Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 300:
Chapter 300: Chapter 49, Peacekeeping Force
On November 26, 1858, negotiations officially began due to the assassination incident that sparked the conflict between France and Sardinia.
As the host and a victim, the French representative from Auvergne angrily said, “I believe everyone is clear about the course of events, His Majesty Napoleon III was the victim of assassination by an evil organization.
Yet, the perpetrator remains at large, and the peace-loving France immediately sent a note to the Kingdom of Sardinia upon the incident occurring.
However, the relationship between the Sardinian Government and the evil organization proved to be much deeper than we anticipated. Not only did they fail to arrest the murderers, but they provided them shelter instead, ignoring the goodwill and advice of France.
We hereby declare that if the Sardinian Government is unable to arrest the murderer and bring them to justice, we do not rule out the possibility of taking forceful measures.”
Auvergne was obviously no simple character, skillfully avoiding any mention of compensation, and instead, focusing on the apprehension of the criminal to gain sympathy and support.
The threat of force merely demonstrated their tough stance, and notably, they avoided demanding territorial concessions or reparations from the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was completely different from what had been communicated privately between the two countries beforehand.
Prime Minister Cavour was troubled, as his counterpart was clearly a professional. On the issue of punishing the murderer, governments worldwide essentially shared the same stance.
Cavour said with a hardened expression, “Count, the murderer has been arrested, and everyone has clarified their identity. This matter has nothing to do with the Kingdom of Sardinia.”
This was a plan prearranged with the British; the Sardinian Government absolutely could not admit any connection to the assassination. Only by steadfast denial could they hope to get through the immediate crisis.
Auvergne scoffed and said, “Enough, at this point, you still want to argue? Do you really think France is so easily bullied?
All four assassins are members of radical organizations from your country. This organization aims to annex the entire Italian Area, and its activities are even funded by your government. Yet you tell me there is no connection!”
Seeing Auvergne’s murderous gaze, Cavour knew that the French were truly enraged. At this moment, he could even less afford to admit any connection to the matter.
Cavour explained, “Count, please calm down. These four murderers were once members of the Carbonari, but because of their misconduct, they were expelled long ago and had even emigrated.
You cannot label the organization as evil just because they were once members. To my knowledge, even His Majesty Napoleon III had at one point joined the organization. Are you suggesting that His Majesty is also a villain?”
Auvergne scoffed, “Nonsense! When did His Majesty ever join such an evil organization? He only went undercover to investigate when he learned that they were engaged in slave trading and drug trafficking.
It’s just unfortunate that the evidence His Majesty so painstakingly collected was ultimately taken by your government.”
When it came to being shameless, who was to fear whom? Slave trading and drug trafficking were not merely claims made by Auvergne.
It’s no wonder to find a few slave traders and drug dealers among the vast membership of the Carbonari.
Others may be frightened to uncover this truth, but Auvergne feared no backlash. Sardinia’s capitalists, powerful as they might be, did not have the capacity to cause trouble in France.
At this time, the Austrian representative Martic joined in with a mocking tone, “Mr. Cavour, it seems you are insinuating something. It looks like your government is willing to pay any price to provoke a war between France and Austria!”
Cavour hurriedly explained, “Your Excellency, this is a misunderstanding; we have absolutely no intention of instigating relations between the two countries.”
While he too wished to provoke a war between France and Austria, such sentiments could never be spoken aloud. Covert actions could be condoned if undiscovered, but once exposed, it would spell doom.
Seeing that things were going poorly, Thomas had to intervene. Internally, he cursed Cavour’s entire lineage, thinking that even if there was an attempt to stir strife between the two nations, it shouldn’t be this blatant.
The assassination was too conspicuous. No matter how they tried to shift the blame, they couldn’t pin it on the Austrians, and even when diverting the topic, they shouldn’t provoke the Austrians!
No great power was easy to bully, and the revenge they could exact would surely be enough for the Sardinian Government to endure.
“Enough, the incident has already happened, and there is no point discussing these irrelevant matters. Let’s just talk about the compensation directly!”
Auvergne replied with a sneer, “Mr. Thomas, it’s better to be clear about the issue first. We are not in a hurry about the compensation; we are here today to punish the murderers, not to discuss reparation.”
Martic chimed in, “We absolutely cannot show any leniency towards an evil organization that strives to disrupt the balance of Europe and provoke war.”
Thomas was taken aback and then questioned, “Your Excellency, what do you mean by provoking a war?”
Martic said gravely, “Just a few days ago, the Vienna Police arrested several assassins intent on murdering His Majesty Franz, and these assassins happen to be members of the said organization.
Moreover, they had acquired French citizenship. Their goal was to incite conflict between France and Austria, to break the Vienna System, so as to fulfill Kingdom of Sardinia’s ambition of annexing the Italian Area.
Perhaps their goal was not limited to the annexation; their rallying cry is to restore the Roman Empire.”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s expression changed drastically, and the way they looked at Cavour shifted. They had seen those courting disaster, but never to such an extent of troublemaking.
Thomas, incredulous, asked, “Your Excellency Martic, is all this true?”
Martic produced a document and said, “Of course, here is the information from home, which everyone is welcome to view.
It contains detailed investigation results, and the identities of these individuals can be verified. This assassination attempt and the one in Paris are planned by the same group of people.
We have found that these people have been lurking in Vienna for more than half a year, and it was the Sardinian Government that provided the funding for them.”
Upon hearing this news, Prime Minister Cavour nearly fainted. Now that it was brought up publicly, the evidence was clear. Even if it wasn’t one hundred percent accurate, it would be a high-quality imitation.
