Chapter 400 Persuasion

Upon hearing that Wilhelm wanted to send her to a ballet school, little Hepburn quickly shook her head. "My mom says I shouldn't accept favors for no reason."

Wilhelm pointed to the food in front of little Hepburn. "But you've already eaten these things. Isn't that accepting favors for no reason?"

"...," Hepburn hesitated for a moment. Her young face turned from cheeks to neck in embarrassment. Seeing her about to put down the spoon, Wilhelm waved his hand. "Go ahead, it's okay. Your mom said not to accept favors from strangers, but I'm your dad's friend, so I'm not a stranger. I'll talk to your mom and arrange for you to go to the ballet school."

Hepburn picked up the spoon again but shook her head. "No, I have something important to do here."

In a low voice, Wilhelm asked, "Is the important thing you mentioned about helping members of the resistance organization deliver things?" Seeing the shock on Hepburn's face again, he smiled and continued, "I know about those people. They're just a bunch of scammers."

"Scammers?" Hepburn was momentarily taken aback, staring at Wilhelm.

Wilhelm nodded seriously. "Exactly, scammers. They pretend to resist the Germans, but they're just a group of swindlers. They don't actually have the courage to fight against the German army. They use the guise of resistance to swindle money from their own comrades. When they can't keep up the act and are about to be exposed, they take the money and run."

"Really?" Hepburn's expression still showed disbelief.

Wilhelm spread his hands. "Why not? Have you seen any of these so-called resistance members in the past few days?"

Hepburn thought for a moment and shook her head. "No."

"That's right. I told you they've taken the money and run. Maybe they're already on a passenger ship to the United States, living carefree. So don't easily trust certain people. Does your mom know about this?" Wilhelm's words seemed to convince Hepburn, who nodded dejectedly. "She knows."

"Well, it looks like your mom has also been deceived. I'll talk to her and make sure she's more cautious about these scammers in the future." Wilhelm turned to Reinhard and instructed in German, "Send someone to talk to her mother, scare her a bit. If she dares to get involved in these shady dealings again, it won't end well."

"Understood." Reinhard glanced at Hepburn, who looked almost on the verge of tears due to frustration, and suppressed a smile as he nodded in agreement.

Wilhelm handed a chicken wing to little Hepburn. "Don't be sad, it's normal for kids to be tricked. You didn't do anything wrong; the scammers are to blame. Here, try this chicken wing, it's tasty."

Watching little Hepburn nibble on the chicken wing with a gloomy expression, Wilhelm asked, "Why did you help those people? Do you dislike Germans?"

Hepburn, somewhat distracted, said, "The Germans invaded our country." Then she suddenly realized something. "Brother, you're also German."

Wilhelm chuckled inwardly. He was not just any German; he was the "biggest" German. "Yes, I'm German. But this invasion talk is also what those people told you, right? Speaking of which, you were born in Brussels, Belgium, but you have British nationality (although born in Belgium, according to the law, she followed her father's nationality), and your mother is Dutch; do you like Belgium?"

"I do."

"And the Netherlands?"

"I like it too."

"Do you know that Belgium split off from the Netherlands?"

Western Europe has experienced many dynasties, with countries merging and splitting, giving birth to many nations like France and Spain. However, Belgium was never called a country and was even treated like a piece of fat, fought over by others.

The Spaniards took the lead in this struggle, beginning their rule over Belgium. But they were oppressive, constantly suppressing the Belgians, who couldn't bear it any longer and joined forces with the neighboring Dutch to rebel against Spanish rule. While the Spaniards and the rebels were locked in bloody combat, the more powerful Austrians saw an opportunity to benefit. They succeeded and managed Belgium well, introducing various favorable policies, encouraging Belgians to venture into commerce. They also strongly supported the development of the financial and industrial sectors, with various banks, stock exchanges, and even factories for manufacturing firearms. Belgium underwent a complete transformation.

Belgium was always a treasure trove. With a bit of careful management, it quickly became one of the wealthiest places in Europe. However, the scent of money drifting around attracted a pack of wolves.

The French seized Belgium and then withdrew, after which it was annexed by the Netherlands. The Belgians would not agree to live under someone else's roof, so in 1830, they launched a rebellion, demanding separation from the Netherlands. After a long struggle, the Netherlands was forced to recognize Belgium's independence under the intervention of other countries.

"You must also like the UK, but did you know that the Netherlands was once a powerful country?"

The Netherlands, a small country with an area of just over 40,000 square kilometers and scarce natural resources, should not be significant by any means, but it had a dazzling period of glory in history. In the first half of the 17th century, it possessed 16,000 merchant ships, which was three-quarters of the total tonnage of merchant ships from France, England, Spain, and Portugal. The Dutch monopolized world trade, and Dutch merchants were present in every corner of the five continents. Hence, the Dutch were called the "Carriers of the Seas."

However, as with many countries in history, their decline often began with a major catastrophic war. When the Dutch monopoly over the seas became the biggest obstacle and threat to the rising British overseas expansion, war was inevitable. It was the Anglo-Dutch Wars that caused the Netherlands to quickly fall from its position as the maritime hegemon, never to hold that position again, making it a permanent regret for the "Carriers of the Seas."

"Just like that, your beloved England turned your beloved Netherlands into a weak country. Who is right and who is wrong?"

Little Hepburn had obviously never considered such a question before and showed a look of confusion.

"Do you know how many wars have occurred in modern Europe? The Spanish Reconquista, the Crusades, the War of Bouvines, the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the Italian Wars, the Dutch War of Independence, the Anglo-Spanish War, the Thirty Years' War, the War of the Spanish Succession, the Great Northern War, the War of the Quadruple Alliance... and countless others. You see, Europe is constantly torn apart by wars, large and small, with countless casualties each time."

"But once Europe is unified as a whole, all these disputes will disappear. You also want to see Europe free from war, with no more people dying because of it, right?"

Little Hepburn nodded earnestly.

"Look, Germany has now integrated most of Europe. With just a little more effort, the whole of Europe will enjoy everlasting peace. What reason do you have to hate it? You should support it. I believe most people can distinguish right from wrong; it's only those with ulterior motives who clamor against the Germans, but most of them are just scammers."

Watching little Hepburn's somewhat understanding expression, Wilhelm smiled and said, "All in all, these are matters for adults. You're still a child, and you'll understand when you grow up. No more questions now, right? Ready to go to the ballet school?"