Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 134: Walking a tightrope

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Everyone was embarrassed, and Franz breathed a sigh of relief. The Pudan War would not end in a short time, which meant that he had enough time to fill the hole.

The fire can't be contained in the paper. If the hole is not filled, even if the dung pot is buckled on the head of the Prussian, it is not reliable!

In case of wearing a gang one day, do you still need the face of Franz the Great

Embezzlement and embezzlement are completely two concepts. The former can explain the normal capital operation of the bank. Anyway, as long as the money is released on schedule, the latter is an eternal black history.

When Prussia and Russia faced each other, the European powers were not idle either.

In addition to occasionally expressing opinions on international issues and swearing their presence, the French are mainly busy with internal struggles, and even overseas colonial expansion has been affected.

The British were very busy, stepping up their aggression against India, colonizing and expanding in Southeast Asia, and invading New Zealand at the same time...

The British colonial empire is about to take shape. Except for the absence of the African continent, other regions have basically been incorporated or are being incorporated into the British colonial empire.

Everyone is very busy, which creates an opportunity for Austria.

When the world's eyes were on the battlefield of Purdan, on April 15, 1849, Austria joined Naples, the Papal States, Tuscany, Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden, Hess-Damstad and other states in Rome established the Holy Roman Economic Union.

There was an uproar in European public opinion. Fortunately, Franz did not set up his headquarters in Vienna, otherwise the political influence would have been greater.

The one who reacted the most was Prussia. For the reunification of Germany, they fought hard against the Russians in front of them, and Austria actually came to a draw.

In addition to the Kingdom of Prussia, the major states in the German region have joined the Austrian-led Holy Roman League, which means that Prussia has been kicked out of the German region.

Influenced by the establishment of the Holy Roman League, the idea of Greater Germany rose again, and in the view of many nationalists, economic unity would help the country unify.

There are even people in Prussia who advocate joining the alliance established by Austria. As for the German customs union, the historical task has been completed, and it can be put into the garbage heap.

This change gave Frederick-Wilhelm IV a headache. Nationalism is a double-edged sword. They can support Prussia's unification of the Little Germany, and they can also support the Austrian unification of the Great Germany.

As for the addition of Italy, the nationalists don't care. In their view, as long as the German nation occupies a dominant position, the established empire is naturally the bigger the better.

"Prime Minister, what is the attitude of all countries towards Austria's wolf ambitions?" Frederick William IV asked expectantly

Josef von Radowitz thought for a moment and replied: "The British issued a diplomatic note to Austria, opposing Austria's alliance, and strongly condemning Austria's violation of the principles of free trade.

The French government has protested against Austria's establishment of an economic union to exclude third countries and has not taken further action.

The Spaniards expressed their close attention to the follow-up development of the situation. Most of the European countries are neutral, and the Russians have not yet made a statement. "

There is no doubt that everyone is too busy now to bother with Austria.

The British did not forcefully intervene in the Purdue War, nor did they have the energy to intervene in the Austrian alliance. Without the European powers to act as thugs, their right to speak on the European continent was limited.

The French wait for them to settle their domestic factions, otherwise, under the partisan struggle, the French government will not be able to do anything.

Frederick William IV was very depressed. In his opinion, the Russians who were the most capable of interfering in Austria were restrained by their help, and it was impossible for the tsarist government to interfere with Poo at the same time.

Can protest alone overwhelm Austria without the threat of force? Frederick William IV shook his head. Prussia faced more diplomatic pressure, didn't it also withstand it

What Austria has established is only an economic alliance, and most European countries are not concerned with their own affairs, and they are the people who eat melons on the side.

"Did the English not act?" asked Frederick William IV with concern

London

As the world's No. 1 shit stick, how could the British watch Austria come up with an alliance

You must know that the Holy Roman Economic Union is a monster that is half of Germany + half of Italy + Austrian Empire. In terms of economic size, this is the first economy in Europe.

Although most of these places are still semi-feudal and semi-capitalist, their own industries are not weak, the British do not have a large market share there, and they do not lack a market.

But no matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat, and giving up in vain is not the style of John Bull.

"Something's wrong, why are the Russians so slow to respond this time?" Prime Minister John Russell asked suspiciously

Palmerston thought for a while and said: "Maybe they are hesitating, the Pudan War has already contained a lot of their energy, and if they intervene in Austria at this time, Poo and Austria will join forces.

Nicholas I was not a fool, once he got to that point, the system of the 'Three Nordic Courts' fell apart, and as long as they didn't want to be isolated in Europe, they wouldn't take action against Austria. "

Since the "Berlin Convention", the European continent has entered the "Prussian-Austrian Three Kingdoms Era". The three countries have joined forces to maintain the Vienna system, and even the British have been excluded from the European continent.

Now because of the Pudan War, there is a crack in the Prussian relationship, and the British will naturally find a way to break up the alliance.

Whether it was inciting Austrian expansion into the Balkans, supporting Austrian occupation of the Danube Valley, or indulging Prussia to wage war against Denmark, all were part of this plan.

I have to say that this time, the Russians have done a very strict job of keeping secrets, and they have deceived everyone, and everyone has made up their own minds.

