Chapter 984

In St. Peter's Castle, Alexander III sighed helplessly after receiving the peace signal released by the British.

The war in Afghanistan could be described as anticlimactic. For the Russian Empire, it was a king at the beginning, but in the end, it almost achieved a bronze record.

In the beginning, with the cooperation of the Afghan guerrillas, the Russian Army defeated the British all the way. Unfortunately, the Regions of Afghanistan were not smooth. As the front continued to advance, the logistical pressure on the Russian Army increased.

Coupled with the continuous arrival of British reinforcements, the Russian Army lost its advantage in strength, and the situation on the battlefield gradually changed.

By now, the war in Afghanistan had evolved into a war of attrition. In the face of the rich and powerful British, the poor Tsarist government was obviously unable to withstand it.

It seemed that the Russian Army had the upper hand on the battlefield in Afghanistan, but in fact, the Tsarist government was also suffering.

Up to this point in the war, the Russian army had already paid the price of nearly 500,000 casualties and billions of rubles in war expenses, but the legendary India was still out of reach.

Casualties were only a small problem. After all, the Central Asian region was recovered and three-quarters of Afghanistan was occupied. The exchange ratio between the two sides even reached an astonishing 1.1: 3.7, which could be said to be the best record of the Russian Army in the past 50 years.

Of course, this was the combined record of the Central Asian Khaganate and the Indian colonial army. The Russian Army still didn't have much of an advantage against the main force of the British army.

It didn't matter if it was overstated. It didn't affect the Tsarist government to use it for political propaganda. In short, the performance of the Russian Army on the battlefield was explained to all parties.

What gave Alexander III a headache was finance. Since he succeeded the throne, the Tsarist government had lost all the money it had accumulated. It also owed huge debts. More importantly, it couldn't enter India.

If the Russian Army had already entered India, then Alexander III would continue the war even if he had to sell everything he had.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs in reality. The British had already reacted. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of main troops sent locally, there were also two million Indian colonial troops as cannon fodder.

According to the intelligence from the front line, the main force of the British army rarely came out to fight. Most of the time, they supervised the battle in the rear and used the colonial troops to entangle the Russian Army. The British generals didn't even care about casualties.

At this rate, it looked like the British would not admit defeat until all the Indians were dead.

No matter how worthless the Indians were, they were still more expensive than the British. Regardless of the exchange rate, the Russians would still be at a disadvantage. After all, they were facing 300 million Indians.

After making this decision, Alexander III was depressed.

After making this decision, Alexander III's entire person was depressed. The Russian Empire's closest opportunity to India was missed just like that.

"Your Maj.

"Your Majesty, should we inform the Austrians? After all …"

Before Foreign Minister Oscar Timoshenko could finish, Alexander III interrupted, "Do as you see fit! Anyway, now that the British don't want to fight, we don't have the ability to fight. "

India, they don III is, India.

There was no doubt that the Russian Empire had the ability to continue the war. After all, there was the Austrian healer in the back. They could hold on for a while.

The key was that if they couldn't capture India, continuing the war would only benefit Austria, which was advancing in Africa. It was not in the interests of the Russian Empire.

No matter how good an ally was, they couldn't resist the temptation of benefits.

According to the prior agreement, the Government of Vienna would support the Tsarist government in India in exchange for Russia's support for Austria's domination of Africa. After the war, the two countries would share the European hegemony.

The Tsarist government's armistice with the British was also a trap. But there was no other way. The Tsarist government had determined that they couldn't get India, so they couldn't watch Austria dominate Africa.

Otherwise, the strength of the two countries would be further widened after the war. In this era of the law of the jungle, once there was a power imbalance, the so-called sharing of the European hegemony would be a joke.

Alexander III's political mind was still very bright. He knew the importance of the Russo-Austrian Alliance. In order to reduce the political impact, he decisively chose to shift the responsibility.

…

Since deciding to support the French, the British Foreign Office had taken a series of actions. The Anglo-Russian armistice was only one of the measures.

After all, the Russians were Austria's allies. It was impossible for them to change sides with just a few words. Not to mention other things, just the conflict between Britain and Russia couldn't be resolved in a short time.

They had just fought a war, and then they turned around and formed an alliance. These kinds of tricks existed in theory. Maybe it could be done in the Middle Ages.

But today, with the rise of nationalism, if anyone dared to play such tricks, there would be a revolution.

In Tokyo, after seeing off the uninvited British Minister, Ito Hirobumi didn't feel good.

It wasn't easy to coordinate the interests of all parties, barely suppressing the voices of going south, and continue to implement the previous strategy of going north. Now that the British had joined in, the situation had changed again.

Needless to say, the British even visited him, the leader of the opposition. Needless to say, the politicians who originally supported going south must have been persuaded.

Just as Ito Hirobumi was thinking about countermeasures, the servant's voice suddenly sounded.

"Prime Minister, the palace called and wants you to attend the Imperial Conference immediately."

With a bang, the cup in Ito Hirobumi's hand fell to the ground. It came too quickly and didn't give him time to prepare at all.

There was no doubt that there must be domestic political forces behind this. Otherwise, the Imperial Conference wouldn't be held immediately after the British Minister left.

Such a move was nothing more than a demonstration to him, asking him, the opposition leader of the South, to retreat.

There was no other way. The "Three Heroes" of the Meiji Restoration had passed away, and there was no longer a stabilizing force that could suppress all political forces. The means of political struggle had become more and more outrageous.

For example, these guys were secretly in contact with the British behind the Prime Minister's back, and they had even reached an agreement.

Knowing was one thing, but Ito Hirobumi was still powerless. Although he was famous in the future, he had never been able to keep his word.

