Chapter 897: The British’s New Strategy
Chapter 879 – The British New Strategy
With the deteriorating situation li the Afghan battlefield, the concepts of the British government’s top brass are also changing.
Secretary of State for War, Rosario: “The Russians have surged forward in the Afghan battlefield, thanks entirely to the support of France and Austria.
The enemy we now face is not the Russian Empire at all, but a triple alliance in which the Russians contribute troops and France and Austria contribute money and supplies.
As powerful as Britain is, it does not have the strength to fight the three major European powers at the same time. To win this war, we must cut off the support of France and Austria to the Tsarist government.”
After losing a battle on the front, there was always a need to give an explanation at home. Moreover, Rosario did not talk nonsense, the Russian army’s victory was indeed inseparable from the support of France and Austria.
Precisely the Austrian support, the French government is also supporting the Russians, but limited by the Anglo-French alliance, the action is still smaller.
For the War Ministry, the purpose of expanding the army had been realized, and now the most important thing was to find a way to win the war.
Rosario knew very well the strength of the British army, and in the short term did not have the ability to turn defeat into victory. The best means of winning the war was to cut off the Russians’ foreign aid.
Without the money and material assistance of France and Austria, only by the strength of the Russians themselves, the war lasted for a year and a half, the tsarist government’s finances will not be able to top.
Whether it was to defeat the Russians head-on or to wear them out, all that was needed was to win the war. Rosario was a pragmatist, not that much of a preacher.
Foreign Secretary George explained, “The Foreign Office has been working on the relevant work, but the results are not optimistic.
The main purpose of Fao supporting the Russians now is to let the Russians deplete our strength so they can reap the benefits.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stirred up conflicts several times, but they have been suppressed by the three governments. It’s very difficult to cut off France and Austria’s assistance to the Russians in the short term.”
The present passive situation is in fact the aftermath of Britain’s long-term foreign policy. Both France and Austria have grievances against Britain, and supporting the Russians is everyone’s means of retaliation.
Even if there was no benefit, France and Austria would support the Russians. It’s true that countries talk to each other with interests, but people hold grudges.
Take France for example, under normal circumstances there would be no market for Russian bonds at all, but the French bought them anyway.
Many buyers did not simply want to speculate, but more still wanted to take revenge on the British and vent their anger.
As advertised, every franc spent on the purchase of the bonds turned into a bullet for the British.
Austria was much the same, having been suppressed by the British government in recent years, and having done little overseas, the Viennese government had long wanted revenge.
In addition to their hatred, France and Austria were able to gain a great deal by using the Russians to deplete Britain’s strength.
If the British were defeated and India was reduced to a battleground, the bullish Sunset Empire would have to sunset.
The Royal Navy’s supremacy can not be separated from the financial support, once India is broken, only with the British Isles and other colonies, can not suppress France and Austria.
When hatred meets interest, it is the present situation. France and Austria to support the Russians to attack Afghanistan, as a means of pulling the British down the world hegemony.
The finance minister, Xiaoji Childers, shook his head, “Things are not that serious, the French are still our allies, and an anti-British alliance is not going to happen.
It can be seen from the strength of support, they support the Russians, only a small part of the French government, and does not represent the position of the French government.
Austria was no fool, once the Russians occupied India, the pressure on their Eastern Front was great, and their support for the Russians must have had a limit.
If nothing else, Austria’s support will end once the Russians win the war in Afghanistan.”
If France, Austria, and Russia do come together, the remaining wallflower nations will know with their knees who they will support, and once the continent of Europe unites, the hegemony of Britain will end.
Britannia provoked the relationship between European countries for the most central reason: to avoid a unified or united European continent that would threaten their interests.
After hundreds of years of efforts by the British government, coupled with the historical legacy, the European continent has long been contradictory.
France and Austria support the Russians is not false, but this does not affect the competitive relationship between Russia, France and Austria, a European continental hegemony position so that the three countries can not really cooperate.
