On May 20, 1874, the Tsarist government declared war on Poland, and in the afternoon the Russian army crossed the border line and launched an attack on the Kingdom of Poland, and the Russo-Polish War broke out again.

From the outbreak of the Russian-Polish conflict to the outbreak of the war in less than a week, this efficiency refreshed Franz's perception of the tsarist government.

The results of Alexander II's reforms were already evident in efficiency, which, according to the efficiency of the tsarist government in the past, could not be done in a few months.

The sudden Russian-Polish war stunned many people. Before the European governments had time to react, the war had already begun.

In London, Prime Minister Gelston only felt exhausted. While busy with the domestic elections, and concerned about the changing situation in Europe, even the Irish issue has been postponed.

"The war in the Near East continues, and the Russians provoke another war with the Poles. Could it be that they have so quickly forgotten the lessons of the last failure in a multi-front operation, and who can tell me what happened in between? ”

With his wealth of political experience, Prime Minister Gelston can be sure that the Russo-Polish war was definitely not the result of a single conflict. Over the years, Russia and Poland have had conflicts in the triple digits, but this time the war broke out.

Looking at the swift action of the Russians, it is clear that it was premeditated. The war in the Near East distracted Britain, and the government in London directly believed that the Russians were preparing for war against the Ottoman Empire.

For this reason, the British were still figuring out how to keep the Ottoman Empire. Now there is no need to worry, the tsarist government provoked the Russo-Polish war and no longer has any more energy to devote to the war in the Near East.

Foreign Secretary McLean: "Your Excellency, based on the intelligence we have gathered, the Poles are in big trouble this time.

The Berlin government was not active in sending troops to the rescue of the Kingdom of Poland, and did not send troops after the outbreak of the war, and even military mobilization was very slow.

The election for the Polish throne was imminent, and Wilhelm I's approval rating was very high, and under normal circumstances, the election was nine out of ten.

The biggest obstacle is the current Polish government, which is ready to intervene in the elections by irregular means and kick out Wilhelm I.

It is not surprising that the Prussians, who had great ambitions for Poland, resorted to murder with a sword, and ousted the Polish government from power ahead of schedule.

Judging from the current situation, Prussia and Russia should have reached a deal in secret. The Vienna government has not yet acted on its part, and it is impossible to say with certainty what role they played.

By the way, Prussian diplomats have been very active lately, meeting frequently with high-level European countries. Just three days ago, the Prussian minister in London and I had made an in-depth passage on the Polish question.

In order to counter the threat of the Russians, they wanted to form a Prussian-Polish federation, and they also asked us for support.

If nothing else, the Prussians also had contact with France and Austria, but it is not known whether they made a deal. ”

Prime Minister Gelston nodded, and the explanation was correct. The sudden outbreak of the Russo-Polish war would make no sense to say that the two countries were not aware of it in advance.

If there is a secret collusion between Prussia and Russia, then everything will be explained. The Prussians came to the aid of the tsarist government to cover and create conditions for the Russian army to attack Poland, and it is not surprising that the Polish government was kept in the dark.

Unlike other governments, the Polish government was a hodgepodge, in which almost every great power had planted nails.

The Kingdom of Prussia was the strongest in Poland, and many people were bought off by the Berlin government. In addition, the Polish government has died on its own, and the military is like fire and water, so it is too easy to intercept some of the intelligence.

Prime Minister Gelston frowned: "If the Austrians are involved, then it will be the fourth partition of Poland between Prussia and Austria."

This is not a good sign, let them continue, I am afraid that there will not be a few countries left on the European continent in the end.

If Austria did not participate, then what local interests did Prussia and Russia offer in exchange for the acquiescence of the Vienna government?

In the same way, the Berlin government promised the French some benefits in exchange for the support of the Paris government, or the Prussians did not receive their support.

These questions must be clarified, and I do not think that the two countries will be able to privately divide the Kingdom of Poland without the understanding of France and Austria.

The interests of being able to buy off France and Austria are definitely not small, both Prussia and Russia are poor ghosts, and their industrial and economic strength are very average, and what is promised should not be economic, so the answer is about to come out.

In any case, they must not be allowed to make a deal, otherwise France and Austria will become completely bigger. ”

The foreign policy of the British people has always followed the interests of the people, and when analyzing problems, they will also be mixed with a large number of interest factors.

With this set of analysis methods, many obscure problems are clear, and many things can be known by directly tracing the benefits.

The strategy of a great power cannot be concealed at all, and countless pairs of eyes are staring at it? However, it is impossible for any country to have only one set of strategies, and there are also priorities among many strategies, and this order still changes with the changes in the international situation.

It is now accepted in European countries that the most important strategy of the French is to digest Italy, and the second is to expand into Central Europe and seize the territory west of the Rhine.

Austria's most important strategy was to unify the German region, mainly the Federal Empire of Germany, which had high popular support, and secondarily to expand into the Ottoman Empire.

Because of the mutual containment of the European countries, the second strategy of the French could not be implemented, and the most important strategy of Austria on the surface could not be carried out either.

