Holy Roman Empire

Intelligence leader Tai Lunhui reported: "Your Majesty, the Grand Duke Massimiliano and his wife left Vienna yesterday, and their destination is France."

Franz took a sip of tea, suppressed his dissatisfaction, and said, "Forget it, let him go!"

Going to France at this time, it is obvious that Maximiliano is planning to rely on the support of the French to become the emperor of Mexico.

It is estimated that there is Napoleon III's handwriting in it. What the French need is a noble puppet monarch so that they can secretly control Mexico.

Massimiliano can stand out because the French have no better options.Not what kind of person, the Mexican constitutionalists will accept it, at least the Napoleon family will not.

In fact, the only alternatives at the beginning were the Habsburgs and the Bourbons.There is no doubt that Napoleon III could not support a Mexican emperor of the Bourbon family, which is making himself uncomfortable.

In case the Bourbon dynasty is revived in Mexico, some people think that the Bourbon dynasty has done a good job, and it will be miserable if they want to change the monarch of France.

After all, the Bourbon dynasty is recognized as orthodox, much more legitimate than the Napoleon family, and the possibility of restoration is very high.

The Habsburg family almost became the only choice. Napoleon III supported Maximiliano not because of his outstanding ability, but precisely because of his political ideas in the second grade.

If they are really capable, neither the Mexican constitutionalists nor Napoleon III will let them become the emperor of Mexico.

What everyone needs is a puppet, not a hero.The strength of the Habsburg dynasty is not weak. If Maximiliano is really capable, he may turn against the guest at any time.

Now the family is unwilling to invest, because Maximiliano is not capable enough, and the possibility of success is too low.If he was really capable, Franz wouldn't mind giving him a hand.

Facts have proved that the second-year boy can't be provoked, even though Massimiliano is not young anymore.

What a weird brain to come up with to refuse to go to Mexico on an Austrian warship in protest of his family's lack of support?

You must know that this escort also has political implications, showing that the Habsburg family is still standing behind him.

Based on this, he can easily win the support of the Germans in Mexico, as well as the support of the Central American colonies, and by the way, he can fool a bunch of old and young.

At this time, Maximiliano ran to France. Although he slapped his brother in the face, he also rejected the family's political resources in the Americas.

Without these resources, he can only rely on the support of the French, and it will not be so easy to get rid of the control of the French in the future.

For Franz, this is also a good thing. There is no need to bite the bullet and pour resources into it for the glory of the family.

Britain, France and Spain are all eyeing Mexico, and Austria's intervention will easily arouse everyone's hostility.What happened now, Austria just got out.

Instead of competing for Mexico with so many people, it is better to run the Central American region.At least to integrate this area, when the Panama Canal will open, Austria has the final say.

If possible, Franz delayed digging the canal as long as possible.Without this canal, the east and west oceans of the United States would be separated. If you want to go by sea, you have to make a big circle, and you can't look at each other from the end to the end.

Whether it is commercial trade or national defense, it will be greatly affected.

……

Paris

Napoleon III held a grand welcome ceremony for the arrival of Maximiliano.

It can be seen that he is very happy, leaving the Mexican emperor supported by the Habsburg family is the Mexican emperor he needs.

It was too easy for Napoleon III to deal with an idealist.

He was not born in a high position. Napoleon III also struggled all the way to become the emperor of France by his own struggle.

In this alone, he surpassed all the monarchs of his time.If he hadn't gradually lost himself under a series of victories later, he might have become one of the greatest emperors of France.

The day after the banquet, Napoleon III and his cronies gathered to exchange opinions.

Don't look at these people who don't have much sense of existence in history. It was this group of people who, together with Napoleon III, created the glory of France in the mid-19th century.

Historically, the Second French Colonial Empire was created during this period, and the French Industrial Revolution was completed in their hands. This period was also the era in which the French economy developed the fastest and people's living standards improved the fastest.

Napoleon III asked: "What do you think of Massimiliano, is he worth supporting?"

Pelisis replied: "Your Majesty, Maximiliano is like a spoiled child. He ran to Paris like this. I think the one in Vienna must be very angry."

Napoleon III smiled and said: "It's better to be angry, otherwise we may suffer a big loss with the Habsburg family playing politics."

Under Franz's butterfly effect, Austria was reborn from the ashes, and naturally became a compulsory course for monarchs of all countries.

Combined with the development history of the Habsburg family, a book "Habsburg Family Politics" was sorted out.

The empire of the lower body can not only be achieved by marriage, but also requires political means.

Otherwise, Europe would not have only a lower half empire of Habsburg.

The marriages between the great nobles are intricate. The same stallion family is not only the Habsburg family, but only the Habsburg family can integrate an empire. The gap lies in political skills.

Of course, powerful political means does not mean that military means are also powerful. These two abilities seem to be inversely proportional.

At its peak, the Habsburg family occupied a small half of the European continent, including: Spain, most of Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Lord of Shinra, Hungary...

