“The Continental War is about to end, and the Bonaparte dynasty is finished!” This was the immediate conclusion of Prime Minister Gladstone upon receiving the news of the outbreak of civil unrest in Paris. Even if Napoleon IV were to put down the rebellion immediately, as long as a few fish slipped through the net, the French Empire would be finished. The power of the bourgeoisie had been dealt a heavy blow. If they wanted to make a comeback, they first had to move the great mountain that is Napoleon IV out of the way. Relying on the revolutionaries not only had a low chance of success but also carried enormous risks. The best way was to let the Anti-French Coalition in for a complete reshuffle. The financial groups might not have the power to control the army, but they could certainly influence individual officers, after all, the power of cash should not be underestimated anywhere. The French army was already at an absolute disadvantage on the battlefield. With a few more traitors, a frontline collapse would be a matter of minutes. Defeat in war always comes at a price, and ordinary people wouldn’t care about all the causes and effects. A single, extremely harsh ceasefire treaty would be enough to bury the Bonaparte dynasty. Show mercy? That was clearly impossible. No one would give up their hard-won gains just to help the Bonaparte dynasty keep their throne. In a sense, the current French government was already a massive political pit. No matter who jumped into it, they would be buried by the post-war peace treaty. Putting down the intelligence report, Prime Minister Gladstone sighed and said, “The thing I feared most has happened. From this moment on, our Continental balance of power strategy has officially failed. France is on the verge of defeat, and Austria has lost all checks and balances, becoming a dominant power. For the Empire, we are about to face an unprecedented and grave situation. While Napoleon was rampant back then, we had the Anti-French Coalition we could rely on. But now, we can’t find any allies to form an Anti-Austrian Coalition.” Although he had been mentally prepared, when this day truly arrived, Gladstone still found it hard to come to terms with it. Britain could still handle an enemy that was only militarily powerful. But facing an enemy that was simultaneously strong in military, political, and diplomatic spheres was beyond their limits. To maintain the continental balance, in the mid-to-late stages of the war, the British government was almost openly and brazenly supporting France. Apart from not sending troops to fight, they had done everything else they possibly could and some things they shouldn’t have. The multi-nation joint intervention strategy, which they had so carefully planned, hadn’t even had a chance to be implemented before the European continent changed its colors. As far as the eye could see, there were nothing but the banners of the Anti-French Coalition. Now, with even the “international” aspect gone, how could they even talk about intervention? Forget about international mediation. Even if Britain were to roll up its sleeves and get involved directly, it couldn’t change the fact that France was defeated. Foreign Secretary George slowly took out a document and said, “The Foreign Office must bear the main responsibility for the failure of the continental balance of power policy. As Foreign Secretary, I cannot shirk my responsibility. This is my letter of resignation.” No matter how justified the reasons, when the international situation collapses, someone always has to take the blame. Others might be able to find a way to evade it, but as Foreign Secretary, George was certainly the first in the line of fire. Rather than being ousted, it would be better to resign on his own. In any case, there was a limit to the responsibility a politician had to bear. As for the mess left behind, who would clean it up was no longer George’s concern. Hearing the word “resignation,” Gladstone’s expression changed. If it weren’t for the fact that the timing was wrong, Gladstone himself would have wanted to resign and leave this mess for his successor. But there was no other way as the current situation did not allow him to back down. Neither Parliament, nor the Queen, nor his rivals would let him abandon his post at this moment. Taking the document without even looking at it, George’s resignation letter was shredded into pieces in Gladstone’s hands. “Sir, being a deserter at a time like this is not a good choice. France’s defeat is the result of their own perverse actions. What does it have to do with us? Why should we be responsible for their defeat? As for the continental balance of power policy, aren’t we still making efforts? Without the French, there are still the Russians and the Spanish. There will always be someone to keep Austria in check. Although they are allies now, that is only based on the fact that they have a common enemy. With the French gone, those allies will become enemies.” There was no doubt that Gladstone was preparing to play dumb. The failure of the continental balance of power policy seemed serious, but in reality, it was only a concern for the elite. Ordinary citizens didn’t pay attention to these issues. Don’t be fooled by how often the Gladstone cabinet was scolded to hell and back in Parliament, their public reputation was not low at all. “The government is incompetent, stood by and watched the French lose, and allowed the continental balance to be broken”—this was the label their rivals were pinning on them. It was one thing to say this in Parliament, but it would be a joke if taken to the