Flowers, Swords and France

While Fran was still immersed in the joy of admiring those ancient Egyptian works of art, her brother also walked through the halls of the British Museum and came to the reading room of the library.

However, unlike what he told the staff here before, he did not borrow books or stay here for long. Instead, he stopped for a moment and walked out to the nearby corridor.

The various reasons are not difficult to understand.

If you stay here all the time, you never know when you will meet that doctor. If you do, it will be troublesome.

Not long ago, his sister ran to someone else's house, pretended to be his wife, visited him, and even claimed that she was dead.

What's even more regrettable is that he can't punish such ridiculous behavior. Now that the deal is done, I can only make mistakes, otherwise God knows how I can cover up my lies.

Therefore, he never planned to meet the doctor again.

When he first came to this reading room, he carefully looked around to make sure that there was no such person among the people inside, and then he passed by. He didn't know whether he was lucky or felt pity.

However, the fear of meeting the doctor was just one of the reasons why he lied. He also had a more important purpose.

"Mr. Treville?"

As he walked along the corridor near the Greek and Roman branches of the British Museum, he finally heard the greeting he had been waiting for.

He turned his eyes in the direction of the sound and found the person who made the sound.

This is an old man with gray hair. He is thin and has a face full of wrinkles, which makes his already tall and aquiline nose look even bigger.

He was wearing a black coat and a pair of reading glasses on his face. He looked like an old scholar who had been sitting in his study for a long time.

Next to him, stood a young man.

This young man was Paul Bilot, the attendant whom Charles temporarily recruited from the French Embassy in Britain.

And this old man is not an old scholar, but Count Wilhelm von Kreutsburg, the Austrian ambassador to Britain.

He certainly wasn't here today for no reason - actually. He was approached by Charles through Paul Bilott.

Ciel nodded gently to him and said hello, then walked next to him.

The two people just walked side by side, as if they were tourists visiting together.

"You are younger than I thought, sir." After walking for a while. The earl looked forward and said without blinking, "I have to say that you have posed a difficult problem for me. You actually want me to come to a place like this to listen to your instructions! I don't know whether I should wish you to say more or not. Say less."

"I'm very sorry, Your Excellency. But I also have my difficulties. Please forgive me." Charles also looked ahead, as if the two people were not talking at all. "It is impossible for me to go to a place secretly in the company of an Englishman. , so I have no choice but to travel in good faith. At least I can find a little space here to chat with you. I'm afraid you already know that I like Austria very much and appreciate the conservatism it has pursued for many years..."

"Considering your difficulties, I can forgive you." The count picked up the cane and wiped it gently with a handkerchief. "You can talk to me about whatever you want, I have time now."

"But I don't have much time, sir." Charles shrugged lightly, "So I'll be brief and concise. After I came to England this time, the British talked to me about some things, because it is really important. So I think it is necessary for me to communicate a little bit with the friendly countries in our minds..."

When he said "it's a big deal", he obviously noticed that the old man next to him was slightly shaken.

There was some kind of diplomatic coordination between Britain and France - and at this point, any politician or diplomat in Europe wanted to know what was going on. Although he still pretended to be calm on the surface, in fact his ears were almost perked up.

"You know. I have just entered the diplomatic world. To you, a young man like me is just a new student." Charles continued unhurriedly, "So. Even from a personal perspective , I also hope to get some diplomatic lessons from an experienced veteran like you..."

"Then, please tell me what you want to tell me." After hesitating for a moment, curiosity defeated doubt and reserve, and the count finally surrendered.

"Actually, the thing is very simple. The British congratulated the Bonaparte family on their victory, and at the same time expressed their hope to strengthen relations with France in all aspects. They said they need us to maintain the increasingly shaken European order...At the same time, they are also happy to see To, a France under the Bonaparte family play an active role..."

In other words, have they acknowledged the resurgence of their former nemesis?

The earl frowned slightly.

