Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 895 - 158: Thrilling Return Journey

"Idiot! Don’t you know how to deal with a mouse?"

Seeing his subordinate still looking confused, Marshal Adrien explained helplessly, "To catch a mouse, use a cat, isn’t that a simple enough answer for you?

If the enemy doesn’t show themselves, then we must devise a way to lure them out. Employ some local snakes to approach the Independence Organization.

Use both threats and inducements on them. Not everyone is tough enough, and catching one can lead us to the entire nest."

Using threats and inducements was no fresh tactic. France had used it at the beginning of its annexation of the Italian Area, and it had been quite effective.

However, as time passed, the situation gradually changed. The domesticated cats became too comfortable in their lives, and their skill in catching mice regressed as well.

The middle-aged officer expressed his difficulties: "But Marshal, we have no right to intervene in local affairs. Rashly doing so might provoke the discontent of local governments."

For a nation to be stable, the separation of military and political affairs is essential. Undoubtedly, France exemplified this separation.

The military could arrest members of the Italian Independence Organization who interfered with logistics, but aligning with influential local parties is a major political taboo.

After a moment’s hesitation, Adrien nodded. Having reached his current position, Adrien was no political novice.

Many unspoken rules in the officialdom were untouchable, even for him, the high-ranking French Marshal.

"Send a telegram to the Cabinet, explain the situation, and get them to coordinate with the local governments to help us eliminate the Italian Rebels colluding with Austria."

Marshal Adrien was crystal clear about the nature of French bureaucrats. Those at the top always followed the principle of avoiding trouble whenever possible.

If the central government did not intervene, direct deals between the military and local governments would certainly end up unresolved.

The overall situation was critical, but not as critical as the caps everyone was wearing. Unless a major event occurred, local governments would never admit their jurisdiction was tainted by rebels.

...

London

The outbreak of war in Europe might have been great news for the Italian Revolutionary Organization, yet Victor Emmanuel III couldn’t feel happy.

Since the war began, the British policing around him had noticeably increased, with someone ensuring his protection 24 hours a day even when he traveled.

Undoubtedly, as Britain’s favorable chess piece for intervening in the Italian Area, Victor Emmanuel III was effectively under house arrest.

Although he wasn’t physically restricted, this was only true within the confines of The British Isles; leaving the country was utterly impossible.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. The British, having sheltered the Italian Independence Organization and provided funding and support, naturally expected them to serve a purpose.

In this regard, Victor Emmanuel III was quite open-minded. It was all a matter of benefits; as long as they supported his restoration, other issues could be negotiated.

"Finn, how is the communication with the British going, are they willing to support our restoration now?"

The British foreign policy was fickle, and their support for the Italian Independence Organization also frequently changed.

Whenever the relations between England and France were at their worst, the Independence Organization would receive substantial aid—those were the days the organization suffered the most.

Logically speaking, now that England and France were allies, the Italian Independence Organization should be having a tough time.

Yet exceptions always exist. The London Government was still expecting France and Austria to mutually weaken each other. Until the situation was clear, the British were unlikely to let Victor Emmanuel III leave.

After all, his political value was high. If the French won the war, the Italian Independence Organization would be a strategic tool to counterbalance the French.

If Austria won the war, they could also support the Italian Independence Organization in unifying the Italian Area to create problems for Austria.

Regardless of what might happen in the future, the British could not afford to let Victor Emmanuel III escape their control.

"Your Majesty, citing the unclear situation, the British have rejected our proposal."

From Finn’s despairing expression, it was clear that the situation was even more severe than he described.

The Italian Independence Organization had already gained Austria’s support. If the British were simply withholding support, it wouldn’t have made Finn so desperate.

Sighing, Victor Emmanuel III said helplessly, "I should have expected this. The recent increase in guards outside was obviously to keep us under surveillance.

It seems the British are going to support the French now, fearing that if we return now and ally with the Austrians, it would lead to a French defeat."

Right now, Victor Emmanuel III was filled with regret. Previously, the Austrian diplomat had invited him to Milan several times to command the Italian Independence movement from nearby.

To avoid becoming a puppet of the Austrians, Victor Emmanuel III decisively refused.

Although he avoided the initial risk of becoming an Austrian puppet, he now faced the darker designs of the British.

Being an Austrian puppet would have been temporary; after the war, Victor Emmanuel III still had a chance to restore his reign, which could somewhat be seen as a transaction.

Staying in London to watch the situation unfold was different; not only could he not lead the independence movement in the Italian Area, but even the opportunity for restoration was buried.

Even if the French were defeated and the Italian Area regained independence, it would have nothing to do with Victor Emmanuel III.

Vienna Government wouldn’t hand over the fruits of their hard-earned victories simply out of kindness; there were other candidates within the Kingdom of Sardinia eligible for the throne besides Victor Emmanuel III.

Prime Minister Leonid declared decisively, "No matter what, we must leave London as soon as possible and take charge of the independence movement back home.

The more the British don’t want us to return, the more it indicates that the French are at a disadvantage on the battlefield. They’re worried that our return would be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Now is our closest opportunity for restoration. If we miss this chance, it will be much harder to attempt restoration in the future."

The balance of power policy in Europe was a game played by the British and had nothing to do with us; even considering it was something to think about after a successful restoration.

As long as he could restore the kingdom, Prime Minister Leonid didn’t care who was in charge. Regardless of whether it was England, France, Russia, or Austria who became the dominant power, it was impossible for the Kingdom of Sardinia to become the hegemon.

Victor Emmanuel III nodded, "The Prime Minister is right, we must find a way to leave, and we must not miss this opportunity."

