1885, I came to save Greece

Sir Harding's carriage almost spun out of control, making a beautiful drift to a stop in front of the palace.

He jumped out of the carriage before the driver could open the door, his impeccable diplomatic uniform wrinkling from the sudden movement, but he didn't care.

His face was filled with an irrepressible ecstasy!

Won!

He won this arduous and protracted telegraph war!

The young Greek crown prince won too!

He hurried up the steps, where his aide-de-camp Alexandros was already waiting to greet him. From the ambassador's radiant expression, he had already guessed everything.

"His Highness is waiting for you!"

Sir Harding practically jogged into the drawing room.

Constantine was standing by the window, quietly looking at the square outside. Hearing hurried footsteps, he slowly turned around.

"Your Highness!"

Sir Harding's voice trembled with excitement as he pulled the telegram from his pocket and slammed it heavily on the table as if it were a divine oracle.

"London agrees!"

His voice echoed in the empty reception room, carrying a final declaration of peace.

"In principle, it has been agreed to provide Greece with a 'National Recovery Bond' totaling £7.5 million, fully guaranteed by its sovereign credit!"

Seven and a half million pounds!

This number far exceeded Harding's initial expectations and was also much higher than Constantine's bottom line during the tug-of-war!

This is the most sincerity the London Treasury can offer (mainly because those shrewd people realize that this is an opportunity to boost the economy and ease domestic class conflicts)!

Harding took a breath and then uttered terms that shocked him and the entire British diplomatic community.

"An annual interest rate of 4.25%! For a period of twenty years! Your Highness, this is unprecedented! Nowhere in Europe can you find such terms!"

Harding's chest heaved violently.

He knew what this meant.

This means that the British Empire no longer viewed Greece as a troublesome country that could go bankrupt at any time, but rather officially elevated it to a strategic ally that needed key support!

This was a tremendous victory that Constantine, through his unparalleled political design, pried out of the pocket of the British Empire!

A genuine smile finally appeared on Constantine's face.

He walked slowly to Harding, extended his hand, and shook it firmly.

"Sir, you've worked hard. You've made a great contribution to the friendship between England and Greece."

"This is our shared victory, Your Highness!" Harding gripped the hand tightly, the force of his grip revealing his inner excitement.

The atmosphere in the room instantly shifted from tense confrontation to relaxed and enthusiastic.

"Alexandros!" Constantine shouted.

The attendant strode in.

"Go and invite all the senior government officials. Then go to the wine cellar and bring out those bottles of French champagne I've been saving! Today, it's time for us all to raise a toast!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Alexandros's face was also full of joy, and he turned and left quickly.

Soon, chilled champagne was served.

Golden liquid rose in crystal glasses, tiny bubbles forming, filling the reception room with an atmosphere of joy.

Sir Harding's assistants, along with Greek officials, immediately spread out documents at one corner of the long table and began finalizing the details of the final agreement in writing.

Everyone had a smile on their face, and the atmosphere was as harmonious as a family gathering.

The clinking of champagne glasses rang out from time to time.

Harding, holding a wine glass, walked over to Constantine and lowered his voice.

"Your Highness, the industrialists in London are eager to see the draft of the naval order. To them, your 'prospect' is more tempting than gold."

Constantine smiled and took a sip of champagne.

"Of course, friends should cooperate honestly. Once the bonds are successfully issued and Greece has the money, the smoke from the Armstrong shipyard will be thicker than the smoke from the chimneys of Athens."

The two exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.

More than an hour later, a neatly bound draft of the agreement, written in English, was respectfully handed to Constantine.

Harding's chief secretary said politely, "Your Highness, this is the agreement we have drafted based on the final telegram. Please review it. If there are no problems, we can finalize the initialing today, officially begin all procedures, and hold a press conference."

The reception room fell silent.

Everyone stopped talking and focused their attention on the Crown Prince.

This is a historic moment.

Once Constantine signs the document, Greece will receive a huge sum of money that could transform the country and put it on the fast track to rise.

Constantine put down his glass and took the heavy document.

His smile was warm and gentle.

He sat down, placed the document on his lap, and began to review it word by word.

He examined it very carefully, from the total amount of the bonds on the first page, to the interest rate terms on the second page, and then to the priority commitments for the naval orders, as well as the details of the strategic services provided by the Greek merchant fleet...

Every single one of them was exactly the result of their hard-won negotiations.

This time, the British have indeed shown sufficient sincerity.

Sir Harding leaned back comfortably on the sofa, watching the scene with satisfaction.

In his view, this was just a routine procedure and there would be no surprises.

However, when Constantine's gaze moved to the final supplementary clauses of the agreement, the smile on his face began to slowly fade away.

The smile didn't disappear suddenly; rather, it receded silently like the receding tide, revealing the hard rocks beneath.

The relaxed atmosphere in the reception room began to freeze as his expression changed.

The officials who were talking in hushed tones unconsciously fell silent.

Sir Harding also sensed that something was wrong.

He sat up straight and asked with concern, "Your Highness, is there some oversight in the terms and conditions?"

Constantine did not answer immediately.

His fingers lingered on the last page of the document, gently tracing back and forth over that line of small print.

The movement was very light, yet it made Harding's heart jump for no reason.

for a long time.

Constantine finally raised his head.

The smile that had been on his face was gone, replaced by an unfathomable calm.

He gently closed the file and placed it on the table.

"No, Sir."

His voice was very calm, without any discernible emotion.

"The agreement itself is without any problems. The terms are very generous, and I personally, as well as the Kingdom of Greece, express our sincere gratitude for the generosity and friendship of the British Empire."

Hearing this, Harding breathed a slight sigh of relief.

But Constantine's next words made his heart, which had just settled, jump back into his throat.

"only……"

Constantine tapped the cover of the agreement lightly with his index finger.

"The last additional clause regarding this agreement."

He paused, looked up at Harding, his gaze calm yet carrying an invisible pressure.

"To ensure the proper use of bond funds and to provide expert advice on Greece's fiscal reforms, the UK Treasury will send a team of three to five financial advisors to Athens..."

Constantine read the passage aloud, word by word.

With each word he uttered, Sir Harding's face grew paler.

After reading it, Constantine stopped.

He looked at the restless British ambassador, and a faint, yet incredibly cold, smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"Jazz."

"Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

"This 'financial advisory group,' I don't think we've discussed it before?"

Constantine's voice wasn't loud, but it was like an invisible hammer, striking everyone's heart hard!

The bubbles in the champagne glass seemed to stop rising at that moment.

"This so-called 'advisory group'..."

Constantine leaned forward slightly, staring into Hardin's eyes, and asked, word by word:

"Are they here to provide 'consultation'?"

"Or are they here to... 'take over'?"