Constantine could not help being surprised when he heard the name Leopold.
In the original time and space, it was the King of Belgium, Leopold II, who hired Stanley to explore the Congo River Basin.
After the Berlin International Conference to carve up Africa in 1884, the Congo became the private domain of Leopold II.
Speaking of which, Leopold and Greece also have a great relationship.
Leopold was born in the Saxe Coburg Gotha family in Germany. Who is the father of Leopold II?
It's Leopold I (isn't this nonsense).
Saxe Coburg Gotha, how prominent is this surname?
Until the 21st century, the British royal family was born in the Saxon Coburg Gotha family.
When the First World War broke out, Britain and Germany fought to the death on the battlefield.
As countries that are hostile to each other, public opinion propaganda during the war is naturally to discredit the opponents, propagandizing how righteous one is and how evil the enemy is.
The British saw how the King of England was a German.
No wonder, Saxe Coburg Gotha, this is an authentic German surname.
During the special period of the war, a royal family with a German surname looked awkward. Under pressure from public opinion, the British royal family changed the surname to Windsor.
The brilliance of the Saxe Coburg Gotha family can be seen.
When Greece became independent in 1830, the Greek people once elected Leopold I as the king of Greece. However, as a great aristocrat with a long history in Europe, they looked down on Greece, a small Balkan country that had just become independent from Ottoman Turkey at that time and was stubborn. .
Later Belgium became independent from the Netherlands and Leopold I was elected King of Belgium.
Belgium has always been a wealthy country in Europe. It is located in the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom. It has an important strategic position. It has rich coal and iron resources. It has completed industrialization very early. It is not only an industrial country, but also a capital exporting country. It used to be in the Republic of China. Invest in railway repairs.
The economic conditions are not comparable to Greece.
Later Leopold I left a huge inheritance of 15 million francs to his son Leopold II.
It seems that there is no less money in Belgium.
The 15 million francs in the 19th century, how can such a huge amount of money be effectively used and let it flow, became a headache for the rich second generation Leopold II.
Because of the surplus of domestic capital in Belgium and fierce market competition, the return on investment in Belgium is too low.
There are banks with stable interest income, but they don't like it.
Belgium, which has just completed industrialization, has the same troubles as other industrial powers:
Sufficient sources of cheap industrial raw materials are needed as food for industrial machines.
Excess industrial production capacity needs to be found in the consumer market to vent.
The Belgian country itself also needs to find a colony.
This buddy took the large sums of silver left by his father, spent money everywhere, squandered money, and formed an international organization called the "International African Association", and at the same time instructed the newspaper to build momentum in public opinion.
With Leopold's support (with money), major countries have also established sub-associations of the "International African Association" in their own countries.
The purpose of the International Just Passed Association is: Africans live in darkness and need European civilization to dispel ignorance, protect vulnerable African indigenous peoples from the bloody and evil Arab slave traders, and place Africa under the protection of European powers. Under the maintenance of trade activities.
These words are not entirely high-sounding rhetoric, and they have indeed done some real things.
At the end of the 19th century, the Arabs were still engaged in the slave trade.
The appeal of the International African Association is in the interest of European countries, because everyone needs a consumer market and cheap industrial raw materials.
These Arabs arbitrarily arrested blacks and wiped out black villages, making it impossible for Europeans to do business and grab wealth at ease.
In addition, the slave trade is indeed unpopular, too brutal and bloody.
European countries joined forces to fight Arab slave traders, which eventually eliminated the slave trade in the early 20th century.
Speaking of it, Constantine used money to hire Stanley to explore the Congo River Basin, but he still borrowed from Leopold.
Constantine deliberately confuses the flags of the "International African Association" and the "Congo Committee" in order to cover people's eyes and eyes and paralyze other countries. The two flags are on a gold star blue background, and there is no difference at all.
The Congolese Council is an organization established in Greece by Constantine persuading King George I to follow the example of Leopold II.
Stanley's expeditions were all done under the name of the Congolese Commission.
The great Constantine, driven by a sense of justice, for the happiness, stability and unity of the African people, resolutely devoted himself to the struggle against the evil forces in Africa.
