War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Canning still persisted in his assertion. In his opinion, the threat of a rising Austrian Empire across Central Europe was more terrifying than Tsarist Russia, and the presence of the European prime minister also made him feel like a choker.

Of course, the reason why Canning spared no effort to sell his private goods to the cabinet members present here has to do with the new labor law promulgated by Austria a year ago, which made the cost of importing Italian indentured slaves soaring for British indentured slave traders.

To avoid the risk of being caught, these gray traders bribed the foreign secretary.

"The Austrians' economic strength is not strong, and their government is always on the verge of bankruptcy. For example, if a person with huge debts really goes bankrupt, then for his creditors or guarantors Can't say it's a good thing.

Therefore, it is inevitable that the desperate Austrians will turn to the Russian side. Then it will be difficult for us to sanction the Russians. The combined population of these two countries exceeds 100 million people, and their territories are connected. If we want to win on land, They are almost impossible.

What we need is a weak Central European Stitch Monster and an isolated Oriental Monster. I think the best way is to let the Russians and Austrians go to war. "

Viscount Palmerston, who had just returned to London from India, made a shocking statement at his first cabinet meeting.

"Let the Russians and Austrians go to war? How is this possible?" Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne questioned. Although this was also his idea, he gave up because both countries belong to the Holy Alliance and it is not in their own interests to go to war with each other. .

"With the Russians' endless desires on the land and consistent short-sighted behavior, as long as they believe that we will support this war, then the group of barbaric Slavs will most likely attack their allies. As long as the two of them Our strength is severely weakened, we can just concentrate on dealing with the French.”

Palmerston was a die-hard supporter of the Russian threat theory, but he also had no favorable impression of Austria as a country. In his opinion, the best outcome is for both Russia and Austria to suffer losses. A weak Europe is what Britain needs most.

Palmerston was tough, but not reckless. There is no reason to sacrifice the country's interests when there are problems that can be solved by Russian hands.

Especially this trip to India and the difficulties encountered by the British army in Afghanistan made the former foreign secretary particularly aware that the costs of fighting deep in the interior are not proportional to the benefits.

The cost of just maintaining the occupation was already astronomical, let alone launching an evenly matched war. Thinking of this, he began to admire the Iron Duke Wellington.

"You said it very well. This is in the interest of the British Empire!"

"If we can make Russia and Austria turn against each other, then the Strait issue can be easily solved! This is really a genius idea!"

"That's right! In this way, the Holy Alliance will be completely disintegrated, and the British Empire's world hegemony will no longer be shaken by anyone!"

Palmerston's proposal was unanimously supported by the cabinet members, because once the plan succeeded, it would be of great benefit to Britain. Palmerston, who was striking while the iron was hot, made a new suggestion:

"Gentlemen, in order to save Her Majesty the Queen's brave and fearless soldiers, we should withdraw our troops from the cesspool of Afghanistan. There is no point in continuing to waste time there. If we can promote the internal conflict between Russia and Austria, then there will be no need to worry about the Russians going south to India in the short term. Problems of the subcontinent.”

However, this proposal was immediately refuted by Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne.

"No, we must not withdraw our troops from Afghanistan. If the Russians are unable to break out of the Black Sea, they will definitely find another way. There are only a few backward steppe civilizations between them and Afghanistan. Wait until those Cossacks break out of Xinghai When we reach the Kush Mountains, it will be too late for us to think about defending.”

"Yes, the current public opinion does not allow us to do this. Damn the Times, they published the tragic death of the Afghan transport team, and they don't know where they got the treaty signed by the army stationed in Afghanistan and the local indigenous people."

The Marquis of Normandy added that he really wanted to stop fighting in Afghanistan, because as Palmerston said, the only gains from the war were the corpses of soldiers and sky-high supply bills.

But that damn "Times" got some sensational photos from nowhere, as well as evidence of British troops paying protection fees to Afghan natives.

The newspaper news immediately spread throughout the United Kingdom, and even newspapers on the European continent published the news one after another. The majestic British Empire was actually beaten to the ground by a group of Central Asian indigenous people, and even had to pay protection fees.

This news was enough to disgrace the cabinet and even affected the general election. The Whig Party's support rate dropped rapidly. If it were not for John Russell's personal relationship with the Queen, it would probably be the Tories' turn to be in power now.

"These damn reporters, and that damn camera technology! Now Britain has to continue to pay for this senseless war."

When it came to the fate of the party, even Palmerston was a little helpless, and he also had a sense of luck. He thought that if the worst happened, he would spend more money and conquer this land in a few years.

"We should shut down that damn newspaper and shut those stupid pigs up!"

Palmerston was as tough as ever. He felt that people like Thomas Barnes should be hanged on London Bridge. Even so, the influence of The Times in the UK was too great, and there were complicated circumstances behind it. The interest relationship always leads to nothing in the end.

Viscount Melbourne did not expect Palmerston to compromise so easily. He thought it would be another difficult battle.

At this point, the British top brass reached a consensus to support Serbia and try to get Russia and Austria to go to war.

Miloš was naturally overjoyed when he received the news that the British had decided to support him in retaking Belgrade, but there were 80,000 Austrian troops in the Belgrade area.

Even if all the Serbian people are in the army, it will be difficult to obtain benefits. The 20 cannons and 5,000 rifles promised by the British have not yet arrived.

At this time, there were only 12 cannons and 12,000 rifles in the entire Serbia. In addition to the 80,000 troops, the Austrians also built many fortresses in the Belgrade area, the largest of which was Belgrade itself.

If you look at it this way, then the Serbs will not be able to win in any case, but the British pointed out a clear way to Milos, and that is to use the power of the Russians.

"Grand Duke Miloš, you can completely defeat the evil Austrian Empire with the help of Russia. You don't have to worry about independence at all. With our British Empire as your solid backing, no one can enslave you. Just look at Greece. ”

British envoy Mills said slightly bewilderedly.