Chapter 520

The cold wind was blowing, and St. Petersburg in September was getting a bit chilly. In the Winter Palace, Alexander II Of Russia was still dealing with government affairs. The wrinkles on his forehead told of the vicissitudes of time.

After experiencing the Russian Empire's decline, Alexander II Of Russia had a strong sense of mission and didn't allow himself to indulge in the slightest.

A man in his forties or fifties walked up to him and whispered, "Your Majesty, this is top-secret information from Vienna."

After receiving the sealed information and confirming the stamp, Alexander II Of Russia pointed to the confidential document and said slowly, "Got it. Ferens, you can leave now!"

Something that could be considered top-secret information definitely meant that something big had happened. Alexander II Of Russia didn't have the habit of sharing information with people around him. It had nothing to do with trust. It was just the instinct of a monarch.

He opened the confidential document. The content had already happened half a month ago. There was no way around it. There was no radio in this era. If the news was transmitted by wire telegraph, how could it be hidden from the Austrians?

Using a password was even worse. That was equivalent to telling them that there was something wrong with the news and asking them to check it!

Telegrams in this era were charged by the number of words. Ordinary telegrams only had a few words. Obviously, the transmission of information couldn't be so sloppy. If the meaning was not clearly expressed, it would be a disaster.

It only took half a month to travel from Vienna to St. Peter's Castle. This efficiency was already the limit of this era.

As time passed, the wrinkles on Alexander II Of Russia's forehead became tighter and tighter. When he finally finished reading the confidential document, a sigh slowly came out.

At this moment, Alexander II Of Russia was confused. Things didn't go according to his plan. The Government of Vienna didn't attach as much importance to monetary hegemony as he had expected.

Of course, it could also be a smokescreen, but he didn't dare to gamble. The consequences of this mistake in judgment could be disastrous.

It was impossible to give up on the plan. If they couldn't get enough capital from the outside world this time, the development of the Russian Empire would be affected.

It didn't matter in normal times. It was fine if the development was slow. It could also make the foundation more stable.

But not now. The enemy wouldn't give them that much time. If the Russian Empire couldn't increase its strength in the shortest time, it would be destroyed before it could develop.

Although the Russian Empire was still a giant, it could not withstand the many enemies around it. If a single empire could not take them down, then it would be a different story if more than a dozen of them attacked together.

If it failed again, the reputation that the Russian Empire had accumulated for hundreds of years would be lost. The best outcome would be to struggle at death's door like the Ottoman Empire.

This was a dead end. If they sided with the British, they could get financial aid, but there was a high possibility that they would lose their most important ally, Austria. If they continued to maintain the Russian-Austrian alliance, there was no way to solve the financial problem.

If Russia was to win the next war, Austria's support would be vital, at least if the Austrians did not fall to Prussia's side. This was a geopolitical decision. Great. Britain and Austria would of Be.

The Russian-Austrian alliance was easier to deal with. They didn't need to pay any price to obtain Austria's unconditional support. If there was no alliance, then benefits would be the deciding factor.

If they didn't have the alliance, they would have to talk about benefits.

In order to break up the Russian-Austrian alliance and establish the hegemony of the pound currency, the British naturally had a reason to bid. In order to break up the Russo-Austrian Alliance and establish the hegemony of the pound, the British had a reason to bid. Who knew if the British would break the agreement?

Most of the time, a treaty was just a piece of waste paper. What if the British didn't fulfill the agreement or gave a discount in the process?

What was done could not be undone. Once this step was taken, it would be hard to turn back. It was easy to break up the Russo-Austrian Alliance, but it would be difficult to build it again.

Alexander II Of Russia had anti-Austrian tendencies. That was based on the strength of the Russian Empire. Now that the Russian Empire had declined, the Russo-Austrian Alliance became important.

Now he understood why Nicholas I Of Russia insisted on building the Russo-Austrian Alliance. The existence of this alliance wasn't just to capture Constantinople. It was also a guarantee for the strategic security of the Russian Empire.

As long as the alliance existed, there was no need to worry about European territory being invaded. It was the same now. Before the alliance was lifted, Prussia wouldn't dare to make a move against them.

After the defeat of the Prussian War, Russia was able to survive the crisis. The role of the Russo-Austrian Alliance was one of the most important factors.

After the establishment of the Russo-Austrian Alliance, both countries reaped great benefits. Russia successfully expanded in the The Balkans and captured Constantinople. Austria expanded in the The Balkans and annexed South Germany to rebuild the Shinra Empire.

If he wanted to, Alexander II Of Russia could also obtain the Dardanelles Strait through territorial exchange and control the route to the Mediterranean.

