Chapter 719

The two European camps were at odds, but the four countries were not the most worried. Whether it was Russia, Austria, or England and France, they all had their own advantages to protect themselves.

The real unlucky ones were the small countries sandwiched between the two alliances. Now the conflict between the two camps had not intensified, and everyone could manage.

Once the conflict between the two sides escalated, everyone would be forced to take sides. In fact, geopolitics had determined the direction of each country, and it was not up to them to make a choice.

The Western European countries could only support England and France, while the Eastern, Northern, and Southern European countries had to support Russia and Austria. The Central European countries were the most miserable, and they did not know what to choose.

Neutral?

There was no problem for the time being, but once the two major alliances confronted each other, they would become the earliest victims.

No matter which side they sided with, they would be beaten up by the other side. This was especially true for a country like Belgium. Their terrible strategic position meant that they could not stay out of trouble.

Of course, this was the worst outcome. In a short period of time, there was no sign of a war between the two alliances.

Leopold II, who had a strong sense of anxiety, could not sit still. Originally, England and Austria were Belgium's quasi-allies, and everyone resisted the French expansion into Central Europe.

Now that the situation had changed fundamentally, and England and France had formed an alliance, would the British promise to protect Belgium still be effective?

Foreign Minister Juel said solemnly, "Your Majesty, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note, inviting us to conclude a treaty to maintain peace and stability in Europe with Switzerland, the North German Confederation, and Spain."

Opening the map, one could see that the above countries were good neighbors of the French. With the exclusion of the French, it is obvious to whom such a treaty should be concluded.

This could be seen as a counterattack against the Anglo-French alliance. Austria was ready to use practical actions to prove that they could still encircle the French without the participation of the British.

Leopold II asked doubtfully, "The Austrians only invited four countries to participate, and did not continue to invite other countries?"

In theory, the four countries had to face the threat of the French, and it was the easiest to lean towards Austria because of the pain.

But "anti-French" had always been a common matter for European countries, and it was not a problem for a single country or a family. The sudden change was difficult for Leopold II to accept.

Foreign Minister Juel replied with certainty, "Austria only invited us four countries. It is said that the Government of Vienna was worried that other countries would not have a firm stance against the French, and might be bribed by the French to destroy the alliance.

Perhaps in the Government of Vienna's view, to contain the expansion of the French, the five countries together were enough. "

This was also the opinion of most people. Although France was strong, it did not have a qualitative gap with Austria. With the addition of the four countries, the anti-French alliance was stable.

Compared to a divided alliance, it was better to have a small alliance that had common interests and could cooperate with each other.

Prime Minister Ogyust sighed and said, "If that's the case, then we're in big trouble.

Without the participation of the European countries to share the pressure, the pro-French Spanish government would probably not participate. After all, the possibility of the French advancing westward was almost zero, so the pressure on them was not great.

Because of Switzerland's geographical location, their position was not really important. If the Swiss government insisted on neutrality, Austria would probably not force it.

If they had to choose between Fao, the Northern German Confederation would definitely support Austria. Even if Britain and France formed an alliance, they would be more inclined to Austria.

Because of their strength, the Northern German Confederation still had the strength to be neutral in a short period of time.

As long as the two alliances did not go to war, they could act as a buffer between Fao and France, and did not need to take a clear side for the time being.

The invitation seemed to be a test, but it was actually forcing us to take a side. We must choose between Russia and Austria and Britain and France. "

There was nothing more tragic than this. Everyone else could have avoided it, but the poor Belgium could not.

There was no other way. The French's ambition to conquer Belgium needed to be contained.

Originally, it was Britain and Austria who shouldered this responsibility. Now that the British had turned to form an alliance with the French, the only one who could continue to contain the French's ambition was Austria.

If they rejected Austria now, Belgium would have to fight alone when France invaded in the future.

As for the British, no one had confidence. Even if the Government of London was willing to send troops to intervene, Belgium would be gone before the expansion of the British Army was completed.

After hesitating for a while, Leopold II slowly said, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send someone to talk to Austria. We can sign the conditions of joint defense against the French, but the premise is that it must be kept strictly confidential.

