Holy Roman Empire

Governor Delphi said without changing his face: "Yes, the Austrians are too shameless to pretend to be the army of the Boer Republic to join the war. We must smash their conspiracy.

Cage, telegraph London immediately for help, explain the difficulties we are facing, and have the Foreign Office protest to Austria. "

If it weren't for the fear that the data would be too large, which would easily arouse suspicion from the outside world, Governor Delphi would not mind doubling the number of enemy troops.

As for asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to protest, that is all a joke.It is impossible for the Vienna government to admit this kind of thing. The Boers' government has fallen into the hands of Austria, and they take full responsibility on their own initiative.

In any case, as long as the Boer Republic insists that it is their own army, this lawsuit will not go on.

Unless it is a big fish caught, but the possibility of this is zero.None of the Austrian nobles who commanded this war was an active military officer, and they did not have much international reputation.

From beginning to end, the government of Vienna did not participate in the war.As for the weapons and ammunition provided by merchants, they were all bought by the Boer Republic.

Austria is a member of the free trade world, and it is normal to sell arms.

Even the origin of the Boer military expenditure is clear, the Vienna government has not sponsored a penny, and the Boer Republic borrowed 3 million Aegis from the Imperial Bank with land mortgages.

Don't talk about risks, this is usury, and the monthly interest rate is only 18.00%.Since the interest rate is so high, the risk cannot be small.

Franz has handled all the aftermath work properly, and he is not afraid that someone will pick out the problem.

It was inevitable that the Boer Republic would not pay the money after the war. Without this reason, how could Austria annex the Boer Republic after the war?

As an emperor, Franz did not want a republic in the empire.It is also necessary to disband the Boer Republic without paying the money and taking away the collateral.

It can be said that this Anglo-Boer war provided Austria with an excellent excuse, and even the cost of buying local dignitaries has dropped significantly.

If Franz is a bit shameless, he can choose to resign.Since the agreement has not been fulfilled, the conditions promised at the beginning will naturally be invalidated.

It can be said that Viscount Fickney packed up the top leaders of the Boer Republic and sent them to the rear.

Of course, those who choose to cooperate with Austria from the beginning will definitely not be so tragic.Franz, who has always been grand, would not do such shameless things.

Unfortunately, the conditions were not negotiated, and there is no need to talk about it now.There are three roads left: either follow Austria; or go to the British; or run away.

Anyway, Viscount Fickney is not reluctant. If he doesn't kill a group of interest groups, how can he arrange heroes?

This war is not fought in vain. The more you invest now, the greater the benefits you will get after the war.There are not enough benefits, but not so many nobles bring their own dry food.

The land in South Africa is still very good. Not only is the land fertile, but the climate is also very livable. These plantation owners have long wanted to come and enclose the land.

Fortunately, they didn't know that there was a gold mine underground, otherwise it would not only have come from a dozen or so nearby nobles, it is estimated that the local nobles would not be able to help but participate.

Not to mention these people, but thinking about the terrifying gold reserves of the Rand Gold Mine, even Franz was moved, but he still couldn't bear it.

Too much money is just a number. Gold mines are too attractive and easy to attract hatred.Even if it is mining gold mines, it must be hidden behind the scenes.

Buying gold is a good business, and the money earned may not be less than that of the mine owners, and it will not attract attention.

On the surface, it seems that the profit of buying gold is not very big, and it is slightly lower than the market price.

In fact, if you go to the financial market for a while, and then process it into a work of art and flow it into the gold consumer market, the profit will be completely different.

More importantly, the capital cost for banks to purchase gold is negligible. Gold is also a kind of currency, and it is more reliable than any currency to store it there as a reserve.

Even in the face of a run on crisis, no one will refuse to accept gold payment.

Chapter 42 The Great French Empire

The game between England, Austria and South Africa has just begun, and the European continent has undergone major changes.This time Napoleon III showed his decisiveness and directly sent troops to control the governments of the Italian states.

