Chapter 16： The Diplomatic Dilemma of the New Republic

Palmerston's analysis based on the icy diplomatic level was indeed a big blow to Albert, but it did not mean that he had to give up the plan brewing in his heart.

As Palmerston said, an empire, no matter how bad, is better than a republic.

Who knows if the ruler of the republic on the other side of the ocean will once again rescind his previous promise to the European countries not to launch a revolution. The not very glorious meeting in 1815 was an eternal pain in their hearts.

The core interest of the United Kingdom lies in the stability of Europe and at the same time there is a certain confrontation, so that the United Kingdom can better maintain its presence in the European continent.

Prince Albert picked up the aluminized steel fork to take the French snail out of the shell, and said casually, "Did the ambassador to France find you?"

Albert's casual inquiry really made Palmerston's relaxed spirit tense again, and his forehead couldn't help but feel a little cool.

The ambassador to France of the new French Republic did look for him, but the meeting between the two took place in private, so the husband should not know about it.

The keen sense of smell from politicians told Palmerston that Prince Albert's inquiry was just an accident, but if he guessed wrong...

Palmerston, who was thinking for a moment in his mind, immediately admitted: "The Ambassador to France and I have indeed met in private!"

Then, he added another sentence: "But he not only met me, I heard that he also met the Iron Duke (Wellington) before I met!" [Note 1]

Albert's face did not show surprise. He nodded indifferently and said, "I have heard about the fact that France sent a special envoy to see the Duke of Iron. But..."

Prince Albert paused, turned his eyes to Palmerston with a meaningful smile and said: "The ambassador to France seems to have overstepped the diplomacy itself by meeting the foreign minister in private! Of course, the royal family has no right to interfere in the affairs of the cabinet. "

After Queen Victoria, who was sitting on the other side of Albert, heard Albert's voice, she also put down her knife and fork and looked at Viscount Palmerston.

Even Palmerston, the foreign secretary, felt a little flustered under the warning words of the king and the queen's gaze.

The royal family has no right to interfere with the cabinet, but the royal family has the right to influence the cabinet.

For Palmerston, every sentence that follows is a major event affecting his career, and he must respond more cautiously.

"His Royal Highness, the ambassador to France hopes that the United Kingdom can recognize the French Republic!" Palmerston decisively informed Albert of what happened that day.

"Then Viscount, what's your opinion?" Prince Albert looked at Palmerston and said at a leisurely pace.

"I think the United Kingdom should be more cautious, we should neither recognize nor oppose it (referring to the French Republic)!" Palmerston replied carefully.

Albert, who heard Palmerston's response, neither agreed nor objected. He picked up the steel fork and tapped the snail's shell lightly, as if to say to himself: "A shell with a solid appearance, in fact, only needs Some external forces can break through! Our neighbors also need some external forces to change, a republic that has been under a vigorous revolution is not liked by Europe!"

Palmerston immediately understood what Albert meant, and he expressed sympathy for Lamartine, the head of the Republic on the other side.

"That's right!" Prince Albert said, "Mr. Viscount, do you know Jerome Bonaparte?"

Palmerston froze for a moment and replied, "Your Highness, are you talking about Napoleon's younger brother, Jerome Bonaparte?"

"No!" Prince Albert shook his head and said, "I'm talking about Jerome Bonaparte's son!"

"Sorry! I don't know anything about the younger generation of the Bonaparte family." Palmerston kept Jerome Bonaparte in his heart.

"If nothing else, this guy will be active in politics as the new generation leader of the Bonaparte family!" Prince Albert whispered softly: "The Bonaparte family's blood is really inseparable from politics!"

"Your Highness, does the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom..." Palmerston immediately understood Prince Albert's intention.

Prince Albert shook his head slightly and responded: "If the situation in France is really what you said, then no matter how much we push it, it won't help! This will cause the neighbors' resentment, and a move of idle chess may sometimes yield unexpected results. No. Excessive attention is needed."

"Yes!" Palmerston responded.

"Tell me about the situation in Russia! Are our European military police jumping up and down again to defend his exquisite "toy"!" Albert said mockingly.

After the Vienna Conference in 1815, UU reading www.uukanshu. It has been more than 30 years since the Holy Alliance headed by the Russian Empire began to guard the European monarchical order, and the United Kingdom has also changed from original support to disgust.

The greedy Slavs have eroded an unknown amount of land all the way under the coat of defending the Holy Alliance. The self-proclaimed European military police are indeed the things that Eastern European invaders did.

The Holy Alliance really needs to change!

"Since the Austrian and Prussian revolutions occurred in succession, the Russian ambassador to Britain has always conveyed Nikolai's orders..." Palmerston dispatched troops from the Russian Empire after the February Revolution, intending to control Walla while interfering in the revolution News from the Principality of Guinea informed Prince Albert.

"It seems that Tsar Nicholas is still immersed in his fantasy!" Prince Albert said calmly: "It seems that the European gatekeepers can no longer stop him!"

"Yes!" Palmerston sighed inwardly.

The former Ottoman Empire has grown old, and it seems that no country in the Near East can stop it.

But Britain was not ready for war with the Russian Empire.

"We need a friend who can contain a certain country! Even if this friend has done something..." Prince Albert said implicitly.

Palmerston immediately understood, and the two smiled at each other and did not speak for a long time.

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PS: 1. After the February Revolution of 1848, Lamartine, who served as the interim head of the Second Republic, first issued a "Report to Europe" to European countries, promising that France would recognize the established facts of the Vienna Conference in 1815, and sent a special envoy to the United Kingdom in April. The Duke of Warrington conveyed goodwill and hoped that the United Kingdom would recognize the nascent Republic.