Limiting the armament of the army, there is nothing to keep secret. With the exception of the British, who are isolated overseas, other European countries are beneficiaries.

The Russo-Prussian War affected not only the two belligerents, but also the neighbors who expanded their armaments, and the size of the armies of each country swelled to varying degrees.

This was a bad start for Austria, and in order to ensure its own security and the ability to intervene in the war at any time, the Vienna government took the lead in expanding its army, which then triggered a chain reaction.

By now, Austria's army has swelled to 947,000, which is not too much to claim to be a million-strong army.

In parallel with the expansion of the active forces, the Vienna government also mobilized a large number of reserves in the name of training.

If Franz wanted to, he would be able to raise two or three million troops in a week, which would be enough to deal with all kinds of contingencies.

There is no way, the trust between people no longer exists in these years, and I have to prepare for the worst.

If one side of the Russo-Prussian War won the war easily, no one dared to guarantee that they would not swell up and do the stupid thing of attacking Austria.

Franz didn't like to put his security on others, so he naturally wanted to expand his strength.

In addition to security considerations, there is also the issue of debt. Collecting accounts this year is not an easy job, who knows you without strength?

Now that Prussia and Russia are both defeated, as the victor, Mao Xiong has no capital to repay the debt, and the tsarist government seems to be very peaceful, so naturally there is no need to collect debts by force.

At a time when anti-war doctrine is prevalent, the Vienna government's proposal for disarmament at this time is completely in line with the mainstream of the times.

The only unhappy ones are probably the British, and if everyone does not cut military spending, the army spends less money, which means that the navy can get more money.

In light of the present international situation, if Austria's intentions were not known, the London government would not have to be confused.

Knowing that it is well known, it will be difficult for the London government to sabotage at this time. Disarmament is desirable and in the interests of all parties, and it cannot be given up by a few words.

……

Downing Street Prime Minister's Residence

Foreign Secretary Edward: "The Russo-Prussian War was too fierce, anti-war was on the rise in Europe, and the European people were extremely insecure.

The Austrians have chosen a good time to propose disarmament, I am afraid that it is not just for the sake of disarmament, but that Austria is preparing for the establishment of a new international order.

Disarmament is only a pretext for convening an international conference, and while limiting the size of the army, they should also sign a security treaty with the European countries.

Most European countries were insecure, no one could refuse such a treaty, and the only ones who could stand in the way were the French.

It's just that European countries have always been very wary of the French, and most countries regard them as the source of turmoil in Europe, and the French government may not have the courage to jump out to stop them at this time.

News came from Paris that the French had agreed to Austria's disarmament plan, and it was estimated that after the conclusion of the Prussian-Russian talks, Austria would convene an international conference to establish a new system of continental balance.

Originally, it was a good thing that the European continent has stabilized, but now the situation is different, and the strategic center of gravity of France and Austria may have shifted outward.

If our reasoning is correct, it will not be long before a new round of naval arms race begins, and Britain will face the most brutal challenge. ”

The hatred of the French is too high, and it cannot be calmed down in a short time. This dooms the new continental equilibrium system, in which they can only be participants, not dominants.

Everyone knows that after the Russo-Prussian War, the European political landscape will be reshuffled, and the London government must also be prepared.

The original plan was to enlist the French to establish a new European order after the birth of the North German Empire, but they were one step late, and Austria took the lead.

Prime Minister Benjamin nodded: "If the Austrians' plan succeeds, this will be the third Vienna system."

If we make trouble for them now and co-opt the French, will there be any chance of building a continental system with Britain at its core? ”

Foreign Secretary Edward shook his head: "This is very difficult, not to mention that we have not yet won over the French, even if we have the support of the Paris government, the success rate will not exceed one-third."

In recent years, our influence on the European continent has declined dramatically. Especially after the Russo-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Prussia that we supported was abolished, and the decline in the right to speak was even worse.

The French were even worse, they were no weaker than Austria and no weaker influence than the Vienna government, but their influence was mostly negative.

Part of it was left by Napoleon, and part of it was the price paid for the annexation of Italy. With the exception of Spain, the French could no longer find an ally on the continent.

Judging by the information we have received, Franco-Spanish relations are also gradually cooling. If a new international order were to be established, I am afraid that the Spaniards would not necessarily support them. ”

Politics is very realistic, Britain's pawn on the European continent is abolished, and its ability to interfere in the European continent has been greatly reduced, so naturally everyone does not buy it.

Wooing the French, while increasing their influence, they also had to accept the negative impact of France.

For example, Belgium, Switzerland, the German Confederation, countries threatened by France, can't help but stand on opposite sides.

Even if the British can pull them over reluctantly, don't expect help.

No amount of benefits promised is useless, and as long as France does not give up its peep at them, the problem cannot be solved.

As for letting the French go?

Just think about it, I didn't experience social beatings, and I successfully annexed the Italian region, it was when the French were the most inflated, why should I listen to the British?

