Although the June Six Treaty was only the tip of the iceberg, the London government could not sleep. Now John Russell had a headache looking at the map of the Mediterranean, and the French landed in Sicily in the name of helping to suppress the rebellion.

Austria suddenly let go, and could anyone else limit the expansion of French influence in Italy?

The answer is brutal: no.

Italy has always been the focus of contention between France and Austria, but now that they have chosen to compromise, this contradiction naturally does not exist.

"Win-win cooperation" may be useful in settling international disputes, but it is completely poisonous to the British Empire's policy of balancing the European continent.

In the Prime Minister's residence in Downing Street, John Russell said solemnly: "The strength of France and Austria has grown dramatically in the last decade or so, and they already have the strength to threaten us.

If you look at this latest map of Europe, Austria annexed South Germany and expanded aggressively in the Balkans, and after this deal with the French, their homeland nearly doubled.

The French did not give in either, and in a few years Napoleon III took advantage of our suppression of Indian judgment to annex the Kingdom of Sardinia, and now extend his hand to southern Italy.

From the time the two countries joined forces to dig the Suez Canal, they have been crowding us out in the Mediterranean. If we don't find a way to organize them to stay closer, the Mediterranean will soon have no place for us. ”

John Russell's statement is a bit exaggerated, and the so-called exclusion is complete nonsense. The expansion of everyone's sphere of influence collided together, and it was natural to fight for interests.

It is a pity that in the new round of fighting, the British lost.

In order to ensure the smooth progress of the Suez Canal project, the British Suez Railway project and Egypt's strategy of promoting cotton planting went bankrupt under the joint intervention of France and Austria.

In addition, the interests of the British in the Ottoman Empire, Greece and other regions were not affected, and driving them out of the Mediterranean was not in the plan of the two countries at all.

It's not that Franz didn't want to do it, the point was that the French were too cowardly in the face of the British. It is difficult to convince Napoleon III unless the interests are large enough.

However, there are so many interests in total, and Austria cannot do it in vain, and it is simply not enough for the two families.

Pointing to the map on the wall, Admiral Edward said: "The tentacles of the French have reached Sicily, and Tunisia has been included in their protectorate. It won't be long before we get in and out of the Mediterranean, and we will have to look at the faces of the French. ”

There is no doubt that Edward is putting pressure on the Foreign Ministry. The Royal Navy controlled the Strait of Gibraltar, which was the most important part of the Mediterranean before the opening of the Suez Canal.

Foreign Minister Reslin replied with a gloomy face: "France and Austria are close, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible, but why don't we put too much pressure on them?"

In recent years, in order to restrain France and Austria, our successive actions have aroused the vigilance of both countries.

The ongoing Russo-Russian War is also one of the reasons for the easing of relations between the two countries.

For the sake of common interests, I have reason to believe that France and Austria are ready to form an alliance, or have already done so.

The compromise on the Italian issue is definitely not so simple. It was no secret that the French wanted to annex Italy, and it was no secret that Austria wanted to unify Germany.

In the current situation, countries are holding each other back, and none of them can achieve their goals. However, the Franco-Austrian alliance is different, the two countries are acting at the same time, and we can't do anything even if we want to interfere. ”

The faces of the crowd changed dramatically, and they thought of more. In recent years, the Anglo-French and Anglo-Austrian contradictions have been escalating, and in order to limit the expansion of the two countries, the London government has been constantly moving.

Prime Minister John Russell affirmed: "The Russo-Prussian War cannot continue, the Russians are almost weakened." If the two countries continue to fight hard, there will be no more counterweight to France and Austria on the European continent. ”

It was the national policy of the British to strike at the Russian Empire, and the London government did a very good job, but it did not think of patronizing the fight against the Russians, ignoring the rise of France and Austria.

Now the strength of the three major empires on the European continent has undergone amazing changes, and the Russians, who are ranked first, have fallen directly to the end, and it will be difficult to recover in the next ten or twenty years.

The rapid expansion of France and Austria, either of which now has the potential to challenge British hegemony.

Foreign Minister Reslin objected: "It's too late to stop it, and Russia has made a real fire."

The Russians suffered so much that the tsarist government could not easily let the Prussians go; In the same way, the Kingdom of Prussia would not have ceased war with the Russians, and if they missed this opportunity, their imperial dreams would be shattered.

In this case, it is better to cripple the Russians at once, lest they relieve themselves and threaten India again.

