Chapter 1254: Watching from all sides (Part 1)

Chapter 1254: Watching from all sides (Part 1)

Unlike the excited Louis Napoleon, the French cabinet and parliament were already in a mess.

France and Austria had signed an armistice agreement at this time. If Austria really sent troops to Spain and supported pro-Austrian forces to take power, France would probably never have peace.

Adding the Duke of Aumar in the south, France was surrounded by anti-French forces on three sides. This situation was unacceptable to the Republicans, the Napoleonists, and the Order Party.

The French were still very proud at this time, and they did not give up the fight for world hegemony. If the Austrians succeeded, it would be a problem whether they could dominate the world or not, and whether they could defend France.

"Damn it! We must help Isabelle II defend Spain!"

"Stupid! What can we get by helping Spain? Isabelle II is a bitch like her ungrateful mother!

Wasn't the July Monarchy ruined by its support for Spain?"

This sentence resonated with everyone. The Orleans Dynasty was many times stronger than it is now, but it was stuck in the muddy land of Spain.

Countless funds, personnel, and materials were invested in it, but a decisive victory was never achieved. Under such long-term consumption, the French army's spirit and France's national strength were exhausted.

What's more annoying is that Isabelle II was not trustworthy. Not only did she not send troops to help the Orleans Dynasty overcome difficulties, but she also cancelled her engagement with the Orleans royal family.

Now the Spanish royal family has repeated the same trick, and it is well deserved to be broken off by the Habsburg family.

"Isn't it Napoleon?"

This sentence is even more sad. How powerful was the Napoleonic Empire, how glorious was Napoleon I, and the First French Empire almost dominated Europe in fact.

It is still the quagmire of Spain that made France a giant with feet of clay.

"Then will we send troops?"

"What? Let the Austrians roll in the quagmire by themselves! Haha!"

"Haha!"

Louis Napoleon was obviously not so optimistic. He didn't believe that the man who almost fought against Europe independently in 1848 would fight a battle without confidence.

However, he would never send troops to aid Spain, as he believed that he was not as good as his uncle, Napoleon I.

Moreover, the reputation of the Spanish mother and daughter was really bad, not only because of their court secrets, but also because of their actions.

If they were a little restrained, they would not cause a war because of their personal behavior, but such people were also easy to use.

As long as someone explained the interests to the Spanish royal court and promised them huge benefits, they would definitely fight the Austrians to a loss.

At that time, France would be able to break the cage of the Vienna system, regain lost territory, and once again join the ranks of the world hegemony.

There were mainly two kinds of opposition voices in Austria. The first argument was that the wars launched by Franz were too intensive, and such a waste of money and labor would inevitably damage the foundation of the country.

As the saying goes, those who love war will perish.

The second was that Franz was too violent and not kind enough. Waging war is the behavior of a tyrant, and a kind and wise monarch should consider more peaceful means.

For example, diplomatic negotiations, or refuting the other party with classics, making the other party feel ashamed, and then correcting themselves.

Franz just smiled at these two views. There is truth, but not much.

Surprisingly, most people in the entire Austrian Empire supported the war. Due to the development of nationalism, the Austrians were actually very inflated.

But because Franz forcibly dissolved the National Assembly and sent a large number of so-called opinion leaders and nationalists to the colonies, the remaining people became quiet.

However, the excitement in their hearts could not be released and they felt uncomfortable all day long. At this time, the Austrian Empire wanted to go to war, and they naturally agreed with both hands.

On the other hand, because Franz attached great importance to propaganda, those remarks attacking Franz as a tyrant had no market among civilians.

Under the guidance of the church and the media, the people of Austria believed that Franz was launching a great war to liberate Spain and restore order to the chaotic world.

The top leaders of the empire felt that Franz's strategy was extremely brilliant. At this time, Austria was in a truce with Britain and France, and the armistice agreement between the two sides would not be reached until 1853 at the earliest.

Russia is Austria's ally. In fact, even if the Russians want to intervene, they may not have the energy to do so as they are in civil strife at this time.

As for the Ottomans, Prussia, Sardinia and the like, they are not a threat at all, and they all have their own troubles.

If they take over Spain and support a puppet to come to power, it is not impossible for the Habsburg family to relive their old dreams.

And after taking over Spain, the Austrian Empire will definitely be more short of officials than it is now, especially officials who can speak Spanish.

Then their ancient families will have an advantage, after all, civilians and small nobles do not have so much money and energy to learn so many languages.

In addition, post-war Spain must be rebuilt, and there will be many opportunities to make a fortune. For businessmen, it is a market of nearly 20 million people and a large number of colonies.

The colonies in Spain are highly developed and in key locations, which can solve many of Austria's overseas troubles.

For example, with Ceuta and the Canary Islands, the Austrian Empire no longer had to look at the faces of the British and Portuguese. It could connect its supply points in a line, greatly reducing the risks and costs of ocean voyages.

However, the happiest person was the church. In their view, this war needed to be added with the word "holy", after all, it was to save Christians.

If Isabel II and her daughter, these two blasphemous things could get a fair trial, it would be even more gratifying.

Although Isabel II and her daughter claimed to be devout believers and reused many church people.

However, the church did not recognize Isabel II and the priests under them as devout believers, mainly because these things were too blasphemous on weekdays.

Even the Spanish church, which was so rotten that it caught up, was ashamed to be associated with it.

Although the domestic support for the war was high, Franz did not choose to send troops rashly. His plan was to occupy Ceuta and the Canary Islands first.

In name, this was done to prevent Isabel II from escaping and to prevent the Spanish colonies from reinforcing the mainland.

In fact, this was done because the Austrian Empire Navy had limited manpower and could not launch an attack on Spain all over the world.

If the attack was too wide, it would lead to the dispersion of manpower, and the most taboo in naval warfare was to divide the troops.

Although Franz did not think that the Spanish fleet, which had not been updated for decades, could compete with the Austrian ironclad ships, it did not mean that other countries could not do it.

If you can conquer but cannot defend, you are making wedding clothes for others. In this case, Franz would rather not fight.

Cutting off the connection between Spain and overseas can reduce the fighting will of the Spanish colonies to the greatest extent, and at the same time prevent Spain from receiving reinforcements from the colonies.