In Paris, after repeatedly confirming the news of the Russians' declaration of war, Napoleon IV fainted, and the French government followed suit.

The sky really fell. Austria alone had exhausted them, and now the Russians were running down again, and the rest of the battle was simply not fought.

Seeing the doctor come out, Prime Minister Terrence Bulkin hurriedly asked, "Mr. Telkan, how is Your Majesty's health?" ”

In a monarchy, the fainting of the emperor is also a big deal. In normal times, Napoleon IV had a health problem, and Terence Bulkin, as prime minister, might have secretly celebrated.

The struggle between the monarchy and the prime minister has never stopped. If the monarch has a physical problem, it is a good time to expand the power of the prime minister.

Clearly, Terence Bulking has no intention of fighting for power right now. France is now in internal and external troubles, and if another power struggle breaks out, it will really be over.

Under the nest, there are eggs.

As the prime minister of France, Terence Bulkin's fate has long been tied to the Bonaparte dynasty, and he has no chance to change jobs.

"Prime Minister, please rest assured that His Majesty is in good health. Just now, I was only violently stimulated, and I suddenly fainted.

Now that you're awake, you can go in. It's just that His Majesty's mental state is still a little wrong, you have to pay attention to it, you can't let him get too tired, especially not to be violently stimulated. ”

After listening to the doctor's explanation, while breathing a sigh of relief, Terrance Bulkin showed a helpless wry smile again.

Not stimulated?

With the current situation in France, unless the emperor completely decentralizes power and does not mix politics at all, it is inevitable that he will be stimulated.

However, this is not possible. The roots of the Bonaparte dynasty are too shallow, and the French people are too lively, if they really completely delegate power, maybe one day they will be guillotined.

With the experience of Louis XVI, whoever dares to talk to the emperor about decentralization of power should be prepared to enjoy special care!

……

Seeing that everyone in the cabinet was coming, Napoleon IV on the hospital bed waved his hand and said weakly: "You are all here, find a place to sit down by yourself, and then let's start!" ”

"Your Majesty, your body?"

Prime Minister Terrence Bulkin said with some hesitation. It can be seen that Napoleon IV was in a very bad state, and Terence Bulkin was very worried that the emperor would not be able to stand the stimulation.

Napoleon IV smiled wryly and shook his head: "It's okay, I can stand it." It's all come to this point, how bad can it be? ”

For the first time, from birth to now, Napoleon IV felt hopeless. Even when the rebels swept through Paris, he never despaired.

"Preliminary judgment, the sudden declaration of war on us by the Russians this time is an Austrian conspiracy. No information came out beforehand, and it was obvious that the enemy wanted to take us by surprise.

In this respect, the government was responsible, knowing the existence of the Russo-Austrian alliance, and believing the judgment of the British, wishful thinking that the Russians did not want to see Austria bigger.

With the addition of the Russians, we will face even greater military pressure in the next war. In order to cope with this unfavorable situation, the Cabinet has just sent a telegram to the British asking for help.

The British did not want to see the continent alone. If they don't want to fight the Russian-Austrian alliance alone, the British should be on our side. ”

Politicians are true to themselves, and when analyzing problems, Terence Bullin has not forgotten to downplay his responsibilities.

It seems that he is taking the initiative to take responsibility, but he is telling Napoleon IV: it is not that the cabinet is incompetent, the international situation is complicated, we are just making a mistake that normal people would make.

Theoretically, the Russians are already very good friends if they don't pull Austria back. Taking the initiative to enter the market and help Austria seize hegemony on the European continent is obviously unscientific.

Unfortunately, politics has never been scientific. Britain and France, the old enemies, were able to stand together, and the Russians were no longer in charge.

After listening to the Prime Minister's report, Napoleon IV asked blandly: "Is there any good news?" ”

The Russians entered the war, and he knew it before he fell unconscious. How serious the consequences were, Napoleon IV had long been clear.

Against this backdrop, it is natural to need good news to soothe the mood. The news of the unknown success or failure of the British is certainly not good news.

Prime Minister Terence Bulgin replied: "The Anglo-Russian war has just ended, the tsarist government is fighting a famine, and the war can only be financed by Austria.

According to the information from the embassy, the tsarist government had not yet made preparations for war, and the Russians would not be able to send troops in a short time.

This creates an opportunity for us to win the battle in Central Europe before the Russians send in their troops, and everything has room for manoeuvre. ”

Is this all good news?

In Napoleon IV's view, this was clearly a gamble. If the bet is won, then the war will continue; If you lose the bet, then you don't need to say anything, you can get ready to run!

However, it was this gamble that became France's only hope. As for the support of the British, no one could expect the Royal Navy to sail warships ashore.

In a pure land war, with the pocket-sized version of the British army, even if it is expanded by five times, it will not be able to reverse the balance of strength between the two sides.

Although I am not very satisfied, it is better to have a way than not to have it. How can you know if you can't do it without trying it yourself?

……

Madrid, from the defeat of the Armada, began the road of a century of decline in Spain.

The decaying religion and feudal system, the chaotic political situation at home, and the deliberate suppression by Britain and France in the international arena were all key to the decline of Spain.

In particular, in the last war against France, Spain, as the victorious power, not only lost a large number of overseas colonies, but also ruthlessly rejected its claim to reclaim the disputed territories with France.

Time is like a knife, after decades of wear, these humiliations and hatreds have long been diluted.

