Chapter 426: Kind Reminder

On April 22, 1867, the London Peace Conference was held. Representatives from more than 20 countries around the world gathered in London to discuss this special war.

Since the anti-French war, this is the world's largest war involving the largest number of countries, the widest warring area and the largest scale.

Undoubtedly, this is also the war with the heaviest casualties and the greatest economic losses. The total loss of troops of both sides exceeds 2 million, and the total economic loss of each country exceeds 2 billion Aegis.

(about 1 billion pounds, equivalent to 7322.38 tons of gold)

If nothing else, just looking at casualties and economic losses, all countries in the world are collectively misfired. You must know that many countries have a population of less than 2 million, and the entire country is not worth 2 billion Aegis.

The biggest losses are naturally the Russians. Not only did the army suffer heavy losses, but the domestic economy suffered heavy losses. They also lost cities and land, and lost their hard-won position of world hegemony.

If we do it all over again, the Russians will certainly not go up so directly.

At the Paris Conference, the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were assigned to Denmark, and the Prussian invasion of Denmark was opposed by European countries.

Of course, the Russians are not good at roundabout diplomacy, nor do they look imposing enough to show their European hegemony.

Unexpectedly, the war that was originally used to establish power ended up burying the hegemony of the Russian Empire, and a great empire was dying.

The negotiation fell into bullshit mode from the very beginning. The Russian delegation fought against each other. Except for the help of the Danish representative, they directly fell into a state of siege.

This is the disadvantage of many enemies. If Poland is also a country, the Russians will face the Eight-Power Allied Forces. (Kingdom of Prussia, Ottoman Empire, Four Central Asian Countries, Poland, **** Empire)

The wrangling between the warring countries, the representatives of other countries naturally watched the excitement. If everyone participates, the Russians will be even more tragic.

The diplomacy of the Prussians still worked, with the understanding of most European countries, they provided a lot of evidence against the Russians, and they were clearly well prepared.

After the first day of the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Clarence Ivanov knew that things were broken, and had a secret meeting with Austrian representative Weisenberg overnight.

Clarence-Ivanov didn't detour, and said straight to the point: "Your Excellency Count, now we need your country's help!"

After being silent for a while, Austrian Foreign Minister Weisenberg said: "We are allies, we should help each other, what kind of help does Your Excellency the Marquis need."

The Russians' purpose is clear to him, but now he must pretend to be confused in order to gain a more favorable position and re-establish the dominance of the Russian-Austrian alliance.

Clarence Ivanov didn't think too much about it. The hegemony of the European continent changed hands and it became a foregone conclusion. Whether it fell into the hands of the French or the hands of Austria, it didn't matter to them.

Dominance in the Russian-Austrian alliance is not so important now for the Russians who have lost their hegemony on the European continent.

"The current diplomatic situation is very unfavorable for us. I hope your country can exert influence to reverse this situation!"

The one-sided situation completely exceeded the expectations of the tsarist government. In their plans, most European countries should adopt a neutral attitude, rather than stand directly against Russia.

This is because the Russians did not have time to change their mentality and still brought themselves into the role of European hegemony.

In the era of European hegemony, the Russian Empire, even if everyone is very dissatisfied, few countries dare to show it. Neutrality is the position of a small country.

It's different now. The Russian Empire has not only been severely damaged in the war, but has also fallen into a civil war. Its position in the world has been greatly reduced, and it cannot scare European countries.

In the past, I was angry, and this time it broke out. Prior to this, the tsarist government also conducted diplomatic public relations, and the results showed that they were doing a disservice. Instead of drawing allies, it pushed some countries to opposites.

In this case, they had to seek Austrian support. Since the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Austria has occupied an important position in European politics and diplomacy.

The establishment of the Vienna system twice was the pinnacle of Metternich's diplomacy. Until now, Austria's influence in European politics and diplomacy is one of the best.

This kind of political and diplomatic influence is also one of the reasons why Franz has always paid attention to eating.

This political and diplomatic influence seems useless to ordinary people, but in fact it ensures that Austria will not fall into a state of isolation and avoid a crisis of global enemies.

Now the Russians know the consequences of being isolated, and being targeted by various countries means that they will be in a passive state in the negotiation and need to pay a higher price to end the war.

Wesenberg shook his head and said, "Your Excellency the Marquis, you have overestimated our influence. In the current situation, the driving force of Britain and France is indispensable. You don't think that Austria can resist the combined influence of Britain and France, right?"

This kind of help can't be helped, if it really helps, there will be endless troubles. There is also a price to be paid for countries to change their diplomatic positions. Without enough benefits, why should Austria pay this price?

Clarence Ivanov's face sank, he knew it wasn't that simple. If Austria is willing to make a move, these small countries will now be neutral again.

Anything less than the influence of the Anglo-French alliance is bullshit. In fact, when their own interests are not involved, these small countries are nothing but folly.

The era of the Vienna system, Austria

Geographical advantage can drive the British out of Europe, suppress the French, and limit the Russians to Eastern Europe, relying on diplomatic cooperation.

