Chapter 230: British-Austrian Alliance

The famous 10 Downing Street residence of the British Empire.

This was originally the residence of the British Cabinet's Chancellor of the Exchequer, but after the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer was implicitly assumed by the Prime Minister, 10 Downing Street also became the recognized residence of the British Prime Minister.

The current Prime Minister of the British Empire, Benjamin Disraeli, resides at the 10 Downing Street mansion, and the surrounding houses are also occupied by high-ranking officials of the British Cabinet.

Inside the mansion's conference room, the British Cabinet ministers were gathered. Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli scanned the room with a gloomy expression before speaking: "Gentlemen, let us discuss how we should handle the war in the Balkans."

In the three years since Benjamin Disraeli took office as Prime Minister, he has vigorously promoted policies of foreign aggression and colonial expansion, making the British colonial empire more prosperous and powerful.

It is precisely because of his colonial expansion strategy that the British have kept a tight grip on the situation in the Balkans, which is also an important reason for Britain's focus on the Balkan situation.

At present, the Ottoman Empire is on the verge of collapse; if Britain does not dispatch troops to support them, the war will likely end within a few months.

This is unacceptable to the British Empire. If Russia is allowed to control Constantinople and the Sea of Marmara, the Russian Black Sea Fleet will be able to easily reach the Mediterranean.

This would make Russia's influence in Central Asia even more powerful, which is something the British absolutely cannot accept.

The then-Foreign Secretary, the Earl of Derby, stood up first, looked at Benjamin Disraeli, and said: "The Ottoman Empire has notified us that if we cannot dispatch troops to support them within a month, they will initiate negotiations with Russia."

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli nodded, his expression unchanged. The situation in the Balkans is now very clear; if the British do not firmly support the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire truly has only one outcome: defeat.

Surrendering early to enter negotiations might preserve more territory, but if they drag it out until the Ottoman army is completely routed, the Ottoman Empire will become a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

"What is the opinion of the War Office? If we intervene in the Balkan war, can the War Office win a skirmish against Russia?" Benjamin Disraeli looked at the British Secretary of State for War and posed his question.

To stop Russia's advance, a land battle against Russia is inevitable. Unless Britain can win over other countries to pressure Russia together, Russia will not back down to Britain alone.

"According to the intelligence we have, Russia currently has over 350, 00 troops in the Balkans, and the number is still increasing steadily.

If we want to repel the Russian offensive, we need to organize at least 200, 00 troops and obtain the cooperation of the Navy," the Secretary of State for War replied.

Although Russia's weapons and equipment are inferior, they have already gained the upper hand in the war. It is very difficult for Britain to block the Russian army's offensive, not to mention fighting in a foreign land.

"Mr. Prime Minister, I believe that to stop the Russian offensive, we must deepen our cooperation with the Austrians." Foreign Secretary the Earl of Derby continued to stand and said: "The Austrians possess a powerful land force and can confront Russia on land.

At the same time, the Austrians are also worried about Russia's expansion in the Balkans; I believe they will be interested in our proposal.

For us, as long as we can avoid a situation where Russia monopolizes the Balkans and ensure that Constantinople and the surrounding lands are safe, our objectives will be met.

We can even make the Balkans more chaotic by winning over the Austro-Hungarian Empire, letting the Austrians and Russians compete against each other."

Benjamin Disraeli nodded. The British government's foreign policy focuses on regional balance, and currently, only the Austro-Hungarian Empire can rival Russia in the Balkans.

Moreover, there are no overly intense conflicts between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Britain, making them a suitable target to win over.

Furthermore, creating competition between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia in the Balkan region can also break up the League of the Three Emperors between Germany, Russia, and Austria.

The League of the Three Emperors poses a significant threat to Britain, and if it can be broken up, the British government would be happy to see it.

"Then contact the Austrians. If they also do not wish to see Russia monopolize the Balkans, we are willing to help them jointly repel the Russian offensive," Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said with a smile.

From then on, the eyes of both the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire were fixed on the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

As for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Joseph I was also urgently convening a meeting.

"The Russians have already dispatched over 500, 00 troops, and the number of troops on the Balkan front is still increasing steadily. It seems the Russians are determined to defeat the Ottoman Empire in this war," Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I said with a calm expression.

"Your Majesty, if the Russians achieve a total victory in this war, I fear they will not easily hand over Bosnia and Serbia to us." The Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister, who is also the Chairman of the Austro-Hungarian Council of Ministers and holds the power of a Prime Minister, Count Gyula Andrássy, stood up and said.

Since the formation of the Dual Monarchy, the cabinet of the Austro-Hungarian Empire has been somewhat unique. The original power of the Prime Minister was completely dispersed, and the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister, as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, is the theoretical Prime Minister of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

But as components of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria and Hungary also have their own Prime Ministers, and even have their own Austrian Imperial government and Hungarian Kingdom government.

From this, one can see the problem with the Austro-Hungarian Empire: the imperial government's control over Hungary is completely insufficient.

