Sending off Thomas, Napoleon III immediately convened a meeting of the think tank, and it should not have been a meeting of the ministers.

Anyway, it's all about the same, cronyism is Napoleon III's usual style of employing people, and the think tank also works part-time as a minister, and there is no cabinet.

Chancellor of the Exchequer: Earl Monier (speculative financier), War Secretary Arno (junior thug and part-time strategist), Police Secretary Mopa (strategist), Home Secretary Pesini (conspirator), Admiral Dick (supporter of the big shipowner), Colonial Chancellor is his nephew......

Don't look at this group of people as relational households, in fact, their business is not bad, at least much stronger than the July Dynasty, and much stronger than the later Third Republic.

In addition to the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, during the reign of Napoleon III, France's economic development was rapid, the people's living standards were significantly improved, and most of the world's second colonial empire was conquered during this period.

War Minister Arnault said vigilantly: "Your Majesty, the British are using us as gunmen, and once their plan succeeds, Russia and Austria will be our enemies, and our choice in international politics will be very limited in the future."

Moreover, intervening in Austria was not so simple, and the multinational coalition was actually nominally good.

The countries are scattered in Tiannan, Haibei and Beibei, and it is impossible to keep such a big movement secret if they want to coordinate relations and organize coalition forces.

The Austrians were not stupid, and once they received the news, they only had to do one thing, and before the coalition was formed, they would catch the Prussians and beat them up.

Without the Prussians as cannon fodder, this intervention war, unless we exert all our strength, will sooner or later be broken by the rabble of the allied forces. ”

Arnault This is an experience, there is only a four-nation alliance on the battlefield in the Balkans, and the command system is in chaos, and now with a nine-nation alliance, who can bring so many teammates with different minds?

They are also experienced in pitting teammates, and the nine-nation alliance forces act together, not only to guard against the enemy, but also to guard against their eight allies, which is simply fatal.

"Catch the Prussians and beat them?"

"Arno, do you think the Austrians will be the first to catch the Prussians?" Napoleon III asked with interest

Arnault replied: "Yes, Your Majesty. If the Nine-Nation Coalition is formed, even if Austria can defeat the coalition army, they will try to avoid war with the coalition army in order not to be isolated.

But it is impossible for the Austrian government to admit it directly, otherwise how can it explain to the people?

Franz-Joseph I was at the age of his youth and vigor, and he certainly couldn't stand this grievance and couldn't trouble the British, so it was always okay to catch the Prussians and bully him, right?

In order to avoid responsibility for the failure of this operation, the Vienna government should have supported it, just as the anger of the population was transferred to the Prussians. By the time we have organized the coalition forces, the Kingdom of Prussia will be almost finished.

If the Russians also take advantage of the fire to loot, then before the arrival of the coalition forces, Russia and Austria will first divide Prussia. ”

As a part-time thug of his younger brother, Arnault usually likes to do things more recklessly, and now he often analyzes problems with this kind of thinking.

For Arnault's analysis, Napoleon III's eyes lit up. In order to consolidate the throne, he can go to war with Russia, and it is normal for the Vienna government to arrest Prussia and beat him in order to evade responsibility.

Traitors are always more hateful than enemies, cripple or kill Prussia, the resentment in the hearts of the people is out, and the government can not only survive the crisis smoothly, but also reap some benefits by the way.

As for the intervention coalition of various countries, Austria has no way to prevent countries from sending troops, is there no way to delay everyone's sending troops?

When the coalition army was formed, the Prussian government also succeeded in receiving a boxed lunch. Revenge for the Kingdom of Prussia, which does not exist, who will do it without interest?

At least Napoleon III, who does not think that kind of international spirit. The big deal was that the Austrians were busy in vain and withdrew from the newly occupied lands.

Pesini added: "Your Majesty, in addition to attacking the Kingdom of Prussia, Austria may also choose to strike first and attack Paris!"

Our main forces are not at home, the Austrian army has reached the Bavarian border, and it is possible to enter our country by passing through Baden, and with the superiority of troops, coupled with a surprise attack, it is quite possible to succeed. ”

A sneak attack on Paris, this is a high-investment, high-yield plan, and if it succeeds, France will be in chaos, and it will not be possible to cause problems for Austria for at least three or five years.

The Russians could also take the opportunity to seize Constantinople and close the doors to the Anglo-French forces on the Crimean Peninsula, and the British could only retreat to the British Isles, at most the navy would come out and hang out, and the entire European continent would be under the roising of the Russian-Austrian alliance.

Napoleon III sneered: "That is, from the beginning to the end, the British were coming up with a bad idea?" ”

Pesini analyzed: "Your Majesty, this is the plan that is most in the interests of the British, the success rate of the Austrians' sneak attack on Paris is too low, even if Marshal Radetzky personally commands, this probability will not exceed four layers."

This is still in the case of our unpreparedness, as long as we are prepared and the troops at the front line are on alert, the Austrians can only storm all the way.

The contradictions between us and Austria have not yet reached the point of life and death, and the Vienna government should not risk fighting with us.

As long as Paris cannot be conquered within a month, our troops on the front will be withdrawn, and then it will be their turn to be unlucky.

Essentially, the most important part of the British plan was intimidation, and if they could use the strength of the Nine-Nation Coalition to intimidate the Austrians, their goal would have been successful.

If the Russian-Austrian alliance can be torn apart, it will be even more profitable. Even if they can't do it, they are still ready to leave the Kingdom of Bavaria to Austria, in fact, they don't want to force Austria to jump over the wall. ”

After a moment of hesitation, Napoleon III made a decision.

