Flowers, Swords and France

"Mr. Treville, please don't mind my fiancée's slip of the tongue just now."

When Charles, led by his courtiers, came to a room deep in the Schönbrunn Palace, the young Emperor Franz-Joseph once again apologized for the princess's unintentional slip of the tongue, "We are happy to make friends like you who are passionate and courageous, and we are also willing to work hard for the friendship between France and Austria."

This emperor, as recorded in history, was very polite, but lacked enthusiasm. But even so, Charles was not disgusted. After all, even without enthusiasm, it was still worth being proud to be able to get the emperor's flattery.

"Me too." Charles answered very sincerely, "For the friendship between the two great countries, I am willing to give all my enthusiasm, even my political reputation."

"Thank you." The emperor nodded to him, and then pointed to the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa next to him. "This is Count von Pochaenstein, a very experienced diplomat in our country. I think he can participate in our talks as an advisor."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. de Treville. I have heard of you for a long time." This middle-aged man with a side part and a clean beard stood up from the sofa and extended his hand to Charles. "His Royal Highness Prince Schwarzenberg is really unwell, so I am here to talk to you on his behalf. I hope this will not make you unhappy."

Charles knew this person, so he would not feel unhappy.

Count von Pocharnstein, a famous diplomat, had a long career in Austrian diplomacy. He served as an ambassador in many places and also served as an ambassador to Russia between 1848 and 1850. He was deeply trusted by Emperor Franz Joseph and Prime Minister Prince Schwarzenberg. It was expected that after Prince Schwarzenberg died, he would take over the diplomatic power of the Austrian Empire. In other words, Emperor Franz Joseph felt that the talks with him were of great significance, but he had no confidence to deal with Charles alone. So he pulled his confidant minister over.

This is good.

"I am very happy to meet you, Count." Charles stretched out his hand and shook hands with the elegant diplomat. "I am honored to be taught by such an experienced, talented and prestigious predecessor like you."

After a few polite words. The three of them sat down next to a tea table.

At first, Charles did not speak, and patiently put saccharin into the coffee in front of him, and then gently stirred it with a spoon, as if this was all his job. But Emperor Franz Joseph and the Count were not so calm. After they found that Charles was not going to speak, they looked at each other secretly, and then the emperor made a gesture, indicating the Count to speak.

This is not because of the difference in their concentration, but because of the different strengths and status of the two countries - France is now in a superior position, and Austria is at a disadvantage, so it wants to take the opportunity to spy and see what the French are secretly planning, so Charles can take the initiative.

"Mr. Treville, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you here." With a very kind smile. The count nodded slightly to him, "We are very grateful for your help in London. Thanks to your reminder, we noticed how vast the fog we are in now... So, in the spirit of friendship between the two countries, can you do another good deed and lead us out of the fog again?"

When he was in London before, Charles tried every means to meet with the Austrian ambassador to the UK, and then seized the opportunity to convey to Austria the news that Britain and France had reached a tacit understanding to unite against the Russians.

If he expected. This news did cause a great shock in Austria, because this news suggested that the general peace in Europe that had lasted for nearly 40 years since the Napoleonic Wars might be at risk of collapse - and. There might be this risk at any time.

The Austrians don't care whether a large-scale war breaks out in Europe, but they care very much about whether they can benefit from it, or at least not be implicated. And this naturally requires more prompts and guidance.

Since receiving the news from Charles, Austria has mobilized almost all of its diplomatic resources to collect and verify relevant intelligence. After a long period of analysis, they came to the conclusion that, judging from various signs, Britain and France have indeed reached a tacit understanding and are indeed taking certain measures against Russia.

But further news is difficult to clarify, because both countries seem to be very secretive about this matter. They don't know how they will deal with Russia, the scale and location of the struggle.

In this case, it is natural to continue to get more information from de Treville.

"I'm not a particularly good guide, because I sometimes like to be emotional." Charles smiled and replied, "In my opinion, the two Catholic powers have no reason to be hostile or to take a conflicting position, so I always hope that Austria can always stand on our side - just as I hope France will always stand on Austria's side."

Emotional?

The Austrian emperor and the count snorted in their hearts almost at the same time. How can there be any emotional talk from this young thief who is famous in Europe?

However, although his words were very evasive and even almost ridiculing, they were said with great enthusiasm. As a result, the earl had no choice but to nod along with his tone.

"I think you are right, sir. Our country is a country that believes in God. We adhere to this principle of tolerance when dealing with any country, and we do not have any ill will towards any country. In addition, I personally admire France very much, and I sincerely We sincerely hope that the two countries can maintain friendly relations permanently.”

