Holy Roman Empire

Apart from politics, the reform line of the Japanese in the original space-time was basically successful.It is different now. Following the successive failures of Prussia and France, Japan has also become suspicious of this set of reform routes.

Ito Hirobumi waved his hand: "No! Austria's development route cannot be replicated at all. We don't have such a solid background as them, so we can't learn even if we want to!

You must know that they were one of the four major powers in the world when they were in the most decline. After Emperor Franz succeeded to the throne, he immediately joined the colonial wave after solving the internal troubles.

It successively opened up Austrian Africa, Austrian America, and Austrian Southeast Asia. After its strength grew, it turned around and annexed the Ottoman Empire, and only then did the Austrian Empire become today. "

In a sense, the strategy of the Japanese government is also imitating Austria, but unfortunately they were out of luck, and encountered a hard stubble as soon as they stepped out of the country.

In the past, when European countries competed for colonies and seized territory, as long as they showed enough strength to let their opponents know that the gains were not worth the losses, everyone could solve the problem at the negotiating table, and it was rare for them to fight to the end.

Judging from the current situation, even if the Spaniards can regain the Philippine Islands, they will have to pay a heavy price.The risks here are very large, and the benefits are not directly proportional to the pay.

Logically speaking, now is the time to come to the negotiating table. As long as the Japanese government pays a certain price, things can be understood.

Unfortunately, none of these experiences apply now.It's okay to lose to European countries, but what is it to lose to the Japanese?Spain can't afford to lose this man.

Especially after the defeat of France, Spanish nationalism became active, and the voice of revenge went straight to the sky.

Relying on the gains from the anti-French war, the Spaniards quickly formed an expeditionary fleet and possessed the capital for revenge.

The first step was taken to hit a tough bone, and the blow to the Japanese government was unprecedented.Continue to follow Austria's colonial strategy, Ito Hirobumi dare not even think about it.

If possible, he would prefer to pack his things and go home now, stop the pace of expansion, and slowly farm to accumulate his wealth.

Japan lacks resources, relying solely on farming, the development speed will definitely be very slow, but it is safe!

Radical development is indeed fast, but it also dies quickly.Prussia in the past few years, and now France, are all negative teaching materials that fell on the road of expansion.

Xixiang Cong said: "It's true that we can't learn, our family background is too weak. If it were replaced by our old neighbor next door, I guess there is still some chance of success.

Let's not talk about these, let's take care of our eyes first!The Anti-French Alliance proposed to perform maintenance on the warship before delivery, which would take one month.

If nothing else, the Spaniard's expeditionary fleet will also set off within a month.It is probably hopeless to send the warship back to the country before the battle starts. "

Ito Hirobumi: "This is expected. As a member of the Anti-French Alliance, the Spaniards still have this face. Even if the Anti-French Alliance does not detain them, it will be difficult for us to send these warships back to China first.

This is today's newspaper, the Suez Canal has resumed navigation.With the end of the French, the ownership of the canal has completely fallen into the hands of Austria.

According to the "Ossi Port Agreement" more than 30 years ago, Spanish warships can call at Austrian ports, and passing through the Suez Canal is naturally not a problem.

We don't have to think about it.Not to mention the previous erroneous statement of favoring the French, even if the time goes back a few decades, our relationship with Austria is very cold.

Regarding the matter of warships, now we can only find a solution from the British.They also have conflicts with Spain, and they are happy to watch the Spaniards suffer. "

There are two main reasons for the cold relationship between Austria and Japan: First, Japan’s reforms are mainly to learn from Britain, France and Prussia, and trade orders have also flowed to the three countries, and the trade exchanges with Austria are minimal.

Secondly, Franz could not perfectly control his emotions at the beginning of his succession, and he showed no interest in the Japanese.

Without sufficient economic benefits, the relationship between the two countries will naturally not deepen.Coupled with the emperor's indifferent attitude, the bureaucrats will naturally not waste their time for a dispensable Japan.

At that time, Austria was far from being as awesome as it is now. After being treated coldly, the Japanese government did not work hard to improve the relationship between the two countries.

If you don't burn incense usually, it's not so easy to hug Buddha's feet at a critical moment.