Japan hadn't carried out strategic risks yet, and the military hadn't had time to expand in the war. The government could barely suppress them.

If the military had grown, if anyone dared to go against them, there would have been a mutiny and a change of government.

…

The Navy Minister Saigo Tsunemichi was the first to speak. "The British have made their position clear and will support the French. The international situation has changed fundamentally.

The outcome of the European war is becoming clear. The risks we were worried about no longer exist. All the conditions for the implementation of the South strategy are in place. "

If possible, Saigo Tsunemichi didn't want to be the one to stand out. But there was no other way. As the Navy Minister, he had to stand out.

The Southeast region was a gathering of great powers, and the situation was complicated. Once Japan extended its power there, it was bound to greatly expand its navy.

As the biggest beneficiary of the South strategy, the Navy's top brass had unified their opinions and wouldn't allow him, the Navy Minister, to back down.

Agriculture Minister Inoue Kaori said, "Saigo, I'm afraid it's too early to say that the European war situation is clear.

As we all know, the British's strongest force is the Royal Navy, and their army is very ordinary.

Even if the French get the support of the British, it won't mean much in the European war unless the Russians also support them.

In fact, this was impossible. As we all know, the Russo-Austrian Alliance is very stable, and the Russians can't leave Austria at all.

Unless the Tsarist government is out of their minds, they wouldn't betray their allies and run to support their enemies. "

There was no problem. The Anglo-Russian negotiations had just begun and were still in a state of secrecy. The Government of Japan's intelligence capabilities were limited, and their tentacles hadn't reached the top brass of Britain and Russia yet.

According to normal thinking, Britain and Russia were at war, and the Fao was at war. The enemy of the enemy was a friend. Moreover, Russia and Austria had an alliance. Now that Britain and France were together, Russia and Austria would naturally stand together.

Britain and France had almost no chance of winning against Russia and Austria on land. In this context, accepting Britain and France's invitation to declare war against Austria didn't seem reliable.

Army General Oyama said, "Inoue-kun, you're thinking too much. Let's not talk about whether the Russians are willing to send troops to help Austria. Even if they win in Europe, so what?

As long as the British are willing to support France, the anti-French alliance will be at an absolute disadvantage in the fight for overseas colonies. If Austria wants to retaliate against us, they have to have the ability to cross the blockade of the Royal Navy.

As far as I know, Britain and France are not the only allies. Several American countries will also participate. The goal is to seize Austria's overseas colonies.

We woke up too late and missed the colonial era. Now, looking around the world, all the land has an owner.

Fortunately, the European powers are also in conflict. This European war is our best opportunity. As long as we seize Austria's Nanyang, we will have the coal, iron, rubber, food … everything we want. "

Looking at the narcissistic Oyama, Ito Hirobumi couldn't help but interrupt, "The British are not prepared to ally with us. Inviting them to participate in the attack on Austria's Nanyang is only because of the situation.

No matter how much they promise, after we seize Austria's Nanyang, most of the benefits will belong to Britain and France. What belongs to us is just some leftovers.

Everyone has studied European history and should be clear about their rules. Even if Austria is defeated in this war, they are still a big country.

Offending a big European country for some benefits is not worth it. When we are retaliated in the future, the British will not help us. "

The window paper was pierced, and everyone was dumbfounded. The law of the jungle is the essence of this era. The weak are not qualified to compete with the strong for the spoils of war.

The difference in strength is too great. No matter how much Britain and France promised, the Government of Japan has no ability to make them fulfill their promises after the war. In the face of benefits, it is normal to break the contract.

If they can't monopolize Austria's Nanyang, and only follow behind Britain and France to pick up the leftovers, then launching this war will become completely meaningless.

Although the Japanese military is a bit radical, they are not stupid. The chuunibyou Showa General Staff hasn't gone online yet. Everyone here is smart and naturally won't jump into the trap.

Saigo Kendo smiled, pointed to the map on the wall and said, "Ito-kun, we have naturally considered this problem. The British have their calculations, and we also have our plans.

Don't our neighbors have an old saying, "Fake Dao attacks Guo"? Everyone knows that Austria is not to be trifled with. Just their power in the Nanyang region is not something we can handle.

From the beginning to the end, Austria's Nanyang has never been our goal. Our real goal is still here – the fertile Philippine Islands.

Choosing to cooperate with Britain and France is only to use them as a cover to confuse the Spanish and create an opportunity to seize the Philippine Islands. "

Hearing this explanation, Ito Hirobumi's dignified expression slightly relaxed. Compared to attacking Austria's Nanyang, it is obviously more acceptable to bully the Spanish, at least the risk is within a controllable range.

"Although the plan is good, have you considered the consequences?

Britain and France are not easy to deal with. If they know that we are using them, they will definitely retaliate in the future.

One wrong move and the Empire will fall into an irrecoverable situation. After all, our strength is still too weak and can't afford to be tossed around. "

Saigo Kendo nodded. "We have already discussed this issue in the military. If there was no European war, we would not dare to do this no matter what.

But now it is different. The European powers are divided into two camps, Britain, France, Russia, and Austria. The British strategy of balancing the European continent is on the verge of collapse, and these powers will not be able to care about us for a while.

From the information collected, the total number of troops mobilized by both sides is more than ten million. If this bloody battle continues, it will be difficult for there to be a real winner among the participants of the European war, and the final outcome will most likely be a lose-lose situation.

As long as we are flexible and join the winning side before the outcome of the European war is decided, this game can be considered stable.

No matter who wins the war, they will be busy licking their wounds after the war. They will not make a big move against our allies for such a trivial matter.

If we are lucky, we can also take advantage of the situation to get some spoils of war and improve our international status. "

…