Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 504

Chapter 504: The Corrective Force of History

Please continue reading on ΒOXΝʘVEL.ϹΟM .

The biting cold seeped into the bones, and in September, St. Petersburg already bore a hint of chill. In the Winter Palace, Alexander II was still attending to state affairs, the wrinkles imprinted on his forehead telling tales of the passage of time.

Having witnessed the Russian Empire’s transition from prosperity to decline, Alexander II possessed a strong sense of mission and did not permit himself any indulgence.

A man in his forties or fifties approached quietly and said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, this is top-secret information from Vienna.”

After receiving and verifying the sealed intelligence report, Alexander II pointed to the document and said slowly, “Understood, Ferren, you may leave now!”

Information that could be considered top-secret definitely meant that something significant had happened. Alexander II had no interest in sharing intelligence with those around him, a trait that had nothing to do with trust but was simply the instinct of a monarch.

Upon opening the letter, the content detailed events that had occurred half a month prior. There was no helping it, given the lack of radio communication at the time, and using telegraph would make concealing the information from the Austrians impossible.

Using codes was equally problematic, essentially signaling to others that there was an issue with the message and inviting them to investigate.

At that time, telegrams were charged by the word, and ordinary telegrams contained only a few words. The transmission of intelligence obviously couldn’t be so careless; misinterpretation could lead to disaster.

Half a month for information to travel from Vienna to St. Petersburg was already the limit of the era’s efficiency.

As each second ticked by, the wrinkles on Alexander II’s forehead deepened. Having finished reading the letter, a slow sigh escaped him.

At that moment, Alexander II felt lost; things were not proceeding according to his plans. The Vienna Government’s regard for currency hegemony wasn’t as high as he had anticipated.

Of course, it could also be a smokescreen, but he was not willing to gamble on that. A misjudgment here could have disastrous consequences.

Abandoning the plan was out of the question. If Russia could not obtain sufficient capital from abroad, the development of the Russian Empire would be hindered.

(vitag.Init = window.vitag.Init || []).push(function(){viAPItag.display(“vi_765923973”)})

Under normal circumstances, that would be fine; slower development would mean more time to build a stronger foundation.

But not now, as the enemy would not give them that much time. If the Russian Empire could not strengthen quickly enough, it would face annihilation even before it managed to develop properly.

Do not be deceived by the Russian Empire’s still massive presence; with so many foes around, while one might not conquer them, a combined assault of a dozen nations certainly could.

Another failure would mean the Russian Empire’s centuries of accumulated prestige would be lost in a single stroke. The best possible outcome would be a protracted decline like that of the Ottoman Empire.

This dilemma was a deadlock. Turning to the British could bring financial aid, but at the risk of losing Austria, the most critical ally. Yet maintaining the Russian-Austrian Alliance left the financial issue unresolved.

Russian victory in the next war would critically depend on Austrian support, or at the very least, Austrian neutrality towards Prussia. This was dictated by geopolitics, where England and France were secondary considerations.

With the Russian-Austrian Alliance intact, no cost was too great to enjoy Austria’s unconditional support. Without it, negotiations would have to revolve around interests.

A voice deep within him cautioned: be careful, it’s not that simple.

To dismantle the Russian-Austrian Alliance and establish a British Pound hegemony, the British would naturally spare no expense. But what if their goal was reached? Who could say whether the British would renege on the deal?

Treaties are often worthless pieces of paper. If the British failed to honor their commitments or if they fell short during the process, what then?

Spilt milk cannot be recovered; once a step is taken, it’s hard to turn back. It’s easy to split the Russian-Austrian Alliance, but rebuilding it would be difficult.

Alexander II had anti-Austrian leanings, conditioned on the Russian Empire’s strength. Now with the empire in decline, the Alliance had become crucial.

Now he understood why Nicholas I had insisted on forming the Russian-Austrian Alliance. Its existence safeguarded not just Constantinople, but the strategic security of the Russian Empire.

So long as the Alliance was intact, there were no concerns about European territories being invaded. Including the present; until their obligations were void, Prussia wouldn’t dare initiate conflict.

After the disastrous Prusso-Russian war, the Russian Empire’s smooth navigation through danger owed much to the Russian-Austrian Alliance’s influence.

Following the creation of the Alliance, both nations reaped substantial benefits. Russia expanded successfully in the Balkans and seized the coveted Constantinople; Austria expanded into the Balkans and even incorporated South Germany to rebuild the Shinra Empire.

If he wished, Alexander II could also trade territories to gain control of the Dardanelles Strait, thus controlling access to the Mediterranean.

If this had been at the start of his reign, he surely would have tried to negotiate this land swap with Austria, expanding Russian influence into the Mediterranean.

But now, such impractical fantasies were no longer present. Entering the Mediterranean was easy, but securing a foothold, difficult.