In peacetime, this problem can be covered up. But if it comes to war or other special periods, the imperial government will eventually lead to the disintegration of this special dual empire due to a lack of control over Hungary.

Emperor Franz Joseph I nodded; he also believed that the Russians would not keep their promises so easily.

Although national credibility is very important, if it means sacrificing the two important regions of Bosnia and Serbia, I believe any country would carefully consider the gains and losses.

The reason the Austro-Hungarian Empire agreed to remain neutral in the war, besides Russia gaining support from Germany, was the important point that the Ottoman Empire had the help of the British.

Franz Joseph I originally thought that with the help of the British, even if the Ottoman Empire could not win the war, they could drag the Russians into the abyss of a war of attrition.

But he did not expect the Russians to make a comeback quickly after getting into trouble at the Plevna fortress, and they directly drove the Ottoman army to the vicinity of Plovdiv.

In this way, the situation in the Balkans will undergo huge changes, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was originally sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight, finally became anxious.

"What is the opinion of the British government? The Ottoman Empire has failed in this war; I fear the British will not remain indifferent," Franz Joseph I asked.

If possible, he did not want to face the Russians alone. Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire is also one of the five traditional great powers of Europe, after failing in the competition with Prussia, Austria has become the bottom-ranked existence among the five traditional great powers.

They could put up a fight against the Russians, but the losses involved were enough for Franz Joseph I to consider carefully.

"The British are temporarily—" Before Foreign Minister Count Gyula Andrássy could finish his sentence, there was a knock on the door outside the conference room.

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to the door of the conference room. After the door opened, the palace butler stood respectfully at the door with the Deputy Foreign Minister.

"What is going on?" Franz Joseph I asked.

"Your Majesty, ministers. Not long ago, the British government sent a telegram asking if we are willing to mobilize troops to intervene in Russia's war, and they indicated that they would dispatch their Navy and Army to help us intervene together.

As long as we are willing to dispatch troops to intervene in the Russian offensive and ensure that the Russians will not set foot in Constantinople, the British are willing to let us take the Bosnia and Herzegovina region," the Deputy Foreign Minister said respectfully.

Franz Joseph I stood up immediately, his eyes full of excitement, and asked: "Is there the original text of the telegram?"

"I have brought it, Your Majesty." The Deputy Foreign Minister respectfully handed over the original telegram and waited quietly for Franz Joseph I's decision.

"Your news is very timely; this will change our diplomatic strategy." After reading the entire original telegram, Franz Joseph I looked at the Deputy Foreign Minister with a satisfied smile.

"Since the original telegram has been delivered, I will take my leave." The Deputy Foreign Minister was very tactful and did not stay long at the meeting site.

After the door closed again, the Austro-Hungarian Council of Ministers resumed.

Franz Joseph I breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the guards to pass the original telegram in his hand to all cabinet ministers to read.

"Let us all speak; should we follow the British request and dispatch troops to intervene in the Russian offensive?" Franz Joseph I asked.

After reading the original telegram, many cabinet ministers fell into deep thought.

Foreign Minister Count Gyula Andrássy stood up first and said: "If the British are truly willing to dispatch the Royal Navy, I believe this is an excellent opportunity.

The British do not want Russia to control Constantinople; for the sake of Constantinople's safety, they are of course willing to pay with the Bosnia and Herzegovina region.

With the help of the British, at least the Russians will not pose a major threat to us. After we control the Bosnia and Herzegovina region, we can still infiltrate Serbia and even influence the Montenegro region further south.

To protect the safety of Constantinople, the British will certainly not allow the Russians to obtain Bulgaria. In this way, we obtain the Bosnia and Herzegovina region, Russia obtains Romania, and we are still on the same starting line."

Before the other cabinet ministers could react, the current Hungarian Prime Minister, Kálmán Tisza, could not sit still and hurriedly stood up and said: "Your Majesty, I believe we should consider this carefully.

If we offend the Russians, our borders will face great risks. The Russians can mobilize millions of troops at any time, and even if we can resist the Russian offensive, it will destroy our agricultural production and economy."

The Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia are adjacent, and the adjacent regions are exactly Galicia and Lodomeria in northern Hungary.

If a conflict breaks out between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia, the Russian army is very likely to attack Hungary from the direction of Galicia and Romania.

And Austria is further west; the Russian army would only have a chance to attack Austrian territory after occupying the entire Hungary.

This is extremely unfavorable for the Hungarians. Once a conflict breaks out between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia, Hungary will instead become the front line.

The Hungarians are not that stupid; although they are also happy for the Empire to occupy Bosnia, they are one hundred percent unwilling if it causes a crisis in the Hungarian homeland.

"Hmph! Does only Russia have the ability to mobilize millions of troops?" The current Austrian Prime Minister, Prince Adolf von Auersperg, snorted coldly and directly refuted the view of Hungarian Prime Minister Kálmán Tisza: "

We can also mobilize millions of troops, not to mention that we have the support of the British. The British Royal Navy can enter the Black Sea at any time and threaten Russia's port cities.

