Chapter 690

London

In any case, the Government of the United Kingdom was a hurdle that couldn't be avoided. Prime Minister Felix had been in London since the process of Germany's unification was stopped by various countries.

In fact, the joint intervention plan had been in progress for a long time. The fact that it could be delayed until an agreement was reached with the South German States was because of the help of the Russians.

In this regard, the Tsarist government was still very credible. Of course, the public relations spending by Austria also played a role.

Otherwise, it was estimated that the joint declaration would appear just as the Kingdom of Saxony was settled. Then, it would be difficult for Austria to carry out the subsequent plans.

It was almost impossible to achieve these goals if they couldn't make it an established fact and deal with it at the negotiation table.

The joint declaration had been issued for so long, but the international conference hadn't been held yet. This was to leave time for Austria's public relations.

In other words, Austria had taken advantage of them, and they were jealous. If they couldn't get enough compensation, they would cause trouble.

This was Franz's view. If the international conference was held immediately, Austria would have no time to move. No, it should be said that there was no time to move to London.

At the strong request of Napoleon Iii, the international conference was held in Paris. The Government of Paris was close at hand, so there was obviously a chance for public relations.

Not to mention the Russians. Without the support of the Hairy Bear, Austria didn't dare to act rashly. Obviously, the two sides had already made a deal. How could the shrewd John Bull tolerate such a thing?

The conference was originally planned to be held in July, but it was forcibly delayed to late August. This was the request of the British.

In the face of this situation, the Government of Austria naturally had no choice. Prime Minister Felix had to personally go to London.

…

Prime Minister Felix asked, "Mr. Henry, the importance of the Kingdom of Lombardy Venetia to Austria must be clear to you. The local economic value is even higher than that of South Germany.

Venice is Austria's largest foreign trade port. Most of Austria's naval ports are in the Venetia region. Do you think we can let go? "

British Prime Minister George Hamilton Gordon smiled and said, "Mr. Felix, your country doesn't lack ports. Rijeka and Trieste are excellent ports. There are many ports in the Dalmatian region that can be developed."

Felix shook his head and said, "Mr. Henry, in theory, as long as it is adjacent to the sea, it can be transformed into a quality port. But what about the development cost?

The Dalmatian region is Austria's poorest province. The local traffic is enough to make any port worthless.

So don't talk about giving up on the Kingdom of Lombardy Venetia. We will never agree to it. "

The British wanted to unify the Italian region while keeping Austria and France in check and balancing the powers in the Mediterranean.

But Austria, France, and Spain opposed the unification of the Italian regions at the same time, and the unification of the Italian regions was a long way off.

The Kingdom of Lombardy Venetia was Austria's compensation for giving up the Austrian Netherlands. It had a territory of 46991 square kilometers and a population of about 5.16 million people, mainly Italians, with some Germans.

It was the most fertile land in the Regions of Italy. It had the largest plain in Italy — the Po River Plain. More than half of Italy's industry was gathered here. It also had the most prosperous port in the Mediterranean — Venice. It once accounted for 30% of Austria's revenue.

With such a huge economic benefit, the Government of Vienna naturally couldn't give it up easily. Even now, the British offered to recognize the new Holy Roman Empire, but Prime Minister Felix also refused.

Unable to achieve this goal, Prime Minister George Hamilton Gordon once again put forward a new condition, "Mr. Felix, your country can't give up the Regions of Italy. So, it's not a problem to stop supporting the Russians, right?

I'm sure you don't want to see the Russians annex the Osman Empire, reach deep into the Mediterranean, and break the balance of Europe, right? "

After arriving in London, Felix had a feeling that the real goal of the British should be to break up the Russo-Austrian Alliance. Now the dagger was revealed.

"Mr. Henry, I think you have misunderstood. We will only remain neutral in the Near East War. We have never supported the Russians.

From the outbreak of the war until now, the Government of Austria has always remained neutral. We do business with the Russians because of the principle of free trade. "

Free trade was proposed by the British. It was one of the national policies of the Government of the United Kingdom. Prime Minister George Hamilton Gordon naturally couldn't slap his own face.

George Hamilton Gordon asked, "So, has your country decided to join the free trade system?"

Felix said, "Mr. Henry, the situation in Austria is different from your country. Many people in our country are worried that once we join the free trade system established by your country, our economy will be affected.

