Holy Roman Empire

In terms of motivation, it is very likely that the murderer was a German, because the intervention of the French made the German region lose the chance of unification.It is perfectly normal to have fanatical nationalists retaliate.

Foreign Minister Andrea explained: "Your Highness, don't worry, this assassination was not planned by us, even if the French want to bite, it is impossible to rely on us.

The Vienna system has just been established, and the French launch war with far-fetched reasons, which will be hostile to all countries, unless they are not afraid of the second anti-French alliance. "

Prince William Frederick Ludwig nodded. The chances of the French doing something wrong at this time are really low, and it is not in their interest to break the Vienna system now.

Being vigilant is just an instinctive reaction. This is the sequelae left by Napoleon's beating of Europe. Even after so long, everyone is still very afraid of France.

"Well, under normal circumstances the French will not do anything, but we still cannot take it lightly and order the front-line troops to strengthen their vigilance, so as not to leave an opportunity for the French."

Although the world's number one army power is still the Russians, the performance of the French army in the Near East War still makes most people think that the French army's combat effectiveness is the world's number one, and the Russians can only suppress them by numbers.

There is also Franz's handwriting, deliberately exaggerating the strength of the French, so that everyone's understanding of the French army stays in the Napoleonic era.

This erroneous understanding made the French restrained everywhere in diplomacy.Due to diplomatic pressure, Napoleon III seldom did anything on the European continent after he succeeded to the throne.

Even though they were eyeing the Rhineland and Belgium, they did not take any practical action.

It is obviously impossible to lift the cover.Being in the Napoleon III government in the game, I don't know that the combat effectiveness of the French army is not as strong as it was back then.

This is not a gap in training, but a military spirit that was not cast in the Napoleonic era.Especially after experiencing the tragedy of the Near East War, the morale boosted by the French army was almost exhausted.

However, because of the high casualty exchange ratio between the two sides, the French army still kept its reputation.

The only way to pierce this tiger's skin is to fight a powerful country. If you lose, you will be exposed.However, under the Vienna system, the chances of major powers directly taking action are too low.

It is not only the Prussian government that is worried, but the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Belgium are also worried. Everyone is praying that the murderer must not have anything to do with their own family.

As time passed, Napoleon's assassination case finally had an answer. On August 1858, 8, the French government announced the case, and the murderer was four Italians.

Looking at the names, Franz was speechless. They were still the four Italian heroes in history, but this time they were unlucky, and they might not be able to wait for the pardon.

Although Napoleon III and his wife were fine, three of the accompanying guards were shot and one died on the spot.

If Napoleon III pardons the assassin's charges again, it is estimated that his subordinates will be chilled.

Whether it is to consolidate the majesty of the monarch or to benefit, he will find trouble with the Kingdom of Sardinia. Who will let the Kingdom of Sardinia border them?

Under the current international situation, it is too difficult for the French to expand on the European continent.Looking around, the best bully is the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Now that a ready-made excuse is being delivered to the door, the French government may not let it go without biting off a piece of meat.

Originally prepared to order the troops on the front line to prepare for battle, Franz gave up again.If Napoleon III's head is convulsed, it would be great if he offered to deliver it to his door.

In the battle of the great world, it is completely unnecessary to care about the gains and losses of a city or a place.If the goal of the French is Austria, then Franz does not mind bringing you into the urn.

Limited by transportation and logistical supplies, it is impossible to fight the war of destroying the country now.There is not much difference in strength between Fa and Austria. Basically, the war is fought on whose land, whoever has a higher chance of winning.

If the French main force can be fooled out, Franz doesn't mind pretending to be cowardly first, and then forming an anti-French alliance to break the French's back at once.

Chapter 44 Profit Determines the Truth

都灵

Since the French government announced the identity of the murderer, the Sardinian government has panicked.This is when people sit at home, and disaster comes from heaven.

Everyone present counts as one, and they all dare to swear in the name of God that this assassination has nothing to do with them.

Even if it is to assassinate, it is to assassinate Franz. What is it to assassinate Napoleon III?

King Vittorio Emanuele asked eagerly: "Prime Minister, have the murderer's information released by the French been found out?"

Cavour replied with a haggard face: "It has been found out that they are all radical nationalists in the Italian region. Their purpose of assassinating Napoleon III seems to be to provoke a conflict between France and Austria.

Before the action, these four people had joined the nationality of the New Holy Roman Empire, and even one of them was a public official of the Lombard Kingdom. "

It takes time to frame and blame!If the relationship between France and Austria is deteriorating, then whether it is true or not, the Paris government can regard it as true.

Obviously these assassins were not professional enough, they didn't choose the right time, and they did it to anger the French.

It's a pity that France and Austria have not yet reached the time to turn their faces.Under the Vienna system, where does the Paris government have the confidence to start a war?

