Chapter 413 Anglo-Russian Response

Although the 66 Treaty has only exposed the tip of the iceberg, the London government has lost sleep. Now John Russell has a headache looking at the map of the Mediterranean, and the French have landed in Sicily in the name of helping to suppress the rebellion.

Austria suddenly let go, can anyone limit the expansion of the French in Italy?

The answer is brutal: no.

The Italian region has always been the focus of contention between France and Austria, but now that they have chosen to compromise, this contradiction naturally does not exist.

"Win-win cooperation" may be useful in resolving international disputes, but for the British Empire's continental balance policy, it is completely poisonous.

In the Prime Minister's Residence in Downing Street, John Russell said solemnly: "The strength of France and Austria has grown rapidly in the past ten years, and they already have the strength to threaten us.

Let's look at this latest map of Europe. Austria has annexed the southern German region and expanded in the Balkans. After this transaction with the French, their homeland has nearly doubled.

The French didn't give in too much. In a few years, Napoleon III took advantage of our opportunity to suppress India's judgment and annexed the Kingdom of Sardinia, and now he has extended his hand to southern Italy.

Since France and Austria joined forces to dig the Suez Canal, they have been crowding out us in the Mediterranean. If there is no way to organize them to continue to move closer, the Mediterranean will soon have no place for us. "

John Russell's statement is a bit exaggerated, and the so-called exclusion is completely nonsense. Everyone's sphere of influence has collided together, and it is natural to compete for interests.

Regrettably, in the new round of battle, the British lost.

In order to ensure the smooth progress of the Suez Canal project, the British Suez railway project and Egypt's cotton planting strategy went bankrupt under the joint intervention of France and Austria.

In addition, the interests of the British in the Ottoman Empire, Greece and other regions have not been affected, and driving them out of the Mediterranean is not in the plans of the two countries at all.

It's not that Franz doesn't want to do it, the key is that the French are too cowardly in the face of the British. Unless the interests are large enough, it will be difficult to convince Napoleon III.

However, there are only so many benefits in total, and it is impossible for Austria to do it in vain. It is simply not enough to divide the two.

Admiral Edward pointed to the map on the wall and said: "The tentacles of the French have reached Sicily, and Tunisia has also been included in their protectorate. Before long we will enter and leave the Mediterranean, and we will see the face of the French."

There is no doubt that Edward is putting pressure on the Foreign Office. The Royal Navy controls the Strait of Gibraltar, which was the most important part of the Mediterranean before the opening of the Suez Canal.

Foreign Minister Raislin replied with a gloomy face: "France and Austria are moving closer together, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible, but isn't it because we put too much pressure on them?

In recent years, in order to restrict France and Austria, our continuous actions have aroused the vigilance of both countries.

The ongoing Russian-Prussian war is also one of the reasons for the relaxation of relations between the two countries.

For the common good, I have reason to believe that France and Austria are ready to form an alliance, or have already formed an alliance.

Compromise on the Italian issue is definitely not that simple. It was no secret that the French wanted to annex Italy, and it was no secret that Austria wanted to unify Germany.

Under the current circumstances, countries are holding each other in check, and none of them can achieve their goals. However, the alliance between the Fao and the Austrian alliance is different. The two countries are acting at the same time, and even if we want to interfere, there is nothing we can do. "

The faces of everyone changed greatly, and they thought of more. In recent years, the conflicts between Britain and France and between Britain and Austria have been escalating. In order to limit the expansion of the two countries, the London government has been making constant moves.

Prime Minister John Russell said with certainty: "The Russian-Prussian war cannot continue, and the Russians are almost weakened. If Prussia and Russia continue to fight, there will no longer be a balance between France and Austria on the European continent. "

Attacking the Russian Empire is the national policy of the British. The London government has done a very good job, but it did not expect to patronize the Russians and ignore the rise of France and Austria.

The strength of the three major empires on the European continent has undergone amazing changes. The first-ranked Russian has fallen directly to the bottom, and it will be difficult to recover in the next ten or twenty years.

The rapid expansion of France and Austria, and now either country has the potential to challenge British hegemony.

Foreign Minister Raislin objected: "It's too late to stop it, Prussia and Russia are on fire.

The Russians lost so much, the tsarist government could not easily let the Prussians go; similarly, the Kingdom of Prussia would not truce with the Russians. If they missed this opportunity, their imperial dream would be shattered.

In this case, it is better to kill the Russians at one time, so as not to let them relax and threaten India.