"It’s just that the British are watching us closely; we simply cannot leave The British Isles, not even by smuggling."

In the efforts to restore the kingdom, all those present were socially active members who frequented various banquets.

The British police guarding outside could probably call out each of their names clearly, making it unrealistic to think about leaving.

A faint smile appeared on the face of Foreign Minister Finn, which then quickly vanished.

After much hesitation, he finally spoke up, "It’s impossible to deceive the British if we all leave together.

If we only send one or two people, there might be a chance, albeit with some risk.

If the British were to uncover this, it could even potentially lead to..."

Before Finn could finish his statement, Victor Emmanuel III interrupted, "Every action involves risk, and the restoration movement we are engaged in itself bears the highest risk.

State your plan, Finn. As long as it can revive Italy, I am willing to take any risk."

It was not that Victor Emmanuel III possessed a fearless spirit, but under Europe’s political system, as a king, he hardly needed to worry about safety since their personal safety was protected by all countries.

Apart from the zealous Revolutionary Party, no sane person would kill a king. Even if Victor Emmanuel III committed acts that antagonized the British, the London Government could not possibly harm him.

Even if he fell into the hands of the French, Victor Emmanuel III was confident about his personal safety and even expected to be treated with honor.

Since there was no risk to his life, Victor Emmanuel III naturally did not mind appearing brave in front of his supporters.

Finn nodded, "My plan is for Your Majesty to feign illness to reduce contact with the outside world.

In the short term, the British will certainly send someone to check, but they can’t watch around the clock, and such vigilance cannot last forever.

Once some time has passed and the British have lowered their guard, reducing the frequency of their checks, our opportunity will arrive."

Your personal physician is one of our people. We can arrange for someone who looks similar to Your Majesty to impersonate Dr. Jack’s assistant and enter the manor to swap identities with Your Majesty.

Many have seen Your Majesty, but only a few prominent figures have had close contact. Those outsiders just glance from a distance and probably are not very familiar with Your Majesty’s facial expressions.

At night, leave with Dr. Jack under the cover of darkness; the chances of deceiving the guards are very high.

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Nighttime is the rest period, and if someone comes for a visit, we can excuse it by claiming Your Majesty is not feeling well."

We can first contact the Austrians and arrange a ship in advance; after leaving the manor, Your Majesty can leave London by ship overnight.

Even if the British discover this the next day, the ship will have already sailed. For a while, the British won’t be able to determine the direction of the ship, and even if they want to dispatch the navy to intercept, they won’t know how to pursue.

For added security, we could also ask the Austrians to prepare several ships, each heading in different directions, to scatter the British’s attention."

A typical case of substituting one thing for another without much skill involved, yet it was Victor Emmanuel III’s best option to escape his predicament.

As for whether the British would be enraged afterwards, that no longer mattered. No matter how angry the British Government became, they couldn’t just dispose of the people left behind.

During that era, governments in exile in Britannia were more than one or two. If they acted excessively, other exiled governments would also express sorrow, like the saying "The hare dies and the fox grieves."

Without these organizations to cheer them on, the British would also find themselves in a passive position internationally, complicating their actions.

Essentially, by harboring these governments, Britain did not only gain an opportunity to interfere in other countries’ domestic affairs but more so to conduct clandestine political dealings.

Simply put, if you’re pro-British and get along well, then nothing would happen; but the day you turn against Britain, they would support the restoration of an exiled government to deal with you.

Perhaps it might not succeed completely, but causing problems was more than sufficient. Especially for smaller nations, which couldn’t endure such turmoil and had to make concessions to the British in their political and diplomatic dealings.

Victor Emmanuel III declared firmly, "I’ve decided to take the risk! For the greatness of Italy, the next steps are up to you all."

As the risks were within controllable limits, even if it failed, the situation wouldn’t worsen, so naturally, no one had a reason to object.

…

In times of crisis, the efficiency of the Independence Organization was very high; Victor Emmanuel III fell ill that very day.

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To irritate the British, the Independence Organization also secretly disseminated news that Victor Emmanuel III was "sickened by the British."

In those days, with underdeveloped medical technology, being sick was often fatal—a minor illness could be deadly.

The King’s illness was a significant matter, and although Victor Emmanuel III was an exiled king, due to the European war, he still drew significant attention from the British Government.

Renowned London doctors continuously visited Victor Emmanuel III’s estate, yet no cause of illness was found.

Even the newspapers featured headlines that Victor Emmanuel III was desperately seeking medical solutions, as if his days were numbered.

In the Downing Street Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Gladstone, who had just finished a day’s work, inadvertently glanced at the newspaper on his desk, which happened to carry the news of Victor Emmanuel III’s severe illness.

Gladstone’s brows furrowed quickly. During such times, the Italian Independence Organization had become a bargaining chip for Britannia to influence the European war, with Victor Emmanuel III at the core of this chip.

Although the significance of this chip was not substantial, the options for Britannia were limited, highlighting the importance of the Italian Independence Organization.

If Victor Emmanuel III died, the already fragmented Italian Independence Organization would be completely ruined.

For Britannia, this was undoubtedly a terrible outcome. According to the plan, Prime Minister Gladstone intended to wait until France and Austria had both suffered heavy losses to rewrite the political landscape of Europe.

The most ideal outcome would naturally be to split both France and Austria. To separate South Germany from Austria and merge it with North Germany to establish a Lesser Germany.

To free the Italian Area from French rule and establish a Kingdom of Italy that included Lombardy and Veneto.

The significance of the Italian Independence Organization in accomplishing this point goes without saying. While they might not be powerful, their political influence was...