Franz's decision means that the honeymoon period between Britain and Austria will end, and the conflict between the two countries will inevitably increase in the years to come.

This world is big, big enough to support billions of people; this world is small, small enough to accommodate two overlords.

The world cannot accommodate it, let alone the European continent?

With the revival of Austria, it is a matter of time before conflicts of interest with the British. Even without the Prussian War, the two countries will still go against each other.

If the Suez Canal had not been opened, Franz would have been afraid of the British. It is different now. The Austrian Navy can directly enter the Arabian Sea, and there are colonies to rely on along the way.

If Britain and Austria really turn aside, Austria can completely take the strategy of losing both sides. It drives the British out of the African continent and burns the war to the Indian Ocean.

The significance of India to Britain is almost the same as that of the British Isles, just by looking at its productivity.

There is no doubt that this consistency is limited to the total economic output, one is agriculture and the other is industry, and the two are completely incomparable.

This "the most dazzling gem in the crown of the British Empire" is not something that Austria cannot grab, but it still has the ability to overturn the chessboard.

Of course, "overturning the chessboard" is just the last resort. If it is done, Austria will be miserable and miserable.

There is no need to think about colonizing the American community. The colonies in the Nanyang region may not be able to be preserved. Most of the overseas markets are lost and it will be difficult to recover for decades.

This is still optimistic. If the British go crazy and the main force of the Royal Navy kills out regardless of the situation, chases the Austrian Navy and beats it hard, Franz will cry.

Rationally speaking, the chances of such a thing happening are very low. The British are worried that the French will attack their homeland; Austria is also worried that the French will cut off the firewood from the bottom of the pot and cut off the ties between the locals and Austrian Africa.

Austria's strength is also based on the premise that the local and colonial connections are integrated. If it is cut off, it will not be much better than the German Empire, which was blocked from its original time and space.

...

Chief of Staff Albrecht proposed: "Everyone, given the current complex situation, it is necessary for us to expand the navy.

If the British suffered losses in the Prussian-Russian War, the London government would definitely find it back from another place, and future international conflicts would inevitably intensify and the pressure on the navy would greatly increase.

The French are also worrying that since Napoleon IV succeeded to the throne, the Paris government's active participation in international affairs has dropped to a higher level.

In the past few years, it could be said that it was an internal strife of the Paris government and had no time to take into account international affairs. Now that Napoleon IV is in power, the Paris government has stabilized, and it is abnormal without any movement."

It’s really unaccustomed to the days without French people. There were originally French people standing in front to attract attention, and the “Mediterranean Empire” was awe-inspiring on the European continent, while Austria was covered up.

With the silence of the Paris government, Austria had to stand up and fight the British. Whether it was the "dolphin war" in South America or the Plain-Russian War in Europe, it was the British and Austrians who were playing games, and the French were just following the game.

In this era of using the strong to survive, nothing can be solved by force. If the pressure is high, expand the army, and if the strength is in place, the problem will be solved.

Chancellor Carl opposes: "No, at least not until the Three Kingdoms Covenant expires. We must have a spirit of contract."

"The spirit of contract" is a joke. I guess neither Britain, France nor Austria took this seriously. At most, they could only be comforted in their hearts.

It is precisely because there is no such thing that it is particularly precious. Everyone attaches so much importance to it and often talks about it.

There is no breach of contract. It is not because everyone has the "contract spirit", but mainly because it is not worth breach of contract. As long as the common interests of the three countries are greater than the contradiction, there is no breach of contract.

The "British, France and Austria's Three Kingdoms Covenant" has been renewed. Judging from the current situation, it is difficult to form a third alliance.

However, it is hard to say that the international situation is ever-changing, and no one knows what will happen in the future. It is definitely unwise to rashly tear down the covenant, which will make diplomacy narrower and narrower.

Franz nodded: "The covenant has half a year left to expire. If the contract is to be renewed, the proportion of the three countries' naval forces will be revised at that time.

It is a matter of time to expand the navy, but there is no need to be so anxious. Let the Navy make plans first and put them in the annual budget for the following year."

Expanding the army has never been an easy task, especially expanding the navy, we must comprehensively consider all aspects of factors.

Unless it is an arms race, the navy's military expansion usually takes several years to discuss. It is not government efficiency, but mainly to wait for budgets.

The government's annual fiscal budget is determined in advance. I suddenly said that I wanted to expand the army, where did the money come from? It was not in the war era, so of course I had to follow the rules.

...

If one test had been known, it would have accelerated Austria's military expansion and triggered an arms race in the future. It is estimated that the London government would not do anything.

