As the snow slowly melts and everything begins to recover, the chill of early spring begins to fade, the temperature rises, and the time has come for the spring season to revive everything. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

During this season, the warm spring breeze turns green all over the continent, and the city regains its former vitality, and people begin to regain their old habits, wandering around on spring evenings, watching plays, and celebrating the arrival of the real New Year with singing and dancing entertainment.

On such a night, however, a humble carriage drove out of the city through the bustling streets, and then disappeared into the darkness of the night, and after a period of turbulence, finally came to a halt at the house of the Imperial Chancellor, Monsieur Charles de Treville.

Because he had made an appointment early, the concierge of the house did not make it difficult to stay longer, but welcomed him to the mansion very cooperatively, and did not cause a commotion. Only ten minutes later, a young man in a black coat came to the reception room of His Excellency the Minister.

This young man is richly dressed, and his attitude is mild, mixed with a little reserve, it can be seen that he has experienced wealth since childhood, but although his demeanor is calm and elegant, the slight frown between his eyebrows still reveals the current nervousness in the master's heart.

The young Monsieur Richard von Metternich, the son of Prince Metternich, had little to worry about, but when he entered the diplomatic world and was determined to make a difference in the field where his father had shined, the situation was completely different, and the glory and gloom of the world would come over him, and he would be dizzy and overwhelmed.

The warm spring breeze of 1853 could not take care of every corner of the world, in fact, Richard von Metternich felt only a chill in his heart, and a chill that was colder than winter.

With the influence of his father, he finally became the secretary of the Austrian Imperial Embassy in the French Empire last year, and considering that the ambassador is Baron Rothhilde, who is basically not concerned with political affairs, he can be said to basically lead the operation of the embassy.

The French Empire is one of the few great powers on the European continent, and naturally one of the most important embassies of other major countries.

There is no doubt that the French do not have a very good opinion of Prince Metternich, but the prince is a prince after all, and as the heir to the title of prince, he has become a rising star in Parisian diplomatic circles, attracting much attention and has always been regarded as a pivotal figure in the future of Austrian politics.

In normal times, he was personable, and could talk and laugh with every important person or lady, and he was very proud of his father, but he was most proud of his own efforts to become friends with another young minister, Charles de Treville, whom he admired, and helped each other a lot, and made this great man, who seemed destined to be destined for power in the future, a friend of the Austrian Empire.

For him, today is another time to validate this friendship.

"Oh, my friend, congratulations!" As soon as Charles saw Richard, he immediately opened his arms enthusiastically, "It's a pity you didn't bring the bride here......"

"You'll always have a chance, Charles." Richard smiled slightly, then shook Charles's hands, "You're a good friend of mine, and I'm so sorry you couldn't be at our wedding...... But don't worry, I'll be based in Paris with my wife in the future, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to meet her in the future - she's curious about you. ”

"I wish it wasn't that kind of curiosity about demons." Charles laughed, then gestured to the chair next to him, "Please be seated." ”

After Richard grew up and confessed, his father found a family career for him.

The heroine of such a family affair is the daughter of his daughter Leotina, that is, his granddaughter Polina Shandor - after reaching adulthood, Leotina married a Hungarian nobleman, Count Moritz Shandor, and they only gave birth to this daughter, Polina, so she can inherit a large family fortune at a young age.

It was in order that Richard could have as much wealth as possible, and that the family fortune would not be outflowed, that the prince decided to let Richard marry Polina, an uncle who married his own niece and daughter, who was seven years younger than him, which was not shocking in Europe at this time.

Because of his marriage, Richard von Metternich bid farewell to the prosperity of Paris a while ago, returned to Austria, and married Lady Polina Chandor with the blessing of his father and relatives and friends.

The newlywed Yan'er, originally this was the most proud time for a person, but after Richard ended his marriage, he rushed back to Paris directly, and came to visit the Charles Mansion in a hurry, and deliberately concealed his whereabouts, the meaning of which is indeed intriguing.

