St. Petersburg, having received a signal of peace from the British, Alexander III sighed helplessly.

This war in Afghanistan can be described as anticlimactic, for the Russian Empire, it was completely the king of the beginning, but in the end it almost played a bronze record.

At the beginning, with the cooperation of Afghan guerrillas, the Russian army was beating the British all the way, but unfortunately the Afghan region was not a smooth road, and as the front continued to advance, the logistical pressure on the Russian army was also increasing.

Coupled with the continuous arrival of British reinforcements, the Russian army lost its superiority in strength, and the situation on the battlefield gradually changed.

By now, the war in Afghanistan has turned into a war of attrition. In the face of the wealthy British, the impoverished tsarist government was obviously unable to resist.

It seems that the Russian army has the upper hand on the battlefield in Afghanistan, but in fact, the tsarist government also has bitter words.

So far, the Russian army has paid nearly 500,000 casualties and billions of rubles in war funds, but the legendary India is still out of reach.

The casualties are only a small problem, after all, the Central Asian region has been recovered, three-quarters of Afghanistan has been occupied, and even the exchange ratio between the two sides has reached an astonishing 1.1:3.7, which can be said to be the best record of the Russian army in the past 50 years.

Of course, this is the record of adding the Central Asian Khanate and the Indian colonial army together, and the Russian army still can't take much advantage of the PK of the main force of the British army.

It doesn't matter if there is moisture, this does not affect the tsarist government to take out political propaganda, in short, the performance of the Russian army on the battlefield, the past that has been explained in all aspects.

Alexander III's headache was finances, not to mention all the money accumulated by the tsarist government since his accession to the throne, huge debts, and more importantly, the failure to break into India.

If the Russian army has already entered India, then smash the pot and sell iron, and Alexander III will also continue the war.

It's a pity that the reality has no ifs, and the British have already reacted. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of main troops sent by the mainland, there are also two million Indian colonial troops waiting for cannon fodder.

According to the intelligence from the front, the main force of the British army has rarely come out for decisive battles, most of the time it is in the rear to supervise the battle, using colonial troops to entangle with the Russian army, and the British generals don't even care about casualties at all.

If this rhythm continues, there will be a posture that the Indians will not die and the British will not admit defeat.

No matter how worthless the grey cattle are, they are more expensive than the natives of the colonies. No matter what the exchange ratio is, the Russian army will suffer, after all, there are 300 million Indians on the other side.

"Prepare to negotiate with the British!"

After making this decision, Alexander III was completely depressed. The closest opportunity the Russian Empire came to India, it just missed.

"Yes!"

"Your Majesty, should we inform the Austrians, after all, ......"

Before Foreign Minister Oscar Jimenez could finish speaking, Alexander III interrupted: "You can see what you do!" Anyway, now the British don't want to fight, and we don't have the ability to fight. ”

After saying that, Alexander III turned and left directly.

There is no doubt that the Russian Empire is not incapable of continuing this war, after all, there are Austrian nurses in the back to replenish the blood, and they can hold on for a while.

The point is that it is not in the interests of the Russian Empire to continue this war, which dragged the British and would only cheapen Austria, which was soaring on the continent, without being able to seize India.

No matter how good an ally is, it can't resist the temptation of profit.

According to the prior agreement, the Vienna government supported the Tsarist government's entry into India in exchange for Russia's support for Austria's monopoly on Africa, and the two countries shared continental hegemony after the war.

The tsarist government is now in a truce with the British, and it is also pitting its teammates. But there was no way, the tsarist government had already determined that it could not get India, and it could not watch Austria dominate Africa.

Otherwise, the strength of the two countries will be further increased after the war, and in this era of the jungle, once there is an imbalance in strength, the so-called sharing of European hegemony is a joke.

Alexander III's political mind was still very bright, he knew the importance of the Russian-Austrian alliance, and in order to reduce his political influence, he decisively chose to throw the blame.

