Chapter 614

Since both sides didn't want to fight, then they could only negotiate. On May 2, 1866, representatives of Austria and France held secret talks in Naples.

The interests of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies were just an appetizer. The most important thing was the great strategy of the two countries to divide the European continent.

There was no overnight hatred in front of interests. The military conflict between Fao and the two countries, both sides tacitly pushed the blame to the British.

Anyway, the British were not there, so they couldn't defend themselves. It was good for everyone to let them take the blame.

Compared with the conflict between Fao, the conflict between Britain and France was actually much deeper. In Franz's view, the current conflict between Britain and Austria was deeper than the conflict between Fao.

The British's little tricks on the African continent seriously affected Austria's African strategy. For Franz, who was interested in localizing Africa, this was impossible to compromise.

In contrast, the conflict between Fao was easy to deal with. Before the European continent was divided, the two countries still had a series of interests to exchange.

Under common interests, the conflict between the two sides could be suppressed.

On the contrary, the conflict between Britain and Austria in Africa was difficult to solve. With John's style, it would be strange if he could sit back and watch Franz complete the strategic layout!

It was Austria's national policy not to have a conflict with two great powers at the same time. For the sake of safety, now it was necessary to take the French into the gutter.

This strategic negotiation to divide the European continent was to fool Napoleon Iii. As long as the French took the first step, they would be isolated!

It was not the current level of isolation. The vigilance of small countries was not worth mentioning. Only the hostility of the great powers could really make the French feel uncomfortable.

To some extent, Franz didn't mind that the French strategy could succeed. Only by reaching that step, could they really cross the France Empire.

Just think about it, a France + three-quarters of the Regions of Italy + Belgium + all the territories west of the Rhine River in Germany. With the appearance of such a giant, was there any other choice except for the anti-French alliance?

This trap was the strategic plan of the French in the original time and space. No, in the original time and space, Napoleon Iii planned to swallow Italy. With the rise of Austria, it had now shrunk.

The Fao war was part of their strategy to annex Italy, but Napoleon Iii failed when he actually implemented it.

In order to annex Luxembourg and Belgium, there was even a European crisis that broke out and was suppressed by Britain, Russia, and Austria.

The strategy proposed by Franz for the partition of Europe was almost a copy of the French strategy, which he employed to deceive Napoleon III.

It was just that France's military strength was insufficient a decade ago, and Napoleon Iii had just succeeded the Near East War.

Now that France had grown up militarily, and the Russians, weakened, were for a short time incapable of intervening in European affairs, Napoleon III.'s ambitions could not be restrained.

Reaching out to the Kingdom of Two Sicilies was to test Austria's reaction. Now that the results were out, it was naturally time to wrangle.

If Austria didn't have enough benefits, even if Napoleon III was fooled, he wouldn't dare to directly implement this crazy strategy.

Only when both sides had common interests and everyone took action at the same time could Napoleon Iii rest assured.

There were too many exchanges of interests involved, and many aspects were involved. This negotiation was bound to take a long time. In comparison, getting Francesco II to leave was not worth mentioning.

While the Fao was negotiating, the Prussian war broke out again. The British were very helpful this time. Although they didn't find an ally for Russia in Europe, they still had results in Central Asia.

Under the British's plan, at the end of April 1866, the Samarkand people broke out in an anti-Russian uprising, which opened the wave of resistance against Tsar's rule in Central Asia.

The British not only sponsored the rebels' weapons, but also formed a volunteer army – 8,000 Gurkha mercenaries to help the people of Central Asia get rid of the Tsarist government's rule.

The Gurkha mercenaries were the top three mercenaries in the world. They once defeated 30,000 British troops with 12,000 people with outdated weapons and equipment. They won the recognition of the British and went to the world stage from then on.

If it wasn't for the small population and a strong military power, India would probably be out of the picture. India would probably be out of the picture. They were invincible in South Asia.

The Khaganates in Central Asia that hadn't been conquered by Russia were also forced to the battlefield by the British, including Afghanistan. In a short period of time, hundreds of thousands of anti-Russian forces appeared in Central Asia.

By mid-May, the largest city in Central Asia, Tashkent, was captured, and Russia's rule in Central Asia was in danger.

In response to the crisis in Central Asia, the Tsarist government was forced to transfer troops from the Caucasus region to reinforce the Central Asia theater.

Looking at the battle map, Franz knew Russia was in big trouble. If they weren't careful, their years of operations in Central Asia would go down the drain.

If it wasn't for Tsar's army attacking the three Khaganates in Central Asia, the situation would probably be better. Under normal circumstances, these countries didn't dare to provoke Russia.

However, the current situation wasn't normal. Everyone knew of Russia's ambition and there was no possibility of compromise. In order to protect themselves, they had to rely on the British.

Now that their boss requested to go to the battlefield, these Khaganates could only bite the bullet and go. If they offended the British, they would really be finished.

Franz asked, "Russia has transferred troops from the Caucasus region. The Osman's chance has come. Do you think the British can persuade the Government of Sudan to hit them when they're down?"

Prime Minister Felix replied, "It's hard to be sure. At present, although the voice of the pro-war faction in the Osman Empire is loud, the Government of Sudan is still immersed in the shadow of the defeat in the Near East and doesn't dare to challenge Russia.

They can't ignore the British's position. If the Osman Empire wants to survive, it can't do without the protection of European countries. The British are the most important link in their diplomacy.

We have already secretly expressed our position. As long as the French ask the Osman Empire to send troops, the Government of Sudan is likely to be forced to go to the battlefield.

