At Schönbrunn Palace, Franz is still struggling with the outcome of the American Civil War. As for the controversy caused by the high expenses of the Central American colonies, he did not take it seriously at all.

The wool came from the sheep, and without the Central American colonies, Austria could not have made large profits in the American Civil War, which were now spent on the construction of the Central American colonies.

Since it was the Americans who paid for it, why should he feel distressed?

To be able to get the Central American region and put a nail in the back garden of the Americans is already a big profit.

Although the Panama region has not started, its influence has already spread. Franz's goal was only to delay the opening of the Panama Canal and engage in sabotage, not necessarily to occupy the land.

The height of the station is different, and the way of looking at the problem is naturally different. Franz's definition of overseas colonies has always been: raw material origin + market at this stage, and the radiation circle of Austrian economic + political power in the future.

In fact, the British have done a good job in this regard, and the strategic concept of the Commonwealth is still very successful. The only problem is that the United States and the Soviet Union were too strong, and Britain fell again.

Weakness is the original sin, and if Britain is not strong, the British Commonwealth will naturally not be able to play the role it envisioned. However, it still retains some economic and political interests, which is better than nothing.

Austria could well emulate, and the unique system of the Holy Roman Empire was naturally prepared for such a situation.

The division of feudal states or autonomous provinces not only takes into account the interests of all parties, but also maintains the unity of the country. As long as the central government is strong enough, the empire is unbreakable.

……

Foreign Secretary Wessenberg said: "Your Majesty, I have just received news that three days ago there was a large-scale rebellion in Russian Poland. ”

The Russian Empire launched a rebellion, which can only be considered trivial. Since Alexander II's reforms, it has happened almost every year.

If it was a rebellion in the Polish region, then the situation was different. Since the partition of Poland by the three countries, the Polish issue has become an issue closely related to Russia, Austria and Prussia.

Poland was also once awesome, but people are easy to float when they are proud, there is no doubt that Poland has floated, and the German regions and Russia have become their hunting grounds.

It didn't matter when Poland was strong, but unfortunately in the late 18th century the Kingdom of Poland declined, and its good neighbor Russia became strong again.

Under the effect of hatred + interests, the three countries of Russia, Prussia and Austria decided to divide Poland and solve this enemy once and for all, and the big wave of coaxing was destroyed.

As the leading big brother, Russia seized 62% of Poland's territory, occupying more than 460,000 square kilometers; Prussia seized 20 per cent of Polish territory, or about 141,100 square kilometers, and Austria seized 18 per cent of Polish territory, or about 121,800 square kilometers.

Since there is a terrible history, the Poles naturally cannot tolerate being ruled by the three countries. After the 19th century, the Polish independence movement was also an important part of European history.

At this time, it is time to test the ability of countries to rule. There is no doubt that the Prussians have been engaged in the Germanization campaign for decades, and Austria is also engaged in the great integration of nationalities, and Russia, which has done nothing, has been shot.

Having acquired the largest amount of land and population in Poland without digesting it, coupled with the rotten rule of the tsarist government, Russian Poland became the stronghold of the Polish independence movement.

However, rebellion is contagious, and although Austrian Poland has been stable, it is necessary to keep a close eye on it.

Franz asked, "Is there a foreign power involved?" ”

No one on the European continent wanted to see the tsarist government reforms succeed, including Austria, and a decaying Russian empire was in the interest of all parties.

The most typical is that during the reform period of the tsarist government, the raising of funds from the outside world was resisted by the capital market. In addition to the bad credibility of the tsarist government, the political position of countries was also an important factor.

With the existence of the Russian-Austrian alliance, Austria will not directly stab the Russians, and other European countries may not, especially Russia's sworn enemy John Bull.

Foreign Secretary Wessenberg replied: "Yes, and not just one. Based on the information we have gathered, it can be preliminarily concluded that both Britain and France financed Polish independence organizations, and the Prussian government also provided them with assistance.

In addition, a number of European countries have secretly facilitated the organization of Polish independence.

Recently, Polish independence organizations have been very active, looking around for diplomatic support. Polish independence organizations have also appeared, including in the country, and the anti-Russian faction has provided them with cover. ”

Franz rubbed his forehead, and sure enough, it was. I have to admire the ability of the Russians to pull hatred, even with the presence of the Russian-Austrian alliance, the anti-Russian faction in Austria is still quite strong.

Suffice it to say, if he had changed his pro-Russian diplomatic stance today, the anti-Russians would have become the mainstream in Austria tomorrow.

This is the Russians' own pot, and after the signing of the Russian-Austrian alliance, they often regard themselves as the bosses, which naturally causes dissatisfaction among many people.

Especially after Austria grew stronger, the voices of discontent became even louder. Franz pretended not to know anything, that the Russian-Austrian alliance could not be torn up now, and that likewise he would not cultivate the so-called pro-Russian faction.

Needless to say, Franz also knew that Austria was among the many European countries that secretly supported Poland's independence organization. As long as he did not undermine the Russian-Austrian alliance on the surface, Franz encouraged everyone to exert their subjective initiative.

Had it not been for the fear that the growth of the Polish independence organization would threaten the security of Austrian Poland, it is estimated that there would have been more supporters of Polish independence in the Vienna government.

