Holy Roman Empire

Judging from the current situation, unless the French win the European war, it is only a matter of time before Egypt falls.

Of course, our direct military intervention may be able to hinder Austria's actions, but the interests involved are too great. "

It was a joke to send troops to interfere.The main force of the pocket version of the British army is still fighting fiercely with the Russians in Afghanistan. With only a little colonial force in British Africa, it can only be soy sauce when sent out.

After hesitating for a moment, Prime Minister Gladstone said slowly: "The international situation is about to get out of control, we must end the war with the Russians as soon as possible to deal with the next changes.

The war in Afghanistan has progressed to the present, and there is no point in continuing it.At this time, the Russians are also riding a tiger, sending them a signal of peace, presumably the tsarist government will not choose to die.

After all, the emergence of a giant across Asia, Africa and Europe threatens not only our interests, but also theirs. "

In the early days of the Anglo-Russian war in Afghanistan, it was indeed because of interests that the war was fought so fiercely.It's a pity that the cruel reality tells them that this is an endless war of attrition, and if they really fight to the end, they will lose both sides.

As the international situation changed, the tired Britain and Russia unanimously lowered the intensity of the war, turning into melon-eating crowds to watch the excitement of France and Austria.

Perhaps in order to reassure France and Austria in their bold PK, Britain and Russia, which were supposed to stop, chose to continue this war game with a tacit understanding.

Even though it's a game, it's also deadly.Neither the British army nor the Russian army gave up their plans to kill each other, but they would be chased and beaten by the enemy if they showed any flaws.

In a sense, such a war of attrition is also beneficial to Britain. The British government has enough financial resources to drag down the Russians.Moreover, British India will be safe only if the Tsarist government really hurts.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the best of both worlds in this world. In order to contain the growing Austria, Gladstone had to give up the "Bear Bloodletting Project" first.

Foreign Secretary George reminded: "Your Excellency, the truce with the Russians is not difficult now, but it is very difficult to achieve a truce according to our previous expectations.

At present, the Russian army still controls three-quarters of the territory in Afghanistan. With the greed of the tsarist government, there is almost no hope of getting back the land that we did not get on the battlefield at the negotiating table.

The conflict between us and the Russians is too deep, and the Austrians are acting as shit sticks. I am afraid that the truce negotiations will not go smoothly.

Judging from the current situation, French Egypt cannot last long.If the French army could not achieve a breakthrough on the European continent, the established fact of Austria's occupation of Egypt was created.

The Russians do not want to see Austria grow bigger, but Russia and Austria are traditional allies after all, and the tsarist government cannot turn against Austria for no reason. Most of them will choose to be neutral on the Egyptian issue.

The next step is to force the Austrians to make concessions and spit out and eat the Egyptian region. Only the French and ourselves can be relied on.

But we have to make use of the French, but also restrict the French, and we cannot let the French take the opportunity to grow bigger, which requires very troublesome work.

To do this, we need more allies.It is best to unite European countries to intervene and solve the problem through diplomatic means. "

Restricted by the continental balance policy, the British government's diplomacy in this continental war has always been timid, for fear that an improper operation will toss out a continental overlord.

There is no way, the international situation is changing too fast.Britain's enemies have been changing, first the Russians who jumped out on their own, then the ambitious French, and before they knew it, Austria popped up again.

It must be suppressed, but not too hard. It is necessary to maintain a fragile balance and keep the London government exhausted.

In a sense, since the outbreak of the European Continental War, there have been problems with Britain's continental balance policy, and it has been unable to keep up with changes in the international situation.

Everyone knows the problem, but it is a pity that Britain is an island country, and it is inherently determined that they have no better choice.Only by maintaining the balance of the European continent can they maintain their hegemony.

Gladstone nodded and looked out the window: "It is indeed very troublesome, but no matter how troublesome it is, we must do it. This is our responsibility.

Moreover, while maintaining the balance of the European continent, we must also find ways to weaken the strength of France and Austria, so that they cannot continue to grow. "

Chapter 191

In St. Petersburg, after receiving the peace signal released by the British, Alexander III sighed helplessly.

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

At the beginning, with the cooperation of the Afghan guerrillas, the Russian army beat the British all the way. Unfortunately, the Afghan region was not smooth. As the front continued to advance, the Russian army's logistical pressure was also increasing.

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

By now, the war in Afghanistan has turned into a war of attrition.Facing the wealthy and powerful British, the impoverished Tsarist government obviously couldn't stand it.

It seems that the Russian army has the upper hand in the Afghan battlefield, but in fact the tsarist government is also suffering.

Up to now, the Russian army has paid nearly 50 casualties and billions of rubles in war expenses. However, the legendary India is still elusive.

Casualties are only a minor issue. After all, Central Asia has been recovered and three-quarters of Afghanistan has been occupied. The exchange ratio between the two sides has even reached an astonishing 1.1:3.7, which can be said to be the best record of the Russian army in the past 50 years.