Starting from the interests, it is not a day or two for the French to seek to expand in Italy.At this time, the excuse was sent to the door, and the troubles of the Kingdom of Sardinia came.

After contemplating for a moment, Vittorio Emanuele said helplessly: "I hope these idiots can persist and kill the Austrians, otherwise we will be in big trouble."

It's not that they don't want to conspire with the French to target Austria, but the possibility of this is almost zero.

Historically, after Prime Minister Cavour convinced Napoleon III, he himself could not believe it for a long time.

The situation is even worse now, Austria is much stronger than in history.Whether it is the Vienna system that maintains European stability or the still-solid Russia-Austria alliance, the French dare not act rashly.

Cavour analyzed: "Your Majesty, neither the British nor the Austrians will watch the French continue to expand. We can ask them for help."

There is still a bit of tiredness between the brows, sandwiched with deep sorrow.Obviously, for this assassination case, he spent a lot of energy looking for a solution to the situation.

There are no permanent enemies in politics, only permanent interests.To unify Italy, Austria is their greatest enemy; to resist the invasion of the French, Austria has become their ally.

Both France and Austria have the ambition to dominate the Italian region. It is because of the mutual containment of the two countries that the Kingdom of Sardinia survived.

Under normal circumstances, the Italian region will never have a chance to unify, and neither France nor Austria will tolerate the unification of the Italian region.

Napoleon III's convulsions made Cavour great.In fact, it was an adventure in history. Cavour was betting that France and Austria would not carve up the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Now he dare not gamble, the international situation has changed, and the relationship between France and Austria has warmed up.In order to stabilize the French, the secret agreement between the two countries to carve up the Kingdom of Sardinia created by Franz is a sharp sword hanging over their heads.

……

Versailles Palace

Napoleon III was in a very bad mood. This assassination case was not just as simple as it was announced to the outside world.

According to the collected information, it all proves that someone in the country provided convenience for the assassin, otherwise it would be difficult for these amateur players to track his whereabouts.

Napoleon III asked: "Has the black hand behind the scenes been dug out?"

Minister of Police Mopa replied: "Your Majesty, the enemy is very cunning, these assassins don't know that they have been used by others, and their information was bought from a man named Sobolev.

The man has disappeared, and their acquaintance is also very coincidental, having first met in a bistro in Paris.

We checked the relevant personnel and found no suspicious signs.Sobolev may be a fake name, and there is no other information except for dealing with the assassin. "

Napoleon III scolded angrily: "Trash! Are you going to tell me that the enemy in the country accidentally encountered four idiots, and then used them as assassins?"

"Your Majesty, that's the truth!" Mopa replied honestly

Coincidentally, there is no book, reality is often more bizarre than fiction.This assassination case happened by chance and coincidence, and the so-called black hand behind the scenes was simply a temporary idea.

Napoleon III waved his hands and said, "Continue to investigate, no matter what method you use, I must find this Sobolev who suddenly appeared."

Behind the scenes or not, this slipping Sobolev was a threat.The most indispensable thing in this world is the sophomore boy. Napoleon III didn't want to be assassinated every day.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Mopar replied

After calming down his anger, Napoleon III was thinking about how to use this incident to maximize his benefits.

"The assassin is an Austrian citizen. What if we use this as a reason to hold the Vienna government accountable?"

Foreign Minister Auvergne objected vaguely: "Your Majesty, what can we ask the Austrians for?"

This is the crux of the problem - interests.

Blackmail also has to be divided into targets. If the Vienna government doesn't buy it, it can't use this as an excuse to fight over it, right?

Unless there is evidence that the assassination was planned by the Vienna government, international pressure can be used to force the Austrians to pay the price.

Obviously, the current evidence is not enough, even if one of the assassins was once a public official of the Lombard Kingdom, this is not enough to testify against the Vienna government.

From the motive of committing the crime, the suspicion of the Vienna government has been ruled out.For no reason, he ran to assassinate the emperor of a country, and no one believed him when he said it.

Napoleon III wanted to attack Austria, but it did not mean that he completely ignored the consequences.Now the two countries are still cooperating with superfluous contradictions. From the perspective of interests, it is not suitable for the two sides to turn their faces.

For the same reason, it will not work to target the Kingdom of Prussia and Belgium.There is not enough evidence in hand, just relying on framing and finding fault, in case of cheating, things will go wrong.

Do you want to take this opportunity to do a big cleansing in the country?As soon as this idea arose, Napoleon III snuffed it out again.

The economic crisis continues, and the domestic situation must remain stable.Instigating internal struggles at this time can easily lead to unpredictable consequences.

After hesitating again and again, Napoleon III said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to the Kingdom of Sardinia, asking them to take responsibility for this incident."

Squeezing the persimmons is only one aspect. What's more, these assassins are all members of Italian radical nationalist groups, and these groups have been funded by the Sardinian government.

