Chapter 221： End without disease (1/2)

London

In any case, the British government is an inevitable hurr. Since the German unification process was stopped by various countries, Prime Minister Felix has switched to London.

In fact, the joint intervention plans of various countries have already been in progress. After the agreement with the South German states was reached, it was the Russians who helped to hinder the hind legs.

In this respect, the Tsarist government is still very credible, of course, the public relations expenses from Austria also played a role.

Otherwise, it is estimated that the Saxony Kingdom has just been finalized, and this joint declaration has appeared. Then it will be difficult for Austria to proceed with the latter plan.

It is almost impossible to achieve the established facts and deal with them at the negotiating table.

The Joint Declaration was issued so long that the international conference has not yet been held, which is to leave time for Austrian public relations.

In other words, if you take advantage of Austria, we are jealous. If we can't get enough compensation, we have to do things.

This is Franz's view. If the international conference were to be held immediately, Austria would have no time for events. No, it should be said that there is no time to visit London.

Under the strong request of Napoleon III, this international conference was held in Paris, and the Parisian government in the immediate vicinity clearly had the opportunity to publicize.

Not to mention the Russians, Austria did not dare to act without the support of a bear, apparently the two sides had a deal for a long time. How can a shrewd John Bull tolerate such a thing?

The meeting was originally planned to be held in July, but it was dragged to the end of August, which was what the British demanded.

Faced with this situation, the Austrian government naturally had no choice, and Prime Minister Felix had to make a trip to London himself.

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Felix asked the contrary: ”Mr. Henry, the importance of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venesia to Austria, presumably you do not know, the local economic value is still above the South German region.

Venice is Austria ’s largest foreign trade port. Most of Austria ’s naval ports are in the Venezia region. Do you think we might let go? ”

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, George Hamilton-Gordon, smiled and said, ”Mr. Felix, there is no shortage of ports in your country. Rijeka and Trieste are excellent ports. There are many ports to develop. ”

Felix shook his head and said, ”Mr. Henry, in theory, as long as it is adjacent to the sea, it can be transformed into a high-quality port. But what about the development cost?

Dalmatia is the poorest province in Austria, and local transportation is enough to make any port worthless.

Therefore, abandoning the proposal of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venesia, let us say no more, we cannot agree. ”

The British wanted to unify the Italian region, while balancing Austria and France, and the forces of the Mediterranean.

However, on this issue, at the same time it was opposed by Austria, France and Spain, and the unification of Italy became remote.

The Kingdom of Lombardy-Venesia is the compensation Austria received from giving up the Austrian Netherlands. The territory covers an area of ​​46,991 square kilometers, with a population of approximately 5.16 million. It is dominated by Italians and some Germanic.

This is the most fertile land in Italy. It has the largest plain in Italy, the Po River plain, where more than half of Italy's industries are gathered, and the most prosperous port in the Mediterranean, Venice, which once occupied 30% of Austria's fiscal revenue. %.

Such a huge economic benefit, of course, the Vienna government cannot easily give up. Even now that the British are conditioned to recognize the new Holy Roman Empire, Prime Minister Felix has refused.

Unable to achieve this goal, Prime Minister George Hamilton-Gordon again put forward new conditions: ”Mr. Felix, your country cannot give up the Italian region, so it is not a problem to stop supporting the Russians!

Presumably you don't want to watch the Russians annex the Ottoman Empire, push the tentacles deep into the Mediterranean, and break the balance in Europe? ”

After arriving in London, Felix had a feeling in his mind that the real goal of the British should be to break up the Russian-Australian alliance.

”Mr. Henry, I think you are misunderstood. In the Near East War we will only remain neutral and we have never supported the Russians.

From the outbreak of the war to the present, the Austrian government has been neutral and doing business with Russians, which is based on the principle of free trade. ”

Free trade was proposed by the British. This is one of the national policies of the British government. It is naturally impossible for Prime Minister George Hamilton-Gordon to hit his own face.

George Hamilton-Gordon asked, ”So has your country decided to join the free trade system?”

Felix flickered: ”Mr. Henry, the situation in Austria is not the same as in your country. Many people in the country are worried that once they join your country to establish a free trade system, they will be hit economically.

After all, your country's industrial strength is really too strong, and all the countries in the world together may not be able to compare with you. ”

That's right, the industrial strength of the British Empire is now thriving, and no country in the world can compare them.