There are no surprises, and as a responsible power, Austria naturally has to provide security for Belgium and North Germany.

On August 1, 1888, Franz issued a letter to the people of Europe, in which he made it clear that Austria would be committed to maintaining the balance and stability of the European continent and resolutely fighting against the evil forces that undermined the European order.

As for whether the two governments dare to believe it, I don't know. However, this announcement is still of positive significance and has won wide support in public opinion.

With Austria's commitment, Belgium and Germany also have a little confidence at the negotiating table.

There is really only a trace, because the two countries concerned suffered the heaviest losses from the outbreak of the war, and no one knows who wins and who loses in the end between France and Austria, anyway, they are all losers in the middle.

Just because the two governments can be rational does not mean that the people will also be rational. After receiving an affirmative reply from Austria, a huge anti-French movement broke out among the people of the two countries.

In Brussels, the streets have been blocked by demonstrators, and even in the deep palace, Leopold II could clearly hear the protests.

There is no doubt that all of them are demanding that the government be tough on the law. Nationalism has risen, and the conditions put forward by the French have deeply stimulated everyone's self-esteem.

Chancellor August: "Your Majesty, now we can't back down. The French are not dead, and this is just the beginning.

Blindly retreating will not only fail to solve the problem, but will also make the French think that we are weak and deceitful. ”

Obviously, Austria's clear position and the support of mainstream European public opinion still affected the Belgian government.

Prime Minister Auguste, who has always been old-fashioned, was also angered by the unreasonable demands of the French and turned to support toughness.

Leopold II nodded, and he wanted to force him, but he didn't know the bottom of his heart!

It is true that Belgium and Austria have a secret treaty, but it will take time for Austrian reinforcements to arrive at the outbreak of war, and they will have to bear the burden themselves in the early stage, and the probability that the battlefield will be in Belgium itself is as high as 99.99 percent......

In case the Austrians were instigated, or a few days late, Belgium would cease to exist. Leopold II had no confidence in holding back the French invasion.

Militarily it cannot be stopped, and politically and economically it cannot be retreated.

Just look at the people gathered outside and know that if they really agreed to the unreasonable demands of the French, the country would explode first.

Not to mention economically, with the loss of such a large amount of gains, the Belgian government is waiting for bankruptcy!

Leopold II asked: "How is the communication between the Foreign Office and the Germans, and do they agree to advance and retreat with us?" ”

Foreign Secretary Jules shook his head and sneered: "The Germans are busy communicating with the British, hoping that the London government would interfere with the actions of the French. ”

Leopold II was very surprised and asked, "Don't they have long brains?"

It is simply whimsical to intervene in the people's position a long time ago, and at this time, they still expect the British to interfere! ”

Leopold II could not be surprised, and knew on his knees that England and France had just formed an alliance, and in any case, at this point in time, the British government would not turn its face for them and its most important ally.

Even Austria, which is most likely to intervene, has now only taken a position and is not directly involved in the negotiations.

In Leopold II's view, rather than continuing to entangle with the British, it was better to take the opportunity to promote an alliance between the three countries to contain the expansion of the French.

Foreign Secretary Jule explained: "It may be that the British gave Hanover some promise, and George I always rejected Austria.

However, the other states in Germany are communicating with Austria, and the Archduke of Baden's visit to Vienna in the near future may also have something to do with this incident. ”

Although the North German Confederation is a scattered mess, everyone has the same goal when it comes to safeguarding national interests.

It is unrealistic for the British to withdraw from the International Coal Export Union and continue to maintain high coal prices with France, but it is even more impossible to sign a low-cost coal treaty with the French that will humiliate the country.

In a sense, the approach of the North German Confederation was in the best interest of itself, as Hanover, as the center, hugged the thighs of the British, and the small states at home sought the support of Austria.

If you don't look at the face of the monk and look at the face of the Buddha, even if the negotiation fails, the French will not be able to take the liberty of doing something to them.

It's just that in this way, it suffers Belgium. The relationship between the North German Confederation and Britain and Austria is simply not comparable to them.

In those years, there was no shortage of men who shed their blood for the country and the nation, and once the French invaded North Germany, whether the Austrian government wanted to enter the war or not, the nationalists at home would push Austria into battle.

Even if the central government does not want to fight, the defenders on the border will do it themselves, and whoever dares to stop it will not be able to get along with public opinion.

Although Britain may not necessarily turn against the French because of this, Queen Victoria's face will definitely be wonderful.