"Since the British have all planned, how can we not cooperate? If necessary, give the Austrians a hint and encourage them to fight Prussia.

On this issue, we can take what we need, and we can accept the partition of Prussia among France, Austria and Russia. ”

Of course, it is acceptable, the core area of the Kingdom of Prussia, just in the Rhineland, is under the noses of the French, Austria crippled Prussia, they just happened to be fishermen and reaped the greatest benefits.

Ally? When did France become allies with Prussia, as long as the interests were suitable, even allies could be betrayed.

……

Leaving Versailles, Thomas went to visit the Prussian representative Lautruf.

In addition to the French, the Kingdom of Prussia was also a key link, and without the participation of the Prussians, who were strong in combat, this intervention in the coalition was a joke.

In fact, Thomas was beating the drum inside, and what happened in Bavaria was terrible. In the event that the Prussian army was also influenced by nationalist ideas, and a defection or neutrality came up on the battlefield, then the coalition forces would have to cry.

Fortunately, this plan was not prepared to really start fighting, and it left room for Austria, and it was unlikely that a fight would start.

The two did not have any friendship, and went straight to the point, and after changing the set of rhetoric to explain the intention, Lautruf fell into deep thought.

It was the national policy of the Kingdom of Prussia to take advantage of the intervention of various countries to kick Austria out of Germany.

Rotruff said dissatisfiedly: "Mr. Thomas, why don't you let Austria spit out the Kingdom of Bavaria?" Sooner or later indulging in such destabilizing behavior in Europe will bring disaster to the world. ”

The British's proposal was exactly what he wanted, and the only fly in the ointment was for Austria to take the Kingdom of Bavaria with them.

Without Austria, who else could lead Germany but the Kingdom of Prussia? This is digging their flesh, and Lautruf is naturally going to oppose it.

Thomas flickered: "Mr. Lautruf, it's not that we want to condone Austria's illegal behavior, but that the Russian-Austrian alliance must take into account, and your country doesn't want Russia and Austria to continue to hold together!" ”

The Russian-Austrian alliance, the most pressure should be the Kingdom of Prussia, maybe the Prussian government is relatively slow to react in this regard, or the Nordic three-court alliance has been for a long time, so they ignore this threat.

In short, Thomas was very impressed by the Prussian government's indifferent performance, and if they had been replaced, he would have been unable to sleep for a long time, and the Prussian government had not made any big moves.

It was not without action, they were originally preparing to repair diplomatic relations with Russia and Austria, but it was a pity that Austria suddenly launched a war of unification, which undermined the plans of the Prussian government.

Lautruf did not change on the surface, but he was beating the drum in his heart, and he always felt that the British were not at ease, and he did not find anything wrong, so he chose to procrastinate.

"Mr. Thomas, this matter is too much to implement, and I must report it back to China first, and wait for the decision of the Berlin government."

Although Rotruf is an amateur diplomat, he has always believed that pie in the sky will not fall from the sky, and it is only reliable to seize it by force.

If you are not sure, then leave the question to the Berlin government, although Frederick Wilhelm IV was also an amateur diplomat, but he was a king, wasn't he?

There was no way to get an affirmative answer, and Thomas had no choice but to leave, not believing that the Kingdom of Prussia would find out about their plans, and that the French would not be able to leak secrets to the Prussians.

This is the inherent impression that the Kingdom of Prussia has left on the outside world for a long time, and it can be said that before Bismarck, the diplomatic methods of the Kingdom of Prussia were very immature, which was an inevitable hard wound of a military state.

There is no further delay, there are still many things about Thomas, and there are still so many countries waiting for him to convince, this diplomatic war is destined to be difficult to fight.

……

The activities of the British are destined to be secretive, not all countries will keep them secret, Thomas is in frequent contact with the representatives of various countries, and Metternich cannot be idle!

Unlike the offensive of the British, Metternich's approach is much simpler, that is, to throw money and not buy the foreign ministers of various countries, can't he buy the attendants of the maids around them?

Whoever Thomas met and what he said, most of it reached Metternich's ears. It's just that diplomacy is rampant, and it is normal to transmit false information and release smoke bombs, and Metternich does not dare to judge the truth or falsehood.

Thomas is also a veteran of the diplomatic arena, and Metternich has collected different information from different sources, which means that Thomas has different things to say to the representatives of various countries, and some of them are contradictory, which makes his judgment more difficult.

Looking at the information that had just been passed from the Swiss delegation, Metternich smiled coldly, and encouraged Switzerland to send troops to interfere with Austria's annexation of South Germany, isn't it a joke?

As a good neighbor of Austria, the Swiss and the Habsburgs fought for hundreds of years, and finally gained peace for decades, and now they are actively provoking Austria?

Anyway, Metternich would not believe it, even if the British promised more, they would not be able to stop Austria from settling accounts after the autumn, at least against Switzerland Austria.

It is impossible to judge the true purpose of the British, so they can only continue to collect intelligence. Anyway, some people are staring at the domestic reaction of each country, and if they agree to send troops to intervene, the mobilization of troops and the delivery of strategic materials are always indispensable.

Which country joins the intervening forces is not judged by the fact that its representatives sit in the position of the intervening country, but by the actual actions of their countries.

Metternich was not in a hurry, with his knowledge of the British, if he did not do things, then there was a problem.

Now that Thomas is on the move, he is more relieved. A conspiracy on the surface is always easier to deal with than a conspiracy in the dark.