Chapter 66

Under the blazing sun, the cicadas on the ancient trees outside the palace gates sang their high-pitched songs.

Upon hearing Qing Ying’s last words, for some reason, Wilhelm II suddenly felt an inexplicable surge of heat, and his forehead instantly broke out in a fine sweat. He picked up the fan his wife had just thrown to the ground, fanned himself fiercely a few times, and then said slowly, “Eitel, international affairs are the most difficult to analyze. I hope you will take some time to think carefully before making a conclusion. Speaking off the cuff on major issues is absolutely not a good thing for a prince.”

Wilhelm waved the fan, speaking calmly, “What makes you say that the conflict between Britain and Germany is more serious and irreconcilable than that between Britain and France or Russia? After all, Queen Victoria of Britain is your grandmother’s mother, and my own maternal grandmother. The royal families of Britain and Germany have a nearly 1,000-year-old deep bond. Although I personally dislike Britain, the people of both countries have a good impression of each other and consider each other close partners. Compared to the centuries-old colonial rival France and the expanding Russia in the Far East, Germany has no disputes with Britain in terms of history, culture, or current affairs. Why should the conflict between Britain and Germany be more acute than that between Britain and France or Russia?”

Qing Ying glanced at his stepfather and said, “This time, Germany’s initiative to build ships for Russia is a point of contention with Britain. And in Father’s heart, there must already be a desire to compete with Britain.”

Wilhelm said frankly, “That’s right. In the 25 years since Germany’s unification, the country’s strength has grown at a rate several times, even ten times, that of the European powers. Today, Germany is the top-tier power on the European continent. In this situation, the era when other countries vie for the seas and territories under the sun, while Germany is content with the sky, is long gone! Germany should also obtain what a great power should have, namely the sea, trade, and colonies! Even a second-rate country like France, which has been thoroughly defeated by Germany, has the world’s second-largest navy and nearly a million square kilometers of colonies. Germany, which surpasses France in every aspect, should also have these beautiful things. Britain has dominated the seas for hundreds of years, with colonies more extensive than the empire of Genghis Khan; it’s time to cede some of its rights to the German Empire!”

Wilhelm continued, “These British fellows are even greedier than the shameless Jew, Gobseck. They have always opposed Germany’s reasonable demands to meet the status of a great power. Don’t they know that Germany is now Britain’s only ally on the European continent? This time, I am building ships for Russia to show the British the serious consequences of not accepting Germany’s reasonable demands! This minor conflict is just a small interlude in the relationship between the two countries, completely insignificant compared to the colonial conflicts between Britain and France or the Far East conflicts between Britain and Russia.”

“Currently, Britain, due to its conflicts with France and Russia, will not want to offend Germany and gain another powerful enemy. However, what happens after that is hard to say.” Qing Ying met Wilhelm’s eyes directly, “According to Father’s plan, Germany will expand significantly in the seas and colonies, which are Britain’s most traditional and fundamental interests. In this situation, Britain will inevitably reach an understanding with France and join the Franco-Russian alliance to counter the German Empire!”

“Didn’t I just tell you? Britain and France are age-old enemies, while Britain and Germany are age-old relatives. Why would Britain choose to reach an understanding with the more conflicting France rather than with the German Empire?” Wilhelm said, somewhat displeased.

Qing Ying said solemnly, “Among the conflicts between the European powers and Britain, on the surface, the conflict between Britain and Russia is the most acute, followed by that with France, and the relationship with Germany is the most peaceful. However, the reality is quite the opposite. The conflict between Britain and Germany is the most significant underlying issue! Because the threat Germany poses to Britain is much greater than that of France and Russia!”

“Although Russia occupies half of the Eurasian continent and has a population of over 100 million, it is still, at its core, a backward agricultural country. Although French capital helped establish its basic industrial system five years ago, its industrial output still ranks at the bottom among the top European powers, and all its precision industrial products must be imported. In terms of finance, with Russia’s economic level, there is not much money available for military expansion. In comparison, Britain far surpasses this seemingly powerful giant in both industry and finance. A war is a test of a country’s overall strength, as the First French Empire proved! Even if Napoleon were more heroic, facing the almost inexhaustible human and material resources of Britain, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, he could only be defeated at Waterloo and die in obscurity on the island of Corsica. In terms of national strength, Russia, which lacks both industry and money, is no match for Britain!”

Qing Ying paused and continued, “France is the same. Although France’s industry is stronger than Russia’s and it is a wealthy world creditor, it still falls short of Britain. Last year, France’s steel production was only 830,000 tons, while Britain’s was 3.16 million tons, almost four times that of France. This also reflects the growing gap in naval strength between Britain and France in recent years. Therefore, if it comes to a showdown, even the combined forces of Russia and France will ultimately be eliminated by Britain.”

