Chapter 237: International political diplomacy

At a critical juncture, the bureaucrats of the Tsarist government were rare and efficient.
Everyone is a clever person who knows the seriousness of the consequences. If he had no eyesight, he would have been eliminated in the internal struggle of the bureaucracy.
With such a large demand for weapons and ammunition, obviously it cannot be taken out at once, and it must be ordered for production. Even if Franz was prepared, it would not be possible to hoard hundreds of huge artillery pieces and tens of thousands of tons of artillery shells and leave them there.
If the Russians do not buy, who can he sell these arms to?
The Austrian Army does not have access to these big guys who are inconvenient to move. The navy is a poor ghost. It simply does not have the money to purchase so many artillery pieces. Moreover, coastal defense does not need so many artillery pieces.
After the decision was made, the Tsarist government immediately sent someone to place an order with Austria. Unfortunately, the production capacity of the artillery was insufficient.
Since the Austrian Army usually purchases up to 6- and 12-pound guns, these are the most commonly used active-duty equipment, and 24-pound field guns are rarely equipped. Most naval cruisers of this era were 24 pound guns, and the capital ships were equipped with 48 pound guns.
Now also attacking the fortifications of Constantinople, the power of these artillery is obviously not enough. The Russians needed heavy cannons of more than 68 pounds. Obviously most of these guns were used as shore guns, and the actual demand was very small.
(Note: The caliber error of artillery in this era is relatively large. The error of several millimeters of the same section of the same batch is a common thing; the same gun, produced by different arsenals, the caliber error may be as high as a dozen millimeters. Use the caliber to measure the size of the gun. Would be out of date.)
These heavy artillery were not only siege weapons, but even the British and French warships were enough to cause deadly threats. Obviously, the Russians wanted to change the current dilemma of passive beatings.
The market demand is small, and naturally there are fewer production lines set up by military enterprises. Many arsenals only have the ability to produce large artillery. It will take time to open the production line after the order is received.
Not enough capacity? It doesn't matter, aren't Russia and Austria allies? Franz is an enthusiastic person, and active-duty equipment can also be sold. As long as the Austrian army has it, just pick it.
The era of breech art is about to come, these artillery will be eliminated soon, and now it should be replaced in advance.
Junk? You don't have to buy it. After a few months, new products will be available.
Obviously, the Tsarist government can't wait, and the frontline Russian army can't wait. Regardless of what is old and not old, it can be used normally, and it is a big deal for Austrians to provide after-sales maintenance services.
Even the artillery ordered by the Austrian Navy was cut off by the Russians. After all, the Navy did not fight in a short time, so it is better to satisfy allies for Russia-Austria friendship!
It turns out that any plan is ideal. After more than two months of delay, Austria only collected more than 150 cannons, and the rest could only be counted with 24 pounds and 48 pounds.
The artillery was in hand and meant that it was ready to attack. It is easy to transport from Austria to Bulgaria via the Danube River, and it is more troublesome to transport to the front.
Moving the big guys with tens of tons or hundreds of tons is quite troublesome to transport. Originally, these artillery were used as shore guns. As long as the power is large enough, it does not matter if it is heavier or larger. It is naturally troublesome to transport it now.
The artillery was not in place, and Menshekov slowed down the frontline offensive. He did not want the Russian army to die for nothing. The gray animals were worthless, but if they died more, it would be distressing!
...
Athens
The Secretary of the Army said terrorly: "His Majesty, the British crossed the border and entered our borders on the grounds of pursuing the enemy. This is a document sent from the front. Please tell me what to do.
Otto I flicked through the files, what should I do? Do you need to ask such a simple question? Of course nothing.
Block the British, they don't have that strength. It is even more impossible to help the British to defeat the soldiers. No matter how the Greek government is, it cannot be shameless.
"Let the local governments find a way to hide the soldiers who have fled back. If not, send them back. You must be careful not to let the British grasp the handle." Otto I ordered
At this point, it's not going to work without paying a price. Politically, the British approach actually gave him a chance to get out.
The British Empire is a maritime overlord and top power. Losing to them is more acceptable to the people than losing to the Ottomans.
This is not because the government has not worked hard, it is really that the enemy is too powerful.
If Otto I was shameless, they could also brag about how they attacked the Ottoman Empire. They did not expect that they would be attacked by the British, and they lost it. This is a crime of non-war.
As for whether it will cause a wave of anti-British anti-British civil affairs, we can't care so much now. Since the last conflict between Britain and Greece, the relationship between the two countries has not been good, and it may be necessary to add another.
The Foreign Minister reminded: "His Majesty, judging from the current situation, the results of the Near East War have nothing to do with us.
The British army entered the Greek peninsula. Now that we have lost our choice, we must consider the aftermath. "
Although they have confidence in the Russians, the British are here. If they don't want to do anything and wait for the Russians to win, they will first become exile governments.
Thinking of Otto I here, I had a headache. My family had just been kicked out of the Bavarian kingdom. If it had not been for Austria ’s attention and exchange of the Lombard throne, it would be the government in exile.
Now that the family's resources are devoted to the Kingdom of Lombardy, there is no energy to support him again. After so many years of pure investment, no return can be seen, and many people in the family are dissatisfied.
In history, after the abdication of Otto I, the Bavarian royal family was sent to take over the throne. As a result, his brother and nephew were unwilling to take over the mess, and it was George I's turn.
Without external support, the problems he faced were more troublesome than in history, and if they were bad, they would be ousted by the British.
After lingering a few steps, Otto I said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send someone to negotiate with the British secretly, and the situation can only be stopped.
At the same time, I sent people to contact the Russians, French, and Austrians. Presumably they did not want to see the British family dominate. Now we need their diplomatic support. "
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Foreign Minister replied.