If it was at the beginning of his succession, he would definitely try to make a territorial deal with Austria and expand Russia's power to the Mediterranean.

Now there was no such unrealistic fantasy. It was easy to enter the Mediterranean, but difficult to establish a foothold.

If it wasn't for the establishment of the British FAO Alliance, the British would be pushed out. How could Russia establish a foothold in the Mediterranean?

…

The more he thought about it, the more difficult it was to make a decision. Not having money was a must, and the Russian-Austrian alliance was also very important. This was destined to be a difficult choice.

In fact, Alexander II Of Russia didn't have much choice at all. Whether the Russo-Austrian Alliance could be maintained or not wasn't something that he could decide. The position of the Government of Vienna was equally important.

If the Austrians didn't want to renew the contract, then even if he didn't cooperate with the British, the alliance would still go bankrupt.

It was just that Franz wanted to save face. When the Russo-Austrian Alliance was established, Austria was in a weak period. To some extent, it was also the Russians who helped Austria.

Because of their pride, the Government of Vienna gave the outside world the impression that they had always protected the Russo-Austrian Alliance and didn't have the slightest intention to hit them when they were down.

This illusion made Alexander II Of Russia make a wrong judgment. That was why there was this test. He wanted to raise his own price through Britain and France and obtain more loans from the Government of Vienna.

As a result, the first step was taken and now they were in an awkward situation. The Government of Vienna seemed to be angry and didn't play by the rules at all.

Franz didn't know about Alexander II Of Russia's headache. He was still annoyed. The situation in Mexico finally collapsed. Less than a week after the withdrawal of the French army, Maximilian I Of Castile lost control of the country.

Now Empress Carlotta had returned to Europe to ask for help. She couldn't convince the French and had now returned to Vienna.

It was fine to ask for help, but at least there were benefits. Unfortunately, most of the industries in Mexico were mortgaged to the French. Maximilian I Of Castile didn't have much bargaining chips in his hands.

He didn't even have the money to recruit mercenaries. History taught Franz that when the emperor was so poor, nothing good would come out of it.

Franz wouldn't get involved in the muddy waters of Mexico. He asked Empress Carlotta to persuade Maximilian I Of Castile to abdicate, but he was taught a lesson instead. Franz was so angry that he left on the spot.

There was no way to communicate with people with abnormal thoughts. What "the Mexican people need …"? In Franz's view, the Mexican people were now eager to send Maximilian I Of Castile to the guillotine.

Even if he was lying through his teeth, he shouldn't be like this. At the beginning of the succession, Maximilian I Of Castile still had a chance to turn the tide. Now, no one could do it.

The people's patience had run out. After so many years of reform, it was only on paper. The policy that benefited the country and the people eventually became a policy that destroyed the country and the people.

Franz didn't know what to say now that he was the emperor who was all alone and only had a bunch of talkative people around him.

Empress Carlotta didn't get support in Austria, so she went to other European countries to ask for help. Franz didn't even need to think about it to know that it was impossible.

Without benefits, who would want to get involved in the muddy waters of Mexico? The French had learned their lesson, and everyone had to think twice before they acted.

Now, Franz was waiting for the rebels to break into Mexico City, and then lead Maximilian I Of Castile back to his country. That would be the end of it.

It wouldn't take long. As soon as the French troops withdrew, the rebels would start a big counterattack. Rather than counting on the Mexican government forces to suppress the rebellion, it was better to count on the rebels to break out in internal strife and fall apart.

Now the Mexican rebels were also full of internal contradictions, with a large number of conservatives and racists mixed in. As long as these contradictions were ignited, they would immediately fall apart.

But before that, they had a common goal: to get Maximilian I Of Castile out. When this goal was achieved, Mexico would start a century-long internal strife.

It was worth mentioning that many of the leaders of the rebels were royalists and constitutionalists. There were even some who had supported Massimiliano.

To be able to turn them all into revolutionaries, Franz had to admit that Maximilian I Of Castile was still capable. There were few emperors in the history of the world who could do this.

But these people couldn't be proud for long. When the revolution succeeded, it would be their turn to be unlucky. If they lived well, where would the face of the House of Habsburg be?

Massimiliano did a crap job in Mexico, so they could only do worse. They needed someone to set them off in order to save face a little.

This group of people in the original time and space was not a climate. They fell into internal strife as soon as they took power. Now Franz just gave it a push. Let the warlords come ahead of time and expand their sphere of influence.

No, it can't be said to come ahead of time. It should be the power of historical correction to return history to its original track.

Because of Franz's butterfly effect, the French invested more power, allowing the Mexican Empire to persist for a few more years.