Hearing this, Wilhelm nodded slowly. He knew some of the reasons for the decline of French industry. Besides the impact of the Franco-Prussian War, the French practice of lending money abroad was also a significant factor.

At the time, if a country wanted to get rich quickly, lending money abroad was an excellent choice. Lending not only had the borrower’s hard income as collateral but also had a high annual interest rate. The profitability was even more stable than the real estate business in later times. Therefore, seeing the profit, the French invested all their available money in lending, looking forward to counting their money in the future. This way, they had money, but the domestic industry, lacking investment, developed slowly, even falling into a recession. In 1886, France’s steel production decreased by almost a quarter compared to the previous year, and in 1894, it was even lower than in 1892. In contrast, Germany always focused on industry, with the wealth created being reinvested, ensuring the country’s industrial economy remained in a healthy state. The outcome was clear: on the eve of World War I, Germany’s strength was so great that it could easily crush France. If not for the trench warfare and the intervention of Britain and Russia, France would have been completely destroyed!

“Germany, on the other hand, is entirely different from France and Russia. In heavy industry, closely related to war, Germany’s total heavy industry output has already surpassed Britain’s, several times that of Britain and France. In advanced industries such as precision engineering, Germany has a clear advantage over Britain, making it the undisputed world leader! Even if we add Britain’s proud light industry, the total output of the empire is not much less than Britain’s. Economically, thanks to the development of productivity and the competitiveness of high-quality goods, the empire’s products are sold overseas. In less than ten years, Germany will surpass Britain in both industry and economy.”

Since Wilhelm, as emperor, dealt with economic and industrial data daily, Qing Ying did not elaborate too much. After a brief introduction, he said solemnly, “Due to their national strength, France and Russia can only cause trouble for Britain. The rising German Empire, however, is the true threat to Britain’s world dominance! As a colonial empire for hundreds of years, Britain will not give up its interests. As a rising great power, Germany will certainly break the old order and aim to redivide the world. This conflict between the old and new hegemonies is almost impossible to reconcile, and the result of the two countries’ rivalry will only end with one side’s complete downfall! In comparison, the conflicts between Britain and France or Russia are mere skirmishes, not worth mentioning.”

“Fortunately, almost no one can see this yet. In the eyes of all the British, their greatest enemy is Russia, followed by France. In this situation, Germany should avoid getting involved in conflicts with Britain, downplay its hostile image in Britain, and focus on developing its own industry and economy. For the rapidly developing Germany, Britain as an ally is much more beneficial than as an enemy. The longer we can delay this, the more development space we will have, and the faster our national strength will grow. Once Germany shows a clear anti-British expansionary tendency, it will inevitably attract more hostility and attention from Britain. The longer this attention lasts, the sooner Britain will see through this! At that time, Britain will join forces with France and even Russia to oppose Germany, which is the outcome Germany most wants to avoid!” Qing Ying said loudly.

Wilhelm stood in place, his expression unchanged, but his unfocused eyes revealed his current mental state. A warm breeze blew, and his hair and beard moved, with a few strands of beard folding into his nostrils, making him sneeze. After a while, his pupils gradually contracted, and his gray eyes sparkled with a fierce light. He said solemnly, “Eitel, this tone and these insights are not something you could come up with on your own! Tell me, who taught you this?”

Facing Wilhelm’s expression, Qing Ying was not flustered. He lowered his head slightly and whispered in a voice only Wilhelm could hear, “Father, on April Fool’s Day last year, I lied to you. My purpose in going to Hamburg was not to see the circus, but to go to Friedrichsruh to celebrate that person’s 80th birthday.”

Wilhelm’s right hand clenched into a fist, his face showing a mix of emotions: relief, approval, anger, shock, and mockery. Eventually, his expression returned to calm. Looking at this most promising and handsome child, Wilhelm snorted and said, “I remember. That person’s birthday is on April Fool’s Day, isn’t it? Eitel, you did well, you did very well, this is excellent!”

Qing Ying chuckled and said, “Thank you, Father.”

Wilhelm’s lips twitched, and he said softly, “That person... hmm, I knew he couldn’t stand the loneliness and never intended to truly retire. Even though he is so old, he still meddles in affairs...” He glanced at Qing Ying and said lightly, “Thank you for passing on his message. Find a time to pass on a message to him for me. This time, he was right, but I, Wilhelm, will never thank him!”