Japan was not close to the British Isles. Even if an agreement were reached immediately and the equipment was loaded onto ships in Britain at once, it would still take about two months to arrive. Moreover, armored units were technical branches. Familiarizing soldiers with the equipment and completing basic training also required time. Being able to deploy them in battle within six months would already count as highly efficient. For the ongoing war between Japan and Russia, it was nothing more than a distant solution. To address the immediate crisis, the Japanese Army would have to rely on its own efforts. No one could help with this matter. In terms of tactical command, the officers at the front were clearly more competent than the civilian officials in government. If the professionals were struggling, amateurs would be of no use at all. Japan’s foundations were weak, and the country could not withstand unnecessary risks. It was not yet in a position to act willfully. Itō Hirobumi said, “The Far Eastern front is troublesome, but overall it remains within our control. According to intelligence provided by the British, the Trans-Siberian Railway will not be completed until sometime in the latter half of next year at the earliest. With the additional time needed for post-construction integration, it will likely only become fully operational in early 1906. We still have enough time. The real problem lies in the international situation. The conflict between Britain and the Holy Roman Empire is growing more intense, and many issues have already been brought into the open. They are not even bothering to hide them anymore. It is possible they could go to war at any moment. Our empire is tied too closely to Britain, and now that we are at war with Russia, if a struggle for world dominance breaks out, we will have no choice but to be dragged into it. The Royal Navy might hold absolute superiority, and the British are in an undefeated position but the Holy Roman Empire spans Asia, Europe and Africa, and its dominance over the continent is equally unshakable. Both sides hold absolute advantages of their own, and no one dares to predict the final outcome of their contest. When two tigers fight, one is bound to be wounded. For other nations, this should have been a good thing. But unfortunately for our empire, we happened to go to war with Russia at precisely this moment. If things go wrong, we will be dragged into their struggle for hegemony. Judging from the current situation, it is very possible that neither Britain nor the Holy Roman Empire will be able to defeat the other, forcing them to accept a ceasefire in the end. They are powerful enough to bear the cost of a war. But for countries like us that get caught in the middle, the misfortune would be ours. History has seen similar cases before, just like our own Warring States period.” Itō Hirobumi’s concerns were by no means unfounded. With Japan’s national strength, taking part in the struggle for hegemony between the Holy Roman Empire and Britain would only end in tragedy. Even if Britain emerged victorious and Japan stood on the winning side, their fate would still be far from pleasant. The reason was simple. Japan lacked strength. Fighting Russia alone already left them exhausted. They had no capacity to seize territory elsewhere. If they won, they would gain nothing. If they lost, they could end up losing everything. No country would willingly involve itself in such a contest for dominance. Japan was not lacking in lessons of this kind. Although the conflicts of the Japanese Warring States period were mostly village-level skirmishes, some wisdom could still be drawn from the experience. When several daimyo fought for supremacy, the first to suffer were always the minor clans. Following a powerful lord into battle meant becoming cannon fodder, and whatever spoils of war existed were the leftovers. If casualties were heavy, one could only accept the misfortune. If the daimyo was benevolent, he might help preserve the defeated clan’s bloodline. If he was ruthless, the minor clan could simply be annexed and erased. Prime Minister Katsura Taro said, “Itō-kun, there is no need to overthink it. International developments are beyond our control. What the Empire must do now is win this war. As for the struggle between the Holy Roman Empire and Britain, we can only adapt to the situation and act when the time is right. As long as our Empire maintains proper distance and does not get too deeply involved, even if the Holy Roman Empire were to win, the Holy Roman government would not launch a distant expedition just to cause trouble for us. Besides, looking at the situation now, mutual damage is the most likely outcome. The danger to the Empire is not great.” Distance was the best moat. For Japan at this stage, staying far away from the European continent was its greatest advantage. No matter how fierce the confrontation between Britain and Austria became, the main battlefield would always be in Europe. As long as the Japanese government did not foolishly insert itself into the conflict, it would likely remain a bystander. Even if Britain became displeased, Russia was already enough of a problem. Being fully occupied with the war against Russia and unable to spare attention elsewhere was the best excuse. Tying down the Russians and easing the British government’s pressure in India was already Japan’s greatest contribution to the alliance. Of course, Katsura Taro’s conclusion rested on one condition, that the British and Russians did not end up cooperating. If the Russians turned toward the British government, Japan would have no choice but to end the war and force its way south. After all, British money