Chapter 672: Secret Talks in Vienna (Fourth Update, Please Subscribe)

What is the UK going to do?

In fact, everyone knows what Britain’s answer is.

It is nothing more than Britain's usual policy - continental balance.

Britain implemented the "Continental Balance of Power Policy" and "Splendid Isolation Policy" and played the role of "offshore balancer", becoming the "Empire on which the Sun Never Sets" and acquiring a quarter of the world's land.

However, it is precisely because of this policy that they have a habit of betraying their teammates. What is balance? It means that there cannot be a No. 1 country. In this way, allies in the previous war will immediately become enemies, and the former enemies will become allies. This national strategy of betraying allies has caused the entire world to be extremely distrustful of Britain, resulting in them having no reliable alliance system.

Bismarck, the "Iron Chancellor" of Germany who possessed superb diplomatic skills, made a more vivid metaphor for the treacherous British: "Britain's foreign policy is to find scapegoats on the European continent who can resist the European hegemon for it."

Of course, this is aimed at strong and big countries. For small and weak countries like Italy, they certainly welcome the UK's "offshore balancing policy", because only in this way can they gain the support of the UK, and this is why Cummins appears here.

Because Italy needs the support of Britain! If Italy wants to achieve unification, it cannot do without the support of big countries. France is definitely out of the question. Then only Britain is left.

This is why Italy chose Britain. Because only Britain would support their demands for the Papal States!

Now that the French have revealed their plan, what about the British? How will Britain deal with the French conspiracy? As the British Prime Minister, Benjamin fell into silence.

There was even a moment when he believed that the British Empire was in unprecedented danger. For the first time, several powerful countries were united.

But is it really that simple?

Whether it is the French, the Russians, or even the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they all have their own goals and aspirations. How can they possibly reach a consensus on their interests?

Although Benjamin was a little skeptical about this, he had to be vigilant.

"The UK will continue to support Italy and will not remain silent if they attempt to undermine the interests of the UK and its allies."

Benjamin looked at the Italian ambassador Cummings. He certainly knew what the other party was looking for by coming here. What he was looking for was Britain's support.

"The British attitude remains unchanged as it has always been. We believe that Rome should be the eternal capital of Italy, not just the capital of one person."

Benjamin's answer was exactly what Italy wanted. Although everyone knew that this answer was a bit too empty. But this was just the beginning. As time went on, the cooperation between the two sides would deepen. After all, they had a common enemy.

What is the core of the international political game? It is nothing more than winning over friends and isolating enemies. When the Italians made their choice, in a castle in the suburbs of Vienna, the foreign ministers of the Ming Dynasty, France, Russia and the host Austria-Hungary Empire had been negotiating for two days.

The core of all the negotiations revolved around one key point - the Eastern Question!

This was a meeting to divide the spoils of the "Eastern Question". Of course, this "Eastern Question" refers to the Ottoman Empire that spans the Eurasian continent, not the Asian continent. If the four countries could not reach an agreement on the division of the spoils, then the "Eastern Question" would be shelved.

At the same time, each of them also had the Quadruple Alliance Treaty.

"If that doesn't work, then we'll exclude Austria-Hungary."

Faced with the Austro-Hungarian Empire's persistence in the Balkans, Russian Foreign Minister Gorchakov thought of the Tsar's instructions before leaving St. Petersburg.

Compared to the French, the differences between Russia and Austria-Hungary were greater. They both had their own ideas about the Balkans, or more precisely, they both wanted to make the Balkans their own.

"Russia is the guardian of all Orthodox Christians."

Once again, Gorchakov stressed the legitimacy of Russia’s demands on the Balkans.

"We are willing to join this alliance because it is our responsibility and obligation to the Orthodox Christians in the Balkans and other places. Russia has the responsibility to rescue them and liberate them from the rule of one believer."

At this moment, Russia's image seems to be great and glorious, but in fact, everyone knows that this is just an excuse.

"We can understand your religious feelings about the Balkans, but you must also understand that Austria-Hungary has its own territorial needs. In the past few hundred years, we have fought with the Turks for hundreds of years and we have lost a lot. It is time to take back those lands, not just what we have lost."

In the game of international politics, no one talks too much about historical emotions. Most of the time, they talk about interests.

Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust, the Austro-Hungarian foreign minister who had negotiated the Austrian-Hungarian dual monarchy a few years earlier, had been working to help restore the Habsburgs' international standing.

This is also the fundamental reason why he supports joining this alliance, because in this alliance, Austria can get more generous rewards.

"Your Excellency, I think every country sitting here today has its own wishes. As we all know, Austria is the leader of Germany, but Austria under the leadership of Prussia has been excluded from Germany. This is a historical reality. Our alliance is not just to get some rewards from Turkey. More importantly, we have to look to the future."

Zhu Guozhong spoke in fluent French while looking at the foreign ministers of the three countries.

"The future is the most important thing. Turkey is also very important. This is the basis of our cooperation. If we can reach an agreement on the Turkish issue, then in the future we will have the possibility to achieve our respective goals. If our four countries work together, no country can stop our actions."

Even if they didn't say it, everyone knew who would stop them. Who would stop them? Only Britain.

"Britain will not allow France to expand in North Africa, nor will it allow Austria to unify Germany, and certainly will not allow Russia to retake Constantinople. And certainly will not allow some of our little ideas in America."

Zhu Guozhong looked at them and said in a rather helpless tone.

"This is the reality. Why are we powerless to oppose the British obstruction? In the final analysis, it is because the power of our country alone is far from being able to challenge Britain. This is the fundamental reason why we join hands. Of course, this does not mean that there are no differences in interests between us. For example, the unification of Germany may threaten France and Russia, and Russia's expansion in the Balkans may pose a threat to Austria-Hungary. What we need now is to resolve this issue through negotiations, which is why we are here today. We all firmly believe that when we unite, no country in the world can challenge us. This is the fundamental reason why we must reach a consensus, otherwise, our ideas will always be just unattainable delusions."

When Zhu Guozhong's incarnation fell, French Foreign Minister Alexander stood up and applauded him, speaking while applauding.

"Gentlemen, the reason we are sitting here today is to reach a consensus. We can temporarily put aside some disputes and focus on our common interests - reaching the most basic consensus on the issue of dividing Turkey. What do you think?"

I have set up a book club: 335260551. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss and deduce the plot together.

(End of this chapter)