The Japanese would now be a real tragedy had it not been for the British fear of reclaiming the Spanish revival of the Roussillon area, threatening the safety of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Hearing that the warship had been found, Xixiang felt relieved at Congdao, and couldn't help saying: "That's great, with the support of the British, it will not be difficult to defeat Spain."

Having experienced a battle once, the Japanese navy still has a psychological advantage over the Spaniards. The only worry is that the strength of the two fleets is too far apart.

Ito Hirobumi replied bitterly: "It's not that simple, Spain is a member of the anti-French alliance, even if the war is over, the incense is still there.

Once the British intervene in the war, the anti-French alliance will not sit idly by, and it is even more impossible for the British to turn against the anti-French alliance for us.

In order not to stimulate the anti-French alliance, the support that the British can give us will certainly not be too great.To win this war, we still have to rely on ourselves. "

Facts once again prove that finding teammates is critical for a country to succeed.

The British are obviously unreliable representatives.Ito Hirobumi has not forgotten how the French were sold in the just-concluded European War.

You must know that Britain and France were allies in the early days of the war. Although the British government did stand on the side of France, they never gave up any opportunity to take advantage of the fire.

It seems to be supporting France, but in fact it is trying to maintain the balance of power between the two warring parties, and wants Fao to lose both.

However, the plan did not change quickly. The London government did not expect Austria to hide its strength, and directly dealt a fatal blow to the French at a critical moment.

Seeing that the general situation in France was over, the first reaction of the British was not to pull their allies, but to unilaterally tear up the covenant and add insult to injury.

There are many similar cases. For example, the former Belgium also mixed with the British at first, and then fell to Austria after being betrayed.

Allies can be betrayed, so Japan, which is not even an ally, will be even less pressured by the British to betray.

If you know, you know, Ito Hirobumi still has no choice, or the Japanese government has no choice.Although Spain has always been the bottom line of the great powers, a great power is a great power, and its international influence is still extraordinary.

Except for the British, no country is willing to risk offending the Spaniards at this time by selling warships to them.

What's even more tragic is that if you don't get a batch of warships back from the British, the subsequent battles will be impossible to fight.

Xixiang Congdao was thoughtful, and after a while, he slowly said: "In any case, it is better if the British are willing to provide support than not at all.

As long as we can win the war, we can agree to any conditions right now, and we can talk about everything after the war is over. "

The two looked at each other and ended this heavy topic.The following content is too shocking, if the wind leaks out, Japan will be finished, and everything can only be kept silent.

Chapter 237 Heal the Head for a Headache, Heal the Foot for a Foot Pain

Knowledge of current affairs is one of the important reasons for Japan's success.

Since the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government has been working hard to embrace the British thighs, although John Bull didn't really see that they were worthy of them, and did not accept them as the little brother who sent them to the door.

But with decades of hard work, there are always impression points.However, in international competition, impression points alone are not enough, more importantly, it depends on opportunities.

For the Japanese, right now is undoubtedly the best opportunity.The international situation was changing, and the British, isolated from European society, desperately needed allies.

The overlord has the air of an overlord. What Britain needs are allies, not pets. It is impossible to accept all cats and dogs.

In the original time and space, Japan proved its strength in the Sino-Japanese War, and was favored by the British and became the anti-Russian vanguard in the Far East.

Now is no exception. In the battle for the Philippine Islands, the strength shown by Japan made the British take a high look before they had the opportunity to make further contact.

……

Downing Street, Prime Minister Gladstone hasn't had a good night's sleep since the outcome of the European War. He seems to have aged ten years.

The just-concluded Vienna Peace Conference dealt a fatal blow to Britain.The majestic French Empire has now been cut off its hands and feet, and there is no hope for it in a short time.

Without any surprises, the German-Austrian annexation that Britain was most worried about happened, and the revived Holy Roman Empire became the new European hegemon.

And this overlord is different from the previous overlords of parallel imports. The strength is too strong, making the challengers daunted.

Facts have proved that there is no worst, only worse.As a supporter of France, Britain stood on the opposite side of the anti-French alliance early on.