It is very simple to destroy the closeness of France and Austria. The Russians have lost their position as European hegemons, and the next step will be between France and Austria. The seeds of conflict have long been planted. "

Agarwal, the chancellor of the exchequer, asked: "What if they have already formed an alliance?"

Raistlin said domineeringly, "Then we'll join the alliance and break it up."

...

As a result of this meeting, Raistlin was very injured. Perhaps due to strategic security considerations, it did not go according to his plan. The cabinet decided to strike first and win the Tunis region.

From a purely military standpoint, this is the best option. The French had landed on Sicily, and the Royal Navy had lost its chance to control the largest island in the Mediterranean.

In this case, it can only start with the Tunisian Strait. The Royal Navy has

Malta and Tunisia, the Mediterranean Sea is still in their hands.

As for offending the French because of this, this issue is not in the scope of everyone's consideration. Since the French annexed the kingdom of Sardinia, Anglo-French relations have not been better.

Except for the Near Eastern War, when the two countries had a honeymoon period, most of the time both sides appeared as adversaries.

Raistlin has no time to dwell on this issue, and now his task is to break up the Russian-Austrian alliance. This alliance exists for a day as a threat to the world hegemony of the British Empire.

Who knows if the tsarist government will return to Central Asia and expand to the Indian subcontinent after failing to expand on the European continent?

Don't look at the heavy losses of the Russians and think that they have no strength to expand. As long as the Austrians are willing to pay and contribute, this will become a reality.

Under the situation of escalating conflicts between Britain and Austria, Vienna can compromise with the Paris government, but why not support the Russians?

In this era, Canada, Australia, and South Africa have not been developed. If India is lost, what kind of overlord is the British Empire?

If this were to happen, within ten years the British Empire's maritime supremacy would be replaced by France and Austria.

The world factory is also built on the dual background of raw materials and markets. Without cheap raw materials from India and a huge consumer market, the British industrial supremacy would be immediately lost.

The industrial revolution has come to the present, the British have lost their technological advantages, and the industries of Britain, France and Austria are gradually at the same level.

...

St. Petersburg, Alexander II's mentality is much more peaceful. Whether Fao is close or not has nothing to do with him now.

The Prussian-Russian War is still going on, because the number of troops invested is restricted by logistics, and the Russian army has been unable to make progress for a long time, and he is about to lose his head.

In theory, the Russian Empire would be the final victor if it was so drained. However, this victory requires a question mark.

Sweden has been stabilized, but the war situation in Central Asia has eroded, and the situation in the Far East has risen again, and they have no time to take care of themselves.

Foreign Secretary Clarence Ivanov reported: "Your Majesty, the Austrians have given an answer, they have agreed to give up most of the French Balkans, but at a price from us."

This is not surprising to Alexander II. Although it was stipulated in the Russian-Austrian Secret Treaty, the French Balkans was bought back by the Austrians with money, and naturally it is impossible to give it away in vain.

Brothers have to settle accounts, not to mention allies?

Alexander II asked with concern: "What do they want?"

Although he missed the best time to enter the Mediterranean Sea, the strategic position of the Dardanelles is still very important. If the Austrian's conditions are not excessive, he does not mind getting it.

Foreign Minister Clarence Ivanov replied: "We have had preliminary negotiations, and the Vienna government believes that in addition to the economic problems, they also paid a political interest in this land transaction.

Their offer is very high, and if they invest in the purchase, they will pay a one-time payment of 200 million Aegis. Land exchanges are acceptable, and they demand a five-for-one exchange by area.

If we agree to this deal, even if the final negotiated result is halved, we will suffer a big loss. "

Obviously, Foreign Minister Clarence Ivanov is against such a deal, and the Russian Empire simply does not have the strength to enter the Mediterranean in a short period of time.

Moreover, now that the Mediterranean coast is almost divided up, they can't even find a foothold.

The only option left to them is the Ottoman Empire, but this is a hard bone that they cannot swallow now.

After pondering for a while, Alexander II made a decision: "If that's the case, then continue to grind with the Austrians on price. We're not in a hurry, it's okay to drag on for three or five years."

He knew that this was the Vienna government trying to rip off, or that the Austrians didn't want to watch them enter the Mediterranean Sea to grab territory. After all, the Mediterranean Sea has now been carved up by Britain, France, and Austria.

If one more competitor is added, it is bound to upset the balance of the Mediterranean. Because of the relationship between the Russian-Austrian alliance, the Austrians could not stand alone, which would make the Vienna government passive in diplomacy, especially when the two countries were close to each other.