It is very simple to destroy the close proximity between France and Austria, the Russians have lost their position as the hegemon of Europe, and the next thing will be born in France and Austria, and the seeds of contradictions have long been planted. ”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Agarwal asked: "What if they have already formed an alliance?" ”

Reslin said domineeringly: "Then we will join the alliance and then break up this alliance." ”

……

The outcome of this meeting hurt Leslin. Perhaps due to strategic security considerations, and not according to his plan, the cabinet decided to strike first and take the Tunisian region.

Purely militarily, this is the best option. The French had landed in Sicily, and the Royal Navy lost the opportunity to take control of the largest island in the Mediterranean.

In that case, the only way to do this is to take the Tunis Strait. The Royal Navy had Malta and Tunisia in their hands, and the Mediterranean remained under their control.

As for offending the French as a result, this question is not on everyone's radar. Since the French annexed the Kingdom of Sardinia, Anglo-French relations have not been good.

With the exception of a honeymoon period in the Near East War, both sides appeared as adversaries for most of the time.

Reslin did not have the time to dwell on this issue, and now his task is to break up the Russian-Austrian alliance. This alliance existed for a long time, and it was a threat to the world hegemony of the British Empire.

Who knows if the tsarist government will return to Central Asia and expand into the Indian subcontinent after its failed expansion on the European continent?

Don't look at the heavy losses of the Russians and think that they don't have the strength to expand. As long as the Austrians are willing to contribute money and effort, this will become a reality.

In the case of escalating contradictions between Britain and Austria, Vienna can compromise with the Paris government, but it is not impossible to support the Russians?

In this era, Canada, Australia, and South Africa were not developed, and if India was lost, what kind of hegemon would the British Empire be?

If this were to happen, within a decade the British Empire's maritime supremacy would be replaced by France and Austria.

The world's factories are also built in the context of both raw materials and markets. Without cheap raw materials from India and a huge consumer market, the industrial supremacy of the British would have been lost.

The Industrial Revolution has progressed to the present, the British have lost their technological superiority, and the industries of Britain, France and Austria are gradually at the same level.

……

In St. Petersburg, Alexander II was much more peaceful. Fao can't get closer, and now it has nothing to do with him.

The Russo-Prussian War is still going on, because the number of troops invested is subject to logistical constraints, and the Russian army has been unable to make progress for a long time, and he is about to turn white.

Theoretically, the Russian Empire would be the final victor if it was so consumed. However, this victory needs to be put under a question mark.

Sweden has been stabilized, but the war situation in Central Asia has been eroded, and the distant east wind has risen again, and they have no time to take care of themselves.

Foreign Secretary Clarence Ivanov reported: "Your Majesty, the Austrians have given an answer, and they have agreed to give up most of the French Balkans, but at our cost. ”

This did not surprise Alexander II, for the French Balkans could not have been given away for nothing, although there were provisions in the Russian-Austrian Secret Treaty.

Brothers have to settle accounts, let alone allies?

Alexander II asked with concern: "What do they want?" ”

Despite missing the best time to enter the Mediterranean, the strategic position of the Dardanelles was important, and he didn't mind getting his hands on it if the Austrians' conditions weren't too much.

Foreign Minister Clarence Ivanov replied: "We have made preliminary representations, and the Vienna government believes that in addition to the economic problems, they have paid political benefits in this land deal.

Their offer is very high, and if you pay for it, you will have to pay a one-time payment of 200 million Aegis. Land exchanges are acceptable, and they demand a five-to-one exchange by area.

If we agree to this deal, even if the final negotiation result is discounted, we will suffer a big loss. ”

It is clear that Foreign Minister Clarence Ivanov was against such a deal, and for a short time the Russian Empire simply did not have the strength to enter the Mediterranean.

Moreover, now that the Mediterranean coast is almost divided, they can't even find a foothold.

The only option left for them was the Ottoman Empire, but it was a hard nut to crack, and it was simply not something they could swallow now.

After pondering for a moment, Alexander II decided: "Since this is the case, then continue to grind with the Austrians on price." We are not in a hurry, and it doesn't hurt to drag it out for three or five years. ”

He knew that this was because the Viennese government wanted to extort money, or that the Austrians did not want to see them enter the Mediterranean Sea to grab territory, after all, the Mediterranean Sea had been divided between Britain, France and Austria.

One more competitor would upset the balance in the Mediterranean. Because of the Russian-Austrian alliance, the Austrians could not stand alone, which would make the Vienna government diplomatically passive, especially when France and Austria were closer.