Even if it is a last-minute counterattack, it does not mean that the matter is over.With the protectors of the straits, the Anti-French Alliance naturally has no ability to liquidate them.

Not directly liquidating, does not mean giving up revenge.At the last juncture of the Vienna Peace Conference, the anti-French alliance was in vain, and the "European Union" with Austria as its core emerged.

As the name suggests, the "Continental Union" is naturally a union of continental European countries.Although Britain also belongs to Europe, they are a maritime country, so the Continental Union has nothing to do with them.

Just from the literal meaning, Gladstone also knew that Austria pulled other countries to form the "European Union" in order to seize the right to speak.

Whether it is willing to accept it or not, Britain, which has been excluded, has lost its right to speak in the European continent.

This is not the worst. What's worse is that no one stipulates that the "Continental Union" can only manage continental affairs.If the Vienna government wants to, it can use this alliance to interfere in international affairs.

The strength of the European Continental Union far exceeds the sum of the rest of the countries. In this era when the big fist is the truth, the right to speak is naturally unparalleled.

In other words, Britain's dominance has been shaken. Although they still have the world's number one Royal Navy, they still have no confidence in the face of the freak "European Union".

Originally thought it was just a struggle for hegemony between Britain and Austria, but the director took the wrong script, and the plot turned into a struggle between Britain and the "European Union".Luckily the filming wasn't done yet, otherwise Britain would be doomed.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted Russia, Spain, the Nordic Federation and many other countries. Generally speaking, it is not optimistic. Everyone's confidence in the Holy Roman Empire is much higher than we expected.

Now we can only wait for the enemy to make mistakes, and then look for opportunities to divide the Continental Union.If this alliance is not disbanded, we will always be in a passive position, and we will have nothing to do with the Holy Roman Empire hiding behind. "

It can be seen that George is in a very bad mood.As Britain's foreign minister, the international situation has developed to this point, and it is already a certainty that he will be awarded the title of "Britain's worst foreign minister".

The political opponents did not take the opportunity to attack, not because of understanding, not because of integrity, but because no one wants to take over this mess.When all the dust settles, it's time for him to get out.

The rest of the Cabinet, by contrast, are much better off.Regardless of how deteriorating the international situation is, Britain still reaped the benefits of the European war.

Most of the wealth accumulated by the French flowed into Britain through trade. Now the British Isles are in the most prosperous period of economy.

Although in the long run, the poor decision-making of the London government has put Britain in an embarrassing situation; in the short term, all classes in the country have benefited, and the public's perception of the government is not bad.

In fact, George was thinking too much. The title of "the worst foreign secretary in history" will only be given to him by future generations. Right now, the British people don't realize what they have lost.

Since the use of diplomatic means to obtain the French warships and consolidate the dominance of the Royal Navy, the voice of public opinion criticizing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has become much smaller.

Gladstone waved his hand: "Take your time, we are not in a hurry. The Holy Roman Empire has just been re-established, and there are still a lot of internal problems. For a long time to come, the Vienna government will be busy sorting out internal affairs. Just ignore us.

The anti-French alliance is not monolithic, it is only because the French have joined together for a short time.France was weakened miserably at the Vienna Peace Conference, and the threat to other countries has been greatly reduced.After everyone no longer feels the threat of the French, this alliance should come to an end.

Regardless of the current majesty of the Holy Roman Empire, the harder they toss, the easier it is to arouse the fear of all countries. France is a lesson from the past.

I am afraid that they will not toss.If the Vienna government maintains its current international image and does not engage in affairs on the European continent, it will be really troublesome. "

The defeat of France also had a great impact on Britain, and both the people and the government are analyzing the reasons.The final conclusions they came to shocked them all.

There is no way, the reason for France's defeat is also applicable to Britain-"too many people have been offended".

The French offended many people, and Britain offended many people.Fortunately, it is protected by the strait, otherwise it is unknown whether Britain will survive or not.

Reflection is reflection, and the London government does not have the ability to reverse this situation for a while.With the establishment of the European Continental Union, no continental country will form an alliance with them.

Including France, which has just been defeated, is no exception.Many French people now believe that their defeat was betrayed by the British, and the revolutionary government in Paris was a puppet supported by the British.