At present, the Government of Paris is still hesitating. However, as long as Napoleon Iii wants to implement the European strategy, it is necessary to continue to weaken the Russians. "

In fact, it wasn't just the French's position. If Austria could openly ask the Osman Empire to send troops, it would also put a lot of pressure on the Government of Sudan.

The Russians' ambition towards the Osman Empire had never been extinguished. It could be said that the Government of Sudan most wanted to see the Russians fall.

The only problem was that the people who had experienced the Near East War had not been eliminated. The younger generation did not have a dominant position in the government.

The old guys were afraid. In the recent "Turkish-Russian Wars," they had all ended in failure and had lost the confidence to defeat the Russians.

However, the uncomfortable thing was that even if they didn't attack the Russians, the Russians would not let them go. Flipping through the history books, one would know that the "Turkish-Russian War" that happened once every 20 years had become a part of everyone's life.

The next "Turkish-Russian War" was at most ten years away. This was the rule of history. There had never been an exception in the past two hundred years.

Without the support of the European countries, the Government of Sudan did not have the confidence to fight the Russians alone. Even if their social reforms were beginning to show results, the gap in strength between the two sides was still huge.

In this context, the positions of the three countries, UK, Fao, and France were very important to them. Moreover, Britain and France were their creditors and controlled their domestic finance. If the Government of London sneezed, the Osman Empire's economy would be shaken.

In history, the French could use economic means to pull the Russians onto their war chariot. Now, Britain and France's influence on the Osman Empire was even further.

Franz said with a smile, "In that case, the people of Prussia should hope that God will bless Napoleon Iii and make up his mind early!"

He was very satisfied with the current situation. The British being able to make such a big move in Central Asia was completely beyond his expectations.

But when he thought about it, it was normal. Even a rabbit would bite when it was cornered. In order to protect themselves, the Central Asian Khaganate had to cooperate with the British.

Everyone laughed. Central Asia was just a problem for the Russians. Even if they lost all of it, the Russian Empire would still be the Russian Empire.

The Central Asian coalition forces formed by the British were full of internal conflicts. They could only reluctantly cooperate under the pressure of Russia. Once the threat of Russia disappeared, internal strife would occur.

If they wanted them to fight all the way to the interior of the Russian Empire, they would be better off sleeping! If these people had the ability to do so, it was impossible for Franz not to have any impression of them.

Not to mention the Osman Empire. Recovering the Caucasus region was enough for them to struggle for many years. To further threaten the Russians, they might have been able to do it in the last century.

The Government of Vienna had always been happy to see things that could weaken the strength of the Russians without killing the Tsarist government.

Foreign Minister Wesenberg said, "Your Majesty, the British have not only made achievements in Central Asia, but they have also made great progress in the Far East.

Under their instigation, the Japanese expelled the Russian Army from Tsushima. In the old Empire in the Far East, there has also been a battle between the coastal defense faction and the fortress defense faction. At present, the fortress defense faction has the upper hand.

Maybe they will also make some noise. Unfortunately, the telegraph network has not been completed, so we do not know the specific situation at present. "

Franz was shocked. Could it be that the historical event was going to be brought forward? It was not impossible. Now was the time when the Russian Empire was at its weakest. It was obviously a good time to recover lost territory. Maybe there would be unexpected gains.

After thinking for a moment, Franz said nonchalantly, "The Far East is too far to affect Europe. Even if the Russians lost the Far East, it would not affect them much.

The outcome of the Russian war would be decided by themselves. At most, the British could distract the Russians and waste Tsar's wallet.

Unless they can persuade the Swedes to make a move, the Kingdom of Prussia will still have to rely on themselves. These potential allies will not be able to provide much help to them. "

Although these actions had restrained a large number of Russian troops, the Tsarist government did not have much else, but it had a lot of soldiers.

No matter how much they were restrained, the number of Russian Army on the Prussia battlefield would not decrease. Unless the Swedes made a move, then the Tsarist government would be limited by supplies and would not be able to maintain a large number of troops on the frontline.

This was determined by geographical location. Whether it was Central Asia or the Far East, the transportation of strategic supplies was to the east. But the Swedish and Prussia frontlines needed strategic supplies, and some of the routes overlapped.

For the Government of Berlin, the other allies were not much. The only one that could play an immediate role was the Swedes.

Foreign Minister Wesenberg analyzed, "I am afraid this will be difficult. The Swedish government has no signs of participating in the war, and the British cannot give more bargaining chips.

The promised benefits will be taken from the hands of the Russians. The London government had played this kind of empty handed trick too many times, and it simply could not play the role it should have.

The Kingdom of Prussia was even worse. They wanted to rope in Sweden, but they could not even give any bargaining chips.

Carr XV asked the people of Prussia to withdraw from the Kingdom of Denmark, and the Government of Berlin agreed to only give up the Jutland peninsula. They did not dare to let go of the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. "

The Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were now very important to the Kingdom of Prussia. Only by raising the flag of the nation could Austria not fall to the side of Russia in the war.

With the recognition of righteousness by the Germans, there were people who donated money and goods to them. There were also volunteers who brought their own dry food and risked their lives.

Including Austria, there were volunteers who ran to support the Kingdom of Prussia. Whether this had anything to do with the Government of Vienna was not known to outsiders.

In short, the Committee for the Unification of the German Nation, the German Folk Art Exchange Committee … and many other social groups dedicated to the unification of the German Region were strongly supporting the people of Prussia in the war against the Russians.

If they gave up the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, these support would disappear, and Austria's absolutely neutral position in foreign affairs might change.