Limiting army armaments holds no benefit for secrecy. Apart from the geographically isolated British, all other European nations are beneficiaries of this. The Russo-Prussian War affected not just the two belligerent nations, Prussia and Russia, but also prompted neighboring countries to expand their military forces. The scale of armies across Europe has grown to varying degrees. Austria set this dangerous precedent. To ensure its own security and maintain the capacity to intervene in conflicts at any moment, the Austrian government initiated military expansion first, triggering a chain reaction. As of now, Austria’s army has swelled to 947,000 troops, a figure close enough to be justifiably rounded up as a “million-strong army.” While expanding its active forces, the Austrian government has also mobilized vast numbers of reservists under the guise of training exercises. Should Franz desire, he could assemble an army of 2-3 million soldiers within a week, sufficient to address any contingency. This reflects the complete erosion of trust between nations. All states now feel compelled to prepare for worst-case scenarios. Should either side have achieved a decisive victory in the Russo-Prussian War, no one can guarantee the triumphant nation wouldn’t become overconfident and attempt reckless actions such as launching a surprise attack on Austria. Franz had no intention of entrusting Austria’s security to others, hence the imperative to bolster its strength. Beyond security concerns, there was also the issue of debt. In these times, collecting debts is no easy task. Without power, who would even acknowledge you? With both Prussia and Russia now weakened from their mutual exhaustion, even the victorious Russian Bear lacks the leverage to default. The Russian government appears compliant for now, rendering armed debt collection unnecessary. In an era where anti-war sentiment prevails, the Austrian government’s proposal for disarmament aligns perfectly with the zeitgeist. The only displeased party is likely the British. If nations refrain from cutting military budgets, reduced army expenditures would mean more funding funneled toward navies which was a scenario the British government dreads. Given the current international climate, if the British government still fails to grasp Austria’s intentions, it might as well quit the geopolitical game altogether. Yet awareness alone changes little. At this juncture, Britain would struggle to undermine Austria’s agenda. Disarmament enjoys broad consensus and serves the interests of all parties and no amount of British rhetoric could convince nations to abandon it. … 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister’s Residence Foreign Secretary Edward stated, “The Russo-Prussian War has been too devastating, fueling the rise of anti-war sentiment across Europe. The people of Europe are gripped by a profound sense of insecurity. The Austrians have chosen an opportune moment. Their proposal for disarmament is likely not just about reducing military forces. All signs indicate that Austria is preparing to establish a new international order. Disarmament is merely a pretext for convening an international conference. While limiting the size of armies, they will likely also push European nations to sign a collective defense treaty. Most European countries are plagued by insecurity, and no one would be able to reject such a treaty. The only power capable of obstructing this would be France. However, European nations have long been wary of France, with most viewing them as the source of continental instability. At this moment, the French government likely lacks the courage to openly oppose this move. Reports from Paris suggest that the French have already agreed to Austria’s disarmament plan. It is expected that once the Prusso-Russian negotiations conclude, Austria will convene an international conference to establish a new balance of power in Europe. While the stabilization of the European continent would ordinarily be a positive development, the current situation is different. The strategic focus of both France and Austria may now shift outward. If our deductions are correct, it won’t be long before a new round of naval arms races begins. In the near future, Britain will face its most severe challenge yet.” The level of resentment toward the French is too high to subside in a short period. This ensures that in the new European balance of power, they can only be participants, not leaders. Everyone knows that after the Russo-Prussian War, Europe’s political landscape will be reshuffled, and the British government must be prepared for it. The original plan was to establish a North German Empire and then bring the French on board to create a new European order. However, Britain was a step too late as Austria acted first. Prime Minister Benjamin nodded and added, “If the Austrians succeed, this will be the Third Vienna System. If we disrupt their plans now and align with the French, is there a chance we could establish a European system centered around Britain?” Foreign Secretary Edward shook his head and replied, “That would be extremely difficult. Even if we manage to bring the French on our side, the chances of success wouldn’t exceed one-third. In recent years, our influence on the European continent has declined significantly. Especially after the Russo-Prussian War, with Prussia, our main ally, crippled, our voice in European affairs has weakened even further. The French are in an even worse situation. While their strength is not inferior to Austria’s, and their influence rivals that of the Austrian government, much of their reputation is negative. Part of this stems from Napoleon’s legacy, while another part is the consequence of annexing Italy. Aside from Spain, France can no longer find a single ally on the continent. Based on our intelligence, Franco-Spanish relations are also cooling. If a new international order is to be established, even the Spanish may not support them.” Politics is a harsh reality. With Britain’s key pieces on the European chessboard rendered useless, its ability to intervene in continental affairs has significantly diminished, and naturally, fewer nations are willing to align with it. Bringing France into the fold would enhance British influence but also require accepting the negative baggage that comes with France. For example, countries threatened by France such as Belgium, Switzerland, and the German Federal Empire would instinctively take an opposing stance. Even if Britain could forcefully pull them into its camp, it would be unrealistic to expect them to contribute actively. No matter how many benefits Britain promises, the issue remains unsolvable as long as France refuses to relinquish its ambitions