Early in the morning, Franz had just finished his morning exercise and had not yet had time to eat breakfast. Foreign Secretary Wessenberg arrived in a hurry with bad news.

"Your Majesty, there is news from our embassy in Bolivia that the Chilean army invaded Bolivia two days ago, and the South American balance has been upset."

The main reason for the Austrian government's interest in the war was the saltpeter trade. Because of the relations between the South American colonies, Austria's relations with Chile and Argentina were not good.

Since 1863, when the discovery of rich saltpeter deposits in the province of Atacama on the Pacific coast of Bolivia, it has been a major importer of saltpeter from Austria.

With the increase in commercial trade, Austria's relations with Bolivia have also warmed up, and they are about to become quasi-allies.

It's just that the strategic core of the Vienna government is not in South America, and the forces invested in the South American region are very limited, and there is no further progress.

In any case, as a great power, it is indispensable to play the role of a-stirring stick in the international community. did not gain fame, mainly because the British counterparts were too powerful and stole everyone's limelight.

The power of investment is small, which does not mean that there is no investment. The Vienna government also supports younger brothers in South America, but the relationship between the two sides is not deep, and it can be regarded as a partner.

Bolivia was one of them, militarily with the help of Austria. It's a pity that the Bolivian government is not very smart, and when it saw that Britain, France and Austria were secretly competing with each other in South America, they chose to sway left and right.

Swaying from side to side also requires capital, and with capital it is a flexible foreign policy, and without capital it is walking a tightrope. There is no doubt that Bolivia is one of the countries without capital.

As for the saltpeter trade, it seems to be very important, but in fact it is just that. For Britain, France and Austria, it is better to be able to obtain cheap saltpeter, and if they do not have it, they can produce it themselves.

In these years, no chemical fertilizer was made, and the demand for saltpeter was not very large. Even if the cost of their own production is a little higher, it will not be difficult for the three major powers.

Moreover, Bolivia is only one of the saltpeter exporters, and it is not a monopoly. Next door, Chile is also an exporter of saltpeter.

Once again, it has been proven that there is no future for wall grass. After all parties failed to woo each other, Bolivia was abandoned and Chile fell to the British.

During the War of Independence, Chile and Bolivia were allies in the struggle against Spanish colonial rule. However, it is easy to share hardships and hardships, and it is difficult to share wealth and prosperity.

The Atacama Desert on the border between Chile and Bolivia and Peru was never clearly defined during Spanish colonial rule.

After the independence of the three countries, Bolivia occupied the Antofagasta region in the central Atacama Desert, Peru occupied the Tarapacá region in the northern part of the desert, and Chile acquired the southern part of the desert. All three countries claim sovereignty over desert areas

If this desert has no resources, it is estimated that it will not be able to do so in the end. Unfortunately, this region not only has resources, but also is very rich in resources, and contradictions have arisen.

Chile is even stronger, and now they are on the thighs of the British, who are qualified to use force.

Franz asked with concern: "Did the British interfere?" ”

Franz was not interested in delving into the causes and consequences, and in the final analysis, it was still interests. Right or wrong, in fact, is the least important in international politics.

In the era of imperialism, if there is a black and white debate, it is more likely that there is an equal balance of power, or there is the intervention of a great power, otherwise justice belongs only to the victor.

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg: "For the time being, there is no sign of British meddling, and it is more in the interests of the British to maintain stability in South America from the perspective of interests."

If the Chileans had won the war, they would have a complete monopoly on saltpeter exports, which is not what the British wanted to see.

Of course, this is only an analysis of the interests on the bright side. If the British had a secret treaty with Chile, it would be impossible to say.

We have very cold relations with Chile and have limited strength on the ground. In a short period of time, there is no ability to determine whether the two parties are secretly trading. ”

Franz wandered around, paying little attention to the history of South America, except vaguely remembering a Pacific war between Chile and Bolivia and Peru.

The specific time, course, and attitude of the great powers are not clear. Even if it is clear, it is useless, under the influence of the butterfly effect, the international situation has long been unrecognizable.

Franz: "External factors aside, who do you think will win this war?" ”

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg: "I am more optimistic about the Chileans, who clearly surpass Bolivia in terms of military strength.

Although in recent years Bolivia has learned military affairs from us, the Bolivian Government is stupid.

If you just learn the military of any European power, they are likely to succeed. I just had to learn the military of many countries at the same time, and finally came up with a four-way army.

Purely militarily, the chances of Bolivia winning are almost nil. However, with the intervention of other countries, the situation is uncertain.

