Chapter 831

Time passed quickly, and the highly anticipated Vienna peace talks began. The protagonists were naturally the three countries involved, Britain, France, and Russia. There were many supporting roles, and all the European countries sent representatives.

No one knew when it started, but as long as there was a major event on the European continent, regardless of whether it had anything to do with them or not, everyone loved to go and join in the fun.

It was called "caring about international politics". In Franz's view, this was to make their presence known and attract the attention of the big countries.

Don't think that these small countries' attitudes were not important just because they did not have much say. In fact, it was the opposite. When the big countries were in a stalemate, the position of these small countries would determine the final result.

There were no superpowers on the European continent, and the strength of the major powers was not too different. No country could really fight against two countries, let alone suppress all the other countries.

It was not to say that whoever was stronger would be able to defeat the other. If a war really broke out, it was more likely that both sides would suffer.

The facts of the Near Eastern War had told everyone that modern wars required high costs, and the final benefits were often not proportional to the costs.

In the face of the cruel reality, everyone's ideas had changed, and the governments of all countries were trying their best to avoid war with the big countries.

In this context, all parties came to the Vienna Conference with sincerity.

The British wanted to get out of the Near Eastern War as soon as possible and devote themselves to the expansion of colonies. Because of the war, their speed of colonization was delayed.

The French were no exception. Napoleon Iii was influenced by the British colonial movement and was very interested in opening up overseas colonies.

The Near Eastern War would not bring any benefits to France except to curb the expansion of Russia. Now that it was Britain and Russia who were fighting for world hegemony, there was no need for them to continue fighting.

The Russians wanted to end the war the most. The Constantinople got it, even though it was through secret deals, Nicholas I Of Russia did not care.

The political and religious interests were in his hands. If the war continued, there would be no benefit except for worsening the financial situation of the Russian Empire.

The Russian Empire was strong on the outside but weak on the inside. In addition to being strong on the surface, there were already many internal contradictions. The Tsarist government urgently needed to recuperate.

Not to mention the Osman Empire, the rule of the Government of Sudan was already crumbling. If the war continued, the national uprisings would be enough for them.

The Principality of Montenegro had no right to speak. Even if they fought bravely and caused a large number of casualties to the British, they still could not speak.

…

In Vienna's St. Stefan's Cathedral, the host of the conference, Metternich, said with a solemn face, "Welcome to Vienna, ladies and gentlemen. Today's conference is for world peace.

Throughout human history, too many wars had broken out, and these wars often brought about disasters. In fact, many of these wars could be avoided. As long as everyone strengthened communication and communication, many misunderstandings would not exist.

In fact, many wars could be avoided.

Metternich was a pacifist, which was widely acknowledged in Europe. Holding the banner of peace was also a habit of this "European Prime Minister".

Metternich was a pacifist. It was the habit of the "European Prime Minister" to hold the banner of peace.

When everyone was done showing off, the reporters were asked to leave. The negotiation officially began, and the harmonious atmosphere disappeared.

As the younger brother of the Osman Empire, Banadeh, took the lead to accuse the Russians of the atrocities.

"This war was completely provoked by the Russian Empire. They should take full responsibility for this war …"

Before Banadeh could finish, the Foreign Minister of Russia, Carr Vossel, said, "Your Excellency, please watch your words. We are just recovering the lost land.

Constantinople is the holy land of the Christian world. Just because you have invaded it for hundreds of years, you can't become the masters here.

From the beginning to the end, you are the invaders. We have only completed the mission that the Crusades did not complete. Please do not slander this holy and just war. "

When it came to religion, the Osman Empire was at a disadvantage. On this issue, Britain and France did not dare to deny that Constantinople was the holy land of the Christian world. It was even more impossible to admit that it was the territory of the Osman Empire.

Even though this had already been acknowledged by everyone, no one dared to say it out loud in the written documents of the negotiation meeting.

Seeing that the Osman representative had been led into a trap from the beginning, Thomas immediately changed the topic. "Duke Carr, these historical issues can't be explained in a few words.