was never taken lightly. Once one accepted their financial support, one had to be prepared to pay with one’s life. … Faraway as it was, even the Japanese government could feel the pressure. For the European countries facing the storm directly, the situation was even more severe. Another once-in-decades season of choosing sides had arrived. At this point, every nation had to make a decision. Choosing outweighed effort, and the same held true for countries. Once they took this step, there would be no easy way back. Whether the next few decades would be prosperous or impoverished depended on the bets they placed now. In Paris, ever since the end of the European War, this once international metropolis had fallen to the level of a second-tier city, fading steadily from global prominence. The glory of the days when the French government could shake the world with a single stomp had long vanished. What remained was a Bourbon monarchy struggling to survive in a narrow political space, with none of the arrogance once associated with Europe’s former hegemon. The government had lost its confidence, and so had the people. There was no trace of the pride they once displayed. The city once known as a cradle of revolutionary thought had turned into stagnant water. With the war’s end, the flourishing age of intellectual debate had disappeared. The fiery, passionate debates that once filled university campuses were gone, as were the lively, romantic scenes of the Parisian boulevards. At some point, Parisians stopped caring about politics. International news drew less attention than the discounts in the shops. The city that once prided itself on its newspapers had declined to the point where publications frequently shut down without a trace, as though the people no longer wished to read the news at all. The scenes before him cast a shadow deep within Lloyd George’s heart. The vibrant, lively Paris he once knew no longer existed. All that remained was a group of people who resembled walking corpses, struggling merely to survive. Looking inward, he could not help but wonder whether such a France was still capable of bearing the responsibility of resisting the Holy Roman Empire. Even he did not know the answer. But since he had already come, whether France could manage it or not, the work had to continue. No one had expected the Austrian government to react so fiercely to Britain’s withdrawal from the free trade system. Their response tore apart the last thin layer of diplomatic restraint between the two countries. The atmosphere in Europe suddenly thickened with the scent of gunpowder, yet Britain’s strategic plan had only just begun. War seemed on the verge of breaking out, while the banner of an anti–Holy Roman alliance had still not been raised. The intended main force, the Russians, were currently locked in bitter combat with Britain’s ally, Japan. If they could not resolve their internal issues, talk of opposing the Holy Roman Empire was meaningless. But time waited for no one. The arms race had already erupted in full force, and the Holy Roman Empire and the British government were both launching warships at a frantic pace. Even if war broke out tomorrow, Lloyd George would not be surprised. To improve its chances in the coming conflict, the British government was doing everything it could to recruit allies. Whether a country was powerful or merely symbolic did not matter. Anyone who could be pulled in was welcome. As far as the British were concerned, even a damaged ship still had nails worth using, let alone the once-mighty French Empire. No matter how far it had fallen, France was not something a minor country could compare to. In a sense, the British were not wrong. France still had a population in the tens of millions. Though greatly weakened, it still possessed deep reserves. Unfortunately, reserves were only reserves. If they could not be converted into real strength, no amount of historical accumulation could support a major power. France was the perfect example. No matter how rich its heritage, it could not withstand the constant bleeding and turmoil inflicted by the anti-French coalition. They had first used force to destroy France’s military industry, then followed it with a wave of dumped goods that crushed France’s heavy industry. If only the industrial sector had been damaged, that would have been one thing, but the most decisive factor was Russia’s performance. At first, the French actually welcomed the arrival of Russian troops. During the Vienna Conference, it was the Russian government that insisted on giving France a break, even arguing fiercely with the other countries over it. Unfortunately, the “ally” they had been hoping for turned out to be a wolf wearing sheep’s skin. With Russia’s “help,” France did not merely step back from the edge of a cliff. It plunged straight into an endless abyss. No matter what pride, dignity, sentiment, or hatred the French once had, all of it now trembled under the blades of the Russian army. A single look at the obedient citizens of Paris was enough to understand. This was Russia’s handiwork. Anyone with a backbone had either been sent to meet God or was now laboring on the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Everywhere you looked, the scene was the same: the balance between men and women had become severely distorted. Most of the young men had already been ruined by the Russians. Those who remained were elderly people, women, and children. Even if they wanted to cause trouble, they could not form anything serious. Lloyd George had seen enough. Even if France were to join the war against the Holy Roman Empire, they would only be able to play a minor supporting role. To act as a