Chapter 386 Alexander II

Franz soon saw the power of Alexander II. The news of the secret negotiations between Russia and Austria was not unexpectedly spread, but there was a slight change in the content.

This change directly made Franz grit his teeth to approve the loan, and the amount was negotiated from 30 million Aegis to 50 million Aegis, and it was still an interest-free loan.

Of course, the Russians also came up with new collateral - customs revenue from the Ukrainian region, to avoid a loss of money.

If the tsarist government got the common Saxony after the war, then the debt was written off, and the tsarist government used the common Saxony area to pay off the debt.

No way, the Russians are too much touted. The big-mouthed Russian envoy touted the Vienna government's efforts to reclaim the Prussian Saxony.

He also said: Franz communicated with Alexander II by telegram many times, and the two sides have reached a preliminary agreement that after the war, the Tsarist government will sell Silesia and the Commonwealth of Saxony to the new Holy Roman Empire.

There is no doubt that this must have obtained the acquiescence of Alexander II. The Russian minister held high the banner of Russian-Austrian friendship and repeatedly emphasized Franz's contribution. In the eyes of ordinary people, this was an effort to unify the empire.

After all, the Paris Conference has divided the German regions, and it has been very difficult to reunite them. Now we can only take roundabout measures to slowly promote national reunification.

It is always a good thing to take back the land, and the nationalists are happy and sing their praises.

Domestic public opinion was mobilized, and Franz was roasted on the fire. If he wanted to step down, he would inevitably lose his prestige. He had no choice but to bear this black pot.

Now he can see clearly that the tsarist government's promise to give Silesia to Austria was a bait.

What if Austria took back Silesia after the war and watched the Russians annex Saxony?

Franz was the Emperor of Austria, as well as the Emperor of the people of Saxony. Once the bowl of water is not level, the hearts of the people below will be scattered.

Not only the people of Saxony will be dissatisfied, other states will also be dissatisfied with the central government. At that time, the new Holy Roman Empire, which was finally unified, will return to a state of fragmentation again.

Franz didn't dare to bet that the Russians would lose the war now, and he had to pay for it.

After all, this Prussian-Russian war was entirely the result of his butterfly effect. Now the Russians have the upper hand, and they have strong strength. Under normal circumstances, only the Russians will win the war in the end.

If it's just a matter of money, the deal is take as much as you want. The tsarist government did not make random quotations, and it was even a little low.

However, in the general Saxony region, the Russians have not yet obtained it, and the price is reasonable.

But Franz knew that for the sake of Silesia, the Vienna government had already guaranteed the Russians and owed a lot of strategic materials from the country, and now there is a loan of 50 million Aegis.

If you don't want to lose everything, the best option for the Vienna government now is to support the tsarist government to win the war.

Otherwise, these debts will not be able to be recovered until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse.

In the face of allies, the tsarist government is unlikely to directly default on its debts, but if they have no money to pay, can the Vienna government still be able to forcibly collect debts?

Once the Russians are defeated, not only their current debts, but also their old debts may eventually turn into bad debts. At least until the tsarist government's finances improved, they couldn't afford it.

It not only kidnapped Austria economically, but also completely broke the relationship between Prussia and Austria. Now the Vienna government is almost supporting the tsarist government openly and aboveboard, and naturally it is on the opposite side of Prussia.

By the way, the Anglo-Austrian alliance was divided, and the two countries were once again on opposite sides.

Britain and Austria share the same national policy on the issue of maintaining the balance of Europe. Since the establishment of the first Vienna system, Britain and Austria have been secret allies, and the two sides are only separated by a covenant.

After the outbreak of the war in the Near East, the relationship between the two countries dropped to a freezing point. However, because of common interests, the relationship between the two sides soon warmed up again, and the two countries jointly promoted the establishment of the second Vienna system.

Provoking Prussian-Austrian relations and British-Austrian relations is not the end.

Once the French eat the bait given by the Russians, the Anglo-French relationship will also break down, and the Austrian-French relationship will be directly over. In any case, Franz could not sit idly by and watch the French annex the Rhineland.