But once France and Austria reach a compromise, and the Prussians and Russia acquiesce to their actions, the situation will be completely different, and the rest of the countries will not be able to oppose it if they want to.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Larouch Lloyd: "It's not that bad, and if it gets to that point, France and Austria will have to fight it out.

Obviously, neither France nor Austria is ready for war now. At least until the clearance is completed, I don't think they will break out into war.

Of course, in order to avoid this from happening, I felt that it was necessary to strengthen the Federal Reich of Germany.

If the Prussians wanted to annex Poland, let them give up the Rhineland. It was an enclave for Prussia anyway, and it was still eyed by the French.

Rather than leaving it to the French to build up, it would be better to throw it to the Federal Reich of Germany, and then France and Austria would have to contain each other. ”

This is a conspiracy, and now the French Empire is in full swing, and it is tragic to be their neighbor, and the pressure on national defense has increased greatly.

The Rhineland was only an enclave, and with the great enemy of the Russian Empire to the east, the Kingdom of Prussia was simply powerless to resist once the French decided to make a move.

Since it could not be saved, the status of the Rhineland region in the hearts of the Berlin government was greatly reduced, and in exchange for the annexation of the Kingdom of Poland, it is estimated that many people would agree.

Giving the Rhineland to the Federal Reich of Germany, the British were also not at ease. Once the Rhineland region was incorporated into the German Confederation, France and Austria would have to keep each other in check.

Even if the Vienna government wanted to compromise and carve up an enlarged version of the German Federal Empire with the French, the German people would not agree!

Nationalism dictated that once the French were to attack the Rhineland, Austria had to stand on the side of the German Confederation, and the Vienna government did not dare to make concessions at all.

Conversely, Austria wanted to annex the Federal Empire of Germany, and the French could not have agreed. With Austria's influence extending west of the Rhine, how could France's strategic security be guaranteed?

Unless one side falls, the other's purpose is likely to be achieved. In this context, the British can play a balance between France and Austria.

Whether there will be an imbalance of power between France and Austria is a matter for the future. The foreign policy of the London government has always been focused on the present, rather than chasing the illusory future.

No one can guarantee what will happen decades or hundreds of years from now. Today it is an ally, tomorrow it may be an enemy, and the day after tomorrow it may become an ally again, and the diplomatic plan for a rainy day is simply a joke.

Chancellor Gelston: "This issue is not urgent, first leak the news to the German Confederation, if they want to get the Rhineland, they will also have to pay the price."

After acquiring the Rhineland, the German Confederation was greatly strengthened, and it was also the second most powerful country in continental Europe after Spain.

We have to work hard to convince the Prussians for them, and to settle the French, and they can't afford to pay nothing! ”

Within a short period of time, Prime Minister Gelston made his judgment. The abandonment of the Rhineland by the Prussians was very likely, which meant that they could get rid of the threat from the French.

As for the losses caused, it was completely possible for the Federal Reich of Germany to make up for it. The Federal Empire of Germany was almost always the richest part of Germany, and its finances were much stronger than those of the Berlin government, so it was not a big problem to sell it for a good price.

With this money, a lot of problems are solved. In the next Russo-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Prussia will no longer be without a chance of victory.

As a broker, Britain could also reap some political benefits and expand its influence in the German Confederation.

……

Naturally, the outside world knew nothing about what was going on inside the government in London, and everyone was attracted to the war.

The Near East War and the Prussian-Polish War broke out at the same time, and everyone was waiting for the reaction of the Prussian and Austrian countries. Many people are speculating whether the continent will trigger a full-scale war.

Prussia, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire could be seen as allies, and they were just one piece of paper away from a treaty when it came to confronting the Russians.

Russia and Austria were also allies, and now theoretically the tsarist government had a chance to pull Austria into the water. Once a full-scale war breaks out between the two sides, Pupo + Ottoman will definitely not be able to defeat Russia + Austria, so they can only pull people into the water.

At this point, it's time for the fantasy to end. On May 23, 1874, the Austrian Foreign Ministry made its position clear: the Viennese government remained absolutely neutral in the Prussian-Polish war.

At this time, everyone can rest assured that the so-called all-out war on the European continent does not exist, and small countries do not have to worry about taking sides.

In Ankara, the decision of the Viennese government was very disappointing to Abdulaziz I, who had been counting on the outbreak of a continental war to share their military pressure.

Now there is no need to think about it, the countries of Europe are not stupid, who wants to fight without interests? The neutrality of the Vienna government in the Russo-Polish war did not come as a surprise to everyone.

It is very difficult to expand the territory of the European continent, and the legal basis is the biggest problem. Austria had no legal basis for Poland, and the occupation was not legal at all.

Unlike expanding in the Balkans, there is no need to worry about legal issues or condemnation of land from the Ottoman Empire. The Viennese government deserved the title of "liberator", not invader.

It is different to rob Poland, although the big Bobo is not very popular, it is also a sovereign state recognized by everyone, and to grab the territory of the Kingdom of Poland is to invade.

Unable to seize territory, the Polish government was so poor that it could not even recover its military expenses for waging war, and it was normal for Austria to have no interest in the Polish region.

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