Chapter 440

While adjusting the industrial structure, Franz didn't forget to find trouble for the Russians and disrupt Alexander II Of Russia's plan as much as possible.

There were no allies in front of interests. It had nothing to do with right or wrong. Identity determined position. Franz was already very restrained when he limited the trouble to destroying Russia's food exports.

It was unrealistic to completely block Russia's food exports. It wasn't difficult to set up some obstacles.

For example, the neighboring Switzerland decisively gave a high tariff to the Russians after the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did some work.

Another example was the German Federal Empire. At this time, it was still debating whether to accept Russia's food to pay off the debt. The reason was very simple. No country that lent money to the Russians objected.

Austria exerted diplomatic influence behind this, but more importantly, it was because they didn't like the Russians. That's right. Not being happy with the Russians could also be a reason, and it was the main reason.

The grievances inside were already very difficult to clear up. In short, the enemies of the Russians were all over Europe. It wasn't difficult to target them at all.

Subsequently, Belgium and the Netherlands were also successfully persuaded by Austria's public relations to give high tariffs to the Russians. Spain and Portugal were no exception.

The reason was very practical. Who asked the Russians to be in dire straits?

Perhaps the Russians would rise again in the future, but with Austria and Prussia in the middle, they didn't have to worry at all.

The threat of Austria was right in front of them. Who knew what kind of retaliation they would face if they rejected the goodwill of the Government of Vienna?

The example of the French annexation of the Italian states had already frightened these countries. Even if Austria had to pay attention to their table manners and wouldn't directly annex them, it was still possible to find an excuse to beat them up.

Since the news of the alliance between the UK, Fao, and Germany came out, the European countries no longer believed that they could rely on the balance of powers to ensure their own safety.

Since this was the case, they had to perform better. They had to maintain a good relationship with their neighbors so that they wouldn't dare to make a move.

Don't feel cowardly. This was the way of survival for small countries. It was okay to throw a tantrum during normal times, but don't take sides at critical times.

As for the rest of the UK and France, Franz was too lazy to do useless work. Don't think that everyone was in the process of forming an alliance, but if you took it seriously, you would lose.

From the very beginning, this alliance had been full of ulterior motives. They were forced to stand together because of benefits, but when it came to benefits, there was no room for discussion.

Frankly speaking, Franz didn't care about this alliance, but it didn't mean he would take the initiative to tear it up. Frankly speaking, Franz didn't care about this alliance anymore, but it didn't mean that he would take the initiative to break it.

This was related to the country's credibility. A country that ignored the alliance wouldn't be respected in the world.

Once Austria tore up the Russian-Austrian Alliance, it would be difficult for them to regain their current transcendent status, and they would even be excluded from the upcoming Tripartite Alliance.

The main reason why France and Austria relied on the British was that the British had too many records of betraying their allies. It made them subconsciously wary.

The UK was Franz. and Franz didn 'Franz because he was was was was was Austria.

This. The Hab House House of Austria. The Can be, it had had been been. Germany for many years. From the Vienna Conference to the present, Austria had the right to speak on the European continent. This person played a key role.

When forming an alliance, everyone would subconsciously have a concept of reliability. Now Russia and Austria were just competing fairly. If they didn't have enough diplomatic means, that was their own fault. Franz didn't use any means beyond the rules.

Otherwise, a group of pirates could suddenly appear in the Aegean Sea and block the door of Russia. The broken ships of the Black Sea Fleet weren't a match for the pirates.

The Tsarist government had already created a record of a naval fleet being wiped out by pirates. If it happened again, it wasn't known if Alexander II Of Russia could withstand it.

The price of bribing Britain and France was too high. Moreover, there was no need to bribe them. It was difficult for Russia to get what they wanted.

Every time there was a change, there would be people with vested interests who would suffer. These people were the biggest opposition. The nobles and farmers in Britain and France were the biggest opponents of Russia's cheap food.

With the "good" reputation of Russia, it was estimated that the people would protest and block the door again.

It wasn't time to use these methods. The best time was to wait for Russia's grain ships to arrive. Encouraging a few chuunibyou teenagers to start a fire was more effective than saying anything else.

Small tricks were not elegant. At most, they would intercept for two or three years and make the Russians pay a higher price.

In the later stage, there would always be capitalists who would cooperate with the Russians for the sake of profit. As long as the two sides hooked up, these small tricks would lose their effect.

This was the main reason why Franz didn't like to use conspiracies. No matter how he calculated, it was insignificant in the face of profit.

It wasn't only Austria that took action against the Russians. The people of Prussia were more active. Compared to the Government of Vienna, the Government of Berlin was more worried about the rise of the Russian Empire.

Seeing Alexander II Of Russia practicing Neigong, reforming the internal affairs, developing the economy, and restoring the national strength, the Government of Berlin couldn't relax.

The two sides were already mortal enemies. There was no possibility of reconciliation. Once the Russian Empire recovered, the war between Prussia and Russia would break out again.

The Juncker nobles were ready to make the first move. They had tasted the sweetness and wanted to get more benefits from the Russians.

