Chapter 949: The czarist government

The British government has been battered, not to mention the French government. I have long been at a loss, and I don't know how to end it next.
As a party, Napoleon IV received more bad news. On the bright side, the French army regrouped again after the defeat, but the outside world did not know the painful price the French army paid for it.
Retreating in a defeat is not an easy task. The enemy is not a fool, and will definitely take the opportunity to expand the results. If you want to withdraw smoothly, you must survive by docking.
In addition, those who perform post-interruption tasks must be highly loyal elites. If the newly formed troops with a large number of Italians are left behind, chances are that when the Austrian troops arrive, they will turn to the front.
Then one million French troops were gone. Killed + wounded + defeated + captured, the total force of the French army was reduced by more than one million, including 300,000 elite.
The troops suffered heavy losses, and the lost materials and equipment were countless. In order to retreat as quickly as possible, the French even had to blow up their artillery positions.
You can continue to buy supplies when you are out, and you can rebuild weapons and equipment when you are gone. Loss of troops can also be replenished, but time is not allowed.
As soon as this war was over, the Turin offensive and defensive battle had already begun, and the Luxembourg battle was ensuing. The French army could only passively respond.
Army Secretary Luskinia: "Your Majesty, the Spaniards launched an offensive on the Roussillon area yesterday morning. After the battle of frontline soldiers, they finally defeated the enemy in the evening."
A rare victory, but Napoleon IV was not happy. Obviously, affected by the French defeat, the Spaniards can no longer sit still.
Regardless of the strength of the Spaniards, France added another front, and the military pressure became even greater.
Seeing the Secretary of the Army hesitating to speak and stop, Napoleon IV felt cold and smiled bitterly: "Go ahead, where is the defeat, I can bear it. It's all at this point, no matter how bad it is, how bad can it be? go with?"
Despair, this is the truest portrayal of Napoleon IV's heart now. A series of failures on the battlefield and a complete failure in diplomacy all hit Napoleon IV's confidence.
Watching the anti-French alliance grow stronger, the only ally is wavering at this time, this kind of despair is beyond the understanding of others.
Luskinia said slowly: "Austria and Switzerland formed a coalition and launched an offensive against us, and the eastern Burgundy, Auvergne and other areas were reduced to battlefields.
The enemy is coming fiercely, and our troops in the east are seriously insufficient..."
Before Luschinia could finish speaking, Napoleon IV interrupted: "I see, you can do it by yourself!"
Napoleon IV has heard too many words such as difficulty and trouble recently, and has long been bored. That's all if it can be solved. What I fear most is the kind of unsolvable problem, but he has to solve it again.
Rather than listening to the headache, it's better not to listen. Anyway, the ministers will find a way to solve the problem that can be solved, and only the solution is reported; the problem that cannot be solved, he is also powerless.
In a sense, Napoleon IV was a good boss. He suffered a double failure in the military and diplomacy, and he did not push the people out of his hands.
Of course, it doesn't make any sense to push it out. Although it can alleviate political pressure in the short term, it will also make everyone sad and cause turmoil within the government.
Prime Minister Terence Burkin whispered: "Your Majesty, prepare for truce negotiations! At this point, we can no longer fight."
"Truce negotiations" also need time. When France had the upper hand earlier, it naturally had the capital to negotiate terms.
Now it's different. France is at an overall disadvantage in terms of military and diplomacy. If it proposes "truce negotiations", it will be equivalent to "surrender."
If possible, Terence Burkin is absolutely unwilling to surrender to the enemy. But there is no way, France really can't fight.
The war has burned to the French mainland, and every day the war continues, it will bring a lot of losses to France.
If you don't take advantage of the bargaining chip in your hands to negotiate with the anti-French alliance, and wait for others to come all the way, and then negotiate the terms, it will not be the current price.
After hesitating for a while, Napoleon IV sighed and slowly said, "How to talk?"
"Truce", he has no opinion. If possible, Napoleon IV would not mind an immediate truce. The problem is that it is easy to start a war, but it is difficult to end it.
Other countries may be able to do it with a little benefit, but the three countries of Germany, Belgium, and Austria will certainly not let it go. The blood has flowed from both sides, and it is impossible to negotiate at this time without paying a high price.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Cadletz replied: "The British agreed to mediate, and the London government made a promise to ensure the territorial integrity of France as much as possible.
Judging from the current international situation, Austria will be completely enlarged after the end of the European War. This is not in the interest of European countries.
At this point, including the Russians are our potential allies. The countries did not respond, mainly because the situation changed too quickly and the lack of a reasonable excuse for intervention. "
Well, Karel Kadletz felt that he was going to be unable to make up. European countries do not want to see Austria dominates, but it does not mean that everyone has to pull France. These are two different concepts.
In real life, rationality often loses to sensibility. After all, humans are not machines and are affected by emotions.
At least France’s neighbors will be affected by feelings. For Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, and several Italian states, regardless of whether Austria will grow bigger, it is important to kill France first.
The so-called long-term benefits are all nonsense. History has told everyone that if you don't take the opportunity to kill the enemy of France, you will not have a good life in the future.
No matter how great the benefits are, it is not as important as one's own safety. For a small country, survival is the first. Anyway, whoever is the boss is the younger brother.
In this context, as long as Austria does not eat alone, it will not be isolated. With so many enemies here, France doesn't want to get away if she doesn't lose a layer of skin.
