Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 98:
Chapter 98: Chapter 98, The British Conspiracy
Translator: 549690339
London
Prime Minister John Russell was troubled by the Italian issue. After the battle of Asa Venice ended, he knew trouble was brewing. If not handled properly, the interests of the Great Britain Empire in the Italian Area might be at risk.
“Mr. Palmerston, the Ausa war will be over soon. What stance do you think we should take?” John Russell asked.
Foreign Minister Palmerston responded calmly, “Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, we still have substantial interests in the Kingdom of Sardinia. To ensure the interests of the Great Britain Empire are protected, the Kingdom of Sardinia must be preserved.
However, we must also consider the attitude of the Austrians. This war was provoked by the People of Sardinian; they surely must be given an explanation!”
In this era, the theme of the world was the struggle for supremacy between England and Russia. The Great Britain Empire had not yet reached the pinnacle of power, and the Austrian Empire was also among the great powers, whose rightful interests should not be deprived.
Minister of State Henry John Temple frowned and said, “Mr. Palmerston, the problem now is that the Austrians will not let this go easily. No major power can tolerate provocations to its dignity without responding.
The People of Sardinian have already angered the Austrian Government this time, and to that end, they have compromised with the French. Intelligence from Paris indicates that a secret agreement may have already been signed between France and Austria.
If France and Austria join forces now, then the Kingdom of Sardinia will become history, even if we oppose it, it will be to no avail!”
On the Italian issue, England, France, and Austria had the most significant say due to geopolitical reasons. The Italian Area has always been a focal point of contest between France and Austria, with the British mediating in the middle to maintain balance.
In order to better contain France and Austria, after entering the 19th century, the British began spreading the idea of unification in Italy. After the outbreak of the European revolution, the London Government started supporting the Kingdom of Sardinia to unify Italy.
Without a doubt, this time they made a misstep. With just one hand extended, Austria crippled the Kingdom of Sardinia and even colluded with its competitor, France, in an attempt to divide Italy.
Palmerston slightly smiled and said, “Mr. Temple, things are not as bad as they seem. The French are fraught with internal contradictions, and they change governments faster than women change clothes.
The political stance of one government does not necessarily carry over to the next. If all else fails, we can wait for the next one.
As long as we put diplomatic pressure on them, the French government will not have the capacity to expand outward. Without French involvement, Austria doesn’t have the appetite to swallow the Kingdom of Sardinia whole.”
Upon hearing Palmerston’s analogy, everyone laughed. The British never skimp on a smile when it comes to mocking their old enemy, France.
If France and Austria were to join forces, there’d be nothing to do; no one could stop them from partitioning Italy.
But the French are currently not in their element. It’s only been a few months since the establishment of The Republican Government, and they have already had several government changes.
Initially, the British planned to support a pro-British government, but after seeing the speed at which the French changed governments, they halted their efforts.
They couldn’t keep up with the pace. Moreover, France experiences revolutions every so often and is rife with a mess of factions and groups.
Who knows who will be standing in the end?
If they backed the wrong horse, not only would it be a waste of resources, but gaining an enemy in return would mean a significant loss.
After a pause, Prime Minister Russell asked again, “Mr. Palmerston, how does the Foreign Office plan to persuade the Austrian Government? If they insist on destroying the Kingdom of Sardinia, what measures does the Foreign Office prepare to take?”
His intentions were quite clear, the involvement of the Great Britain Empire in the Italian matter was limited to diplomacy.
Direct military support for the Kingdom of Sardinia was out of the question. Whether they could win the war was a different issue, as under the policy of balance in Europe, Austria remained an essential part of the British continental strategy.
After some thought, Palmerston said, “Prime Minister, the Austrian Empire has just experienced an insurrection, and the rebellion in Hungary has yet to be quashed. Their most important issue at the moment is to address their internal conflicts.
They likely have no plans to annex the Kingdom of Sardinia, and even the Austria-France secret agreement might be a smokescreen. Metternich is a tough old fox to deal with, and the Kingdom of Sardinia will inevitably bleed heavily this time.
If the interests of the Italian Area cannot satisfy the Austrians, then we can appease them with the interests of the Balkans, letting them compete with the Ottomans for supremacy in the Near East!”
This was the Great Britain Empire’s most adept manoeuvre—shifting trouble to the east. The inherent weakness of the Ottoman Empire had not yet been exposed, and on the surface, they were still among the powers.
The Habsburg dynasty and the Ottoman Empire had been sworn enemies for centuries, fighting from the Middle Ages to the present, with hundreds of battles between them, embedding deep-seated hatred.
“The situation in the Near East is already complicated. If we encourage Austria to enter the fray, it will become even more chaotic. If the Austrian Government and the Russians join forces, are we able to control it?” Henry John Temple, Minister of State, questioned.
Austria and the Ottoman Empire are archenemies, their conflicts run deep, and with the support of the Great Britain Empire, the Austrian Government would certainly not mind suppressing this old foe.
However, the problem is that the Russians and the Ottomans are also archenemies. What’s more, Russia and Austria are allies. If they have a common enemy, it would be hard to keep them from uniting.
With palpable confidence, Palmerston explained, “It’s true that Russia and Austria are allies, but they also have conflicting interests in the Balkan region.
Austria has long set its sights on the Danube Basin, while the Russians’ appetite knows no bounds. Their conflict is inevitable, and when the time comes, the troublesome Russian-Austrian Alliance will naturally crumble!”
Interests are always the best catalyst. At present, the British considered the Russians their biggest enemy, with many of their foreign policies centered on countering Russian influence.
Defeating Russia, a formidable adversary unlike any they had faced before, with its powerful army and advantageous geographical position in the East of Europe, was no easy task.
To defeat the Russians, it was necessary to divide and isolate their allies first, and the British were very patient in this endeavor.
Vienna
After the victory in the battle of Venice, Franz had been considering the aftermath. For Austria, the Italian Area was like a piece of tasteless meat—neither nourishing nor worth discarding.
Occupying the Kingdom of Sardinia was easy, but ruling it was difficult.
“Mr. Metternich, what do the French say, when will they send troops?” Franz asked with concern.
Governing the Kingdom of Sardinia was not easy, but that did not impede using it to trap others. If he could lure the French into the fray, then the Great Britain Empire would not have the bandwidth to focus on Austria.
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