C314 usury imperialism (1/2)
There was no need to mention how luxurious the imperial carriage was. There were hand-embroidered jacquard curtains on the inside of the bright windows, allowing the passengers to see the scenery outside. However, pedestrians on the street couldn't get a peek at the appearance of the passengers inside.
When Princess Louis had just gotten off the carriage, everyone had already placed their attention on the princess and the fresh flowers in her hands, no one paying attention to the fact that there was still someone in the carriage. The moment the Princess opened the door and got on the carriage, the sharp-eyed citizens could see that there was another passenger inside.
”Oh …” Oh... God! Is there something wrong with my eyes? What did I see? ”That's the Queen, that's her highness the Queen Victoria …”
”What?” What were you talking about? What did you see? ” When the people around them heard the name of the Queen, their first reaction was to not believe their own ears.
After such a short pause, the door was shut, and the Queen's figure was nowhere to be seen. But dozens of citizens facing the door swore to God that they did see the Queen, and even smiled at them.
”Oh, I swear I didn't lie to you. The Queen came with the Grand Princess! The Queen is supporting us too... ”Long live!” The crowd frantically pushed forward. This time, the police could not stop them and the wall of people instantly collapsed.
All the policemen were scared out of their minds. If there was the slightest accident today, all of the policemen here would commit suicide to apologize. However, the police were simply not strong enough. Such a huge crowd of people was not something they could stop.
Just as the policemen were about to despair, they were surprised to discover that the crowd had strangely stopped half a meter away from the carriage. None of them dared to go too close to the carriage.
This was the prestige of the Queen Victoria, the British revered her from the bottom of their hearts. This legendary woman who ascended the throne at the age of 18, his name was named 'Victorian' … … This was the most glorious memory in the entire history of England.
The colony was expanded to an unprecedented extent. The Suez Canal and the whole of India had been taken in her hands. Domestic industrial power grew rapidly, and in her hands, the few iron lines that had been in existence since the beginning of her reign were woven into a grid.
There was also a series of victories. The brave soldiers under the Queen had not only conquered countless barbarian tribes, they had also forced the ambitions of the Russia Bear to retreat.
In continental Europe, there was not a single politician who dared to arrogantly slander her achievements, not to mention the fact that today, she had met the Londoner who loved her the most.
The carriage slowly moved forward, and the circle of people with a diameter of half a meter followed. The citizens shouted the Queen's name as they stretched their arms out to touch the shining carriage, but no one dared to say that it was a form of blasphemy.
Whether it was men, women or children, none of them were not crying. They had already confirmed that the Queen was here to cheer for them, and that she had used her silent actions to support them.
”It's worth it, no matter how much suffering we suffer, it's worth it! Long live the Queen!” The editors of the Thames were already on the verge of tears.
”Long live! Long live the Queen! ” The roars on the long street were like the waves of the ocean, surging into the distance. The excited crowd pushed the atmosphere to the peak.
The eyes of the people were clear as day. The person riding together with Princess Louis was the most powerful woman on Earth, Queen Victoria, the grandmother of the European royal family.
She listened to the voices outside the carriage and smiled and waved to the crowd, ignoring the veil that blocked her view. She knew, of course, that the people outside couldn't see her smile or her waving arms, but she still expressed her love for the people in this way.
”Mother, are you sure you don't want to open the curtain?” Princess Louis asked.
”No, if I formally stand in front of tens of thousands of people and openly support them, it will not be good for our friendly relationship with France …”
”Oh, mother, do you really need to care about that tyrant from the France? The conspirator will be overthrown by the French sooner or later... ”
”Hehe, I know, dear Louis. Of course I know what kind of predicament French Emperor is facing right now, and I don't like him either …” But we have to admit that France is now the second most powerful country after Britain, and the relationship between the first and second place has been delicate since time immemorial... ”
The Queen sighed. ”We can dislike that tyrant, but we cannot offend the people of France too much. The country across the strait is still very deep. We must not underestimate it!”
This was what a mature politician should be like. If Xiao Letian heard that Queen Victoria had the same judgement as him, he would probably become close friends with him.
In real history, France lost the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, paying the Prussian Germany 5 billion francs, or more than 700 million taels of silver. It took only three years for such a large sum of money to be completely repaid in the hands of the French. It was a miracle that shocked the whole of Europe.