Chapter 513: Turning against guests
Both Britain and Russia intend to kick the ball to Austria to test its attitude towards the Near East issue. However, Franz did not intend to do what they wanted, so he made a special trip to visit Metternich.
It is difficult for a busy person like His Excellency the Prince to reach the top of the world for ordinary subjects and low-level officials of the empire. Even if the wealthy businessmen are powerful, as long as they are not at the level of Rothschild, if they want to meet the Prime Minister, they will basically have to start with years. After all, The Prime Minister's appointment has been scheduled for two years.
But it is not a problem for the royal prince. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Franz got straight to the point.
"Your Excellency, I think you should convene an international conference to discuss the current situation with the great powers."
His response to Britain and France's kick was to kick it back, which would also enhance the empire's influence.
Because being the convener and host of such an international conference is very beneficial to a country's international prestige and influence.
By analogy, if a country originally called on all countries to discuss important matters together, but was let go midway, its reputation would also suffer a great decline.
For example, in the previous London Conference, all four parties including Austria, France, Russia, and France were absent for their own reasons. In the end, the isolated British could only force a bunch of small countries to enjoy themselves there, and they had to make a fool of themselves.
But this time, Vienna was not afraid of threats and retaliation from London. After all, both Britain and Russia were begging it at this time, and Prussia, which had suffered in two consecutive crises, did not dare to confront it head-on.
Therefore, instead of waiting for others to die, it is better to take the initiative and at least seize the immediate benefits first.
Fame is illusory and dispensable for some countries, but for the ancient empire of Austria, it is a vital link because it is one of the links that maintains this country.
Metternich was essentially a person who paid great attention to national prestige. However, he had been influenced by other powers (mainly Britain) in a series of previous confrontations, and he felt that actual interests should come first, so he was full of ambitions at this time. asked questioningly.
"Your Highness, you must know very well that at this time, Britain, Russia, and even France and Prussia are waiting for our reply or preparing to laugh at our jokes.
Wouldn't it be inappropriate if we take the initiative to take over the Near East issue now?
Moreover, the U.S.-Mexico War on the other side of the ocean has endangered our country's vital interests. You should know that the Austrian-Mexican Joint Development Company turns over more than 50 million florins in profits to the state treasury every year."
You must know that Mexico's total annual fiscal revenue at this time was only 40 million pesos (approximately 88 million florins).
Fifty million florins was equivalent to 10% of Austria's fiscal revenue at this time, which was almost twice that of the Kingdom of Hungary, equivalent to the revenue of Lombardy, slightly lower than that of Venetia, and approximately equal to one-half A bohemia.
It is obvious that the Prime Minister's actual thoughts are not consistent with what he usually advocates on stage. He attaches great importance to the benefits of this "overseas enclave".
In addition, let’s talk about why the OMM Joint Development Company was able to pay an additional 50 million florins to Vienna after paying 70% of its net income to the Mexican government.
Because at this time Mexico actually owed Austria hundreds of millions of florins in foreign debt, and this number was still rising.
Otherwise, why would the Mexicans have been waging civil war for years? Where did the luxurious life of Tasan Anna and his cronies come from? How did they build the largest opera house in the world?
Although the empire sacrificed a lot of profits, it actually still made some money, not to mention the gold mines in California.
But for Austria at this time, a transoceanic war was still too far away, and doing so when the attitudes of the great powers were unclear was tantamount to seeking death. Even if it was endorsed by the great powers, the risks and costs would be too uneconomical. .
Although Mexico is important to the development of today's empire, it can only be temporarily set aside. If you bite off more than you can chew, once you get involved in North American affairs, you will be giving your own leverage to the enemy.
"Your Excellency, we cannot expose our weaknesses to the enemy. We must believe that justice will prevail."
Faced with Franz's words, Metternich was a little confused. Although the United States was the invader, they claimed that they were the righteous party, while Tasan Anna was the evil tyrant. It was the Mexicans who asked the Americans to come. "liberate" them.
However, these propagandas are just the opposite in Europe. Tasan Anna is a "civilized man", while the United States is the representative of barbarism and backwardness.
"This is a barbaric war that tramples on civilization." - "Good Night, Vienna"
But as the Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire and a true insider, Metternich actually knew that neither party was as "civilized" as they advertised, so he asked, "But who is the just party?"
"Of course it's the party with more money and greater caliber." Franz replied without thinking.
Metternich felt very speechless. Is this the "born saint" that the archbishop talked about? Why does it feel like the conscience is darker than those black-hearted businessmen? But after he thought about it carefully, it seemed to make sense.
Austria's opposition to foreign policy soon bore fruit. Although the troublemaker Palmerston wanted to stir up trouble, he still voted in favor of Britain's participation in the Congress of Vienna.
Tsar Nicholas I was also interested in testing the tone of this Western ally. After all, the Balkans represented Austria's traditional strategic direction. Although Austria seemed to have little interest in it at this time, everything still remained superficial and did not touch on the fundamentals.
Prussia's response was indeed not unexpected. Their poor performance in the previous two crises caused its status in the German Confederation to plummet.
At this time, I naturally did not dare to go against my powerful neighbor in the south, so I readily agreed.
Louis-Philippe himself was not very interested in the crisis in the Near East, but the church and French officials with a little strategic vision strongly expressed their willingness to participate in this conference.
After all, the Ottoman legacy will affect the pattern of world power, at least in the Near East.
In fact, Algeria now occupied by France itself belongs to Ottoman territory, and the strength of Russia is a threat to the entire Europe...
Therefore, representatives of the major European powers will rush to Vienna to attend this upcoming international conference. The purpose is naturally to deal with the issue of the second Near East crisis (sheep eating soil).
As the great powers set their sights on Vienna, a conspiracy was brewing in the mountains of Switzerland.
Ticeno canton is located in the southernmost part of Switzerland and borders Sardinia and Austrian Northern Italy. It is the only channel for the Orthodox Alliance to communicate with the outside world. It also shoulders the important task of transporting supplies to other Orthodox Alliance regions.
Historically, it was not without reason that the Swiss Protestant League (the liberals at this time) could completely defeat the Catholic League (the Orthodox). At least in terms of talent, it was a completely crushing victory.
The leader of the liberals, Joseph Loy, spent only 130,000 francs to bribe the governor of Ticeno and persuaded him to appoint the liberal general Marlo Condor as the commander of the garrison of Ticeno. Go to the next city first.