The years have passed, and it has entered winter in a blink of an eye.

Franz's many years of experience can be judged that this is a warm winter, usually at this time of year it is already snowing in the Glockner Mountains, this year not to mention snow, even the rain is very little.

Warm winter + drought, it has almost been announced that there will be a reduction in agricultural production in the coming year. Austria is an industrial country, but also an agricultural country, and agriculture occupies an important position in the national economy.

The Vienna government has always attached great importance to agricultural production, and after years of efforts, the country's agricultural infrastructure has been improved and a well-developed disaster response system has been established.

Normally, as long as it is not a large-scale disaster that affects the whole country, Franz will not care. It was now brought to his attention, mainly in Vienna.

Agriculture Secretary Halls: "Your Majesty, the current situation is not too bad, according to the data of local surveillance, the scope of the disaster is not very large.

It is mainly concentrated in the vicinity of Vienna and Bohemia, where industry and commerce are relatively developed, and the people's ability to resist risks is strong, and the reduction of winter wheat production will not have much impact. ”

This is a benefit brought by the industrial age, and it has become a common social phenomenon for farmers to move to the city to work during the slack period in economically developed areas.

Increasing the source of income naturally also increases the ability to resist risks. If we are still in an agrarian society, the government will need to be more vigilant.

Franz just casually asked, a certain range of grain production reduction, within the range of Austria to bear, "disaster relief" is not needed.

The reduction in output is not a complete harvest, and the reduction of 180 catties per mu of land is not enough to bankrupt the peasants. Unless the disaster is sustained, government relief is needed, otherwise the people themselves can survive the disaster.

……

Foreign Secretary Wessenberg: "Your Majesty, news has just arrived from Paris that the French are preparing to send troops to escort the son of Isabella II home, and the battle for the Spanish throne is coming to an end.

Judging by the information gathered, Britain and France should have reached an agreement. The Foreign Office believed that it might be related to the war in the Near East, and the government in London made concessions on the question of the struggle for the Spanish throne in exchange for the support of the French in the Near East. ”

As far as Franz expected, the British had to pull in the French if they wanted to keep the Ottoman Empire.

Although the Paris government was constantly infighting, they also did not want to see Austria pull out the nail in its back. It is not surprising that the British conceded on the Spanish throne and that the French chose to support them.

Austria wanted a stable rear, how could the French not be? Spain is different from the Ottoman Empire, and the French could not pull out the nail even if they wanted to.

It is not a victory that cannot be fought, the key is that there is no way to use force. European countries may be able to accept the end of the Ottoman Empire, but they will never allow Spain to be annexed.

Since you can't die, then it's good to win over. Spain is also a mess now, with a lot of internal problems, and it is entirely in France's interest to prop up a pro-French and weak government.

Queen Isabella II of Spain has long been notorious, and even her son Alfonso XII has also suffered from her reputation, and she cannot do without the support of the French if she wants to sit on the throne.

A weak pro-French government, the French will not have to worry about the threat from Spain for a long time to come.

Franz: "In that case, then we're ready to finish." Send a message to Humel, and once Britain and France are fully involved, they will negotiate with the Ottoman Empire, and the bottom line is to take our actual control area, plus Jerusalem.

On the Russians' side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also appeased. How much they can gain depends on the diplomatic capabilities of the tsarist government itself. ”

Franz knew in his heart that this could be the last joint military operation of the Russian-Austrian alliance. According to the current international situation, an alliance between Austria and the Russians has done more harm than good.

Although Alexander II was a man of great courage and strategy, he suppressed all the forces in the country and completed the initial social reforms, but his diplomatic performance was really flattering.

On the one hand, the historical burden of the Russian Empire is too heavy, and it does not adjust its mentality in time because it is holding the shelf of the hegemon of the European continent; On the other hand, it attaches too much importance to territory and does not have a good relationship with all its neighbors.

It's not that it's wrong to pay attention to territory, the problem is that a lot of the territory of the Russian Empire was grabbed, just like the colonies.

When you are strong, you can pay attention to it no matter how much you pay attention to it. When it is declining, it is time to pay attention to ways and means, and when it is time to make concessions, it is necessary to give in.

It is a pity that the tsarist government did not do that, and the defeat of the Russians in the last Russo-Prussian war was actually a diplomatic defeat.

If the tsarist government reined in its ambitions, at least there would be no problems in Central Asia and the Far East, if nothing else. If it weren't for the expansion of the tsarist government before the war, which angered others, Prussia would not have been able to pull allies.

It stands to reason that having received a severe social beating, the tsarist government should wake up and take the initiative to repair relations with its neighbors. If there is any problem, we will deal with it slowly after the defeat of Prussia.