If it weren’t for the establishment of the British-French-Austrian tripartite alliance, with the British being squeezed out, on what basis could Russia establish a foothold in the Mediterranean?

…

The more he thought about it, the harder it became to make a decision. It was absolutely essential to have money, and the Russian-Austrian Alliance was equally important, making this a difficult choice.

In reality, Alexander II had very few choices. Whether the Russian-Austrian Alliance could be sustained was not solely up to his decision; the stance of the Vienna Government was also critical.

If the Austrians didn’t want to renew the agreement, then even if he didn’t cooperate with the British, the alliance would still collapse.

It was just that Franz cared about face. When the Russian-Austrian Alliance was established, it was during a period of weakness for Austria, to some extent it was the Russians who had given Austria a lift.

Because of face, the Vienna Government had always given the impression to the outside world that it was maintaining the Russian-Austrian Alliance, with no intention of kicking them while they were down.

This illusion led Alexander II to a misjudgment. That’s why he made this probe, hoping to use England and France to increase his own bargaining power, to secure more loans from the Vienna Government.

The result? Now with the first step taken, he has fallen into an awkward position. The Vienna Government seems to be angered and not playing by the book at all.

Alexander II had a headache of which Franz was unaware, as he had his own troubles. The situation in Mexico had finally collapsed; no more than a week after the French Army’s withdrawal, Maximilian I had lost control of the country.

Empress Carlota has already returned to Europe seeking help. Having failed to persuade the French, she has now returned to Vienna.

Seeking help would have been fine, if there were benefits to offer. Unfortunately, most of Mexico’s industries were mortgaged to the French, and Maximilian I had hardly any bargaining chips left.

Without even the money to recruit mercenaries, historical lessons told Franz that emperors as impoverished as this rarely ended well.

Franz wasn’t going to wade into the murky waters of Mexico. He suggested that Empress Carlota persuade Maximilian I to abdicate, but instead, she gave him an earful, angering Franz so much that he left on the spot.

There’s no reasoning with people who don’t think straight. “The Mexican people need…”? In Franz’s view, the Mexican people probably couldn’t wait to get Maximilian I onto the guillotine.

Blatant lies were not his style. If at the beginning of his reign, Maximilian I had a chance to turn things around, now it was too late for anyone taking his place.

The people’s patience was exhausted, years of reform that stayed only on paper, well-intended policies for the country and the people turned into curses and disasters.

Having become an isolated emperor surrounded only by talkers, Franz didn’t know what to say.

Having received no support from Austria, Empress Carlota sought help from other European countries. Franz already knew without thinking it was futile.

Without incentives, why would anyone want to meddle in Mexico’s troubled waters? With the French’s lesson learned, everyone would think twice.

Now Franz was just waiting for the rebel army to breach Mexico City, then arrange for Maximilian I to be brought back home, and it would be over.

It won’t take long. Once the French Army left, the rebel army began its major counteroffensive. Hoping for the Mexican government army to suppress the rebellion was less likely than expecting the rebel army to engage in infighting and fall apart.

The Mexican Revolutionary Army was also rife with internal conflicts, infiltrated by vast numbers of Conservatives and racists. If these conflicts were ignited, they would disintegrate soon enough.

However, before this, they still had a common goal—to drive Maximilian I out. Once this goal is achieved, Mexico is set for a hundred years of internal strife.

It’s worth mentioning that many of the leaders within the rebel army were from Royalist and Constitutionalist backgrounds, including, ironically, those who had initially supported the rise of Maximilian.

Franz had to admit, managing to turn them into members of the Revolutionary Party proved that Maximilian I had some ability. To reach such a level as emperor, history would be hard-pressed to find many examples.

However, these people couldn’t be pleased for long. Once the revolution succeeded, it would be their turn to be unlucky. If they were to thrive, where would the Habsburg Family put their face?

If Maximilian performed poorly in Mexico, then they’d have to perform even worse, as there must be someone to contrast with, to slightly salvage some dignity.

In the original timeline, these people had no impact, quickly falling into internal strife as soon as they came into power. Now Franz was just helping it happen sooner. Let the factional battles of warlords begin early and incidentally expand his sphere of influence.

Correction, not sooner; it was the correcting force of history, bringing the past back onto its original tracks.

Because of Franz’s butterfly effect, the French had invested more resources, allowing the Mexican Empire to hold on for a few more years.

window.googletag=window.googletag||{cmd:[]};googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.defineSlot(‘/22387492205,22875294875/mybestnovel.com.Banner0.1684256037′,[[120,600],[160,600],[200,600],[250,250],[300,250],[300,600],[320,280],[336,280],[360,300],[728,90],[970,90],[970,250]],’gpt-passback-mybestnovel.com.Banner0.1684256037’).addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display(“gpt-passback-mybestnovel.com.Banner0.1684256037”);});