Chapter 947

After half a year of negotiations, Britain, France, and Austria finally reached a preliminary agreement. On December 12, 1875, the representatives of the three countries signed the "Memorandum of International Conflict Mediation" in Paris.

This memorandum could actually be seen as a draft of an international convention, clarifying the rules of colonial competition. The law of the jungle was still inevitable, but it was given a layer of law.

Namely:

1. Based on the actual occupation, first come first served;

2. Based on the current colonial sphere of influence, mutual recognition of each other's sovereignty;

3. Mutual interference in the internal affairs of the colonies is prohibited; (Note: specifically, support for local forces, smuggling of weapons, exporting of nationalism …)

4. Competing for ownerless land is based on each person's ability. Under the premise that it does not involve their own interests, allies are obligated to provide certain help;

…

The first three points were the key points, which could ease the colonial conflicts between the three countries. The fourth point depended on how you interpreted it.

There was definitely help, but how much it was and whether it would be more of a hindrance depended on the actual situation.

For example, if the colonial team encountered an accident and was stranded in an ally's colony, everyone would probably be happy to do them a favor and provide them with supplies.

If they wanted to compete for a strategic location or a rich colony, they would need the help of allies, so they still had to talk about benefits.

Otherwise, there would not be a prerequisite in the treaty that "does not involve their own interests." This itself was an exemption clause because the concept of benefits was too big.

This was also normal. If allies really helped for nothing, no one would feel at ease. The three countries, the Fao, and the United Kingdom were not vegetarians. How could there be such a good thing to take advantage of?

Perhaps if they made a profit here, they would lose it somewhere else. In international diplomatic games, one always had to think twice before acting.

Many times, it seemed like they were taking advantage, but in fact, it was a huge pit dug for them by their competitors. In this regard, Franz was definitely the best. He was best at making his competitors jump into a pit happily.

In contrast, the British were at the other extreme. They were best at stirring up trouble. One had to be careful when dealing with the British, or else it would be easy to be led astray.

French diplomacy was relatively balanced. They performed well in all aspects, but there was nothing particularly outstanding.

In contrast, the Pu Bo Federation and the Russian Empire were much easier to deal with. They were impulsive in diplomacy and were particularly easy to provoke or fall into a pit.

This was Franz's personal conclusion, and it was based on factual information. The Russian Empire had long been excluded by European society, mainly due to the lack of diplomacy.

Otherwise, the anti-French war would have been their best opportunity to integrate into the European world.

As the savior of the European countries after the war, the Russians became the hegemon of the European continent. Yet, they were still excluded from the mainstream circle. There was no one else who could do that.

The Government of Berlin was too superstitious about force and neglected the development of diplomatic relations. This could be seen from many aspects. During the Prussian War, the Kingdom of Prussia, as a fighter, didn't even get a paper treaty with England and France.

This was an opportunity that had been delivered to their doorstep, but they didn't know how to make use of it. They didn't need the terms of the alliance to be beneficial. Just the alliance in name alone would allow them to reap a lot of benefits in the post-war negotiations.

It could be said that without Bismarck, the Berlin government's diplomacy had failed. This was due. This. This. of the years of the had failed Franz of the foreign policy of the Government.

Otherwise, the leader of the German Region would have changed hands in the last century.

Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Prussia won militarily and lost diplomatically. Austria was not defeated. Instead, it completed internal reforms because of the external war.

As the winner, the Kingdom of Prussia seemed to have expanded its territory, but in fact, it lost more than it gained.

Not only did it gain an additional enemy, but it also lost the hearts of the German princes. It became a treacherous "thief" and "robber" in everyone's eyes.

With such an image, it naturally couldn't be the leader. Then, the House of Habsburg was revived and even annexed Hungary, widening the gap in strength between the two sides.

…

"When will the international conference be held?"

Franz didn't ask for the location. Napoleon Iv seemed to have inherited Napoleon III's characteristic of being in the limelight. After succeeding to the throne, he was particularly keen on holding international conferences.