Purely from the point of view of development potential, the Russian Empire is far beyond the European countries, even Austria before the annexation of the Ottoman Empire, there is no way to compare with the Russians.
As long as the economic shortcomings were made up, the Russian Empire would instantly be reborn in flames and become one of the most powerful countries in the world.
No matter which way you look at it, France and Austria had no reason to continue to let the Russians continue to grow bigger.
Especially as neighboring Austria, geopolitically speaking, the likelihood of a conflict breaking out between Russia and Austria is infinitely close to one hundred percent.
Minister of War Rosario nodded: ”Your Excellency’s analysis is good, judging from logic it is indeed so.
But there is no way we can let the Russians win the war in Afghanistan now, not even for a short period of time, the politics simply won’t allow it.
To win the war in a short period of time, we have to get France and Austria to give up their support for the Tsarist government.
Otherwise it would be useless even if reinforcements arrived and defeated the Russians. The Russians will still be getting a steady stream of reinforcements, just as in the Russo-Prussian War, and as long as the financial and material resources keep up, the Czar will have plenty of soldiers.
The War Ministry suggests encouraging the French to expand into Central Europe, or letting Austria unify the German region, intensifying the Franco-Austrian conflict and igniting a continental war.”
This was not the best approach, but the most effective. Simply stirring up relations between countries, the rulers of each country are not fools and will not fall for it.
Wanting people to fall for it, the best way was still benefits. As long as the benefits are large enough, the conspiracy will become a positive conspiracy, knowing that there is a problem or can not be refused.
Foreign Minister George warned, “Letting France and Austria’s ambitions go unchecked will indeed solve the current problem, but what about the consequences?
Once France and Austria have divided the two countries, a new European hegemon will be born.
If the winner is the French, we still have the possibility of agitating European countries to start a new war against France; if Austria wins the war, we won’t have the ability to start a war against Austria.”
It’s not true that the world speaks with its fists, but sometimes there are other factors to consider. European countries are not fools to be led by the nose.
The French expansion into Central Europe would give everyone bad associations, and with a little guidance, there was a basis for cooperation in order to contain the birth of a second Napoleon.
An Austrian unification victory would be a different story, the Holy Roman Empire itself had existed and was now re-united and was not an invasion.
As long as the Austrian emperor does not cut off the whole country and retain the existence of the states, everyone will not feel the rabbit’s death.
For the smaller states, no matter who is the boss of Europe it’s not their turn, as long as they don’t jeopardize their own interests, they won’t fight for their lives at all.
Minister of War Rosario laughed: “Your Excellency is overthinking, France and Austria are both big countries, how can it be so easy to separate the winners from the losers.
Once this war starts, it is destined to be protracted. No matter who wins or loses, in the end, they will be greatly wounded.
The winner may have the possibility of becoming the European hegemon, but the loser can’t die. As long as we intervene in time, the loser will still be one of Europe’s numbered powers.
Under the power of hatred, the two countries will still be confronting each other for a long time.
If the French win the war, the pattern of the European continent will be the Russian-Austrian alliance against France; if Austria wins the war, the pattern of the European continent will be France and Russia against Austria.
Pay hundreds of thousands, or even millions of casualties, only only won the nominal hegemony of the European continent, where there is no winner.
Besides, don’t you think that France and Austria are a little too powerful? If this continues, I am afraid that the Royal Navy will also ……”
This is also the reason why the French and Austrian governments have maintained restraint, after all, it is easy to defeat your opponent, and difficult to try to eliminate them.
France and Austria are not capable of annexing each other, even if the country is now extinguished, there will still be a new regime will be born, and the situation of confrontation between the two countries will not be improved.
Unless we play genocide to solve the problem once and for all. Unfortunately, it is now the 19th century, in the overseas so do okay, in the European continent so play, other countries will interfere.
France and Austria don’t have the ability to fight alone, so naturally they have to exercise restraint. Otherwise, it will only be a lose-lose situation, and it will be cheaper for the fishermen who are watching the show.
(End of chapter)