Franz thought for a moment and said: "Warn the anti-Russians in the country, let them restrain themselves, and don't let the Russians catch the handle."

Even if you want to pull the Russians back, it's better to arrange a few vests and not involve us. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Wesenberg replied that he least wanted to get into trouble. Once a diplomatic conflict is triggered, it is he, the foreign secretary, who is responsible for wiping his ass in the end.

……

In Berlin, Ron, who is also Minister of War and Minister of the Navy, has been uneasy lately. Ever since he learned that the Junker aristocracy was plotting to make Poland independent, he was very apprehensive.

From the beginning of the Revolution, the anti-Russian faction within the Kingdom of Prussia prevailed, and the Polish independence plan was proposed at that time, the main purpose of which was to create conditions for the unification of Prussia with the German regions.

It was only suppressed by William Frederick IV, and the plan was put on hold without restrictions. As a result of this delay, the situation in Europe changed, and with the revival of Austria, the opportunity for Prussia to unify the German regions vanished.

In order to change the diplomatic passivity, there were calls for improving Russian-Prussian relations in the Prussian government, of which Bismarck was one of the leaders.

It is a pity that Bismarck was assassinated in St. Petersburg, and the tsarist government acted perfunctorily and casually took the Polish independence organization as the top tank, which once again triggered an anti-Russian wave.

Of course, these reasons were not enough for the Junker aristocracy to provoke the Russians, and the Russian Empire, which was strong and powerful in the middle, was also very intimidating, at least Prussia could not afford to provoke it.

The main reason for their decision was the opening up of colonies in Indochina. Despite only occupying the Phnom Penh dynasty, this brought considerable benefits to the Prussian government.

At this time, there was a division within the Junker aristocracy, and some of the nobles who had received rich rewards in overseas colonization activities stood with the capitalists and advocated greater investment in the navy.

Most of the Junker nobles who supported overseas colonization were capital Junker aristocrats, also known as: the Junker aristocracy of the maritime faction.

The other part of the traditional Junker aristocracy, the continental Junker aristocracy, feared that their dominant position in the military would no longer exist when the strategic center of gravity shifted to the sea.

After all, army officers were almost monopolized by the Junker aristocracy. The Junker aristocracy has been trained professionally in military since childhood, and in terms of professionalism, even if it is fair competition, it is not comparable to that of a civilian officer who has become a monk halfway.

At sea, it was different, and although the navy was now directly transferred from the army, it was still the Junker aristocracy that was in the driver's seat.

But in practice, they found that a good army officer is not the same as a good naval officer. Many Army officers who enter the Navy are not up to the task.

The rigid nature of the Germans played a role, and if they were not up to the task, they would get out. Without waiting for others to do it, they themselves drove these unqualified officers back to the army.

Naturally, some people will go up, and the number of civilian officers in the navy is increasing day by day. Once the navy became the center of gravity of the Kingdom of Prussia, it was difficult for them to maintain their dominance of the army.

For their own interests, the Continental Junker nobles had to pull the back of the navy. In order to develop the navy, it is necessary to ensure their control over the army.

To put it simply, it is to slow down the development of the navy and wait for them to train the next generation to become qualified naval officers.

This kind of bizarre idea is still very marketable among the Junker aristocracy. In their opinion, it is only a few years of hard work, and it doesn't hurt to delay it.

Plotting Polish independence was only the first step, and only by leaving the Russians to their own devices could they have a chance to seize the Schleswig-Holstein principalities.

This is a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, and the capture of the two principalities can not only increase the strength of Prussia, but also weaken the Russians, and by the way, solve the domestic dispute between land and sea,

Anyway, as long as there is a fight on land, military spending will inevitably be tilted towards the army, and the development of the navy will naturally be delayed.

After a few years, the naval officers from the Junker aristocracy also graduated from school, and letting these own people enter the navy and seize power is the best choice to protect their own interests.

The plan seemed perfect, and to be on the safe side, they also found the British and French top cylinders. Even if the plan failed, on the surface, Prussia was not deeply involved, and the Russians wanted to find trouble, which was also the bad luck of looking for Britain and France.

Ron asked, "Moltke, do you think this plan is likely to succeed?" ”

The Chief of the General Staff, Moltke, replied: "Your Excellency, I cannot answer this question. The Russians have a great cause, and it is still unknown how much trouble Poland alone can bring to them.

Although Britain and France promised to support the Polish Independence Organization, no one knows how much they were willing to invest.

We also have to consider the reaction of the Austrians, and if they supported the Russians, then the chances of the Polish independence movement succeeding were even lower.

We can't wait for Poland to succeed in independence, their odds are too low. The best option would be for the Poles to hold back the Russians and cover our seizure of the two principalities.

As long as our occupation of the two principalities created an established fact before the Russians settled the Poles, the tsarist government had nothing to do with us. ”

This crude plan came from the Prussian General Staff. As a member of the Junker aristocracy, Moltke also did not want to see the Junker aristocracy decline.

In order not to leave the bourgeoisie to take advantage of it, they had to take a strategic adventure. If the operation is good, it may be able to swallow the Kingdom of Denmark in one bite and change the passive situation of Prussia on the European continent in one fell swoop.

It can be said that the French set an example for them and inspired the ambitions of the Prussians.