Chapter 547： It's not easy to dig

The Near East War broke out again, and countries that did not want to see Austria continue to expand also acted. How to effectively and conscientiously hinder the hind legs is also an art.

London

In the official residence of the Prime Minister of Downing Street, the British cabinets gathered. The Prime Minister of Galston took out a stack of top-secret documents and distributed them to everyone.

"This is the Austrian battle plan. The intelligence department paid a heavy price to succeed. I hope it will help us in the next operation."

A heavy price was indeed paid, and this semi-public plan was published in a Vienna newspaper.

British intelligence personnel spent a full 50,000 pounds to get the initial plan. Don't ask where money is spent, intelligence is priceless.

The crowd did not speak, and read it carefully. The content of the document is not much, there is only a rough plan, and no specific combat part is involved.

Secretary of the Navy Robert frowned, with a beard on his face. "With this plan, the Austrians will not have to pay much to win this war.

With the Ottoman navy's broken ships, they had no ability to fight back against Austria. After losing sea power, coalition forces can land in any area at any time.

According to information the Navy understands, there are at least thirty ports in the Ottoman Empire suitable for landing by the army, and the actual number may be even more.

To defend so many places, at least millions of troops are needed. With the national strength of the Ottoman Empire, this cannot be done.

Once the coastal areas erode and a large number of war refugees are produced, the Ottoman Empire will soon be overwhelmed. This scorched earth plan is too vicious. "

Robert's words, everyone understood, attacking the vicious Austrian combat plan is the second, the main purpose is to emphasize the importance of "sea power".

There is no objection. Sea power is indeed very important to the British Empire. What happened to the Ottoman Empire just proved this again.

Prime Minister Galston nodded: "Yes, the Austrian plan is really very spiteful. If we don't want to interfere, it won't be long before the Ottoman Empire collapses.

And it was completely broken, and it was impossible to consume even Austrian power. Without this nail behind us, it is even more difficult for us to balance Austria. "

I picked up a baton and pointed at the map on the wall: "Everyone can see this world map, which is marked on it.

These blue areas are all Austrian colonies or spheres of influence. Twenty years have passed, and Austria is already second only to our colonial powers.

The problem of overseas colonial expansion is not anxious. Now the world is almost divided, and the rest are some hard bones or relatively low-value areas.

Looking back at the European continent, this is the European pattern after the Russian-Prussian War. The Russian Empire was suppressed and its influence was suppressed in Eastern Europe.

The rise of the Kingdom of Prussia and the revival of France. At present, the European countries are restraining each other. In addition, we can adjust the center to maintain a balance.

However, we still cannot relax our vigilance. From the end of the anti-French war to the present, the Austrians have always dominated the European continent through diplomatic means.

If Austria was two decades ago, then this is a good thing. They helped us achieve a continental balance.

However, the situation has changed in the last ten years. The foreign policy of the Vienna government is incomprehensible, and their strategic goals have become blurred.

The only certainty is that the European balance policy is no longer the core strategy of the Vienna government, or the French will not be able to annex Italy. "

Taking a step back, Gelston took a serious look: "In the world today, there are only two countries that have the power to threaten British hegemony." The baton clicked twice on the map, and it was France and Austria.

"Information from Paris said that Napoleon III was ill in bed, and the Crown Prince was young and could not hold back many domestic forces. Once Napoleon III died, this struggle for rights was inevitable and the French would not be a threat in a short time.

Austria is not the same. Domestic politics are stable. Franz is in his prime. He is now ambitious to launch the Near East War.

Once the Ottoman Empire collapses, the next goal of the Vienna government must be the merger of the German Federation.

They chose a good time. General Russia and Russia held each other in opposition, and it was impossible for them to intervene. France, which is in the process of transferring power, would probably not send troops to interfere.

The rest of the European countries are wall-scrapers, and waving flags is okay. It is too reluctant to check Austria. Our family alone is too weak to interfere. "

This is the most worrying problem for the British. Austria unified the German region, and it is the only company in continental Europe. If you want to check and balance, you do n’t know where to start.

Now it is not time and space. There is French and German hatred that can be used. European countries are not stupid and do n’t have enough interests. How can they rush up to Austria and fool hard?

The Vienna government is also good at playing diplomacy. For so many years after Franz's succession, Austria has never been isolated.

The Vienna system has been established twice, and it can also be established a third time. Against the background of the confrontation between Russia and Russia, the end of the Ottoman Empire, and civil strife in France, the establishment of Austria's continental hegemony was very successful.

Foreign Minister Macleans: "From the standpoint of the empire, the Ottoman Empire will not be finished in any way. Supporting the Ottoman Empire alone is not enough. The power gap between the two sides is too great. The Sudanese government cannot hold on for long.

It is too difficult to start directly from Austria, we can only find a way in the Prussian Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is lobbying the Berlin government to create conflict on the border between Russia and Russia, and Central Asian countries can move to find ways to get the Russians out of the war.

Once the Russians withdrew from the war, we joined the French in military exercises in the Mediterranean, acting like an intervention and deterring the Vienna government.