The French were particularly generous in this regard. As long as an international conference was held in France, they would pay for all the related expenses.

Of course, this was limited to the daily life of the delegation in France, accommodation, and the expenses needed to hold the conference.

It seemed that in this era, there weren't many participants in the international conference and the expenses weren't much. However, the accumulated expenses over time were not a small number.

England and Austria focused on practical interests. Unless it was a special situation, they usually wouldn't compete with the French for the conference location. They weren't celebrities and didn't lack this bit of exposure.

Foreign Minister Wesenberg: "This conference is for ministers. Everyone needs to coordinate the schedule. The plan is February next year. The specific date hasn't been determined yet."

Franz nodded. It involved the distribution of interests and the establishment of a new international order, so the conference had to be of a high standard.

If it was too low, they would send a group of people who couldn't make decisions and had to consult the domestic delegation for everything. Then, what was the point of discussing?

Usually, negotiations involving benefits would take a long time. On the other hand, high-level government officials were the opposite. They had much more power and could make decisions on many things themselves. The efficiency of negotiations would be much higher.

It was imperative to ease international conflicts. Every day it was delayed, the colonial government would suffer huge economic losses. Everyone was more anxious.

"Are there any signs of England and France getting closer? I mean, secretly contacting."

Before every international conference, everyone would show their skills and try their best to win over allies and seek support in order to get more benefits at the international conference.

This time, Austria's interests weren't big. The Government of Vienna naturally couldn't spend a lot of money on public relations, but it was still necessary to keep an eye on England and France.

Wesenberg shook his head. "England and France are in contact, but they probably haven't reached an agreement. Now, England and France are competing for interests in the two countries' colonies.

If it wasn't for the 'Anglo-Boer War' between us and the British, both countries were worried that the losses would be too great. Maybe they would have already started fighting in the colonies.

Especially in the Sudan area, the two sides are already like fire and water. It is said that England and France also have conflicts of interest in Indo-China and the Empire of the Far East. It's too far away, so we haven't paid much attention to it. We don't know the specific reasons.

It also involves private colonial companies. In the face of interests, I'm afraid both sides won't let go easily. Even if the two governments want to intervene, it's difficult to make them stop. "

Private colonial companies were a unique product of the historical stage. The most famous was naturally the British's "East India Company." At its peak, the company's armed forces were comparable to a medium-sized country.

To some extent, the East India Company was more like a country than a company.

Therefore, this "country" was swallowed by bureaucrats. Because of bureaucracy and corruption, the company suffered heavy losses. The famous East India Company was dissolved last year.

There were many such colonial companies under each country. They were the pioneers of the overseas colonial movement. They were influenced by the governments, but not completely controlled by the government.

Most of the people engaged in overseas colonial expansion were outlaws who wanted to make a fortune. In the face of interests, the government's orders often didn't work.

Most of the conflicts that broke out in the colonies of various countries were caused by private colonial teams. As long as there were interests, there was nothing they didn't dare to do.

Not only external, but even the colonial companies in the same country competed fiercely. If two colonial companies were found to be fighting, don't be nervous or surprised. It was a good thing. It proved that they had made a big discovery.

The fierceness of the fight was generally proportional to the interests. If an open-air gold mine was found, the colonial team might even have internal conflicts.

On the contrary, the colonial governments directly led by the countries were more restrained. They usually considered international image and would think twice before doing things. They rarely acted recklessly.

Now England and France were in constant conflict around the colonial issue. In the end, it was because of interests. First come, first served. But what if they met at the same time?

This was also the reason why Fao and the two countries wanted to divide Africa's sphere of influence. If it wasn't clear in advance, with the long border between the two countries' colonies, God knows how many conflicts would occur.

No, it should be said that the desert saved Fao. Because the border between the two countries' colonies was now mostly desert.

Desert areas were of low value. Normal people wouldn't risk crossing the desert for excitement. With the desert as a barrier, they couldn't meet, so the conflict was naturally small.