On December 21, 1887, British Prime Minister Gladstone publicly declared war on Afghanistan in response to a parliamentary question, and the Second Anglo-Afghan War broke out.

In these years, the British Empire did not need congressional authorization to bully a small country, and in fact, if it were not for the uproar about the assassination of Walters, Afghanistan would not even be eligible for a declaration of war.

Like most small indigenous nations of the era, the European world did not recognize the Afghan government at all.

In most Europeans' minds, the Kingdom of Afghanistan is similar to an indigenous tribe. Even the defeat of the British army in the last war in Afghanistan did not change the perception of the outside world.

Because the Indian colonial army did not represent the true combat effectiveness of Britain, it was only the East India Company that fought Afghanistan, not the entire British Empire.

This can be seen from the declaration of war on Afghanistan, knowing that Afghanistan may have been wronged, the British government still declared war, and did not even bother to go through the investigation process.

From the beginning of the declaration of war between Britain and Afghanistan, Franz retired and became a happy melon-eating crowd.

However, waiting left and right, just don't see a good show. The British government's slogans are earth-shattering, but there is no real action.

They said that they would send troops after Christmas, and they would wait until February when there was no war, and then wait until next Christmas.

At this time, if you don't know that the British will play declaration without war again, Franz will be the emperor for so many years in vain.

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Franz asked, "How are the Russians preparing?" ”

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg: "The tsarist government has assembled two infantry divisions and one cavalry division in Central Asia, as well as a large number of strategic materiel.

As soon as the snow melts and the domestic roads are cleared, an attack will be launched on the Central Asian region. ”

The fact that the British did not move does not mean that the Russians did not move either. Compared to the cunning British, the Russians are still better to fool.

Perhaps due to genetic inheritance, the Russians have always had little resistance to the land, especially since they once occupied Central Asia.

Seeing that the novice's younger brother was in danger, the agitation in Austria went down. After weighing the pros and cons and finding no danger, the tsarist government decided to do it.

Prime Minister Karl: "The British government has declared no war on Afghanistan, it seems that they have realized the danger, and now it is up to them to give up."

The Russians have just recovered a little bit of vitality, and at most they will eat one or two Central Asian khanates, and it is simply impossible to sweep Central Asia and then go south to the Indian Ocean in one go.

There are now two paths left for the British government: either stop the arms race, concentrate on taking out Afghanistan, and fight the Russians in Central Asia; Either give up half of Central Asia to the Russians and go all out for an arms race.

Whatever choice is made, the odds are good for the British. Of course, it is not excluded that the London government is dizzy and at the same time starts an arms race and a Central Asian strategy. ”

From Austria's point of view, of course, it was hoped that Britain would go to Central Asia and fight the Russians. Whoever wins or loses, Austria is the winner.

It didn't matter if the allies were allies or not, if the British could kill the Russians, Franz wouldn't mind awarding them a medal weighing a hundred tons, absolutely pure gold.

And vice versa, as long as the Russians were able to move south to India, Franz did not mind giving full assistance. Of course, just smash the pot and sell iron, the relationship is not to that extent.

In contrast, the arms race has not taken place. Instead of throwing money at the British to fight for consumption, it is better to use the money to develop the country.

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg: "The British would not be so unwise to start an arms race and a Central Asian strategy at the same time."

The British government should be very entangled now, not knowing which one to juggle, after all, they are fighting against the three major powers.

Perhaps we should do them a favor and control the intensity of the arms race, so that the British can rest assured that they will boldly go north to play with the Russians.

On this issue, I believe that the French will have a common language with us.

Napoleon IV was busy eradicating dissidents, and participating in the arms race was also a duck on the shelf. If he could have ended early, there was no reason why he would refuse. ”

Prime Minister Karl asked: "What do the Russians say?" We have promised to contain the British, and it is unreasonable to give up now. ”

Russia and Austria do not, even the Russians rarely do anything about breaking the contract without authorization, let alone Austria, which cherishes its feathers.

Austria has been in Europe for hundreds of years, relying on diplomacy. Especially before the revival of Austria after the war against France, during this period of time, it relied on diplomatic means to maintain its status as a great power.

After so many years in business, the Austrian government's international credibility is already very valuable.

Unless it was certain that the Russians could be killed and the threat of the Eastern Front could be freed, the Austrian government would not easily break the contract.

Mark replied: "This is an easy question, as long as the Russians know that we have lent them money to build ships and cannot afford to continue the arms race." ”

Everyone's eyes lit up, although it was a little damaged, but it was indeed a good solution.