Franz doesn't like to take risks, and he must follow whatever he does. This is an advantage and a disadvantage. As long as the momentum we create is large enough, and we are drawing mediation with European countries, it is very likely that Austria will stop.

If the plan fails, we create trouble overseas and distract the Vienna government.

Austria's colonial system is not impeccable. We cannot move in Austrian Africa. Central America is not easy to move. Other regions are different. "

Chancellor of the Exchequer Laruk Royder asked: "It sounds like the plan is good, but where is our interest, we can't spend it so much, what is the gain?"

The biggest feature of British diplomacy is pragmatism. There is no problem in suppressing Austria, but it cannot harm Britain's own interests.

Attracting European countries is not a matter of words. It has to pay a price. Even small countries help to shake their flags, it also requires appearance fees, which are costly.

In particular, the last method, to directly start from the Austrian colony, requires greater investment.

Not to mention the benefits, Austria's most fertile colonies can't move, and the remaining residues are cold, and there is no return at all.

Alaska is ice cubes, at most a bit fur, or to catch a few fish. If Britain is interested, it has been in the hands of the last century, and there is no need to wait until now.

Patagonia is not much better. The colonial strongholds abandoned by the Spaniards are obviously at a loss.

Argentina and Chile have some interest in this land, but they are not brave enough to dare to grab it from Austria, or they are not attractive enough.

The Austrian Nanyang is relatively fertile, but the cost of capturing is too high, and no beaters can be found in the surroundings, unless the British personally go.

But considering the cost, even if the plan is successful, Britain will lose money. Not only lose money, but also gain an enemy.

With Austria suppressed, these investments are worth it. The most troublesome thing was that they didn't fight. They forced France and Austria to move closer together.

Macleans stood up, went to the hanging map, and drew a circle by hand.

"This is a map of Austria now, which has doubled compared to the First Near East War."

A little bit more on the map: "Here is the Suez Canal. Once the Ottoman Empire is finished, Austria's influence is united and its influence spreads to the Indian Ocean.

The Suez River is on the side of the Sinai Peninsula in Austria and on the French side of Egypt. The second exit from the Mediterranean is nothing to us, so everyone must have an idea!

This operation may not hurt Austria's vitality. At least, you can reach into the Suez Canal and change the co-management of France and Austria into the co-management of Britain, France and Austria. "

The Suez Canal and France and Austria look closely at each other. They simply do not give the British a chance to intervene. If they want to step in, they must leave the relationship between France and Austria.

The London government has been working with little success. Although there are many pro-British factions in the Paris government, pro-British does not mean that they will betray the country.

Napoleon III was not a fuel-saving lamp. When it came to the Suez Canal, he did not talk to Britain at all. There is no room for talk, let alone intervening?

Not to mention Austria, Franz regarded the Suez Canal as its lifeblood. The Vienna government is thinking about how to dominate the Suez Canal and let the British intervene. How is this possible?

...

In Paris, Napoleon III, who was ill in bed, no longer cares about the Near East War. He had reached the last moment of his life, and the ministers did not dare to bother him with these problems.

In case the emperor was stimulated to receive a box lunch while reporting, he would become a sinner. The current Napoleon III is not the unlucky man who was kicked out of the throne in time and space. The French still support the emperor.

Even if the little emperor cares a lot, the spit stars outside can kill. In short, the emperor's healing was far more important than the Near East War.

The Crown Prince Eugene, who was in charge of government affairs, was influenced by Napoleon III. When he was uncertain, he chose "stable" to keep changing.

Shouting slogans is fine. The Paris government has been calling on both parties to exercise restraint. It seems to be looking forward to the London government, waiting for the British to act, they shook their flags.

This immovable approach of the French made the British feel extremely difficult. Without this thug, they were really not used to it!

...

In the Palace of Vienna, Franz put down his newspaper: "Have the Prussians acted yet?"

Franz's response was unexpected, but the Berlin government's approach made him a little bit unintelligible.

If the Prussians had no ambitions for Poland, Franz would not believe it. But if you have ambitions, you should take action. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has appeared, and the Berlin government has no movement at all. What is this?

Did William I see through his plan? This is not right, even if the Prussians see through the plan, they cannot refuse to annex Poland.

Even if it is worried that Polish nationalism is too strong, this will not affect the monarchs of the two countries. It's a big deal to run two sets of government teams, each on its own.

There are many examples of this. The original Austro-Hungarian Empire was an upgraded version of the monarchy and a degraded version of the unified Empire.

Intelligence chief Tyron: "No. We have stood up to the Berlin government and so far they have not taken any action.

By the way, in recent times, there have been more meetings in the Royal Palace of Berlin, and sometimes they are held late at night. The Prussians strictly blocked the news, and the details of the meeting were unknown.

According to the observation of intelligence personnel, after the participants came out, their expressions were more serious, and some people were still somber. The preliminary judgment should be that there have been disputes. "

It ’s okay to have abnormal behaviors. What I fear most is nothing. For the great powers, as long as they do not make big mistakes, it is difficult for the outside world to defeat them.

If you like the Holy Roman Empire, please collect it: (www.novelhall.com) The Holy Roman Empire has the fastest literature update.