Chapter 863: Prologue
Chapter 846 Prologue
The Second Anglo-Afghan War broke out on December 21, 1887, when British Prime Minister Gladstone publicly declared war on Afghanistan in response to parliamentary questioning.
These days the British Empire bullying a small country does not need congressional authorization, in fact, if it were not for the assassination of Walters case made a lot of noise, Afghanistan did not even enjoy the qualifications of the declaration of war.
Like most small indigenous nations of the era, the European world never recognized the Afghan government at all.
In the perception of most Europeans, the Afghan kingdom is about as close to an indigenous tribe as you can get. Even the defeat of the British army in the last Afghan war still did not change the perception of the outside world.
Because the Indian colonial army can not represent the real fighting power of Britain, and Afghanistan fighting only the East India Company, not the entire British Empire.
This can be seen from the declaration of war on Afghanistan, knowing that Afghanistan may have been wrongly accused, the British government still declared war, and even the investigation of the excesses are lazy.
From the British-Afghan declaration of war, Franz retired from his work and became a happy gourd-eater.
However, waiting for the right and left, just do not see a good show. The British government shouted slogans to the heavens and earth, but no actual action.
They said they would send troops after Christmas, but they waited until February without seeing the war start, and if they waited any longer, it would be the next Christmas.
At this time, if you still do not know, the British in the game of declaration without war, Franz would be a waste of so many years as emperor.
……
Franz asked: “How are the Russians prepared?”
Foreign Minister Weissenberg, “The Tsarist government has assembled two infantry divisions and one cavalry division in Central Asia, as well as a large amount of strategic supplies.
It is only waiting for the ice to melt and the roads in the country to open up before launching an attack on Central Asia.”
Just because the British are not moving does not mean that the Russians are not moving as well. The Russians were still better to fool than the cunning British.
Perhaps it was the genetic inheritance, the Russians had always had little resistance to land, especially since they had once also occupied Central Asia.
Seeing that the newly accepted little brother is in danger, in Austria’s encouragement to go down. After weighing the pros and cons and finding no danger, the Tsarist government decided to do it.
Prime Minister Karl: “The British government has declared war on Afghanistan, it seems they have realized the danger, now it’s up to them to give it up.
The Russians have just regained a few pounds of energy, and at most they will eat one or two Central Asian khanates. It is simply impossible for them to sweep Central Asia and then go south to the Indian Ocean in one breath.
Now left to the British government has two ways, either stop the arms race, focus on taking out Afghanistan, and the Russians in Central Asia to fight a war; or give up a small half of Central Asia to the Russians, full arms race.
No matter what choice is made, the British have a good chance of winning. Of course, it can’t be ruled out that the London government has lost its head and opened both the arms race and the Central Asia Raid at the same time.”
From Austria’s point of view, of course, it was hoped that Britain would go to Central Asia to fight the Russians to the death. No matter who wins or loses, Austria is the winner.
It doesn’t matter at all if it’s an ally or not, if the Brits can open up and get the Russians killed, Franz wouldn’t mind giving them a hundred-ton medal that’s absolutely solid gold.
And vice versa, as long as the Russians were able to go south to India, Franz didn’t mind giving them full assistance. Of course, the relationship did not reach that point.
In contrast, the arms race was a non-starter. Instead of spending money to fight with the British, it would be better to use that money for domestic development.
Foreign Minister Weissenberg: “The British would not be so unwise as to start an arms race and a Central Asian strategy at the same time.
The British government should be very torn right now, not knowing which end of the spectrum to take into account, after all, they are fighting against three great powers.
Perhaps we should help them by controlling the intensity of the arms race, so that the British can go north to play with the Russians with confidence and boldness.
I believe the French will have a common language with us on this issue.
Napoleon IV is busy rooting out dissidents and his involvement in the arms race is a rush. There is no reason why he should refuse if it can be brought to an early end.”
Prime Minister Karl asked, “What about the Russians? We have promised to hold the British in check, I’m afraid it’s not justifiable to just give up now.”
Russia and Austria are allies, and unauthorized breach of contract is something that even the Russians rarely do, let alone the feather-loving Austria.
Austria has been over Europe for hundreds of years, relying on diplomacy. Especially after the war against France before the revival of Austria, this period of time, all rely on diplomatic means to maintain the status of a great power.
After so many years of operation, the international credibility of the Austrian government has been very valuable.
Unless it is certain that it can kill the Russians and get rid of the threat of the Eastern Front, the Austrian government will not easily default on its obligations.