Obviously, his patience has reached its limit, and he is not going to continue to dawdle with these guys.

After suppressing the weak resistance of the states, under the threat of bayonets, the governments of all countries were forced to agree to join forces with the Kingdom of Sardinia to form the Italian Empire.

On August 1870, 8, the Italian Empire held its first parliament, and the parliament elected Napoleon III as emperor.

The next day, Napoleon III couldn't wait to be crowned Emperor of Italy in Rome, namely: Napoleon I, Emperor of Italy.

Immediately afterwards, Napoleon III announced the establishment of the union of France and Italy, the establishment of the Greater French Empire, and once again crowned himself emperor.In order to appease the Italians, this time it is a double capital, Paris and Rome.

After Napoleon, the Bonaparte family once again created an empire.No, it should be two empires, the Bonaparte Dynasty of the Italian Empire and the Bonaparte Dynasty of the Great French Empire.

Napoleon III couldn't care less about eating appearance and etiquette.It is rare for Britain and Austria to meet each other. If this opportunity is missed, it will be difficult to meet again in the future.

The Great French Empire was established, and the situation in Europe changed instantly.After annexing Italy, France has the potential to soar into the sky and dominate the European continent.

Because of the Prussian-Russian War, only Britain and Austria were left with the strength to intervene in the French annexation of Italy at this time.

While eyes are on Vienna and London, a new round of diplomatic cooperation is also secretly unfolding, and an undercurrent against the French is surging in the European continent.

In Vienna, even though he had prepared himself, Franz was still shocked by Napoleon III's audacity.

In his plan, the French should take it step by step.For example: first establish the Italian Empire to unify the Italian region, and then promote the merger of the two countries. This time will last at least several years.

The Vienna government couldn't sit still anymore, and Prime Minister Felix immediately said: "Your Majesty, the French cannot be allowed to continue to grow. This threat is too great."

It is not difficult to interrupt the expansion plan of the French. As long as they join hands with the British immediately and then bring together European countries to exert pressure, the French will probably compromise.

Don't look at Napoleon III cutting through the mess quickly, making a desperate appearance, and wanting to annex Italy at all costs.

In fact, he was not prepared to be an enemy of the whole of Europe, and the French did not have the courage to challenge the European continent again. This was just a demonstration to the outside world.

What really gave them confidence was the Fau secret agreement. According to the agreement, Austria will also attack the German Federal Empire at this time, and everyone will share the international pressure together.

Even the Vienna government is already doing it. Most of the state governments in the German Federation have turned to Austria. As long as Franz is willing to take at most one month, he can annex the German Federation.

This is the convenience brought by the railway. Most of the states that have been attracted by Austria have chosen the Austrian standard. Many states have already merged with the Austrian railway.

Today, except for the Kingdom of Hanover, which has not been completely penetrated by Austria, other states cannot escape the influence of Austria.

To be able to successfully complete this plan, in addition to thriving nationalism, it is more about economic benefits.

The aristocrats and capitalists in the German Federation have already completed the merger with Austria through practical actions, and everyone's interests have been bundled together.

Even the concentration camp of the opposition, the Kingdom of Hanover is no exception, and this influence will grow as time goes by.

It is true that the British support them, but it is impossible for British capitalists to share their market with them, let alone allow them to enter their own colonies for development.

When Austria developed its colonies, it immigrated from the German region on a large scale, and these states were no exception.

While immigrating, they also attracted local powerful factions, participated in the development of Austria's colonies, and became a community of interests with many local people.

The German federal government can't do anything about this kind of infiltration, so it can't issue a law to prohibit cooperation between the two parties, right?

Moreover, even banning it is useless, and the following states will not buy the account of the central government.Anyway, everyone has already determined that the central government dare not use force to solve the problem.

The French suddenly quickened their pace, and Austria naturally failed to keep up.From the beginning to the end, Franz was just trying to fool the French, and he was not prepared to unify the German region at this time.

