Chapter 602: Serbia’s Role
Anne received love across the Atlantic every day and cheered up the hostess of Arlington. She was sure that the Germans would definitely back down because the British navy would calm the Germans down. So the Moroccan crisis looked dangerous, but it would not become the fuse of a major war. Another war between Germany and France would only be because of internal European affairs.
In addition, the statement of the Russian Empire is very important. The Russian Empire should never be underestimated at any time. The fact that this country does nothing is already a threat. This is not just what Sheffield thinks, but many people around the world think so.
Is Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor, famous enough? He was the man who planned the unification of the German Empire. He only had two world powers in his eyes, and the German Empire itself was not one of them. The world powers in the eyes of the Iron Chancellor were the British Empire and the Russian Empire. Although the Russo-Japanese War was a bit lame, there were still many people who believed in the strength of the Russian Empire. The Russo-Japanese War was just a small-probability rollover event. Even the British who supported Japan in the Russo-Japanese War thought so.
Therefore, the view that the Russian Empire before World War I was strong on the outside but weak on the inside is not a common view in the world, but rather a purely minority opinion.
With the two great powers of Britain and Russia standing behind the French, there was no reason for the French to panic, and in fact, the French political circles were not panicking. With the slave owners' ability to count billions of dollars, public opinion was already moving in the direction of not letting a third country take advantage.
Receiving corny telegrams every day has become an indispensable part of Anne's life, although many of the contents are that the situation is not just good but great, and France will definitely survive this crisis. Danger and opportunity always coexist, and if handled properly, it is not impossible to gain huge benefits.
Of course, the premise is not to blindly follow the British, and to screen the British statements from the perspective of whether they are beneficial to the French. "The British strategy towards European countries is to find a weak ally to target the strong one. The British have never been interested in a united Europe, but only in Europeans killing each other."
"What do the British fear the most? Napoleon, who implemented the Continental Blockade. Although Britain relied on the support of its colonies to get through the difficult times during the Continental Blockade, they definitely don't want the past to happen again."
"The Germans are now far more powerful than other countries. The most important thing is to vigorously develop their navy, which poses a huge threat to Britain, an island country. When it comes to the German problem, France and Britain are absolutely equal, so the French political circles must not have the mentality of asking the British for help. Instead, they should show that if the Germans become stronger, France will definitely not lose more than the British. The British are the world's largest colonial empire."
"Who needs whom? We can't let the British have the upper hand psychologically just because Britain seems a little safer than France. The English Channel is actually not that wide."
The world order is dominated by Britain. The contradiction and competition between Britain and Germany is a key link. This competition and contradiction is first manifested in overseas and colonial issues. But as far as the European continent is concerned, Britain has never wanted to see the emergence of an overwhelming force. It is inconsistent with Britain's diplomatic tradition and security policy to sit back and watch Germany defeat France again and let it annex the Low Countries.
It had deep conflicts with France and Russia in Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. Germany and France even united to fight against Britain's influence in the Congo River region. France and Russia formed a military alliance. Russia, France and Germany also intervened in Liaodong together. Therefore, this anti-British alliance was not a fictitious imaginary thing. After all, the British were the hegemon that everyone wanted to challenge.
Slave owners have a characteristic that when analyzing problems, they completely stand on the side of their country. When Sheffield stands on the side of the Germans, he will wholeheartedly undermine the Allied Powers. The same is true when he stands on the side of the French.
Not only did he help his wife analyze the Germans' mentality, he also analyzed the possible reactions of neighboring countries and prevented the British from taking advantage. France paid the highest price among the Allied powers in World War I.
Although they finally won the victory they deserved, the situation after the war was actually worse. France and Russia have always had a good relationship. The Franco-Russian alliance was much more solid than the Anglo-French alliance, and it was also the trump card to contain Britain and gain equal status in the Allied Powers. However, after the war, the Russian Empire collapsed, and France could no longer use the power of the Russian Empire to balance the influence of the British.
As for how to use Italy to provoke the French, as a republican country, the slave owners have advanced experience in dealing with such countries. As long as it is a republican country, it is not difficult to manipulate public opinion.
Sheffield asked his wife to contact the United Company's branch in Rome and have an Italian noble, or a member of parliament, or something like that, leak some information about the Ottoman territory.
