There was nothing to keep secret about limiting the army's armaments. Other than the British, who were isolated overseas, all other European countries were beneficiaries.
The Prussian War affected not only the two belligerents, but the neighbors also expanded their armaments. The size of the army in each country had expanded to varying degrees.
This was a bad start by Austria. In order to ensure their own safety and have the ability to intervene in the war at any time, the Government of Vienna took the lead in expanding the army, which then triggered a chain reaction.
So far, the size of the Austrian army had expanded to 947,000. It wasn't an exaggeration to call it a million-strong army.
While expanding the active army, the Government of Vienna also mobilized a large number of reserves in the name of training.
If Franz was willing, he could form two to three million troops in a week, enough to deal with all kinds of emergencies.
There was no other way. Trust between people no longer existed these days, and he had to prepare for the worst.
If one side won the Prussian War easily, no one could guarantee that the other side wouldn't be arrogant and do something stupid like attacking Austria.
Franz didn't like to entrust his safety to others, so he naturally had to expand his strength.
In addition to security considerations, there was also the debt problem. Collecting debts wasn't an easy job these days. Who would recognize you without strength?
Now that both Prussia and Russia had suffered losses, the Hairy Bear, as the victor, had no capital to renege on his debt. The Tsarist government seemed to be very law-abiding, so there was naturally no need to use force to collect debts.
At a time when anti-war sentiment was prevalent, the Government of Vienna proposed disarmament at this time, which was completely in line with the mainstream of the times.
The only one who was unhappy was probably the British. In a situation where no one cut military spending, the army spent less money, which meant the navy could get more money.
Considering the current international situation, if the Government of London didn't know Austria's purpose, there was no need for the Government of London.
Knowing was one thing, but it was difficult for the Government of London to destroy it at this time. Disarmament was popular and in line with the interests of all parties. It wasn't something that could be given up with a few words.
…
Downing Street, Prime Minister's Residence
Foreign Minister Edward: "The Prussian War was too tragic. The rise of anti-war sentiment in Europe made the European people extremely insecure.
The Austrians chose a good time to propose disarmament at this time. I'm afraid it wasn't just for disarmament. There were signs that Austria was preparing to establish a new international order.
Disarmament was just an excuse to hold an international conference. While limiting the size of the army, they would also sign a security treaty with the European countries.
Most of the European countries lacked a sense of security. No one could reject such a treaty. The only ones who had the power to stop it were the French.
However, European countries have always been very wary of the French. Most countries see them as the source of European turmoil. At this time, the Government of France may not have the courage to jump out and stop them.
The news from Paris was that the French had agreed to Austria's disarmament plan. It was estimated that after the Prussian negotiations, Austria would convene an international conference to establish a new continental balance system.
Originally, it was a good thing that the European continent had stabilized, but now the situation was different. The strategic focus of the Fao and the European Union might have shifted.
If our inference is correct, it won't be long before a new round of naval arms race begins, and Britannia will face the cruelest challenge. "
The Frenchman's hatred was too high, and it was not something that could be appeased in a short period of time. This meant that they could only be participants in the new European balance system, not the leader.
Everyone knew that after the Prussian war, the European political landscape would be reshuffled, and the Government of London had to be prepared.
The original plan was to rope in the French to establish a new European order after the birth of the North German Empire. However, they were a step too late, and Austria made the first move.
Prime Minister Benjamin nodded. "If the Austrian plan succeeds, this will be the third Vienna system.
If we make trouble for them now and rope in the French, is there a chance to build a European system with Britannia as the core? "
Edward, the Foreign Minister, shook his head. "It's very difficult. Not to mention that we haven't roped in the French yet. Even if we get the support of the Government of Paris, the success rate will not be more than one-third.
In recent years, our influence on the European continent has declined greatly. Especially after the Prussian war, the Kingdom of Prussia that we supported was abolished, and the decline in our voice was even more severe.
The French were worse off. They were no weaker than Austria, and their influence was no weaker than the Government of Vienna, but their influence was mostly negative.
Part of it was left by Napoleon, and the other part was the price paid for the annexation of the Regions of Italy. Apart from Spain, the French can't find a single ally on the European continent.
From the information we received, the relationship between France and Spain is gradually cooling down. If they want to establish a new international order, I'm afraid the Spanish may not support them. "
Politics was very realistic. Britannia's chess piece on the European continent was abolished, and its ability to interfere in Europe was greatly reduced. Naturally, no one would buy it.
If they roped in the French and increased their influence, they would also have to accept the negative influence brought by France.
For example, Belgium, Switzerland, and the German Confederation, these countries threatened by France, couldn't help but stand on the opposite side.
Even if the British could barely pull them over, they couldn't expect them to help.
It was useless to promise more benefits. As long as France didn't give up on them, the problem couldn't be solved.
As for letting the French go?
Just think about it. They hadn't experienced the beating of society and successfully annexed the Regions of Italy. It was the time when the French were at their most arrogant. Why should they listen to the British?
