Chapter 226 Calculation
In a manor in Paris, a noble banquet is being held. In a small corner, British Foreign Secretary Thomas and Russian Foreign Minister Karl Worsell gathered together.
If the news spreads, the front page headlines of the Paris newspapers can be pre-ordered.
Karl Woossel frowned and asked, "Mr. Thomas, didn't you invite me here just for a drink?"
Originally, he was busy hooking up with ladies at the reception, and he was having a good time, but he was interrupted by Thomas who came to the door.
Talking about things, Karl Woossel doesn't think he has anything to talk about with the British now. Moreover, this occasion was not right. The secrecy was like stealing the bell, and it was simply intentional for the Austrians to find out.
Thomas said with a smile: "Mr. Karl Woossel, don't you think that after the annexation of South Germany, Austria is a little too powerful?"
Karl Woossel's face changed. There were many people in the tsarist government who felt that Austria was too strong, and he himself was one of them. It's just a matter of talking about it in the house. Now that it was exposed by the British, he dare not admit it.
Who knows if there is any Austrian eyeliner around here, and even if there is not, there must be a way for the British to let Austria know the content of the conversation.
Karl Woossel's political ability is still passable. Knowing that this is a political trap dug by the British, he naturally won't follow the topic.
Mo Hao said rudely: "Mr. Thomas, if this is the case, I won't worry about you. It's not your turn to tell us what we do."
Ignoring his unreasonableness, Thomas still said with a smile: "Mr. Karl Woossel, there are no eternal friends in this world, as long as there are eternal interests, you and Austria are allies today and may become enemies tomorrow.
Now for the sake of allies, you condone Austria's expansion in the German region, and tomorrow you can face a unified central European empire.
It’s always good to be prepared in advance to take precautions before they happen.
The distance between Russia and Austria is too close, when Austria’s European expansion is blocked, they can only develop to the Near East, and sooner or later you will have conflicts…”
Without waiting for Thomas to finish speaking, Karl Woossel said goodbye and left, and he regretted having contacted the British rashly.
The Russian-Austrian alliance is Russia's most important foreign policy. How could it be easily changed? The alliance cannot be abandoned because of possible threats.
Such an obvious provocation, if he can't see it, then there is really a problem.
This seemingly unhappy meeting fell into the eyes of the caring people, but it has actually undergone a qualitative change.
Naturally Karl Woossel didn't notice these issues. He had to admit that the British were very effective in sowing discord. Deep down, he was also very afraid of Austria. Just like the Austrian government was afraid of the Russians, allies also needed to be on guard!
This is the genius of Thomas, once a matter is revealed, it is difficult not to be affected.
Whether or not to pull Austria's hind legs has become a difficult problem for Karl Woossel, and he hesitated because of his physical condition.
After a sleepless night, the next day the conference was held normally. Thomas attacked on the spot, and Karl Worsell involuntarily reduced his speech.
Originally, it was the British-Public wave and the Russian-Austrian wave. The French were on the sidelines and muddy, and the Spanish representative was in charge of presiding over the meeting.
Now that the attitude of the French has changed, and Karl Woossel's support is not enough, Metternich was under enormous pressure from the beginning.
However, the negotiation does not depend on the number of people, otherwise all countries will be drawn in, and there are more people who oppose Austrian expansion. The reason does not need to be explained.
Metternich, who has experienced many battles in the diplomatic field, will naturally not be intimidated. How can the representatives of Britain, France, and Prussia squirt righteously, anyway, I will not move.
Thomas threatened: "Mr. Metternich, if your country refuses to give up the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire, then the countries will impose sanctions on you."
Metternich said without changing his face: "Okay, we can make concessions, instead of establishing the Holy Roman Empire, let's establish the headquarters of the new Holy Roman Empire!"
This is completely evasive and light-hearted. The waste of so much effort is not for the sake of changing Austria's country name and it is over, but for them to give up the benefits they have obtained.
Further coercion and inducement, Thomas will not say it at the conference, and this needs to be communicated privately. Can't stand in the face of the Russians and let Austria turn their backs?
The Russians are not stupid. As long as they show a little bit of spearhead, they will immediately react and take measures.
This series of work in front of Thomas is actually just to create a gap between Russia and Austria and prepare for the split of the Russian-Austrian alliance.
Flies don't bite seamless eggs. If there is no gap between Russia and Austria, the British will have nowhere to start!
The second is to suppress Austria. This primary and secondary strategy is very clear to Thomas. It seems that the effect is very good now. The Russians' inaction has obviously become a thorn in Metternich's heart.
After the meeting, there was no time left for Metternich, and Thomas confronted him.
Either give up the Russian-Austrian alliance, and Austria can swallow all the benefits it has obtained; either keep the Russian-Austrian alliance and spit out the benefits it has eaten; or welcome the nine countries to interfere with the coalition.
If ordinary people would have been frightened long ago, Metternich was also not at peace in his heart, but there was no flaw on the surface.
He directly sarcastically said: "Mr. Thomas, this joke is not funny. The Nine Nations Allied Forces
Are you sure you're not kidding me?
The Netherlands and Belgium are in conflict, and the relationship between Spain and Portugal is not much better. If your country and the French can cooperate closely, the war in the Near East will be over long ago.
If you can make this conflicted coalition close, then I have nothing to say, Austria does not have the strength to compete with the Nine Nations. "
If this step can be achieved, Thomas will not need to talk nonsense here. As soon as the coalition forces are dispatched to the Austrian government, they will admit their counsel.
Everyone is not a fool. If you want to interfere in Austria, you have to look at the interests. If the interests are not enough, even if the British force them together, they will not work hard.
