In Paris, after repeatedly confirming that the news of Russia's declaration of war was correct, Napoleon Iv directly fainted, and the Government of France was also in chaos.
The sky had truly collapsed. Just Austria alone made them exhausted, and now the Russians came to add insult to injury. There was no way to fight the following battles.
Seeing the doctor come out, Prime Minister Terence Burkin hurriedly asked, "Mr. Terkan, how is His Majesty's health?"
In a monarchy, the fainting of an emperor was also a major event. If it was a normal time, Terence Burkin, as the Prime Minister, would probably secretly celebrate when Napoleon Iv's body was in trouble.
The struggle between the monarch and the prime minister had never stopped. When the monarch's body was in trouble, it was a good time to expand the power of the prime minister.
Obviously, Terence Burkin was not in the mood to fight for power. France was now in trouble both internally and externally. If another power struggle broke out, it would really be over.
When the nest was overturned, there would be no eggs left intact.
As the Prime Minister of France, Terence Burkin's fate had long been tied to the Bonaparte Dynasty, and he did not even have the opportunity to jump ship.
"Prime Minister, please rest assured that His Majesty's body is very healthy. Just now, he suddenly fainted because he was severely stimulated.
Now that he has woken up, you can go in. But His Majesty's mental state is still a bit off. You have to pay attention, don't let him be too tired, especially not to be severely stimulated. "
After listening to the doctor's explanation, Terence Burkin showed a helpless wry smile at the same time as he breathed a sigh of relief.
Not to be stimulated?
With the current situation of France, unless the emperor completely delegated power and completely stopped getting involved in politics, it was inevitable that he would be stimulated.
However, this was impossible. The Bonaparte Dynasty's foundation was too shallow, and the French people were too lively. If they really completely delegated power, they might be guillotined one day.
With the precedent of Louis XVI, whoever dared to talk to the emperor about delegating power should be prepared to enjoy special treatment!
…
Seeing that the cabinet had arrived, Napoleon Iv, who was lying on the sickbed, waved his hand and said weakly, "You're all here, find a place to sit, and then we'll begin!"
"Your Majesty, your body?"
Prime Minister Terence Burkin said hesitantly. It could be seen that Napoleon Iv was in a very bad state, and Terence Bulkin was very worried that the Emperor would not be able to take the blow.
Napoleon Iv smiled bitterly and shook his head. "It's okay, I can take it. Since things have already come to this, how bad can it be? "
Ever since he was born, this was the first time Napoleon Iv felt despair. Even when the rebels had swept through Paris, he had never been so desperate.
"Our preliminary judgment is that Russia's sudden declaration of war against us is a conspiracy by Austria. No information was leaked beforehand. It was obvious that the enemy wanted to catch us off guard.
The government was responsible for this. They knew about the existence of the Russo-Austrian Alliance, but they still believed the judgment of the British and wishful thinking that the Russians did not want to see Austria grow.
With the addition of Russia, in the upcoming war, we will have to face even greater military pressure. In order to cope with this unfavorable situation, the cabinet had just sent a telegram to the British asking for help.
The British also did not want to see the European continent be dominated by one country. If they do not want to face the Russo-Austrian Alliance alone, the British should be on our side. "
As a politician, when analyzing the problem, Terence Burkin did not forget to downplay his own responsibility.
It seemed that he was taking the initiative to take the responsibility, but in fact, he was telling Napoleon Iv: This was not the cabinet's incompetence, but the complicated international situation. We just made a mistake that normal people would make.
In theory, if the Russians did not drag Austria down, they were already very good friends. Taking the initiative to enter the game and help Austria seize the hegemony of Europe was obviously unscientific.
Unfortunately, politics has never been scientific. Britain and France, the old enemies, could stand together, so what the Russians did was nothing.
After listening to the Prime Minister's report, Napoleon Iv asked calmly, "Is there any good news?"
He knew that the Russians had entered the war before he fell into a coma. Napoleon Iv already knew how serious the consequences would be.
In this context, he naturally needed good news to ease his mood. The unknown success or failure of winning over the British was definitely not good news.
Prime Minister Terence Burkin replied, "The Anglo-Russian war has just ended, and the Tsarist government is fighting a famine. The war funds can only be paid by Austria.
According to the intelligence from the embassy, the Tsarist government has not yet prepared for war, and the Russians cannot send troops in a short time.
This creates an opportunity for us. As long as we win the Central European war before the Russians send troops, there is room for maneuver. "
This is good news?
In Napoleon Iv's view, this was clearly a gamble. If the gamble was won, then the war would continue; if the gamble was lost, then there was no need to say anything and they could prepare to run!
However, it was this gamble that became France's only hope. As for the support of the British, no one could count on the Royal Navy to bring their warships ashore.
In a pure land war, even if the British's pocket-sized army was expanded five times, it would not be able to reverse the strength of the two sides.
Although he was not satisfied, it was better to have a solution than no solution. How would he know if he did not try it himself?
…
Madrid. From the beginning of the defeat of the Invincible Fleet, Spain began the road of decline for a hundred years.
Decadent religion, feudal system, domestic chaotic political situation, and deliberate international suppression by Britain and France were the keys to Spain's decline.
In particular, in the last war against France, Spain, as the victor, not only lost a large number of overseas colonies, but even the request to recover the disputed territory with France was ruthlessly rejected.
