Chapter 716

On April 22, 1867, the London Peace Conference was held. Representatives from more than 20 countries from all over the world gathered in London to discuss this special war.

This was the largest war since the anti-French war that involved the largest number of countries, the widest warring area, and the largest scale.

Without a doubt, this was also the war with the heaviest casualties and economic losses. Both warring parties lost more than two million troops, and the total economic losses of each country exceeded two billion DND.

(About one billion pounds, equivalent to 7322.38 tons of gold)

Disregarding everything else, just looking at the casualties and economic losses was enough to silence all the countries in the world. Many countries had a population of less than two million, and the entire country was not worth two billion DND.

The ones who suffered the greatest losses were naturally the Russians. Not only did their military suffer heavy losses, but their domestic economy was also severely damaged. They also lost cities and territories, and lost their hard-won position as the world's hegemon.

If they could do it all over again, the Russians would definitely not act so rashly.

At the Paris Conference, the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were given to Denmark. Prussia's invasion of Denmark was opposed by the European countries, and they could resolve the problem in a roundabout way.

Of course, roundabout diplomacy was not something the Russians were good at, and it did not look impressive enough to show off their might as the hegemon of Europe.

Never would they have thought that the war that was supposed to be used to establish their might would end up burying the hegemony of the Russian Empire, and a great empire was on its last breath.

The negotiations fell into a state of nonsense from the start. The Russian delegation argued with each other, and other than the Danish representative who helped, they were directly surrounded.

This was the disadvantage of having too many enemies. If Poland was also a country, then the Russians would be facing the Eight-Nation Coalition Army. (The Kingdom of Prussia, the Osman Empire, the four countries of Central Asia, Poland, the Qing Empire)

The other countries' representatives naturally watched the argument between the warring countries. If everyone participated, the Russians would be in an even more tragic situation.

Prussia's diplomatic activities were effective, and they obtained the understanding of most of the European countries. They provided a lot of evidence against the Russians, and it was obvious that they were well prepared.

After the first day of the conference, the Russian Foreign Minister Clarence Ivanov knew that things were bad, and he secretly met with the Austrian representative, Wesenberg.

Clarence Ivanov did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point. "Your Excellency, we need your country's help now!"

After a moment of silence, the Austrian Foreign Minister Wesenberg said, "We are allies, and we should help each other. What kind of help do you need, Marquis?"

He knew exactly what the Russians were up to, but now he had to feign ignorance in order to gain a better position and re-establish his dominance in the Russian-Austrian alliance.

Clarence Ivanov didn't think too much about it. The hegemony of Europe was a foregone conclusion. Whether it fell into the hands of the French or the Austrians, it had nothing to do with them.

The dominance of the Russian-Austrian alliance was no longer as important to the Russians, who had lost their hegemony on the European continent.

"The current diplomatic situation is very unfavorable for us. I hope your country can use its influence to reverse this situation!"

The one-sided situation was completely beyond the Tsarist government's expectations. In their plan, most European countries should have adopted a neutral attitude instead of directly standing on the opposite side of Russia.

This was because the Russians did not have time to change their mentality, and they still brought themselves into the role of the European hegemon.

Even if everyone was very dissatisfied with the Russian Empire during the era of the European hegemon, few countries dared to show it. Neutrality was the position of a small country.

Now it was different. The Russian Empire not only suffered a great loss in the war, but also fell into a civil war. Their status in the world had been greatly reduced, and they could not scare the European countries.

He had been bullied in the past, but at this moment, he erupted. Before this, the Tsarist government had also carried out diplomatic public relations, but the results showed that they had helped more than they could help. Not only did they not pull in allies, but they pushed some countries to the opposite side.

In this case, they had to seek the support of Austria. Since the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Austria had occupied an important position in European politics and diplomacy.

The establishment of the Vienna system twice was the peak of Metternich's diplomacy. Until now, Austria's influence in European politics and diplomacy was one of the best.

This political and diplomatic influence was one of the reasons why Franz had always been careful with his table manners.

In the eyes of ordinary people, this political and diplomatic influence was useless, but in fact, it ensured that Austria would not fall into a state of isolation and avoid the crisis of being the enemy of the world.

Now the Russians knew the consequences of being isolated and being targeted by other countries, which meant that they would fall into a passive state in the negotiations and would need to pay a greater price to end the war.

Wesenberg shook his head and said, "Marquis, you overestimate our influence. The current situation is indispensable to the British and French. You don't think Austria can fight against the combined influence of Britain and France, do you? "

This kind of help couldn't be helped. If they really helped, there would be endless troubles. There was also a price to pay to make the countries change their diplomatic stance. Without enough benefits, why would Austria pay this price?

Clarence Ivanov's face darkened. He knew things weren't that simple. If Austria was willing to make a move, these small countries would have to be neutral again.

It was nonsense to say that they couldn't compare to the influence of the British and French alliance. In fact, when it didn't involve their own interests, these small countries were fence-sitters.

In the era of the Vienna system, Austria could expel the British from Europe, suppress the French in Western Europe, and restrict the Russians to Eastern Europe by relying on diplomatic cooperation.