Perhaps, in the opinion of many people, it is more cost-effective to fight Austria than to pit teammates. At least they can kill people with a knife and consume the strength of the enemy.
The British have done a lot of cheating on their teammates. It can be said that they have lowered the integrity of their allies. Now everyone is following the example, and the close cooperation has long ceased to exist.
When the weakness was revealed, Thomas said calmly, "Mr. Metternich, all of the problems you mentioned exist, but no matter how big the contradictions of the Nine-Nation Allied Forces are, their strengths cannot be ignored.
Even as long as the two countries join forces, your country may not be able to hold on.
Don't doubt our determination. The big deal is to withdraw the coalition forces on the Crimean Peninsula. As long as Constantinople is still in our hands, the initiative will be in our hands.
If we make certain concessions and recognize the Russian occupation of Bulgaria and the Danube, what do you think are the chances of the Russians compromising?
In the face of interests, will the Russians take into account the Russian-Austrian alliance? Everyone knows the credibility of the tsarist government. Do you need to test it again? "
Metternich said without changing his face: "Mr. Thomas, I admit that what you said is very reasonable. It's a pity that you can make concessions to the Russians, but the French can't make concessions!
Mr. Thomas, I suggest that it is necessary for you to walk the streets of Paris and see the attitude of the French people towards the war in the Near East. "
There is no way, the French people of this era are completely suppressed for a long time and have just been released.
Napoleon III launched the war against Russia, but it was not just his personal will, but the French people were dissatisfied with the failure of the anti-French war and wanted to avenge the Russians.
In this ideological context, asking the Paris government to make concessions is simply to get Napoleon III out of the way.
It is related to his own interests, even if the British can fool again, Napoleon III will not be able to compromise.
Threats of the future, that's a thing of the future. If he makes concessions now, the French people don't have that long-term vision, and they will get him out of the way right away.
At this stage, Napoleon III can not win the Near Eastern War, but he must not admit defeat. Even if the French army suffered a great loss on the battlefield, he must end with a big victory.
Can't let the tsarist government act and deliberately create a big defeat? Nicholas I, who was a soldier, could not do such a thing, even if the interests were great.
The tsarist government can't afford to lose either. If it loses, its status as the hegemon of the European continent will cease to exist. The suppressed domestic conflicts will soon be detonated.
...
St. Petersburg
Franz is hanging out with a group of Russian nobles, basically eating, drinking and having fun every day, living a very luxurious life.
Diplomatic relations? In addition to communicating with Nicholas I about the future strategies of the two countries and further communication in politics, the rest of the things are discussed by the subordinates.
Regarding the issue of this German reunification, Franz only mentioned it symbolically, and Nicholas I also gave a formulaic answer, everything was done in accordance with the covenant.
Then, most of the time, the future great Ming Ding Russia Alexander II received him. The tsar was also very busy. He had official business to deal with every day, and he didn't have so much time to go out.
Visit the places of interest in St. Petersburg, attend aristocratic banquets, and hook up with noble ladies by the way. In short, Franz in St. Petersburg is very fun.
The attendant whispered in Franz's ear: "Your Majesty, please take a look at the telegram from Vienna for the Paris Conference."
Thanks to the establishment of the Russian-Austrian alliance, in order to strengthen the communication between the two countries, the wired telegraph from St. Petersburg to Vienna was finally connected.
Franz is a responsible emperor. Even if he is far away in St. Petersburg, he has not forgotten to pay attention to domestic affairs, especially this Paris meeting, which is the focus of attention.
After taking the telegram and reading it briefly, Franz had a headache. He didn't expect the British to make a move at the last minute.
Interfering with the coalition forces is not a question of whether or not to win, but it is certainly impossible to win!
It's not about finishing a wave. Once the war is ignited, if you want to stop, you will not be under the control of your personal will.
Is the difficulty really tied to the Russians against the entire European continent? As soon as this idea arises, it is left behind by Franz.
The Russians have a geographical advantage, so they can not be cowardly at all. Austria is no good. Once the battle starts, it becomes the front line. If they lose the essentials, they will lose a lot if they win.
Looking at the map of Europe, Franz made a decision.
"Call back to the country and suggest that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs communicate with the French. You can also pull the Russians together and make a posture of dividing up the Kingdom of Prussia. Let's see how the British will deal with it."
Not to see how the British coped, but to see how the Prussians coped. The British can still
Sitting on the Diaoyutai, as long as the European continent is not a monopoly, they can continue to play balance.
The Kingdom of Prussia is different. The three countries of France, Russia and Austria are dividing up Prussia, which is completely killing them. They can't win one-on-one, and they can't fight one-on-three.
The French got territories west of the Rhine, the Russians got the Commonwealth of Poland, and the Austrians got the part of Berlin, which seemed perfect.
No one has to worry about Austria becoming bigger, France and Russia have expanded. With the friendship of sharing the stolen goods together, the war in the Near East can be stopped. After taking the Rhineland area, Napoleon III can also have an explanation to the people.
Franz really wanted to see Frederick William IV's expression after receiving this news. If he could not get the South German region, he would compensate for the interests of the Kingdom of Prussia, which seemed acceptable to Austria.
The only trouble is that the Kingdom of Prussia is a tough one. It is easiest for the Russians to take Prussia, and it is not difficult for the French to seize the Rhineland. If Austria wants to attack the Berlin region, it will have to fight with the Kingdom of Prussia.
The most troublesome thing is that once the battle is too fierce and the hands of both sides are stained with each other's blood, then the post-war rule is a copy of hell.
For details, you can refer to Switzerland, which was originally the ancestral land of the Habsburg dynasty. Because the original ancestors were not strong enough to suppress the aristocratic rebellion in Switzerland in time, the fighting time was long, and the blood on both sides was too much. It became a feud. .