The honeymoon period of Anglo-French relations has long ended, and the Anglo-French feud that was originally covered up by time has appeared again and again in the newspapers of both countries, which is enough to explain a lot of problems.

It is simply impossible to get the French to abandon their strategy and continue to be their junior brothers.

Whoever becomes emperor must cool Anglo-French relations, or the explosion of nationalism will collapse the government in Paris.

After the Franco-Prussian War in the original time and space, Britain and France had been fighting each other for many years, and if it weren't for the successive stupid moves of the German Second Empire, Britain and France would not have been able to stand together.

Now France could not feel threatened, so Anglo-French relations had to deteriorate. When it comes to politics, interests determine everything.

After thinking about it secretly, Prime Minister Benjamin sighed helplessly: "That's it, the establishment of an international order as soon as possible is also a good thing for Britain." If Austria wants to dominate, let them dominate!

With the treaty bound, our next plans for North Germany will be smoother. The international order has just been established, and the Vienna government must not slap itself in the face! ”

The benefits of dominating the new European order are not only prestige, but more importantly, the promotion of one's own ideas.

People need packaging, and a good packaging can make it easier for people to succeed in social life, and the country is no exception.

Great power competition is all-encompassing, and political, economic, military, cultural, and ideological are indispensable. Leading the establishment of an international system is undoubtedly the fastest way to spread one's influence.

The Vienna government is experienced in this area, having had two successful experiences, and Franz naturally wanted to replicate it a third time.

……

The blood in St. Petersburg has not yet dried up, and not so long ago there was a great purge that brought thousands of bigwigs to the ground.

All those suspected of participating in the assassination case were thrown into prison by Aleksandrovich, and of course the elimination of dissidents was also indispensable.

How the list came to be is another unsolved mystery in the history of the Russian Empire.

After arresting people and investigating again, the progress of the case was indeed much faster. Of course, it is indispensable to involve a lot of bad things, in short, everyone deserves it, and all of them are taken out and killed, basically without wrongdoing.

There are so many people involved that it's definitely impossible to kill them all. It is inevitable to be lightly punished, as long as you do not participate in the assassination case, other issues are easy to discuss.

Even if there were still thousands of people who were wiped off by order of Alexandrovich, there was no way that Alexander II had been assassinated so many times, and there were more than a few participants.

Hundreds of assassination cases, casually involved in any of them, it was one word - death.

In addition to the revolutionaries, many capitalists and aristocrats were involved and sent to God together.

The tradition of not killing nobles does not apply here, and no one dares to help intercede on this issue.

According to the normal situation, the slaughter of so many people at once, including hundreds of nobles, Aleksandrovich has long been notorious, and this time it is an exception.

Most of the mainstream media in Europe praised his righteous actions. The most powerful aristocratic group in Europe has come to a collective silence.

Even the nobility within the Russian Empire was rarely silent. No matter what you think in your heart, you can't say that Aleksandrovich is doing something wrong.

Killing the monarch is definitely a taboo, whether it is successful or not, it is a heinous crime. At this time, if you jump out and make noise, you have to consider the reaction of your own monarch first.

Even if Aleksandrovich killed all the people, who the real culprit was still not solved.

However, those who obstructed the investigation were found out. It's a pity that these guys are not plotting a conspiracy.

The main reason for hindering the investigation is that there are too many assassinations of Alexander II, and they are either active or passive, and they are involved in it, for fear that they will be involved in the in-depth investigation.

Looking at the investigative report in his hand, Aleksandrovich behaved very strangely and did not react in any way, as if nothing had happened.

Thousands of people have fallen to the ground, which seems to be very powerful, but in fact, there are very few people who really involve weight, and most of them are ordinary people.

Many of the involvement is not too deep, most of them were ordered by Crown Prince Aleksandrovich to be removed from office, or exiled, and the real killing was only really involved in the murder of the monarch.

If it was an ordinary assassination case, the result of this treatment would obviously be very heavy, but when it came to the "murder case", Alexandrovic's handling was too light.

Although there is no saying in Europe about punishing the nine clans, it is definitely not too much to be involved in the murder of the monarch, and it is definitely not too much to kill the whole family.

Those who are implicated by relatives and friends, or who inadvertently help in the assassination, even if they are not beheaded, must take off their titles of nobility.

None of them happened, and most of the more than 100 nobles who were executed were personally planning or conspiring with others and taking action, as well as those who helped to stop the investigation and obstruct it.

If you really wipe off the number of nobles, there is not one-tenth of what Franz killed during the Vienna Revolution.

Of course, this is not a concept. The impact of killing people with a knife is definitely not the same as killing people yourself.

However, compared to the assassination of the Tsar, it is still too light. As in the original time and space, Crown Prince Aleksandrovich only "lifted high and fell gently", and did not come to a nationwide purge.

Putting down the information in his hand, Aleksandrovich said lightly: "Let's stop here, announce to the outside world that it is the so-called of the Narodnik, and then the secret investigation will be done." ”

……