Chapter 939: Act in Advance

Paris, since the news of the Japanese attack on the Philippines, Napoleon IV has not slept well for several days.

In any case, the Japanese army went south at the invitation of Britain and France. In order to let the Spaniards release, the British and French governments also repeatedly made assurances to the Spaniards. Now that this has happened, they are naturally to blame.

In this age of the jungle, commitment is about as much as fart. In normal times, Napoleon IV was not breaking his word with Spain, and they couldn't do anything anyway.

But now it is different. Unlike Britain, who is out of the way, France is now struggling in the quagmire of the European War. Even Spain, which was originally declining, can now bring them a deadly threat.

How to appease the furious Spain and resolve this diplomatic dispute has become the most urgent issue for the French government to face at the moment.

Resisting the discomfort, Napoleon IV asked, "Tell me, what do the Spaniards want?"

The interests between countries are eternal. No matter what happened in the past, as long as the interests are in place, everything can be negotiated.

As neighbors, the contradiction between France and Spain is naturally not small, but the strength of France is too strong, and the Spaniards have no confidence to fight against it.

The European Continental War changed the balance of power between the two sides. All the French forces were thrown into the war, and they lost their ability to continue to suppress Spain.

For various reasons, the Japanese attacked the Philippines this time, which just intensified the conflict between France and Spain. Add to that the Austrian push behind the scenes and the Spanish nationalists have exploded.

Under domestic pressure, the Spanish government not only declared war on the Japanese for the first time, but also sent sternly worded diplomatic notes to Britain and France.

Foreign Secretary Karel Cadlec shook his head: "I don't know. It happened so suddenly that the Spanish government hasn't made a decision yet.

The Japanese monkeys have done too much, and the nationalists in Spain have been stimulated, and the domestic main battle is louder.

According to the information from the embassy in Madrid, the Austrians have already connected with the Spanish nationalists. The spearhead of public opinion is pointing at us, and the situation is very unfavorable for us. "

What does the Spaniard want, doesn't Karel Cardletz know?

the answer is negative!

The problem is that what the Spaniards want, France can't give now, doesn't want to give, can't give.

When you open the diplomatic note, you know that the Spaniards have already issued conditions. It is needless to say that France should fulfill the agreement, expel the Japanese, and compensate for the loss.

The Spanish government also made a territorial claim to France, not only asking France to cede French Morocco, but also requiring the redrawing of the border between the two countries.

This kind of request to take advantage of the fire, Karel Kadlec naturally refused righteously, and there was no room for negotiation at all.

Except for the first clause, which is acceptable to expel the Japanese, if the French government dares to agree to the remaining conditions, a revolution must break out in the country.

The only condition that can be agreed is that France cannot. The French Far Eastern Fleet, which was facing off against the Austrian Navy, was simply incapable of expelling the Japanese.

Even diplomatic threats, the French government dare not use. If the Japanese are in a hurry, they will go to join forces with the Austrian Navy, and the French Indochina Peninsula will be finished.

This is not a joke, but it really can happen. If the Japanese wanted to take the initiative to cooperate with the Austrian Navy to kill the French Far East Fleet, the Vienna government could not find any reason to refuse.

As a qualified politician, Karel Kadleitz naturally pretends to be confused when he can't do anything.

After a long silence, Napoleon IV said weakly: "Tell the British, I agree to their conditions."

For Napoleon IV, who aspired to surpass his father's generation, making this decision was undoubtedly a bow to reality.

But there was no way. The development of the European War was unexpected. With France's own strength alone, there was no way to win the war.

The full support of the London government cannot be obtained without compromising with the British. Without the support of the British, France had no hope of winning.

Compromising to the British meant that France gave up its hegemony on the European continent, and even gave up its dominance in building the international order after the war.

In this context, even if France won the war, it could not achieve its original strategic purpose, and the war could be said to be a waste of time.

It's better to fight for nothing than to lose. Deep down in his heart, Napoleon IV has made up his mind to farm with peace of mind as long as the war is over, and then reconcile when his strength is restored...

...

Downing Street, inside government buildings.

Gladstone's cabinet is coming together to discuss the international impact of Japan's surprise attack on the Philippines, and what to do about it.

Admiral Astley said righteously: "The Japanese are too daring to play tricks on us. If they don't give them a good look, all cats and dogs will ride on our heads in the future."

Not to mention anger, the life and death of the Spaniards were never in Sir Astley's mind. In his view, the Japanese attack on the Philippines was a performance opportunity for the Royal Navy.

In the past ten years, the French and Austrian navies have been catching up, and the Royal Navy, which is the leader of the world's naval community, is also under great pressure.

A lot of financial resources have been invested in the bottomless pit of the Navy, and no war has really broken out. Many members of Congress have opinions on this.

