Vienna Palace

The intelligence chief, Taryn, reported: "Your Majesty, the negotiations between Britain and France on the issue of the Suez Canal have failed. The government of Paris decided to leave the British behind and dig the Grand Canal on its own. ”

This was to be expected, as the Suez Canal was of great significance not only to Austria, but also to the French. With such a large investment in the early stage, it is naturally impossible to give up because of the opposition of the British.

The current disparity in strength between Britain and France is not as great as it was at the end of the century, and the French still have a longing for the position of world hegemon.

Moreover, they have the strength to match their ambitions.

The total strength of the French Army Standing Army is as high as 400,000, which is second only to Russia and Austria on the European continent; The total tonnage of the French Navy is more than six stories of the Royal Navy, close to the size of seven stories.

With a world-class navy and army, the French are the most balanced among the powers, and their comprehensive national strength is not weaker than any other power. With such a strong strength, it is difficult for them to settle down.

The only pity is that this is already the pinnacle of the French, and their national strength is no longer enough to support them to go further.

In order to compete with the Russians for hegemony on the European continent, the French population was too small, and in this era of crowd tactics, the slow population growth rate directly drove the French out.

If you want to compete with the British for supremacy at sea, the construction of the Continental Army has diverted resources, and you can't do it all, so you will naturally not be John Bull's opponent.

The French in the game only see the strength of their own strength, but do not see the potential for development, they have been thrown off by their competitors, and they are still dreaming of world hegemony.

From this strategic point of view, the dilemma faced by France and Austria is somewhat similar, both must develop the army and navy at the same time, and cannot concentrate on one side.

Austria has the advantage of having a larger population, a larger territory, and more resources; The disadvantages are also very obvious, if a multi-ethnic country cannot complete national integration, it will be in great trouble when nationalism awakens.

After figuring out the hole cards in his hand, Franz thought that he was still happier than Napoleon III, no matter how many Austrian nationalities there were, but they were still safer than the French people!

Taking history as a mirror, Napoleon III did a good job in history, and was ousted from power by hot-headed people after only one defeat; And the original owner lost the Franco-Austrian War and the Austro-Prussian War in succession in history, and the gap can be seen whether he still sits firmly on the throne.

From the beginning of his rise to power, Franz promoted the unification of the written and written languages on the one hand, and cross-ethnic marriage on the other.

At present, the language is the best, the German language is basically popularized in the towns, and there is no need to think about it in the countryside for the time being, except for the children who are receiving compulsory education, the older generation can speak a few words of German and be considered activists.

In any case, there are still nearly seven floors of the population in the country who speak German. In the ethnic minority areas, the newly occupied Balkans, the rate of popular German is the highest.

Needless to say, although the official literacy rate has exceeded 67 percent, the status quo of a society in which most of the people are illiterate has not changed.

Franz didn't think he could write a few words and be considered an intellectual. This 67 percent can also be understood as 67 percent of the people who are able to write their own names.

If we want to truly unify the spoken and written language, we have to wait for the generation that has received compulsory education to grow up, and this kind of thing cannot be rushed.

In contrast, the number of mixed-race children has increased much more. With the advancement of industrialization, the exchanges between people of various ethnic groups have increased significantly, and there are naturally more marriages.

Theoretically, as long as there were three million couples who were inter-ethnic marriages, all the races of the entire new Holy Roman Empire would be tied together.

Everyone has become relatives, and the national concept has been diluted. To put it bluntly, who would discriminate against their relatives and friends except ultra-nationalists?

Franz instructed: "Keep an eye on the French, the excavation of the Suez Canal is not only a huge investment, but also the risks are unknown, and the French government is bound to raise funds in the capital market." ”

Investing in the Suez Canal is a lucrative business, and once this golden waterway is opened, it will be a source of money, and Franz will naturally not let go of this opportunity.

Theoretically, in order to reduce the risk, the French would probably have wooed Austria to join in the face of opposition from the British.

However, the French could not have given up a controlling stake in the canal, and Franz did not expect to get a controlling stake.

In this case, the Vienna government can get a share of investment at most three or four layers, which seems to be a lot, but there are more people who share the cake, and as the emperor Franz, he must pay attention to his appearance.

Rather than taking it from government investment, it is better to secretly buy a part of the shares in the capital market, anyway, this is an investment that only takes dividends, and the more secretive the better.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Taryn replied

After a pause, Franz asked, "What's the news from the Kingdom of Prussia lately?" ”

Taryn replied: "The Kingdom of Prussia is still in the process of reform, and the reign of Frederick William IV is somewhat unstable, and there is an undercurrent in the country. He himself is not in good shape and has not been seen in public for a long time.

The specifics were uncertain, and the Prussians blocked the news. However, from the frequent political activities of Wilhelm Frederick Ludwig, we can infer that Frederick Wilhelm IV was not in good health. ”

After hearing the news, Franz reacted that the famous Wilhelm the Great in history was about to appear on the stage of history.

However, one step is slow, and the next step is slow, and the Prussian kingdom at this time has lost its time.

The three-point German pattern was created by Franz, and how could it be easily broken in the case of the re-establishment of the Vienna system?

Now Britain, France, Russia and Austria all want stability on the European continent, and this is not something that can be controlled by individual forces. Unless he can open up and let everyone's brains collectively enter the water, there will be a chance.

Historically, the unification of the German regions by the Kingdom of Prussia was in the context of the establishment of the government of Napoleon III. It wasn't just one wind pump, but three times in a row that it created an opportunity for them.

The current international situation is even more severe, and unless France and Austria can be allowed to fight in Italy and Britain and Russia in India at the same time, there will be no room for them to play their role.

After thinking for a moment, Franz ordered: "Tylen, find an opportunity to get rid of Bismarck, the Prussian ambassador to Russia." Do it naturally and don't expose what we do.

If there is no suitable opportunity, then stink him first and let him lose the opportunity to go further. ”

His hero, my enemy.

Although Franz has always adhered to the rules of political struggle and rarely played these schemes, it does not mean that he will not play tricks.

To be on the safe side, he decided to get rid of the iron-blooded prime minister first. Without him as a helmsman, even if other radicals came to power, the Prussians would not have been able to make a big wave.

The Kingdom of Prussia was limited in strength and could not afford to lose in the tournament, and any one mistake in operation would be doomed.

Wilhelm Frederick Ludwig was not a simple commodity, and in the absence of a chance of victory, he would not have risked anything with the radicals. Not all prime ministers were Bismarcks who could force the king to make concessions.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Taryn replied

……