London

Since the fall of the Russian Empire, France and Austria have been the greatest enemies of the British. Although Franz was already very restrained, as Austria continued to grow and grow, it was still regarded as a great enemy by the British.

I don't know when the Vienna government's every move was watched by the British, and it was regarded as enjoying the treatment of German II in advance.

If it weren't for the French to share the pressure, the British would have formed an anti-Austrian coalition, which they are best at.

The seemingly inconspicuous rezoning of the area sensed the danger of the London government, which they saw as a sign of a union between France and Austria.

Fau teamed up, and the result was terrible. Throughout the world, there is no second person who is qualified to let France and Austria join forces except Britain.

Late at night on Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence is brightly lit. Benjamin Disraeli convened an emergency meeting overnight, not because he couldn't hold his breath, but because the situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

In recent years, they have been very cautious about France and Austria, and they dare not do too much even if they suppress them, because they are worried that the two countries will come together because of pressure.

Prime Minister Benjamin opened a top-secret document, which was left by his predecessor. The above is just speculation and does not have any substantial evidence.

But the contents are so terrible that former Prime Minister John Russell believes that there is a secret pact between France and Austria, and even that the two sides have formed an alliance.

The basis for this was Austria's acquiescence in the annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia by the French. Based on this judgment, many attempts were made in the subsequent political diplomacy.

There have been many temptations, but I am not sure whether this is a smoke bomb released by the two countries, after all, France and Austria can be each other's biggest competitors for European hegemony.

Benjamin also didn't believe it, and he also thought that his predecessor was too weak in dealing with France and Austria and did not reflect Britain's domineering.

Now his judgment had changed, and as long as Lombardy and Venecia and Italy were cut, the greatest obstacle to Napoleon III's ascension to the Italian throne was gone.

Normally, Austria should have restrained the expansion of French power, but now the Vienna government has made the opposite decision, and Chancellor Benjamin is not worried.

"The materials have been sent to everyone, and I invite you to come over late at night just to discuss countermeasures. Judging by the current situation, rumors of an alliance between France and Austria are almost certain.

The question now is where Britain goes, and can we hold them down in the face of the challenge from France and Austria? ”

The international situation is not good for Britain, it is a disaster for politics and diplomacy, but it is another feast for the military.

Lord of the Admiralty, Robert, was the first to say: "The Royal Navy is capable of meeting any challenge, and we are capable of defending the security of Britain even against France and Austria." ”

This is not bragging, the Royal Navy really has this strength. As long as they don't die, they also have a certain chance of winning in the face of France and Austria joining forces.

Of course, this is only tactical. Strategically, as a maritime country, the navy is the lifeblood of Britain, and they have no way to fight with France and Austria.

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was quick to affirm: "Very well, the Royal Navy must be ready from now on. If war does break out, it will be up to you to defend Britain. ”

Robert replied righteously, "Please ......."

The War Secretary was also eager to try, but soon fell silent. It's not that he doesn't want to take a stand, it's mainly that no one believes him when he says it.

Wouldn't it be funny to count on the Army if the Royal Navy couldn't guarantee the safety of Britain? France and Austria are the land powers, and the strength of any army is three or five times that of the British Army.

The Navy's assurance reassures everyone a little at ease. It is a small problem that France and Austria cannot be suppressed at the same time, and Britain eats by wisdom, and they can fight with wits but not strength.

Receiving an affirmative answer from the Royal Navy, Foreign Secretary Maclean's suggestion: "The situation is not so bad, France and Austria are so contradictory that even if they are allies, it is difficult to cooperate sincerely."

This is the opportunity, and if possible, I propose the formation of an international alliance of three countries, consisting of Britain, France and Austria, to jointly dominate international affairs.

Then, slowly sow discord between France and Austria until this alliance collapses. ”

There is one type of ally called the Pit Teammate, and another type of ally called the Stirring Stick. As the culmination of two arts, Maclean's plans to use their strengths to break up the Franco-Austrian alliance through diplomacy.

Louis, the colonial minister, frowned, and asked dissatisfiedly: "Could it be that our previous plans have all been abandoned?"

Let's not forget how quickly Austria has expanded abroad over the years, and if it is not contained, it will not be possible to limit it later. ”

It is a fact that Austria has shown a striking force in its overseas expansion. The pace of expansion is so fast that no one can keep up.

Foreign Secretary MacLean smiled slightly and asked rhetorically: "The world has almost been divided, everyone's expansion has basically reached the limit, if the Austrians want to continue to expand, they have to compete with other countries."

The reason why they expanded so quickly was due to the large number of immigrants and the flexible foreign policy of the Viennese government.

