Chapter 18: Chapter 17: The Asian Representatives greet the Prince

Austrian Embassy in Berlin, German Empire

An old man is talking to a young man at one of the parlors inside the Austrian Embassy in Berlin, German Empire.

“On behalf of our King and Siam, would like to say thank you for the kindness you had given to our people.”

“It’s nothing. I just want to connect Austria to other Asian powers. As the only independent country in the Southeast Asian region, we want to establish friendship and equal opportunities for both our people.”

The old man is the current Ambassador of the Kingdom of Siam in the German Empire, Mr. Theerapat Pureesrisak while the young man is the crown prince of Austria, Archduke Karl Franz Justinian von Habsburg of Austria. The Thai ambassador is sent by the King of Siam to give thanks and praise to the young Austrian crown prince for ending the unequal treaties between the two countries.

There are only a few people who knew that it is the Crown Prince’s idea to end the unequal treaties with Asian countries. So, the Ambassadors of the three Asian countries visited and gave thanks to the Crown Prince and also hopes for a continuing relationship between the countries for the decades to come. The Qing and Japanese Ambassadors had already visited Justinian for the past few days and it is the Siam Ambassador right now who is visiting. The deal will be made public and signed on the 25^th of December, so it would be in a few days. The Ambassadors know that they can’t praise and give thanks to the Crown Prince publicly because the Austrian Empire decides that this would be the current Emperor’s initiative to keep the Crown Prince away from criticism and backlash.

The Emperor knows that the one who will become the brainchild of the deal would be ostracized by other European governments who wanted to maintain the unequal treaties they had with the Asian countries. So, the Emperor is willing to take the fall for he knows that it would not be long before he will abdicate the throne to his grandson.

In regards to how Siam was included in the deal, it was purely incidental as Count Richard von Metternich, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Austrian Empire, had mistakenly sent a telegram to the Austrian Ambassador in the Kingdom of Siam and it becomes too late to retract the order. Justinian was not concerned about the mistake as he that it would be better if there are more countries are included in the deal. They can also ask for help from the Siamese volunteers who would fight for Austria against the Ottomans.

“You are very humble and kind your highness. I’ll promise you that whenever you or Austria would be in the pinch, we would aid and support you as long it’s not in Asia and can’t affect our country much.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. I hope that our country’s relationship would continue to prosper and develop.”

“Thank you, your highness. Glory to Austria Empire and the Kingdom of Siam.”

“Glory to Austria Empire and the Kingdom of Siam.”

The two men toast the wine their holding in their hands right now. The deal is a cheerful event for both countries. Especially to the Siamese Ambassador, this deal is important for him to increase his status back home. As the man who will represent his country in the negotiations, if this deal will be officially signed, then he would return as a hero to the Siamese people.

For years, Asian countries are oppressed by the deals and treaties they signed with the European countries. They had seen how Qing lost two wars against the British and Germans in the two Opium wars in 1841 and 1856, and how they conceded a lot of concessions to the Europeans.

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With the loss of the strongest power in Asia, the other countries are forced to concede to the demands of the westerners. Many people feel unfair and bitter and fought against the increasing influence of the west but they are only met with defeat and power by the Europeans.

Some countries realized this, like the Japanese Meiji Government and the Kingdom of Siam who didn’t resist the westerners but tried to embrace its technology and product. Knowing that western weapons are more modern and superior, both countries immediately learned and modernized their own country while being subservient to the European countries’ demands.

They sent their brightest minds to Europe to study and learn. They pay European military officers and veterans to train their armies. Signing contract with European businesses and industries to modernize their country. They had tried everything to satisfy the demands of the Europeans

Right now, Japan, Siam, and Qing had already modernized at least a small part of their army and navy. In terms of modernization in Asia, Japan is the one who is the most successful of the three as it was the first who adapt to western technology and development.

During the First Opium war, the British and the Germans forced the Japanese to end their isolation policy and lease the naval port of Nagasaki in Kyushu as their base of operation. Until now, Nagasaki’s port is still leased to the Germans and British, and both countries established military bases and installations in the area. Nonetheless, the Japanese army and navy become one of the most powerful militaries in the world as their navy becomes the fourth largest fleet next to the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Their army is also trained by German military advisers and is considered the best trained and equipped army in the region. Their army trained by the Germans and their navy by the British, the Japanese becomes a force to be reckoned with in the region.

The next one to modernize is the Kingdom of Siam, encircled by European colonies and the Qing Empire in the north, the Siamese also followed suit after the Japanese in fears of being colonized. The Siamese looks towards the Dutch for they fear if they cling to the major European powers, the kingdom would be swallowed whole. The decision proves right as the Dutch have no intention to colonize the Kingdom and instead prioritize trade and profiting from the unequal trade between the two countries. Their army might be slow in modernizing compared to the Japanese and Qing, but it is enough to deter an invasion in fear of a costly victory against the Siamese.

The last of the three to modernize is the Qing Empire. Before the two opium wars, the Qing sees themselves as the superior ones and all foreigners are inferior, including Europeans. They see their culture and long history as somewhat superior to others. For centuries this claim holds true, but due to corruption and the economic decline of the Qing Empire, cracks and problems are starting to form in the foundations of the empire. The technology and military of the empire lag behind from the Westerners who are always creating new ideas and development due to competition and survival.

Seeing an opportunity in the declining Qing Empire, the Europeans had taken advantage of its weakness and exploited it to the fullest, resulting in the two Opium wars which showed to the world that the Qing is no more than a paper tiger. The Qing army is in tatters and large-scale rebellions are occurring in the empire. Fortunately, the Qing empire was able to survive and overcome the challenges and adversities that it faced. They also realize that they were not the center of the world anymore and they need to adapt and develop in order to survive.

So the Qing Empire bit the bullet and gave a lot of concessions and benefits to the European power as it bid its time to develop and modernize. They hired foreign advisors to train their army and buy modern battleships and cruisers from Europe. Unfortunately, most of its progress is destroyed due to the Sino-Japanese war of 1892 which destroys most of the modern naval fleet that the Qing has. Nonetheless, the Qing was still able to withstand and persevere amidst the series of defeats its experience, its long history and rule had helped it to withstand such calamities and a lot of Chinese people still believe that the Qing Emperor still has the mandate of heaven.

“Thank you for having me, your highness. I’ll take my leave now.”

They had already spent a lot of time talking about different things with each other and it is already late in the afternoon, so he bid his farewell to the Crown Prince. The Siamese ambassador bows toward Crown Prince Justinian before he leaves the parlor. Justinian nods to the Siamese ambassador, permitting him to leave the parlor.

Then the Siamese ambassador slowly walks toward the door and he turns back where the Crown Prince and bows for the last time before leaving the room.

When the door is closed and the ambassador is gone, Justinian starts to relax on the huge couch he is sitting on now. He didn’t expect that the meeting would last longer than the schedule they planned. It might be because the Ambassador is very friendly and humble that both of them enjoyed talking with each other. Also, they have drank wine and talked about a lot of things that are not really important like what good food is there in Siam and how the people live there. These small talks are what really dragged the meeting longer than they expected, but it is still enjoyable and it’s a breath of fresh air from what most would happen in a formal meeting between two people representing a nation.

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