After entering 1851, the situation in the Near East became more and more tense. Russia and Austria were eyeing the Ottoman Empire, and the Sudanese government invited Britain and France to mediate the conflict.
Whatever the price was paid by the Ottoman Empire. The problem now is that the French government is busy fighting infighting, and the British alone cannot scare Russia and Austria.
In the eyes of the British, the core of the crisis in the Near East lies in the Russians, and as long as they do nothing, it will be easy to persuade Austria.
Under this judgment, the Anglo-Russian negotiations began. There is no doubt that the British do not believe that problems can be solved at the negotiating table, and the main purpose of initiating this negotiation is to delay time.
The London government and Louis-Napoleon-Bonaparte had been hooked up, and in response to the growing crisis in the Near East, the British decided to support Napoleon III's seizure of power.
The British wanted to stall for time, the Russians were not ready, and the negotiations started under these circumstances.
Vienna
The Austrian government is discussing the negotiation between Britain and Russia, which affects Austria's next strategy. If the British fool the bear, the westward strategy will be in vain.
Metternich analyzed: "The conflict between Britain and Russia has a long history, and the conflict of interests between the two sides is very serious. From the Near East to the Far East, the focus of the conflict between the two countries is everywhere.
Unless one side can make substantial concessions, a conflict between the two countries is inevitable.
The current crisis in the Near East, mainly caused by the core strategy of the Russians, has been in preparation for so long, and it is impossible for them to stop now. "
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, a voice emerged within Russia to swallow the old empire and inherit their entire legacy.
Because of the great appetite, the Russian plan was naturally resisted by all countries. Although not able to swallow the empire, but in the last two Russian-Turkish wars, the Russians still got enough benefits.
Perhaps it was too difficult to swallow the Ottoman Empire in one go, so the Russians set two small goals and completed the plan step by step.
The first step is to control the Black Sea, go south to the Balkans, and occupy the two straits;
The second step is to firmly grasp the protection of the Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire, and then erode the Ottoman Empire.
The core of the first strategic plan is to occupy the two straits. Only by mastering this golden waterway can the strategic security of the Russian Empire be guaranteed, and there is no need to worry about being blocked by the Ottoman Empire.
This is also the first step for the Russians to go to the sea, and it is the core part of his maritime strategy.
However, this most critical step, as early as the signing of the "London Straits Convention" in 1841, was cut off by the British.
The Russians have been fighting for half a century, and the tsarist government will never let go of the protection of the Orthodox Christians. The fuse of the Crimean War in history was religious contradictions.
Now that Russia and Austria have formed an alliance, the diplomatic situation in which the European powers have joined forces to suppress Russia has changed, and the French are no longer in the state.
It just so happened that the Holy Land crisis provided the Russians with a sufficient excuse for war. The reason why they haven't launched yet is that they are preparing for war.
Does the Ottoman government not know about these issues? Obviously impossible, as an old enemy, the Ottoman government has never let down its vigilance towards the Russians.
The problem is that even if they know everything, in addition to passively fighting, they can only expect international mediation.
There is no active attack, the Russians are not ready for war, and the Ottoman Empire is also not ready for war.
Nominally they have a large number of troops, and they seem to be strong and strong. But my family knew about their own affairs, and the Ottoman army, which appeared to be powerful, was actually just a gimmick.
Whether it's fighting the Russians or the Austrians, they're cowardly. This is not a sentence of government corruption and incompetence, which can be covered up. The gap in national strength cannot be made up overnight.
Prime Minister Felix thought about it and said: "It is inevitable that the Russians will do it, and now we are not sure whether they will do it in the second half of this year, or delay it until 1852.
Not only is the time of the outbreak of the war uncertain, it is also unknown how long this war, which is destined to be large, will last.
The most worrying thing is whether Britain and France will participate in the war, and even if they participate in this war, how much strength they will show.
Any action we take until these issues are uncertain is risky. Now we have to find a way to control the risk within a certain range. "
This is the difference between a big country and a small country. When formulating a strategy, a small country does not need to consider the aftermath. It is easy to say if it wins, and it will die immediately if it loses.
Austria is different. As long as you don’t act blindly, even if you fail once, there will still be a second chance to come again. It is essential to carry out risk control in advance.
Marshal Radesky shook his head and said: "If we want to control the risk, then after the Russian-Turkish war breaks out, we can only wait for the war to escalate, and we can't move until the French don't send troops.