The relationship between South American countries is complex, and it is difficult to clarify it for a while. This time, the war that broke out over the ownership of the Atacama Desert also involved Peru.

Of the three countries, Chile now has the strongest military power. Peru and Bolivia, alone, are no match for the Chileans.

Under the common interest, the possibility of the two countries joining forces is very high. If Bolivia and Peru abandon their differences, it will be difficult to say where this war will go. ”

Franz was very hesitant to intervene in the South American war. The main issue is still the investment and the return, and he is not sure if the final result will be proportional.

Austria's strength in South America was limited, and it was not qualified to intervene with the small strength of Austrian South America.

As for the military power of Austria Central America, it must not be moved lightly, otherwise the balance of North America will be broken. Without sufficient strength to deter, there is no guarantee that the United States and the Confederates will not take advantage of the opportunity to do something.

For the sake of the South American war, it was certainly not worth the risk. Franz can still distinguish between the main and secondary, the Americans are the threat when they become bigger, and Chile is not worth mentioning at all.

If you want to make it, unless Chile can annex Argentina. This is obviously impossible, and not to mention that the great powers agree or disagree, Argentina itself is not weaker than them.

After a moment of hesitation, Franz made a decision: "Let's wait and see, and remain neutral for the time being until our interests are not harmed." ”

This is the safest thing to do, Austria's interests in South America are not big enough to be worth the money.

Even if you want to interfere, you are being begged to interfere, not to deliver it yourself.

Once nationalism in small countries rises, it has a common problem, that is, it is easy to lose self-knowledge.

Without waiting for them to decide the winner and loser, they ran to interfere in advance, but no one would appreciate it.

……

It is not only Austria that has chosen to wait and see the situation, but Britain and France have also chosen to wait and see.

South American countries are full of contradictions, and this war between Chile and Bolivia may even trigger a major South American melee.

If you intervene early, you will obviously fall into a passive state. If you bet on the wrong bet, even the great powers will lose a lot.

If nothing else, a commodity market is gone. Under normal circumstances, small South American countries do not have the confidence to say no to big countries, but if someone supports them, it may be.

……

Bolivia, since the outbreak of the war with Chile, President Illarion Daza has not been well.

Unlike the fanatical nationalists at home, as a national leader, Illarion Daza is self-aware.

Militarily, Bolivia is indeed no match for Chile. This is just one of them, and then there is the lack of international support in Bolivia.

This is not his responsibility, Bolivia has not yet entered the era of democracy, and the so-called government elections are in essence controlled by the military caudillo behind the scenes.

The people behind the scenes want to play a balance between the powers, and the government that is pushed out naturally cannot refuse. However, this diplomatic balance is not fun, and Ilarion Daza is not capable of handling it.

Now that the war has broken out, there is not a single country among the great powers that supports them with a clear banner.

You know, from the standpoint of a bystander of this era, this time it was Chile that was the first to invade Bolivia.

Under normal circumstances, public opinion should be sympathetic to the victims. Against this backdrop, the military invasion of Chile will be condemned at least verbally.

However, Bolivia's diplomatic balance has failed for only a few years, and the British, French and Austrian governments are still holding grudges. Internationally, the Bolivian Government has been unanimous in recent years.

Now that the three major countries have not taken a stand, and other countries have nothing to do with themselves, they naturally will not risk offending the big hooligans and seek justice for Bolivia.

President Illarion Daza: "Ladies and gentlemen, war has broken out. This war is at stake for Bolivia's national fortunes, and we cannot afford to lose.

Once defeated, we will not only lose our most important source of wealth - saltpeter mines; At the same time, it will lose its most important access to the sea, and it will become a landlocked country.

For the sake of the great Republic of Bolivia, I hope that you will do your best to win this war. ”

Foreign Secretary Preetta Gul: "Your Excellency, the problems on the battlefield must be solved by the military. In addition to doing a good job of logistics, we can only think of ways from outside the battlefield.

In order to increase our chances of victory in this war, I propose to temporarily unite Peru, which is as conflicted as Chile, against the Chileans. ”

There is no way, in this country with powerful warlords, even if Preetta Gur knows that Bolivia is not Chile's opponent, he does not dare to say it directly, but can only carry out artistic processing and beautify it as much as possible.

President Illarion Daza nodded: "Well, that's a good proposal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send people to contact the Peruvian government as soon as possible, as long as their conditions are not too excessive, they can agree first, we need allies now.

Any other proposals? ”

……