The Anglo-Austrian-South African game has only just begun, and the continent has already undergone great changes. This time, Napoleon III showed his decisiveness and directly sent troops to take control of the governments of the Italian states.

Obviously, his patience has reached the limit, and he is not ready to continue grinding with these guys.

After crushing the weak resistance of the states, the governments were forced to agree to unite with the Kingdom of Sardinia to form the Italian Empire, under the threat of bayonets.

On August 24, 1870, the first parliament of the Italian Empire was held, which elected Napoleon III as emperor.

The next day, Napoleon III could not wait to be crowned Emperor of Italy in Rome, namely: Emperor Napoleon I of Italy.

Immediately afterwards, Napoleon III announced the establishment of the union of France and Italy, established the Great French Empire, and was once again crowned emperor. To appease the Italians, this time it was a double capital, Paris and Rome.

Following Napoleon, the Bonapartes once again created an empire. No, it should be two empires, the Bonaparte dynasty of the Italian Empire and the Bonaparte dynasty of the Gran-French Empire.

What kind of food and etiquette, Napoleon III didn't care about it at all. The opportunity for Britain and Austria to face each other is rare, and if this opportunity is missed, it will be difficult to meet it again in the future.

The Empire of Greater France was established, and the situation in Europe changed instantly. After the annexation of Italy, France had the potential to soar to dominate the European continent.

Because of the relationship between the Prussian-Russian War, at this time, only Britain and Austria were the only ones who had the strength to intervene in the annexation of Italy by the French.

While eyes converge on Vienna and London, a new round of diplomatic cooperation is also unfolding in secret, and an undercurrent against the French is surging on the continent.

Vienna, Rao was prepared for a long time, but Franz was still shocked by Napoleon III's audacity.

In his plan, the French should take their time, step by step. For example, the establishment of the Italian Empire to unify the Italian regions, and then the merger of the two countries, will last at least a few years.

The Vienna government could not do it anymore, and Prime Minister Felix immediately said: "Your Majesty, you cannot allow the French to continue to grow, this threat is too great. ”

It was not difficult to interrupt the expansion plans of the French, as long as they immediately joined forces with the British, and then pulled the European countries together to exert pressure, the French would most likely compromise.

Don't look at Napoleon III's quick slash and look like he was going to annex Italy at all costs.

In fact, he was not ready to be the enemy of the whole of Europe, and the French did not have the courage to challenge the continent again, it was only a demonstration to the outside world.

What really gave them confidence was the Franco-Austrian Secret Treaty, and according to the agreement, Austria would also take action against the Federal Reich of Germany at this time, and everyone would share the international pressure together.

Even the Vienna government was already doing it, and most of the state governments in the German Confederation had already turned to Austria, and Franz could annex the German Confederation for a maximum of a month if he wished.

This is the convenience brought by the railway, most of the states that have been co-opted by Austria have chosen the Austrian standard, and many countries have completed the merger with the Austrian railway.

To this day, except for the Kingdom of Hanover, which has not been completely infiltrated by Austria, the other states cannot escape the influence of Austria.

In addition to the flourishing nationalism, the successful completion of this plan is more about economic benefits.

The aristocrats and capitalists within the German Confederation had already completed the convergence with Austria with practical actions, and everyone's interests were tied together.

Even the concentration camps of the opposition, the Kingdom of Hanover were no exception, and this influence will grow over time.

It is true that the British support them, but it is impossible for the British capitalists to share their markets with them, let alone let them enter their own colonies.

Austria immigrated from Germany when it developed its colonies, and these states were no exception.

At the same time, he also attracted local powerful factions, participated in the development of Austrian colonies, and became a community of interests with many local people.

The German Federal Government is powerless to do anything about this kind of infiltration, and it can't always introduce a law to prohibit cooperation between the two sides, right?

Besides, even if it is banned, it is useless, and the states below will not buy the account of the central government. Anyway, it has long been determined that the central government will not dare to use force to solve the problem.

The French suddenly picked up the pace, and Austria, naturally, did not keep up. From the beginning to the end, Franz was only trying to fool the French, and was not prepared to unify the German regions at this time.