Finance Minister Mark replied, “That’s a good problem to have, just let the Russians know that we lent them the funds to build the ships and can’t afford to continue the arms race.”
The crowd’s eyes lit up, although it was a bit underhanded, it was really a good solution.
The Czarist government had limited funds, if the war in Central Asia was a quick one, it would be fine; if the war continued, the Russians would surely borrow money from Austria.
At that time, the Austrian financial sector does not buy the Russians account, the Vienna government for the friendship between the two countries, the shipbuilding funds lent to them to fight the war – perfect.
Seeing the crowd unified position, Franz slightly smiled: “Then the matter is settled, the Ministry of Finance is responsible for giving the Russians an explanation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will secretly liaise with the French to facilitate this Central Asian conflagration and weaken Britain and Russia as much as possible.”
……
Austria was on the move and the British were not idle. It was all forced out, and the British government was under a lot of pressure to fight against three major powers at the same time.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend may not all apply in international struggles, but it can come together in a single incident.
Marine civilization has given the British a sense of crisis, found at the same time and Russia, France and Austria three confrontation, the British government began to seek a solution.
Russia and Austria had been hugging each other for many years, and it was unrealistic to try to gain Austria’s support, so the British government set its sights on the French.
On March 1, 1888, British Foreign Secretary George visited Paris. The London government had very high expectations, and Sir George went on record as saying that this was an icebreaker in Anglo-French relations.
Napoleon IV himself was not welcoming to sudden and unexpected visitors. Look no farther than the Palace of Versailles to see why.
Destroyed by the Paris Revolution, Versailles has only been restored to 70 percent of its original size, with the rest of the palace still under construction.
The British happened to be the main culprits of the Paris Revolution, even after the revolution was suppressed, many of the heads of the revolutionaries were sent out by the British.
National hatred of the family together, Napoleon IV naturally have no good feelings towards the British, to be precise, to the British and Austrian two black hands are not good.
Routine welcome banquet, Napoleon IV are absent without any reason. This should be regarded as the first time since the era of Napoleon III that a French emperor has been so disrespectful to the British.
In addition to the deterioration of diplomatic relations, more than anything else, the power contrast between Britain and France has changed.
As the world’s number one army power and the world’s number two naval power, France no longer recognizes the hegemony of the British.
Especially the younger generation of France, including Napoleon IV himself, have no fear of the British, there is only a leap of faith in the heart of the challenge.
It just proves the saying that whoever is the world’s hegemon has the most enemies in the world.
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At Versailles, Napoleon IV grimly asked, “The British have come to our door, what do you think they want from us?”
Displeased with the British to be unhappy, diplomatic activities still have to be carried out normally. Whether or not one can talk about results comes down to interests, not personal feelings.
Foreign Minister Karel Kadlec: “Your Majesty, the British are in a hurry.
The Russians are leapfrogging Central Asia, and a great war is on the horizon, with Austria behind them.
In case the situation gets out of hand, it is likely that Russia and Austria will join forces to expand into India.
If they could not find someone to hold Austria in check, the British would have to fight the war against Russia and Austria alone. Even if they can win in the end, they will still lose a lot of money, or even lose India.”
The fight for the colonies was not just about winning or losing on the surface, but also about the rule of the colonies.
Especially in a densely populated area like India, once nationalistic ideas are imported, the cost of ruling will be beyond imagination.
Powers game can not have any modesty, damage to others to the detriment of their own things, everyone is also often do.
Prime Minister Terence Burgin sneered, “That’s just a problem for the British, Russia and Austria couldn’t swallow India even if they were united.
The British have been operating in the Indian region for so many years, and even if they can’t hold on, they are still able to instigate local independence.
The Austrians shouldn’t harbor such illusions, but the Russians can’t say for sure, they have a Yellow Russia plan.
India should be easier to get into than the Far Eastern Empire, and with the greed of the Czarist government, they won’t give up the opportunity if they get it.
Because of the Russo-Austrian alliance, Austria won’t stop the Russians from expanding into India, even if they don’t go in themselves.
This is also an opportunity for us to sit back and watch the tigers fight, and maybe even pick up some bargains.
What we need to do now is to compare the offers from all sides and choose the side that maximizes benefits to join.”
Terence Burgin’s opinion could be said to represent the mainstream in the French government. It wasn’t true that everyone hated the British, but they wouldn’t cross the line with benefits.
As long as the British bid high enough, anything was possible.
After hesitating for a while, Napoleon IV nodded his head, indicating that he recognized this viewpoint.
The hint of sadness between his brows still showed that he was not so willing. There was no way around it, interests still came first between countries.
……
(End of chapter)