Chapter 904: Shit Stirrer On Line
Chapter 886 – Shit Stirrer On Line
Neighbors have begun to prepare for war, the French government naturally has no choice. At this point, even if you do not start the war, the French government can only follow the preparation for war.
Anyway, Napoleon IV does not believe in the so-called good neighborliness, with the relationship between France and the neighboring countries, once the power imbalance occurs, there will be people hitting the door in minutes.
In this age of the weak and the strong, weakness is the greatest original sin, not to mention the fact that we originally have a grudge?
Since ancient times, the expansion of the army is considered to be a prelude to war, the actions of the French government once again intensified everyone’s panic, and for a time the European continent was a mountain of rain.
……
London.
British Foreign Secretary George pointed to the map of Europe on the wall and said, “The plan has been going well so far, on the whole.
Although Austria has not been encouraged to send troops to unify the German region, the French have taken the bait.
Influenced by the tense situation, the government in Paris has already begun to expand the army, and it is impossible to turn back after taking this step.
The only trouble is that too many countries are involved, the French government’s diplomacy is really too garbage, an ally have not found, even the Spanish did not pull.
According to the current situation, if we don’t step in to help, there’s a big chance that Austria will form an anti-French coalition after the war breaks out, pulling Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain together to besiege the French.”
Expanding the army in preparation for war is not child’s play, especially when the situation is tense. As soon as the government expands the army, it releases a war signal to the outside world.
Capitalists will increase their investment in military-related fields, and the original military industrial enterprises will expand their production capacity in the shortest possible time.
France, however, had just experienced a wave of overcapacity and unemployment, and by taking advantage of the wind of war, enterprises were revitalized and workers found jobs again.
If you want to stop, the capitalists will not agree, real money invested can not not see the return; hard to re-employment of workers, also will not agree.
Driven by the interests of the workers, it was only a matter of time before war broke out. What the French government can decide is only with whom to fight and from what place to start fighting.
Prime Minister Gladstone nodded; the French had no allies, and this was the basis on which Britain and France could ally.
Only wanting to be like this now, a move that triggered all the neighbors to be on alert at the same time, it was still a bit out of their expectation.
“I remember that the Spanish government is supported by the French, the last ten years of French-Spanish relations have been very good, they have no reason to fall to Austria, right?”
After the revolution broke out in Spain, the Bourbon royal family went into exile in France. Napoleon III made a deal with the Bourbon dynasty, supporting Alfonso XII’s rise to the throne in exchange for the Bourbon dynasty not causing him trouble.
After Alfonso XII came to the throne, the relationship between France and Spain warmed up rapidly, and outsiders had always suspected that France and Spain had a secret pact.
Such a relationship, in the absence of a particularly large conflict of interest, the possibility of the two countries turning their backs on each other is very small.
George explained: ”It is true that the relationship between France and West was friendly for a period of time, but the conflict between the two countries was even greater.
Especially after the death of Alfonso XII, the Austrian Archduchess Maria Christina regency, Spain’s foreign policy has undergone a fundamental change, from the original pro-France to pro-Austria.
Now the relationship between France and Spain is only on the surface can still be maintained, far from enough to ally relationship.
Just last week, Austria also provided the Spanish government with an interest-free loan of 20 million guilders. After getting this loan, the Spanish government first announced the expansion of five infantry divisions.
Not only Spain, in the last month Austria has issued loans of varying amounts to Belgium, the German Confederation, and Switzerland.
The French government was very slow to react in this regard, and instead of taking the right measures to pull the countries together after it happened, they sent warnings and threats.”
As good neighbors, France and Spain have never been at war, and in this regard the Habsburgs made an outstanding contribution.
But that was a few hundred years ago, and there is no longer any hatred to talk about, what is still fresh in the minds of the Spaniards is the war against France.
If the British defeated the myth of the invincible fleet, Spain from the sea on the seat of supremacy, then Napoleon is the end of Spain’s sunset empire.
Mexico, Central America, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, and a dozen other countries, tens of millions of square miles of land, became independent because of the war against France.
To say that the Spaniards do not have grievances, it is impossible, but the French power, Spain is weak and a bunch of internal contradictions, had to endure.
How to hold back, there is this hatred in the French-Spanish relations will not be good. Alfonso XII alive, because of the restoration of the grace of the reason, the relationship between the two sides is not bad.
After the Austrian Archduchess Maria Christina regency, there is no pro-French monarch, domestic anti-French voice naturally rose.
Hyoge Childers, Minister of Finance: “In this respect alone, the French government was not wrong in what it did.
They themselves are on bad terms with their neighbors, and trying to bring in allies must cost them more.
Merely promising benefits, people simply won’t believe it, and they are no match for Austria in terms of financial strength.
The only advantage they have is the prestige of the French army. If they can’t bring these countries together, they can deter them.
Anyway, they are a bunch of wallflowers, as long as France remains strong enough, these guys will not dare to move.
Besides, the French government is used to being strong, if it suddenly puts its foot down to pull countries together, it will instead give everyone a bad idea.”
This is fair, pulling allies is really not France’s strong point, to fight with Austria on this, in addition to laborious and laborious, it is difficult to have a substantial effect, but also not as effective as force deterrence.
Gladstone frowned, the French situation is worse than expected beforehand, force deterrence is indeed effective, but in case if France and Austria in the battlefield stalemate, these countries is the last straw to crush the camel.
Franz’s generosity to his allies is world-famous, especially when it comes to being generous at the expense of others, and that’s absolutely no excuse.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must find a way to keep the countries neutral, or else the five countries will join forces, and the French won’t have the slightest chance of winning!”
The French have confidence, that’s decades of propaganda, the top levels of the government have all grown up hearing this, and subconsciously believe that the French Army is invincible.
The authorities were in the dark, the onlookers were clear.
Gladstone was not so confident in the combat power of the French army, in his impression the French army was indeed the first in the world, but the first is not the same as invincible.
More ants can bite the elephant, one against one France against Austria are not sure of victory, if you add a few more opponents into the war will not be able to fight.
Britain wants France and Austria to lose, not to let Austria take advantage of the situation, now have to pull the wrong frame.
Foreign Minister George shook his head: “This is difficult to do, unless the French attack Austria from the Italian region, we have a way to make the countries remain neutral.
Otherwise, we’ll have to keep Spain neutral and at most add another Switzerland.
They are a neutral country, and as long as the French don’t actively look for trouble, the Foreign Office is sure to convince the Swiss government to be neutral.”
There was no way around it; France and Austria were facing each other because of Belgium and the German Confederation. The French were going to encroach on their lands, and making Belgium and Germany neutral was simply not possible.
Prime Minister Gladstone nodded helplessly, originally, Belgium and Germany were still the little brother they supported, but now they had to give it up for the sake of the empire as well.
Thinking about this, Gladstone had another headache. Than Germany and the two countries are part of the Gotha dynasty, if the French lose the war is just, in case the French win the war, the Gotha dynasty’s losses will be great to go.
If he knew that this incident was planned by him, it is estimated that Queen Victoria chopped him to death, and now Gladstone did not dare to go to the palace.
(End of chapter)