The auction is over, but the impact of the auction continues. The warship trade has never been inseparable from politics, and this time is no exception.

The temporary compromise between Britain and Austria was a natural highlight, and the active participation of other countries in the auction was also a political signal of recognition of Austrian hegemony.

It is human nature to tend to the pros and cons. Now that the dust has settled, the overtures may not make the Vienna government look at them differently, but those who do not show favor will certainly be "looked at differently."

Against this background, whether or not warships were purchased, the representatives of various countries called for the price at least once, and the atmosphere was absolutely hot.

Of course, it is mainly because of the split auction, the minimum starting price is only 200,000 Aegis, and everyone still has the ability to bid. If it were all a large fleet, it wouldn't be so lively.

Who dares to quote without money, what if the deal is sold? The confiscation of the security deposit is a small matter, and it is considered to be deliberately disruptive, then it is a big trouble.

The world's second-largest naval fleet, together with shipbuilding technology + engineers, had a total transaction price of only 130 million Aegis, including more than 30 million Aegis after deducting the internal transactions of the anti-French alliance, which is simply the price of cabbage falling on the floor.

Franz, however, was satisfied. Unlike the local tyrants of later generations, there were too few countries with purchasing power in these years.

In addition to the defeated France, only Britain, Austria and Russia have a fiscal income of more than 100 million Aegis, and there are less than 10 countries with a fiscal income of more than 20 million Aegis.

After removing the 60 million of the British, they can get nearly 40 million from other countries, and they are not satisfied.

"After the settlement is completed, let's divide it among the allies according to the proportion of the indemnity, and they are all waiting for the flour to make bread!"

Cents are a must, and Austria has never been a solo eater. The Vienna government has always done a good job of sharing, which is an important reason why Austria has a good international reputation.

……

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg: "I had a meeting with the Spanish representatives yesterday afternoon, and the Spaniards wanted us to fulfill our previous commitments to support them in the next Philippine war.

Taking into account the need to re-establish the international order, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended that the agreement be fulfilled and that Spain be supported in cutting off the tentacles of the Japanese in the South Seas. ”

Verbal promises are naturally not binding. If it was a normal time and the Japanese robbed the Philippine Islands, Austria would not mind pushing the boat to fulfill them.

After all, the Vienna government also coveted the Philippine Islands, but was forced by political influence.

If it falls into the hands of the Japanese, this pressure will no longer exist. Austria could have waited for Spain to abandon the Philippines and then find an excuse to beat up the Japanese and take the Philippine Islands by the way.

I don't know if the Japanese are lucky or unlucky. Sooner rather than later, it was just in time for Austria to re-establish the international order.

The anti-French alliance had not yet been dissolved, and once Spain brought the Philippine War to the Vienna Peace Conference for discussion, Austria would definitely help its relatives first and then help it.

The tragedy is that the Japanese do not occupy either point, and Mo said that the Vienna government will not support them, and it is estimated that the European countries will not support them.

The only people who hope that the Japanese government will win may be the French. It is a pity that France, which was defeated in the war, has no right to speak.

Once the Vienna Peace Conference makes a decision, the Austrian government, as a rule-maker and vested interest, will certainly support Spain in order to maintain the authority of the Peace Conference.

Seeing that the duck in his hand flew away, Franz said angrily: "Tell the Spaniards that they can support them, but we will not go to war."

Let them make adequate preparations, show the prestige of the European world, and not learn from the French who are embarrassed in Vietnam. ”

There is no doubt that the Spaniards also calculated Austria's position and came to support it with empty teeth. But whenever some benefits are promised, Franz's reminder will be more subtle.

……

On April 2, 1892, at the Royal Austrian Opera, the Vienna Peace Conference officially began.

There were no flowers, no applause, and no so-called opening ceremony. There was only a large cold round table, plus a few rows of chairs.

There is no doubt that not everyone is qualified to sit at the negotiating table. In addition to the countries of the anti-French alliance, the regional powers that can appear at the negotiating table are at least weighty.

"The main purpose of inviting you here this time is to bear witness to the aftermath of the war against France and the establishment of a new international order.

We will discuss the issue of order slowly, but now we will first deal with the aftermath of the anti-French war. ”

Wesenberg bites the word "witness" very hard, and the meaning he wants to express is very obvious: You should not mix in the aftermath of the anti-French war, and let our anti-French alliance handle it by itself, and when there is a problem, we will slowly talk about it when we establish an international order.

This kind of blatant statement has undoubtedly hurt many deputies. Anyway, I was also attending an international conference, and I was not allowed to express our opinions, which is simply ......

Without waiting for everyone to react, the Belgian delegates, who had been prepared for a long time, opened an indictment of the atrocities in France.

A whole lot of evidence is on the table, and even the disappearance and murder of soldiers that the French used as a pretext for a declaration of war is now being reinterpreted.

When the Belgian delegates had finished, the representatives of the German Confederation followed, and then the Italian states took turns to complain.

Witnesses, historical materials, photographs, confessions of French officers and soldiers, you name it. In a sense, the fact that the Vienna Peace Conference dragged on for so long was to let everyone collect evidence.