Especially accusing the Sardinian Government of financing an assassination was nothing short of deadly. If this charge was confirmed, there was no need for further words; the Kingdom of Sardinia was doomed.
At this moment, Cavour was filled with regret. Had he known such individuals were in the Carbonari, he would never have allowed the government to provide them with funding.
Despite the organization’s contributions to the unification of the Italian area, its ability to cause trouble was terrifyingly formidable.
Assassinating the emperors of France and Austria, sparking a war between the two nations, and then unifying Italy. Such a brilliant plan could not be conceived by an ordinary person.
Even if someone dared to conceive it, a normal person wouldn’t dare implement it. Any slight error would cost lives.
Now they had caught a culprit from both sides. Cavour now understood why the Vienna Government’s stance had suddenly changed; anyone faced with such a situation would seek retaliation.
If they had received the news earlier, they could have thought of a way to resolve it. But they were caught off guard completely, without any chance to act.
Having briefly reviewed the funds, Thomas chose to remain silent. At this juncture, to intervene meant to be ready to face the wrath of France and Austria; clearly, the London Government was not prepared for that.
If France and Austria mistook this assassination as their instigation, that would be a real big trouble.
The overall strength of Europe’s four major countries was balanced; no single country could oppose two others, and diplomacy required caution from everyone.
Even if the Russians had won the Near East war, it was Russian-Austrian vs. England and France. If the Russians faced England and France alone, the outcome would be the same as in history.
Ivanov, the usually inconspicuous Russian representative, suddenly spoke, “Given the current complex situation, and the Sardinian Government being implicated in the assassination, relying on them to apprehend the culprit is no longer realistic.
I propose that we establish a joint investigation team, take temporary control of the Kingdom of Sardinia, conduct a comprehensive search, and completely eradicate this nefarious organization.”
Thomas’s interest piqued; this idea was good. International co-management was better than allowing France and Austria to divide it up, and the investigation of the culprits was just incidental.
He was extremely interested in the potential mastermind behind the scenes. Without apprehending this audacious mastermind, Thomas worried that one day they might target them as well.
Quick to agree, Thomas echoed, “Marquis Ivanov is correct, we cannot relax our efforts against this nefarious organization. Without eradicating them completely, the peace in Europe is always under threat.”
Every representative present was astute and quickly saw the benefits of a joint investigation. Naturally, they all responded in kind.
The attitude of the Sardinian Government was no longer important. Cavour thought of something but hesitated to speak. At this moment, to reject the joint investigation team’s presence would mean facing the Franco-Austrian allied forces.
Although the Vienna Government had no interest in the Kingdom of Sardinia, Cavour was unaware he had just missed the last opportunity to preserve sovereignty.
All that was left were France and Austria to express their positions. Martic appeared indifferent, leaving the stage for Auvergne.
“It is easy for the joint investigation team to enter the Kingdom of Sardinia, but considering the role the Sardinian Government played in this incident, we have reason to believe they will sabotage, destroy evidence, or even resort to assassination.
For the investigation to proceed smoothly, it is imperative to send troops to Sardinia, to support the actions of the investigation team.
As the most affected country, the French Government is willing to send eighty thousand troops to the Kingdom of Sardinia to ensure the smooth progress of the investigation.”
It’s easy to invite the gods, but difficult to send them away. Once the French Army entered the Kingdom of Sardinia, it would not be so simple to make them leave.
Martic responded with a gracious demeanor, “We have no objections. Without eradicating this evil organization, the peace of the European Continent will always be threatened.
The Austrian Government is willing to send three thousand troops to the Kingdom of Sardinia, in cooperation with the investigation team, to eradicate this nefarious organization.”
One sending eighty thousand troops, and the other sending three thousand—that significant a disparity made it clear what the attitudes of France and Austria were.
If it were the division of the Kingdom of Sardinia, Austria would certainly deploy more troops; clearly, this indicated that the Vienna Government had no interest in the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Everyone’s gaze turned towards Auvergne; eighty thousand French troops were nearly enough to occupy the Kingdom of Sardinia. To claim that it was not for the annexation of Sardinia would be unbelievable to anyone.
Thomas objected, “Mr. Auvergne, the number of troops you’re deploying is excessive. For ensuring the investigation proceeds smoothly, there is simply no need for so many.
Besides, with so many of our countries present, how can we let you take on all the responsibilities alone?
Let’s do this: the English Government will deploy five thousand troops to support the investigation team’s work, ensuring the stability of the Kingdom of Sardinia.”
It wasn’t that Thomas didn’t want to deploy more troops, but the London Government simply couldn’t spare more. Even if they could, it would be pointless, as deploying troops costs money.
The French were deploying troops in order to annex Sardinia, so no matter how many they sent, there would eventually be a time to recoup the costs. For them, this deployment honestly meant volunteering and fulfilling international responsibilities while also counterbalancing the French.
Then the scene became lively, as each country responded with either a hundred or two hundred, collectively conjuring up a peacekeeping force of one thousand.
They fully demonstrated what is called the spirit of internationalism, and as for countering France, everyone graciously left the limelight to the British to perform.
Auvergne, under uncomfortable scrutiny, made concessions, directly reducing the number of troops by thirty thousand. Still, the end result was much the same.
Including the thousand troops promised by the Russians, the combined allied forces barely scraped together a ten thousand, which was hardly enough to contain the French.
With no one willing to exert more effort, there was little Thomas could do.
This military deployment was entirely self-sufficient, and aside from gaining international reputation and a momentary sense of presence, there was no profit to be found.
If military containment was not feasible, then political and diplomatic containment would have to do. Thomas immediately decided to focus on his strengths and avoid weaknesses.
Recommended book: “I really will live forever.”