Whether it’s self-deception or wishful thinking, the French government now needs hope, a hope that can retreat.
"Tell the British that we agree to negotiate and are willing to pay the price for this war. The colony can be omitted, but the mainland must be intact.
The government has done a good job of comforting the people. As soon as the news of the negotiation spreads, it will definitely cause an uproar, and France can't stand the toss.
If necessary, I will abdicate at the right time and take responsibility for this war. "
After speaking, Napoleon IV seemed to have exhausted all his strength and lay directly on the seat, ignoring everyone.
According to the rules of the political game in continental Europe, it is normal to lose the territory and pay compensation. Unfortunately, nationalism has risen. Especially in France, which is a stronghold of nationalism, the people have a lower tolerance for failure.
In the general perception of society, colonies are also property, and if they are lost, they are lost, but the local area cannot be ceded.
The double-edged sword of nationalism created by Napoleon himself finally came back to his own body, and the Bonapartist dynasty ushered in the biggest challenge.
Only when the integrity of the country was preserved, and when Napoleon IV took the initiative to abdicate and take responsibility, and alleviate the anger of the people, the Bonaparte dynasty has a ray of life.
...
St. Petersburg, affected by the changing situation in Europe, the position of the tsarist government was also affected.
There is no doubt that the Tsarist government will definitely not pull the French at this time. Even if someone sees the strategic significance of keeping France, they will not take action at this time.
Nothing else, only profit. If there is a strategic need, it is necessary to extract corn from the fire for the French, then what is the need for diplomacy?
Marshal Ivanov said with enthusiasm: "Your Majesty, the situation of this war has become clear. The French suffered defeats in the battlefields of Central and Southern Europe, and now they are unable to recover.
Affected by this, the Spaniards also launched a tentative offensive on the border. Coupled with the Swiss battlefield just opened up by the Allies, the French are actually fighting on the fourth front.
If nothing goes wrong, the French will be defeated in the next six months, and now it's up to us to take action. "
The plan has not changed fast. The tsarist government was prepared to declare no war and sit back and watch the fight between France and Austria. It's a pity that the French don't make much use of it, and they have just begun to show defeat.
Since the plan to consume Austria’s power could not be completed, the Tsarist government naturally had to consider how to maximize its benefits.
Picking peaches is a must. Even if you can't get the largest one, you still have to get the second largest one.
If no troops were sent at all, the Russian Empire would have no right to speak when the interests were distributed after the war.
Regardless of Austria’s promise that the Russian Empire can share 20% of the war reparations, it is not that simple to fulfill its promise.
Just a treaty, want the French to pay for it? Don't dream anymore. The Tsarist government has the experience of relinquishing accounts. As long as the fist is big enough, it will not give it.
There is no anti-French alliance to support it, and the Russian Empire alone does not have the ability to collect debts from the French.
This is still the ideal state. In case Austria disregards the food, pulls a few brothers to directly divide France, and there is no compensation for the last cent, the Tsarist government will be a tragedy.
In a sense, sending troops to fight at this time was not only to attack France, but also to protect France.
Strength is the right to speak. Only when the Russian army appeared on the French mainland and dealt with France after the war, the tsarist government had enough right to speak.
Whether it is because of strategic needs or in order to obtain sufficient war reparations, the tsarist government needs to preserve France's vitality. After all, big countries can only get the money.
Alexander III hesitated, and the situation changed too quickly, which was a bit unacceptable. I only decided to go to the theater last month. I didn't expect to send troops again.
Uncertainly asked: "Can the French really survive?"
"Yes, Your Majesty! The actual situation may be worse than we expected. After all, two more fronts have been added. In addition, the Italian region is now unstable, and the French government does not have enough troops to deal with the next war."
Ivanov replied affirmatively. This has been carefully studied by the Russian military, and even the most optimistic people do not think that the French can come back.
Foreign Secretary Oscar Jiménez proposed: "Your Majesty, if we are worried about the loss of participation in the war, we can actually adopt a circuitous strategy.
The British also want to keep France, and our position is the same on this issue. It is entirely possible to bridge them and make direct contact with the French, and then land in France from the sea.
For Austria, the next most important thing is to unify the German region and digest the newly occupied French Africa. They will not have extra branches at this time.
As long as we occupy France first, the empire will naturally increase its voice in post-war negotiations. "
This is a fact. The strategic plan of the Vienna government has been put on the surface. As long as the German region is unified and the French is in Africa, Austria will be the world's largest power.
Compared with this, other things are insignificant, including the weakening of France. After all, France in its heyday was able to lie down, let alone a semi-crippled France.
After a long silence, Alexander III asked slowly: "How can you guarantee that the French can trust us?
Moreover, even if the British can persuade the French government to agree, how can they ensure that this is not a trap? "
Trust is a flaw. Now France and Russia are enemies. With just a promise, they put their lifeline into the hands of the enemy. Normal people can't do it.
In case the Russian army entered France, the Tsarist government suddenly turned its face, and the French government would have no chance to cry.
The same problem exists in the tsarist government. No matter how good the talk is, it is useless. If the British turn their faces halfway, the Royal Navy sends the Russian army directly into the sea to feed the fish, and the Tsarist government becomes the laughingstock of the century.
Given the contradiction between Britain and Russia, the London government has every motivation to do so.
No matter what others think, Alexander III cannot trust the British anyway. Before he could ensure the safety of the Russian army, he did not dare to risk hundreds of thousands of Russian troops.
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