Chapter 977

Understanding current affairs is one of the important reasons for Japan's success.

Since the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government has been working hard to hug the thighs of the British, although John Bull didn't see it very much and didn't accept them as a door-to-door younger brother.

But after decades of hard work, the impression is always there. However, in the international competition, it is not enough to rely on impression points, and more importantly depends on opportunities.

For the Japanese, now is undoubtedly the best opportunity. The international situation is changing, and the British, isolated by European society, are now in desperate need of allies.

Overlords have the bearing of overlords. What Britain needs is allies, not pets. It is impossible to accept all cats and dogs.

Japan in the original time and space proved its strength in the Sino-Japanese War, and was only favored by the British and became the vanguard of anti-Russian in the Far East.

Now is no exception. In the battle for the Philippine Islands, the strength shown by Japan made the British take a high look and have the opportunity to make further contact.

...

Downing Street, Prime Minister Gladstone hasn't slept well since the European War was decided, and he looks like he's aged ten years.

The just-concluded Vienna Peace Conference was a fatal blow to Britain. The arrogant French Empire has now been cut off, and it is impossible to count on it in a short time.

Without any accident, the German-Austrian merger, which Britain was most worried about, still happened, and the revived Holy Roman Empire became the new hegemon of the European continent.

And this overlord is different from the previous parallel overlords. The strength is too strong, which makes the challengers timid.

As it turns out, there is no worst, only worse. As a supporter of France, Britain had long stood on the opposite side of the anti-French alliance.

Even a last-minute counter-attack doesn't mean it's over. With strait protectors, the anti-French alliance naturally has no ability to liquidate them.

If there is no direct liquidation, it does not mean giving up revenge. At the last moment of the Vienna Peace Conference, the anti-French alliance was desperate, and the "European Continental Alliance" with Austria at its core emerged.

As the name suggests, the "Continental Union" is naturally an alliance of continental European countries. Although Britain is also part of Europe, they are maritime nations, so the Continental Union has nothing to do with them.

Literally speaking, Gladstone also knows that Austria is pulling countries to form a "European Continental Union" in order to snatch the right to speak.

Whether it is willing to accept it or not, the excluded Britain has lost its right to speak on the European continent.

This is not the worst, and what is worse is that no one stipulates that the "European Continental Union" can only manage European affairs. If the Vienna government is willing, it can use this alliance to interfere in international affairs.

The strength of the European Continental Union far exceeds the sum of the remaining countries. In this era when the big fist is the truth, the right to speak is naturally unparalleled.

In other words, Britain's dominance has been shaken. Although they still have the world's largest Royal Navy, they still have no confidence in the face of the "Continental Alliance" freak.

Originally thought it was just the British and Austrian hegemony, but the director took the wrong script, and the plot turned into a hegemony between Britain and the "European Union". Luckily it hasn't been filmed yet, otherwise Britannia would be over.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been in contact with Russia, the West, the Nordic Federation and other countries. Generally speaking, it is not optimistic, and everyone's confidence in the Holy Roman Empire is much higher than we expected.

Now we can only wait for the enemy to make mistakes, and then find an opportunity to divide the European Union. If this alliance is not dissolved, we will always be in a passive position, and we will not be able to do anything about the Holy Roman Empire hiding behind it. "

It was obvious that George was in a very bad mood. As the British Foreign Secretary, the international situation has developed to this stage, and it is already a certainty that he will be awarded the title of "Britain's Worst Foreign Secretary".

Political enemies did not take the opportunity to attack, not because of understanding, nor because of integrity, but because no one was willing to take over this mess. When the dust settles, it's time for him to get out.

By contrast, the rest of the cabinet is far better off. No matter how deteriorating the international situation was, Britain still benefited from the European War.

Most of the wealth accumulated by the French has flowed into Britain through trade, and the British Isles are now in their most prosperous period.

Although in the long run, the poor decision-making of the London government has put Britain in an embarrassing situation; but in the short term, all sectors of the country have benefited, and the public's perception of the government is not bad.

In fact, George thinks too much. The title of "worst foreign secretary in history" will only be given to him by future generations, and the British people have no idea what they have lost.

Since obtaining the French warships through diplomatic means, the Royal Navy's hegemony has been consolidated.

After taking the dominant position, the voices of public opinion criticizing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have become much quieter.

Gladstone waved his hand: "Take your time, we are not in a hurry. The Holy Roman Empire has just been re-established, and there are still a lot of internal problems. For a long time to come, the Vienna government will be busy sorting out internal affairs. Just ignore us.

The anti-French alliance is not monolithic, it is only because the French are united for a short time. France was weakened badly at the Vienna Peace Conference, and the threat to all countries has been greatly reduced. When everyone feels no threat from the French, the alliance should come to an end.

