Chapter 905: Vittorio Emanuele III
Chapter 887 Vittorio Emanuele III
After Napoleon III annexed the Kingdom of Sardinia, Vittorio Emanuele II, who was exiled to London, formed the Sardinian government in exile with the help of the British.
Later, when the French annexed the remaining parts of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II was moved to become the leader for the sake of the anti-French movement in Italy.
The reason for this was very simple: the barefoot was not afraid of the shoes, and Vittorio Emanuele II, who had nothing to lose, had the courage to fight the French to the end.
In contrast, the same could not be said for several other state royals. Although the country was taken away by the French, they still hung the crown in name and received an annual annuity.
Against this background, although everyone was very dissatisfied, they did not have the courage to jump out and fight the French to the death, but only made small moves in secret.
The initial Sardinian Independence Organization was supported only by the British, and the organizational structure was generally stable. The situation changed when it expanded to become the Italian Independence Organization.
Austria also became a supporter of the independence organization, and with an additional gold master, many things became complicated.
In 1878, after the death of Vittorio Emanuele II, his nine-year-old son succeeded to the throne, and naturally, a young kid was not capable of calming internal conflicts.
The Italian Independence Organization existed in name only and gradually divided into four waves, representing the four states of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Papal States, Tuscany, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
The Italian independence movement thus fell into a low ebb, and even after the outbreak of the Paris Revolution, they followed and staged an uprising, which was only short-lived.
When the lion and the elephant wrestled with the hare, they also used their full strength. With the imminent outbreak of war in Europe, Franz naturally had to pull together all the forces that could be pulled together.
The Italian Independence Organization was weak, but they had a strong appeal among the Italians!
Imagine how comical it would be if, when the Franco-Austrian war was at a critical moment, the Italian soldiers in the French army suddenly gave up and quit.
Undoubtedly, the strongest and most influential of the Italian independence organizations was naturally the Sardinian Independence Organization, the direct line of Vittorio Emanuele III.
Don’t look at the fact that the Kingdom of Sardinia had already been annexed by the French, and the French Emperor had an additional crown on his head, but Vittorio Emanuele III was the recognized King of Sardinia in Europe.
No matter how powerful France was, the illegally seized crown was just not recognized by the European aristocratic circles. Franz is also credited with this, as the Habsburgs were the first to deny the legitimacy of the Bonaparte family to the Sardinian throne.
In a manor house outside London, two men, one old and one young, are fishing. It is obvious that both men are distracted, and they pay no attention to the suspended objects on the water that are constantly being tugged and pulled.
Jonas, Austrian Minister to London: “Your Majesty, with the outbreak of the Continental War just around the corner, your chance to restore your country has come.”
The young Vittorio Emanuele III smiled slightly, “That is only a chance, the French are still strong.
It is still very difficult for Italy to get rid of French rule. Unless your country is able to hit the French hard on the battlefield, or else with the strength of the independent organizations, it’s simply a death sentence.”
This was the crux of the matter and the center of the dispute.
Jonas hoped that the Italian Independence Organization would be able to start an uprising first, shaking the French to their core, in order to increase the Austrian army’s chances of winning on the battlefield.
Vittorio Emanuele III, on the other hand, wanted Austria to defeat the French on the battlefield first, and the independence organizations to start the uprising.
Jonas shook his head, Vittorio Emanuele III’s caution, he understood, the relationship between the King of Sardinia and Austria had never been good.
If he drove out the French and ushered in Austria, it would be a case of a tiger going out the front door and a wolf coming in the back.
“Your Majesty, there is no free lunch in this world. Wanting to gain national independence without paying a price is impossible.
I know what you are worried about and understand the sentiment, but you should know that Austria never treats its allies poorly.
Since the promise made to support your country’s independence, we will honor the agreement.
But Austria is also about equal exchange, pay as much as you want and take as much of the spoils of war as you can.
If you wait until the big picture is settled before getting involved, then we will not be able to guarantee your country’s territorial integrity.”
This is a naked “threat”, obviously Jonas is determined that Vittorio Emanuele III can not cooperate with the French, want to restore the country must be supported by Austria.
Vittorio Emanuele III face changed greatly, at the end of the day is still too young to be able to do not look angry.