If Russia does not want to repeat the failure of the last Crimean War, they will inevitably compromise with us.

Of course, we are not afraid of a war with Russia. If we can completely defeat the Russian offensive, the Balkans will be controlled by us.

By then, we will obtain more than just the Bosnia and Herzegovina region; perhaps Serbia can also be controlled in our hands.

After obtaining these lands, the Empire's strength will be greatly increased, and we will once again become a super great power that can rival Britain, France, and Germany."

The differing views of the Austrian and Hungarian Prime Ministers actually represent the current dire situation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire is composed of the Austrian Empire and the Hungarian Kingdom, this does not mean that the governments of the two countries will reach a unified opinion.

It is precisely because of this that the Austro-Hungarian Empire is subject to many restrictions when issuing government decrees. The imperial decrees can only affect regions such as Bohemia, Austria, Croatia, and Dalmatia, while the Hungarian Kingdom will selectively implement them.

Yet the Austro-Hungarian Empire has no way to deal with this; the Hungarian Kingdom is an important grain-producing area for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Hungarian farmers and nobles also have a great say.

Hearing the blunt rebuttal from Austrian Prime Minister Prince Adolf von Auersperg, Hungarian Prime Minister Kálmán Tisza's face turned pale and then blue, but in the end, he snorted coldly and said nothing more.

"Alright, since you each have your own arguments, why don't we let everyone vote to decide?" Franz Joseph I broke the awkward atmosphere in the conference room and spoke.

As the founder of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Joseph I possesses great prestige in both Austria and Hungary.

It is no exaggeration to say that Franz Joseph I's importance to the Austro-Hungarian Empire is irreplaceable; half the reason the Austro-Hungarian Empire is still closely linked together is because Franz Joseph I's immense prestige is trusted.

Since Franz Joseph I has already decided that all ministers should vote to decide, the remaining people naturally will not raise objections.

In the end, the number of people in favor of intervening in the Russian offensive occupied the majority, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire thus decided to intervene in the Russian offensive.

But before intervening in Russia, some diplomatic preparations are still very necessary.

"Let's get our troops mobilized first." After reaching the voting result, Franz Joseph I issued his order: "We still have to contact the British again to ensure that the British will really dispatch their Navy.

In addition, if we can force the Russians to stop the offensive from a diplomatic level, that is of course a better result. If we can avoid a war with the Russians, this will save us from suffering greater casualties."

Franz Joseph I gave his orders slowly, and the ministers in the conference room listened quietly with an extremely serious look.

"By the way, don't forget our ally, Spain." Franz Joseph I seemed to have remembered something and said with a smile: "With the support of one more ally at the diplomatic level, we will have one more point of winning.

The Foreign Ministry should remember to contact Spain. If Spain can stand with us, our diplomatic pressure combined with Spain's and the British's will surely make the Russians take it seriously.

Even if Spain is unwilling to join the war, their diplomatic team is also very important to us. In addition, Spain's military industry scale has also developed quite well; those military experts of ours seem to be unwilling to return.

If the war really breaks out, Spain might be our main source for purchasing weapons."

Before being excluded from the German region, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had many allies, most of which were states in southern Germany.

And after the establishment of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire currently has only three allies left, which are Germany and Russia of the Triple Alliance, and Spain.

Russia is the main competitor in the Balkans and also the target of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's war, so it goes without saying. Germany remains neutral in the conflict between Russia and Austria, and is biased toward Russia in this war, which is obviously unreliable.

Only the weakest Spain is currently the most reliable country, although it is highly probable that Spain will not join this war either.

Hearing the instructions of Emperor Franz Joseph I, Foreign Minister Count Gyula Andrássy nodded respectfully, indicating that he understood.

"In addition, if the Russian offensive is truly unstoppable, then our troops will directly enter the Bosnia and Herzegovina region and occupy the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina before the Russian army arrives.

Anyway, the Russians promised us to occupy the Bosnia and Herzegovina region before; as long as we achieve this practical fact, they have no reason to refute it.

In short, no matter how we choose, we must become one of the beneficiaries of this war. Do you all understand?" Franz Joseph I continued his arrangements with a smile.

For the shrewd Franz Joseph I, in fact, long before reaching cooperation with Russia, he had already anticipated that the Russians would not keep their word.

But it doesn't matter; the Austro-Hungarian Empire will forcibly achieve the outcome previously agreed upon with Russia. Anyway, the main forces of both Russia and the Ottoman Empire are currently in the Bulgaria region, and Russia has no time to attend to the Bosnia and Herzegovina region.

Regardless of whether the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Britain can block the Russian offensive, as long as the Austro-Hungarian Empire can ultimately secure the occupation of the Bosnia and Herzegovina region, then the goal of Franz Joseph I will have been achieved.

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