The Habsburg colonial empire stretched from North Africa to Mexico. It was the world's first empire on which the sun never set, claiming to have occupied half of the earth.

This title is not an exaggeration. At its peak, half of the world was within the sphere of influence of the Habsburg dynasty, but because of the times, there was no way to directly rule it.

However, such a behemoth was still defeated by the French.In the later period, the Habsburg dynasty was forced to split in order to maintain its own rule.

Being able to play a good hand of cards to a pulp is enough to prove that political strength does not mean military strength.

At that time, the French were all surrounded. As long as they did not make super mistakes and relied on their strength to press hard, they could win.

It is a pity that Charles V made frequent tricks. Although relying on his strong strength to win and lose each other, he lost in a mess strategically.

Of course, the powerful Habsburgs could afford to lose, but Charles V consumed too much wealth, and the successors behind him had a hard time, and gradually lost their hegemony.

Staff Patty analyzed: "Your Majesty, even if the person from the Vienna Palace is willing to contribute, I'm afraid Maximiliano may not be able to appreciate it.

Having a good older brother might be a good thing for an average person, but not for a spoiled kid.

Living in the shadow of his elder brother since he was a child, what Maximiliano wants to do most now is to do a big thing and prove his ability.

But staying in Austria will never have this opportunity. It is impossible for Franz not to know his younger brother, so all of Maximiliano's positions over the years are false titles. "

Napoleon III frowned and said: "This does not seem to be a good thing for us. If Maximiliano is too incompetent, even with our support, it will be very difficult to secure the Mexican emperor.

Mexico is a mess now, and ordinary people simply can't clean up the mess.

I hope Maximiliano can inherit some of the talent of the Habsburg family, otherwise we will be in big trouble later. "

This is where the contradictions arise.On the one hand, the French need a puppet emperor to facilitate their manipulation of Mexican politics and gain the greatest benefit from it;

On the other hand, the French hope that the emperor has some ability to stabilize the situation in Mexico. Otherwise, how can they make money if they fight civil wars every day?

……

After some discussions and considering various factors, the French still came to the conclusion: Maximiliano is worthy of support.

As for the relatively high risk of failure, there is no way to do it. Only high investment can have high returns.

Even if Mexico changed its rulers, it would not dare to blame them.If you support a hero to come out, then maybe you will lose everything.

At the end of 1863, the Maximilianos traveled to the Mexican Empire on a French warship.

Franz, who was far away in Vienna, directly ignored all this.Except for the Queen Mother Sophie who sent a telegram scolding Maximilian, the rest of the Habsburg members chose to stand on the sidelines.

From the moment he left Vienna, Maximiliano and his descendants were directly acquiesced in giving up the inheritance rights of the Habsburg family.

However, Massimiliano, who was writing court etiquette guidelines on the warship, did not seem to be affected.It seems that leaving the support of the Habsburg family is just an insignificant matter.

Princess Charlotte felt a little uneasy, but Shen Qin didn't tell her husband about her worries in her beautiful life as a queen.

Chapter 32 Interfering with the Coalition

Massimiliano's going to be the emperor of Mexico has stimulated many people's nerves.

It's fine if the republicans in the country are against it, because the French helped him to power, and many people in the constitutional faction are worried that the French's power will continue to expand, so they choose to wait and see.

Before Maximiliano arrived in Mexico, Lincoln expressed his attitude against the French interference in Mexico's internal affairs and condemned the French for violating the Monroe Doctrine.

These are all minor issues. Even the United States has interfered in the internal affairs of the United States. Who would take the Monroe Doctrine to heart? The French simply ignored Lincoln's protest.

The Spaniards have already occupied Haiti, Austria has reached out to Central America, the British intend to regain the western region, and the French naturally don't think there is anything wrong with plotting Mexico.

There is no direct annexation, just supporting the rule of the puppet government, which has already paid great attention to eating.At least it looks more attractive than Austria, which wants to turn the Central American countries into autonomous provinces.

Not only the northern government opposed it, but even the southern government opposed Maximiliano's appointment as emperor of Mexico.They worried that the development of the Mexican Empire would harm their interests.

In this context, in March 1864, Maximiliano ascended the throne of the Mexican emperor, known in history as: Maximilian I.

Everyone's eyes are on the American Civil War, and they are not interested in the new Mexican emperor. This enthronement ceremony can be said to be the worst in a century.

The level of guests can't be on the stage, so I won't talk about it.With such a long distance, European nobles can't be expected to make a trip in person, even if they send representatives, they still need travel expenses, don't they?

It doesn't matter if the setting is shabby, it's a ritual anyway.In the end, it still depends on performance. If you fail, it is called shabby, and if you succeed, it is called cherishing people's strength.

The key is that the republicans have made trouble, and organized a huge parade on the day of the coronation, demanding that the emperor go away.

At the enthronement scene, there were several junior high school teenagers who wanted to disrupt the ceremony. Fortunately, the guards responded in time and stopped this bad behavior.