"The Russians probably never dreamed that the Prussians actually persevered this time, and now they are also riding a tiger.

However, the Holy Roman Alliance established by Austria is also a problem. With Metternich, the old fox, it is difficult to achieve pressure by uniting all countries. "John Russell frowned.

Palmerston said with a smile: "Why do you have to force the Austrians to dissolve the alliance? It's not us who should be most worried about the establishment of this alliance.

Russia, Prussia, France, which one of them is less anxious than us

The Prussians, in particular, were at a standoff with the Russians. Austria was originally the best mediator, but now Austria has created this alliance again.

Do we need to help them keep this alliance going? "

Prussia had conflicts with Russia and Austria at the same time, and naturally couldn't get along in the Three-Power Alliance.

In order to split this alliance, the British have made a lot of efforts, and now they are only close to the door, and they will naturally not extend the life of the alliance.

"It seems to be good for us, but we still have to be wary of Austria, the old fox of Metternich is best at balance, and the influence of the Habsburg dynasty is deeply rooted.

They can't let them turn this economic alliance into an empire. Otherwise, our interests in the Mediterranean will not be guaranteed. "John Russell said cautiously.

This is not unfounded. Everyone knows that what the Habsburg family is best at is marriage. In the framework of the alliance, internal marriage is carried out. After a few generations, they merge into one family. This is how the Austrian Empire came to be.

If Franz knew what the British were thinking, he would have wanted to laugh. It's okay to form an alliance with the Italian state, but if it annexes the Italian state, then forget it, he doesn't want to ask for trouble.

"Don't worry, Prime Minister. The Austrians will not have this chance, and if they dare to take the first step, this alliance will fall apart.

On the contrary, the Prussian War is a trouble. The Prussian government is still insisting due to public opinion. I am worried that they will anger the Russians, and the two sides may break out into war.

If the Kingdom of Prussia is crippled by the Russians, and there is no internal restraint, Austria may really dare to unify the German region. ' said Palmerston after thinking about it.

Imperial countries often cannot analyze only from the point of view of interests. If the tsar is provoked, it is really possible to fight a war regardless of the consequences.

"Be prepared to mediate. Once the situation gets out of control, put pressure on the Prussian government to force them to compromise." John Russell said fiercely

There is no way to exert diplomatic pressure on the Russians, and they will not ignore them at all, and can only bully the soft persimmon of Prussia.

Although the British and Prussian relations are very good, this does not allow the United Kingdom to support Prussia unconditionally. In the face of interests, it is nonsense to have a relationship with the British.

Vienna

Since the establishment of the Holy Roman Alliance, Franz has not slept well for several days, and there is no way to go too smoothly, it seems very abnormal.

It is natural for the Russians not to intervene. The two sides have had a secret agreement. If it is not possible for the sake of confidentiality, the Russians can directly support Austria.

But the performance of other countries surprised Franz. Neutral small countries don't matter. They have no right to speak.

But the performance of Britain and France made Franz feel strange.

He can barely understand the performance of the French government. It is necessary to settle down first, and Austria has not invaded France. It is difficult for them to share the same enemy.

The British did nothing but protest. According to the previous analysis, the British should pull the French at this time, plus a group of younger brothers to come over to put pressure on Austria.

This kind of playing cards not according to the script gave Franz a very headache. Metternich, the foreign minister, is still presiding over his work in Rome. There are two answers given by the foreign ministry:

1. The British were busy with colonial expansion and had no time to take care of Austria;

2. The British wanted to provoke the Prussian-Austrian conflict, the Russian-Austrian conflict, and to disintegrate the Prussian-Austrian Triple Alliance.

Except for a few cabinet members, others do not know the contents of the secret agreements between Austria and Britain, France and Russia, and naturally cannot conduct a comprehensive analysis.

At this time, Franz suddenly discovered that in just over a year, Austria had signed so many secret agreements, which was simply incredible.

If it wasn't for Metternich, the foreign minister, Franz suspected that the Austrian government would have collapsed long ago.

Historically, Austria also attempted to walk a tightrope between Britain, France and Russia, but in the end failed to grasp the balance and turned all three possible allies of Britain, France and Russia into enemies.

Thinking about it makes Franz shudder. Don't think that Austria is in a much better position than in history, but once the diplomatic game collapses, it will instantly fall into a state of isolation.

Consequences, still need to consider it

Naturally, he is a man with his tail between his legs, and he farms at home peacefully. Quietly watching Prussia unify the German region, and then challenge the world order with them.

In theory, the Austrian Empire, which has completed its internal reforms, will be much stronger than the Austro-Hungarian Empire in history.

However, it is obviously impossible for such a thing to happen. Franz has made preparations. If the situation is out of control, then Russia and Austria will join forces to fight against Britain, France and Prussia.

From a purely military point of view, the possibility of failure is not high. At most, it is a win-win situation. When Russia and Austria run out of money, the war will end.

Historically, the Russians singled out Britain and France and lost the Crimean War, not because of military failures, but because the government ran out of money. If they had money, they could continue to fight.

Only 300,000 troops were lost, which was nothing but drizzle to Mao Xiong. Even if the number was increased tenfold, they still had enough gray animals.