London

In any case, the British government is a hurdle that cannot be bypassed. After the German First Process was halted by a coalition of countries, Chancellor Felix moved to London.

In fact, the joint intervention plan of various countries has been going on for a long time, and it can be delayed until an agreement with the South German states is reached, and it is the Russians who help to pull the hindrances.

In this respect, the tsarist government was still very reputable, and of course the public relations money that Austria threw out also played a role.

Otherwise, it is estimated that as soon as the Kingdom of Saxony was settled, this joint declaration appeared, and it would be difficult for Austria to carry out the subsequent plan.

It is almost impossible to achieve these goals if they cannot be made into established facts and dealt with at the negotiating table.

The joint declaration has been issued for so long, and the international conference has not yet taken place, which leaves time for Austria PR.

In other words, if you Austria takes advantage, we are red-eyed, and if we can't get enough compensation, we will do something.

This was Franz's opinion, and if the international conference were to be convened immediately, Austria would simply not have time to move. No, it should be said that there is no time to go to London.

At the strong request of Napoleon III, this international conference was held in Paris, and the Paris government, which was close at hand, obviously had the opportunity to make public relations.

Not to mention the Russians, Austria would not dare to act without the support of the woolly bear, and it is clear that the two sides have already made a deal. How could a shrewd John Bull tolerate such a thing?

The conference was originally planned to be held in July, but it was forcibly delayed until late August, which was requested by the British.

Faced with this situation, the Austrian government naturally had no choice, and Prime Minister Felix had to go to London in person.

……

On the contrary, Prime Minister Felix asked, "Monsieur Henry, the importance of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venesia to Austria must not be unclear to you, and the economic value of the region is still higher than that of South Germany.

Venice is Austria's largest foreign trade port, and most of Austria's naval ports are in the Venetian region, do you think we can let it go? ”

British Prime Minister George Hamilton Gordon smiled and said: "Mr. Felix, there is no shortage of ports in your country, Rijeka and Trieste are excellent ports, and there are many ports in your country that can be developed in the Dalmatian region. ”

Felix shook his head and said, "Mr. Henry, theoretically speaking, as long as it is adjacent to the sea, it can be transformed into a high-quality port, but what about the development cost?"

The Dalmatian region is the poorest province in Austria, and the local traffic is enough to render any port worthless.

So abandon the proposal of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia and say no more, we cannot agree to it. ”

The British wanted to unify the Italian region, and at the same time balance Austria and France, and balance the power in the Mediterranean.

However, on this issue, Austria, France and Spain were opposed at the same time, and the regional unification of Italy became elusive.

The Kingdom of Lombardy-Venesia was a compensation for Austria's surrender of the Austrian Netherlands, with a territory of 46,991 square kilometers and a population of about 5.16 million, mainly Italians, but also some Germans.

It is the richest land in Italy, with the largest plain in Italy, the Po River Plain, where more than half of Italy's industry is concentrated, and Venice, the most prosperous port in the Mediterranean, which once accounted for 30% of Austria's fiscal revenue.

With such huge economic benefits, the Vienna government naturally cannot easily give up. Even now the British are recognizing the new Holy Roman Empire on the condition that Prime Minister Felix refuse.

Unable to achieve this goal, Prime Minister George Hamilton Gordon once again put forward new conditions: "Mr. Felix, your country cannot give up the Italian region, so it is not a problem to stop supporting the Russians!"

I guess you don't want to watch the Russians annex the Ottoman Empire, push their tentacles deep into the Mediterranean, and upset the balance in Europe, right? ”

After arriving in London, Felix had a feeling in his heart that the real goal of the British should be to break up the Russian-Austrian alliance, and now he will see it.

"Mr. Henry, I think you have misunderstood, we will only remain neutral in the war in the Near East, and we have never supported the Russians.

From the outbreak of the war to the present, the Austrian government has always maintained neutrality and has done business with the Russians, which is based on the principle of free trade. ”

Free trade was proposed by the British, it was one of the national policies of the British government, and it was naturally impossible for Prime Minister George Hamilton Gordon to slap himself in the face.

George Hamilton Gordon asked, "So has your country decided to join the free trade system?" ”

Felix flickered, "Mr. Henry, the situation in Austria is different from your country. Many people in China are worried that once they join your country to establish a free trade system, it will be affected economically.