This can be regarded as a powerful Mexican faction, who gave the emperor a disgrace, and told Maximilian I in this unique way: You are not popular, if you are smart, cooperate with us.

……

Not long after Maximiliano ascended the throne, a decisive battle broke out between the North and the South.

In mid-April 1864, at the junction of Pennsylvania and Ohio, the northern government assembled 4 troops, and the southern government assembled 42 troops.

The victory or defeat of this battle will directly affect the future situation of the United States.

If the northern government loses the battle, Pennsylvania will fall, the Great Lakes industrial area will fall into the hands of the southern government, and the northern government will basically be powerless.

On the contrary, if the southern government loses the war, the advantages they have accumulated so hard in the early stage will be gone.

The northern government can take the power of a big victory, regain Ohio and Maryland, and then crush the southern government with its military superiority.

The eyes of all countries have gathered here. As spectators, the North and the South will never be able to tell the difference. This is what everyone wants to see most.

From the outbreak of the Civil War to the present, the total amount of industry in the United States has fallen by 40.00%30.00, and the output of agricultural products has dropped by [-]%[-].

In particular, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky, which were on the battlefield, suffered the heaviest losses.

The total population of the United States has fallen below 3000 million. The war has brought serious trauma to this country. It will not be able to return to the pre-war level in ten years. The states that are war zones will have to lick their wounds in the next [-] or [-] years.

The worse the Americans fight, the greater the benefits for European countries.Not to mention the arms dealers, all of them made a fortune.

Other industries have also gained a lot. Take Austria as an example: without the impact of the United States, a major grain exporter, international grain prices rose by 13.00%. As Europe's largest agricultural product exporter, it naturally became the biggest winner.

In addition to agricultural products, Austrian industrial and commercial products also appeared on the American market.The total export volume to the United States has increased by 40.00% compared with that before the war[-].

Britain and France did not give up much, and took advantage of this opportunity to plunder cities and land in the Americas, especially the southern government with weak industries. Most of the industrial and commercial products used now come from European countries.

The northern states are not much better. After the economic transition to war, other civilian industrial and commercial products have naturally decreased significantly, and the market is full of European manufacturing.

Don't look at Franz hoarding arms in advance to seize business opportunities. In fact, it is the British who benefit the most economically.

As the world's industrial overlord, John Bull surpassed the sum of all countries in the world in the export of industrial and commercial products, and naturally became the biggest beneficiary.

Since the four countries of Britain, France, Occidental and West decided to reach an agreement on the issue of dealing with the United States, the ministers of the four countries have often gathered to exchange opinions, and occasionally disputes occurred.

The Austrian representative Drucker suggested: "Everyone, the critical moment has arrived. No matter who wins or loses in this battle, we must intervene.

If the action is late and the two sides have decided the outcome, the price to be paid for intervening will not be a little bit.I propose to immediately organize the intervention of the coalition forces and directly intervene in the American Civil War by force. "

French representative Alfred objected: "Your Excellency, it is too early for us to start now. No matter who wins this battle, they will suffer heavy losses, and they will not have the ability to fully counterattack in the short term.

This war will continue for a long time, and it is the best choice to use the civil war to consume the strength of the Americans as much as possible.

If we end now, then both the southern government and the northern government will retain a strong military strength, which will not be conducive to our next activities in North America. "

These are all pretense, the key is that the French are concentrating on dealing with Mexican affairs, and now they want to send troops to intervene in the American Civil War, and they can use too few troops.

Benefits are always linked to strength. The greater the power that can be invested now, the greater the benefits that can be obtained after the war.

Everyone is a veteran power, without a fuel-efficient lamp, just want to take advantage of it without contributing, so don't dream about such a good thing.

What Alfred wants to do most now is to delay time, wait for them to free up their hands, and then intervene in the American Civil War in order to maximize their benefits.

Anyway, in his view, there is no difficulty at all for the four countries of Britain, France, Occidental and West to join forces to intervene in this civil war.Don't say that the United States, which is now seriously injured, even the United States, which is full of blood and revived, cannot compete with the four countries at the same time.

British representative Mario Oliver said: "The American Civil War has reached the present, and both sides are exhausted, and it is unlikely to last for a long time.

If it wasn't for both sides being unable to hold on, there wouldn't be this decisive battle.Judging from the situation on the battlefield, everyone is very clear that the preparations for this battle by both the north and the south are very hasty.

If you continue to wait, no one can guarantee what will happen next.What if the North and the South directly compromise after the winner is decided?

As a third party, if we miss the best opportunity to intervene, how will we protect everyone's interests after the war?

I support the plan proposed by Drucker. Now we must organize an intervention army immediately, lest the situation expand and damage our interests. "

Two to one, the Spaniard's one vote became the key to decision-making.If they support the French, then the issue of two to two still needs to be discussed; otherwise, the minority obeys the majority and the proposal is passed.

Spanish Minister Francisco said: "As far as I know, the contact between the governments of the North and the South has never been interrupted. In order to avoid the worst situation, I support the formation of an intervention army."