Hearing that George IV did not directly refuse, but talked about the conditions, Campini knew that there was a door, but he was not ready to agree to George IV's conditions immediately, because if the British army expanded to 20 infantry divisions, then The military structure of the British Isles may undergo earth-shaking changes. Two years later, the United Kingdom will definitely be able to defeat the Republic of Ireland and the Kingdom of Scotland and rise again. This is by no means what France wants to see. "Your Majesty, allowing your country to expand its military strength to 15 infantry divisions, we have already made a very big concession. If your country expands the size of the army again, it will definitely cause turmoil in the three countries of England. This is not what our country wants to see ’” Campney said with some embarrassment.
"Since the treaty has been broken, there is not much difference between 20 infantry divisions and 15." George IV said coldly.
Kang Peni blushed, and smiled embarrassingly: "Well, Your Majesty, we are taking a step back and let your country form two more infantry divisions. What do you think? This is already the bottom line of our country. If there are more, we will It’s not easy to explain to the other two countries.”
"Based on your current strength in France, do you still need to explain to other countries? It's not you who have the final say." George IV cursed secretly in his heart, glanced at Compenny, and he knew that if he insisted, Compagnie may compromise, but he may also turn his face directly. Now he is in a bit of a dilemma. On the one hand, he doesn't want to give up this rare opportunity to develop Britain's military strength to the highest peak, but on the other hand, he is afraid of causing hostility from France. "18 infantry divisions." George IV thought for a while and finally said.
"Okay then, just follow the 18 infantry divisions you mentioned, and I will have to explain to our emperor." Compini said with a bitter face, as if he had suffered a lot, but in fact he laughed in his heart flower. In fact, whether Britain expands its military has nothing to do with France. The reason why France strongly suppresses Britain's military strength is just to keep the British Isles in balance, so that the war will be more intense and protracted. No matter which side wins the final victory, it will suffer heavy losses, which is also in the best interest of France.
George IV glanced at Compini and didn't say anything. Of course he knew that Compini was pretending again.
"Your Majesty, so be it. Tomorrow, our two countries will issue a joint statement to announce this good news to the whole world." Compini said excitedly.
"Just do as you say." George IV said lightly.
"Your Majesty, how could you do this? Victoria is only 8 years old! Besides, you don't know what the French are planning. Getting Victoria to be engaged to that Borchardt is not to allow France to annex it justifiably. Our country?" Not long after Compini left, Eddie, who got the news, rushed in angrily.
"Edward, shouting so loudly in the palace, where have you lost all the royal etiquette?" George IV scolded angrily.
Edward was taken aback for a moment, and then quickly admitted his mistake: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I lost my temper."
George IV glared at Edward and said nothing more.
"Your Majesty, how can you promise the French?" Edward asked while trying to control his emotions.
"What else can they do if they don't agree? The French have already made up their minds. If they don't agree, then we will definitely face a blow from France immediately." George IV said helplessly.
"Then why don't we abolish Victoria's inheritance rights?" Edward whispered. Although he is Victoria's father, he is also very patriotic. In this case, he can only choose to sacrifice the interests of his daughter.
Edward fell silent. He also understands very well that the only thing that attracts Victoria now is her status as the first heir to the throne. If they rashly abolish Victoria's inheritance rights now, France will definitely become angry. God knows what France will do at that time, and it is very possible that they will directly send troops to destroy Britain.
At this moment, the guard came in and reported that the prime minister asked to see him. Williams hurried over at this time, George IV and Edward naturally knew his purpose. Sure enough, as soon as Williams came, he asked George IV to agree to France's request, which would put the British government in a very embarrassing situation. But George IV briefly explained the reason to him, and Williams acquiesced. In particular, France allowed the British troops to expand to 18 infantry divisions, which made him very happy, as if he had made a very good deal.