public. The centuries-old animosity between Britain and France wasn’t just talk, it was a real reflection of the lives of the people. In the minds of the British public, “watching France be defeated” wasn’t a crime. If the government was shameless enough, they could even promote it as an achievement to the public. As for whether Austria, having defeated France, would threaten Britain’s position as a hegemon? Hold on, wasn’t it the Anti-French Coalition that defeated France? Russia, Austria, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Montenegro... nearly all the countries of Europe besieged France together. How could you put all the blame on Austria? Perceptual knowledge isn’t something that can be changed in a short amount of time. It was simply not possible for the average British citizen to realize the threat of Austria in a short period. Gladstone’s current plan was to use this public perception gap to emphasize the government’s achievement of using the Anti-French Coalition to take down France, thereby covering up the fact that the continental balance of power had been broken. After hearing Gladstone’s explanation, George said with some difficulty, “Prime Minister, isn’t that a bad idea? If we don’t curb Austria soon…” Before George could finish, Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Childers interrupted forcefully, “Oh, good Lord! Sir George actually still believes we have the ability to curb Austria! This world must be mad!” Although Hugh Childers’ expression was a bit exaggerated, his words still won the approval of everyone. Britain wasn’t some simpleton. While they had suddenly become powerful in the last hundred years, everyone had not abandoned their fine tradition of knowing when to bend and when to stand tall. If Austria were to act alone, Britain could still have wooed other European countries and used pressure from the international community to force Austria to make concessions. Now, with every country on the continent a member of the Anti-French Coalition, even if Austria didn’t demand severe punishment for France, a series of participating nations like Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland would demand that France be ‘utterly destroyed.’ At this point, for Britain to step in and intervene, they would not only be standing against Austria but also against all the other European nations that had participated in the war. Anyone with a sharp eye knew that if France were to truly rise from the ashes and seek revenge, the first to suffer wouldn’t be Austria, but its neighboring countries. Since they couldn’t do it, they simply wouldn’t do it. The Anti-French Coalition was assembled because of the common enemy, France. Once that enemy no longer existed, the value of the alliance would also disappear. Even if Austria worked hard to maintain this alliance, it would only be effective in the short term. In the later stages, due to various conflicts, everyone would still go their separate ways. Britain was a professional at this. Even if there were no conflicts between nations, they could create them. As for the issue of the continental balance of power, they could just wait until the Anti-French Coalition collapsed and then find a way to rebuild it. As for whether they would succeed, that was a problem for some successor government far in the future. It wasn’t something they needed to worry about. “We can temporarily give up on matters concerning the European continent, but we absolutely must get our hands on the French naval warships. For a long time to come, the European continent will be dominated by Austria. To ensure Britain’s safety, the Royal Navy must have an overwhelming advantage. Currently, the number of Austrian naval capital ships is already close to seventy percent of ours. If they also get their hands on the French warships, the balance of power will be completely reversed.” Sir Astley Cooper Key, the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, instantly galvanized everyone’s emotions with his words. The breaking of the continental balance wouldn’t necessarily kill Britain, but if the Royal Navy’s advantage were lost, that would be a death sentence. “The Foreign Office is already working on it. It’s just that Napoleon IV is using the French navy as his biggest bargaining chip, trying to make a political statement with these warships. Before this, to get material aid, the French had blackmailed us with this. They blustered that if we stopped supporting them, they would give their navy to Austria intact in exchange for lenient treatment after the war. According to the intelligence from the embassy, it can be confirmed that France and Austria did indeed hold negotiations regarding the naval warships. The continental war is still ongoing, and our initial assessment is that they probably failed to reach an agreement.” George’s explanation not only failed to reassure the others but made them even more anxious.
1+1 doesn’t necessarily equal 2. The French and Austrian navies are independent systems, so their level of cooperation would certainly not reach a hundred percent. This combined “1+1” might be less than two, but it would still be one point something. Facing an enemy with so many main battleships, could the Royal Navy really handle it? No one could answer this question. In any case, everyone knew that Britain couldn’t afford to take this gamble, not even for a stalemate. After a moment of thought, Gladstone said coldly, “Get the warships from the French, no matter the cost.”
*** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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