Chapter 481

The Austrian Empire was like a frail old man who ate too much and could die at any time. Franz's concession to the French was also based on this.

Based on the principle of cutting grass to catch a rabbit, in case the Government of France was tough, Austria could also tear a piece of meat from the Kingdom of Sardinia.

It didn't matter how much. What was important was that it could prove to the outside world politically that the Austrian Empire was still a great power with great strength to deter the restless people of Prussia.

As for whether the French would grow because of this, Franz was very easygoing. What did it have to do with him?

If the French grew, the British and Russians should be the ones to worry about it. Would the French be stupid enough to attack Austria?

Don't be ridiculous, after the baptism of Napoleon, Europe's vigilance towards France is S class.

Before getting rid of diplomatic isolation, any military action by the French was likely to lead to a joint suppression by other countries.

Metternich said calmly, "If the French are afraid, then we don't need to destroy the Kingdom of Sardinia. It's also a good choice to keep them as a buffer between Austria and France.

The most troublesome is the British. Although the Government of London has made a promise, they are willing to mediate in the Austro-Sardinian war.

However, our embassy in London sent news that a British consortium is holding secret loan negotiations with the Kingdom of Sardinia.

In addition, the Kingdom of Sardinia has borrowed 3 million pounds from the British some time ago. We have reason to believe that the British are on the enemy's side in this war. "

Metternich had never had much interest in territorial expansion. The conservative politician thought that Austria was already big enough, and the ethnic conflicts in the country were even more troublesome, so he opposed further expansion.

Based on this policy, in the past few decades, Austria had almost no territorial expansion.

Franz didn't think much of Metternich's political views, but he had a different view of his diplomacy.

He was the greatest diplomat of the 19th century. "European Prime Minister" and "Metternich's Era" were the highest evaluations given to him by the outside world.

The collapse of the Vienna system was not a diplomatic failure, but more because Austria was not strong enough to withstand the impact of the revolution.

At this time in history, Metternich had already stepped down. As a result, the British released a bunch of smoke bombs and successfully confused the Government of Vienna. If it weren't for the insistence of Marshal Radkiss, Lombardy and Venice would have been lost in 1848.

Felix said confidently, "There is no need to worry too much. Even if the British support the Kingdom of Sardinia, they won't go personally without the support of the major European powers."

This was not arrogance, but a judgment based on the international situation and the strength of all parties.

In history, the government of Vienna had spared the Kingdom of Sardinia. Apart from the intervention of Britain and France, the most important reason was that they were worried that the French would grow stronger after annexing the Kingdom of Sardinia.

"Yes, these things can be prepared in advance. The most important thing is still the outcome of this war. If we can easily defeat the enemy, then the outcome will naturally be decided by us!"

Franz poured a bucket of cold water on the confident Prime Minister. The war was not over yet, it was not a good thing to be so arrogant.

After a pause, Metternich suggested again, "Your Highness, the Russians have promised to help us suppress the rebellion. Should we ask them to send troops to suppress the rebellion in Hungary as soon as possible?"

After a short pause, Metternich suggested again, "Your Highness, the Russians have already promised to help us suppress the rebellion. Should we ask them to send troops to suppress the rebellion in Hungary?"

Franz looked at everyone's excited expressions and shook his head.

This is Austria's domestic matter. If we let the Russians help us suppress the rebellion, in the future, we will have to rely on the Russians diplomatically. The most difficult debt to repay in the world is a debt of gratitude. The situation in Hungary is still within our tolerance. There is no need to let the Russians get involved.

This is Austria's domestic matter. If we let the Russians help us suppress the rebellion, we will have to rely on the Russians diplomatically in the future.

However, it is still possible to let the Russians pretend to send troops to Hungary to shake the rebels' determination to resist. "

Putting on an act and actually ending up were two different concepts. If the Russians really sent troops to help Austria suppress the rebellion in Hungary, what would be written in the history books?

"Asking foreign troops to suppress the revolution?" Wouldn't that be the representative of the reactionaries? Would Franz still want his glorious image?

It would be fine if it was just a show to scare the Hungarians and force them to divide their troops to defend.

As the victor, Franz could write whatever he wanted. If they fell out with Russia in the future, he could even twist the facts and say that under the leadership of the great Emperor Franz, Russia's conspiracy against Hungary was crushed.

On the surface, there was nothing wrong with it. Europe had its own dark history, and the Russians had only integrated into European society after the war against France.

If Franz didn't know the truth, he would have believed it if he opened up the dark history of the Russians and said that they were plotting against Hungary.

"Your Highness, there's news from the frontline in Venice. The Kingdom of Sardinia is very cautious now and didn't attack rashly. Our plan to lure the enemy in might fail.

Marshal Radquis wants us to send troops to suppress the rebellion in Hungary as soon as possible. It's best if we can quickly gain the upper hand on the battlefield and force the Kingdom of Sardinia to take the risk and fight a decisive battle, "the Minister of War suddenly said.

Franz rubbed his forehead helplessly. The history books were all lies. It was a fact that the Italian army was weak, but it didn't mean that they were easy to deal with. At least, the Kingdom of Sardinia wasn't that easy to deal with.

Even the fake Marshal Badolio knew to fight steadily. He would rather suffer greater losses and fight the war in a daze than enter the Venice area to fight the main force of the Austrian army.

The main force of the enemy couldn't enter the pocket formation that Marshal Radquis had painstakingly set up. If they went out now, they might be able to defeat the enemy, but it was impossible to severely injure or wipe out the enemy.

Originally, Franz wanted to suppress the rebellion in Hungary after defeating the Kingdom of Sardinia, but it was obviously impossible now. He could only attack the Hungarians first and force the Kingdom of Sardinia to send troops to fight a decisive battle.

Many people understood that if the lips were gone, the teeth would be interdependent. If the Austrians were to suppress the internal rebellion, the Kingdom of Sardinia wouldn't even have a chance of winning.

"Speed up the preparation for war. Once the preparations are complete, we will immediately send troops to suppress the rebellion in Hungary. How long does the Prime Minister need?" Franz asked doubtfully.

"Your Highness, the strategic resources are almost ready, and the deployment of the army is basically complete, except for a few newly established provinces that need some time to integrate.

We can launch the attack as soon as next Saturday, which is May 5th! "Felix said after thinking for a while.