There are even rumors that the navies of Britain, France and Austria colluded with each other in order to defraud the government.

Funds, deliberately created maritime conflicts.

To break this doubt is very simple, find an enemy to fight. Britain is all over the world, and the enemy has long been afraid of the wind, and the only two countries who dare to fight against them are France and Austria.

Needless to say, neither of these can be played. The disparity between everyone's strength is not huge. If a war breaks out, it is easy to have a lose-lose ending.

The Royal Navy is sober, and it is important to prove its importance, but it is not necessary to risk the country's luck.

In contrast, the Japanese who are emerging now are much more bullied. It's not that Astley is arrogant, it's really the Royal Navy's great business. Just as long as the Far East Fleet moves, the Japanese Navy can only return home in despair.

Foreign Secretary George reminded: "Sir, the problem now is not the Japanese. They attacked the Philippine Islands. On the surface, it was only a war between Japan and the West, but in essence it also involved the European War.

The European War was at a stalemate, and the Spaniards were strong enough to break this fragile balance. Now both France and Austria are wooing them, and it seems that the Austrian bid is higher.

It is still Franz's usual method, generous to others. This time, he promises the interests of the French.

It is said that the Austrians directly sent a map of France, and as long as the Spaniards are willing to join the anti-French alliance, the territory of the French is free to choose.

Judging from the current situation, if we do not take action, it is very likely that Spain will join the anti-French alliance.

As for the Japanese, they are a flea. Shooting them to death is easy, but has no real value. Now with or without them, it won't affect the Spaniard's decision.

If Spain chooses to stand with Austria, we still need this dance to cause trouble for the anti-French alliance, so keep them for now. "

Generosity to others also has technical content. Austria can do this because France and Spain border each other. For historical reasons, the two countries not only have many conflicts, but also have territorial disputes.

Under such conditions, no matter whether the Spanish government is tempted or not, the nationalists in Spain have already taken the bait.

The same conditions, the French government is absolutely unable to give. Even if it was a gourd and a scoop, and a map of Austria was sent to it, Spain would not ask for it.

For no other reason, only strength. No matter how rich the benefits are, what's the use of eating them? With Spain's national strength, it is simply incapable of operating an enclave.

Prime Minister Gladstone nodded: "The French have succumbed, and it seems that their actual situation is worse than we expected.

We can't wait any longer, we must act as soon as possible. Should the French fail in southern or central Europe, they don't have the capital of Austria to make a comeback.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately acted according to our plan and invited European countries to form a mediation team to end this meaningless war.

Until then, we have to stabilize the Spaniards. If they will join the mediation team, we will help them drive out the Japanese. "

The dialogue that seems to be understated is full of swords and swords.

Britain's army has limited strength, and to intervene in this European war, it must rely on the strength of other countries. However, no one is a fool, and each country has its own interests.

If diplomatic deterrence can solve the problem, that's all. If the negotiation table is not settled, it has to be solved by force, which is not good enough. Just for the sake of an illusory balance between Europe and the continent, it is too much for everyone to use all their strength to send troops to intervene. It's embarrassing.

Unless Austria shows strong aggression and makes governments feel threatened, it will not be possible to coordinate international relations in a day or two.

Foreign Secretary George shrugged and replied helplessly: "To do this, not only can we accomplish this, but also the cooperation of the French.

You must know that our ally has enemies all over Europe, and there are not a few who want to see them unlucky. If they do not take concrete actions to reassure European governments, it will be difficult to gain support from other countries.

Especially the Spaniards and the Russians, who have the ability to influence this war, no matter which one joins the anti-French alliance, our mediation plan is meaningless. "

In this age of the weak, the key to solving the problem is to look at strength. Not only military strength, but also the comprehensive strength of political diplomacy.

Although Spain is in decline, the tiger's skin has not been pierced. In the eyes of European countries, they are still a great power.

On the bright side, they are the fifth power in Europe after the four major powers of Britain, France, Austria and Russia, and they are also the fifth power in the world.

The power of the anti-French alliance is already very strong, and any other powers are invincible.

Most of the countries in Europe are sloppy, and they will not easily stand in line if they are not sure enough.

If there are not enough younger brothers, the momentum will not be able to build up, and the deterrence will naturally be greatly reduced. In this context, only the great powers are in charge.

The Anglo-Russian war had just ended, and the hatred between the two countries was at its peak. Even the most confident people will not think that Britain and Russia can cooperate sincerely.

Even if the interests are really the same, the senior government of the two countries is willing to cooperate, and the people below will act spontaneously.

It can be said that once France is defeated, the situation will be one-sided. In a sense, the actions of the Japanese helped the British government make its decision.

In order not to get out of control, the British had to give up the post-war

A plan for picking peaches. Taking advantage of the fact that there was no winner in the European War, an intervention alliance was formed in advance.

...