War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Strasbourg.

In the morning, Franz woke up from his sleep and stretched himself. He took a deep breath to calm down his mood.

Waiting is always the most torturous. Britain and France refused peace, and Franz could not start his next plan. But if Franz starts his next plan before solving Britain and France, he will be asking for death.

He knew that Britain and France would eventually choose, because this war should never have happened, and it was currently in a three-lose state.

Britain and France failed to pass on their domestic conflicts as expected. Instead, the economic and political crises became more and more serious. Both governments were already losing money.

The situation in the Austrian Empire looked great, but only Franz himself knew best. At this time, Austria, and even Germany as a whole, had swelled.

Big Germanists, militarists, and political speculators all jumped out to advocate war crazily. However, choosing to continue the war at this time is actually choosing endless war.

It was still too early for the Austrian Empire at this time, and of course he would take the opportunity to build a framework, not only to prevent radicals, but also to protect himself.

If you obey the advice of the great powers, you will most likely end up with nothing like most licking dogs.

Therefore, when the great powers are afraid of something, the best way to deal with it may be to directly start planning secretly. Even if it is not needed, there must be a backup plan.

The great powers that believe in capitalism will not let a country go just because it is not a threat. Instead, they will consume its use value as much as possible. Land, resources, population, reputation, everything can be used for consumption. Only the unexpected cannot be done without them. of.

Franz looked at Fanny Cote, who was still sleeping soundly next to her. This charming duchess on the polo field was also full of energy at night, and the two of them tossed around until late at night.

If God doesn't take it, he will suffer the consequences. When the two people have the same goal, it doesn't hurt to accept some benefits, which will make Franz's behavior look more reasonable.

It makes people think that Franz is out of his wits because of his lust, or that he is being used by the Orleans Dynasty, which is more confusing to the powerful nations.

For Fanny Cote, at least she felt she had accomplished her mission. Franz will also provide her with an annuity that is enough for her to maintain a decent life as hard work payment.

Franz's assistance to the Duke of Orleans was beneficial to all parties. It not only satisfied the vanity of the great Germanists, but also satisfied the mission advocated by the church, and was more in line with the universal values ​​in Europe.

It not only allows the local people to live with dignity, but also solves the problem of industrial structure. It can also provide a larger platform for their future development - the German Customs Union.

For the Orleans Dynasty, it not only solved the current survival problem, but also solved the political and economic crisis that may break out after the war, and also obtained security guarantee for a period of time in the future.

For Austria, aid not only increases and solidifies its economic and political influence in the German region, but also sets an example for more broader relations.

This naturally refers to the Italian region, but of course it can also refer to more and wider regions.

For Franz personally, he completed the layout in advance and left more than one spark.

The British took no further action, but did not accept peace either. Franz felt that this must be because the chips in his hand were not enough, but this time he thought more.

Prince Albert was already in a panic because he finally saw the message left by John Russell.

On the eve of the Battle of the Mediterranean, a Russian fleet passed through the Bosporus. The meaning behind this was terrible.

Then came the overwhelming battle reports, all of which pointed to the fact that the coalition forces were close to victory.

However, it is worth noting that none of the coalition forces seemed to have any intention of entering France to retaliate, and most of the captured British citizens were allowed to leave with their personal belongings.

It is obvious that the Austrians are not prepared to continue the fight, let alone further plans, otherwise they will definitely use this opportunity to attack France and consolidate their power in the Mediterranean.

Buckingham Palace, Royal Gardens.

Prince Albert expressed his judgment, and Queen Victoria's face burst into a long-lost smile.

The latter has been very anxious since he learned that Britain was in crisis, and bad news came one after another.

In particular, the plan to invade Texas failed and the Sikhs rebelled again. These two pieces of news hit Victoria's chest like two heavy hammers, leaving her breathless.

You must know that it took the British colonial troops in India nearly a year to capture the Sikh Empire.

The cost of that time was huge. In just two years, the Sikhs rebelled again at this juncture.

In fact, this was planned by Franz long ago, but it was designed to prevent Britain from intervening in the Austrian civil war.

But he still overestimated the ambition of the world hegemon. The British couldn't wait for Austria to take action against Hungary, so they just found any reason to enter.