It is far-fetched to say that the assassination was planned by Italian nationalist groups, and the Sardinian government cannot absolve itself of the blame.Seeking trouble on this ground will not cause interference from other countries.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" replied Auvergne, the Foreign Secretary

The Minister of the Interior Pessini said: "Your Majesty, it is best to attach the criminal's confession, proving that the assassination was planned by an Italian radical organization, and collect evidence that the Sardinian government provided funds to the radical organization.

It is more convincing to hand these things over to the Sardinian government.

At the same time, we can also seek international support, use the assassination to resonate with everyone, and take the initiative in diplomacy.

The Austrians made a promise to support our annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and now it is time for them to fulfill their promise. "

The more sufficient the evidence and the more convincing it is, the more support it can gain from public opinion, and the more benefits it can get.

Napoleon III said happily: "You mean, the Vienna government will support us in annexing the Kingdom of Sardinia?"

Pesini said without hesitation: "No. Today is different from the past. If it was the period of the German Unification War, in exchange for our support, the Vienna government would naturally not mind letting us annex the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Now that the German region has been divided into three, the Vienna government no longer needs our support, and their promises will naturally not count.

However, they will not oppose our expansion to the Kingdom of Sardinia, and even the Vienna government hopes that our actions will be more drastic, so as to intensify the conflict between Britain and France. "

Napoleon III nodded. Since the Ossa War, Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia have been in a political cold war, and the Kingdom of Sardinia has no Austrian interests.

On the contrary, the power of the British expanded rapidly in the Kingdom of Sardinia. Once France attacked the Kingdom of Sardinia, the British would lose the most.

If Britain and France can turn their faces, what is a mere Sardinian kingdom?

Chapter 45 Adding insult to injury

Vienna Palace

Franz looked at the telegram sent to him by Napoleon III, and said with a smile: "The French want to take action against the Kingdom of Sardinia. Now we need to fulfill our promise. What do you think should we do?"

The Minister of the Interior, Grand Duke Louis, suggested: "Your Majesty, the French have great ambitions for the Italian region, and I am afraid that a Sardinian kingdom cannot satisfy their appetite.

Once the French forces penetrate into the Italian region, our national defense will be under great pressure. For the safety of the Lombardy region, we should stop this behavior. "

Metternich objected: "It's not so serious. The Vienna system has just been established. The French will not violate the treaty now. At most, they will take advantage of it. It is impossible to swallow the Kingdom of Sardinia.

If the French really want to annex the Kingdom of Sardinia, so be it.Once the French take this step, a new anti-French alliance can be established again. "

Prime Minister Felix sneered and said: "Yes, France is no longer the France of Napoleon's era. Since Napoleon III has this ambition, we will fulfill them.

European countries have just relaxed their vigilance against the French, and now the French have jumped out again. We will push them up again to make them stand higher. "

……

Strength determines the position. If Austria's strength is weak, it is natural to prevent the expansion of the French and prevent it from happening.

The situation is different now. Even if the French annexed the Kingdom of Sardinia, it is within Austria's tolerance.

A powerful Russia + a powerful France. In this case, it would be inconspicuous to have a powerful Austria in the European continent.

If they do not attract attention, then the growing Austria will soon become the target of public criticism.

In this case, it is more in Austria's interest to push the French and make them a little puffier.

Franz made a decision: "Tell the French that we will abide by the agreement and support their annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

However, they must find a reason that can be accepted by everyone. The Vienna system cannot be broken. "

The Vienna system is Austria's national policy and will not change for at least ten years.In this case, France's annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia is too eye-catching and will affect the stability of the Vienna system.

However, in order to attract firepower from the French, Franz did not mind weakening the Vienna system.Anyway, this is only used to maintain the balance of the European continent, and has limited binding force on several big countries.

As long as the problem of slow population growth cannot be solved, France will not be a serious problem for Austria.Even if the Kingdom of Sardinia is annexed and the population skyrockets in a short period of time, it will have no effect.

The Kingdom of Sardinia, whose nationalism has become fanatical, is not easy to rule. It will be difficult to digest this region without decades of effort.

The Habsburg dynasty has been operating in Italy for hundreds of years. After Franz took power, he carried out a major cleansing of the local area, and then relied on the emancipation of serfs and land redemption to buy the people at the bottom before it really stabilized.

Because of the Ossa War, Franz made the Kingdom of Sardinia the backer and was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

Just look at the civil relations between the Kingdom of Lombardy and the Kingdom of Sardinia. Even though the two sides are bordering each other, people on both sides still do not communicate with each other. You will know the power of hatred.

Do the French dare to carry out a big clean-up when they can't find a back-up man?If there is no mass purge, how can nationalism be suppressed?

Metternich replied: "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl reminded: "Your Majesty, since Italian radicals conspired to assassinate Napoleon III, it is very likely that they will also be against you.