Chapter 19

---- pov Miguel Nikolaevich of Russia.

I arrived at the port of Amsterdam in August 1826, It was a beautiful city, small and filled with canals, with a pleasant climate from the North Atlantic, as we were approaching autumn, the weather was quite pleasant.

The ship that came ahead of the convoy had already alerted King William I of my arrival, and I received a warm welcome in the city, my stay had been arranged at the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, and the King personally received me, and he organized a grand gala in my honor, where we would discuss state affairs on the following evening.

The party was quite enjoyable, these Protestants knew how to throw a good celebration, I had limited interaction with the elderly king during the event, as our age difference prevented us from engaging in lengthy discussions, however, it was enough to get a sense of his perspective on geopolitics and his opinions about the other major powers.

The person I socialized with the most at the party was my niece Anna, who is the wife of the Crown Prince.

"My dear niece, how have these Germans been treating you?" I said to my niece Anna in Russian, so that our conversation would be more private.

Before the formation of the German Empire, Germany was merely a name given to the region in Central Europe, and Germans were the people who shared a common cultural and linguistic background, similarly, the term "Slavs" was used to refer to the peoples of a particular region with a shared historical, cultural, and linguistic heritage, however, in Russia, we have unified almost all of these peoples, except for our brethren in the Balkans.

"My uncle, life here in the Atlantic is wonderful, and now I have my little ones to remind me of home, I am enjoying life here, even though these nobles may find me cold and arrogant, they treat me very well, and I have much more freedom here with these Protestants." She replied, with a smile on her face as she introduced me to her children, she had five children with the Crown Prince.

"And the marriage my dear, are you happy here? I remember you were quite in love when you left St. Petersburg, does your husband treat you well?" the Grand Duke asked.

"My husband is quite affectionate towards me Uncle, he listens to my opinions and ideas, and even follows some of them when we reach an agreement, and he is attentive and compassionate, however he has a certain promiscuity when it comes to being intimate with men's.

Our marital relationship is not very strong, as he prefers the company of men from the court over mine, which saddens me deeply, but he has never been disrespectful towards me, and I still love him, as well as our children." The princess said with a sad and melancholic expression about her husband.

''I'm sorry my dear, I didn't imagine that your husband was a sodomite, if you need anything my dear, your family is always ready to support you, and you will always be welcome at home when you want to visit, or take a break vacation from the view here in Holland.'' I said trying to comfort her.

"Thank you my uncle, I will follow your advice, and I will visit our relatives soon, and it will be good to take a break from this place, my uncle I have gathered the information you asked for in the letter, and you were right.

The groups of French living in the Flanders region are stirring up the Belgians, and the people are becoming increasingly inflamed, It is only a matter of time before they rise up in open revolt against the crown, and there are liberals who are also adding fuel to the fire, I don't know who, but someone is behind the liberals." My niece whispered to me these intelligences.

The party passed quickly as I spoke and enjoyed myself with my niece, she told me amusing stories about her children and her life at court, It was comforting to see her smiling and happy, and I advised her to acquire some industries and businesses here, as women had more economic freedoms in this land, I suggested she secretly recruit some shipbuilders to work in Russia, as the Netherlands had a long history of navigation and shipbuilding, and we spent the entire party planning business ventures and sharing old and amusing stories.

My meeting with the King was approaching, the party last night had been enjoyable, but now it was time for business afterward, I could spend the rest of my stay keeping my niece company, the King received me in a separate room, and we began our conversation.

"It is an honor for me to receive a visit from our esteemed friends, the Russians, I was delighted when our diplomat returned with the message that the new czar was planning to send an emissary like yourself Grand Duke, solely to strengthen relations with us, the Dutch, this demonstrates a great consideration, my lord." Began the dialogue of King William I of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

"My friend, it is truly gratifying for me to be here as well and to be so warmly received in your court, It was a great joy for me to reunite with my niece as well, I am certain that the friendship with the Dutch will be enduring." I responded cordially.

''My lord Duke I am very glad to hear these words, my friend what business does the Tsar have to deal with us,'' said the Dutch king.

My brother's idea was to attract the significant idle capital of the Dutch and encourage them to invest in the industrialization of our country, by allowing the Dutch to establish private banks within our borders, the nobles and bourgeoisie would have greater access to capital for loans and investments. This would further fuel the process of industrialization and mechanization in our nation, with the regulation and security of capital provided by the central bank, it would be much easier to attract external investments as well.

