Chapter 1107： Diplomacy first (1/2)
The Russo-Japanese War was just a small intervention, and its impact on the international situation was far less than the closely watched conflict between Britain and Austria.
Since Britain withdrew from the free trade system, the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated sharply. The friction and conflict that were previously suppressed by the two countries have also emerged recently.
In particular, the non-governmental media, as if watching the excitement is not too big an issue, not only contributed to it, but also exaggerated the conflict intentionally or unintentionally, and some even publicly called out ”war”.
There is tension in the air, and anyone who is slightly sensitive to the situation knows that the pace of war is approaching.
It's not that no one is trying to persuade them. Many experts, scholars and celebrities in the society have issued a call, hoping that the two governments can sit down and have a good talk.
But there is no use for eggs. The conflict of core interests between the two parties is too great, and no one can make major concessions.
If they could negotiate, the two sides would have compromised long ago. Who wants to fill the bottomless pit of war with real money, thinking everyone is warlike?
To sign a peace agreement, Franz has no objection, even maintaining the status quo is acceptable.
The problem is that the British dare not agree. The British Isles is just that big, and the development potential is inherently restricted.
If no restrictions are imposed and the current situation continues to develop, the power gap between the two sides will only grow wider.
The British government is unwilling to make concessions. It is even more unrealistic to expect Shinra to abandon martial arts. The bottom line of the Vienna government is very clear, at best maintaining the status quo without interference.
Since no compromise can be reached at the negotiating table, it can only be determined on the battlefield according to the law of the jungle.
The city gate caught fire, and the pond fish was hit.
The two big gangsters of Britain and Shinra will fight decisively. Naturally, the European world will not be peaceful. Standing in line is an eternal topic.
Supporting one family is bound to offend the other. If you want to remain neutral in the battle for hegemony, you must first have the strength to support it.
Unfortunately, there are only a handful of countries with this strength, and even fewer in Europe.
For a small country, ”standing in line” is no less than a test of life and death. Once the wrong bet is placed, the country will not die, but the government will be destroyed.
The most pleasant standing in line was probably the anti-French war ten years ago.
When the Vienna government came out to recruit people, the overall situation was almost determined. The war was over just after standing in the team.
This is not the case now. It is hard to tell who won the Anglo-Austrian war this time.
Both have their own advantages. Anyone may become the final winner, and it is even possible that no one can do anything about it, and it will end up losing.
Around the speculation about the outcome of the war, a bunch of military experts are conducting analysis.
This is a test of everyone's judgment. Except for those small foreign countries that have followed the Shenluo early and determined their camps in advance, the remaining countries have to choose a camp, or a gamble on national luck.
The first to bear the brunt is naturally the Nordic Federation, the Netherlands, and Portugal. Except for these three, other countries supported Shinra in the last round.
Not to mention that all of them can eat big meat, but as a victorious country in the anti-French war, everyone follows the Shinra, and the broth is always drunk.
In this regard, the Vienna government is far better than the British. Just look through the history books and you will know that following the allies of the British gangsters, immortality is also half disabled.
Not being cheated to death by allies is regarded as God blessing, and being able to save money is an explosion of character.
Even if there are trophies to be divided, there are pits everywhere. It seems that if there is no contradiction for a day, the British will feel uncomfortable.
There is such a sharp contrast, a country that has followed the Shenluo for a while, and eats real benefits, the possibility of job-hopping is very slim.
As a neutral country, the Netherlands, the Nordic Federation, and Portugal are embarrassed.
In terms of interests, the three countries do not have core conflicts of interest with the British and Austrian countries, let alone hatred of the country and the family. It seems that they can do with anyone.
Geographically, the three countries are a proper tragedy. They are all coastal countries, and they happen to be facing the Atlantic Ocean to the north.
This is embarrassing. The land will be threatened by Shinra and the sea will be threatened by Britain. No matter where you stand, it feels like a pit.
There is no doubt that the three countries of the Netherlands, Portugal, and the Nordic Federation are the pond fishes that were affected by the fire at the city gate.
Relatively speaking, Portugal is a little happier. Because of their geographical location, they are far away from the European continent, and between the two countries of France and Spain.
Even if a war breaks out, they will not become a battlefield. As long as they are not too active, they may be able to fool it.
The Nordic Commonwealth can be considered improvised, and at any rate it is also a middle country. If they insisted on not standing in line, Shinra and Britannia also took them.
Clearing the market is too difficult, and the benefits are not proportional to the effort. No one wants to go to the swedish ravines to fight guerrillas, at least not to take care of them until the outcome is determined.
The future may be suppressed, but it will not be too serious. As long as the performance is sufficiently safe, a few years of forbearance will pass.
The most tragic is undoubtedly the Netherlands, which happens to be between Britain and Shinra, very close to both sides.
To support the British, the troops of the Holy Roman Empire will be able to come in on the same day; to support the Holy Roman Empire, the Royal Navy will teach them how to be humans every minute.
If the British government is bold enough to launch a landing operation, the Netherlands is also one of the first choices.
Of course, so is Belgium next door. It's just that Belgium stands early. As the younger brother of the direct line, the Vienna government must take care of it.
Among other things, with so many military airports in Belgium, it is worth the capital of the Vienna government.
After all, to bomb the British Isles, taking off from here is too suitable, it can be regarded as a forward position.
Theoretically speaking, it is also a good choice to kick off the counterattack from France. You can take advantage of Fao's hatred.
It's a pity that this thing is not suitable for the British. Britain and France are also feuds, and the mass foundation may not be much better.
What's more, pushing all the way from France to Shenluo is too far away. It simply can't play the role of a surprise attack, and can only fight positional wars honestly.
The difference in the strength of the two armies is too great, but if the British government has an IQ online, they will not think of a decisive battle with Shinra on land.
Even if Tou Tie initiates the landing operation, it is of greater political propaganda significance than actual military significance. Acting to show that you are fighting back, just give the country an explanation.
It was actually staged in the two world wars in the original time and space. For political needs, the British have launched many head-off battles.
Although he did not achieve any decent record, he successfully pitted his allies!
Franz fully understands the plight of the Netherlands, but politics is not about conscience, and the pressure that should be exerted is still a lot.
Under the general situation, no one can help, let alone a Dutchman, even Franz can't be aloof.
Along with the constant tensions in the international situation, the semi-retired Franz the Great also had to show up frequently to increase everyone's confidence.