This is the era of the great powers. Without the support of the great powers, it is difficult for them to get out of this crisis this time.
...
It turns out that Otto I's judgment was accurate. Although the Greek kingdom has poor economic strength, underdeveloped economy, and inadequate resources, it does not have much interest in itself, but their geographical location is good.
The Russians could not tolerate the British's dominance here, blocking their way into the Mediterranean; the French did not want to see the British expand their power in the Near East and affect their interests.
Not to mention Austria, out of the Adriatic Sea is Greece, making the British here bigger, but also threatening Austria's maritime security.
...
Vienna
After receiving help from the Greek government, Franz decided to intervene in the actions of the British in Greece, and how to intervene became a problem.
Armed interference is not possible, unless he sends the Austrian army over, the navy will not count, the Austrian navy will not be qualified.
Metternich suggested: "Your Majesty, this time we can join forces with the French, and Napoleon III will not be willing to watch the British take their power.
In the Mediterranean region, as long as our two countries reach an agreement, the British cannot fail to ignore it. "
Yes, the French and Austrian navies are not likely to be the opponents of the British, but there are more British colonies and naturally more areas where the navy is stationed.
In contrast, the Austrian navy is all nested in the Mediterranean, which is the second largest naval force in the Mediterranean after Britain and France. The combined naval power of France and Austria in the Mediterranean exceeds that of the British.
Strength is the right to speak. Even if the British are the hegemons of the sea, they cannot ignore the common will of Austria and France.
The existence of the Greek kingdom in history was to take advantage of the contradictions between countries, and now Otto I made the same choice.
It can be said that in the international politics, everyone is an ally on this issue in the morning, and everyone becomes an enemy on another issue at home in the afternoon.
Allies without conflicts of interest are almost non-existent in this era. The core factor that determines the relationship of allies is mainly to see whether the mutual interests are large or the conflicts are large.
Franz thought for a while and said, "Talk to France first and see what they want. The domestic interest in Greece is not worth mentioning, we don't need to ask for anything, as long as the British are not allowed to completely control Greece."
Without desire, this is Franz's attitude towards Greece. The reason is very simple. Apart from the strategic factors, all the countries that have invested in Greece have historically lost.
If nothing else, the Greek kingdom will soon be unable to pay the loans of various countries due to financial difficulties, and then be entrusted by the countries for a period of time to finance them.
This is not once or twice. Whoever collects this little brother will provide them with a loan to keep them going.
In a country dominated by finance such as Britain and France, they can still do this kind of business. Capitalists can use various means to raise funds and seek benefits from it. In the end, even if loans and bonds are not available, it is just bad luck for ordinary people. Enough interest.
Austria can't play like this. There is not enough idle funds in the country to participate in such speculation. The financial group dared to play this way, and the Vienna government refused to agree.
These funds are more cost-effective for domestic development than for Greeks. Under the concept of developing itself, Austrian financial capital appears very low-key in the international capital market.
It is not low-key, nor is the financial strength of Austrian financial groups compared to the British and French consortiums. If you are too active to fall into the trap, you will be swallowed.
Since the end of the westbound strategy, the Vienna government has been easing relations with European countries.
When there is no conflict of interest, everyone's diplomatic relations naturally recover quickly. Especially in small countries, as long as the Vienna government throws out olive branches, the relationship between them will be eased immediately.
If you have vengeance in international diplomacy, congratulations, the world will be your enemy in the near future.
Including the question of the dominance of the German Federal Empire, it is actually the result of compromise between Britain and Austria. If the two countries continue to argue, it will not be possible to choose an emperor so soon.
Now the restoration of France-Austria relations has become the focus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it is estimated that the Paris government will make a similar decision. Without him, benefit Seoul!
Don't look at Napoleon III's consistent pro-British policy, think that Britain and France are allies, in fact they are allies only when dealing with Russians.
Most of the time, Britain and France are on opposite sides. The British are the world's first naval powers, and the French are the world's second naval powers, and the difference in strength between the two sides is not as large as the next generation. The French navy has the strength of the Royal Navy's six or seven layers.
This number is enough for the boss to suppress the second child. In addition, the conflict between Britain and France in the overseas colonies of the two sides is not a star point. It's just that Mao Xiong's ability to pull hatred is too strong, and it directly covers the contradictions between Britain and France.
In this context, after taking advantage of the Crimean battlefield in history, Napoleon III immediately negotiated with the Russians, regardless of the feelings of British allies, because the French needed the Russians to contain John Bull.
Franz is a headache for complicated international relations. Before going abroad to open up overseas colonies, Austria and countries basically did not have much conflict of interest.
With this step, the situation will be different immediately. Conflicts with colonial nations will happen sooner or later, and how to deal with these relations is the biggest problem facing the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a way, the British have done a good thing. Although they were to avoid the outbreak of the continental war and feared that they would miss the opportunity to contain the Russians, the establishment of the German Federal Empire also avoided direct conflicts between France and Austria.
Regarding the strength of this buffer, the existence of this buffer does not require the governments of France and Austria to face military pressure directly.
Franz was jealous of the French, so why did Napoleon III not jealous of Austria? The strengths of the two great powers are evenly matched in the Ming Dynasty, and Western Europe and Central and South Europe have formed a balance.
Balance means stability. Neither Paris nor Vienna will pretend to break this balance until sufficient interests emerge.
The French wanted to expand their colonies outside, so it was necessary to increase the input of the navy. For the sake of homeland security, easing relations with Austria was an inevitable choice.
The Vienna government, which also wants to join this feast, must also ease the relationship between the two countries for its own security.
In this context, it is inevitable that the relations between France and Austria will heat up. The joint mediation of the Greek issue has created another opportunity for relations between the two countries.
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