London

Prime Minister John Russell was struggling with the Italian problem, and after the Battle of Venice at Osa knew that things were in trouble, and that the interests of the British Empire in Italy would be in jeopardy.

"Mr. Palmerston, this Austro-Saxon war is coming to an end, what position do you think we should hold?" John Russell asked

Foreign Secretary Palmerston said unhurriedly: "Your Excellency, we still have a great deal of interests in the Kingdom of Sardinia, and in order to ensure the interests of the British Empire, the Kingdom of Sardinia must be preserved.

However, we must also take into account the attitude of the Austrians, this war was provoked by the Sardinians on their own initiative, and they must be given an explanation! ”

The theme of the world in this era is the struggle between Britain and Russia for hegemony, the British Empire has not yet reached the sky, and the Austrian Empire is also one of the great powers, and the benefits that should be taken cannot be taken away.

Minister of State Henry John Temple frowned and said: "The problem now is that the Austrians will not rest on their laurels, and that no great power can tolerate provocation of dignity without indifference.

The Sardinians had already provoked the Austrian government this time, and they did not hesitate to compromise with the French, and intelligence from Paris suggested that a secret treaty might have been signed between France and Austria.

If now France and Austria join forces, then the Kingdom of Sardinia will be history, and even if we oppose it, it will not help! ”

On the Italian issue, Britain, France and Austria have the greatest right to speak, because of geopolitical relations, the Italian region has always been the focus of competition between France and Austria, and the British mediate in the middle to maintain balance.

In order to better contain France and Austria, after entering the 19th century, the British spread the idea of unification in Italy, and after the outbreak of the European Revolution, the London government began to support the Kingdom of Sardinia to unify Italy.

There is no doubt that this time they had a good time. Austria crippled the Kingdom of Sardinia with just one hand, and even colluded with its rivals, the French, in an attempt to carve up Italy.

Palmerston smiled and said, "Mr. Temple, things are not so bad, the French are full of internal contradictions, and they change governments faster than women change clothes."

The political views of the previous government do not mean that the current government agrees with them, and we can wait for the next government.

As long as we put diplomatic pressure on them, the French government will not have the energy to expand outward, and without the participation of the French, Austria will not have such a good appetite to eat the Kingdom of Sardinia in one bite. ”

Hearing Palmerston's parable, everyone laughed, and the British never hesitated to smile at the mockery of France, an old enemy.

If it was France and Austria joining forces, it would be needless to say, no one could stop them from carving up Italy.

But now that the French are not in the state, and only a few months after the establishment of the republican government, several governments have changed successively.

Originally, the British intended to support a pro-British government, but after seeing the speed with which the French changed governments, they stopped their actions.

There is no way, they can't keep up with the rhythm. There are still revolutions in France every now and then, and there are a lot of chaotic power groups.

Who knows who stands last?

If you invest in the wrong object, you will waste resources, and you will lose a lot of money if you harvest another enemy.

After a pause, Prime Minister Russell asked again: "Mr. Palmerston, how is the Foreign Office going to convince the Austrian government?" If they insist on destroying the Kingdom of Sardinia, what measures is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs going to take? ”

What he meant was that the British Empire's involvement in Italy was limited to diplomacy.

Directly send troops to help the Kingdom of Sardinia fight, and there is no need to think about it. Regardless of whether or not they can win the war, under the basic national policy of continental balance, Austria is also an indispensable part of the British continental policy.

Palmerston thought for a moment and said, "Your Excellency, the Austrian Empire has just experienced a civil strife, and the Hungarian rebellion has not been extinguished to this day, and the most important problem for them at the moment is to deal with internal contradictions.

They should have no plans to annex the Kingdom of Sardinia, and even the Secret Covenant of Offa may be a cover, the old fox of Metternich is not easy to deal with, and this time the Kingdom of Sardinia will inevitably have to hemorrhage.

If the interests of the Italian region do not satisfy the Austrians, then let's appease them with the interests of the Balkans and let them go and fight with the Ottomans for supremacy in the Near East! ”

This is what the British Empire is best at - shifting the trouble to Jiangdong. The weak nature of the Ottoman Empire has not yet been exposed, and on the face of it, they are also among the great powers.

The Habsburg Dynasty and the Ottoman Empire have been old enemies for a hundred years, and they have fought from the Middle Ages to the present, and the two sides have experienced large and small battles, not one thousand but eight hundred, and the hatred has long been planted.

"The situation in the Near East is already complicated, and if we encourage Austria to enter the country, the situation will become even more chaotic, and if the Austrian government joins forces with the Russians, will we be able to control it?" Secretary of State Henry John Temple questioned

Austria and the Ottoman Empire were feuding, and the contradictions between the two sides were deep, and if the British Empire supported it, the Austrian government would certainly not mind suppressing this old enemy.

But the problem is that the Russians and the Ottoman Empire are also feuding. Russia and Austria are allies, and if they have a common enemy, it will be difficult for them not to unite.

Palmerston confidently explains: "It is true that Russia and Austria are allies, but in the Balkans, they also have conflicts of interest.

Austria has long been eyeing the Danube Valley, but the appetite of the Russians is not endless, it is a matter of time before they clash, and then the Russian-Austrian alliance, which is a headache for us, will naturally collapse! ”

Interests are always the best catalyst, and now the biggest enemy of the British is the Russians, and a lot of foreign policy revolves around the Russians.

It was not easy to defeat Russia as a competitor, and unlike any previous enemy, Mao Xiong not only had a powerful army, but was also geographically invincible in the easternmost part of Europe.

To defeat the Russians, it was necessary to divide the allies of the Russians and isolate them, and the British were very patient in this regard.

……

Vienna

After the victory at the Battle of Venice, Franz was already thinking about the aftermath, for Austria, the Italian region was like a piece of chicken ribs, which had no meat to eat, and it was a pity to abandon it.

It is easy to occupy the Kingdom of Sardinia, but it is difficult to rule the Kingdom of Sardinia.

"Monsieur Metternich, what do the French say, when will they send troops?" Franz asked with concern

The Kingdom of Sardinia was not easy to rule, but this did not prevent him from using it to trick people, and if the French could be fooled in, then the British Empire would not have the time to keep an eye on Austria.

(It will be on the shelves next Friday, it has been determined, and everyone will be covered with Haiyue when the time comes!!) ）