Chapter 1146 The Eve of the Storm
In fact, all this was done by Viscount Stratford on his own initiative. Reshid Pasha did not dare to order the Austrian staff to leave.
However, the former was already used to it. As a diplomat of the world's most powerful country, he was qualified to be domineering. The more arrogant the British were, the more respectful and obedient the other side would be.
This move was successful from North America to the Far East, and it was the most commonly used method by British diplomats - to show their power.
However, the effect seemed a bit strange this time. The Austrian Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not send anyone to negotiate, but the army surrounded the place.
Viscount Stratford and most of the senior members of the British mission had seen big scenes. They still had to eat and rest. After all, there was a time difference between London and Vienna.
However, Reshid Pasha was not so calm. The footsteps outside the fence made him restless, especially the triangle iron that sounded from time to time made him feel as if he was back on the battlefield.
He woke up from his dreams countless times, and when he walked to the window, he felt that countless eyes were staring at him, causing the concubines to complain.
He could only curse in his heart.
"Stupid woman! Can't you see the dangers are everywhere!"
The ambassador himself looked so uneasy, not to mention the other accompanying officials and servants.
Since Austria and the Ottoman Empire were sworn enemies, the latter was very afraid that the former would poison them, or directly send people to rush in and kill them all.
A few days later, a group of people from the British and Ottoman missions began to try to secretly contact Austrian staff when receiving daily supplies.
Some people planned to surrender, some planned to sell intelligence, and some even wanted to be long-term informants.
After a while, Viscount Stratford finally noticed something was wrong. The Austrians didn't seem to be teasing him, but really planned to "protect" them until the beginning of the peace conference.
Viscount Stratford's premonition was right, and Prince Schwarzenberg really planned to do so. The standards of this Vienna Peace Conference were too low, and it was not qualified for Franz to personally preside over it.
Franz's request to Prince Schwarzenberg was to try to keep the British from contacting other countries' missions as little as possible before the peace conference began.
After all, the British are really good at conspiring and scheming, so we have to be on guard. And because of the successful export of British values, pro-British factions are common in various countries.
In fact, there are also many pro-French factions, but the human nature of admiring the strong makes the world's number one superpower have more fans.
Who knows if there will be any unexpected scenes, and Franz doesn't want any accidents to happen in his home field.
But the accident still came. The French delegation, which had just met with Franz, went to war with the Russian delegation in entertainment venues in Vienna.
Pubs, theaters, parks, department stores, and even brothels and casinos.
The members of the Russian and French delegations had a fierce fight, and at least more than 50 people were injured on both sides. As a result, the two sides encountered another war at the Vienna General Hospital.
In fact, Franz had expected that the two sides would clash, but he didn't expect the conflict to be so fierce. Fortunately, the weapons of both sides were confiscated in advance, and there were entourages to accompany them, otherwise it would be a lot of fun.
In fact, as the only republican country at this conference, France itself is an outlier.
Moreover, the French have a very bad habit. They like to export their own values. Coincidentally, the Russians at this time also have the same hobby, so the two sides had a cordial and friendly exchange.
The French felt deep malice as soon as they arrived in Vienna, because the envoys of other countries lived in palaces or private houses of nobles, but they had to live in the embassy.
The audience was just a formality. The new emperor of the Austrian Empire neither felt any guilt towards the great France nor released any goodwill.
In fact, Franz knew very well what the French came to do, and he would not use his warm face to stick to their cold buttocks.
Franz hated these audiences very much. In addition to the collective audience of the envoys every day, many people liked to submit their names and meet individually.
In addition to the daily affairs report, Franz felt a little overwhelmed.
On weekdays, when the secret agents of the Violet Knights came to report the news, Franz would be interested in teasing them. But now he just wants to sleep, and even let Fleglova take over these intelligence work temporarily.
Since he ascended the throne, Franz has rarely dealt with affairs directly, but just making decisions is enough to worry him, and now he has to receive these shitty delegations.
The affairs of the Russians and the French cannot be left alone, although the Russians are allies and the French will definitely stand on the opposite side of Austria.
But Franz cannot show it too obviously, he still has to send people to send gifts to express his condolences. It is not advisable to directly surround people like Prince Schwarzenberg and restrict the French from traveling.
At least at this time, it is necessary to show on the surface that Austria wants to win over the French, so that the British can bleed more.
As the deputy envoy of the delegation, Alexis de Tocqueville has really felt differently.
That is, Louis Napoleon is not as friendly as he seems, and he is trying his best to marginalize the Order Party.
In fact, it is not just the Order Party, all parties that are not Louis Napoleon's direct line are being excluded.
This time, the Vienna Peace Conference seems to be Napoleon giving the credit to the Order Party. After all, France participated as a victorious country, but the situation was not as good as imagined.
It is almost impossible for France to gain as much benefit as possible without offending Britain.
Only the British care about Cyprus. In the eyes of Austrians and Russians, a small island in the Mediterranean is insignificant. Even the Ottomans may not pay much attention to it.
And no matter what France does, it will offend Greece. After all, the former cannot return the latter's territory like Austria did.
There are too few chips in hand, and it is unrealistic to take too many things from the negotiation table. In addition, the established pro-British line at this time made the French delegation almost lose room for maneuver.
You must know that France is an outlier among the powers at this time, and Russia and Austria are the bases of the monarchy. The two sides are naturally in an opposing position, and Louis Napoleon chose to stand on the side of the British.
Let alone the results this time, it is a question whether this delegation, which is mainly composed of members of the Order Party, can get away unscathed.
The Russians dared to beat the French in the street, which was obviously done deliberately by the Austrian side.
Thinking of this time, Tocqueville's disgust for Louis Napoleon increased a little.
It is not uncommon to kill someone with a borrowed knife in the political arena. However, at this time when France was in its most difficult moment, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to take action against the Order Party.