Chapter 532 An unexpected surprise
Others in the parliament hall, Albrecht didn't even bother to give their own comments.
The new Swedish king was afraid of the power of Russia and also of Britain, so he chose to keep his tail between his legs.
Oscar I thought that this way he could avoid offending both sides, but in the end, this vacillation offended both powers.
Gudas Calfe is the special envoy of the Queen of Portugal. He is indeed a capable person and plays an important role in reviving Portugal's economy.
But Gerdas Kalf is very aware of the strength of his country. Although he is not afraid, he is still in the embarrassment of having no place to live.
On the contrary, the Dutch businessman King William II seemed very excited. He felt that this was a major improvement in the international status of the Netherlands, and he was very grateful for the invitation to join the Austrian side, but just like the above, no one paid attention to it.
French Foreign Minister Napoleon Lannes de Montebello chose to remain silent. Although French King Louis Philippe gave the new Foreign Minister a lot of "chicken blood" before coming, he did not intend to "show off his skills."
Although Napoleon Lannes de Montebello was only 43 years old, he was already a veteran of three dynasties in France. And he can prosper in every dynasty, which shows the flexibility of his moral bottom line.
In fact, it was a wise move for France to choose to stay out of the matter, because France's power was too dispersed at this time and it was difficult to deal with emergencies. However, all officials in the country knew that war could break out at any time.
As for this crisis in the Near East, it is the British and Austrians who should be worried, and France can choose to sit back and reap the benefits.
Of course, it is not impossible to support a certain force spiritually. In short, the greater the gap between the anti-French alliances, the smaller the constraints on France.
Lord Serwell of Prussia began to chew the pig's trotters. After all, it had nothing to do with him. Instead of saying the wrong thing and getting into trouble, it was better to fill his stomach first.
In Lord Serwell's mind, the young man Ludwig von Lens was really a genius. How did he come up with the idea of eating pig's trotters at an international conference?
Lord Sewell felt that this method was really useful. This way he would no longer be nervous during meetings and would have something to do, but his body shape was getting "stronger".
As for the Danish side, they sent Ramond Ditlev, a famous orator in history. However, due to the limited national strength, he was the most inconspicuous one.
What was supposed to be a solemn and tense international conference turned out to be a little funny after Albrecht analyzed it.
Albrecht did not like this kind of meeting, and he did not want to beat around the bush.
"Mr. George Hamilton, your offer is tempting, but our country has no ambitions for Serbia and will not annex it.
At the same time, we once again reiterate our view that we respect the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire and its dependent countries, and are willing to contribute to peace in the Near East and even Europe.
But Russia's rights and interests must also be safeguarded, which is related to national honor and dignity. "
Neserlov was quite satisfied with this answer. After all, he was waiting for the Austrians to express their stance.
Andrei Uvarov was actually ordered to come to Vienna, but after all, he was too young to represent the Tsar on such an important occasion.
But this favorite of Tsar Nicholas I had proven his strength time and time again. He has a very keen sense of the international situation and knows the rules of this game.
That is which side the Austrian Empire stands on, whichever side will be the ultimate winner. The next strongest countries could not affect the situation at all, and Prussia had no choice but to choose Austria to stand on the united front, otherwise it would be the first to suffer misfortune.
If the French are wise enough, they will not get involved in this Near East crisis.
The actual development was as he expected, so Neserlov's confidence increased greatly.
Then there was a tug-of-war between Russia and Britain, and representatives from other countries were completely speechless.
This also included the Ottoman Empire as the host. Reza Pasha could only silently pray that the British would win, and at the same time pray that Russia would not be angry with him. There was no doubt that he could not afford to offend either party.
The first day of the meeting did not produce any results, but after testing, the three parties already roughly knew the so-called bottom line.
The rest is haggling, and of course there are people who don't understand clearly, such as Lord George Hamilton.
He went directly to Archduke Albrecht and expressed his willingness to support Austria's territorial claims in Italy.
The British routine is still to be generous to others. Fortunately, Franz urgently gave Archduke Albrecht some popular science.
Now the latter could see through this trick very easily, which made him admire his nephew with great admiration and at the same time despise these diplomats who were fooled around by a child.
Seeing Albrecht's seemingly unmoved look, George Hamilton made a proposal that he would regret for the rest of his life.
"Archduke Albrecht, if you are willing to do me this small favor, I am willing to sponsor you with ten thousand pounds."
Archduke Karl was originally the richest nobleman in Austria. In addition, he invested heavily in the royal industry (Franz's industry), so his assets have increased several times compared with history.
Ten thousand pounds was really a pitiful amount for Albrecht, the future Grand Duke of Cieszyn.
He said with a little pity for the other party's proposal.
"Sir Hamilton, if you can help me, how about I give you one hundred thousand pounds?"
George Hamilton's eyes suddenly lit up when he heard one hundred thousand pounds. He didn't hear the other party's ridicule at all, and he swallowed a mouthful of saliva and whispered.
"Grand Duke, are you serious?"
Albrecht was very surprised by the other party's reaction, but he knew very well that this face looked like he was blinded by money.
Albrecht nodded seriously. He knew that there were not many opportunities like this. Problems that could be solved with money were not problems.
If he could really buy a high-ranking British official with money, it would be a very good deal, but he didn't know how Franz would use the guy in front of him.
"Sir Hamilton, I have an appointment now. There will be a ball at my manor tomorrow night. Please be sure to attend it. We will discuss it in detail then."
Albrecht motioned for Adjani, who was waiting on the side, to come over. The latter was not the former's date, but it was perfect as a shield. After all, who can refuse the invitation of a beautiful woman?
In fact, Adjani was sent by Franz to pick up Albrecht. He must know how the situation at the meeting will develop before he can make the next move.
When George Hamilton saw Adjani approaching, he naturally "understood" what Archduke Albrecht meant.
"What a charming young lady. You should have introduced her to me earlier." Even the well-informed George Hamilton still praised her.
"I'm sorry for being rude. This is Miss Adjani, the Royal Attendant."
"This is Lord Hamilton, the British Ambassador."
Albrecht gave a brief introduction.
George Hamilton subconsciously extended his hand, and Adjani naturally knew the British hand-kissing ceremony. The latter did not want to spoil the ambassador's interest, so she could only extend her hand.
The former kissed her greedily.
"Your beauty is the only one I've ever seen in my life. Can I enjoy it at the ball at the Grand Duke's house tomorrow?"
Adjani quickly retracted her hand.
"Sorry, I'm afraid that won't work. I have a child to take care of."
Sorry, I couldn't add an update today. My hand was scratched by a cat. Although it was not serious, I still needed an injection.
I was teasing an Alaskan dog today, but the dog was so playful that I knocked him down, and by chance, my hand just happened to pin down a domestic cat.