Time was like a knife. After decades of wear, these humiliation and hatred had long faded.
If nothing unexpected happened, it would become a piece of cold history in a few decades, quietly lying in a corner of the library, only occasionally flipping through by historians.
But something unexpected happened. After the outbreak of the European war, Austria set off a wave of anti-French in Europe. These forgotten events of the past once again entered people's line of sight.
Today was different from the past. Spanish nationalism had risen. Although the politics were still dominated by conservatives, the nationalists also had the ability to make their voices heard.
Under the efforts of the nationalists, the voice of revenge continued to appear in society. Especially after the setback of the French army on the battlefield, it fueled the arrogance of the pro-war faction.
But this was not enough. The conservatives who controlled the power were still immersed in the shadow of Napoleon's sweeping of Europe and did not dare to cross the line.
In this context, Austria's plan to win over Spain naturally did not go well. Other than persuading the Spanish government to restrict exports to France and giving the French some eyesight, there was almost no result.
All this changed with the news of Russia's participation in the war.
The Tsarist government was not prepared to declare war, but the outside world did not know! The Russians also wanted to save face. This kind of thing only needed to be done a little. If it was said out, it would be embarrassing.
Under the influence of Russia's participation in the war, the European world was generally optimistic about the anti-French alliance, and Spain was no exception.
The neutral faction, which was originally in a wait-and-see state, now leaned towards the pro-war faction. The voice of the pro-war faction gradually overwhelmed the pro-peace faction.
There was no other way. The anti-French alliance was already established. Spain only needed to join in and they could become a victorious country.
In addition, Austria gave too much. They directly threw the French's map over and chose where they liked. It was really hard to refuse.
In the Madrid Palace, the pro-war faction and the pro-peace faction once again fell into a fierce argument.
The Queen Mother Maria Christina, who was the regent, had been neutral on this issue in order to avoid suspicion because she was born in Austria.
Seeing that the argument had escalated into a war of words, the Queen Mother Maria Christina finally couldn't help but say, "All of you shut up. Pay attention to your identity. Don't make it like a racecourse!
The Russians have already joined the war. I asked you to come here today to discuss how we should choose, not to listen to you quarrel here. "
Maintaining neutrality didn't mean that there was no position. Although she didn't say it directly, everyone knew that the Queen Mother Maria Christina was biased towards Austria.
Perhaps before the situation was clear, Maria Christina wouldn't help Austria. But now the situation was different. It was only a matter of time before the anti-French alliance won. Spain had to choose a side.
Continuing to remain neutral seemed to not offend either side, but in fact, it was also hate for both sides. It didn't matter now, but after the European war was over, it would be their turn to be unlucky.
There were also prerequisites for neutrality. Either they were strong and didn't need to choose a side, or they were insignificant and it didn't matter whether they chose a side or not.
Unfortunately, the declining Spain was neither. If they didn't choose a side now, after the European war was over, they were bound to be suppressed by the hegemons.
Foreign Minister Bernard Robert said, "The situation of the European war is clear. After the Russians joined the war, the probability of the French winning is almost zero.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that Austria's purpose in wooing us now is not just for the war against France, but more for the reconstruction of the international order after the war.
Not only us, except for the British, all the neutral countries in Europe are in the range of Austria's wooing.
It's just that because of geopolitical reasons, we need to pay more to go to war with the French. But the cost is proportional to the benefit, and the Government of Vienna is sincere in the distribution of benefits. "
Choosing a side was always the most troublesome problem, but Spain didn't have the courage to refuse. If they refused Austria's wooing now, it meant that they were isolated from the future European political system.
"It's not that serious. Even if Austria wins the war, they can't cover the sky with one hand. The British, Russia, and France won't let them do whatever they want.
On the contrary, participating in this war is more dangerous. It's not like everyone doesn't know how powerful France is. We can't forget the lesson of the last war against France. Don't look at the power of the anti-French alliance, it's not certain who will win and who will lose in the end.
Spain can't afford to be tossed around. Even if we want to choose a side, we have to wait until they win. "
The one who spoke was the leader of the conservatives, Marquis Wangari Matay. Because he personally participated in the last war against France and witnessed the tragedy of Spain's defeat, he suffered from a serious "Francophobia."
It wasn't just him. Anyone who experienced the last war against France was a "Francophobia" patient and belonged to the Spanish government's most staunch anti-war faction.
"Monsieur the Marquis, you are still in the last war against France. France is not the same without Napoleon.
Looking at the battlefield, they were beaten by Austria all the way in Africa. In the southern front, the French army was also suppressed by Austria. The only battlefield in Central Europe that seemed to have the upper hand was actually not advantageous.
If it wasn't for the French expelling the people of Rhineland and Belgium, increasing the logistical pressure of the anti-French alliance and delaying the decisive battle, perhaps they would have been defeated long ago.
Now that the Russians have joined the anti-French alliance, in the face of absolute strength, what can the French rely on to turn the tables? Even if Napoleon was so powerful, he was still defeated in the end.
Dragging to the end to choose a side is indeed very safe, but when the benefits are redistributed in the future, we won't have a share.
Don't expect anyone to balance Austria after the war. The current international situation is different. Whether there will still be France after the war is unknown.
Don't forget, Austria promised us that they can choose the territory of France. Obviously, they are preparing to divide or dismember France.
If we don't participate, we will miss this opportunity … "
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