The German region is to be unified, but this time is definitely not now.Before he has the strength to dominate the European continent, Franz is not ready to become the target of public criticism.

Franz tapped his finger on the table and said: "Let's wait, the French forcibly annexed Italy cannot be so easy, and internal problems cannot be sorted out in a short while.

Now we just put on a show. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement strongly condemning the shameless behavior of the French. Let's see the reactions of other countries. "

Just kidding, it took a lot of effort to trick the French into taking the bait, how can we let them slip through the net?

Great France is so easy to establish, why didn't Napoleon directly unify Italy back then, but ruled by separate kings.

If it is just a simple unification of Italy, and Napoleon III is also the emperor of Italy, it is estimated that the Italian people can still accept it.Now that it is directly incorporated into Greater France, it is no wonder that nationalists can accept it.

You must know that they merged together in France, the cradle of revolutionary ideas. It is estimated that it will not be long before revolutionary ideas will be introduced from France to Italy, and then sparks will start a prairie fire.

Even building a dual empire is better than directly annexing Italy.At least as long as the former does not break out of war and there is no external force to break the situation, it will be able to stabilize after attracting local powerful factions.

Frankly speaking with the strength of France, as long as the diplomatic work is done well, the external threat is very small.As long as the government does not mess around, this dual empire can last for many years.

If it wasn't for making the scene more realistic, Franz would throw a big feast to celebrate this great victory.France will not be a threat for many years from now.

If you want to defeat France in the future, you only need to fund the Italian Revolutionary Party.There are revolutions every day, and the strength of France will be consumed in the quagmire of Italy.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg suggested: "Your Majesty, now that the French have attracted the attention of the outside world, should we also speed up our pace?"

At this time, no one can prevent Austria from annexing the German Federation.The French themselves are caught in the center of the storm, hoping that Austria will jump out to share the pressure.

Without French thugs, the British most demonstrated at sea.Prussia next door was powerless, and Austria really took action. It is estimated that the first reaction of the Berlin government was not to block it, but to quickly annex Poland.

Franz sneered: "No, proceed according to the original plan. We are not in a hurry, the German Federal Empire is there, and it will be ours sooner or later.

Now we still continue to compete with the British for South Africa, and the affairs of the European continent are not in a hurry. As allies, we have to share the pressure for the French. "

Fulfill the obligations of allies and share the pressure.Everyone will not believe this. When did France and Austria become really friendly?

Even after the alliance, the two sides did not stop holding each other back.Now that Franz suddenly wants to help the French, there must be a story behind it.

The emperor didn't want to say it, and everyone couldn't help it.

Franz also had reasons but couldn't tell. They hadn't felt the power of nationalism yet, so they naturally didn't know that it was a huge pit.

There is no way to explain it.There is no way, Franz can only act arbitrarily once.

Anyway, the French annexed Italy, which is the target of public criticism.Whenever you do it, Austria will never lack allies, and everyone can wait patiently.

……

Austria's passive sabotage has had a huge impact on the European continent.Many people think that the Vienna government is afraid and dare not confront the French directly.

Behind this is Franz who is fueling the flames, and he has the intention of not giving up until France is placed on the throne of the world's first empire.

In London, the British government, which was watching the excitement and wanted to take advantage of it, couldn't do it anymore.They never expected that Austria would refuse to stand out, which directly shattered their fantasy of sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight.

In Downing Street, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli asked dejectedly: "Who can tell me what the Austrians are thinking, don't they know the threat of the French?

Or is it that the famous Emperor Franz the Great and Felix the Iron-Blooded Prime Minister are two softies who only develop the economy at home? "

No one can answer this question, and everyone is also very puzzled.Anyway, no one thinks Franz and Felix are idiots, otherwise how did the land of Austria come about?

Foreign Minister McLean analyzed: "Your Excellency, my opinion is just the opposite. The Vienna government is unwilling to stand up, probably because it has seen our plan.