……

Since the decision to support the French, the British Foreign Office has taken a series of actions, and the Anglo-Russian armistice is only one of the measures.

After all, the Russians were allies of Austria, and it was impossible for them to turn against each other without saying a word. If nothing else, the Anglo-Russian contradiction alone cannot be resolved in a short period of time.

Just after a battle, turn around and form an alliance. These manipulations, which exist in theory, may have been possible in the Middle Ages.

But today, with the rise of nationalism, anyone who dares to play such a game must have a revolution.

In Tokyo, the British minister who sent off an uninvited guest, Ito Hirobumi was not good.

It was not easy to coordinate the interests of all parties, reluctantly suppressed the voice of going south, and continued to implement the previous strategy of going north, but now that the British are so mixed, the situation has changed again.

You don't have to think about it to know that the British even visited him, the leader of the opposition, not to mention the dignitaries who originally supported the south, and they must have been lobbied.

While Ito was thinking about countermeasures, the voice of the attendant suddenly sounded.

"Prime Minister, the palace has called and asked you to go to the imperial meeting immediately."

There was a "bang", and the water cup in Ito Hirobumi's hand fell to the ground. It came so quickly that he didn't have time to prepare.

There is no doubt that there must be domestic political forces behind this, otherwise the British minister would not have just left and would have convened a royal council.

Such a move was nothing more than a demonstration to him, asking him, an opposition to the south, to retreat in spite of the difficulties.

There was no way, the "three heroes" of the Meiji Restoration were all gone, and there was no longer a Dinghai Shenshen Needle that could suppress all political forces, and the means of political struggle became more and more out of line.

For example, now, these guys are hiding from him, the prime minister, and are in private contact with the British, and even have reached an agreement.

Knowing and knowing, Ito Hirobumi is still essentially powerless. Don't look at his fame in later generations, he has never been able to do what he says.

That is, Japan has not yet embarked on a strategic adventure, and the military has not had time to grow bigger in the war, and the government can barely suppress them.

If it is left to the military to become bigger, if anyone dares to fight against them, there will be a mutiny in a few minutes and a change of government.

……

Admiral Minister Saigo was the first to speak: "The British have made their position in favor of the French, and the international situation has changed radically.

The outcome of the European War has become clearer, the risks we feared no longer exist, and all the conditions for the implementation of the southward strategy have been met. ”

If possible, Saigo didn't want to be this up-and-coming bird. But there is no way, as the Minister of the Navy, he can't even come out if he doesn't want to.

The situation in the South Seas is complicated by the concentration of great powers, and once Japan extends its influence to the past, it is bound to greatly expand its navy.

As the biggest beneficiary of the southward strategy, the top brass of the Navy has already agreed that he, the Minister of the Navy, will not be allowed to back down at all.

Minister of Agriculture and Commerce Inoue Shin: "Saigo-kun, I am afraid it is too early to say that the situation of the war on the European continent is clear as you say.

As we all know, the strongest of the British is the Royal Navy, and their army is relatively average.

Even if the French had the support of the British, it would not have much significance for the decisive battle on the European continent, unless the Russians also supported them.

In fact, it's impossible. As we all know, the Russian-Austrian alliance is very solid, and the Russians simply cannot do without Austria.

Unless the tsarist government has a brain in the water, it will betray its allies and run to support its enemies. ”

There is nothing wrong with it, the Anglo-Russian negotiations have just begun, and they are still in a state of secrecy, and the Japanese government's intelligence capabilities are limited, and its tentacles have not yet reached the top level of Britain and Russia.

According to the normal mode of thinking, Britain and Russia are at war, France and Austria are at war, and the enemy of the enemy is a friend, and Russia and Austria already have an alliance, and now that Britain and France are leaning together, Russia and Austria will naturally stand together.

Britain and France PK with Russia and Austria on land, and there is almost no chance of winning. Against this background, accepting the invitation of Britain and France to declare war on Austria is unreliable no matter how you look at it.

