Chapter 518

The Anglo-Russian negotiations weren't kept a secret. Franz, who was far away in Vienna, received the news. Even the contents of the negotiations were restored.

Everyone understood the simple logic of waiting for the highest bid. The Russians deliberately leaked the news. It was obvious that they were waiting for Austria to make a bid.

It didn't have to be higher than the British. As long as it was close, the Tsarist government would definitely choose to stand with Austria.

This was decided by interests. The value of the Russo-Austrian Alliance was much more valuable than the Anglo-Russian Alliance. Moreover, the British wouldn't form an alliance with them.

Opening the map, one would know that the long border between Russia and Austria didn't have that many natural barriers as a line of defense. Without the alliance, the pressure on the national defense would be a headache.

Especially for the already tired Tsarist government, the situation was even more serious. If they were to fall out with Austria, it meant that all the countries bordering them were enemies, or potential enemies.

When the Russian Empire was strong, they fought everywhere and established an illustrious reputation. Now that they were tired, they became a pack of wolves.

The last Russo-Prussian War told the Tsarist government how many enemies they had. If they lost the second Russo-Prussian War, then the Nordic Federation would rush in to share the meat.

It wasn't a secret that the Finns and Sweden were in cahoots. When the Russian Empire was strong, the Swedes were very obedient. But with the defeat of the Russo-Prussian War, Carr XV dared to openly meet the leader of the Finnish independence movement.

Of course, this potential threat wouldn't scare the Russians. It would be difficult for the Russians to fight their way out, but it wouldn't be a big problem to keep their current foundation.

Although there were many enemies, there weren't many willing to help. Other than the Kingdom of Prussia, the Polish Kingdom, and the Osman Empire, the hatred between these three was as deep as the sea. There was no possibility of reconciliation. The rest of the enemies would only hit them when they were down.

Now the Tsarist government was extremely poor. Other than the domestic market as a bargaining chip, they had no other cards up their sleeves. Naturally, they had to sell it at a good price.

Originally, they wanted the British, Fao, and France to bid together. Unfortunately, the French were busy and didn't want to compete.

…

Putting down the teacup in his hand, Franz asked with a gloomy face, "The Russians have shown their bargaining chips. Do you think we should compete with the British?"

It was obvious that he was in a bad mood. The Tsarist government's actions at this time completely hit Austria's vitals.

The gold in South Africa had not been mined yet. In the struggle for monetary hegemony, the Divine Shield gold system was already at a disadvantage. At this time, the Tsarist government had sided with the British, and it could basically be said that the sterling gold system had won.

Prime Minister Felix replied angrily, "Your Majesty, we cannot allow the Russians to blackmail us like this. We must teach them a lesson they will never forget."

In order to rope in the Russians to join the Divine Shield — Gold System, Austria also paid a huge price. Prime Minister Felix felt that this was a betrayal after all the benefits had been taken.

Franz nodded. Without waiting for the others to speak, he said decisively, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded the Russians that the Russo-Austrian Alliance is about to expire. Their actions are disappointing!"

It was impossible to bid. How was it possible to sell the same product twice? The Tsarist government was short of money, but it had nothing to do with Franz.

Regardless of the reason, as long as the agreement was violated, even if it was a verbal agreement, it was a betrayal.

After a pause, Franz stopped him again, "Forget it. You don't have to be annoying at this time. Send an invitation to Prussia. William I knows what to do. "

How could verbal threats be more deterrent than actual actions? If the Russians dared to side with the British, he would support Prussia in the next Russo-Prussian war.

Although the Government of Berlin couldn't come up with a bargaining chip, the pie they drew was big enough!

Unless Alexander II Of Russia could defeat Prussia before the end of the Russo-Austrian Alliance, then Franz wouldn't have anything to say. He wasn't a treacherous person. Austria would definitely be neutral.

If he waited until the Russo-Austrian Alliance was dissolved and the Russo-Russian war broke out, then don't blame him for hitting them when they were down. Not to mention anything else, just cutting off Russia's trade with Austria would be enough to hurt the Russians.

If this wasn't enough, then it would be a good choice to let the Prussia Navy enter the Aegean Sea and let them join forces with the Osman Navy to block Russia's trade route into the Mediterranean Sea.

Many people knew how to hit someone when they were down. If the Nordic Federation still didn't know to close the Baltic Sea gate, then Franz would look down on them.

Once the two lifelines were cut off, the Tsarist government couldn't import strategic materials from the Far East to fight the war, could it?

The Siberian Railway hadn't even started to be built yet. Even if it started immediately, it would take more than ten years.

Foreign Minister Wesenberg analyzed, "Your Majesty, we don't need to be so proactive. The Prussia people should be more anxious than us. It won't be long before they come to our door.

Britain and Russia have begun to move closer. It's unknown whether their boss will still support them in the next war.

If the Prussia people can't destroy this Anglo-Russian deal, then they can only move closer to us. Relatively speaking, in Eastern Europe, our voice is the most important. "

…

Every politician was a qualified actor. The Russians were testing the currency system, and Franz naturally had to cooperate.

A group of big shots in the Government of Vienna put on a big show and showed the Russians what they wanted to see.