"This is a great idea my friend, I am pleased to see that the Tzar is open to some good liberal ideas, I believe that with the increase in our exports and investments, our international relations can be closely aligned in maintaining the security and stability of Europe." Said King William, emphasizing at the end of his statement, an indirect reference to the external pressures that the Dutch have been facing from the neighboring major powers.

"Of course my friend, We Russians would be more than happy to grant our full support in maintaining peace on the continent, It is evident that we would spare no efforts in assisting our friends if any nation threatens their integrity, should any nation directly attack you, rest assured that we would come to your aid with military support." I said, reassuring the old King in front of me amidst his growing challenges.

''And if by chance we weren't directly attacked my friend what would be your answer.'' Said Guilherme in doubt.

"That's a good question my friend, we cannot directly interfere in the internal affairs of a European country without causing a major international uproar and facing unjust accusations, It could lead to a situation where all the other major powers align against us.

However, that doesn't mean we cannot assist you, my friend, we can connect you with a legitimate international company that operates independent of the Russian government.

This company engages in legitimate import and export businesses in various countries, such as Sweden and the Ottoman Empire, they also provide security services to their clients, ensuring assistance without any illegitimate accusations of external interference, It's a discreet and effective way to support you." I said, slyly smiling with a sense of amusement.

"That is a very smart move my friend, I am more than happy about the joyful cooperation we are forming." Said the King with a wide smile of happiness as he listened to my explanation.

Our agreement flowed smoothly now that all doubts have been resolved, this cooperation would be very rewarding, It would secure important monetary resources and strengthen the Dutch, preventing the creation of a powerful German Empire in the future, their small population of about 5 million was their greatest weakness in becoming a future threat, they would certainly be an ally for a long time.

"My friend, before concluding our agreements I wanted to discuss the East, It is unfortunate that the British are increasingly suppressing their influence in this important and prosperous region, the Pacific.

With their governance of the British East India Company and the conquest of the Cape of Good Hope and the Australian colonies, the Indian Ocean is under total British influence, It is only a matter of time before they extend their claws into the Pacific, considering their recent conquest of the eastern region of the great island of Borneo and their growing influence in the Qing Dynasty.

Developing Russian influence in this Pacific region is one of the future plans of our Tsar, If we join forces, I believe our process would be much smoother, by ensuring cooperation in the Pacific, we can mutually grow our influence and secure stability against the powerful external influences of the British in the region, we plan to build a major port in the Pacific coast at the mouth of the Uda River.

What do you think, my friend? The East India Company is a significant prize that undoubtedly attracts the hungry eyes of the French and British." I presented my concerns and ideas to the Dutch King.

"I am delighted with this idea my friend, easing our pressure in the Pacific is certainly to my liking, I am pleased to sign a development agreement in the Pacific with our Russian friends.

Finally, I will be able to expand the company further, which has been a major request from the nobles during my reign, I will focus my efforts on the remaining parts of Papua and the surrounding Solomon Islands, let us concentrate our efforts in this region, my friend." Said the King, excited to finally appease the nobles and liberals in his government.

The agreement with the Dutch unfolded smoothly, we delimited our areas of interest in the Pacific, and it was agreed that the Russians would support the Dutch efforts to consolidate their power in the East Indies region, specifically in the remaining parts of Papua, the Solomon Islands, and the rest of Timor Island.

The Dutch King was not overly greedy for more territories, he simply wanted a strong ally and was pleased to finally consolidate his power as the sole authority in the region, he planned to use our relationship to push the Portuguese out of Timor Island and solidify his control in the region, avoiding any reprisals from the British, and It was also agreed that the Dutch would support us in establishing a protectorate in the Kingdom of Hawaii, further expanding our influence in the North Pacific.

I spent my days happily in the company of my niece, the visit to the Netherlands was much livelier than my time in Sweden, however unfortunately, I had to continue with my tour as planned, It was in my schedule to reach my destination before the end of this year, I had already made all the necessary preparations in this country, including obtaining the King's authorization to establish an office for my nephew's Company Blackwater, in Amsterdam.

This was to preempt any future accusations that could be made by other powers, my entourage was ready to depart for our next destination, and I bid farewell to my niece, Ana Pavlovna, as I set off for Rio de Janeiro, the capital of the Brazilian Empire.