Chapter 475: Late at Night
Chapter 464 – Late at Night
Late at night, on Vienna’s Ring Road, under the illumination of the lights, the Austrian International Hotel situated here was particularly dazzling.
In Vienna, where every inch of land is gold, an Austrian Grand Hotel, which covers an area of up to 2888.88 acres, is definitely a beautiful scenery line.
The hotel has all kinds of amusement facilities, and it is the most luxurious hotel in this era, as well as the most expensive hotel in this era, without one.
Being able to live in it was a status symbol in itself. Even for the cheapest room, it would be hundreds of divine guilders.
Different rooms corresponded to different status grades, and the palace-like building inside was something that only nobles could stay in. Ordinary people, even if they were rich, could only live in the civilian area.
So this is Franz’s most failed investment, everyone is very disciplined, capitalists won’t cross into the noble district, and nobles won’t stay in the civilian district.
Even within the aristocracy is also a strict hierarchy, everyone will only choose the room that matches their status, and never cross the line.
Now is often ordinary room business is booming, high-grade noble area customers but very few, especially the highest grade of the emperor’s palace, so far have not opened.
It’s not that the hotel doesn’t accept ordinary people to stay, the problem is that no one dares to take half a step across the minefield. This was determined by the social climate, once the behavior exceeded the status, it would be rejected.
Slowly became the rules of the hotel, what kind of status with what kind of treatment, if encountered full, change a hotel.
The imperial palace that was originally priced at 8,888 divine guilders became awkward, and ordinary people couldn’t stay there. If there is really a king over to visit, Franz can’t let people pay.
In a fit of pique, Franz added four more 8s to the price tag, and it became 8888888888 Shendian, and the compulsion went up immediately.
The world’s most expensive hotel is not one, this price is enough to buy two Austrian hotels, and then really no one can afford to live.
Not only is the emperor class no one asked for, the following dukes and marquises basically can not open. It’s not a question of whether you can afford to stay or not, the key is that this kind of status of the big nobles, who does not have a house in Vienna?
The local great nobles don’t move in, counting on the foreign great nobles, they may not even be able to meet a customer in a year.
A large number of ultra-luxury rooms are idle, but also spend a lot of cost maintenance, Austria Hotel’s operating costs naturally went up.
If not in time in the next door to open up the civilian area, by virtue of the brand effect attracted a large number of tycoon stay, and open meeting room, engaged in the business membership system, Franz have to lose to doubt life.
Reality has once again proved that too much ahead of its time often turns people into martyrs. Later generations of presidential suites many tycoons happy, this era of imperial palaces but no one asked.
On the contrary, the back of the business membership system has been a hot favorite, the annual membership fee of 12,000 God’s Guilders, and a large group of rich people to support the scene.
Now the capitalists like to talk business in the Austrian Hotel, not only to show off their wealth, but also a reflection of their own strength.
Every year to pay up to tens of thousands of dues of people, will not be a liar, the hotel first help review each other’s information, no certain strength is not qualified to become a member.
Various ways to make money, are added to the Austrian hotel’s profits are still just passable, you know Franz’s initial planning how pitiful.
Lying on the hotel bed of Marquis McLean, no mind to focus on the luxury of the Grand Hotel, anyway, are the Austrian government arrangements, do not need him to pay a penny.
This is the benefit of a strong country, as Britain’s foreign minister, wherever you go, there are people to receive, do not need to find their own hotels like the Japanese delegation.
The more expensive the better for MacLean, and he could turn around and reimburse the cost to the London government. It’s a stealth benefit now, why else would you say that this era is the best era for British bureaucrats?
Why do they have to stay in a luxury hotel if they can’t stay in an embassy?
This is all a minor issue. The British Empire is not poor in money, at least not in bureaucrats’ money. Think of it as a business trip subsidy, after all, the British system is not yet perfect, this is the golden age of making money.
Pondering the day’s negotiations, Maclean was slow to sleep. France and Austria were not very keen on their proposed alliance, and there was even a bit of resistance.
This also proves from the side that the Franco-Austrian alliance is real, only in the case of France and Austria have been allied, the British, French and Austrian alliance will become chicken ribs.
This is very unfavorable to his next work, without the cooperation of France and Austria, the triple alliance simply can not be established.
Without being able to join in, how could he break up the Franco-Austrian alliance? Maclean had now decided that the Franco-Austrian alliance existed, and unlike others, he thought that it was possible that the French and Austrians had reached an agreement on the European question.
The Vienna Conference proved that France and Austria had reached an agreement on the Italian question, and that the only remaining dispute between the two sides was over Central Europe.
However, the disputed Rhineland region was still in the hands of the Kingdom of Prussia, and France and Austria had not come to the point of direct confrontation at all.
If the two countries cooperate with each other, Austria annexed the German Confederation, the French annexed the Italian region.
Rhineland is not not their territory, no matter who give up this region, need to bear the political risk is not big.
If compensation could be obtained from other regions, the possibility of a Franco-Austrian compromise on this issue was very high.
Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, three small countries, may become the victim of the French and Austrian compromise, in front of the interests of nothing can not be negotiated.
