Chapter 855 Conspiracy
Although some staff believed that this was a good time to defeat the Austrian Empire in one fell swoop, William IV felt that continuing the rule of the Hohenzollern family was the top priority.
The British were also hesitant to go to war because at this time they were still studying how to appropriate the heritage of the Orleans Dynasty.
Choose this time to start a war with Austria. If you win, there is no doubt that the whole world will be filled with the flags of the British Empire.
But what if it fails? So will the British Empire be counterattacked?
Almost all the colonies of the Austrian Empire are difficult to chew, and the colonies of France are also difficult to deal with. What if France and Austria join forces?
At this time, the British domestic economy had collapsed, the Scots might take up arms at any time, and the Chartists were marching around to cause trouble.
And will that idiot Pius IX continue to make any other unreasonable demands?
However, John Russell felt that the British Empire could always be invincible if it stood alone overseas. It only needed to consider the relationship between costs and benefits.
France's Texas, Austria's California, and Namibia are all colonies with excellent resources and relatively high development levels. They can be used to fill the economic crisis that Britain is experiencing at this time.
Tranquiba in Tamil Nadu and Serampore in Calcutta were worries for the British in the Indian subcontinent. By solving them, they would be able to get rid of two worries. Not only could they continue to monopolize India, but they could also control the Eastern Sea Route.
Faced with such huge profits, who can not be tempted? However, John Russell was still a thief. He felt that the Mediterranean fleet's combat power was somewhat insufficient at this time.
In 1848, the total number of battleships in the Mediterranean Fleet was as high as 35, including one first-class battleship, three second-class battleships, and thirty-one third-class battleships.
So he decided to send fifteen more battleships to the Mediterranean, including two of the latest paddle-wheel battleships.
In this way, Britain could suppress the navies of Austria and France in the Mediterranean, and then attack the colonies of the two countries.
John Russell did not intend to participate in the land battle. After all, the losses would be too great. Whether the Italians could unify Italy was actually not important to Britain.
And he actually still has a bit of luck, that is, he hopes that France and Austria will go to war, so that the British Empire will be completely effortless.
Palmerston scorned John Russell's plan, which he considered completely fanciful.
A thousand birds in the forest is worse than a bird in the hand. At this time, Britain should not go to war with France and Austria at the same time, because this would force the two European powers to unite.
The final result of the dispute between the two sides was that John Russell agreed to postpone the start of the war by one month. In fact, it would take a month to deploy the fleet to the Mediterranean.
As the younger brother of Britain, the Ottoman Empire naturally chose to keep up, but they also had their own selfish motives. After all, returning to the top was still very attractive to the Ottoman senior leaders headed by Meguid.
Especially when Miloš Obrenovic's plan looks very feasible, and the Belgrade defender has been replaced by a reckless man, maybe they can accomplish that great goal at a very small cost.
Moreover, Magid did not think that Belgrade would be the main battlefield. After all, this war was initiated by the Papal States, so the main battlefield should be in Northern Italy.
Carlo Alberto was a little wavering, because neither the expansion of the Papal State nor Austria's foothold in Northern Italy was in the interests of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
At this time, he only hopes that both sides can fight to the death, and then the Kingdom of Sardinia can pick a peach.
At this time, Carlo Alberto's most rational choice was to wait for the opportunity, but supporters of Mazzini and supporters of Pius IX had already begun to cause trouble in the Piedmont region.
At this time, nationalism was not only present in Germany, but also blossomed across the European continent, and the Kingdom of Sardinia was no exception.
Cesare Balbo, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia, felt that this was a good opportunity, because at this time, under the influence of Pius IX, the entire Italy was at war with Austria.
And according to his intelligence, Vienna can almost be regarded as anarchy at this time, with disorder and leaderlessness.
Therefore, as long as Carlo Alberto seizes the leadership of the war at this time, it will be equivalent to gaining the power to unify Italy.
Fueled by nationalism and religious fanaticism, the people's enthusiasm for war against Austria was also very high.
Cavour wrote in his newspaper "Renewal":
“The high point of the Sardinian monarchy has arrived… Faced with the events in Lombardy and Vienna, hesitation, doubt and delay are undesirable and the most disappointing policy.
We are clear-headed people, accustomed to following the dictates of reason rather than inner impulses, thinking word for word.
We must now earnestly declare that our country, our government, and our king have only one way out - war! ...If we fail to act in time, we will surely encounter misfortune! "
In this national enthusiasm Carlo Alberto was driven to the battlefield.
The addition of the Kingdom of Sardinia greatly ignited the enthusiasm of the Italians, but the situation was much worse than Pius IX expected.
Because both the British and the Ottomans would declare war on the Austrian Empire in a month, Prussia actually chose to withdraw from the war.
As for the reinforcements promised by the Spanish, Pius IX knew that it was a joke. Only Greater France still has some expectations
However, there is also an unexpected surprise, that is, the Hungarians are against Austria. The other party's civil strife will undoubtedly increase their chances of winning. At the same time, Landry Promy of the Polish Restoration Army also arrived in Rome.
Landry Promi expressed his willingness to help, but Pius IX wanted to help the former restore Poland after unifying Italy.
"Child, don't worry, I will not let God's people be ruled by heretics and hypocrites. It's just a matter of tithes."
"Don't worry! Your Majesty the Pope! We Poles are the most trustworthy and know how to repay kindness. As long as we revive Poland, we are willing to repay the debts we have owed over the years, but it may take a little longer."
Landry Prome said righteously.
"It doesn't matter! Children! As long as you still remember!"
Pius IX couldn't help but feel very relieved that finally a country's leader was willing to admit and repay the debt they owed.
But at this time, Landry Prome suddenly felt a little embarrassed and hesitated to speak. How could this escape the eyes of Pius IX?
He immediately asked: "My child, do you have anything to hide?"
Landry Prome sighed, "Well, His Majesty the Pope is telling you that our Polish Restoration Army was dispersed back then, and I need a sum of money to reorganize the team."
Pius IX showed a displeased look on his face and thought to himself: "Why should a polished commander talk to me about this?"
"But don't worry, His Majesty the Pope, our Polish Restoration Army has two hundred tons of gold hidden in Krakow. As soon as we recapture Krakow, we will immediately form a large army and go south."
"Okay! How much do you want?"
These two chapters have been overhauled. If there are any bugs in the plot, please notify me in time..