At this point in the war, there is no need to blame anyone. Let's discuss how to end this war! "

"No problem." The Foreign Minister of Russia, Carr Vossel, replied coldly.

Thomas said seriously, "For the sake of world peace and the stability of the European continent, I propose that all the warring parties return to the pre-war state and end this unnecessary war!"

When it came to their own interests, the Foreign Minister of Russia, Carr Vossel, immediately objected. "Impossible. We absolutely cannot allow Constantinople to fall into the hands of the infidels."

Thomas said without changing his expression, "Duke Carr, please rest assured that we will not let Constantinople fall into the hands of the infidels.

As the holy land of the Christian world, Constantinople should be shared by all Christians. I propose that the international community govern Constantinople. "

…

Obviously, this was not something that the Russians could accept. How could the Constantinople give up so easily after paying such a high price?

The British and Russian representatives began to argue for more than an hour, but there was still no conclusion. What was surprising was that the French representative was actually slacking off on the side.

Thomas, who had long noticed that something was wrong, pretended to be nonchalant. It was not that he was thick-skinned, but in fact, he was testing the relationship between France and Russia.

Metternich said with a smile, "It's lunchtime for both of you. Why don't we continue in the afternoon?"

The negotiations would not end so easily. Right now, it was just a dispute between Britain and Russia. Later, there would be the conflict between France and Russia, the conflict between Britain and France, the conflict between Austria and the Osman Empire …

In addition to mediating the war in the Near East, the Vienna Conference also had the purpose of building a new international order. There were many issues involved.

Since the collapse of the Vienna System, in just a few years, the European continent had erupted: the Austro-Hungarian War, the Prussian War, the German War of Unification, and the Near East War.

Britain, France, Russia, and Austria were all involved. In addition to the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Principality of Montenegro, the Osman Empire, and the Kingdom of Greece, most of the European countries had participated in the war.

If this continued, it would not be long before a new war broke out in Europe. This was not what everyone wanted.

In fact, the benefits that everyone could get from fighting to the death on the European continent were very limited. With the countries restraining each other, no one could think of eating the fat meat.

At this moment, everyone realized the importance of the Vienna System, and the call to rebuild the Vienna System naturally became louder.

In particular, many small countries in Europe felt even more insecure. They urgently needed a stable order to protect their own interests.

Under the common need for interests, Metternich, who led the establishment of the first Vienna System, was once again pushed forward by everyone.

Could the Vienna System be rebuilt? No one could answer this question. In short, everyone needed a stable international system.

The people of Russia needed to carry out internal social reform, the three countries of Britain, the Fao, and Germany needed to carry out overseas colonial expansion, and many small European countries needed an international order to protect their own security. All of these needed a stable European continent.

In the evening, the results of the first day of peace talks were passed to Franz. There were no surprises. In this negotiation, the British were at a disadvantage.

How could it be easy to get back what they could not get on the battlefield at the negotiation table?

The Hairy Bear was not a lord that could be easily bullied. The French began to slack off, so the British could not use many threats.

Now the biggest bargaining chip in their hands was the advantage of the sea. Once the negotiations failed, the foreign trade of the Russians could not be carried out normally, mainly the export of food.

The export of food was the largest source of foreign exchange for the Russians. Because of the war in the Near East, the export of food was cut off.

In order to purchase strategic materials, the Tsarist government had to take out a large amount of gold and silver to trade. The speed of gold and silver outflow increased greatly, which brought serious pressure to the Tsarist government's finances.

Although the Russian Empire had been in a state of trade deficit for a long time, the annual trade deficit of a few million rubles was completely different from the annual trade deficit of hundreds of millions of rubles.

The Russian Empire had mines, and there was no shortage of gold and silver. A few million rubles was not even as much as the gold and silver they excavated in a year.

But hundreds of millions of rubles was different. This level of gold and silver outflow had affected the financial market of Russia. It took time to excavate the gold and silver, and it was impossible to make up for the loss in a short period of time.

But since the war was over, there was no need to import weapons and ammunition from the outside world. This trade deficit would soon be reduced. The threat of the British was not enough to make the Russians give in.