On March 21, 1851, the Tsarist government appointed Duke Alexander-Menshkov as a special envoy to go to Constantinople to negotiate with the Ottoman government.
After hearing the news, the diplomatic community was in an uproar. Duke Alexander-Menshkov served as governor of Finland, commanded wars with Persia and Ottomans, and served as commander of the Black Sea Fleet and Minister of the Navy.
As the core figure of the ruling group of the tsarist government, Duke Alexander-Menshkov served as the negotiating envoy, which is enough to see the attention of the Russians.
This emphasis seems to be sending a signal to the outside world that the Russians want to solve the problem through negotiations.
However, considering that Duke Menshkov was a member of the main war faction and also directed the last Russo-Turkish war, it seems that this is another demonstration against the Ottomans.
Before going to Constantinople, Duke Menshkov first went to Sarabia to review the troops stationed there, and then went to Sevastopol to review the Black Sea Fleet.
Even Russia did a landing exercise, and the target was Constantinople. After the exercise was completed, on March 12, Duke Menshkov took the warship "Thor" to Constantinople.
Menshkov is not a qualified diplomat. He despises diplomacy and etiquette. As the backbone of the main war faction, he opposes all compromises to the Ottoman Empire.
Franz is not optimistic about this Constantinople negotiation. The Russians have such a big appetite. Can the Ottoman Empire compromise
While the Russians were negotiating with the Ottoman government, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also not idle, and diplomatic negotiations with the Ottoman Empire also started, but Franz did not pay attention to this negotiation and directly authorized the station in Constantinople Minister Meesterser is in charge.
Schönbrunn Palace
It was a sunny afternoon and Franz was fishing. It seems that his luck is good, the fish just don't bite.
In contrast, the neighboring father, Grand Duke Karl, has already harvested three, the largest of which weighs three pounds. If nothing else, this hapless egg fish will probably be on the dinner table tonight.
The maid's crisp voice sounded: "Your Majesty, Mr. Metternich asks to see you."
"Take him to the gazebo, I'll go there right away." Franz said lightly
After finishing speaking, Franz put down the fishing rod and said to his father and several younger brothers not far away: "You guys continue, I'm going to work."
Archduke Carl blurted out without thinking: "Go, unlucky child, God wish you good luck!"
Franz was choked directly, he wanted to say "fish eat bad food". However, if you want to think that Austria does not have this proverb, everyone can't understand it.
His good upbringing allowed him to directly filter out his father's words, and just glared at a few younger brothers who were laughing and watching the fun.
Seemingly remembering the days when they were dominated by horrible homework, the little guys restrained their smiles very well, and Franz left with satisfaction.
Can't take care of a few little brats without taking Archduke Karl? Based on the principle that being alone is not as good as being a group, Franz directly copied the pain he had experienced to several younger brothers.
There is nothing more, just being watched by more than 30 tutors alone, and there will always be endless classes and homework.
Franz is a good brother, and he directly covered the education funds. European aristocrats attach great importance to the education of their children. On this issue, no one can intercede for them.
Then, the three little guys all turned into good kids. They were not academic bullies. For the sake of a better life under the blue sky and white clouds, they resolutely surrendered to their evil brother.
Otherwise, now they are still nibbling on books, where would they have the opportunity to come here to cultivate aristocratic temperament (fishing and playing).
Perhaps in the view of Archduke Karl, Franz is really a complete unlucky person. What is there to be an emperor? Every day there are unfinished business affairs, and even on vacation, something will come to you.
Franz never commented on his father's views. If he had any ambition, he would be sitting on the throne now.
In the view of Archduke Carl, it is more comfortable to eat, drink and play as an emperor.
Under this concept, many times Archduke Karl looked at Franz with pity.
There was nothing Franz could do about it. I can't say: If you don't have your own efforts, you, the Habsburg family's rice borer, will have no rice to eat in a long time.
…
"Your Majesty, the news just came that the French have intervened in Jerusalem, and the Catholic Church wants our support."
The news brought by Metternich made Franz only lament the power of historical revision. However, upon careful analysis, this is an inevitable result.
If Louis-Napoleon-Bonaparte wanted to restore, he had to win the support of the people. The current Holy Land crisis, in the eyes of others, is a trouble, but in his eyes, it is an opportunity.
Not only can you take the opportunity to increase France's external influence, but you can also gain the support of Catholics. How can you refuse such a good thing that kills two birds with one stone
As for the consequences of doing so, nothing more than offending the Russians and Ottomans. Others are afraid of bears, but he is not. Anyway, with the German Confederation blocking it, the Russians can't get over and are afraid of it
The attitude of the Ottomans can be ignored. The current Ottomans are no longer the Ottomans they used to be. Any European power can step on them.
Franz thought for a while and said: "So, the French have already entered the field. It seems that the Russians are in trouble, and this Russian-Turkish war may not be easy to fight.
But this has nothing to do with us. Since the French have already acted in Jerusalem, with their strong strength, they must not need our help, and it is enough to support them verbally. "
help? It is impossible for the French government to let Austria intervene. This is when Louis-Napoleon-Bonaparte was gaining popularity. How could Austria be allowed to join in to divide his "credit"
Metternich frowned and said, "Your Majesty, things are not so simple. Not only are the Russians in trouble, but we are also in trouble."