The annexation of the South German region caused panic in European countries, didn't it quickly overcome the difficulties?

"Your Excellency, we will not let you help in vain."

After finishing speaking, Clarence Ivanov sent a Royal Bank check with a blank number on it, and asked Wesenberg to fill it out himself.

Accepting the check, Wesenberg was a little dumbfounded. Is he such a person? It's not popular in Austria to ask for bribes. If this thing is accepted today, he will go home to retire tomorrow.

There are no poor people in Austrian ministers these days. Franz is very generous. They have a part of the industry in the colony, and at least a few thousand hectares of land started.

These lands need to be managed and managed by their own people, and many wealthy people can disdain them, but this land comes with the title of fief and noble, and its value is doubled in an instant.

No one would think too much of aristocratic titles, especially those with fiefs. It doesn't matter if it's far in the colony, anyway, it will be localized sooner or later.

In order to leave some more fortune for future generations, Wesenberg pushed the cheque back and said, "Sorry, Your Excellency, I dare not accept this money.

If you want countries to change their positions, there is bound to be a price to pay, and it is definitely not something that can be solved with just a few words.

If you want to get out of the current predicament, you can start with Sweden-Norway, the Nordic Federation is being formed, and at this time they have to take into account the feelings of the Danes.

Then you can win over the German Confederation and exaggerate the Prussian threat theory. The Kingdom of Prussia wanted to become a real great power and annexing them was the only option.

It's not difficult to convince Belgium that the French are too much of a threat to them and they will need your help, at least to neutralize them.

Spain, Portugal and your country have no conflict of interest, and I believe your Excellency has the ability to persuade them to remain neutral. "

Wesenberg gave a solution. Whether it can be done or not depends on the ability of the tsarist government. A country without a conflict of interest cannot keep people neutral, so what kind of diplomacy is there?

This is the confidence of the powers. No matter how the Russians decline, they are still one of the four major powers in Europe, and their comprehensive national strength far exceeds that of Prussia and Spain.

Hearing this idea, Clarence Ivanov was a little embarrassed. These should be considered routine operations, but they screwed up before, and now they need to be remedied.

There is no doubt that in addition to the "mind" of diplomats causing "disaster", the wrong choice of starting point for lobbying is also an important factor.

This is not the responsibility of one person, the Russians can solve the problem by diplomatic means, and it will not be until the time of Alexander III, before they are used to getting everything done by force.

In this context, it is normal for diplomats to be unqualified. Able to reach the pass line level, even an elite diplomat.

After a pause, Clarence Ivanov handed over the check and said very politely: "Thank you, Your Excellency Count! You have gained the friendship of the Russian Empire."

There is nothing to do, but the other party gave an idea, and the money still has to be given.

This set of rules of the money game was adopted within the czarist bureaucracy, and Clarence Ivanov was used to it.

In fact, the foreign ministries of various countries are also the hardest hit areas of corruption in this era. It is not too simple to work abroad to make a fortune.

Wesenberg also received gifts when he was in office, but as his position rose, he gradually became more cherished of feathers, for fear of being caught by competitors.

There is no need to do anything now, and the money is not so hot.

Looking at the face of money, Wesenberg added: "Your Excellency, the difficulty of this negotiation is in Eastern Europe, which is the core of your country. I personally suggest that you solve the troubles in the Far East, Near East, and Central Asia first. .

The Ottoman Empire in the Near East has not achieved results on the battlefield, and it does not cost much to send them; I do not know much about the Far East, but it is too far away and should not be of much value.

The Central Asia region is almost lost, so let it go. As long as the core interests are protected, other sidelines are not worth mentioning.

From the perspective of long-term development, I don't think the Eastern European issue is a big deal. With the strength of your country, what is lost now can be taken back sooner or later.

Britain and France are constantly making small moves, and if the negotiation drags on for too long, it is easy to create unintended consequences. As far as I know, the Kingdom of Prussia is still expanding its arms and preparing for war, and it is very likely that the war will be ignited again. "

It is really good intentions for the Russians to quickly complete the negotiations and end the war. After all, it is not surprising that the war will break out again if it is dragged on.

According to European practice, if you can't get benefits at the negotiating table, you can get them on the battlefield. In the current situation, as long as the Russian Empire dares to fight, the frontline troops will dare to lose.

At least on the Eastern European battlefield, there is no hope. Logistics supplies cannot be guaranteed, and wars cannot be fought at all.

To dig a hole and encourage the Russians to fight back in the future is to perform the duties of the Austrian foreign minister.

After listening to Wesenberg's explanation, Clarence Ivanov's heart became a lot more heavy.

Losing other regions is not a problem, since the loss of the Russians, Eastern Europe is the core of the Russian Empire.

The land lost now will definitely be fought back in the future. The hairy bear is very vengeful, and the Kingdom of Prussia has replaced the Ottoman Empire as their number one enemy.

Once the tsarist government has slowed down, look for their

unlucky. Wherever you fall, you have to get up from there. The Russians have never lacked tenacity.

Wesenberg's kind reminder just deepened the impression and made the Russians always remember this hatred.