If nothing else, in a few decades it will be a cold piece of history, lying quietly in a corner of the library, as long as historians occasionally flip through it.

Accidents happened, and after the outbreak of the European War, Austria set off a wave of anti-French in Europe. These forgotten old things have once again come into people's sight.

Today, unlike in the past, nationalism in Spain has risen and, although politically still dominated by conservatives, has also given it the ability to make its voice heard.

Thanks to the efforts of the nationalists, the voice of revenge continued to appear in society, especially after the French army was defeated on the battlefield, which fueled the arrogance of the main battle faction.

However, this is not enough, the conservatives who hold power are still immersed in the invisibility of Napoleon's sweep across the continent, and dare not cross the line in the slightest.

Against this background, Austria's plan to win over Spain naturally did not go well. Except for persuading the Spanish government to restrict exports to France and give the French a little eye medicine, little was gained.

All this changed with the news of the Russians' entry into the war.

The tsarist government was ready to declare no war, but the outside world did not know it! Russians also want to save face, this kind of thing can be done a little, if you say it, it will be embarrassing.

Influenced by the Russian entry into the war, the European world was generally optimistic about the anti-French alliance, and Spain was no exception.

The neutral faction, which was originally in a wait-and-see state, also fell to the main battle faction at this moment, and the voice of the main battle gradually overwhelmed the main and peace faction.

There is no way, the anti-French alliance has become a general trend, and Spain only needs to follow the soy sauce to join it, and it will be able to become the victorious country.

Plus, Austria gives too much. It's hard to refuse just throwing the French map over and choosing where to choose.

In the royal palace of Madrid, the main war faction and the main peace faction were once again caught in a fierce quarrel.

The regent, Queen Mother Maria Cristina, was born in Austria and remained neutral on this issue in order to avoid suspicion.

Seeing that the quarrel escalated into a scolding war, the Empress Dowager Maria Christina finally couldn't help it: "Shut up for me, pay attention to your identity, don't make it like a racetrack!"

The Russians have already entered the war, and I have asked you here today to discuss what we should choose, not to listen to you quarrel here. ”

Neutrality does not mean that there is no position, although it is not directly stated, but everyone knows that the Queen Mother Maria Cristina is inclined towards Austria.

Perhaps Maria Cristina would not have taken advantage of Austria's fire until the situation was clear, but now the situation is no longer the case, and it is only a matter of time before the anti-French coalition wins, and Spain must take sides.

Continuing to maintain neutrality seems to be a mutual offense, but in fact it is also a mutual rejection. There is nothing yet, and when the war on the continent is over, it will be their turn to be unlucky.

Neutrality also requires a premise, either its own strength is strong, and you don't have to stand in line; Either it's insignificant, it's the same whether you stand in line or not.

It's a pity that declining Spain is neither. If you don't take sides now, after the end of the European War, you will inevitably be suppressed by the hegemon.

Foreign Secretary Bernard Roberts: "The situation in the continental war is already clear, and after the Russians enter the war, the probability of victory for the French is almost zero.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that Austria's purpose in winning us over now is not simply for the war against France, but more for the purpose of rebuilding the international order after the war.

Not only us, but all the neutral countries in Europe, except for the British, were within the reach of Austria.

It's just that because of geopolitics, we need to pay a little bit more and go to war with the French. However, the pay is directly proportional to the benefit, and the Vienna government is sincere in the distribution of benefits. ”

Standing in line is always the most troublesome problem, but Spain has not yet had the confidence to refuse. To reject Austria's co-optation now would be to cut itself off from the continental political system of the future.

"It's not that serious, even if Austria wins the war, they can't cover the sky with one hand. The British, Russians, and French will not let them behave recklessly.

On the contrary, it is more dangerous to participate in this war, and everyone does not know how powerful France is. We must not forget the lessons of the last war against France. Don't look at the strength of the anti-French alliance, it is not certain who will win and who will lose in the end.

Spain can't afford to toss, even if they want to take sides, it will have to wait for them to decide the winner. ”

Speaking was the conservative leader, Marquis Wangari Maathai, who suffered from severe "Francophobia" because he had personally participated in the last war against France and witnessed the tragedy of Spain's defeat.

Not only him, but everyone who experienced the last war against France was a "lawphobia" and belonged to the staunchest anti-war faction of the Spanish government.

"Your Excellency the Marquis, you are still stuck in the last war against France, France without Napoleon is not the same.

Just look at the battlefield: in Africa, they were beaten all the way by Austria; On the Southern Front, the French army was similarly pinned down by Austria; The only Central European battlefield that seems to have the upper hand is not actually taking advantage either.

If it weren't for the French's expulsion of the people of the Rhineland and Belgium, increasing the logistical pressure on the anti-French alliance and delaying the decisive battle, perhaps they would have been defeated long ago.

Now that the Russians have joined the anti-French alliance, in the face of absolute strength, what do the French rely on to turn the tables? Even if Napoleon was so powerful, he was not defeated in the end.

It is indeed safe to drag to the end of the line, but when the benefits are redistributed in the future, we will not have our share.

Don't expect someone to counterbalance Austria after the war, the international situation is different now, and it is unknown whether there will be France after the war.

Let us not forget that Austria had promised us any choice of French territory, and it was clear that they were preparing to carve up or dismember France.

Didn't get involved, missed this opportunity......"