“Your Excellency the Minister, guaranteeing the territorial integrity of the Italian region is our bottom line! If we can’t do that, then there’s no point in talking.”
Minister Jonas reminded, “Your Majesty, you are only the King of Sardinia and are not qualified to represent the other three states.
As a matter of fact, we’ve already reached an agreement among the representatives of the three states, and it’s only the Kingdom of Sardinia that we’re talking to you about now.”
These days Italy is just a place name, now internationally recognized are the four states, the Italian Independence Organization that is a straw man, does not have any legal significance.
Hearing this answer, Vittorio Emanuele III’s face became more and more ugly.
As the leader of the Italian Independence Organization, he originally thought that he would be the King of Italy after driving out the French.
However, the reality was very much in his face. Jonas clearly told him that this was impossible.
The Italian Independence Organization represented nothing, and Austria recognized only Sardinia, the Papal States, Naples, and Tuscany.
If Austria did not recognize it, the King of Italy was naturally nowhere to be found. Vittorio Emanuele III was very upset, but unfortunately he did not have the strength to turn the other cheek.
He wasn’t willing to cooperate with Austria, and there had to be people down there who were. Don’t think that members of independent organizations are so noble, people have to eat.
As a king, even if he is in exile, he can also live a colorful life, but the following followers will be tragic.
Even for those who are well-to-do, after so many years, they have been consumed; those who are poor are already looking for work in London, relying on the little subsidies issued by the independent organization, they would have starved to death.
After so many years, the former hot-blooded teenagers have been worn away by life, and the restoration of the country is the only chance for them to turn over a new leaf.
Whether it is Italy or the King of Sardinia, as long as they are able to establish a regime, they will be able to change into a high and mighty ruler.
The last straw to save their lives, no one will spill it. Whoever stands in everyone’s way is everyone’s enemy, even Vittorio Emanuele III, the nominal leader.
After pausing for a while to adjust his thoughts, Vittorio Emanuele III slowly said, “Your Excellency, we can find a way to hold the French at bay, but with our strength we do not have the ability to directly confront the French army.”
Seeing that his purpose was accomplished, Jonas smiled and replied, “Your Majesty, please rest assured that Austria will not pit against its friends.
When the war breaks out, you only need to do some sabotage in the rear and affect the logistical transportation of the French army, you don’t need to go directly to the battlefield.
For example: spread rumors to shake the heart of the French army; call on Italians not to sell their lives for the French; sabotage roads and bridges, and organize workers’ strikes ……
In order to minimize losses, you can also call on the people for nonviolent non-cooperation, these are all contributions.”
Hearing Jonas’ explanation, Vittorio Emanuele III breathed a sigh of relief, shouting slogans and whatnot was what they were best at, the shortcomings of the independence organizations were military.
As long as they didn’t fight the French and did damage in the back, they could still do it.
After a pause, Minister Jonas added, “The contribution you make to this war will determine what you get after the war.
As long as the contribution made is big enough, the territory and war reparations will all be there. The original territories that were disputed between the King of Sardinia and the French, you will also have the opportunity to get them back.”
This is not a pie in the sky, as long as they win the war, regardless of their performance, the disputed territories will be assigned to the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Austria does not have the appetite to annex France, and the hatred between France and Austria will certainly deepen after the war, and it is even possible that it will not be resolved for decades.
For the stability of the Western Front, the Austrian government had to weaken France. In addition to the Italian region can be independent, France’s mainland is actually still very stable, simply can not be split on.
Even if it was forcibly split, it would be reunited in a few years, and Franz could not possibly go to the trouble of doing nothing.
Against this backdrop, the Austrian government did not have a good solution, except for pulling in its neighbors to divide it up.
Moreover, it was not only the land that was divided, but also the hatred that accompanied it.
Took the French land, you can only and the French to fight to the death. There was no choice but to hug Austria’s leg.
Without any hesitation, Vittorio Emanuele III replied decisively, “Don’t worry, Your Excellency the Minister, we will do our best to cause trouble for the French!”
The conditions were already very generous, much better than Vittorio Emanuele III had expected before, and Austria did not hit the territory of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
The only regret was that Austria was against his unification of the Italian regions, but this was not a big problem for Vittorio Emanuele III.
Having been in exile since birth, Vittorio Emanuele III was also well-traveled, young but not middle-aged.
……
(End of chapter)