It doesn't really matter who said this, even if the person is just a beggar, as long as the words are heard by the people of Paris. It's just like when the United States built the Panama Canal, they didn't even talk to Colombia. They just found a local Panamanian family to sign a contract and forced Colombia to recognize it.
"It doesn't matter what the truth is. It's actually easier to manipulate public opinion in a republic than in an empire. We just need to let the citizens know about certain speeches. If Italy really takes military action in North Africa, my dear wife, this is ironclad evidence that the Germans are instigating the Italians to harm the interests of France. By taking over the last Ottoman enclave, all of North Africa except Egypt will fall into the hands of the French. Even if the British feel uncomfortable, they will hold their noses and bear it. At present, the British care more about the Germans, so we must firmly grasp this mentality."
Compared to Rasputin, who mingled in the upper class of the Russian Empire, Sheffield, the charlatan hiding on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, was even more outrageous. Now was the time to see whose predictions were more accurate. The battle for the first charlatan of the 20th century was still going on fiercely, but there was no doubt that the slave owners had seen the dawn of victory.
Everyone can make sense, but Anne still doesn't quite understand how to do it. How can she make others believe that it was the Germans who instructed the Italians to threaten the interests of the French? If during the diplomatic mediation of the Moroccan crisis, Italy has taken the risk of attacking North Africa, France may not have time to respond.
This is a problem. After seeing his wife's reply telegram, Sheffield was a little confused. How to frame the French? No, how to obtain intelligence that is beneficial to the French army's actions? A third party should be involved. The United States is obviously not suitable for this role.
A goal that is too big will easily arouse Europe's fear of North America. Sheffield fell into deep thought, "Let Russia play this role? No, the goal of the Russian Empire is too big."
Moreover, as a candidate for the first charlatan of the 20th century, Sheffield did not want Rasputin's help. This would damage the self-esteem of the boss of the United Company. After thinking about the results of the internationalization of the United Company, Sheffield had to call the head of the bodyguard Jesla over, "How is the relationship between our branch in the Balkan Peninsula and Serbia?"
The slave owners must also admit that the most international industry under the United Company has always been the Black Gold Transportation Company. After thinking for a long time, Sheffield could only set his sights on Serbia, the second brother of the Slavic world and the fuse of the world war.
Previously, the Austro-Hungarian Empire annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, hindering Serbia's expansion in the region, which Serbia was very dissatisfied with. The Austro-Hungarian Empire's annexation path aroused the indignation of the Yugoslavs. The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina also opposed the rule and enslavement of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and strongly demanded to merge with Serbia.
Ferdinand's assassination had a great deal to do with Serbia. Sheffield felt that it was very appropriate to let Serbia do this, a country that was not big but very difficult to deal with. Anyway, they were already dissatisfied with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so adding Italy would not be a big deal.
"You also know that my wife is returning home to visit her relatives. Now there is a dispute between the French and the Germans. Everyone knows that I have such a harmonious relationship with many German companies, but Anne is my wife. For me, a peace-loving businessman, the current situation is very painful." Sheffield sighed in front of the head of the bodyguards, originally wanting to create a good atmosphere.
"Once the war breaks out, a large number of residents will lose their homes. This will be of great help to the business of our Black Gold Company. For us, we are not afraid of world peace, but we are afraid of no war." Jessla spoke expressionlessly, thinking that his boss must have discovered a business opportunity again and was ready to let Black Gold Company make a big profit.
"Let's not talk about business today!" Sheffield failed to create an atmosphere and spoke awkwardly. He was completely misled by the bodyguard leader before he could finish his sentence, and his true nature was exposed. "But you know what, the outbreak of war is certainly a good thing for Black Gold Company. Wherever the order is destroyed, there we will be. But we can't pin our hopes on the French and Germans. These two countries are too strong for us at the moment. So we should look for some less powerful countries to start with. You should know my standards."
"A country stronger than Italy is truly a powerful country!" Jesla nodded. "Boss, just tell me the plan. I will contact the branch in the Balkan Peninsula."
"Okay!" Sheffield rubbed his hands and paced back and forth, saying to the head bodyguard, "I hope the Serbs can forge a telegram to express the Allies' support for Italy's military adventure. It doesn't matter whether it's true or not, and it doesn't matter who forged it. I hope this telegram will appear in the French Parliament at the appropriate time."
(End of this chapter)
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