launched a coup to overthrow the liberal government, abolished the "Tvernovo Constitution", and dissolved the National Assembly.
In order to balance domestic forces, Alexander began to seek British support and welcomed German and Austrian forces into the country.
Just last night, Milyutin received a telegram from St. Petersburg. Alexander was in contact with liberals and was preparing to form a coalition government. Once it became a fact, it would be very detrimental to Russia.
"Are you ready to face difficulties? This will be a difficult journey." Milyutin is ready to face difficulties, which is also a test for George.
"It doesn't matter, if someone becomes a stumbling block to the empire's progress, then smash it!" George was indifferent, and the betrayer must pay the price.
Suddenly discovered that there is an extra alliance leader
Brother teng1861, don’t expect me to add ten chapters in one update like before. Yutou is old and frail, and I really can’t afford to add more
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(End of this chapter)