The relationship between Britain and France had long ended its honeymoon period. The feud between Britain and France, which was originally covered by time, appeared again and again in the newspapers of both countries, which was enough to explain a lot of problems.
It was impossible to make the French give up their strategy and continue to be their underling.
No matter who became the emperor, the relationship between Britain and France must turn cold. Otherwise, the burst of nationalism would collapse the Government of Paris.
After the Franco-Prussian War in the original Time and Space, Britain and France had been against each other for many years. If it weren't for the successive mistakes of the German Empire, Britain and France wouldn't have been able to stand together.
Now that France didn't feel threatened, the relationship between Britain and France must deteriorate. When it came to politics, interests determined everything.
After secretly calculating it, Prime Minister Benjamin sighed helplessly, "Forget it, the establishment of the international order as soon as possible is also a good thing for Britannia. If Austria wants to take the lead, then let them take the lead!
With the constraints of the treaty, our next plan in North Germany will be more smooth. We have just established the international order, the Government of Vienna can't just slap their own face! "
Leading the new European order could not only gain prestige, but more importantly, it could also promote one's own ideas.
People needed packaging, and a good packaging could make it easier for people to succeed in social life, and the country was no exception.
The competition between great powers was all-encompassing. Politics, economy, military, culture, and ideology were all indispensable. Leading the establishment of the international system was undoubtedly the fastest way to spread one's own influence.
In this regard, the Government of Vienna was rich in experience and had two successful experiences. Franz naturally wanted to replicate it for the third time.
…
The blood in St. Peter's Castle had not yet dried. Not long ago, there had been a major purge here, and thousands of big shots were beheaded.
All those who were suspected of being involved in the assassination of the emperor were thrown into prison by Alexandrovich. Of course, there was also the elimination of dissidents.
How the list came about was another unsolved mystery in the history of the Russian Empire.
After arresting people and investigating them, the progress of the case was much faster. Of course, it was inevitable that a lot of bad things were involved. In short, everyone deserved it. All of them were sentenced to death, and basically no one was wronged.
There were too many people involved, and it was impossible to kill all of them. Leniency was inevitable. As long as no one was involved in the assassination of the emperor, other issues could be discussed.
Even if there were still thousands of people who were killed by Alexandrovich's order, it couldn't be helped. Alexander II Of Russia had been assassinated so many times, and there were more than a few participants.
There were hundreds of cases of assassination of the emperor, and any one of them could only mean one thing – death.
In addition to the revolutionaries, many capitalists and nobles were involved and sent to God together.
The tradition of not killing nobles did not apply here, and no one dared to intercede on this issue.
Under normal circumstances, Alexandrovich would have long been infamous for slaughtering so many people, including hundreds of nobles, at once. This time was an exception.
Most of the mainstream European media praised his righteous action. The most powerful aristocratic group in Europe was collectively speechless.
Including the nobles in the Russian Empire, they also rarely kept silent. No matter what they thought, they could not say that Alexandrovich had done something wrong.
Killing the emperor was definitely a taboo, and whether it was successful or not, it was a heinous crime. At this time, if they jumped out to cause noise, they had to first consider the reaction of their own monarch.
Even if Alexandrovich killed so many people, the real culprit was still not revealed.
However, the people who obstructed the investigation were found. Unfortunately, these fellows weren't plotting anything.
The main reason they obstructed the investigation was that there were too many assassination cases related to Alexander II Of Russia. They were either actively or passively involved, and they were afraid to investigate further.
Reading the investigation report in his hand, Alexandrovich's behavior was very strange. He did not make any reaction, as if nothing had happened.
Thousands of people's heads fell to the ground. It seemed very serious, but in fact, very few people were really involved. Most of them were ordinary people.
Many of those who were not too deeply involved were mostly dismissed or exiled by Crown Prince Alexandrovich. The ones who were really killed were those who were really involved in the regicide.
If it was an ordinary assassination case, the punishment would obviously be very heavy. However, in the case of the regicide, Alexandrovich's punishment was too light.
Although Europe did not have the concept of killing the whole family, it was not too much to kill the whole family of those who were involved in the regicide.
Those who were implicated by relatives or friends, or inadvertently provided assistance to the assassination, even if they were not beheaded, they would be stripped of their noble titles.
None of these happened. Most of the more than a hundred nobles who were executed were people who personally planned or conspired with others, and those who helped to kill people who obstructed the investigation.
The number of nobles killed was not even one-tenth of the number killed by Franz during the Great Revolution in Vienna.
Of course, this was not the same concept. The impact of killing with a borrowed knife and killing with one's own hands was certainly not the same.
However, compared to the death of Tsar's assassination, it was still too light. Just like in the original time and space, Crown Prince Alexandrovich was only "raised high and gently dropped", and did not carry out a national purge.
Putting down the documents in his hand, Alexandrovich said lightly, "Let's stop here. Announce to the public that it was done by the people of the people, and then we will investigate in secret."
…
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