At the time, the annexation of South Germany caused panic in European countries, but didn't they quickly overcome the crisis?

"Count, we won't let you help for nothing."

After that, Clarence Ivanov handed over a check from the Royal Bank. The numbers on it were blank, and he let Wesenberg fill it out himself.

Taking the check, Wesenberg didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was he that kind of person? It wasn't popular in Austria to ask for bribes. If he accepted this thing today, he would have to go home and retire tomorrow.

There weren't any poor Austrian ministers these days. Franz was still very generous. They had an estate in the colony, which was at least a few thousand hectares of land.

These lands needed to be managed by their own people, and many rich people couldn't care less about it. However, the land came with a noble title, which instantly doubled the value.

No one would complain about having too many noble titles, especially those with a fief. It didn't matter if it was far away in the colony. It would be localized sooner or later anyway.

In order to leave a few more family properties for future generations, Wesenberg pushed the check back and said, "I'm sorry, Sir Marquis, I don't dare to accept this money.

If you want to change the position of the countries, you must pay a price, and it is definitely not something that can be solved with a few words.

If you want to get out of the current predicament, you can start with Sweden and Norway. The Nordic Federation is being formed, and at this time, they must take into account the feelings of the Danes.

Then, you can rope in the German Confederation and exaggerate the threat of Prussia. If the Kingdom of Prussia wants to become a real power, annexation is the only option.

It won't be difficult to convince Belgium. The French are a great threat to them, and they will need your help. At least, you can make them neutral.

Spain and Portugal have no conflict of interest with your country, and I believe you have the ability to persuade them to remain neutral. "

Wesenberg gave a solution, but whether it could be done depended on the ability of the Tsarist government. If countries with no conflict of interest could not be made to remain neutral, then what was the point of diplomacy?

This was the confidence of the great powers. No matter how much Russia declined, they were still one of the four great powers in Europe, and their overall national strength was far greater than Prussia and Spain.

Hearing this idea, Clarence Ivanov was a little embarrassed. This should be considered a routine operation, but they had messed up before, and now they had to remedy it.

There was no doubt that in addition to the "mentality" of the diplomats causing "trouble," the wrong choice of starting point for lobbying was also an important factor.

This was not the responsibility of one person. The Russians could solve problems through diplomatic means, but they had to wait until the time of Alexander III. Before that, they were used to solving everything by force.

In this context, it was normal for diplomats to be unqualified. Those who could reach the passing level could be considered elite diplomats.

After a pause, Clarence Ivanov handed over the check and said very politely, "Thank you, Your Excellency! You have gained the friendship of the Russian Empire. "

He did not do anything, but the other party gave him an idea, so he still had to pay.

This set of rules of the game of money was common within the Tsarist government bureaucracy, and Clarence Ivanov was used to it.

In fact, in this era, the foreign ministries of various countries were also hit hard by corruption, and it was too easy to make a fortune in foreign posts.

It turned out that when Wesenberg was in office, he had received gifts, but as his position rose, he gradually became more cherished, afraid that his competitors would catch him.

Now that he did not need to do anything, the money was not so hot.

For the sake of money, Wesenberg added, "Your Excellency, the difficulty of this negotiation is in Eastern Europe, which is the core of your country. I personally suggest that you solve the problems in the Far East, Near East, and Central Asia first.

In the Near East, the Osman Empire has not achieved results on the battlefield, and it does not cost much to send them away. I don't know much about the Far East, but it is too far away and should not be of much value.

The Central Asian region has been almost lost, so let's just give it up. As long as the core interests are protected, the other side branches are not worth mentioning.

From a long-term development point of view, I think the Eastern European problem is not a big deal. With the strength of your country, what is lost now can be taken back sooner or later.

Britain and France are constantly playing small tricks. If the negotiations are dragged on for too long, it is easy to complicate matters. As far as I know, the Kingdom of Prussia is still expanding its army for war, and it is likely to ignite the flames of war again. "

It was really a good intention to let the Russians quickly complete the negotiations and end the war. After all, it was not surprising that war would break out again if it dragged on.

According to the European practice, if there were no benefits at the negotiating table, they would get them on the battlefield. In the current situation, as long as the Russian Empire dared to fight, the frontline army dared to lose.

At least on the battlefield in Eastern Europe, there was no hope at all. Logistical supplies could not be guaranteed, and the war could not be fought at all.

Digging a hole and encouraging the Russians to fight back in the future was fulfilling the duties of the Austrian Foreign Minister.

After listening to Wesenberg's explanation, Clarence Ivanov's heart was a lot heavier.

It was not a problem to lose other areas. The Russians could afford to lose them. The Eastern European region was the core of the Russian Empire.

The land that was lost now must be fought back in the future. The Hairy Bear was very vengeful. The Kingdom of Prussia had replaced the Osman Empire and became their number one enemy.

Once the Tsarist government recovered, they would look for their bad luck. They had to get up from where they fell. The Russians never lacked resilience.

Wesenberg's kind reminder was only to deepen the impression and let the Russians always remember this hatred.