War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

It is definitely a commendable thing to stop a war with a meal.

But this is too terrible in the eyes of the British and French. The Austrian Empire's conquest of Spain seems to be a foregone conclusion. It is not just a simple conquest by force, but even the basic organizational structure of the government has been set up.

If they attack Spain now, they will be passive and eventually stuck in the mud.

There are not many generals in Britain and France who think they can occupy the whole of Spain as quickly as the Austrians.

And now there are not only Spaniards in Spain, but also Austrians.

Is it really meaningful to continue to attack Spain? Instead of attacking Spain, it is better to attack Austria.

But this only exists in the minds of a few radicals, after all, this idea is too crazy.

Attacking the Austrian Empire is like declaring war on the entire Holy Alliance. You must know that Franz is under the banner of the Holy Alliance at this time.

The armies of the Holy Alliance countries in Spain are just going through the motions, and Austria is also turning a blind eye, but if the Austrian Empire is attacked, it will probably be another scene.

And how to attack the Austrian Empire is another problem

London, Whitehall.

John Russell slowly put down the intelligence in his hand. He rubbed his sore eyes. He hadn't slept for a week.

John Russell checked all the action logs and intelligence during the Earl of Derby's time, but everything indicated that things were developing in a more unfavorable direction.

The sudden escape of Queen Regent Christina and the intervention of the Americans caught the British side by surprise.

"Can we bring her back if we send out warships now? Even if she has no power in Spain, we can't let her fall into the hands of the Americans."

"Prime Minister, I'm afraid we can't do anything. It's almost impossible to intercept a ship that deliberately avoids us on the vast ocean."

Admiral Francis Belling said, in fact, there are some things he didn't say, that is, the Prime Minister lacks naval common sense. The other party has been running for several days, and now he thinks of chasing, how can he catch up?

And the other party is the United States, not an ordinary small country, and it is almost impossible to arrest them on shore.

"Alas"

John Russell let out a long breath and said immediately.

"Does the Portuguese still reject our proposal?"

"Yes, the attitude is very firm."

Foreign Minister Earl Grey said helplessly.

"Is it because the Austrian emperor had a meal with the pretender to the Portuguese throne?"

"Yes, now Ferdinand II is like a frightened rabbit, and he just hopes that the other party can't see him."

Navy Minister Francis Belling interrupted.

"What a useless guy! Didn't you tell him that the Austrians have already made this idea, and it would be useless even if he hides?"

British diplomats must have said similar words. Foreign Minister Earl Grey said somewhat dissatisfiedly: "Prime Minister, my people have tried their best. No one can convince a rabbit to challenge a lion."

"In fact, there are many rabbits who dare to challenge lions, but Ferdinand II is obviously not one of them. He is just a coward."

Navy Minister Francis Belling commented.

John Russell closed his eyes and sighed again. He knew that persuading Portugal to send troops to Spain was a low-probability event, but he really had no way now.

The root of all this is that the speed at which the Austrian Empire conquered Spain far exceeded the imagination of everyone in the British government.

Everyone thought that it would take at least half a year for the Austrian Empire to occupy the main cities of Spain. After all, Napoleon, who was at the peak of his power at that time, took nearly a year.

And it was even more unrealistic to want to conquer Spain. The French spent six years and exhausted their elite troops but still failed to conquer Spain.

From June 17, 1849 to October 12, 1849, the Austrian Empire took only 117 days to complete the occupation of the entire territory of Spain and eliminated all known resistance forces.

All this was so fast that the British were unbelievable, and they didn't even have time to declare war.

John Russell cleared his throat and said seriously.

"Gentlemen, we must make a difficult decision here-stop interfering in the Spanish issue."

John Russell's words shocked the audience, because no one knew that the prime minister would say this before, and everyone came to Whitehall as a routine and prepared to continue to be at a loss until dawn.

"Prime Minister, did I hear you right? You want to give up Spain?

If the Austrian Empire reunites with Spain, we will be forced to be involved in the European war again, and we will have to deploy a large number of troops near the Strait to prevent the Austrians from attacking."

Foreign Minister Earl Grey talked endlessly about the reasons that everyone had heard countless times.

"Earl Grey, we are saving Britain from falling into the quagmire of Spain.

There are countless more important things waiting for us at this time. The Russians are heading towards the Ottoman Empire. If they rush out of the Black Sea, they will be a million times more terrible than the Austrians!

The Ottoman Empire, Egypt, Persia, Afghanistan, India, the Far East, Africa, and even North America will all be exposed to the threat of the Russians."

John Russell said as if he had used up all his strength.

"That's right! But before the Austrians and Russians, our economy will kill us first!"

Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Wood said that he actually didn't understand why no one cared about domestic issues. The Irish, Indians, social elites in the City of London, and the ubiquitous Chartists

If the war continues, these people will sooner or later drain Britain.

"Sir, we are discussing the Spanish issue. Please be patient."

In fact, everyone else in the cabinet knew it, and even knew that the bankers in the City of London were preparing to hold an anti-war march.

But stopping the war with the Austrian Empire is already the biggest concession the government can make. The war with the Russians is related to the interests and security of the British Empire in the Near East. The cabinet cannot make concessions.

Foreign Minister Earl Grey stood up and said.

"Prime Minister, you are right. The threat from the Russians is great. But you haven't said what should we do if the Austrians unite with Spain and directly threaten our homeland?"

"The Austrians will not unite with Spain."

John Russell said helplessly.

"How do you know they won't?"

Earl Grey asked back.

John Russell took out a letter and handed it to Earl Grey.

"Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I has issued a notice to all European countries that the new round of Vienna Peace Conference will discuss the issue of succession to the Spanish throne."