toward them. As for getting France to back off? That’s wishful thinking. Having never suffered a major setback and successfully annexing Italy, France is more arrogant than ever. Why would they listen to Britain? The so-called honeymoon period between Britain and France ended long ago. The resurfacing of their age-old rivalry, once buried by time, on the pages of both nations’ newspapers time and time again says a lot about the current situation. Getting the French to abandon their strategy and continue playing the role of Britain’s subordinate is simply impossible. No matter who sits on the French throne, Anglo-French relations must turn cold. Otherwise, the surge of nationalism would cause the French government to collapse. In the original timeline, Britain and France remained adversaries for many years after the Franco-Prussian War. If not for the series of blunders made by the German Empire, the two nations would never have aligned. But in the current situation, France feels no real threat, which means Anglo-French relations must deteriorate. In politics, everything is dictated by interests. After calculating the pros and cons, Prime Minister Benjamin sighed helplessly, “Forget it. The sooner the new international order is established, the better it is for Britain. If Austria wants to take the lead, let them. With treaties in place, our plans for North Germany will proceed more smoothly. After all, Austria can’t just turn around and contradict its own system right after setting it up!” Leading the establishment of a new European order brings more than just prestige, the real benefit lies in promoting one’s own ideology. Just as individuals need good branding to succeed in society, nations also require a well-crafted image. The competition between great powers spans all fields—politics, economics, military strength, culture, and ideology. Establishing an international system is undoubtedly the fastest way to expand influence. In this regard, the Austrian government is highly experienced, having already succeeded twice before. Naturally, Franz intends to replicate that success for the third time. … The blood in St. Petersburg had yet to dry. Not long ago, a massive purge had taken place here, with thousands of prominent figures losing their heads. Anyone suspected of involvement in the assassination attempt on the Tsar was thrown into prison by Alexandrovich. Naturally, this also served as an opportunity to eliminate political opponents. How was the list of suspects compiled? This remains one of the many unsolved mysteries in the history of the Russian Empire. Arrests were made first, and investigations followed. Unsurprisingly, this greatly accelerated the progress of the case. Of course, it also unearthed a host of other scandals. In the end, everyone was deemed guilty and sentenced to execution, with little chance of injustice. With so many people implicated, executing them all was simply impossible. Leniency was inevitable. So long as one had not directly participated in the assassination attempt, other offenses could be negotiated. Even so, over a thousand individuals were still ordered to be executed by Alexandrovich. There was no other choice. Alexander II had survived numerous assassination attempts, and countless conspirators had been involved. With over a hundred assassination plots, being linked to any one of them meant only one fate—death. Besides revolutionaries, many capitalists and nobles were also implicated and sent to meet their end. The tradition of sparing nobles did not apply here. No one even dared to plead on their behalf. Under normal circumstances, slaughtering so many people at once, including over a hundred nobles, would have left Alexandrovich with a ruined reputation. But this time was an exception. Most of Europe’s mainstream media praised his actions as a righteous purge. The continent’s most powerful noble factions collectively fell silent. Even within the Russian Empire, the nobility uncharacteristically kept quiet. Regardless of their personal thoughts, none dared to publicly question Alexandrovich’s actions. Regicide was an absolute taboo. Whether successful or not, it was considered the gravest of crimes. Anyone speaking out against Alexandrovich now had to first consider how their own monarch might react. Yet despite the mountains of corpses, the true mastermind behind the assassination attempt remained unknown. However, those who had obstructed the investigation were swiftly uncovered. Unfortunately, they were not part of any grand conspiracy. The obstruction stemmed from the sheer number of assassination attempts against Alexander II. Many officials, either actively or inadvertently, had been implicated and feared that further investigation might expose their own involvement. As he reviewed the investigation report in his hands, Alexandrovich’s reaction was strangely muted. He showed no emotion, as if nothing had happened at all. Over a thousand heads rolled, which seemed severe, but in reality, very few high-ranking individuals were involved since most of those executed were ordinary people. Many who were not deeply implicated were merely dismissed from their positions or exiled by Crown Prince Alexandrovich. Only those who had directly participated in the regicide plot were truly put to death. Had this been an ordinary assassination attempt, such punishments would have been considered excessive. But for a regicide, Alexandrovich’s handling of the matter seemed almost too lenient. While Europe had no tradition of exterminating entire families, executing an assassin’s relatives or stripping them of noble titles was hardly considered excessive. Even those who had inadvertently assisted the plot, or who were merely linked by association, often faced severe consequences. Yet none of this happened. Of the more than a hundred nobles executed, most were either directly involved in planning the assassination, conspired and took action, or helped cover up the crime by obstructing the investigation. In truth, the number of nobles executed wasn’t even a tenth of those purged by Franz during the Vienna Revolution. Of course, these were different situations. Using others to carry out executions was not the same as personally ordering them, and the political impact varied. Still, compared to the assassination of the Tsar, this was too lenient. Just as in the original timeline, Crown Prince Alexandrovich had “raised the sword high, only to bring it down gently,” avoiding a full-scale national purge. Setting the documents aside, Alexandrovich said calmly, “Let’s end it here. Announce publicly that this was the work of the Narodnaya Volya. Further investigations will continue in secret.”
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