Even if he can bear it, the nationalists at home will push Austria into battle.

Franz is not afraid to fight the French. The covenant to jointly defend the French is still there. The big deal is to organize an anti-French alliance. The Vienna government has experience in this regard.

The problem is that since the Metternich era, the situation of Austrian allies across Europe has changed, and diplomacy can no longer be so calm.

Yes, France and Austria are now quasi-ally. Otherwise, Franz would not be indifferent to Napoleon III's annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

A verbal promise can be overwhelmed, and in the end it must be said with interests. From the time of the Orleans dynasty, France and Austria have maintained a quasi-alliance relationship, the kind that can be formed at any time if necessary.

There was a break in the period of the Great Revolution, but with the appearance of the Fao Secret Pact, the relationship between the two sides has warmed up again in the face of common interests.

Especially after the French annexed the kingdom of Sardinia, the relationship between the two countries reached a new height.

At present, the pro-British faction in the French government is very strong, and the pro-Austrian faction is actually not small at all.

It is not surprising that a person is pro-British and pro-Austria at the same time. Politicians change their positions according to actual needs.

Napoleon III was not a fuel-efficient lamp either. As a master of political struggle, how could the balance of power not be taken seriously?

A dominant pro-British faction is not in the interests of his emperor. If one day the British are confronted, and all of them are pro-British, then who will be sent to charge?

Although Napoleon III appeared as an Anglophile, in fact, most of the people he promotes are not Anglophiles, but mostly anti-British people.

This also applies to Austria, where the anti-Russian faction in the Vienna government has always been strong in the context of the Russian-Austrian alliance.

Many politicians do not really want to be anti-Russian, but politically need them to be anti-Russian. This is standing in line, or political speculation.

After clearing up the calculations of the Russians, Franz could only sigh: How could a person who has left a splendid name in history be a mediocre person!

From his accession to the present, Alexander II has been focusing on domestic affairs, and his diplomatic performance is very mediocre.

This kind of performance is also in line with everyone's positioning of the tsarist government. After all, the tsars of all dynasties are basically the masters of fighting strength and not wit.

After a long time, Franz also relaxed his vigilance. Diplomacy also requires talent, which has always been a shortcoming of the tsarist family, and no one in later generations said that Alexander II was capable of diplomacy.

As a result, if he didn't make a move, it was already shocking. At the same time, Anglo-French Opp was included, and a group of small European countries were involved.

If the plan goes well, the final result is: the breakdown of the Prussian-Prussian relationship, the breakdown of the Franco-Prussian relationship, the breakdown of the Austrian-French relationship, the breakdown of the Anglo-Austrian relationship, the breakdown of the Anglo-French relationship...

If the diplomatic relations of various countries are broken, then the opportunity for the isolated Russian Empire will come.

The ambition of the tsarist government has never been too small. How could it be possible to defeat the Kingdom of Prussia without biting a piece of meat?

In this context, it is very necessary to differentiate European countries. This time, starting from Fao, it is still to cut off the possibility of countries interfering in the Prussian-Russian War.

In addition to the fact that the contradiction between Britain and Russia is too deep, it is related to the core interests, and the two sides cannot compromise.

Russia and Austria are allies, and the relationship between France and Russia is not irreversible. As long as these two countries are settled, the European continent will no longer be able to organize and interfere with the coalition forces.

The strength of the British is indeed strong, but unfortunately they are all in the navy. With the poor strength of the British Army, no country would foolishly form a coalition with them and go to war with the Russians.

This determines that John Bull must have an ally on the continental issue, otherwise it will be difficult for them to gain the right to speak that matches their own strength.

After the War in the Near East, the British tried to reduce their interference in continental disputes as much as possible, which also had this factor.

In this context, even in the battle for overseas colonies, the British, French and Austrian civil society organizations often confront each other, and the British-Austrian relationship and the British-French relationship can still be maintained.

Franz didn't get angry this time, and he didn't take revenge right away. After so many years as an emperor, his xinxing has long been honed.

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