As for the failure of the French, the British actually didn't care. The latter wanted the Austrians to beat the former.

Prince Albert brought good news, but there was no smile on his face, but a frown.

Queen Victoria also asked with a smile on her face.

"Honey, what's wrong with you? Or is this another scam?"

Prince Albert shook his head.

"I don't know either, Your Majesty, but I am sure that this is all very unusual. Perhaps the Austrians are paralyzing us by refusing to sign a declaration prohibiting German unification.

This statement is beneficial to the Austrians. After all, as long as Germany cannot be unified, they can continue to use their influence to dominate.

But they rejected our offer, which probably means they have bigger ambitions. "

"Rebuilding the Holy Roman Empire?" Victoria immediately thought of this.

"That's right! In the past, I thought the Austrians would be fine even if they rebuilt the HRE, but now the entire German Allied Forces have not crossed the line. I think this is scary.

Such control has never been possessed by the so-called Holy Roman Empire. If such a country is allowed to emerge, it will indeed be a very terrible threat to us. "

Prince Albert expressed his concerns, but Victoria frowned, then smiled.

"My dear, don't you think you are becoming more and more like our Prime Minister?"

"No, Victoria, perhaps John Russell and Palmerston were right."

"No, dear. Believe me, if this war continues, we won't even have a future."

Prince Albert looked at his wife in disbelief.

"How can this be?"

"Nothing is impossible, the Irish have launched a rebellion and the situation in Scotland is tense."

"The Irish? How is it possible? They can't even fill their bellies. Where can they get the money to buy weapons? Are the Austrians behind it?"

Prince Albert's first thought was Austria, because he knew very well that some Austrian ships were anchored in Ireland under the British flag.

However, those ships were all under the banner of rescuing refugees, and Albert also sent people to investigate, and there was indeed no other behavior.

"Is the investigation not careful enough? Or are those people accepting bribes from the Austrians?"

Prince Albert couldn't help but become suspicious.

"They are not Austrians. At least the weapons are old models used by the US military. Moreover, American abolitionists have already claimed responsibility for this incident. This is their open letter to us..."

"Dear Her Majesty the Queen.

I am convinced that freedom and justice will prevail, but I send you my warmest regards.

We live in an era full of challenges and changes, and human dignity and freedom are receiving unprecedented attention.

Just as we fight tirelessly on this continent to end the cruel system of slavery, we also look across the Atlantic in Ireland and feel deep sympathy and outrage at the suffering endured by the people there.

The Irish people have long suffered from oppression and neglect. Their rights have been deprived, their freedoms have been restricted, and they have lived in despair.

And your government’s policies have undoubtedly exacerbated this situation.”

If Prince Albert had not received a long-term aristocratic education, he might have torn the letter into pieces.

"Damn Yankees, it's me who abolitioned slavery!"

Of course, Prince Albert would not say it himself, he would only curse in his heart.

In fact, most British officials feel this way. The British in this era only think that Americans are a group of bumpkins and savages. They do not think that Americans will one day be on an equal footing with them.

"Americans? Are they crazy?"

Prince Albert was a little unbelievable, and the corners of his mouth had inadvertently put on a somewhat sarcastic smile.

"In any case, rebels have appeared in Counties Offaly, Longford, Westmeath, and Roscommon in central Ireland and are spreading to the surrounding areas."

Victoria looked very worried, and Prince Albert was even more puzzled. Didn't those officials usually say that they could suppress the Irish rebellion at any time?

"What's going on? Did you encounter some problem with the suppression?"

"The Irish rebellion actually happened a long time ago. The Earl of Corondon has sent troops to suppress it many times, but there are many swamps in those counties, and the army cannot deploy at all, so every time it can only return without success."

In fact, central Ireland has been occupied by bandits opposed to the British government since the 16th century. This is the work of Spanish missionaries.

Even after Spain was defeated by the British, these Irish did not surrender, but took root in the swamps. Although the scale was far less than when they had Spanish support, it was still enough to disgust the British.

Someone's support gave them a chance to make a comeback, and the Great Famine and the British government's inaction provided them with a steady stream of soldiers.