At the very least, this is unlikely to be a good sign for many people.

"Thank you so much for meeting me so soon." After sitting down, Richard von Metternich said with a hint of rejoicing.

"My friend, what is it that is so urgent that you refuse to come to visit me?" Charles asked curiously.

"It's a hundred thousand urgent things - Charles, what we fear most is about to happen." Richard's tone became a little anxious, and he didn't even bother to say some polite greetings to Charles, "It is estimated that this matter will spread to your Ministry of Foreign Affairs in two or three days, but let me tell you in advance, according to our reliable intelligence information on the ground, the Russians have gathered forces near the border of the two principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, and it seems that the dispatch of troops is imminent......"

"Wow!" Charles's expression suddenly became serious, and then he looked at Richard seriously. He knew that Richard von Metternich at this time was no longer speaking as a friend, but on behalf of the entire Austrian Empire.

"The news...... It's not all that shocking. After a moment of silence, he replied in a low voice.

"It's really not so shocking, even expected. However, no one wants to actually see it happen. Richard von Metternich nodded in a low voice, "Everything you told us about before has now come true, Charles. ”

Nearly two years earlier, Charles had visited the Austrian Empire for the purpose of selecting an empress, and had met with His Majesty the Emperor Franz-Joseph and Prince Metternich himself in Vienna and Frankfurt. In a meeting with the Emperor and his Foreign Secretary, he emphasized the threat posed by the Russians, and pointed out that in the not-too-distant future, the desperate Russians would march into the interior of Europe while the Europeans had not yet recovered from the previous revolutionary storm, and gradually fulfill their long-cherished wish to plant the Byzantine banner with the double eagle banner.

Although he was exaggerating, the Emperor and the Foreign Minister would have been skeptical of his words, but neither of them could have imagined that this prophecy would come so quickly and so directly, that they had discovered that they had been subjected to the cold winds from the Arctic -- and from the information they had received, the Russians had gathered a very large number of troops on the border, and it was evident that they were not just trying to intimidate them by force, but that they were trying to do it in earnest.

It was for this reason that the newlywed Prince Richard von Metternich had to summarily end his honeymoon with his wife, and then rushed back to Paris with his secret mission, and ran straight to the Charles's mansion at the beginning. At this moment, he desperately needs help from this friend.

It stands to reason that the two principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were at this moment still vassal states of the Turks, and the Turks bore the brunt of the attack, and did not pose a direct threat to Austria, but in the eyes of the Austrians there was no doubt that this threat was projecting on themselves.

In the past, the Turks had changed the color of the whole Christian world, and successive sultans had great martial arts and troops under the city of Vienna several times, but by now, Turkey has long since fallen into decline, and it is no longer the courage of the past, and the Ottoman Empire, now known as the "sick man" of Europe, and later called by Winston Churchill "the infamous, senile, dying and penniless Turkey", has always been regarded as dying by the European powers who are watching on the left and right, and they are only waiting for its death to start and divide its vast legacy.

As close neighbors and feuds of Turkey, the Austrians considered themselves the most qualified to share this vast inheritance, and they coveted the Balkans, as did the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which had always been regarded as the forbidden territory of the Austrian Empire itself, and although he could not yet swallow all the Turkish inheritance, they thought that sooner or later they would be able to eat it up, no matter what the cost.

And once these places fall into the hands of the Russians, then all these dreams will undoubtedly come to naught.

What's more, once the Russians take control of these areas, the Transylvania region previously obtained by the Austrian Empire will undoubtedly be exposed to the Russians' swords and guns, although the Turks suffer now, but what about later? The Russians, who controlled the lower Danube, continued to march forward, and when the Austrians were supposed to behave like this?

There is no doubt that by this time the Austrians were already feeling a tremendous pressure similar to the cold of their lips and teeth.

Everyone knows that the Russians have insatiable desires, and that their greed for territory is endless, so that they are being squeezed forward step by step by the Russians, and having to bow down to the Russians, this prospect does not appeal to His Majesty Emperor Franz-Joseph and his ministers in the slightest.