After suffering the losses of the anti-French war, it is impossible for Austria not to fear the French.Now that they are not coming out, I'm afraid they don't want to face the French alone.

Moreover, France is not the first to bear the brunt of Austria.The Italian area is a newly occupied area, and the French cannot rest assured that they will hand over the back road to the Italians.

If an attack is launched from Central Europe, the geographical environment determines that the French can only attack from the north. They will be safe until Belgium, the German Federation, and the Kingdom of Prussia fall.

Since there is no threat in a short period of time, the Vienna government can naturally wait.When everyone can't take it anymore, form an anti-French alliance again, and work together to beat the French. "

Obviously, this will not be the result they want. If France is finished, the European continent will be the world of Austria.At that time, the German region will be unified, and Britain will be powerless.

To suppress France, it is because the French become bigger and threaten their interests.Among other things, once the French annexed Italy, there would be no place for them in the Mediterranean.

Not only that, the French, who had learned a lesson once, will obviously not follow Napoleon's old path this time.

After annexing the Italian region, the French will try to avoid conflicts with other countries on the European continent for many years to come, and lower everyone's vigilance.

If the European continent cannot continue to expand, then the target will definitely turn overseas.The British were the first to bear the brunt, and it was almost inevitable that the French would challenge their maritime supremacy.

The world's first colonial empire brought not only glory and wealth, but also challenges from all countries.

In this regard, Austria is much more stable. The core colonies are all on the African continent.

The interests of the few overseas colonies are not big enough to turn everyone against Austria.

In contrast, the British are very hated and eat the biggest piece of cake.The colonies of all European countries put together are not as attractive as their colonies.

Not only the colonies, but the Strait of Gibraltar at the doorstep alone keeps the French from sleeping.

The feud between Britain and France is not so easy to forget. If you don't get stuck here and divide the French navy into two, the British will be the ones who can't sleep.

Ambivalence makes it difficult for the London government to make up its mind.Now they want to suppress the French, but they are also afraid of crippling France, which is a headache.

Colonial Secretary Louis reminded: "Everyone, don't forget that our conflict with Austria is not over yet, and it seems that the Vienna government does not intend to stop.

According to the battle reports from the front line, we are now at a disadvantage on the battlefield. That idiot in Delphi has already sent three telegrams for help, each time getting more urgent.

If we don't take measures, maybe the French problem is not solved, and the Cape Colony will be lost first. "

The French were so cool that everyone's attention was drawn to them, even South Africa's call for help was ignored by them.

Secretary of the Navy Robert said excitedly: "The Cape Town colony must not be abandoned. The Suez Canal is controlled by France and Austria. Once the Cape of Good Hope falls into the hands of Austria, our two sea routes leading to the Indian Ocean will not be safe."

He couldn't help being excited, the Suez Canal fell into the hands of France and Austria, which already made them very passive.If the Cape of Good Hope is lost, the life of the Royal Navy will be even more difficult.

Not to mention anything else, in case one day they turn against Austria, the coasts of Africa are all enemy colonies, and the Royal Navy's trip to India will be a headache even for logistical supplies.

There is no need to consider the Suez Canal, and the navigation of warships is now prohibited. Except for the warships of France and Austria, the warships of other countries must detour.

The regulations of the Canal Company are specifically aimed at the British, mainly in retaliation for the British sabotage during the excavation of the Suez Canal.

In his heart, Benjamin not only secretly scolded Louis for being incompetent, but for causing trouble, he would accomplish nothing.

Since it was going to carry out colonial expansion, it rushed to start a war without even knowing who the enemy was.Now that I have suffered a loss, I still don’t know how to admit my mistakes.Scolding is scolding, the aftermath work still needs to be done.

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli rubbed his forehead and said, "Well, the strategic value of the Cape Town Colony is very important, and we really cannot afford to lose it.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs first contacted the Vienna government to see if they could reach an agreement.The Colonial Department came up with a plan as soon as possible, preparing to increase troops in the Cape Town area.