Don't look at the Holy Roman Empire's prestige now, the more they toss, the easier it is to arouse the fear of all countries, and France is a lesson for the past.

Afraid that they will not toss. If the Vienna government maintains its current international image and does not make trouble on the European continent

Love, that would be really troublesome. "

The defeat of France also had a great impact on Britain, and both the people and the government were analyzing the reasons. The final conclusion surprised them all.

There is no way, the reason for France's defeat is also applicable to Britain - "too many people have offended".

The French have offended many people, and the British offended quite a few. Fortunately, there is the protection of the strait, otherwise it is unknown whether Britain still exists or not.

Reflecting on reflection, working together for a while, the London government has not reversed the situation. With the establishment of the European Continental Alliance, no continental country will ally with them.

Including just defeated France is no exception. Many French people now believe that their defeat was betrayed by the British, while the revolutionary government in Paris was a puppet supported by the British.

In a sense, this is not wrong. The first stop of the French Revolutionary Party's exile overseas was London. If it weren't for the protection of the British government, these guys would have been slapped by the Bonaparte Dynasty long ago.

On the face of it, if the British government does not stab at the last minute, but gives its full support, the French may not be able to end the war in a decent way.

After the defeat, many arrogant French were still reluctant to admit that the defeat was due to their own lack of strength, and they desperately needed an excuse that they could accept.

Under the guidance of people with a heart, conspiracy theories began to become popular. Britain just met all the conditions and was thrust into the limelight.

Of course, these are all minor issues. After the defeat, France was no longer in the eyes of the British government, and could not do anything except shout a few words.

Foreign Secretary George: "There is another question, the Japanese want to buy warships from us to counter the Spanish expeditionary fleet.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested agreeing to them. With the end of the European War, the victorious Spaniards also became restless. There were even calls to take back the Strait of Gibraltar in Madrid's newspapers.

Although it is not yet a climate, we still have to be vigilant. If Vienna is behind the scenes, the confident Spaniard might do something stupid.

In order to avoid the worst, we'd better find a chance to wake up the Spaniard.

Anyway, with the disappearance of the French Navy, the pressure on the Royal Navy has been greatly reduced. Immediately we have to accept a large number of warships from the French Navy. For a long time to come, the Royal Navy will face the problem of excess warships.

Taking the opportunity to deal with a batch of redundant warships to the Japanese, not only can they use their strength to consume Spain, but also save a lot of money. "

There are too many troubles with warships, and currently only the British enjoy it alone. Originally, the Royal Navy had a lot of warships, and now it has received most of the French warships. The next problem the Royal Navy will face is that there are warships that no one will open.

Because a big warship auction has just ended, the international arms market is just in a saturated state. Except for Japan, there is no second buyer at all.

Admiral Astley cursed: "Don't mention the French warships, the damn Austrians have left us with a pile of junk, and nearly a tenth of them will be retired soon.

And the engineers and shipbuilding technologies they promised are all nonsense. The so-called engineers are a bunch of coolies.

The handover of shipbuilding technical information is mixed together, most of which are sailing warships, even if there is a French core technology, we will not be able to find out for a while. "

As the world's second largest naval power, the French navy is also very rich. Although it is not as good as Britain in general, it is the world's first in some fields.

No one lets their competitors get bigger, and Austria is no exception. It is natural to do everything possible to fight against competitors.

From the very beginning, the Royal Navy did not expect to obtain the core technology of the French, and even if the Austrians dared to give it, they would not dare to use it directly.

It's just that Astley was in a bad mood after being put together. Especially after learning that they were the only ones enjoying special treatment, Astley was in a worse mood.

"There are no problems with the capital ships, not to mention the flaws. In any case, these warships have also consolidated the supremacy of the Royal Navy.

In the long run, Austria will be our greatest enemy in the future; but in the short term, the greatest threat to us is the Russians.

The Tsarist government has announced the establishment of the Central Asian Railway project. Having determined that continental Europe cannot be breached, the Russians' strategy has shifted to India.

Passive response is definitely not enough, we must find a way to take the initiative. Everyone knows how complex the geography of Afghanistan is. To fight the Russians, it is better to open new fronts.

There are not many choices left for us, and the Nordic Federation cannot count on it. In addition to continuing to support the Persians, we have to find an enemy for the Russians in the Far East and keep the tsarist government at bay.

Of course, the Southeast Asian region cannot give up either. With the establishment of the European Continent Alliance, our competition in the Southeast Asian region has also fallen into a disadvantage. If the Spaniards take back the Philippine Islands, the situation will be even more unfavorable for us.

The Admiralty has sent people to assess the strength of the Japanese navy, and if possible, let them become a nail that we insert into the Nanyang region. "

To make such a decision, Gladstone is also very helpless. Knowing that this is a temporary solution, not the root cause, but there is no other way. At present, Britain can only choose to treat the symptoms first.