But the Austrian Empire was not a prosperous country now, so they did not want to bear this pressure alone, and at this time, His Majesty the Emperor remembered what Charles had said and promised in front of him, and they wanted to confirm this guarantee from His Excellency, the most popular minister of the French Empire, so that Austria could make the wisest judgment.

"Charles, do the words you said before still have effect now?" After giving a general background explanation, Richard von Metternichlo looked at Charles with some nervousness, "I know that sometimes in foreign affairs, a year is equivalent to a century, but I think that since you were able to make that commitment at the time, there is no need to back down now......"

"My friend, now I don't hold a position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." To Richard's disappointment, Charles was not provoked by him, but bypassed the guarantee in a tactful manner, "I can be responsible for the French government at that time, and what I said before was also in line with the timing at that time, but now, if you want to know the attitude of the French Empire, I think it is best to ask the Imperial Foreign Office, I think they will give you the answer." ”

"Charles, you can't say that—everyone knows that you are a favorite of Your Majesty, and that you have great influence over his opinions, and I don't think that influence will fade when you leave the diplomatic service." Richard looked at the hot minister, "Don't worry, as long as you can answer our country's questions, our Emperor will be sincerely grateful to you." ”

Why does everyone think I'm only thinking about corruption? Charles was still smiling, but he was slightly embarrassed.

"I'm grateful that His Majesty the Emperor thinks of me, but it's hard to be hasty with the time to do so—it would have been better if he had been more positive when he was at Schönbrunn Palace." Charles made a mocking remark about Emperor Franz Joseph, but of course Richard just didn't hear it. "Of course, if you have to ask my personal opinion, I can tell you that I am still resolutely opposed to the challenge of the Russians to the existing European order, and to allow Russia to expand, which is unconscionable – and will be a real disaster for our children and grandchildren. Of course, this is just my personal opinion......"

Although Charles tried to say that this was just a personal attitude, his statement still made Richard breathe a sigh of relief.

He did not believe that Charles could be a private opinion, and since the Chancellor said so, he was sure that the French authorities were indeed intent on preventing the expansion of the Russians by any means, and that this meant that his mission would be successfully accomplished.

"Thank you, Charles!" He sighed with relief, "You're right, we can't let the Slavs cast a haze over all of Europe!" ”

"So what is the attitude of the Austrians now?" Charles looked at him with a smile, and then suddenly asked coldly, "Can I understand that His Majesty the Emperor now wants to cooperate with us in the fight against the brutal Russians?" ”

This sudden question interrupted Richard's joy, and his face suddenly became embarrassed again.

"Your Majesty has made up his mind that he will definitely not sit idly by and watch the Russians control the source of the Danube, otherwise it will be a disaster for Austria, and it will be a disaster for the whole of Europe!" After a moment of silence, he whispered, "But, in view of the fact that His Majesty the Tsar helped us to quell the Hungarian rebellion during the previous riots, and was a debt of gratitude to us, we have to take this into account in our actions." ”

"Wow......" Charles nodded meaningfully.

In today's international order, there is very little emphasis on morality, and it is never necessary to repay kindness.

The so-called "favor" is just a nice excuse, in essence, Austria wants to use the power of Britain and France to support itself, but does not dare to squander its strength, and risk resisting the Russians, so it chooses to sit on the wall and reap the benefits of the fisherman, Richard himself understands, he knows that Charles must also understand, so it is a little embarrassing.

However, diplomacy itself is about opening his eyes and telling nonsense, so although he was embarrassed, he said it smoothly and without looking very aggrieved, even if Charles had some sarcasm on his face.

"I think I see what you mean." Charles nodded, "That is, in the coming days, the Austrians want us and the British to stand up and shield Austria from the terrible gloom?" ”

"I can't say that, Char......les," replied Richard, slightly embarrassed. We are determined to help you morally weaken the position of the Russians, and I believe that morality is a very important asset that will keep the Russians from doing their own thing. ”