No wonder he was surprised. Although Charles and Louis Bonaparte launched a coup, the proud monarchs on the European continent at this time had not yet planned, or had not yet had time to recognize this new regime. Napoleon's The name was still lingering in their frightened minds, and they were not sure what attitude they should take towards the new changes in France.

In this diplomatic situation, the British, who were the strongest and shouted the loudest slogans to defend the status quo, were the first to waver and recognized the victory of the Bonaparte family. This indeed surprised the Austrians. .

"Britain is indeed a country where pragmatism comes first. Congratulations, sir, I think you have completed your diplomatic mission." After a moment, he nodded with a wry smile. Then, he emphatically hinted that Austria had no intention of following suit, "However, all countries have the right to implement their own foreign policies without interference, and I have no right to question this..."

"I admit that Austria has the right to act freely. This cannot be an excuse for hesitation and delaying the opportunity, Your Excellency." Charles interrupted him without any shame, "The British can move much faster than you - — and the pace is bigger than you think.”

"Want a bigger one?" The Earl's appetite was completely whetted, so he immediately asked the question.

"They told me that since the situation in Europe has become fragmented, it is now necessary for strong countries to stand up and stabilize the shaky peace. And Britain and France have such qualifications - their original words are, now As long as Britain and France join forces, not a single mouse will move on the European continent."

Just as Charles hoped, the count shook slightly uneasily.

He didn't know whether Austria was in the ranks of "rats" in the eyes of these British people - maybe it should be...

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Then where is the mouse?" he asked calmly after a moment.

"There are rats everywhere, and whoever wants to destroy the existing order will do it." The more anxious he became, the less anxious Charles became. "The foundation of Europe is not something that anyone can easily touch."

Although it was ironic for a Frenchman, especially a Bonapartist, to say such a thing, the count had no intention of refuting his nonsense.

"Austria is also willing to maintain peace in Europe." As if to emphasize the country's status, the earl's tone became more tough. "She has been doing this for many years, whether it was four hundred years ago or forty years ago."

Four hundred years ago they were dealing with the Turks, and forty years ago the people they were dealing with were...

"Yes, Austria is a great country. It defeated the Turks and defended the peace of Europe." Charles nodded, pretending not to understand the other party's counterattack, "I also believe that Europe is now Peace also depends on big countries like Austria to maintain it.”

After hearing what Charles said, the Earl's expression finally relaxed a lot.

"I think your country's status is actually maintained on the stability of the European continent." Charles continued to compliment, "I think your country has the need and indeed the ability to become the cornerstone of European peace."

Although Austria had been in great decline many years ago and could no longer be considered the "cornerstone of European peace", but since good words cost no money, Charles didn't mind saying more.

"However... the situation has always changed with the times. A few decades ago, France unfortunately contracted a disease that destroyed peace, so it had to become an enemy of your country. Time has healed us; similarly, hundreds of years ago Before, the Turks threatened the peace of Europe, but now they have become the party being invaded... Europe is a big family, and the peace of every member must be maintained. "

aggressor? Who are the Turks to accuse others of aggression? The count frowned.

He understood that there was no point in pursuing who was better, the notorious Turks or the aggressive Russians. Whoever was a good guy was a good guy when it was needed.

In other words... "rats" turned out to refer to the Russians. The British secretly reached a tacit agreement with the French to target the Russians?

The ambassador suddenly noticed some cold sweat on his back.

"Some mice are difficult to catch." He tried again.

"Yes, there are some rats that are not easy to mess with, but the French will never be easy to bully, not to mention that the UK is now standing with the French." Charles gently held his right hand and waved He made a slightly threatening gesture. "We like to make friends, but we are not afraid of our enemies."

Sure enough, that’s what it means! The earl suddenly understood.

"Okay, I've already told you about this issue." Seeing that the other party had understood, Ciel decided not to say any more. "I hope your country can still maintain some policy continuity even when the Prime Minister is seriously ill. After all, time waits for no one..." (~^~)