Of course, this is the record of the Central Asian Khanate and the Indian colonial army. Simply fighting against the main force of the British army, the Russian army still can't take much advantage.

It doesn't matter if there is moisture, and it doesn't affect the tsarist government's political propaganda. In short, the performance of the Russian army on the battlefield has been explained to all aspects.

The headache for Alexander III was finances. Not to mention all the wealth accumulated by the tsarist government since he took the throne, he owed a huge debt, and more importantly, he failed to enter India.

If the Russian army has already entered India, then Alexander III will continue the war.

It's a pity that there is no if in reality, and the British have already reacted.In addition to the hundreds of thousands of main troops sent by the mainland, there are also 200 million Indian colonial troops waiting for the cannon fodder.

According to the intelligence from the front line, the main force of the British army has rarely come out for decisive battles. Most of the time, they supervise the battle from the rear, using the colonial troops to entangle the Russian army. The British generals don't even care about casualties at all.

According to this rhythm, the British will not admit defeat if the Indians are not dead.

No matter how cheap gray cattle are, they are more expensive than colonial natives.No matter what the exchange ratio is, the Russian army will suffer. After all, there are [-] million Indians on the opposite side.

"Get ready to negotiate with the British!"

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

"Yes!"

"Your Majesty, should we inform the Austrians, after all..."

Before Foreign Minister Oscar Jimenez finished speaking, Alexander III interrupted: "You can figure it out! Anyway, the British don't want to fight now, and we don't have the ability to fight."

After finishing speaking, Alexander III turned and left directly.

There is no doubt that the Russian Empire is not incapable of continuing this war. After all, there are Austrian nurses behind to replenish blood, and they can hold on for a while.

The point is that if India cannot be captured, continuing this war to hold back the British will only benefit Austria, which is advancing on the African continent, and is not in the interests of the Russian Empire.

No matter how good an ally is, it cannot resist the temptation of interests.

According to the prior agreement, the Vienna government supported the tsarist government's entry into India in exchange for Russia's support for Austria's domination of Africa. After the war, the two countries shared the hegemony of the European continent.

The tsarist government is now in a truce with the British, and it is also cheating teammates.But there is no way, the tsarist government has already determined that it can't get India, so it can't watch Austria dominate Africa.

Otherwise, the strength of the two countries will be further expanded after the war. In this era of the weak and the strong, once there is an imbalance of power, the so-called sharing of European hegemony is a joke.

Alexander III's political mind is still very bright, knowing the importance of the Russia-Austria alliance, in order to reduce political influence, he decisively chose to throw the pot away.

……

Since deciding to support the French, the British Foreign Office has taken a series of actions, and the Anglo-Russian truce is only one of the measures.

After all, the Russians are Austria's allies, and it is impossible for them to turn against each other in a few words.Among other things, the contradiction between Britain and Russia cannot be solved in a short time.

Just fought a battle, and formed an alliance later.These coquettish operations exist in theory, and perhaps they could still be done in the Middle Ages.

But today, with the rise of nationalism, if anyone dares to play like this, a revolution must erupt.

In Tokyo, Ito Hirobumi, the British envoy who sent away the uninvited guest, is not well.

It was hard to coordinate the interests of all parties, barely suppressed the voice of going south, and continued to implement the previous strategy of going north. Now that the British are so mixed, the situation has changed again.

You don't need to think about it, the British even visited him, the leader of the opposition, not to mention the dignitaries who originally supported going south, they must have been lobbied.

While Ito Hirobumi was thinking about countermeasures, the attendant's voice suddenly sounded.

"Prime Minister, the royal palace called and asked you to attend the imperial meeting immediately."

With a "bang", the water glass in Ito Hirobumi's hand fell to the ground.It came so fast that there was no time left for him to prepare.

There is no doubt that there must be domestic political forces involved behind this, otherwise the British minister would not have just left, and the imperial meeting would be held soon.

Such a move is nothing more than a demonstration to him, asking him, the southward opposition, to retreat in spite of difficulties.

There is no way, the "Three Heroes" of the Meiji Restoration have all passed away, and there is no Dinghaishenzhen that can suppress all political forces, and the means of political struggle have become more and more outrageous.

For example, now, these guys have been in contact with the British in private without telling him, the prime minister, and they have even reached an agreement.

If you know what you know, Ito Hirobumi is still powerless in essence.Don't look at him being famous in later generations, he has never been able to keep his word.

That is to say, Japan has not yet carried out strategic adventures, and the military has not had time to become bigger in the war, and the government can barely suppress them.

If it is left after the military grows bigger, whoever dares to fight against them will cause a mutiny in minutes and change the government.

……

Saigo Saigo, Minister of the Navy, took the lead in saying: "The British have stated their position and want to support the French, and the international situation has undergone a fundamental change.