With the emergence of shocking evidence, the scene was so touching that many delegates attending the meeting left trembling tears.

Of course, no one knows whether it was really moved or not, after all, there are many cameras in the hall to record this historic scene.

Listening to the accusations of the crowd, President Robert, as the representative of France, buried his head very low, reducing his presence as much as possible.

There is no way, the more tragic the content of the accusation of the anti-French alliance and the more evidence presented, the more unfavorable it will be to France, and it also means that France will have to pay the greater price in the future.

Refutation?

Not to mention, is there a chance for him to speak. Even if he was asked to speak, he didn't know where to start.

As a revolutionary, Robert's knowledge of the war was limited to the material left behind by the previous government and the domestic media.

The things recorded by one's own people are naturally inevitably beautified and embellished. Many of the key details are brushed aside. Trying to find out the specific situation, they couldn't find the person concerned.

Robert had always thought that this was just an ordinary war for continental supremacy, and there were many similar wars in history.

In terms of the scope of the war, the French army only stayed in Central Europe and Italy, far less than fighting all the way to Moscow during the Napoleonic era.

In President Robert's view, the consequences are the most serious now, and the punishment is slightly heavier than the last time, and in a few years it will be fine.

However, the reality is cruel, and just from the losses listed by the countries of the anti-French alliance, Robert knows that France is in big trouble this time.

After the anti-French coalition defined the nature of the war as "aggression" and "counter-aggression", Robert finally couldn't help it. He knew very well that if he didn't defend himself now, it would be even more difficult to explain it later.

"Protest!"

"France was also a victim of this war, it was Napoleon IV who started the war, and he could not let all the French people pay for his personal mistakes.

We ask the General Assembly to issue a warrant for the arrest of the war criminal Napoleon IV and to give an account to the millions of people who died in this war......"

Before Robert could finish speaking, Wessenberg, the moderator of the meeting, scolded: "Shut up! ”

"Mr. Robert, don't you feel ashamed that you are unwilling to take responsibility when you encounter something and dump the black cauldron on yourself to serve the emperor?

Sorry, I forgot that you guys have revolutionized. It's a chaotic party itself, so naturally I don't feel ashamed.

But you can do such a shameless thing, but we can't. Wanting an emperor, even an exiled emperor, is also not allowed by the international community. ”

"Shameless!"

"Father without a monarch!"

……

A series of scolding continued to play out in the conference room. Apparently, Robert's dumping object was mistaken. Most of the delegates attending the meeting are from monarchies, and it is obviously a "big taboo" to dump the emperor.

Especially when there are cameras to record them, for the sake of political correctness, representatives of various countries must also stand up and take a stand.

Several representatives of the republic, including Robert, who had high hopes, also joined the scolding war at this moment, spraying him with blood.

In the tank?

What are you kidding, for the sake of France and so many monarchies, it must be tired of life.

Before Robert could figure out what to do, a cup flew towards him, passing him, followed by papers and pens.

It's chaotic, and since someone took the lead in using violence, there have been many followers, and the scene has completely fallen into chaos.

Obviously, there are quite a few smart people. There is a camera in the back, how can you miss such a great opportunity?

Frankly, if it weren't for the presiding officer, Wessenberg wouldn't mind joining. After all, there are not many opportunities for this kind of show of loyalty, so how can you miss it when you send it to your door.

In any case, Robert was also the president of France, and in case of an accident in Vienna, Austria would be embarrassed.

"Guards, keep order!"

By the time everyone was pulled away, Mr. Robert, who was iron-hearted, had a blue nose and swollen face and a flowering head.

Fortunately, the wound was not deep, and the medical conditions in Austria were good, so they were rescued in time, otherwise the Vienna Peace Conference would have become a joke.

……

At the Vienna Palace, after receiving the news, Franz once suspected that the French had sent a dead soldier to deliberately run to do things in order to reduce the punishment of the war.

This speculation is well-founded, and from what the camera recorded, the earliest water glasses flew out of the British delegation.

In an instant, Franz made up the picture of the Anglo-French collusion, exchanging a dead soldier for preserving the vitality of France.

As it turned out, he was completely overthinking. The French, who were under the noses of the coalition forces, were not yet capable of manipulating these things.

According to the information gathered, President Robert was also an important leader of the revolutionary party, who led many workers' uprisings and played an important role in the Paris Revolution.

In addition to his lack of political acumen, this hot-blooded and courageous revolutionary had few shortcomings in his life and work.

It's right to think about it, the revolutionary government of Paris has not been able to elect a president for a long time, and no one wants to take this hot potato.

Robert, who was excluded from the center of power after the success of the revolution, was able to be elected president, which was itself used to take the blame.

As for the national interest, that's completely overthinking. The anti-French alliance was so strong that France simply did not have the capital to negotiate.

Whether it's sending the world's best diplomat or sending a pig, the end result will not make a fundamental difference.

But with a little political acumen, Robert would not have been ordered to take on an errand that was destined to bring him notoriety when the crowd retreated.