The German regions are to be reunified, but this time is definitely not now. Without the strength to dominate the European continent, Franz was not ready to be the target of public criticism.

Franz tapped his finger on the table and said, "It's better to wait for now, it can't be so easy for the French to forcibly annex Italy, and the internal problems can't be sorted out in a while."

Now let's just put on a show, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement strongly condemning the shameless behavior of the French and see how countries react. ”

Just kidding, it was not easy to fool the French into taking the bait, how could they let them slip through the net?

Greater France was so easy to establish, why didn't Napoleon directly unify Italy, but divide the rule of kings.

If it is just a simple unification of Italy, and Napoleon III is also the emperor of Italy, it is estimated that the Italian people can accept it. Now that it is directly incorporated into Grand France, it is strange that the nationalists can accept it.

You must know that they merged together in France, the cradle of revolutionary ideas, and it is estimated that it will not be long before revolutionary ideas will be introduced from France to Italy, and then sparks will be sparked.

Even the establishment of a dual empire is better than the direct annexation of Italy. At least the former can be stabilized as long as there is no war, no external force breaks the situation, and the local powerful faction is co-opted.

With the strength of France, frankly speaking, only if the diplomatic work is done well, the external threat is very small. As long as the government does not mess around, this dualistic empire can last for many years.

If it weren't for the fact that the scene was more realistic, Franz would have had to celebrate this great victory with a feast. From now on, France will no longer be a threat for many years to come.

If you want to defeat France in the future, you only need to fund the Italian Revolutionary Party. Every day there is a revolution, and the strength of France will be consumed in the quagmire of Italy.

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg proposed: "Your Majesty, now that the French have attracted the attention of the outside world, it is time for us to quicken the pace." ”

At this time, there really was no one who could prevent Austria from annexing the German Confederation. The French themselves were at the center of the storm, wishing that Austria would jump out and share the pressure.

After the absence of French thugs, the British demonstrated the most at sea. Prussia next door was powerless, Austria really acted, and it is estimated that the first reaction of the Berlin government was not to block it, but to quickly annex Poland.

Franz sneered: "No, according to the original plan." We are not in a hurry, the Federal Reich of Germany is there to be placed, and sooner or later it will be ours.

Now we still continue to fight with the British for South Africa, and there is no hurry in the affairs of the European continent, so as allies, we have to share the pressure for the French. ”

Fulfill the obligations of allies and share the pressure. People will not believe this, when did France and Austria really become friendly?

Even after the alliance, the two sides did not stop each other. Now Franz is suddenly going to help the French, there must be a story behind it.

The emperor didn't want to say it, and everyone couldn't help it.

Franz also couldn't say it reasonably, they hadn't felt the power of nationalism yet, so they naturally didn't know that this was a huge pit.

If you want to explain, you can't talk about it. There was no way, Franz had to act arbitrarily once.

Anyway, the French annexed Italy, and it was the target of public criticism. Whenever you do it, Austria will not lack allies, and everyone can be patient and wait.

……

Austria's passive sabotage had a huge impact on the European continent. Many people thought that the Viennese government was too scared to confront the French.

Behind this, Franz is also fueling the flames, and he has the meaning of not giving up until France is sent to the throne of the world's first empire.

London, which was originally watching the excitement, and the British government, which wanted to pick up the bargain, could no longer do it. They never expected that Austria would refuse to come forward, and directly shattered their illusion of sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight.

In Downing Street, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli asked with a depressed face: "Can anyone tell me what the Austrians are thinking, don't they know the threat from the French?"

Or are the famous Franz the Great and the iron-blooded Prime Minister Felix two soft eggs who will only develop the economy at home? ”

No one could answer this question, and everyone was also very confused. Anyway, no one thinks that Franz and Felix are soft eggs, otherwise how did Austrian land come from?

Foreign Secretary Maclean's analysis: "Your Excellency, I have the opposite view. The reluctance of the Vienna government to come forward may have seen our plans.

Having suffered the defeat of the war against France, Austria could not have been afraid of the French. Now they don't come out, I'm afraid they don't want to face the French alone.