The outcome of the European war has become clearer, the risks we were worried about no longer exist, and all the conditions for implementing the southward strategy have been met. "

If possible, Xixiang Congdao didn't want to be this early bird.But there is no way, as the Minister of the Navy, he can't do it if he doesn't want to stand out.

There are many great powers in the Nanyang region, and the situation is complicated. Once Japan extends its power there, it is bound to greatly expand its navy.

As the biggest beneficiary of the southward strategy, the high-level navy has unified their opinions, and he, the minister of the navy, will not be allowed to back down at all.

Minister of Agriculture and Commerce Kaoru Inoue: "Saigo-kun, I'm afraid it's too early to say that the situation of the European war is clear.

As we all know, the strongest of the British is the Royal Navy, and their army is relatively mediocre.

Even if the French won the support of the British, it would not make much sense for the decisive battle in Europe unless the Russians also supported them.

In fact, this is impossible.As we all know, the Russia-Austria alliance is very stable, and the Russians simply cannot do without Austria.

Unless the tsarist government has lost its mind, it will betray its allies and run to support its enemies. "

There is nothing wrong with it. The negotiations between Britain and Russia have just begun, and they are still in a state of secrecy. The intelligence capabilities of the Japanese government are limited, and the tentacles have not yet reached the top levels of Britain and Russia.

According to the normal way of thinking, Britain and Russia are at war, France and Austria are at war, and the enemy of an enemy is a friend. Moreover, Russia and Austria have an alliance. Now that Britain and France are close together, Russia and Austria will naturally stand together.

There is almost no chance of winning when Britain and France compete with Russia and Austria on land.In this context, it is unreliable to accept the invitation of Britain and France to declare war on Austria.

Da Shanyan, General of the Army: "Mr. Inoue, you are worrying too much. Not to mention 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 overseas colonies will be at an absolute disadvantage in competing for the Sino-French alliance.Austria wants to retaliate against us only if they have the ability to overcome the blockade of the Royal Navy.

As far as I know, the allies that Britain and France have won are not only us, but also several American countries will also participate, with the purpose of seizing Austria's overseas colonies.

We woke up too late, missed the colonial era, and now the lands around the world have masters.

Fortunately, the European powers are also full of contradictions, and this European war is our best opportunity.As long as we seize the Austrian South Seas, we will have all the coal, iron ore, rubber, and food we want. "

Looking at the self-indulgent Dashanyan, Ito Hirobumi couldn't help but interrupted: "The British are not prepared to form an alliance with us, and they are invited to participate in the attack on the Austrian South Seas just because of the needs of the situation.

No matter how much they promised, most of the interests of the Austrian South Seas were captured by Britain and France, and what belonged to us was just some leftovers.

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

For a little benefit, offending a big European country is completely worth the candle.When we are retaliated in the future, the British will not stand up for us. "

The window paper was pierced, and everyone was dumbfounded.It is the essence of this era that the weak prey on the strong, and the weak are not qualified to compete with the strong for spoils.

The disparity in strength is too great. Even if Britain and France made more promises, the Japanese government after the war would not be able to ask them to fulfill them.In the face of interests, breach of contract is nothing more than normal.

If you can't monopolize the Austrian South Seas and just follow Britain and France to pick up the missing soup, then launching this war will become completely meaningless.

Although the Japanese military was a little aggressive, they were not stupid.The Showa General Staff Department in Secondary School has not yet gone online, and everyone present is the master of IQ online, so naturally they will not jump into the pit.

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

Doesn't our neighbor have an old saying called "false way cuts Guo".Everyone knows that Austria is not easy to mess with. Their power in the Nanyang region alone is not something we can eat.

From the beginning to the end, Austrian Southeast Asia was not our goal.Our real goal is still here - the fertile Philippine Islands.

Choosing to cooperate with Britain and France is just to use them as a cover to confuse the Spaniards and create opportunities for capturing the Philippine Islands. "

Hearing this explanation, Ito Hirobumi's dignified expression eased slightly.Compared with attacking the Austrian South Seas, it is obviously more acceptable to bully the Spaniards, at least the risk is within a controllable range.

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

Britain and France are not good friends. Knowing that we are using them, they will definitely retaliate in the future.

If one operation is not good, the empire will be plunged into a situation beyond redemption.After all, our strength is still too weak to withstand the toss. "

Xixiang Congdao nodded: "Our military has already discussed this issue. If there is no European war, we would not dare to do it anyway.

But it’s different now. The European powers are divided into two camps: Britain, France, and Russia and Austria. The British’s continental balance strategy is faltering.

Judging from the collected information, the total troops mobilized by the two warring parties totaled more than [-] million. If this bloody fight continues, it is difficult for the participants in this European war to have a real winner, and the final outcome is likely to be a loss for both sides.

As long as we are flexible and join the victor in time on the eve of the European war, the game will be considered stable.

Whoever wins the war is too busy licking his wounds after the war to go to war with our ally for such a trivial matter.

If you are lucky, you can also get some spoils and improve our international status. "

……

Chapter 192 The Power of Rumors