If they didn't put it into practice, it meant that they weren't strong enough to attack the Russian Empire.

In the past two years, the relationship between Prussia and Austria had eased a lot. Austria was also secretly cheering for the Government of Berlin. Many pro-Austrian Juncker nobles were also the vanguard of anti-Russian.

Now that anti-Russian was politically correct in the Kingdom of Prussia, it wouldn't be strange for them to do so. After all, the people around you were anti-Russian. If you weren't anti-Russian, it would attract everyone's attention.

After the Russo-Austrian Alliance expired, Franz was considering whether to continue to renew the contract with the Russians. Geopolitical relations, the conflict of interests between the two countries would continue to increase in the future.

Franz didn't have confidence in the integrity of the Tsarist government. Alexander II Of Russia was also an ambitious monarch, but he was unlucky. It just so happened that the empire went from prosperity to decline and was forced to carry out social reforms.

This was a common problem of almost all rulers. They were all ambitious. If the Russians really took care of Poland and Prussia, Austria and Russia would turn against each other.

The French would be led into the gutter. Napoleon Iii was old and didn't even have time to pave the way for his son. It was unlikely for him to take military risks at this time.

When Napoleon Iv succeeded the throne, the suppressed internal conflicts would erupt. The Italians would want independence. It would be God's blessing if France didn't have a civil war. They wouldn't have the strength to stab Austria in the back.

The conflict between Prussia and Russia couldn't be eased. It would be a fool's dream to want them to unite. The conflict of core interests would continue to make them fight each other.

The international situation was decided. Austria didn't have to worry about fighting on multiple fronts. At this time, the Russian-Austrian alliance, which had different thoughts, was useless to Austria.

As long as Austria didn't cause trouble in Europe, there was no need to worry about being ganged up on. There was no love or hate without reason, and there was no need to be besieged without reason.

If the Russians were to lose the next Prussian war, the steamroller of Europe would come to an end. Without the restriction of an alliance, it was convenient for Austria to hit them while they were down.

On the other hand, if Prussia lost the war, then the Juncker nobles would have no choice but to compromise with Austria and join the Shinra Empire to protect themselves.

It seemed like both endings were good. As long as the French didn't jump out of the Italian quagmire, Franz had nothing to fear.

Franz didn't expose his thoughts. In the eyes of the outside world, Russia and Austria were still good allies. The UK, Fao, and Germany were about to become good allies.

European alliances usually had a time limit. Under normal circumstances, thirty years was considered long. The Russo-Austrian Alliance was such a long contract.

This was only possible when the relationship between the two countries was quite good. However, no matter how good the relationship was, it couldn't withstand the wear and tear of time.

If the other side wasn't a great ruler like Alexander II Of Russia, the relationship between Russia and Austria could still be maintained for many years. Unfortunately, there were no ifs in reality.

Facing an ambitious Tsar, Franz couldn't be vigilant. With the butterfly effect, who could guarantee that Alexander II Of Russia wouldn't be assassinated like in the original timeline?

If he continued to lead the Russian Empire, then Russia and Austria would sooner or later go against each other because of interests. No, the two sides were already at each other's throats.

They didn't tear each other apart because the conflict of interests between the two sides wasn't big enough. Franz had been maintaining the alliance because of the large market of the Russian Empire.

There were many points of conflict between the two sides, such as strategic conflict. The Aegean Sea was now under Austria's control. Whether they were willing or not, the task of guarding the Mediterranean Sea had fallen to Austria.

The British power in the Mediterranean Sea had been squeezed to the point of no return. If they let Russia in, then the shared interests would be their own interests.

There was nothing to say. At this time, if the Russians wanted to expand their power in the Mediterranean Sea, Franz wouldn't even provide a foothold.

It could be said that Napoleon Iii's plan was successful. This was an overt plot. Whether they were willing or not, as long as France withdrew, Russia and Austria would directly go against each other on the Mediterranean Sea.

There was no conflict because the Russians weren't strong enough. The remaining old sailboats of the Black Sea Fleet were likely to be wiped out by pirates if they went to the Mediterranean Sea to make their presence known.

The conflict of interests was cruel. There was nothing that couldn't be done. Back then, Napoleon Iii sensed that France controlled the The Balkans. The strategic pressure was too great, so he decisively gave up this piece of interest.

The Government of Vienna couldn't refuse the benefits that were delivered to their doorstep. After taking over the French The Balkans, the task of encircling the Russians fell to Austria's shoulders.

Before the British were squeezed out, Austria could pretend to be afraid. Anyway, Greece was a little brother supported by John Bull, so it was their boss who should take the lead.

Now it was different. The interests of this area were in Austria's hands. The Russians coming in was robbing Austria's interests. The Government of Vienna naturally couldn't let it go.

With such a big interest involved, Alexander II Of Russia could actually not say a word. Franz couldn't help but pay attention to this scheming.

Although they knew this was the French's plot, in the face of interests, the Government of Vienna was still willing to accept this plot. This was the scary side of an overt plot.