Things in the future have not happened yet, and Prime Minister Benjamin does not need to worry for the time being, but the current Prussian-Russian war has made him worried.

"How can the Popo Federation win this war?" This is a big problem. Land warfare is different from naval warfare. Even if the London government wants to help, it cannot get involved.

The size of the British Army is not as large as the one-month casualties in the Prussian-Russian War.

It is absolutely impossible to send troops. The London government once again discovered that it was too difficult to interfere in the European continent without thugs.

Foreign Minister Edward: "His Excellency, the Popo Federation is now in short supply and military, and the situation is far less bad than we imagined.

At least this year, the Popo Federation will not be defeated. Winter is coming soon, and the subsequent war will inevitably slow down.

This is the opportunity, and planning a second anti-Russian alliance is imperative. Austria is supporting the Russians, and it is difficult to win this war with the strength of the Popo Federation alone."

Benjamin asked in confusion: "Isn't the Ministry of Foreign Affairs already doing it?"

Edward explained: "The French were causing trouble in Annan, and the southern border of the Far East Empire was unstable and they were unable to restrain the Russians at all.

Although the Ottoman Empire was determined to avenge the Russians, they were just afraid of Austria's reaction and needed us to provide security protection, which also required France's participation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs only persuaded the three Central Asian countries, but their strength was limited. Seeing that the Popo Federation was at a disadvantage on the battlefield, he did not dare to place bets so early.

We have tried the Paris government and it is very difficult to convince them. Now the best way is to find an ally for the Popo Federation in Europe."

Prime Minister Benjamin asked in surprise: "Are you talking about the German Federal Empire?"

Then he denied it: "No. The Germans are indeed good, but there are too many internal countries, and Hannover can only barely control the situation.

If they were asked to go to war with the Russians for the Popo Federation, wouldn’t those small states in the country make a fuss?

You should know what role Austria plays here. Don’t be too busy and don’t help, and the German Federation will be in trouble first, so that will be trouble.”

The German Federal Empire was an important pawn of Britain on the European continent. Its main function was to prevent Austria from unifying the German region. For this reason, the London government also promoted the Rhineland transaction case, which could not be abolished casually.

Edward smiled and said, "Of course it's not OK to directly let the Germans participate in the war, but what about the Popo Federation joining the German Federal Empire?"

If this news spreads, there will be a major earthquake on the entire European continent, which will simply subvert the current international order.

The merger of the German Federal Empire and the Popo Federation is not as simple as 11=2. The two complement each other's advantages and make up for their final shortcomings, which means that another top power will rise after Britain, France and the Austrians.

Although this new empire is slightly inferior to the three major powers and its comprehensive national strength exceeds that of the Russian Empire, winning this war is naturally no problem.

The key is that the European landscape will undergo earth-shaking changes after the war, Austria's German unification strategy was shattered, and the French's strategy of eastward advancement was also bankrupt.

Prime Minister Benjamin shook his head: "This is impossible, the Austrians will not agree. The Vienna government will definitely send troops to interfere unless you can let the French hold them back.

For the French, this is also harmful to others and not beneficial to themselves. At that point, the Paris government will most likely choose to join forces with Austria to share the Central and European regions together.”

In the face of interests, competitors and allies can also transform each other. France and Austria also have a criminal record, and no one can guarantee that they will not cooperate for the second time.

Edward said firmly: "It's up to man, the strength of France and Austria has grown too fast. If this continues, one of them will have the ability to threaten us."

If France and the Austrians join forces to divide the Central and European regions, the outbreak of the French-Austrian War will not be far away, and German nationalists will not allow the French to rule the German region.

If the operation is good, France and Austria will be severely damaged and the situation in Europe will be brought back on track again."

This is a conspiracy, and it is also an open conspiracy. Nationalism is a double-edged sword that can kill enemies and hurt oneself.

Benjamin asked again: "After the merger of Pud, how can the master-slave problem be solved?"

This is the most realistic problem. The Popo Federation is stronger and he is definitely unwilling to be a vassal; the same is true for the German Federal Empire. How can the emperor retreat if he has all gone?

Edward: "Of course, there is no master and servant, and the imperial election system of the Holy Roman Empire continues. Considering the special circumstances now, it is necessary for the Popo Federation to make concessions, such as: giving up the emperor's election.

We don’t need a powerful empire in Central and Europe. The merged German Federal Empire is best to have a loose alliance with certain strength.

The central government is weak and the country is bigger, and its own strength is not weak but it cannot be integrated. Such a political system will further contribute to stability in Europe.

Only such a country can be accepted by France and Austria. Don’t worry that the Berlin government will refuse, they have no choice.”

...
Chapter completed!