These threats were not repudiated at the time (the latter half of June) and the War Lord had considered them quite legitimate clubs for pounding French opinion while the _Entente Cordiale pourparlers_ were on.
Professor Schiemann is a publicist, a historian and a lecturer on military academics. He is held responsible for some of the misinformation on historic topics the War Lord frequently betrays in his public utterances.
"We now come to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance," said Prince Bülow.
"Aiming at Kiau-chau," finished the War Lord grimly.
"Which Your Majesty’s foresight will preserve for the Fatherland," declaimed Bülow, who ought to have been a great courtier instead of an indifferent chancellor. But the War Lord was not in the mood for compliments. He was out to smash things.
"By Heaven!" he vowed, "I would rather turn the Pacific and the Yellow Seas into Red Seas and exterminate those brown devils to the last than allow a stone to be touched in my glorious colony of Kiau-chau."
"Spoken like an emperor," seconded Bülow. Then, with a look at the clock: "May it please Your Majesty, I would submit that our young friend here must not be misled by the statements in the Press. I have here a copy of the agreement, stating clearly that the Alliance becomes operative only by reason of attack or aggressive action resulting in war against either England or Japan."
"Words, words!" cried the War Lord contemptuously. "I suppose Herr von Bohlen’s heard of Bismarck’s editing of the Ems dispatch! But proceed."
Bülow cleared his throat before he approached the momentary _cause célèbre_.
"To-day it is reported from Paris, Tokyo, London and Petersburg—in the leading journals, though not officially—that a quadruple alliance is about to be ratified, terminating once and for all the seemingly interminable quarrels between Great Britain and Russia, and drawing each empire’s own ally into close relations with the other: Britain’s ally, Japan, automatically becomes Russia’s ally, while Russia’s brother-in-arms, France, becomes England’s, and all four have agreed to defend either when driven to war by unprovoked attack."
"Four to three," mused the War Lord gloomily, "and number three as unreliable as a girl with nerves."