Chapter 374 Eating a big bowl with tears

Chapter 374 Eating a big bowl with tears

January 1, 1843, New Year's Day.

10 Downing Street, London, UK.

"The whole of Belgium has fallen, and the Netherlands declares that it respects the territorial integrity of Luxembourg!" These two important messages reached the UK at the same time, which shocked the cabinet members who were still enjoying their afternoon tea and almost spit out all the black tea they had drank; they immediately Throwing away the cookies in his hand, he hurried to the Prime Minister's Office to attend an emergency meeting.

"Damn it, that Wilhelm II really has no backbone at all. He was ready to surrender before a shot was fired. But what happened to Belgium? I have seen their Leopold I. This man is a tough guy and shouldn't be so quick. Just surrender." Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne said helplessly.

"It is said that he was unfortunately captured when he led his troops out of the city to fight against the German Confederate troops." Lord John Russell replied.

"The King of the Netherlands is a timid, fearful waste with no foresight. We can no longer tolerate this. We must force him to go to war with the German Confederation." Palmerston suggested.

At this time, Secretary of War John Seth raised a question. This is military common sense that politicians have ignored.

"Have you ever thought about how Austria and Prussia reached Belgium when the war started just a few days ago? Did they fly there?"

It's just that this most critical point has been ignored by politicians, who are in no mood to discuss the minutiae of strategy and tactics.

"Okay, we don't have the time or energy to think about anything else. The first priority now is to urge the Dutch to hold on and resist to the end. We also need to contact the French to send troops to Wallonia, so that those bastards of the German Confederation can tell what they are. A powerful enough threat. We must immediately promote a Franco-Dutch-Belgian alliance."

Words cannot express the mood of Viscount Melbourne at this moment. He has already felt that the crisis is approaching. In less than a week, all of Belgium has fallen, which is really unexpected.

"Any news from Russia?" asked Palmerston.

"It's very unfortunate that it's winter now. If I think of St. Petersburg, I have to pass through Hamburg and Berlin first, and then take a half-month carriage ride." A cabinet member waved his hand helplessly.

"Damn it!" Palmerston finally began to become impatient at this time, because he seemed to feel that he and Britain had become the prey of others.

It seems that the Russians can no longer quench their thirst from far away, and now they can only place their hopes on the French.

In fact, there are other reasons why the British are unwilling to land in Europe, that is, they do not have enough troops to devote to land warfare. Moreover, the European War decades ago made everyone understand that the war with the great powers is a waste of time. The costs and losses are huge, and the losses outweigh the gains for any country.

"We can negotiate and resolve this crisis peacefully," John Russell proposed.

This is the best idea he can think of. After all, the situation is out of control at this time. It will take time for the United Kingdom to reverse the unfavorable situation, and this is the only way to go now.

"But now Pu'ao has the advantage, so how can it possibly negotiate with us?"

Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne understood what John Russell meant, but the reason why Prussia and Austria were able to capture Belgium in a short time must have been planned for a long time.

Now that Belgium is occupied, the Netherlands has promised to make concessions, and Prussia and Austria have achieved their set goals. What they have to do at this time is to end the war and force the other party to sign a city alliance, rather than resolve the dispute through words.

"No, I think they will accept this proposal, because in order to end the war, they need our recognition. In other words, as long as we do not sign the contract, this war will not end."

Palmerston expressed his inner views with great certainty. He believed in the influence of Britain at the moment and believed in his own judgment even more.

Others also felt that what Palmerston said was indeed reasonable, and then another piece of good news came.

"France has decided to send troops!" a cabinet member shouted excitedly.

Historically, it was the French who sent troops to scare away the Dutch and allow Belgium to gain real independence. At this time, France decided to send troops, and it must have been prepared to fight to the end with the German Confederation.

The cabinet members all analyzed this. The London stock market soared the next day, and businessmen celebrated like crazy. Even Lionel Rothschild, who had previously stood still, began to make big moves.

The machines in the world's factories began to spin at full speed. Faced with an overwhelming number of orders, factory owners raised workers' wages to prepare for a share of the feast that followed.

France, Paris, Palais Tuaileries.

Louis-Philippe frowned upon the envoy from Vienna.

"Does your country want me to usurp my son-in-law's territory?"

"No, just take him under your protection. The new Grand Duchy of Belgium will have only French-speaking inhabitants, who will accept French law and be led by you and your son-in-law."

Johann von Wiesenborn briefly served as Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire, but at this time he was only a little-known diplomat.

Although Louis Philippe was very unhappy on the surface, he was relieved in his heart. The speed of the opponent's advance is surprising, and their occupation of Belgium has an extra layer of meaning.

This land used to be called the Austrian Netherlands, and Louis Philippe's previous hesitation was due to fear that the Austrians would want to revisit the old dream. If they were allowed to build an enclave at their doorstep, wouldn't it make the whole of France sleepless?

However, the conditions proposed by Austria this time are quite generous. They only want to return Luxembourg's territory and turn Liège into a free trade zone.

And our side will get the Walloon territory except Liège and West Luxembourg, which has an educated and high-quality population of more than one million; it is also rich in coal and iron resources, making France covet it.

The conditions offered by the other side of the strait were to assign Luxembourg to France after defeating the German Confederation and to allow the establishment of a Franco-Belgian customs union. In comparison, it is obvious that the commitment given by the Austrians was much more affordable.

If they really sent out troops rashly as the British requested, I am afraid that the first batch of French troops to enter Wallonia would have become prisoners by now.

Although France was expanding crazily at this time, its power was actually stretched thin. The French invested a lot in the colonies. At first, they could rely on bankers, but as time went by, their shortcomings became apparent.

With the exception of Texas, all the French colonies were losing money. One was because input-output was not proportional, and the other was because maintenance costs were staggeringly high.

All of this is of course due to the obstruction of the United Kingdom and the United States. If France really chooses to fight to the end with the German Confederation at this time, I am afraid that Louis Philippe will follow the footsteps of Louis XVI within a few months, because the national treasury has been The whole country is relying on debt to survive.

Of course, it is due to the very covert methods. Many great powers are unaware of the emptiness within France, including Franz. That is why he is working non-stop to provoke conflicts between the two powers of Britain and France. He does not know that France today is We are already stretched thin and struggling to cope.

All-out war with the German Confederacy? Louis Philippe would definitely not choose this. He was still thinking about how to use political means to keep Belgium.

Fortunately, the Austrians had found a solution for him, just as someone happened to give him a pillow when he was about to rest; but the "kind-hearted" Louis Philippe still had to pretend to be reluctant and tearfully divided Belgium.