Chapter 702

In the Britannia Embassy in Paris, British Foreign Secretary George and Minister Roberto Fernandez sat facing each other. The atmosphere in the room was very depressing.

It could be seen from their faces that the welcome banquet that had just ended was not so pleasant.

Not only was Napoleon Iv absent, but he also notified the government to hold a meeting during the banquet, and the French senior officials left collectively.

The real power figures had all left, and in the end, only a few staff members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a bunch of nobles with empty titles were left to receive Sir George.

The most basic principle of equal reception had been abandoned. This was no longer just a matter of showing off their power. It was a complete disregard for George and did not give the British Empire any face.

It was not surprising to be given the cold shoulder in diplomacy. The relationship between Britain and France was not good to begin with, and more rude things had happened. What worried George was the task.

"Your Excellency, you have been in Paris for a long time and know the Government of France better. What do you think it will cost to convince the French to support us? "

George's visit to Paris was very hurried. Before he was sure what France wanted, he could only act according to the actual situation.

After a little thought, Roberto Fernandez said, "Sir, the French have a big appetite. I'm afraid some benefits will not satisfy them.

If the situation is not particularly critical, I suggest that we stabilize the Government of France. The price to pay to win them over is too high.

In fact, the Government of France is busy sorting out its internal affairs, and the Government of France is unable to get involved in international affairs in a short period of time. "

It was human nature to take advantage of the situation. Now that Britannia needed France, the Government of France would naturally not be polite.

George was unmoved and said, "What do the French want the most now?"

In diplomatic activities, even if one was eloquent, it could not be compared to interests.

George did not think that he could persuade the French by bluffing. Now, to win over the Government of France, he had to come up with real interests.

Minister Roberto Fernández replied, "The strategic objectives of the French have hardly changed. They have always been aiming for European hegemony. After the Great Revolution, they restrained themselves a bit, and now there is a trend of revival.

The French radical groups want to expand into Central Europe and seize European hegemony; the capitalists want to seize Belgium and the Rhineland to solve the cost problem of industrial raw materials.

These interests were opposed by the domestic aristocratic conservatives. They were worried that entering Central Europe would lead to a new war against France.

At the moment, it was precisely these conservatives who held the power. They opposed expansion in Europe and advocated easing relations with the European countries. They wanted to solve the problem of insufficient domestic industrial raw materials by developing colonies.

Recently, the Government of France had been very active. After his trip to Algeria, Napoleon IV returned to Paris and immediately ordered the replacement of a number of local bureaucrats.

For the sake of the vacant official hat, the major factions within the French government fought to the death, and there were even high-ranking officials who directly fought each other.

Right now, Napoleon IV is busy balancing the forces of all parties. Unless we can come up with an offer that the French interest groups can't refuse, we won't be able to win over the French in the short term. "

Even though George knew that the internal situation in France was complicated, he couldn't imagine that the French government was in such a mess.

When political struggles were intense, there was no need to ask for the reason. "If you support it, I oppose it," and vice versa.

Everyone was opposing for the sake of opposing. Maybe they couldn't achieve anything, but it was enough to ruin the other side's plans.

Everyone could quarrel endlessly over a trivial matter, not to mention an international team that involved such a major event.

George had no doubt that if he tried to persuade them one by one, he would have to retire before he could convince them.

"Belgium and the German Confederation are our potential allies. Supporting France's expansion into Central Europe means giving up these allies.

Moreover, with France's current strength, it may not be successful to expand into Central Europe at this time.

With Austria's appeal, it is entirely possible to form a new anti-French alliance. Other countries may not be sure, but Belgium and the German Confederation, the direct victims, will definitely go there.

No matter who wins in the end, Europe will have a dominant power, and we will be passive. "

There was no other way. Supporting France's expansion into Central Europe would not only damage Britannia's international reputation, but it also meant that they had to give up their pivot in Central Europe. It would be difficult for them to intervene in European affairs in the future.

If that was all, it was not impossible to discuss. Anyway, Britain's international reputation was not very good, and it would not drop much.

The key was that after losing their backer, Belgium and the German Confederation would definitely drag Austria down. In the end, it would become France versus the anti-French alliance led by Austria.

With Britain and Russia restraining each other, the outcome of the Fao war would be out of control.

Unless both sides suffered losses, the winner would be the overlord of Europe, and the overlord of Europe that was hostile to Britannia.

Minister Roberto Fernández nodded. "Of course, it's our national policy to maintain the balance of power in Europe.

If we can't start from a strategic point, then we can only start from the economic point, but the repercussions will be more serious.

For example, unilaterally abolish the high tariffs against France. "

Hearing this proposal, George's face suddenly fell. Not only would the repercussions be more serious, but it would also be fatal.

The high tariffs against France were retaliation for the French's withdrawal from the free trade system.

Moreover, the tariffs between Britain and France were almost equal. Unilaterally abolishing Britannia meant that French goods could freely enter and leave the British market, while British goods would have to pay high tariffs to enter the French market.

If George dared to agree to such conditions, the domestic capitalists would tear him apart.

"Your excellency, this joke is not funny at all. If we unilaterally give up the tariffs, do you know what that means? "

Minister Roberto Fernández nodded, "Of course, that means that Britannia has become an economic colony of the French.

So, from the beginning, I have opposed this time to rope in the French. Now we have too few chips in our hands, and the French's appetite is too big, so it is impossible to negotiate.

In fact, we all know that the possibility of Austria directly intervening in Central Asia is almost zero, and there is also the Persian Empire in the middle.

It doesn't matter if the French are restraining them or not. As long as the French don't make any mistakes, even if we don't do anything, the Government of Austria must be on guard.

The top priority is to find a way to end the arms race, not to waste time on an impossible goal. "

The risk and the benefit were proportional. If the French were to restrain Austria, no one could guarantee that there wouldn't be an accident midway, and a war between the two countries would be ignited.

If they didn't even pay enough appearance fees, how could the Government of France be willing to take the risk?

After a pause, George slowly said, "What if we form an alliance with the French?

We can't support the French's expansion into Central Europe, but this doesn't mean we can't tacitly agree with the French's expansion into Central Europe.

Since Austria is holding the fort, the French won't rashly send troops before they are completely sure.

Britannia needs time, as long as they can drag it out until we solve the problem in Central Asia, the initiative is still in our hands. "

After contemplating for a while, Roberto Fernández cautiously said, "Sir, is this the final decision of the country?

You have to know that if we do this, the results of our years of operation in France will be destroyed. "

The pro-British faction didn't mean that they were unconditionally pro-British. Most pro-British members would still prioritize their own national interests.

Shorting the franc a few years ago had severely offended the French, which led to a sharp decrease in the number of pro-British members in the Government of France.

Now with another wave, it was estimated that the pro-British group in the future Government of France would disappear, leaving only naked hatred.

In the eyes of most people, traitors were more abhorrent than enemies. The pro-British faction and the anti-British faction were actually only separated by a thin line.

George was unmoved and said, "This is the price that must be paid. If possible, I don't want to be so extreme, but for the sake of Britannia, there is no other way.

Wasn't our painstaking efforts all for this day?

From now on, the embassy will mobilize all our connections to facilitate this alliance. "

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