In overseas colonial expansion, they avoided the core colonies of various countries and expanded towards the borderlands. In doing so, Austria's strength would naturally not be hostile.

Now it's different, and if you go any further, you will have to come into conflict with other countries. The rate of expansion will naturally slow down, or even stagnate.

Our original plan was, at best, to cause them a little trouble. If a colonial war breaks out, I'm afraid we won't have much advantage.

Sir Louis, can you tell me how many troops will be required to occupy the colonies of Austria? ”

Louis was slightly stunned, he didn't expect Maclean's to ask this question. However, the professional Louis still gave the answer.

"The Austrian colonies were mainly divided into five parts, namely Austrian Africa, Austrian South Seas, Austrian Central America, Austrian South America, and Austrian North America.

The first is Austrian North America, a land of ice and snow, including Alaska and some islands in the Arctic Ocean, the one between Canada and Granlin.

The area is probably more than two million square kilometers, but no one knows the specifics, because this is no man's land.

The total population of Austrian North America should not exceed 10,000, and it is estimated that one company can take them down, or a pirate can solve them.

The second Austrian South America, the Gotanian Plateau, stretches all the way to the Drake Strait. There were about 100,000 natives on it, as well as more than 50,000 European immigrants.

Both Argentina and Chile have an interest in the land, and with a little encouragement, they are likely to do it.

There are many islands in the Austrian South Seas, and it is a bit troublesome to move. It was also the most densely populated of all the Austrian colonies, with more than 400,000 European immigrants alone.

Because of the relationship between Lan Fang Autonomous Province, there are a large number of Chinese here, with a total number of more than 3 million, and more than 4 to 5 million local aborigines.

Every year it was able to provide Austria with a great deal of wealth, so the Vienna government also attached great importance to it, and stationed two infantry divisions here.

Wartime ......"

Foreign Secretary Maclean's shouted: "Stop! ”

"Sir Louis, you have explained the situation. Austrian North America is a land of ice and snow, and apart from being good-looking, it does not bring any substantial benefits to Austria.

Austrian South America is similar, every year the Vienna government needs to throw money into it, and it can't make even payments.

These two areas are indeed easy to use, but in addition to the large area, are there any other advantages? If Chile and Argentina are really interested, they don't have to do it, they can just pay for it.

As long as the money is in place, the Vienna government will not mind selling the reparations.

The remaining three colonies were the core of the Austrian colonial system. Unfortunately, none of these areas will be able to move unless we tear our faces and go into battle ourselves.

Otherwise, I don't think anyone would have been able to seize the Austrian South Seas. There is no doubt that the Dutch will not dare to do anything unless they do not want the native.

Not to mention Austrian Central America, we also need to suppress the Americans together with the Austrians, and we simply cannot move.

I'm afraid no one thinks that anyone can take Austrian Africa, right? Even the combined power of the European countries on the African continent is at most equal to theirs.

So, how much was our previous plan worth? We will not be able to gain anything substantial other than to make the Vienna Government look ugly.

It may even lead to the fall of South Africa, and if Portugal remains neutral and the Austrians unite the two Boer republics, our forces in Cape Town will not be able to hold South Africa. ”

Profit is always the best catalyst, and the Colonial Ministry's plan did hit Austria, but unfortunately it did no real harm.

Even if Austrian North America and Austrian South America were to be captured, the Vienna government would lose face once and save more than 200,000 Aegis dollars a year.

In the face of reality, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli naturally made the choice that was best in the interests of the British Empire.

"Judging from the current situation, the most important thing at the moment is to interrupt or break up the Franco-Austrian alliance, and all other plans are postponed for the time being.

If we don't take any action, it won't be long before Napoleon III becomes Emperor of Italy and the Austrians annex the German Confederation. ”

Based on speculation alone, Prime Minister Benjamin has come up with an almost entirely correct answer, and his political judgment is absolutely extraordinary.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Molito said worriedly: "This is indeed a priority, and it is very unwise to directly confront France and Austria." It is in Britain's best interest to provoke their contradictions and keep the European continent in balance.

By the way, we also have financial problems, and we need time to sort them out. The previous administrations were too belligerent, and we have been at war for the last dozen years.

They borrowed so much that the final debt fell on our shoulders. In the last two decades, our total debt has tripled.

At present, 34 percent of our annual revenue is used to pay off our debts. If it continues, today in the Russian Empire is our tomorrow. ”

This is a big trouble, the British Empire has money, it does not mean that the government has money. In the last decade or so, the London government has provoked the Near East War, the Persian War, the suppression of Indian rebellions, and the Ethiopian War......

No matter how big the family business is, it can't withstand such a toss, and the debt will naturally go up.