Chapter 310: Another Continental Balance
Chapter 300: Another Continental Balance
Franz was surprised and asked, “Did you really catch the assassin?”
According to his idea, after the failed assassination in Paris, these people would have already gone into hiding, how could they continue to stay where they are and wait for death?
However, he overlooked the fact that communication was not easy in this era, and the fact that the government received the information early did not mean that the assassins had also received the information.
Now the news published in the Vienna newspaper, or Napoleon III assassination, the assassin fell into the net, the government of Paris to the Kingdom of Sardinia to account for these things have not spread so quickly.
The fact that the Charcoal Burners were powerful in the Kingdom of Sardinia did not mean that they were also powerful in Austria. In fact they belonged to a cult in Austria, and their tentacles deep into Lombardy Venetia were cut off long ago.
Even if the organizations within Sardinia received the news, they were not capable of informing these assassins to retreat. Even this assassination was a one-shot decision by the people underneath, and the Charcoal Burning Party executives didn’t even know about it.
The Charcoal Burning Party was allied in nature, and had only nominal leadership over its members. In reality, everyone is still doing their own thing, and there is no mandatory binding force on the members.
Archduke Louis replied smilingly, ”Yes, Your Majesty! After these assassins were caught, they still insisted that they were French, saying that they came to assassinate you under the orders of Napoleon III.”
It was indeed hilarious that someone would pull off such a poor planting of evidence. Do you really think that just because you changed your nationality, it’s believable?
Franz sneered and said, “Then watch over them first, don’t let them die, there might be a big use for them later on.”
Ready-made excuses were sent to the door, and the reason for the Vienna government to support the French came out. The assassin without action is also an assassin, empathy for the situation, France and Austria have no problem with the same enemy.
What’s even funnier is that in this day and age the charcoal-burning party is an explicit organization with open membership. Want to throw out a few scapegoats out can not, involved in the regicide case, who do not want to get out.
“Italy’s three founding fathers” Mazzini, Garibaldi, Cavour, are members of this organization, and there are even rumors that Napoleon III also joined this organization.
What could the Sardinian government do, hand over all these people? Unfortunately all the top brass of the Sardinian Kingdom, except the King, were in it, and a strong man is not so strong, it was an insoluble problem.
Archduke Louis replied, “Yes, Your Majesty!”
In order to encourage the French to annex the Kingdom of Sardinia, Franz was also worried. Even the opportunity to blackmail the Sardinian Kingdom was temporarily given up.
St. Petersburg
No matter what the Tsarist government was doing, when something happened in Europe in this era, they were always involved. As the hegemon of Europe, it was their responsibility and duty to regulate the conflicts of various countries.
Of course, this responsibility and obligation was what the Russians thought of themselves, and was never recognized by the European countries. The European hegemony of the Tsarist government was based entirely on force.
Nicholas I was in a difficult position. On the one hand, he hated the Italian radical organization that assassinated the Emperor, and on the other hand, he did not want to watch the French expand their power.
Not only Nicholas I, but all the national monarchs in the whole continent of Europe, except Franz, an alternative, faced the same trouble.
Regardless of whether Napoleon III was an outburst or not, since he was recognized by everyone on the throne, he was a member of the group of monarchs. An ordinary political assassination would be resisted by everyone collectively, let alone assassinating a monarch.
Bismarck’s assassination and death, as the backstabber of the Polish independence are heavy losses, not only by the brutal suppression of Prussia and Russia, but also by the boycott of the European countries.
Foreign Minister Karl Worcel righteously said, “Your Majesty, this evil organization that wants to kill the monarch must be punished, and all the heads must be sent to the gallows.”
It was politically correct, even the Kingdom of Sardinia’s allies – the British – told them to hand over the murderers, no monarchy can tolerate the existence of an evil organization that assassinates monarchs.
Nicholas I nodded and said, “Well, this evil organization must be eradicated, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sends a note to the Kingdom of Sardinia and tells them to arrest the murderer immediately.
The question now is what can be done to prevent the French from expanding their power. The lessons of the Napoleonic era cannot be repeated, we must limit the enemy’s expansion.”
Foreign Minister Karl Worcel chestily said, “Your Majesty, curbing French expansion is not a problem for us alone. The brunt of French expansion in the Italian region will be borne by the British and the Austrians.
We have absolutely nothing to worry about on this issue. Even if the French grow in strength, then there are the Prussians and Austrians in the way.
Times are different nowadays, Napoleon III is not Napoleon, he doesn’t have the same talent as his uncle. Once the French enter Central Europe, they will be resisted by everyone.
With the French’s current strength, they are simply not capable of sweeping across the European continent. Once the French expand into Central Europe, we will form an anti-French alliance and eliminate this enemy once and for all.”
Being wary of the French was purely out of instinct. Back then, Napoleon had fought all the way to the Russian hinterland, and if he hadn’t relied on the winter to renew a wave of life, the Russian Empire would have been finished.
Therefore, in the struggle for European hegemony, the Tsarist government has always regarded the French as the number one competitor, and of course the French also regarded the Russians as the number one competitor.
The French were willing to join forces with John Bull to start the Near East War, in addition to diverting the domestic political crisis, more or less a continuation of the struggle for European hegemony between France and Russia.
Minister of Finance Arystanlirod reminded: “Your Majesty, in recent years, the Austrians have been developing rapidly, although and we are allies, but the precautionary still need to be precautionary.
Now since the French have jumped out, why don’t we let Austria and them keep each other in check! We can also learn from the British and the Austrians and play a game of continental balance.”
The Russians playing with the continental balance sounded like a pipe dream, but it had to be done.
The three main protagonists in the Near Eastern War, Britain and France had recovered, and the Russian Empire, the victor, was actually still recuperating.
This shocked the Tsarist government and forced it to carry out institutional reforms. Nicholas I was indeed old and did not have the sharpness of his younger days. In the face of strong opposition from the conservatives, he took a steady approach.
Besides, the Russian Empire was too big to rule.
Wired telegraphy was on the verge of becoming commonplace in continental Europe, but in Russia it only covered a few major cities, and it was still a long way from being able to cover the whole country.
Under these circumstances, the central government’s control over local governments was naturally insufficient. The reform measures, which were adopted with great difficulty, were discounted when they were finally implemented.
The effects of the reforms were not obvious, and without being able to solve the financial dilemma, the Russian Empire no longer had the power to overpower the countries, and changing the state policy was a last resort.
Nicholas I sighed deeply, for a long time to play the continental balance of the British and Austrians, did not think that Russia has always wanted to break the situation in Europe, will now also become a supporter of the policy of continental balance.
“That’s just it!”
Having made this decision, Nicholas I seemed to have aged a lot at once.
Once the European Continental Balance policy was opened, it meant that the Russian Empire completely gave up its expansion on the European continent, and the future Tsarist government had even fewer strategic options.
But in front of the reality, can not be refused by them. Even if they don’t give up their expansion on the European continent, the tsarist government can’t find a place to expand. And they are bordering on the hard bone, there is no way to get down.
Before that, the tsarist government had already been doing, the Vienna system reconstruction is part of the continental balance policy, only at that time the starting point was different.
Initially, the tsarist government was only trying to consolidate its hegemony and buy time for domestic reforms. Now, because of the lack of money, it had to engage in the policy of continental balance in order to save the cost of maintaining its hegemony.
(End of chapter)