What if the French didn't go to war? Are we going to abandon this plan? "
Prime Minister Felix affirmed: "It depends on the determination of the British. As long as they are willing, there will be a way to pull the French together."
This conclusion is the same as that drawn by Franz, who said that Louis-Napoleon-Bonaparte was brought to power by the British
Historically, he himself was a severe Anglophobia, and he often echoed the British. During his time in power, the French government and the British hard caps were hardly seen.
Franz thought for a while and said: "The key to the success of this strategy is secrecy, a sudden attack by various countries, creating established facts and forcing Britain and France to admit it.
As long as the plan is not exposed, the initiative is in our hands, and it is up to us to decide when to do it and whether to do it or not.
After the outbreak of the Russian-Turkish war, whether Britain and France will join the war is beyond our control, but the Ottomans must be more anxious.
Winning Britain and France to join the war was their only option to escape the crisis. If necessary, let the Ottoman Empire know that our goal is only the Danube Valley. "
Franz didn't feel any pressure to deceive the Ottomans. If he told them that the Austrian government had no interest in them this time, it was estimated that the Sudanese government would not believe it.
It's better to expose a false information and convince the Ottomans that the Austrians have a much smaller appetite than the Russians who want to swallow them.
Once the main and secondary enemies are clearly distinguished, the Ottoman government has few options. Being bitten by Austria is nothing more than a disease of psoriasis. If bitten by a Russian, it will be half-crippled if it doesn't die.
…
Chancellor of the Exchequer Carr proposed: "Your Majesty, in order to deal with the next war, the Ministry of Finance proposes the implementation of a tobacco and alcohol monopoly system in order to raise more war funds."
Austria has a war fund, and it is enough to unify the southern German region, but it is not necessary to face the interference of various countries.
The Austrian Empire is also a big business and has long passed the stage of adventure. Franz also doesn't like taking risks. It is impossible for him to run to start a war foolishly with only a few months of war funding.
So from the very beginning, the strategic plan made took into account the intervention of the foreign powers. The worst situation was to go to war with Britain, France and Prussia at the same time.
Of course, this is based on the cooperation between Russia and Austria. In a heads-up match, Franz is not so reckless, and the Austrian government is not that confident.
The side with more soldiers will always take advantage, especially when there may be two- or even three-front operations.
The larger the number of soldiers, the greater the military expenditure. It is necessary to raise as much war money as possible.
The most direct way is to collect war taxes. Unless the war has broken out, Franz will not do it. He is a man of the rules.
"How much income can be increased after the implementation of the tobacco and alcohol monopoly system?" Franz asked with concern
After thinking about it, Carl replied: "Based on the current domestic economic development, after the implementation of the tobacco and alcohol monopoly system, the annual income can be increased by at least 35 million rupiah."
In the case of the original financial income, it can also increase the income of 35 million dong, and the profits of tobacco and alcohol can be seen in general.
"Prime Minister, what do you think?" Franz asked
35 million rupiah is enough to impress Franz. Deep down, he has agreed. Now asking the Prime Minister's opinion is that the cabinet needs to be responsible for implementing this plan.
Prime Minister Felix replied without hesitation: "Your Majesty, special circumstances can be treated specially. The government will do ideological work for the capitalists, and they will surely understand."
Obviously, everyone's bottom line is so high. In order to increase the financial income of 35 million rupiah, everyone does not mind sacrificing the interests of some people.
Whether the capitalists whose interests have been damaged can figure it out is not important anymore, and they have no right to speak in politics anyway.
Historically, the Austrian government has implemented a salt and tobacco monopoly. However, the virtuous Franz, as early as the previous People's Livelihood Act, listed salt and grain as necessities of life.
The government strictly controls the prices of these necessities of life so that the people can fill their stomachs and not go to rebellion.
Under the circumstance that the price cannot be raised, the inclusion of salt into the monopoly will not increase the income much, so the Ministry of Finance naturally chooses another wine with higher profits.
These two commodities are not necessities of life, even if the price is a little higher, it doesn't matter. Less smoking and drinking are also good for health.
This is Franz's real thought. Although he also smokes and drinks, it does not prevent him from guiding the people and developing a correct living habit.
Franz thought for a while and said, "Since this is the case, then the government should legislate to implement tobacco and alcohol monopoly as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Felix replied