Chapter 1000

In Paris, Napoleon Iv hadn't slept well for several days since the news of the Japanese Army's attack on the Philippines came.

In any case, the Japanese Army's move south was at the invitation of Britain and France. In order to let the Spaniards pass, the British and French governments had repeatedly made assurances to the Spaniards. Now that something like this had happened, they were naturally to blame.

In this era of the law of the jungle, promises were almost the same as farts. If it was in normal times, Napoleon Iv didn't care about breaking his promise to Spain. They couldn't do anything anyway.

But now it was different. Unlike Britannia, who stayed out of it, France was now trapped in the quagmire of the European War. Even Spain, which had been in decline, could now pose a fatal threat to them.

How to appease the furious Spain and resolve this diplomatic dispute had become the most urgent problem for the Government of France.

Resisting the discomfort, Napoleon Iv asked, "Tell me, what do the Spaniards want?"

The interests between countries were eternal. No matter what had happened in the past, as long as the interests were in place, anything could be discussed.

As neighbors, the conflict between France and Spain was naturally not small. However, France was too powerful, and the Spaniards did not have the confidence to fight against it.

The European War changed the power balance between the two sides. The French put all their power into the war and lost the power to continue to suppress Spain.

For various reasons, the Japanese Army's attack on the Philippines happened to intensify the conflict between France and Spain. With Austria adding fuel to the fire behind the scenes, the Spanish nationalists had exploded.

Under domestic pressure, the Spanish government not only declared war on the Japanese, but also sent a stern diplomatic note to Britain and France.

The Foreign Minister, Karel Kadlec, shook his head. "I don't know. It happened so suddenly that the Spanish government hasn't made a decision yet.

What the Japanese did was too outrageous. The nationalists in Spain were stimulated, and the call for war in the country was high.

According to the information from the embassy in Madrid, the Austrians have made contact with the Spanish nationalists. The spear of public opinion is pointing at us. The situation is very bad for us. "

Did Karel Kadlec really not know what the Spaniards wanted?

The answer was no!

The problem was that what the Spaniards wanted, France could not give it now, was not willing to give it, and could not give it.

When he opened the diplomatic note, he knew that the Spaniards had made their conditions. Asking France to fulfill the agreement, expel the Japanese, and compensate for the damage was needless.

The Spanish government also made territorial demands to France, not only to France to expel the Spaniards, but also to redraw the border between the two countries.

Naturally, Karel Kadlec had to reject this kind of request that took advantage of the situation. There was no room for negotiation at all.

Except for the first condition of expelling the Japanese, which was acceptable, if the French government dared to agree to the remaining conditions, there would be a domestic revolution.

The only condition that could be agreed to was something that France could not do. The French Far East Fleet was in a standoff with the Austrian Navy and had no ability to expel the Japanese.

France French Far Even diplomatic Navy. Even diplomatic threat... If the Japanese were forced into a corner, they would join forces with the Austrian Navy, and the French Indochina Peninsula would be finished.

This was not a joke. It could really happen. If the Japanese wanted to cooperate with the Austrian Navy to get rid of the French Far East Fleet, the Government of Vienna could not find a reason to refuse.

As a qualified politician, when there was nothing he could do, Karel Kadlec naturally had to pretend to be ignorant.

After a long silence, Napoleon Iv said weakly, "Tell the British that I agree to their conditions."

For Napoleon Iv, who aspired to surpass his father, making this decision was undoubtedly bowing to reality.

But there was no other way. The development of the European war was unexpected. There was no way for France to win the war on its own.

Without compromise with the British, it would be impossible to get the full support of the Government of London. Without the support of the British, France had no hope of winning.

And compromise with the British meant that France gave up its European hegemony, and even gave up the leading role in building the international order after the war.

In this context, even if France won the war, it would not be able to achieve its original strategic goals. The war could be said to have been fought in vain.

It was better to fight for nothing than to lose. Deep in his heart, Napoleon Iv had made up his mind. As soon as the war was over, he would farm in peace, and when his strength was restored …

…

Downing Street, inside the government building.

Gladstone's cabinet was gathered to discuss the international impact of Japan's attack on the Philippines and countermeasures.

Astley, the Minister of the Navy, said righteously, "The Japanese are too bold. They dare to play us. If we don't teach them a lesson, all the cats and dogs will ride on our heads in the future. "

He was not angry. The life and death of the Spaniards had never been in Sir Astley's consideration. In his view, the Japanese Army's attack on the Philippines was an opportunity for the Royal Navy to perform.

In the past decade, the two navies of the Fao and France had been catching up. As the world's leading naval force, the Royal Navy was also under great pressure.

A large amount of money had been invested in the navy, which was a bottomless pit. There was no real war, and many members of parliament had opinions about this.

There were even rumors that the three navies of the Fao and France had colluded with each other to deliberately create a naval conflict in order to defraud the government of funds.

