Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

British Empire, London.

Viscount Palmerston has looked much older recently. In the past, when he was 82 years old, he was praised for his 70-year-old appearance, but now he looks like he is 90 years old.

This shows how much pressure he faces.

For this reason, his partners, British Foreign Secretary Russell and Chancellor of the Exchequer Creston, are very worried about his physical condition.

"Prime Minister, now the Netherlands is actually involved, acting as a lobbyist for the Tsarist Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire to mediate. This is not in line with our original intention. It disrupts our original strategy of wanting the UK to withdraw first and Austria-Hungary to consume Tsarist Russia. ah"

Creston said worriedly: "This makes us very passive now, and it's all the fault of the Netherlands."

Russell shook his head and objected: "I think it's not that William IV is anxious, but that Russia and Austria are anxious. Otherwise, in terms of time, how could we have succeeded in pulling the strings so quickly?"

Creston wanted to retort, but after seeing Viscount Palmerston shaking his head at him, he held it back.

"Those two countries are now injured and need treatment, so it would be best if they can cease the war,"

Viscount Palmerston followed: "What's more, the incidents created by MI6 in Tsarist Russia were enough to make Alexander II nervous and troubled for a while."

Upon hearing this, Creston said: "But how can Britain get out of this situation? It seems to be somewhat different from the previous policy of maintaining Britain's dignity."

Viscount Palmerston and Russell looked at each other, both secretly sighing that Creston was younger and not hot enough.

He explained: "In fact, everything has a pros and cons. It seems that for the UK, the peace talks are lagging behind, but we are not a temptation."

"Testing?"

Creston was stunned for a moment, then suddenly he looked at Palmerston and Palmerston, who nodded. Creston said: "Let the Austro-Hungarian Empire take the lead and test the Tsarist Empire's attitude towards the end of the war, and then the British Can it be used as a measure when negotiating with Tsarist Russia?"

"Yes, if the Tsarist Empire got too little benefit from Austria-Hungary, then it proves that Alexander II urgently needs an armistice. On the contrary, if the lion opens its mouth"

Creston: "That means Tsarist Russia still doesn't want to cease the war."

Viscount Palmerston nodded and said in approval: "Not bad."

Creston suddenly asked: "But what I don't understand is, why is the Netherlands so active? What benefits can they get?"

Minister Russell was also confused about this.

He also couldn't figure out what kind of thoughts William IV had in doing this.

Viscount Palmerston sighed and said: "An enemy is a friend. The Netherlands has recently had a disharmonious relationship with France, and is also very wary of the growing Prussia;

William IV was a smart man. He knew what kind of situation was best for the Netherlands. William IV was weaving a web.

A powerful empire like Austria-Hungary and Tsarist Russia could make the Kingdom of Prussia vulnerable to enemies from both sides. What's more, don't forget, the Netherlands did not participate in these European wars."

Creston said dissatisfied: "Are we just going to watch William IV and Napoleon III sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers and the fishermen benefit?"

Viscount Palmerston sneered and said: "Of course it can't be done. The British Empire will not allow such a thing to happen. Just wait and see the good show."

Prussia, Berlin.

Crown Prince Frederick worriedly said to King William I of Prussia and Prime Minister Bismarck: "Now Amsterdam's mediation will allow the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Tsarist Russian Empire to resolve conflicts, which is very detrimental to Prussia. We should prevent them from continuing."

Bismarck shook his head: "No, such a thing will not happen, my Crown Prince."

Crown Prince Frederick looked at him puzzled.

Bismarck explained: "Because the Tsarist Empire is not on our side, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire is not able to handle it. If there are people who want to deal with us, just ask us not to offend them. Don't forget, Hungary is not a kind nation. However, Joseph I actually made such a big concession to Hungary, which has endangered his royal power."

William I also nodded and said: "It would be okay in peacetime, but now in the war-torn era, as long as Prussia exerts a little pressure or benefits on one of the ethnic groups, the other ethnic group will show the prototype of profit-oriented, and the country will fall apart. Therefore, since Joseph I founded this country, I no longer regard him as an opponent."

Seeing that William I spoke so domineeringly, Crown Prince Frederick couldn't help but look at Bismarck, and saw that he smiled, but did not object to this statement.

He couldn't help but wonder to himself: Was the Austro-Hungarian Empire under Joseph I really that weak?

French Empire, Paris.

Napoleon III has been living quite comfortably recently.

The Mexican Empire is now slowly being infiltrated by his army, and Maximiliano I, the brother of Emperor Joseph I of Austria, is just one of his puppets.

"Joseph I is now too busy to take care of himself. Britain is losing ground in the face of the Lincoln government, and Canada in the north is in danger.

In the Balkans, they were defeated by the Russian Empire for so-called strategic significance. Austria's defeat and withdrawal increased the pressure on Britain.

In the past few years, France's national strength has gradually recovered. on the contrary.

Austria, on the other hand, was so weak that it relied on Hungary to join in order to survive.

However, Napoleon III was not optimistic about the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In particular, the intelligence he received showed that because Joseph I was able to reach a federal solution, all the ethnic groups in the Austro-Hungarian Empire wanted to get power, which made all ethnic groups dissatisfied. Therefore, the conflicts between the various ethnic groups in the Austro-Hungarian Empire Relationships can easily be manipulated, and if you back off even a little bit, they will deteriorate further.

"Now France's opponent has changed from Austria to Prussia. Bismarck is a cunning guy. He dared to deceive me. Wait and see, sooner or later, we will get back double the amount."

Napoleon III severely cursed the Prussians in the north.

"However, the conversation between Alexander II and Joseph I made it difficult for me to distinguish between good and bad views on France."

This little guy, William IV, is quite interesting. Come to think of it, the pressure from Prussia impressed him a lot.

"Perhaps, France can win over."

On March 1, 1866, after three days of negotiations in Amsterdam, the Russian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire finally came to an end.

On the same day, Hesbert von, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, responded to the mediation question of the relevant parties and said that the position of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on the issue between Tsarist Russia and Austria-Hungary is consistent and has not changed. The relevant position of the Netherlands is in line with the Netherlands’ position in Europe. neutral position. The Netherlands will continue to promote peace in Europe as a neutral country in Europe, facilitate talks between major warring parties in Europe, and maintain European stability.

In addition to these opening remarks from the Netherlands as the host, the focus of today's press conference remains - the foreign ministers of the Russian Empire and Austria-Hungary took the stage to discuss questions.