"That's great, sir." Charles still smiled, and then finally got the point across as they wished. "As far as I'm concerned, the fog was not created by us. We are openly calling for peace and friendship among major powers, and we are not pursuing expansion. It is a country that has been seeking expansion and creating disputes and discord across Europe. A suffocating fog has been cast across Europe, and we hope to clear it so that it can breathe the air of freedom and be free from the fear of slavery.”

The emperor and the count looked at each other again.

De Treville's words were tantamount to admitting that Britain and France had indeed coordinated their positions and decided to use force against Russia.

"So, that day is coming. When will it arrive?" the count asked again.

"I can't give you a specific time, because our actions actually depend on the actions of the Russians. If they are willing to change their ways, we are still happy to stay in the European family with them." Charles said implicitly answer. "But...if the Russians still insist on going their own way, then I have to admit that a defensive war to defend European civilization and freedom is very likely to be imminent. In the imminent struggle, I very much hope that your country can cooperate with us Stand together and defend the great European civilization.”

After hearing the hint of "imminent", Emperor Franz-Josef frowned again.

He knew that the young man in front of him was actually telling him that Western Europe, represented by Britain and France, was about to break with Russia and was very likely to have a war with Russia. There was really not much time left for him to think about it, and he had to do it as soon as possible. Make a decision, should he side with Western Europe or Eastern Europe?

This decision was not easy to make. Britain and France were both very wealthy and powerful. Together, the two of them can cast a shadow on almost the entire world; and Russia is also an unambiguous Eastern European power, a famous steamroller, and its shadow directly presses on Austria's head through the border - not to mention, In the terrible year of 1848, it was the Russian Tsar who sent a large army to suppress the Hungarian rebels. No matter how you calculate it, they were somewhat benevolent to Austria at that time.

Both sides are powerful countries that Austria can hardly match, and both sides are difficult to offend. It's really impossible to make a choice.

Treville implicitly and directly asked him for Austria to join the British and French sides and coordinate their positions to jointly deal with the Russians. This really posed a problem for him.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"We have always believed that peace in Europe depends on the harmony between the major powers. And respect for the system established in Vienna." Seeing the emperor being forced into a dilemma, the count immediately took over the topic, "Our country is based on pacifism. We cannot propose a system to defend European peace while treating each major country from its own standpoint. Moreover, although the air over Europe is a bit tense now, I think harmony is still the common pursuit of everyone, and no one wants to see disaster suddenly come, so we think. ...Even if we want to clear away the haze, it is best to use less drastic measures.”

"Yes, I think so too." Emperor Franz-Josef immediately brightened up after receiving the support. "Austria is willing to act as a mediator to help various major powers mediate, resolve tensions, and jointly maintain peace for the sake of peace."

In other words, after weighing the situation, Austria does not want to choose a side or join any party in the "coming days". Instead, it hopes to sit on the sidelines and use the advantages of neutral countries to gain benefits from both sides.

This does not surprise Charles. This is a choice that is very consistent with the Austrian character - they don't know what to do, so they simply do nothing.

"I understand your country's love for peace very well, because we also love peace." Charles was unhurried and did not show any irritation or resentment after being rejected. "If there were other choices, we would do the same. We will persist in peace and will not give up our love for peace until the last moment. Likewise, we also welcome Austria as a major country to play its unique and important role in Europe and to show the wisdom it played in 1815. , seeking a comfortable peace for each of us.”

The emperor and the earl looked at each other again. This time, they were no longer as calm and calm as before. Instead, there was a lot of hesitation and shock in their eyes.

Because Treville is too confident.

He had already hinted that if one day France had to go to war with Russia, he would not seek help from Austria, and it could remain neutral. Although Austria had no intention of participating, this kind of "being threatened by others from the beginning" The feeling of being "excluded from the plan" always makes people feel a little slighted.

In other words, he has absolute confidence in defeating Russia, so he is not in a hurry to drag Austria into the water. He just wants to make Austria friendly and neutral.

The British seemed to have given him some assurances, and the two major Western European powers might have really decided to unite to confront Russia.

But Russia is Russia after all!

No matter how strong Britain and France are, it will be a long expedition to fight Russia, and Napoleon's tragic example is still vivid in the minds of the French. It is impossible for them to forget it so quickly.

So, where did he get such confidence that he didn't even bargain and directly excluded the possibility of Austria's participation in the war?

The emperor felt that he had to make the issue clearer, after all, this was really a matter of great importance. (~^~)