This is not what the London government wants to see, France and Austria are already very powerful and have threatened the security of Britain. If they were allowed to grow even stronger, it would really be impossible to limit them.
Stirring up a war between France and Austria, so that they both lose. The London government had no less than a hundred options for this kind of plan, yet in practice, it didn’t know where to start.
Now France and Austria are holding each other back, the European continent is still able to maintain the overall balance. Once the war broke out, the balance will be broken.
If there is no final defeat, the two sides in a short period of time to distinguish between victory and defeat, Europe will be the only one.
Another war against France, or Austria? No one except the whimsical mouth-breathers are hopeful.
The Russian Empire and Prussia+Poland are utterly at loggerheads, and the power of hatred prevents them from uniting together, and I’m afraid that the rest of the countries combined don’t have enough power.
When the time comes, Britain will again have to take the fight into her own hands, and right now anti-war sentiment is running high within Britain, and several wars in the last decade or so have made the British public so anti-war that they want to go to war before they can even set things right at home.
MacLean was not an idealist and did not think that the European countries were about to follow their script. Whether it was Napoleon III or Franz, their main achievements were in politics.
Encountering such opponents could be much more difficult to deal with than Napoleon. In case the operation is not good, pulled full of hatred between the two countries, France and Austria do not kill each other, but directly to them to kill, then what to do?
Knowing that the Franco-Austrian alliance has not yet been dissolved, this alliance is not against them, who else can be targeted?
Join this alliance, and then divide France and Austria, is the best plan.
If you can not do the latter point, the big deal is to step back, the three countries to join forces to dominate the world, Britain just need to find a way to become the leader of the alliance on the line.
It can be said that the British had considered all the problems thoroughly, and the only trouble now was how to persuade France and Austria to agree to the alliance.
McLean was calculating in his mind that the initial program had failed. Now can come up with what place of interest to buy the two countries, and can maximize the protection of Britain’s interests.
Cut their own meat that is impossible, at most, at the expense of others, sacrificing the interests of other countries to achieve the purpose, is what they are best at.
The night is already late, in the calculation McLean went to sleep. In his dream, he completed the diplomatic game, established the world dominance of Britain, but also became the greatest prime minister in British history.
……
Maclean was not the only one who had a headache over the Triple Alliance, the Palace of Versailles was ablaze with lights and Napoleon III was also troubled by the problem.
Don’t think that if you are pro-British, you are not anti-British. In the face of interests, the position of politicians can change at any time.
Napoleon III, who had lived in Britain, knew very well how terrible the British were, and even suffered from Anglophobia at one time.
Time always fades everything. More than ten years of imperial career made Napoleon III’s fear of the British gradually fade away.
Now France is far from the year can be compared, and the British strength gap is actually not very big. But Napoleon III’s fear of the British never faded.
Obviously the British is a naval power, the threat to France, although large, but not yet to the point that can be fatal. If they really fought, the French could still do with both losses.
Instead, Austria, also an army power, could pose a fatal threat to France, yet Napoleon III had complete confidence in Austria and was not at all so fearful.
Deep inner perception is also an important factor in determining the political direction.
Just as Russia in later times, obviously the comprehensive national strength has fallen off, but in everyone’s consciousness is still the second most powerful country in the world. Instead ……
The problem was that Franz was similar to Napoleon III, who also feared the British but did not see the French as a mortal threat.
So what if they are the same land power? The heart is just not a wimp, anyway, the geographical location decided, France and Austria is difficult to hit each other’s core area.
The Alps are not suitable for large armies to move, which means that from the Italian region can not be hit, and the other side, not to mention.
Throughout the two world wars, the Germans have attacked France from Belgium, it is known that the southern region is not suitable for large army action.
A detour through Belgium could mean crossing Prussia at the same time before both sides could fight.
Although there is no such thing as a false road in Europe, the Berlin government did not dare to borrow a road. Of course, even if they are willing to borrow the road, people do not dare to cross.
Unless the first occupation of Belgium and the Rhineland region, otherwise the army has just crossed the cut off the back road, will not be a tragedy.
Because each other do not see each other as a threat, so France and Austria in the common interests of the two countries allied, both sides are confident to wait for the completion of the strategic layout, and then slowly overwhelmed each other.
Against the British will not be able to, both the Austrian Navy, or the French Navy, do not have the strength to suppress the Royal Navy, the most optimistic estimate is that both lose.
This is also the Napoleon III era, the British and French relations warmed up, and did not manage to further alliance reasons.
Now is no exception, France and Austria both regard the British as the greatest enemy, the British also hold the same attitude. It was naturally not easy to ally with one’s enemy.
Taking a sip of freshly ground coffee, Napoleon III sighed. He didn’t want to turn his back on the British, and on the contrary, John Bull was blocking him from annexing the Italian region.
Inwardly Napoleon III had already made a decision, if the British were willing to acquiesce to the expansion of France, then everyone would ally, otherwise there was no need to talk.
If the alliance could not bring benefits to France, then no more playing with the British.
……
(End of chapter)