It wouldn't take long for the contents of this meeting to reach Alexander II Of Russia's desk through a secret channel, and then it would be his turn to have a headache.

Even Franz himself wasn't sure if the contents of this meeting would become the truth.

The only thing that was certain was that Franz was pretending to be "angry." He had been an emperor for so many years, and he had long learned to keep his emotions hidden. How could he show it?

Moreover, everyone had their own standpoints. Thinking from the position of the Russians, their approach was not wrong.

Franz often tricked his teammates, and it also happened from time to time that he was tricked by his teammates. If he was angry about this, Franz would have been angered to death.

If he was really angry, Franz wouldn't have held the meeting. Instead, he would take direct action to retaliate. For example, he could raise a group of pirates in the Aegean Sea to block the door of the Russians.

Or he could sponsor a sum of money to the Russian Revolutionary Party and let them cause trouble for the Tsarist government.

In contrast, supporting the Kingdom of Prussia was a completely unwise move. If Russia fell and Prussia rose, wouldn't it be a waste of effort?

Acting was to "build the plank road in the open, but secretly cross the river." After preparing for so long, Austria was about to take action.

It wouldn't take long for the strategic value of the Persian Gulf to manifest, and Franz naturally had to intervene. In any case, he couldn't let the British monopolize this place.

If it weren't for the fact that this place was too close to India and the British were too closely watching. Franz had already taken action.

If he didn't take advantage of the three-country alliance to make a move against Oman and extend his tentacles to the Strait of Hormuz, when would he wait?

Austria hit the British in South Africa, and the Government of London pulled the Russians into the free trade system and poached Austria's corner. Franz also took the opportunity to extend his hand to the Persian Gulf that the British were eyeing. Everyone used their own means.

The Russians probably wouldn't have dreamed that from the beginning, Franz was ready to sell them to the British.

There was no other way. They had already seized a large area of British South Africa, and now they wanted to seize the Persian Gulf that the British regarded as in the bag. They always needed to appease the British.

Monetary hegemony wasn't so easy to establish, especially in the era of the gold standard. If the British didn't have enough gold in their hands, would the pound – gold system still work?

In that case, it was better to let the British be happy for a few days. Use the aura of victory to cover up their failure in the overseas colonial expansion.

As for the Russians, they were sorry. With the increasing conflict of interests between the two countries, this alliance would soon be unable to maintain. This wasn't something that could be saved by one person.

Unless the Russian Empire continued to decline, then they could still become good friends. Obviously, this was impossible. Alexander Ii Of Russia's reform had made Franz feel threatened.

In this reform, Alexander Ii Of Russia imitated Austria in too many ways. Compared to the original time and space, this social reform was much more thorough.

Not only did he liberate the serfs, but Alexander Ii Of Russia also solved the land conflict, and even the industrial development was very fast.

Since the end of the civil war, the Russian Empire's industry and commerce had entered a period of rapid development. Although industrial products were still as garbage as ever, the growth rate of production capacity was still amazing.

The industrial capacity lost in the Prussian War was recovered in just a few years, and the total industrial output was even higher than before the war.

If it weren't for the constraints of transportation and the lack of capital, the Russian Empire would have been reborn long ago. Once any of these problems were solved, it would enter a period of rapid development.

They already had the basic elements of industrial development: abundant resources, low labor costs, and suitable development policies.

There was no other way. After the great reclamation, Russia's food was unsalable. The domestic food prices fell again and again, which led to a significant reduction in labor costs.

The labor cost in Russia was only a quarter of Austria's and only a fifth of Britain's. For a labor-intensive industry, this was simply an unparalleled advantage.

Not only was labor cheap, but even industrial raw materials were very cheap. The only expensive thing was the transportation cost, but not all places were like this. The Russian Empire also had rivers.

These advantages would be seen by the capitalists sooner or later. As long as the Tsarist government could maintain its current level of governance, it would only be a matter of time before it developed.

This was the credit of Alexander Ii Of Russia, who successfully deterred the Russian bureaucrats by making an example of them. Up to now, he had exiled thousands of bureaucrats to Siberia to enjoy the scenery in the north.

The Tsarist government's corruption was still serious, but its ability to execute had improved by several levels. No one dared to disobey Tsar anymore.

The more he learned, the more Franz understood the horror of the Russian Empire. Perhaps Austria was no longer afraid of the rise of Russia, but there was no need to cultivate a competitor for himself.

Therefore, when the Russians were in a bad mood, Franz no longer appeased them. If the Tsarist government wanted to use this method to gain benefits, it was an error in judgment from the beginning.

Including the currency reform carried out by Alexander Ii Of Russia, Franz was not active. Although there were a lot of benefits involved, the ones who benefited the most were the Russians.

Since the Tsarist government wanted to make a deal and wait for the highest price, then he might as well drag it on. Even if the Tsarist government sided with the British, it didn't matter.

The British weren't philanthropists. If the London bankers didn't peel off a layer of skin from them, how could they call themselves bankers?

In order not to carry the name of treachery, Franz threw out this piece of benefit. Anyway, the Tsarist government's credibility was rotten. It was no big deal to let them bear the crime of betraying the alliance.

…