Even if you don't turn your face on the surface, and secretly make some small moves against the French, it will still happen.

Belgium does not have this treatment, and although the relationship between Britain and Belgium is good, it is only good, and the two countries are not allies with military obligations.

Because of its size, Belgium is not very important to Britain. Of course, the French annexed Belgium, and the British did not want to see it.

But it was just a beating, and it was not within the scope of British interference.

Not to mention Austria, from the moment of independence from the Holy Roman Empire, Belgium was not considered its own.

Although the two countries have signed a secret treaty, it does not mean that they will not be betrayed. The French were going to annex Belgium, and Austria would certainly fulfill its obligations.

If they were to be beaten only once, no one was sure whether Austria would go to war with the French for this.

In fact, Leopold II's greatest fear now was not annexation by the French.

The annexation of a country on the European continent is very hateful, and the French do not dare to risk the condemnation of the world without the acquiescence of the great powers.

The current military threat is to beat you up and then change the government. For the ruler, this is about the same as the death of the country.

After hesitating for a long time, Leopold II said slowly: "Let's reassure the people outside, and tell them that the government will never accept the unreasonable demands of the French."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to negotiate with the French that the export price of coal can be reduced, but not too much lower than the international average export price. ”

No matter how great the threat of the French was, Leopold II still had the responsibility of a monarch, and first chose to pacify the people at home.

After the emergence of the two alliances, the smell of gunpowder on the European continent became stronger and stronger, and Leopold II was not unaware of it.

It is a pity that Belgium is only a small country and has not become the capital of the trendsetters, and even the contradictory North German Confederation is in a much better situation than them.

……

Paris, looking at Franz's "Letter to the Peoples of Europe", Napoleon IV's face turned pale.

It was supposed to be a temptation, but I didn't expect that Austria would jump out and make trouble just at the beginning.

With the support of the major powers and without the support of the major powers are two distinct concepts. There is no doubt that it is impossible to get the two countries to accept the terms at this time.

"Humph!"

With a cold snort, Napoleon IV threw away the half-seen "Letter to the Peoples of Europe" and cursed: "Damn the Habsburgs, it is really ghostly, there are you everywhere!" ”

France and the Habsburgs fought for European hegemony for hundreds of years, and the feud between the Bonapartes and the Habsburgs also ran through the war against France.

In recent decades, although there has been some relaxation, the contradictions between the two countries have not decreased, but are increasing.

It's just that in order not to cheapen other countries, the governments of the two countries have subconsciously covered up the contradictions and conflicts on the surface, and secretly the two sides have not known how many times.

Prime Minister Terrence Bulkin comforted: "Your Majesty, there is no need to be angry about this little thing.

Although we did not make Belgium and Germany accept our conditions, the bottom line of each country was still tested by us.

Even Austria, which seems to be the toughest, is only loud and loud, and if they really want to stand up for Belgium and Germany, they will directly participate in the negotiations.

Now, it seems that they are supporting Belgium and Germany, but in fact they are limited to moral support.

No substantive action has been taken, and if they really want to go to war with us for the sake of the two countries, the Austrian government will probably still be instigated. ”

In a sense, there was really no need for Napoleon IV to be angry, and the results were much better than had been expected.

Without Franz's disgusting "Letter to the Peoples of Europe", it would have been perfect.

Napoleon IV sneered: "So what, the bottom line of European countries is indeed very low, but what we have to do is still challenge their bottom line."

Britain, Russia and Austria don't want us to make up for the last shortcomings, and even our good allies have warned us. ”

In the eyes of the outside world, Austria was the only major power to publicly support Belgium and Germany and condemn the actions of the French government.

Secretly, however, Britain and Russia also expressed their dissatisfaction with the French government.

Perhaps this kind of secret warning is not very strong, but it is still an invisible pressure on the French government.

Prime Minister Terence Bulkin: "Either way, it's a good start.

Although the European countries still reject us, they are no longer united, and they all have their own little calculations.

On the issue of encircling us, the three major powers of Britain, Russia, and Austria have already had differences. If it weren't for the geographical limitations, Austria probably wouldn't have been so aggressive.

The morale of the governments of Belgium and Germany has been beaten down by us. In the next negotiations, we only need to make a slight concession, and the two governments should accept it.

The decline in the cost of coal will definitely have a certain role in promoting the domestic industry and economy. It is not far from a new prosperity. ”

……