In a sense, this is not wrong.The first stop of the French Revolutionary Party in exile abroad was London. If it weren't for the protection of the British government, these guys would have been snapped by the Bonaparte dynasty long ago.

On the face of it, if the British government had not stabbed the knife at the last moment, but had supported it with all its strength, the French might not have been able to end the war in a decent way.

After the defeat, many arrogant French people were still unwilling to admit that the defeat was due to their own lack of strength, and they urgently needed an excuse that they could accept.

Under the guidance of caring people, conspiracy theories began to flourish.Britain happened to meet all the conditions and was pushed to the forefront.

Of course, these are minor issues.After the defeat, France has been unable to enter the eyes of the British government, and can do nothing but shout a few words.

Foreign Secretary George: "There is another problem, the Japanese want to buy warships from us to counter the Spanish expeditionary fleet.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested agreeing to them.With the end of the European war, the victorious Spaniards became restless.There were even voices in the Madrid newspapers to take back the Strait of Gibraltar.

Although it is not yet a climate, we still have to be more vigilant.If Vienna provokes something behind the scenes, maybe the confident Spaniard will do something stupid.

In order to prevent the worst from happening, we'd better find an opportunity to let the Spaniards sober up.

Anyway, with the disappearance of the French Navy, the pressure on the Royal Navy has been greatly reduced.Immediately we will accept a large number of warships from the French Navy. For a long time to come, the Royal Navy will face the problem of excess warships.

Taking the opportunity to deal with a batch of redundant warships to the Japanese can not only use them to consume Spain's strength, but also save a lot of money. "

There are too many troubles of warships, and currently only the British can enjoy them alone.Originally, the Royal Navy had a large number of warships, and now it has received most of the French warships. The next problem that the Royal Navy will face is that there are warships and no one is driving them.

Because a warship auction had just ended, the international arms market happened to be in a saturated state. Apart from Japan, there was no second buyer at all.

Secretary of the Navy Astley cursed: "Don't mention the French warships to me, the damn Austrians have thrown us a pile of junk, and nearly one-tenth of the warships will be decommissioned soon.

And the engineers and shipbuilding technology they promised are all nonsense.The so-called engineers are a group of coolie workers.

The handed over shipbuilding technical information was mixed together, most of which were sailing warships, even if there were French core technology, we couldn't find it for a while. "

As the second largest naval power in the world, the French Navy also has a very strong family background. Although it is not as good as Britain in general, it is the world's number one in some fields.

No one will allow competitors to grow bigger, and Austria is no exception.It is natural to use all means to attack competitors.

From the beginning, the Royal Navy did not expect to be able to obtain the core technology of the French. Even if the Austrians dared to give it, they did not dare to use it directly.

It's just that Astley was still in a bad mood after being swayed.Especially after learning that they are the only ones enjoying special treatment, Astley's mood is even worse.

"There is no problem with the capital ship, so don't mention some flaws. In any case, these warships have also consolidated the dominance of the Royal Navy.

In the long run, Austria will be our greatest enemy in the future; but in the short term, the greatest threat to us will be the Russians.

The Tsarist government has announced the establishment of the Central Asian Railway project.After determining that the European continent could not break through, the Russian strategy has shifted to India.

It is definitely not enough to respond passively, we must find a way to take the initiative.We all know how complex the geographical environment of Afghanistan is.To fight the Russians, it is better to open a new front.

There are not many options left for us, and the Nordic Federation cannot be counted on.In addition to continuing to support the Persians, we also have to find an enemy for the Russians in the Far East, which will keep the Tsarist government exhausted.

Of course, the Nanyang region cannot give up either.With the establishment of the European Continental Union, our competition in the Nanyang region has also fallen into a disadvantage.If the Spaniards take back the Philippine Islands, the situation will be even more unfavorable to us.

The Ministry of the Navy sent people to assess the strength of the Japanese navy, and if possible, let them become a nail for us to insert into the Nanyang region. "

Gladstone was also very helpless to make such a decision.Knowing that this is treating the symptoms but not the root cause, there is no other way. Right now, Britain can only choose to treat the symptoms first.

Chapter 238 Change to an obedient one on stage