After all, your country's industrial strength is so strong that all the countries in the world together may not be able to compare with you. ”

That's right, the industrial power of the British Empire is now so strong that there is no other country in the world that can match it.

However, once the countries have completed industrialization, the weaknesses of the British Isles' small size and lack of resources will be exposed, and the outcome will be different.

Can't the British see this question? The answer is: no.

The current British Empire is so glorious that they ignore possible crises. Otherwise, they will start preparing now, not to mention being at the top forever, at least they can prolong the time of the world hegemon.

Theoretically, the best option is to shift the focus of development to Canada and compete with the Americans for the Americas, and it is not impossible to kill the United States in this era with the national power of the British Empire.

Secondly, it is to develop Australia and annex the South Seas region, which can also support a superpower.

Thirdly, it is the development of the African continent, the total population of the African continent at this time was more than 20 million at most, thanks to the prevalence of the slave trade, the African population is still in a state of decline.

Americans can turn Indians into minorities, more professional John Bulls, and Black uncles into protected animals.

These three choices, no matter which one they are, require a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources, unless the British elite are all traversers, otherwise it will definitely be no fun.

Although it is a flicker, in this day and age, it is a compliment. George Hamilton Gordon was very happy to receive Felix's compliment, but this did not affect the rest of the negotiations.

Georg Hamilton Gordon was sorry to be sure that the Austrian government would not mind joining the free trade system as soon as they relented on the German regional issue.

This is obviously not Austria's bottom line, George Hamilton Gordon continued to probe: "Mr. Felix, since your country remained neutral in the war in the Near East, should you return the land you occupy after the war now that you occupy the Ottoman Empire?" ”

Felix could only sigh, sure enough, he was the master of the continental balance policy, and he thought about the problem after the end of the Near East War so quickly.

"We have to discuss this issue with the Ottoman government, and if they can pay enough ransom, we don't mind giving them back the land we occupy now."

This "ransom" was clearly not something that the Ottoman Empire could afford to come out of, and was nothing more than to make concessions to the British on the issue of re-establishing the Holy Roman Empire in Austria.

In terms of territorial area, the total number of major states currently targeted by Austria is not less than 140,000 square kilometers, which is less than half of the territory that Austria currently occupies in the Ottoman Empire.

Kingdom of Bavaria: 75,865 km²

Kingdom of Württemberg: 20,682 km²

Grand Duchy of Baden: 15,070 km²

Kingdom of Saxony: 14,993 km²

Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt: about 10,000 square kilometres

Free City of Frankfurt is 248.31 square kilometers

However, Austria annexed South Germany not for any land, but mainly for the population, and the population of these German states exceeded 10 million.

These populations could effectively compensate for the weakness of the Austrian majority nation, and turn the seemingly powerful Austrian Empire into a truly powerful empire.

As for the land of the Balkan Peninsula, what can be done if it is returned to the Ottoman Empire, and can the current Ottoman Empire be kept?

In the case of the two principalities of the Danube Valley, as long as Austria insisted on opposing their independence, the Ottomans could only send them back, unless they wanted to be neighbors with woolly bears.

If the Russians win or draw in this war in the Near East, then the Ottoman Empire will be forced to manage, the enclave sandwiched between the Russians and Austria, and let them manage it, isn't it a joke?

It was okay for Austria to give up the Balkans, and Prime Minister Felix's promise would only be fulfilled if Britain and France won the war in the Near East.

This question, George Hamilton Gordon was quick to react. In such a landlocked region, the British Empire had too little to say.

Don't look at them as if Austria is taking them very seriously, in fact it is the Russians who have the most say, and then the French.

While the London government's acknowledgment is good, opposition will not change the final outcome. As long as one of France and Russia supported Austria, the rebuilding of the HRE would not be a problem.

In the end, the two sides did not reach any agreement, could not get enough benefits from Austria, and could not force the Austrian government to make concessions, so it was naturally impossible for John Niu to give an accurate answer.

The South Germans could not intervene, but the North Germans could not give up, and it was only on the coast that they could find the prestige of Britain.

These are the problems that the British have a headache for. Felix wouldn't worry about them, anyway, Austria's goodwill was there.

With an ambiguous answer, Prime Minister Felix set out on his way home. Let Metternich deal with the upcoming Paris conference, and I have to admit that he is the most professional in this regard.