Wilhelm continued to coax Little Elizabeth. "Look, once Britain surrenders, your brother can focus on dealing with the polar bear to the east. When I defeat that polar bear, Europe will be stronger than ever before." Here, he suddenly changed the subject. "Then, I'll lead all of Europe to find the 'Little Prince's' homeland."
Seeing the puzzled look on Little Elizabeth's face, Wilhelm gently ruffled her hair. "You'll understand these things in time. Now, I need to discuss some serious matters with your mother. Why don't you and your sister go out and play? You can go to the library; there are many new books to enjoy."
After calling Anna to take Little Elizabeth and Margaret out, Wilhelm walked over to the phonograph, selected a record, and placed it on.
Years ago, Germany had developed magnetic tape with a plastic base, which was superior in performance, cheaper, and easier to use than previous recording devices. In the original timeline, during WWII, this technology was widely used in military and broadcasting applications. Tapes with recordings of German high command's voices were broadcast across German radio stations, confusing the Allies by making it seem like these leaders could be anywhere at any time.
At that time, broadcasts from other countries were distinctly different from live speech, easily noticeable. After the war, this technology was adopted by the United States, with continuous improvements until the advent of digital recording technology.
However, even now, vinyl records still have an unmatched advantage in sound quality, though they have limited storage space for only a few songs. Still, Wilhelm preferred listening to vinyl.
Turning on the switch, the phonograph played a melodious, soothing tune. Wilhelm approached Queen Elizabeth, bowing elegantly and extending his hand. "Your Majesty, may I have the honor of this dance with you?"
Queen Elizabeth wanted to refuse; after all, she was here to negotiate peace with Germany, not to dance.
But while Wilhelm spoke in a negotiable tone, there was an underlying hint of insistence that couldn't be ignored.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Queen Elizabeth extended her hand.
Wilhelm placed one hand around her waist and the other holding her hand, then chuckled. "Don't be so tense, relax a bit, and how can we dance if we're this far apart?"
As Queen Elizabeth moved slightly forward, Wilhelm pulled her close, reducing the distance between them to almost nothing.
Queen Elizabeth tried to step back, but Wilhelm's grip was firm, preventing her from moving away. She said with some irritation, "Your Highness Wilhelm, please show some respect!"
"Oh," Wilhelm responded perfunctorily, not loosening his hold.
Queen Elizabeth bit her lip, almost being half-dragged into dancing the waltz.
After a few turns, Wilhelm casually asked, "Has King George VI's health improved?"
Queen Elizabeth answered reflexively, "His Majesty is quite healthy."
"Healthy? I doubt that. I've heard King George VI has been coughing up blood recently?" Seeing Queen Elizabeth's face change color, Wilhelm wore a look of triumph. "Our agents are everywhere, knowing many secrets. Like that Prime Minister Churchill, he has a disgusting habit of wandering around naked after a bath."
In a later film, Churchill seems to be constantly working on his speeches with his secretary, whether getting up, eating, or even bathing. Once, while Churchill was taking a bath, his secretary outside was transcribing his speech as he dictated. "Miss Layton, please be aware, I'm coming out." The next second, this portly old man burst out naked, startling the secretary into running away.
Churchill indeed had a habit of exiting the bath naked, but historically, the victim was not his secretary but President Roosevelt.
In 1941, after the Pearl Harbor attack, the U.S. officially entered the war. That Christmas, Churchill spent in the White House. One day, Roosevelt, in his wheelchair, went to Churchill's room to discuss the formation of the United Nations after the war, only to encounter Churchill in all his naked glory.
"No, no, no, Mr. President! There's nothing a British Prime Minister need hide from the American President." It's said that after this awkward encounter, Churchill made this remark to Roosevelt. There's another version where Roosevelt calmly asked, "The United Nations?" Churchill replied, "Good!"
What they actually said is unknown, but this naked meeting certainly happened. In January 1942, when Roosevelt visited Buckingham Palace to meet with King George VI, Churchill remarked, "Sir, I believe I am the only person in the world to meet heads of state in the nude."
"Speaking of Churchill, I know he's very tempted to use poison gas. But please convey to him that Germany has developed a super poison gas where one gram can kill 50,000 people. If he dares to defy the world by using poison gas first, I would be more than happy to spread it all over the English island. How many people live on the English island? One kilogram of this gas could wipe out the entire island. And we can produce several or even dozens of tons."
Queen Elizabeth lowered her head as if steeling herself, then whispered, "Your Highness Wilhelm, you can marry Margaret."
"Hmm?" Wilhelm was slightly taken aback; this was an offer for a marital alliance.
In ancient China, marital diplomacy was common, fundamentally aimed at stabilizing the periphery and ensuring peace at the borders; in Europe, the core purpose of marital alliances was expansion.
The threats to China's central dynasties mainly came from the north, making the defense of the northern borders the basic national defense strategy, with marital diplomacy supporting this strategy. The dominant culture of these agrarian civilizations was inward-looking, and external expansion was not a fundamental policy. Thus, marital diplomacy focused on maintaining good relations with neighbors.
European marital diplomacy also considered stabilizing the surroundings, but since marriage and inheritance of thrones were intertwined issues, some countries often sought foreign thrones through marriage, achieving low-cost, low-risk, and high-efficiency expansion.
This was particularly evident in the case of Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary Stuart was born six days before her father, King James V of Scotland, died, thus becoming queen at six days old. Just after James V's death, King Henry VIII of England decided to propose marriage between his son, Prince Edward, and the infant, un-crowned Mary, sending an envoy to Edinburgh to negotiate with Scottish nobles. Henry VIII insisted that Mary be sent to England for upbringing immediately after weaning until the wedding, making his intentions clear: if the marriage succeeded, England would control the young Scottish queen through this marriage of convenience, thus encroaching on Scottish sovereignty.
However, Wilhelm shook his head. "I apologize, I won't marry Margaret or Little Elizabeth."
Queen Elizabeth looked up, puzzled. "Then do you plan to marry Queen Sylvia of Italy?"
Wilhelm shook his head again. "No. Let me put it this way, I won't marry any princess from any country; I plan to marry a commoner woman."
As he spoke, he tightened his grip on her hand, slowly bringing their bodies closer. Clearly, Queen Elizabeth noticed his moves and tried to pull away.
"Your Highness Wilhelm, no..." Wilhelm suddenly leaned in, kissing her lips firmly.