Moreover, it is not Austria that bears the brunt of France's growth. Italy was newly occupied, and the French could not safely hand over the back road to the Italians.

In the event of an attack from Central Europe, the geography dictates that the French can only attack from the north, and they will be safe until Belgium, the German Confederation, and the Kingdom of Prussia fall.

Since there was no threat in the short term, the Vienna government could naturally wait. When everyone couldn't stand it anymore, they once again formed an anti-French alliance and worked together to cripple the French. ”

Obviously, this will not be the result they want, and if France is finished, the European continent will be under Austria's control. When the time comes, the German regions will be united, and Britain will not be able to do anything.

To suppress France, it is the French who have become bigger and threaten their interests. Among other things, once the French annexed Italy, there was no place for them in the Mediterranean.

Not only that, but the French, who had learned a lesson, obviously would not follow the path of Napoleon this time.

After the annexation of Italy, the French will try to avoid conflicts with other countries on the European continent for many years to come, and to reduce everyone's vigilance.

If the European continent cannot continue to expand, then the target will definitely turn overseas. The British bore the brunt of the attack, and it was almost inevitable that the French would challenge their maritime supremacy.

The world's first colonial empire brought not only glory and wealth, but also challenges from various countries.

In this regard, Austria is much more stable, the core colonies are on the African continent, and now that the general trend has been achieved, there is no fear of anyone prying eyes.

The interests of a few overseas colonies are not big enough to make everyone turn against Austria.

The British, by contrast, were hated and ate the biggest portion of the cake. Taken together, the colonies of the European nations were not as attractive as theirs.

Not only the colonies, but the Strait of Gibraltar on their doorstep alone kept the French awake from sleep.

The Anglo-French feud is not so easy to forget, if it is not stuck here, the French Navy is split in two, and it is the British who can't sleep.

The ambivalence made it difficult for the London government to make up its mind. Now they want to suppress the French, but they are also afraid of crippling France, which is a headache.

Louis, the colonial minister, reminded: "Ladies and gentlemen, do not forget that our conflict with Austria is not over, and it seems that the Viennese government has no intention of giving up.

According to the battle reports sent from the front, we are now at a disadvantage on the battlefield, and that idiot at Delphi has sent three telegrams asking for help, each time more urgently.

If we don't take action, maybe the French problem will not be solved, and the Cape Town colony will be lost first. ”

The French were so windy that everyone's eyes were drawn to it, and even the South African telegram for help was ignored by them.

Lord of the Admirals Robert said excitedly: "The Cape Town colony must not be abandoned. The Suez Canal is controlled by France and Austria, and once Cape of Good Hope is in Austrian hands, neither of our sea routes to the Indian Ocean is safe. ”

He couldn't help but be excited, the Suez Canal fell into the hands of France and Austria, which already made them very passive. If the Cape of Good Hope is lost, the Royal Navy will have an even worse time.

Not to mention anything else, in case of a turn with Austria one day, the African coast is an enemy colony, and the Royal Navy going to India is even a headache for logistical supplies.

There is no need to consider the Suez Canal, and now warships are prohibited from navigating, except for the warships of France and Austria, which can run, and the warships of other countries must make a detour.

The regulations of the Canal Company were specifically aimed at the British, mainly to retaliate against the British for sabotage during the excavation of the Suez Canal.

In his heart, Benjamin has not only secretly scolded Louis for being incompetent, but has achieved nothing but causing trouble.

Since there was going to be a colonial expansion, he didn't even know who the enemy was, so he hurriedly ran to start a war. Now I have suffered a loss, and I don't know how to admit my mistake yet. Scolding and scolding, the aftermath work still needs to be done.

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli rubbed his forehead and said, "Well, the strategic value of the Cape Town colony is very important, and we really can't afford to lose it."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs first contacted the Vienna government to see if it could be negotiated. The Colonial Department came up with a plan as soon as possible to prepare for a surge in the Cape Town area.

Now that the situation in Europe is out of control, we must resolve the Cape Town issue as soon as possible, and if necessary, abandon the Boer Republic. ”

There is no doubt that Benjamin has tied this war to Louis. If the war is lost, the colonial minister can be replaced.

……