Under what circumstances would the conflict between Austria and Sardinia disappear?
This would depend on the specific situation. In any case, Palmerston wouldn't be so naive as to think that Austria would easily let Sardinia off for the sake of world peace after mobilizing so many troops.
In that case, they could only let one side fall. It takes two hands to clap. Once the enemy fell, the conflict would naturally cease to exist.
Without a doubt, Sardinia would fall. Palmerston didn't believe that Sardinia could make a comeback.
Even if the remaining Sardinian soldiers turned into Spartan warriors, they wouldn't be able to change the outcome of the war.
Palmerston thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Metternich, for the sake of world peace and stability, the Government of the United Kingdom suggests that your country end the Austrian War as soon as possible and return to the pre-war state."
The relationship between the British and Austria was very complicated. They opposed Austria's expansion in the Regions of Italy, but because of their strategic needs in Europe, they didn't want to fall out with Austria. That was why Palmerston's trip to Vienna was held. They tried to solve the dispute between Austria and Sardinia through diplomatic means.
After the war against France, Europe entered the era of Britain and Russia. Although the Austrian-led Vienna System isolated the British Empire from the European continent, it also contained the expansion of Russia.
For the British, isolation was isolation. As long as the European continent maintained balance, their hegemony would not be shaken. The Vienna System also protected their core interests.
Now that the Vienna System had collapsed, the situation on the European continent was about to change dramatically. Containing the expansion of Russia had become the top priority for the British.
As the country that stood in the way of Russia's westward expansion, Austria was the ally that the Government of London needed to win over. Unless it was necessary, the Anglo-Austrian relationship couldn't be destroyed.
The complicated diplomatic strategy of the British couldn't be hidden from Metternich. Austria also needed to cooperate with the British.
Although Russia and Russia were allies, Austria didn't need to contain the expansion of Russia's power. In fact, the Government of Austria was the one that didn't want Russia to expand the most.
Of course, this didn't include Franz.
There wasn't much left for Russia to expand westward. Austria and Prussia weren't pushovers. The Tsarist government wouldn't set their sights on them.
Sweden was also a tough nut to crack. Russia wouldn't go against them. The only place in Europe that could allow Russia to expand was the Balkans.
People in this era thought that after Russia entered the Balkans and occupied Constantinople, they would be out of control after entering the Mediterranean.
Franz's judgment was just the opposite. The Russians who stayed in the Frost Kingdom were the most terrible. After entering the Mediterranean Sea, the British would teach Hairy Bear a new life.
Being strong on land didn't mean being strong on sea. It wasn't that Franz looked down on the Russians, but the Army could rely on numbers, but the Navy was really a rookie.
When it came to naval development, Austria had an advantage over Russia. At least Venice used to be a strong naval power, and they still had enough sailors.
Just because there was a sea didn't mean that the navy was strong. Russia's sea area was indeed large, but it was not suitable to develop a navy.
Even now, the Russians were still a group of landlubbers. Their pocket-sized navy would not be able to develop in less than a few decades.
Even when Russia expanded in the Balkans, Austria could still get a piece of the pie. They might not be able to eat the most delicious part.
But Franz's attitude was: A bird in the hand is better than a thousand birds in the bush.
As long as Austria's strength could be strengthened, as for the problem of curbing Russia's expansion, whoever wanted to do it could do it. Anyway, he didn't have the spirit of internationalism.
If Russia was led astray and ran to develop their navy. He did not mind lending his full support to the Russians, and helping them go further down this road of destruction.
Franz's attitude also affected Austria's diplomacy to a certain extent. They weren't as active in many international affairs as they were in Metternich's era.
Metternich shook her head and said, "Mr. Palmerston, there is always a price to pay for doing wrong. Since Sardinia dared to invade Austria, they naturally have to bear the corresponding price.
The dignity of the Austrian Empire can't be blasphemed. The evil Kingdom of Sardinia dared to violate the Vienna system and launch a war of aggression, so they must pay the price. "
Palmerston heaved a sigh of relief. Austria didn't insist on annexing Sardinia, so there was still room for negotiation. It was just a matter of interests.
He had also contributed to inciting the Kingdom of Sardinia to start a war and providing loans to the Kingdom of Sardinia. If Sardinia was really finished, these loans would become bad debts. The British bankers wouldn't let him off.
Palmerston thought for a moment and said, "Of course, Sardinia launched this war of aggression, so they naturally have to pay the price.
For the sake of world peace, the British Empire is prepared to mediate this war. We hope that your country can temporarily stop military operations. "
Metternich smiled and said, "Unfortunately, Mr. Palmerston, you're too late.
Sardinia has already been occupied by the Austrian army, and the King of Sardinia, Charles Albert, has already gone into exile. It won't be long before he arrives in London.
If your country can restrain the Sardinian guerrillas and stop causing trouble, we can stop the following military operations. "
The Austrian army had occupied Sardinia?
If it was just the main cities, then Austria had indeed occupied Sardinia. If it was the entire country, then Austria had only occupied half of Sardinia's territory.
This didn't stop Metternich from bragging. In this era, military occupation mostly referred to the main cities, and the vast rural areas were often ignored.
At this point, Palmerston could no longer be bothered to continue fighting. Sardinia had already lost its bargaining chip, so it was impossible for it not to bleed.
Palmerston quickly got into character and asked, "Mr. Metternich, if you want to end this war, what conditions does your country have? We can convey them on your behalf."
Metternich didn't answer. Instead, she handed over a prepared armistice treaty.
After glancing through the contents, Palmerston's expression changed. If they followed Austria's requirements, Sardinia wouldn't be far from becoming history.
"Mr. Metternich, aren't the terms too harsh?" Palmerston said with a frown.
It wasn't just harsh, it was clearly very harsh. This was to put Sardinia's politics, military, finance, and territory under Austria's control. It wasn't much different from annexing Sardinia.
For example, the appointment of government ministers and above had to be approved by the Government of Austria.
Another example: Sardinia couldn't keep an army. It could only keep no more than 10,000 police officers. It used 50% of its revenue to hire the Austrian army to protect its territory.
The right to issue currency in Sardinia was managed by the Government of Austria.
The Government of Austria determined the tax rate for Sardinia's various taxes.
Sardinia couldn't produce weapons and equipment. All weapons had to be imported from Austria.
Diplomatic relations between Sardinia and any country or region were handled by the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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There were no requirements for ceding territory or reparations. However, compared to the requirements, the Sardinians would probably rather cede territory and reparations than become an Austrian colony.
"This is just a draft," Metternich said in a friendly tone, "It's just a draft. The Kingdom of Sardinia's invasion brought Austria great losses, and Lombardy and Venice were almost wiped out.
It also caused hundreds of thousands of Austrian casualties, and millions of Austrians were homeless. How can we account for such a heavy loss?
If the Sardinians can't accept our conditions, it's not impossible as long as they can compensate us for all our losses in one go. "
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