The tsarist government had limited family resources, and if the war in Central Asia was to be resolved quickly, it would be enough; If the war had continued, the Russians would have borrowed money from Austria.

When the time comes, the Austrian financial circles will not buy the accounts of the Russians, and the Vienna government will lend them the funds for the construction of ships to fight the war for the sake of friendship between the two countries - perfect.

Seeing that everyone had unified their positions, Franz smiled slightly: "Then the matter is decided, and the Ministry of Finance is responsible for giving an explanation to the Russians."

The Foreign Office secretly liaised with the French to facilitate this great war in Central Asia, weakening Britain and Russia as much as possible. ”

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Austria was on the move, and the British were not idle. They were all forced out, and at the same time they confronted the three major powers, and the British government was also under great pressure.

The enemy of the enemy is the friend, which may not be all applicable in international struggles, but it can be effective in a single incident.

The maritime civilization gave the British a sense of crisis, and after discovering that they were confronting Russia, France and Austria at the same time, the British government began to seek a solution.

Russia and Austria had been together for many years, and it was unrealistic to get the support of Austria, and the British government set its sights on the French.

On March 1, 1888, British Foreign Secretary George visited Paris. The London government had very high expectations, and Sir George also publicly stated that it was an ice-breaking trip for Anglo-French relations.

Napoleon IV himself was not welcome to the sudden and uninvited guests. The reason for this is to look at the Palace of Versailles not far away.

Damaged by the Paris Revolution, only 70% of the Palace of Versailles has been restored to this day, and the rest of the palace is still under construction.

And the British happened to be the main culprit who triggered the Paris Revolution, and even after the revolution was suppressed, many of the leaders of the revolutionary party were sent out by the British.

The hatred of the country and the family came together, and Napoleon IV naturally did not have a good impression of the British, to be precise, he did not have a good impression of the two black hands of Britain and Austria.

Napoleon IV was absent from the usual welcome banquet without any reason. This should be regarded as the first time since the time of Napoleon III that the French emperor has given the British such face.

In addition to the deterioration of diplomatic relations, it is more about the change in the balance of power between Britain and France.

France, as the world's first army power and the world's second naval power, no longer recognizes the hegemony of the British.

In particular, the younger generation of France, including Napoleon IV himself, had no reverence for the British, and only a desire to take on challenges.

It just confirms the saying: whoever is the hegemon of the world has the most enemies in the world.

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At the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon IV asked with a gloomy face: "The British have come to the door, what do you think they want from us?" ”

If the British are not happy, diplomatic activities must be carried out normally. Whether or not we can talk about the results is, in the final analysis, still depends on interests, not personal feelings.

Foreign Secretary Karel Kadlec: "Your Majesty, the British are in a hurry.

The Russians are eager to try in Central Asia, and the Great War is about to break out, and there is Austria behind them.

In the event that the situation gets out of control, it is likely that Russia and Austria will jointly expand into India.

If they could not find someone to contain Austria, the British would have to fight against Russia and Austria alone. Even if they win in the end, they will lose a lot, even India. ”

The battle for colonies is not only based on the superficial victory or defeat, but also on the question of the rule of the colony.

Especially in a densely populated area like India, once nationalist ideas are imported, the cost of rule will be unimaginable.

There is no discipline in the game of great powers, and everyone often does things that harm others and themselves.

Prime Minister Terence Bulkin sneered: "That's just a problem for the British, Russia and Austria can't swallow India even if they are united."

The British had been operating in India for so many years, and even if they could not hold on, they were able to instigate local independence.

The Austrians should not have such illusions, but the Russians are not sure, they have a plan for Yellow Russia.

India should be easier to get started with than the Far Eastern Empire, and with the greed of the tsarist government, it will not give up if it has the opportunity.

Because of the Russian-Austrian alliance, Austria would not prevent the Russians from expanding into India, even if it did not go on its own.

This is also our opportunity to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, and maybe even pick up some cheap.

What we need to do now is to compare the offers of all parties and choose the one that maximizes the benefits to join. ”

Terence Bulkin's opinion can be said to represent the mainstream in the French government. It is true that everyone hates the British, but they will not be at odds with interests.

As long as the British bid high enough, anything is possible.

After a moment of hesitation, Napoleon IV nodded his head in agreement.

The trace of sorrow between his eyebrows still showed that he was not so reluctant. There is no way, and the interests of countries still come first.

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