Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 961 - 224: Peacekeeping Force

Chapter 961: Chapter 224: Peacekeeping Force

“The French have surrendered!”

After the news spread, all of Europe erupted in excitement. Although everyone had anticipated that the French were going to lose this time, as the Anti-French Alliance had been advancing victoriously, the abruptness of the surrender still caught them by surprise.

The reason was simple; the French had surrendered too quickly. According to the mainstream expectations, most believed that France could hold out until the end of 1892, and some even optimistically estimated that they could persist until 1893.

The early end to the war was naturally good news for the general public. Without the need for governmental organization, civilians spontaneously held celebrations. Apart from the French, people across Europe were immersed in the joy of victory.

In the Vienna Palace, Franz became very busy as soon as the European Continental War ended. Although preparatory plans had been made in advance, politics required flexibility and adaptation to the actual situation.

At the very least, the internal power struggles within France caught Franz by surprise. Who could have believed that the clichés found only in novels would actually happen in the real world?

Putting down the documents in his hands, Franz rubbed his forehead with resignation, “Does the current Paris Revolutionary Government have the capacity to control France?”

“Difficult!”

Foreign Minister Wessenberg analyzed, “The situation in France is too chaotic. The Paris Revolutionary Government is only the French government in name. Their control over Paris is insufficient, let alone other regions.”

“Neither Napoleon III nor Napoleon IV were mediocre. In the three or four decades of their rule, the Bonaparte Dynasty laid its roots in France.

Although the Bonaparte Dynasty has been overthrown now, the loyal officials in the regions have not been purged.

These people don’t take orders from the Paris Government, and some regions have even raised the banner of regional autonomy, refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the Paris Revolutionary Government.

Especially after the Allied Forces entered France, they have further undermined the authority of the Paris Revolutionary Government, making it even harder for them to control the entire country.”

The Revolutionary Government’s inability to control the nation and the ever-present risk of collapse meant the plans set by the Austrian Government fell apart.

Signing treaties didn’t mean everything was over; what mattered more was implementation. Undoubtedly, the weak Paris Revolutionary Government lacked adequate enforcement power.

“If we withdraw our troops, could civil war possibly break out in France?”

Frankly, Franz didn’t quite understand France either. In the original timeline, France also saw the Three Monarchical Parties and Revolutionary Party stand off against each other with no one party overpowering the other three.

Under normal circumstances, such a political landscape could explode into civil war with just a spark. However, in the original timeline, despite their disagreements, the French managed to keep the conflict confined to political struggles.

As a result, during a lengthy period of bickering, the rising bourgeoisie emerged victorious, gradually seizing power and ending traditional nobility politics.

Wessenberg shook his head, “Theoretically, it’s possible, but the situation in France is a bit special. After many years of evolution, the lines between the Three Monarchical Parties are not so clear.

If the situation continues to develop, it is most likely that the Royalists will overthrow the Revolutionary Government and then establish a new one.”

No further explanation was needed for Franz to understand. Affairs among the nobility were tangled and complicated.

Over the past hundred years, the nobility of France’s Three Monarchical Parties had formed countless alliances through marriage, becoming an intertwined web, indistinguishable from one another.

In this context, the identity of the Royalist Party was ever-shifting; today one might support Bonaparte, and tomorrow switch to Orleans. Apart from a few staunch supporters, the rest would decide their stance based on their interests.

Thus, the non-insider Revolutionary Government would be the first to be ousted. The bourgeoisie’s rise in the original timeline didn’t guarantee the same outcome now.

The last strike by Napoleon IV before fleeing greatly weakened the bourgeoisie, especially the financial elite, who suffered heavy losses.

Without “money power,” the bourgeoisie were weaklings. Participating politically was not something that could be achieved overnight.

Without these disruptors, Franz couldn’t see what the future held for France.

In any case, as soon as the armistice was signed, the end of the Paris Revolutionary Government was likely near. Faced with a group of old foxes, the fledgling Revolutionaries were still too green.

Prime Minister Carl spoke, “If France’s situation cannot be stabilized, we must be prepared to deploy our forces.”

One could imagine that for a long time to come, France would not be at peace. Continuous uprisings could even turn France into a quagmire.

For this war, we’ve paid too much, and now it’s time to let our allies shoulder some of the burden. It’s not fair for them to enjoy the spoils without lifting a finger!”

“Enjoying the spoils without working for them” clearly referred to the Russians. Although the Tsarist Government had tried hard, the surrender of the French came too quickly, and Russian Army was late to the scene.

To win over the Russians, Austria had placed a heavy bet. At least twenty percent of the war indemnities weren’t easy to secure.

Even if there was a prior agreement and Austria was to honor it, the indemnity payments could be deferred.

