Chapter 290 Scabies

Franz had previously created a division of the East and the West in Bosnia for the sake of long-term stability in Austria's eastern border, and he thought that his clever design kept the three-way balance within it.

Of course, he never ignored how important the two Near Eastern powers, the Ottomans and Russia, were to maintaining the fragile balance in the Balkan Peninsula, which is why Austria made concessions and compromises to the two countries at the Five-Nation Conference and the previous Istanbul secret talks.

But the direction of history is always so elusive and full of charm. For example, Milos Obrenovic I, who should have withdrawn from the stage of history, completed the difficult task of punching the Seventeen-Man Parliament and kicking the Russian puppet Vucic with the help of the British, and successfully suppressed the uprising of the Bosniaks supported by the Ottomans and unified Serbia again.

In fact, after careful analysis, it is not difficult to understand that although the Serbian region has continued the excellent matching mechanism of the Balkan region in history, its political situation is relatively stable, and the Seventeen-Man Parliament also dealt a thorough blow to the Milos faction, which resulted in his restoration until 1859.

But at this time, due to Franz's policy of dividing the East and the West, the relocation of the Serbian capital from Belgrade to Sarajevo, and the previous battles, the strength and influence of the Seventeen-member Parliament were much less than before.

And the new Grand Duke Mikhail they nominated to power was the son of Milos, so the former who thought he had the last laugh became the weakest link.

Vucic, supported by the Russians, should have been the biggest winner of this division of spoils and reshuffle, but given the major differences between Britain and Russia on the Strait issue, the contradictions between the two countries have intensified, and the tsarist government has been under increasing pressure from both inside and outside, making it difficult for it to provide effective support.

As for the Bosniaks supported by the Ottoman Empire, no one cared about their interests. Although Canning left Istanbul, the British sent a new emperor, Count Mariel Taylor.

Count Taylor did not like his job, and even more so the Ottomans. His request was simple, everything should be based on British strategy. Although Sultan Mejid was reluctant and helpless, he had to do it.

The Bosnians also became the biggest losers in this game, going from being the first-class oppressors to being trampled on by others. Moreover, how can the grievances accumulated over hundreds of years be settled with just one or two words?

Milos Obrenovi, who was unwilling to be lonely, seemed to be born for troubled times. This chaotic and complicated situation behind the scenes made him feel at home, and it took him only two years to return to his loyal Belgrade, oh, disloyal Sarajevo.

Of course, Britain, which has exchanged experience with various ruling classes and leaders around the world, is very clear about Milos's personal situation.

His so-called Greater Serbia is completely a fantasy, but even with the help of Britain, it is still a fantasy. Whether it is Austria, the Ottoman Empire, or Russia, which is committed to "saving Slavic brothers", they can't tolerate a Balkan power.

But the British experience tells them that this Greater Serbianist is a person who can be used.

Now Austria's series of actions in Italy have been considered by the British Prime Minister to have destroyed the so-called "balance of power on the continent". Like his predecessor, Viscount Melbourne also does not allow any signs of breaking the balance of power on the European continent.

Although the strength of the stitched monster is still far from enough to shake Europe, its recovering national economy is enough to arouse London's vigilance.

Of course, politicians in Whitehall do not think that Serbia alone will be a rival to the Austrian Empire. Moreover, it is not a wise move for Britain to conduct land operations in the Balkans, a quagmire surrounded by powerful neighbors, and its proud Royal Navy will find it difficult to play an effective role.

(Whitehall is a street in London, England. It connects the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street. On this street and nearby, some British government agencies such as the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Admiralty are located here. Therefore, people use Whitehall as a synonym for the British administrative department.)

Unless they choose to go all out, assemble a transport fleet and seize the sea control of the Adriatic Sea with the cooperation of warships with superior quantity and quality, and bring a beach landing on a weak coastal area, there may be a chance of winning.

But this is completely not worth the loss. British taxpayers will never agree that the government will waste all its money on this meaningless war.

On the contrary, the newly developed colonies of the Austrians overseas are an easier breakthrough point for the British. After all, the other side is not a maritime power at all, and it is extremely dependent on important strategic materials such as cotton from overseas.

As long as the occupation can bring benefits and meet the needs of fighting to support the war, there will be people who support this war.

But after all, war still pays attention to the so-called rationality. Even before Japan and Prussia went to war, they had to find a "reasonable" excuse, so a "reasonable" fig leaf was necessary.

This time, the "fig leaf" chosen by Canning happened to be the excuse of supporting the Serbian independence movement. But when he made this crazy suggestion, it was unsurprisingly immediately opposed by his cabinet colleagues.

"Stupid! Do you want to give the entire Balkans to those greedy Russians? Supporting Serbian independence, think carefully with your head, this is such an unrealistic fantasy.

At that time, the Russians will naturally 'liberate' the entire Balkan Peninsula in the name of God of all Slavs, but you are still the Minister of Foreign Affairs. "

The Marquis of Normandy, the colonial secretary, said angrily. Since Britain has participated in too many wars in the world, not to mention the lengthening of the front line, various urgent letters regarding logistics and personnel consumption are constantly being sent to London. At this time, it is definitely not possible to start a war with Austria, one of the five major powers. Smart move.

Moreover, once a war is declared against the Austrian Empire, which is the leader of the Holy Alliance and chairman of the German Confederation, it is equivalent to going to war with the entire Germany and Russia. Even France is likely to stand against Britain for its own interests.

For the British, this was a war with more losses than gains, and it was also an act that violated the mainland's balance of power policy.

"Marquis, please open your eyes. If you have read the confidential reports sent by our ambassadors in Vienna and the German region, you should have an understanding of the Austrians' actions in recent years.

While they are vigorously promoting the German Customs Union in the north, they are actively establishing an Apennine Customs Union in the south. This is a shameless challenge to the great free trade norms!

So I can’t imagine what will happen next. If they create another Balkan Customs Union in the east, how should we face it? "