It was very easy to break this doubt. Find an enemy to fight. Britannia dominated the world, and the enemies had long been frightened. The only ones who dared to go against them were the Fao and France.

Needless to say, they could not fight either of them. The difference in strength between them was not great. If a war broke out, it would easily end in a lose-lose situation.

The Royal Navy was clear-headed. It was important to prove their importance, but there was no need to risk the fate of the country.

In contrast, the Japanese who had emerged now were much easier to bully. It was not that Astley was arrogant, but the Royal Navy was really big. As long as the Far East Fleet moved, the Japanese Navy could only go back dejectedly.

Foreign Minister George reminded him, "Sir, the problem now is no longer the Japanese's problem. They attacked the Philippines. On the surface, it seemed to be a war between Japan and Spain, but in fact, it also involved the European war.

The European war was in a stalemate, and the Spanish's strength was enough to break this fragile balance. Now, both the Fao and France were trying to rope them in, and at present, it seemed that the Austrian offer was higher.

It was still Franz's usual method of being generous at the expense of others. This time, it was the French's interest that was promised.

It was said that the Austrians had directly sent a map of France. As long as the Spanish were willing to join the anti-French alliance, the French would be free to choose their own territory.

Judging from the current situation, if we do not make a move, the possibility of Spain joining the anti-French alliance is very high.

As for the Japanese, they are just a flea. It is easy to kill them, but there is no practical value. Now, whether they are there or not, it will not affect the Spanish decision.

In case Spain chooses to stand with Austria, we still need this flea to cause trouble for the anti-French alliance. For the time being, let them be. "

Being generous at the expense of others was also skillful. Austria could do this because France and Spain shared a border. Because of historical reasons, the two countries not only had many contradictions, but also had territorial disputes.

With such an offer, regardless of whether the Spanish government would be tempted or not, the nationalists in Spain had already taken the bait.

The Government of France would never be able to give the same conditions. Even if they did the same thing and sent a map of Austria over, Spain would not want it.

There was no other reason but power. No matter how rich the benefits were, what was the use if they could not eat it? With Spain's national strength, it was simply impossible to run an enclave.

Prime Minister Gladstone nodded. "The French have given in. It seems that their actual situation is worse than we expected.

We can't wait any longer. We must act as soon as possible. In case the French lose the war in southern Europe or Central Europe, they do not have the capital to make a comeback like Austria.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately acted according to our plan and invited the European countries to form a mediation team to end this meaningless war.

Until then, we must hold the Spaniards. If they are willing to join the mediation team, we will help them drive away the Japanese. "

It seemed like a casual conversation, but it was full of swords behind it.

Britannia's army strength was limited. To interfere in this European war, they must rely on the strength of other countries. However, no one was a fool, and each country had its own interests.

If diplomatic deterrence could solve the problem, it would be fine. If it couldn't be settled at the negotiating table and had to be solved by force, without enough benefits, it would be too difficult for everyone to send troops to intervene just for an illusory balance in Europe.

Unless Austria showed a strong aggressiveness and made the governments feel threatened, it would not be possible to coordinate international relations in a day or two.

Foreign Minister George shrugged and replied helplessly, "To do this, we are not the only ones who can do it. We also need the cooperation of the French.

You have to know that our ally has enemies all over Europe, and there are many who want to see them suffer. If they don't come up with practical actions to reassure the European governments, I am afraid it will be difficult to get the support of various countries.

Especially the Spanish and Russia, they have the ability to influence this war. No matter which country joins the anti-French alliance, our mediation plan will be meaningless. "

In this era of the law of the jungle, the key to solving problems was still to look at strength. Not only military strength, but also political and diplomatic comprehensive strength.

Although Spain had declined, its tiger skin was not exposed. In the eyes of the European countries, they were still a great power.

On the surface, they were the fifth great power in Europe, second only to the British, Fao, and Russia. They were also the fifth most powerful country in the world.

The anti-French alliance was already very powerful, and with the addition of any other great power, they were in an invincible position.

Most of the European countries were fence-sitters. Without enough confidence, they wouldn't easily choose a side.

Without enough underlings, they couldn't build up their momentum, and their deterrence would naturally be greatly reduced. Under such circumstances, only the major countries could do it themselves.

The war between Britain and Russia had just ended, and the hatred between the two countries was at its peak. Even the most confident person wouldn't think that Britain and Russia could cooperate sincerely.

Even if the interests were completely the same, and the senior government officials of the two countries were willing to cooperate, the people below them would also act spontaneously.

It could be said that once France was defeated, the situation would be one-sided. In a sense, the Japanese's actions helped the Government of the United Kingdom make a decision.

In order to prevent the situation from getting out of control, the British had to give up the plan to reap the benefits after the war. Taking advantage of the fact that the war in Europe hadn't been decided, they formed an intervention alliance in advance.

…