Army General Oyama Yan: "Inoue-kun, you're too worried. Not to mention whether the Russians were willing to send troops to help Austria, even if they won in Europe?

As long as the British were willing to support France, the anti-French alliance in the overseas colonies was at an absolute disadvantage. Austria wants to retaliate against us, and they need to be able to circumvent the blockade of the Royal Navy.

As far as I know, Britain and France are not only among us, but also several other countries in the Americas who are involved in seizing Austria's overseas colonies.

We woke up too late, missed the colonial era, and now look around the world and the land has a master.

Fortunately, the European powers are also full of contradictions, and this continental war is our best chance. As long as we seize the Austrian South Seas, we want coal, iron ore, rubber, and grain...... Everything you need. ”

Looking at the self-absorbed Daiyama Rock, Ito Hirobumi couldn't help but interrupt: "The British are not prepared to form an alliance with us and invite them to participate in the attack on the Austrian South Seas, just because the situation requires it.

No matter how much they promised, if they seized the Austrian South Seas, most of the benefits were also British and French, and only some scraps belonged to us.

Everyone has studied the history of Europe, and they should be aware of their rules. Even if Austria were defeated in this war, they would still be a great power.

For the sake of a small profit, offending a large European country is completely more than worth the loss. In the event of retaliation in the future, the British will not stand up for us. ”

The window paper was punctured, and everyone was dumbfounded. The law of the jungle is the essence of this era, and the weak are not qualified to compete with the strong for the spoils of war.

The disparity in strength was so great that even if Britain and France made more promises, the Japanese government would not be able to make them fulfill them after the war. In the face of interests, breach of contract is really normal.

If we could not monopolize the Austrian South Seas, and only follow the British and French to pick up the leaky soup, then it would be completely meaningless to start this war.

Although the Japanese military is a little more aggressive, they are not stupid. The Showa Staff Department of the second middle school has not yet been launched, and everyone present is the master of the IQ line, so naturally they will not jump into the pit.

Saigo smiled slightly, pointed to the map on the wall and said, "Ito-kun, we naturally considered this problem. The British have their abacus, and we have our plans.

Isn't there an old saying in our neighbors called "false ways"? Austria is not easy to mess with, and everyone knows that their power in the South Seas alone cannot be eaten by us.

Historically, Austrian South Seas was not our goal. Our real goal is still here – the fertile Philippine archipelago.

chose to cooperate with Britain and France, just to use them as a cover, confuse the Spaniards, and create an opportunity to seize the Philippine Islands. ”

Hearing this explanation, Ito Hirofumi's solemn expression eased slightly. Compared to attacking Austria in the South Seas, it is clear that bullying the Spaniards is more acceptable, at least the risk is manageable.

"The plan is good, but have you thought about the consequences?

Britain and France are not good matches, and knowing that we are using them, they will definitely retaliate in the future.

One bad operation will plunge the empire into a situation from which it will never recover. After all, our strength is still too weak to withstand the toss. ”

Saigo nodded Congdao: "This issue has been discussed by our military a long time ago. If there had been no war in Europe, we would not have dared to do so in any case.

But now it is different, the European powers are divided into two camps, Britain, France, Russia and Austria, and the British strategy of balancing the European continent is shaky, and for a while these powers will not take care of us.

Judging from the information collected, the total number of troops mobilized by the two warring sides combined exceeded 10 million, and if they continued to fight like this, it was difficult for there to be a real winner among the participants in this continental war, and the final outcome was mostly a defeat for both sides.

As long as we are flexible and join the victor's side in time on the eve of the European War, this game will be stable.

No matter who won the war, they would have to be busy licking their wounds after the war, and they would not have made a big deal about our ally for such a trivial matter.

If we are lucky, we will be able to take advantage of the situation to share some of the spoils and improve our international status. ”

……