"Your Majesty, do you have any suggestions for the allocation of the eight new infantry divisions?" Williams rolled his eyes and asked immediately. Now is a good time for the royal family to take control of military power. If the royal family can hold military power in their hands, the prestige of the government will be severely challenged, so Williams had to make plans early.
"These 8 infantry divisions were won by our royal family, and they should be assigned to the Imperial Guard." Edward said loudly. While he's been slow to respond to politics, that doesn't mean he doesn't recognize the opportunity it entails. If it is handled well, the royal family will regain power in Britain after the "Glorious Revolution".
Sure enough, Williams' face changed immediately, and he said with a dark face: "Your Excellency, according to the constitution, the army belongs to the country. Last time we agreed to allow the royal family to form a guard army, which is already a big compromise. gone."
Edward snorted coldly and said nothing more. Although he wanted to refute it, the tradition after the "Glorious Revolution" has always been like this, and it doesn't mean that it can be changed by changing.
"Then what does Your Excellency the Prime Minister mean?" George IV asked sullenly.
"Of course it's all included in the army." Williams said as a matter of course.
"No!" George IV and Edward said at the same time.
Finally, after bargaining between the two sides, the two sides finally reached a final agreement, that is, the 8 infantry divisions will be divided equally, and each of the two will get half. But since then, the differences between the two sides have also grown wider, and the royal family and the government have completely split.
On the second day, in London, England, British Foreign Minister Palmerston and French Deputy Foreign Minister Compigny issued a statement at the same time, announcing to the world that the French Crown Prince Borchardt will be the first successor to the British throne in three months. The heir Victoria held an engagement ceremony.
As soon as the entire announcement was issued, the whole of Europe was boiling, especially the Republic of Ireland and the Kingdom of Scotland, and the reaction was particularly intense. France agreed to expand the British Army to 18 infantry divisions, which made the two countries extremely fearful. In the end, France had no choice but to say that although France and Britain were married, it would definitely not affect the relationship between France and the two countries, which calmed down the emotions of the two countries. However, in response to the strong military strength of the United Kingdom, the two countries had to expand their armies again. Among them, the Republic of Ireland will prepare to expand its total force to 15 infantry divisions, and the Kingdom of Scotland will also prepare to expand its total force by 10 infantry divisions. In this way, it undoubtedly increased their requirements for arms, which made France make another fortune in this.
Although Ireland and Scotland have spared no effort to expand their armies and maintain an advantage over Britain in terms of military strength, their military power is still far behind that of Britain. Especially the military industry. Although most of the military industry in the UK was destroyed during the war, it is quite easy to recover. Unlike Ireland and Scotland, their military industry is very weak~www.mtlnovel.com~ completely dependent on imports from France, which will undoubtedly put a heavy burden on the economy, eventually forming a vicious circle, and being thrown farther and farther by the UK .
At the beginning of July, Xiao Jie took Borchardt to London to hold an engagement ceremony with Victoria, and at the same time officially launched a diplomatic visit to the UK.
On July 7, Borchardt and Victoria's engagement ceremony was held at Buckingham Palace. All European countries sent representatives to attend, and even the United States on the other side of the ocean sent a special envoy to express their congratulations. The scene of a young man holding a little girl is indeed a bit funny. Looking at that innocent little girl, Xiao Jie felt a little emotional. It was hard to imagine that this little girl could become the queen of the belt in the future. She was a terrifying figure similar to Wu Zetian in China. At this time, Xiao Jie even doubted whether his son would be able to subdue this woman in the future. Xiao Jie secretly made up his mind that after returning home, he must find someone to educate Borchardt well, and he must not be allowed to become like Li Zhi, otherwise France will definitely be over.
After Borchardt's engagement to Victoria was over, things in England could come to an end for the time being. At least in the next two years, France does not need to spend too much energy for Britain. This enabled Xiao Jie to focus on the east of France. After more than a year of development, those two countries seemed to be ready to move. After solving the threat from the western front, France will no longer have to worry about facing the dilemma of fighting on two fronts. It seems that it is time to completely solve the threat from the east.