He did not hesitate to spend a lot of money and pay out of his own pocket.
It is such selfless dedication, no self-interest, and special benefit to the African people.
As for why the flags of the "Committee of Congo" and the "International African Association" are deliberately confused.
To the south of the Congo River is a Portuguese colony, Angola, which has been in operation since the time of the great voyage.
The northern part of the Congo River is the sphere of influence of the French, and the French dominate the entire North Africa.
Just past the entrance of the river into the Atlantic Ocean, gunboats of the Portuguese and French are often patrolling back and forth.
If Stanley did not fly the flag of the International African Association on the ships of the Congolese Committee, the French and Portuguese must have intercepted the adventurous fleet at the mouth of the Congo River.
Whether it is a French or a Portuguese, for the Congo River Basin, it is an old cat pillow, and it is bound to win. If you know that the Congolese Committee is active under your nose, and it has nothing to do with the African Association, you would have started it long ago.
In this way, the entire Africa plan has completely failed.
In order to win the opportunity to contribute to the African people and not to disturb the French and Portuguese colonists, Constantine ordered the hoisting of the Venus blue flag.
After all, everyone has the same dream and the same world, right? It doesn't matter if you borrow it.
I suddenly heard what Stanley said, The Cameron expedition, supported by King Leopold of Belgium, appeared on the coast of Tanzania in Africa and wanted to advance to the inland areas. How could it not be touched?
In any case, the Cameron expedition must be stopped, otherwise it will be very troublesome in the future.
"Do you have any plans, Mr. Stanley?" Constantine asked, looking at the old god.
"Your Excellency, it's nothing more than..." At this point, there was a pause, and there was no more text. Constantine looked up in surprise and looked at Stanley.
I saw Stanley, waving his right hand like a knife.
Constantine was silent, thinking with his head lowered.
If it's just a competition for financial resources, people may not be inferior to oneself.
Moreover, the national strength of Belgium pales in comparison to the puddle of mud in Greece.
Since there is no other way, we can only take resolute measures.
"What do I need to do?" Constantine lowered his head and stared at the table top, tapping the table with five fingers in turn.
Stanley was a little surprised when he heard this answer, looking at Constantine's immature appearance.
Obviously, Constantine knew what his actions meant.
Until then, Stanley, an old fritter explorer who was accustomed to adventures in Africa, gave up his contempt for Constantine, a fifteen-year-old child from an upper-class noble.
After thinking about it, Stanley said, "Leopold II is a rich man. The expedition he organized is not weak. If you want to start, you must have absolute certainty. Otherwise, it will matter. If it is revealed, there must be a big...".
Constantine interrupted Stanley's words, stared at Stanley, and said: "You only need to say the request is enough. What do I need to do?".
"I need the support of professional military personnel. You know, the mercenaries recruited by our expedition are amateurs, with varying qualities," Stanley said.
"The 500 Royal Guards are well equipped and part of the royal guard is the limit I can mobilize," Constantine said.
"In addition, I will give you another 1 million francs for the next period of time, and Banning will receive this check," Constantine said with a stern face.
Banning is responsible for the financial expenditures of the Congolese Committee and has been in the African expedition. He is the confidant of Constantine.
The Africa Project can go to this point smoothly. He has contributed a lot and is also the chairman of the Congolese Committee.
Banning supervised the activities of the adventure team instead of Constantine.
Although Constantine is the Crown Prince of Greece, he is only 15 years old after all. He is currently studying at the Military Academy of Athens. The 500-member Royal Guards is the limit he can use.
Constantine has already overwhelmed all the power in his hands. If this operation fails, I am afraid that all the previous efforts will be in vain.
The royal family will no longer support the Africa project.
Stanley was shaken by Constantine's decisiveness. Not only did he increase the number of professional military personnel by 500, he also voluntarily increased the expedition funding by 1 million.
For a while, Stanley was both happy and a little nervous.
I am glad that I have received the full assistance of Constantine, and I am worried about the unfavorable consequences of doing things.
It's stressful.