Austria doesn't care about offending the French, but we don't have the ability to cause trouble. Remember that in the content of the treaty, Austria must provide us with security protection.

At the same time, send people to strengthen our contact with the Northern German Confederation, Switzerland, Netherlands, and other countries. When it comes to a critical moment, their position is also very important. "

Belgium had no choice but to fall to Austria. Now, it was the French who were ambitious against them, not Austria, which was hundreds of miles away.

Joining the British and French side was like asking a tiger for its skin. The identity of an ally was worthless in the face of interests. One wrong move and they would be skinned and swallowed alive.

Choosing to sign the secret treaty was actually Leopold II's strategy to avoid danger.

It was best if they could hide it from the world. If they could not hide it, the later they could expose themselves, the later they would bear the risk.

…

Compared with Belgium, the Northern German Confederation was much more lively. There were many opposing and supporting sides.

They had agreed to keep it confidential, but the news had already spread all over the place before the debate came to a conclusion.

Unsurprisingly, when the matter was put on the table, it also meant that Austria's plan to rope them in had failed.

Under the pressure of Britain and France, Spain and Switzerland had declined the proposal of the Government of Vienna. As for Belgium, they only contacted them secretly. The Belgian government also did not dare to take a side.

…

When the news of the failure came, Franz was not surprised. No one was a fool. Austria's appearance to form an anti-French alliance was essentially to attract cannon fodder. It could not deceive a smart person.

With the recovery of the French economy, the voice of the pro-war faction in the country was getting louder and louder.

The military led by the nobles wanted military achievements, and the capitalists wanted to solve the coal supply problem. These were all problems that could be solved by war.

Otherwise, the Government of France would not be willing to give up the century-old hatred between the two countries when the British offered a bait – an alliance.

The Foreign Minister Wesenberg took out a document and said, "Your Majesty, this is the preliminary result of the negotiations with the Belgian government. The biggest problem now is the distribution of rights and obligations.

The Belgian government said that it was not strong enough and was only willing to bear part of the responsibility for the war.

It was only limited to: they would only send troops to fight if the French invaded Central Europe.

If a war broke out between us and the French in the Regions of Italy, Belgium would only promise to provide material assistance. On the surface, they would remain neutral. "

Limited responsibility for the war was actually equivalent to not taking responsibility for the war.

Opening the European map, one would know that the best route for the French to invade Central Europe was through Belgium.

The enemy had already come to their door. Even if there was no joint defense treaty, Belgium could only bite the bullet and fight.

It seemed that Austria was at a disadvantage, but in fact, this was a relatively fair treaty.

With the size of Belgium, if the FAO really started a war in the Regions of Italy, they would not be able to do anything even if they joined in.

The French would be able to defeat them with a single division, and Austria would still have to send reinforcements.

The biggest value in roping in Belgium was not to expect Belgium to be able to have a strong combat power and play a big role.

The main thing was that after the Austrian army gained the upper hand on the battlefield, they could use Belgium to drive straight in and gain the strategic initiative.

Without much hesitation, Franz made a decision, "Agree to their request, but add a request to borrow a road.

If a war broke out between us and the French, when we need to borrow a road, as an ally, they must let us pass and help maintain logistics.

In return, after the war is won, they will also have a share of the spoils of war. The disputed territories between France and Belgium can all belong to them. "

No one would write an empty promise. Anyway, they promised to give away French territory. If Belgium had the appetite, they would give it to them.

Not only Belgium, but as long as there were allies who joined in, Franz did not mind them getting a piece of land in France.

When dealing with an enemy, it was natural to weaken them. The Franco-Prussian War in the original time and space did not end perfectly because it did not really weaken France.

Whether it was reparations or ceding land, it would only make people feel pain, and it would not kill them at all.

If the Kingdom of Prussia's diplomacy was a little more flexible at the time, and fooled Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, and other countries, and pulled everyone to share the spoils, perhaps the outcome would be very different.

When all the neighbors took the benefits, everyone was on the same side. As the victor, no one wanted to see their enemy revive.

At that time, everyone would work together to suppress France. No matter how powerful the Government of Paris was, they could not take care of so many enemies at the same time.