Unless the Tsarist Government was willing to wait a hundred and eighty years, they couldn’t refuse Austria’s reasonable demands now. To the Vienna Government, stationing troops in France was an unpleasant task, but that might not be the case for the Russians.

If word got out, many Russian soldiers would likely compete to sign up. It might be risky, but the rewards were substantial!

Compared to the icy Russian Empire, France was extremely wealthy. Scooping up some benefits there was a hundred times better than scraping by at home.

Franz nodded, “The Foreign Ministry will communicate with our allies and form a peacekeeping force. We will decide on the deployment of the garrison based on the actual situation.

Apart from Belgium and the German Federation, which suffered heavy losses and are free to decide whether to send troops, other countries must contribute troops to the peacekeeping mission if they want to partake in the distribution of the spoils of war.

In addition, the French Navy should also be dealt with, and I’m sure the British are panicking by now. If we drag on, those fellows in the London Government might do something foolish again.

Divide the French warships into one large and several small lots, selling the main ships together with the auxiliary vessels, inviting countries from around the world to participate.

All bids will be one-off, and we shall enter the competition as well. The British want these warships, so let them pay for them!”

Franz had realized that since France and Austria already harbored deep hatred, it was better to push things to the extreme.

Take advantage of the post-war instability in France to send in peacekeeping forces, further draining the French government’s finances.

Without money, how can one develop armaments?

Without a strong army, what chance is there of rising again?

…

All of Europe was celebrating the victory over France, except for Downing Street. Looking at the celebration parades waving their flags in the distance, Gladstone felt especially irritated.

Although the British Government also highly praised the Anti-French War, that was only due to political necessity, not an indication that they were happy with the outcome.

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Politicians and the public are often not on the same wavelength. The British Government did not wish for France’s defeat to disrupt the balance of Europe, yet the British public was thoroughly looking forward to France’s misfortune.

As for the effects of France’s defeat, the British public was very optimistic. The greatest enemy was gone, and it was cause for celebration.

A new threat?

Sorry, but no one really felt it. Throughout the long years past, there was never an instance where Austria posed a threat to Britain.

Even when the Habsburg dynasty unified with Spain, they were too busy fighting civil wars to bother Britain.

Austria may be fearsome, but is it as feared as France? Even the formidable Napoleon was subdued, and Austria hadn’t unified the European Continent, so why worry?

After drawing the curtains, Prime Minister Gladstone, who sat back down, sighed with helplessness, “It seems that the tragedy of the French was destined from the start. Too many people wished for their downfall, and too few were willing to support them.

Frankly, if it weren’t for France’s defeat upsetting the European balance, I would have joined the celebrations myself.”

Within this “sigh,” there was also a sentiment of sadness at another’s misfortune. The French Empire was not well-liked, and Britain’s popularity wasn’t much better.

If it weren’t for the Channel’s protection, Britain’s situation wouldn’t be much better than France’s. And now, even this Channel is no longer that safe.

After venting for a bit, Gladstone asked, “How are things, is the Anti-French Alliance willing to accept our mediation in this war?”

George shook his head, “I’m sorry, but Russia and Austria have both clearly refused. You know, the rest of the countries are all fence-sitters, they won’t oppose Austria, the new hegemon, on this issue.”

Gladstone exclaimed nearly yelling, “Have the Russians gone mad? If Austria isn’t countered soon, they’ll have no relevance in the future of the European Continent!”

George countered, “Prime Minister, do you think that Russia’s strategic focus is still in Europe?”

This was a sad topic. The Tsarist Government’s actual actions made it clear that Russia’s strategic focus had shifted to the South Asian Subcontinent; it’s just that no one wanted to believe it.

After a moment of silence, Gladstone sipped a little coffee before speaking slowly, “So it seems that all of our previous plans have failed!”

In Europe, Britain aimed to suppress Austria, while in Asia, it struggled with Russia for control of India, effectively combating two major powers on its own.

In this context, the idea of inciting conflict between Russia and Austria was a joke. With its capabilities, Britain became key to maintaining the existence of the Russian-Austrian Alliance.

George shrugged, “Not all is lost. Austria hasn’t swallowed up the French warships in one go but plans to auction them off.

Perhaps it’s due to fiscal pressures, they can’t afford to maintain so many warships; or maybe there are internal disputes over spoils, too much pressure from internal allies; or they might not want another naval race with us. In any case, half of our objectives have been met.

They say the Anti-French Alliance intends to invite every independent nation in the world to participate in the auction. If we want to prevent Austria from acquiring the French warships, we had better take part as well.

However, there are risks involved. If the Austrians can’t afford these warships, and we step in, we would be taking on their burden.”

…