Chapter 89: The Medical Institution, Hanbury, and the Background of the Seven Years' War
Huang Xueming immediately said:
"Your Majesty, I think this is a good idea. Developing medical services in the country will help save the lives of our people."
Peter nodded and smiled silently.
In fact, he has already decided that asking Huang Xueming is just to give him face. After all, he is the only yellow person.
As for the translator, the translator was found from Kyakhta, a prosperous trading place on the border between Russia and the Qing Dynasty. Peter was just pretending.
As for the medical industry, its development now is of great importance.
Because the War of Austrian Succession was completely over, the signs of the Seven Years' War were getting bigger and bigger, and Peter felt that the wheel of history was accelerating forward.
Peter's standard of judgment was a Sir William of Hanbury.
In Peter's memory, Sir Hanbury only went to Russia in 1755. The purpose of his mission to Russia was to meet the political needs of Britain in defending the Electorate of Hanover.
But Hanbury's mission now changes to this year.
In the mid-18th century, there were two constant determinants of British diplomatic and military strategies.
One is the long-term hostile relationship with France, that is, whether the two countries are at war or in a brief period of peace;
The second is the need to defend the Electorate of North Germany.
The existence of the Electorate of North Germany was due to the fact that the King of England was also the Elector of Hanover.
In 1714, the 54-year-old old elector George Louis accepted the British throne under the lobbying of Parliament, thus establishing the hegemony of Protestantism in the island country of Britain.
George then became King George I of the British Empire, while retaining his original title of Elector of Germany and jurisdiction over his constituency.
The island nation of Great Britain and the Electorate inland Europe were connected through the same monarch.
This connection hasn't been easy for George.
George I and his son George II preferred their small electorate, where their 750,000 subjects were all smiling and respectful, and there was no outspoken and nosy parliament.
In addition, George I never learned English, and he and his son often returned to their native Hanover and stayed there for long periods of time.
In the eyes of neighboring countries on the European continent, the Electorate Kingdom has always been an easy prey, and it is difficult for Britain to defend Hanover from the coveting of Hanover by the countries around Hanover that are eager to try.
Britain has a strong maritime force, but it lacks a large-scale army.
Most British people are convinced that Hanover is a heavy burden around the neck of Britain. For the benefit of this electorate, the British Empire continues to sacrifice greater interests.
However, Britain cannot get rid of this burden and must assume the responsibility of protecting Hanover.
Since this goal could only be achieved by relying on the land forces of continental allies, Britain concluded an alliance with Austria and Russia.
For decades, the alliance between the three countries has maintained its effectiveness.
However, as Prussia's militaristic tendencies became increasingly serious, George II felt deeply uneasy.
He was worried that his nephew, Frederick II of Prussia, would invade Hanover at the instigation of others. After all, Frederick had already invaded central Europe, Austrian Silesia.
In order to prevent Prussia from invading, Britain proposed a new agreement with Russia. It was against this background that Sir Charles Hanbury-William came to St. Petersburg for negotiations.
In September 1755, when Bestudev finally signed his name on the Anglo-Russian agreement, Sir William Hanbury was ecstatic.
However, things are not that simple.
The news that Britain and Russia were about to sign a new agreement alerted Frederick, who was very worried about Russia.
When he thought that when facing Theresa, 55,000 Russian troops would press on the border from north to south, Frederick felt frightened.
Once the deal he thought had expired came back into effect, the prospect he feared would become a reality.
In fact, before negotiating with Russia, Britain tried to directly negotiate peace with Prussia in order to preserve Hanover.
Frederick rejected the British proposal, but now he went back on his word and conveyed his wishes to Britain. The two countries immediately left Russia and negotiated separate peace.
On January 16, 1756, the Kingdom of Great Britain and Prussia made a mutual commitment not to invade each other's territory, nor to do anything detrimental to the other's territory.
Moreover, once anyone intrudes on "Germany's peaceful status quo" - the term "Germany" is very vague and can include both Hanover and Prussia, the two countries will join forces to deal with the invader.
The countries that may invade Prussia are France, Russia and Austria.
This agreement caused an earthquake in the diplomatic community.
The alliance with Prussia deprived Britain of Austria as an ally, and also caused the new agreement with Russia to become invalid.
In February 1756, news of the successful signing of the Anglo-Prussian Agreement reached Versailles, and France immediately announced the end of its alliance with Prussia. This cleared the way for France to reconcile with its old enemy Austria.
On May 1, Austrian and French diplomats signed the Treaty of Versailles, under which France promised to provide support to Austria if Austria was attacked.
This kind of reversal was completely unimaginable six months ago, but it has become a reality.
Frederick overturned his own alliance in the War of Austrian Succession, forcing the other two major powers to re-formulate their alliance strategies.
Once the new alliance was established, the diplomatic landscape of the entire Europe was completely changed, and Frederick became even more ready to make moves.
On August 30 of the same year, Frederick's well-trained and well-equipped Prussian army marched straight into Saxony, catching his neighbor by surprise. Then the Saxon army was completely integrated into the Prussian army.
Saxony has always followed Austria. Prussia made such a move before the ink of the Franco-Austrian Agreement was dry. Louis XV extended a helping hand to Theresa without hesitation.
As Austria, Russia's long-time ally, was drawn into the war, Queen Elizabeth joined Austria and France in a coalition against Prussia.
Britain's original purpose was to ensure the security of Hanover. However, after escaping Prussian control, the electorate began to face threats from France and Austria.
Because of Britain's betrayal, Bestudev sent a note to the British Embassy, informing Sir William Hanbury that Russia would maintain a united front against the newly established anti-Prussian alliance, the Franco-Austrian Alliance.
Hearing the news, the British ambassador was stunned. The Anglo-Russian agreement negotiated with him and finally signed by Count Bestudev on his behalf, although it will never be officially declared invalid, has become in vain.
Hanbury found himself in a mess. London expected him to advance the interests of Britain's new ally, Frederick of Prussia, whereas he had been sent to Russia with exactly the opposite mission.
The major changes in the alliance structure of the major European powers were reflected in Hanbury.
This is why Peter had a premonition of the Seven Years' War due to Hanbury's arrival.
This is also the entire background facing Russia.
Under such circumstances, some things will speed up.
Medical institutions are a very important one among them.
It is not only related to people’s livelihood, but also related to the army!