It is a pity that the tsarist government did not change its mind, and regarded the return of its neighbors to its homeland as an enemy invasion, and considered itself to be the victim.

I don't have to say, I don't have friends if I play like this. Franz was very suspicious that in the next Russo-Prussian War, the Russians would also be besieged.

Because of the Russian-Austrian alliance, Austria did not have a good relationship with these countries. Of course, Austria was strong enough, and even if relations were not good, the treatment of the great powers was still there, and it did not affect trade with other countries.

Prime Minister Felix reminded: "Your Majesty, it is better to inform the tsarist government first and leave them a buffer time." ”

The Russian-Austrian alliance is not over yet, and the matter of pitting teammates cannot be done too obviously. The war in the Near East was able to play out the current situation, mainly because Austria was supplying strategic materials.

If Austria had withdrawn from the war, the tsarist government could not afford it. The cost of the same strategic goods is different for different countries.

Comparatively speaking, the cost of strategic materials is lower for industrial countries with their own production capacity, while the cost of imports is much higher for agricultural countries.

In the case of weapons and ammunition, for example, the Russians need to pay one-third more than the Austrians, which is still the cost in normal times, and it is possible to be even half higher in wartime.

There are many factors involved, such as production costs, transportation costs, procurement costs, and the integrity of the bureaucracy.

If the Vienna government had now put the Russians along, perhaps the Ottoman Empire would not have to pay anything, and the tsarist government would have to withdraw its troops.

The main enemy of the Russians was the Kingdom of Prussia, and it was impossible for the tsarist government to fight the Ottoman Empire with all its might.

By the time the war had been waged, the tsarist government's strategic goal of weakening the Ottoman Empire had been accomplished. Even if the Ottoman Empire was reborn, it would not be able to threaten the Russian Empire for twenty years.

Remind the Russians that there is no need to pay the price, Franz is naturally as good as a stream.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Russians and passed on to them the news of the proximity of Britain and France, and presumably the tsarist government would understand."

If you don't understand it, you can't do it, without Austria contributing money and materials, the tsarist government simply would not have the financial resources to continue the war.

……

In the Downing Street Prime Minister's office, Prime Minister Gelston was in a very unhappy mood right now, and said in a cold tone: "Raul, call the cabinet members over for a meeting."

Franz believed that the British had made concessions on the Spanish throne in order to keep the Ottoman Empire, but in fact the London government did not make a decision so quickly.

Austria is a threat, France is a threat, and whichever one is allowed to grow bigger, it will threaten the interests of Britain.

Unless there is no way, the London government will not compromise with the French.

After the British turned to the Entente in the original time and space, or the expansion of the navy by the German Empire, they felt threatened, and they had been wavering until then.

Now Austria has not expanded its navy in a big way, and its navy has always been below the French, ranking third in the world in terms of total tonnage.

From the point of view of the British, both France and Austria were a great threat. However, both threats have a common weakness, and the need to develop land power at the same time, and the two countries are holding each other in check on the European continent, and the pressure on the London government is not great.

……

Prime Minister Gelston asked: "Your Excellency the Marquis, did you not tell me that the French are busy with infighting and have no intention of participating in international affairs?"

Now what is going on, we have pinned down Austria for them, and the French have directly intervened in the struggle for the Spanish throne.

I really can't imagine how much of a sensation this news would have caused if it got out. ”

The Marquis of MacLean also wanted to cry without tears, he really didn't expect that the French in the infighting would suddenly come to this trick.

It has to be said that the timing of the French selection is good. Britain and Austria had a conflict because of the Ottoman issue, and the two countries contained each other and did not have the strength to intervene in the struggle for the Spanish throne.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, this is a mistake in our judgment and underestimating the ambitions of the French. Now we have to find a way to deal with the aftermath, or we will create the biggest joke of the century.

In the current situation, we have to choose one or the other. Either join forces with the French and keep the Ottoman Empire; Either join forces with Austria and force the French to abandon interference in the Spanish succession.

Personally, I would suggest that the Ottoman Empire be kept first, and that the Spanish problem will be long. There are no permanent allies politically, and if the Spanish government can be pro-French today, they can be pro-British tomorrow.

If the Ottoman Empire had fallen, it would have been difficult to resurrect it. Without the containment of the Ottoman Empire, Austria would be able to expand into Central Europe with all its might, and the European balance would likely be upset. ”

There is another reason that Marquis Maclean did not say, and that is that the war of intervention in the Near East has begun. If we stop now, we will be tantamount to a failure to interfere and will be attacked by the opposition parties.