After all, the industrial strength of your country is too strong. All the countries in the world combined might not be able to compare with you. "

That's right, the industrial strength of the British Empire was outstanding. No country in the world could compare with them.

However, once the countries completed industrialization, the weaknesses of the British Isles' small territory and lack of resources would be exposed. At that time, it would be another outcome.

Could the British not see this problem? The answer was: they didn't see it.

The current British Empire was too glorious, so much so that they had overlooked the possible dangers. Otherwise, they would start preparing now. Although they might not be at the peak forever, they could at least prolong their time as the hegemon of the world.

In theory, the best choice was to shift the focus of development to Canada and compete with the Americans for the Americas. With the national strength of the British Empire, it was not impossible to get rid of the United States in this era.

Secondly, it was to develop Australia and annex the Southeast Asian region. With the support of such a region, it could also support a superpower.

Thirdly, it was to develop the African continent. In this era, the total population of the African continent was at most 20 million. Thanks to the prevalence of the black slave trade, the African population was still in a state of decline.

The Americans could turn the Native Americans into a minority, a more professional John Bull, or they could turn Uncle Black into a protected animal.

No matter which of these three choices, they would need to invest a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources. Unless the British elites were all transmigrators, there was no way it would work.

Although it was a bluff, in this era, it was a compliment. George Hamilton Gordon was very happy to be complimented by Felix, but this did not affect the following negotiations.

George Hamilton Gordon was sure that as long as they relented on the German Region issue, the Government of Austria would not mind joining the free trade system immediately.

This was obviously not Austria's bottom line. George Hamilton Gordon continued to probe, "Mr. Felix, since your country maintained a neutral position in the Near Eastern War, now that you have occupied the land of the Osman Empire, should you return it after the war?"

Felix could only sigh. As expected of the master of the continental balance policy, he had thought of the problem after the end of the Near Eastern War so quickly.

"We have to discuss this issue with the Osman government. If they can pay enough ransom, we don't mind returning the land we have occupied to them."

This "ransom" was obviously not something the Osman Empire could afford. It was nothing more than to make the British give in on the issue of Austria re-establishing the Holy Roman Empire.

In terms of territory, the large states that Austria was currently eyeing added up were less than 140,000 square kilometers, less than half of the territory of the Osman Empire that Austria currently occupied.

Kingdom of Bavaria: 75865 square kilometers

Kingdom of Württemberg: 20682 square kilometers

Grand Duchy of Baden: 15070 square kilometers

Kingdom of Saxony: 14993 square kilometers

Duchy of Hesse Darmstadt: about 10,000 square kilometers

Free City of Frankfurt: 248.31 square kilometers

However, the accounts could not be calculated in this way. Austria annexed South Germany not for the land, but mainly for the population. The population of these German states alone exceeded 10 million.

This population could effectively make up for the weakness of Austria's main ethnic group, turning the seemingly powerful Austrian Empire into a truly powerful empire.

As for the land of the Balkans, so what if it was returned to the Osman Empire? Could the Osman Empire keep the land now?

Taking the two Danube Duchies as an example, as long as Austria persisted in opposing their independence, the Ottoman Empire could only send them back, unless they wanted to be neighbors with Mao Xiong.

If Russia won or tied in this Near Eastern War, then the Osman Empire would be in trouble. It was an enclave sandwiched between Russia and Austria. Wasn't it a joke to let them manage it?

It was possible for Austria to give up The Balkans, but only if Britain and France won this Near Eastern War would Prime Minister Felix's promise be fulfilled.

George Hamilton Gordon quickly responded to this question. In this inland area, the British Empire's voice was too low.

Although Austria seemed to attach great importance to them, in fact, the biggest voice was still the Russians, followed by the French.

It was good for the Government of London to admit it, but opposition would not change the final result. As long as either France or Russia supported Austria, it would not be a problem to rebuild Shinra.

In the end, the two sides did not reach any agreement. They could not get enough benefits from Austria, and they could not force the Government of Austria to make concessions. Naturally, John Bull could not give an accurate answer.

South Germany could not intervene, but they could not give up North Germany. In the coastal area, they could find the prestige of Britannia.

These problems were a headache for the British. Felix would not worry about them. Anyway, Austria's goodwill had been brought.

With an ambiguous answer, Prime Minister Felix embarked on his return journey. The upcoming Paris Conference would be handled by Metternich. He had to admit that he was the most professional in this regard.