Franz was taken aback for a moment, but he didn't realize that this had anything to do with Austria.
Metternich explained: "Your Majesty, the involvement of the French in this conflict means that Louis-Napoleon-Bonaparte is ready to seize power, and it won't be long before we hear about the disappearance of his restoration.
At that time, an absolutely pro-British French government will emerge. In international affairs, Britain and France will further deepen cooperation.
There is a bipolar pattern in the world, the Russian-Austrian alliance and the British-French alliance. With the outbreak of the Russian-Turkish war, the contradictions between the two alliances will deepen and even lead to war.
Britain and Russia have geographical advantages, and it is unlikely that a full-scale war will break out between the two countries. At most, it is a local conflict.
But we are different from the French. Under the contradiction between the two major alliances, it is very likely that a war will break out between Austria and France in the future. "
Franz was stunned, and Metternich's analysis made him wonder who was the transmigrator.
He also considered the possibility of a war between Austria and France, but he always thought it was an Italian issue. Now it seems that the contradiction between the two major alliances is the fuse of the future conflict between Austria and France.
Against this backdrop, Austria has only two paths to go. Either join forces with the Russians and crush the French in the ensuing war. Without this thug, the British would be cowardly.
Either do nothing and wait for the Franco-Prussian conflict to escalate. It has not been a day or two that the French have been eyeing the Rhineland region. With the deepening of industrialization, the Prussian government has paid more and more attention to this land, and the possibility of concession is almost zero.
The strength of German industry in later generations and the contribution of the Rhineland region are huge. The mineral resources here are indispensable and irreplaceable to the Kingdom of Prussia.
As for the possibility of compromise between the two countries? Franz can clearly answer - no way, don't look at Bismarck's many promises in history to cede the Rhineland to the French.
But in the end, the Prussian government preferred to take a military adventure and fight the French decisively, and did not really give up this area.
This is the future of the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Prussian government has realized its importance since the beginning of industrialization. If the Kingdom of Prussia gave up this area, then the Ruhr industrial area would also be cold.
Franz frowned and said: "It seems that we can't do anything now. The French are caught in the Russo-Turkish war, which is very beneficial to our westward strategy.
Once the westward strategy was completed and the South German region was integrated, the balance of power between Fao changed. Even if there is a war in the future, we have a good chance of winning. "
It's not Franz's confidence, it's the truth. Austria, which has integrated the southern German region, is definitely not the slightest star on the surface.
In this era, many people overestimate France, which is the shadow left by Napoleon's sweep of the European continent. They ignore today's France, and they are not the France of the year.
Whether in terms of comprehensive national strength or military combat effectiveness, they are not the first power that makes the world tremble.
Metternich had a phobia, and as long as there was a war with the French, he was pessimistic, as if Napoleon had returned.
Franz couldn't do anything about it. Metternich was a politician from that era. He personally participated in the anti-French war. Napoleon played a shadow in his heart, and he had no solution at all.
Fortunately, the performance of the Austrian army was not too bad that year. The two sides fought back and forth, and they were not taken away by the French.
The military hardliners headed by Marshal Radesky were very dissatisfied with the failure of the year, and wanted to find an opportunity to get it back.
If the military was not tough enough, Franz would actually be cowardly. Who made the performance of the Austro-Hungarian army in later generations leave him the impression of a waste
Franz, who has personally understood the Austrian army, is very clear that the Austrian Empire is definitely not equal to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Whether it is military morale or soldier training, it is much stronger than the Austro-Hungarian period.
Metternich shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, a France with constant infighting is really nothing to worry about. But once Louis-Napoleon-Bonaparte is restored, the infighting of the French government will be suppressed.
At that time, we must take into account the situation of the cooperation between the French and the French. As long as we put enough pressure on them, it is possible for the two countries to reach a compromise. "
Franz was shocked. If Austria annexed the South German region, the power would have undergone earth-shaking changes.
So both Prussia and France will feel threatened. In order to solve this threat, as long as one side makes concessions and join forces to give Austria a ruthless attack, it seems not impossible.
Following Franz shook his head again, this question was considered too early. The French are very proud, and it is almost impossible for them to make concessions to the Kingdom of Prussia before they have experienced failure.
To be sure, the French would not have allowed Prussia to unify Germany even if they had won Austria. So is it necessary for the Prussian government to risk this
If Fao heads up, or Puo heads up, the Russians may watch the show and use their strength to weaken Austria; if France and Austria join forces, as long as the Russians don't want to fall into isolation, sending troops will become inevitable.
The French were far away and could not feel the threat of the Russians, but not the kingdom of Prussia, which was close at hand. Maybe in the end, Austria was also crippled by the joint efforts of Prussia and Prussia, and the Kingdom of Prussia was first destroyed by the joint efforts of Russia and Austria.
Franz thought for a while and said, "It seems that we have to restrain ourselves a little bit. If we are to be jealous of other countries, then we will be in big trouble."
No matter what alliance it is, it must speak with interests. Once the interests conflict, turning over the face is faster than turning over the book.
In order to avoid the worst situation, Franz chose to pretend to be a coward.