main force, they needed soldiers. If one were to calculate the number of young men, Belgium next door probably had no fewer than France. Even though France still had between seventeen to eighteen million people, the number of troops they could field was at most a few hundred thousand. Forget confronting the Holy Roman Empire. The moment they tried to move, Sardinia, Belgium, Switzerland, and Spain would likely wipe them out first. Of course, the lack of men could be compensated by recruiting female soldiers. In theory, France could still form an army of a million. But France never had that chance. The anti-French coalition had already restricted France’s military capabilities long ago, capping their troop numbers tightly. Even the purchase of every single rifle and every bullet required approval from the Joint Command, to say nothing of expanding the scope of recruitment. Chances were that before France could even complete its domestic mobilization, the occupation forces would eliminate them first. Changing governments was something the anti-French coalition had done more than once. They understood this perfectly well, but they still needed to persuade and coax. If war broke out, every bit of strength was valuable. France lacked real power, but that did not stop them from being used as cannon fodder. Even if they were useless on the front lines, causing trouble and consuming the Holy Roman Empire’s resources would still be worthwhile. Britain and France had been enemies for centuries, so making things harder for France did not trouble Lloyd George in the slightest. With a mindset of “might as well try,” Lloyd George arrived at the Palace of Versailles. Returning to an old place, he saw that everything had changed dramatically. Not only had the palace changed hands, but even the interior decorations were far worse than before. Just as an old French folk song lamented: “Troubled Versailles, troubled Paris, troubled France…” From the moment construction began, the fate of Versailles had been tied to that of France. For centuries, countless major events in French history had unfolded there. … Before Lloyd George could finish his awkward flattery, Carlos cut him off saying, “Sir George, there is no point in discussing any of that. France has fallen to this state, and your country deserves a considerable share of the credit. Without your cooperation, we would not have lost the European War so thoroughly. Now you speak of friendship between our countries. I am sorry, but I truly cannot feel any friendship from yours. All I see with my own eyes is betrayal by an ally. At this point, nothing you say will change anything. France cannot withstand any more turmoil. Instead of wasting your time here, you should think about how your country intends to deal with the challenge from the Holy Roman Empire!” Anglo-French friendship was always a false proposition. Over the past few centuries, the years the two countries spent as enemies were dozens of times longer than the years they spent as allies. Even in the few moments when they did form alliances, France was always the one that paid the heavier price. Now that fortune had turned and it was Britain’s turn to face pressure, Carlos already showed considerable restraint by not kicking them while they were down. Expecting France to once again take up arms for Britain’s sake and go to war against the Holy Roman Empire was nothing short of an insult to Carlos’s intelligence. Lloyd George was not surprised to be refused. He had even prepared himself mentally for the possibility of being thrown out. The fact that he was still allowed to sit here and talk was already more than he expected. Even though it was the government before the previous one that made the decisions, the fact remained that Britain had betrayed France. France had been ruined so thoroughly that resentment was only natural. The absence of resentment would have been strange. On this matter, Lloyd George could not say too much. From the French perspective, Britain’s betrayal had caused their defeat. From Britain’s perspective, France was simply too weak and collapsed before Britain was even ready. “Your Majesty, France was once a great nation, but what I see now is ruin everywhere and a population struggling to survive. Do you not wish to change this? As long as the Holy Roman Empire exists, the anti-French coalition will remain a mountain that your country cannot cross. This is the last chance. If your country does not want to sink any further, the best option is to join us. Once the Holy Roman Empire is defeated, your country will immediately be able to reclaim everything it once had and stand at the summit of the world once again.” To say he was not tempted would be a lie. However magnificent Lloyd George’s promises sounded, they could not make up for the fact that the anti-Holy Roman Empire alliance was weak on land. If France joined now, it would simply be a repeat of the last European War. France would still have to face all the European powers alone. The only difference was that, back then, France actually had the strength to fight. Now, taking the lead meant becoming nothing more than cannon fodder. But if they did not participate, the reality was exactly as Lloyd George described. This was France’s last chance. If they let it slip, they might not rise again for the entire next century. Whether Britain won or the Holy Roman Empire won, France would remain the one being suppressed. After hesitating for a moment, Carlos slowly said, “There is no need to say more. No matter how great the promised benefits are, they can only be enjoyed after the Holy Roman Empire is defeated. Even with our participation, your country’s military strength still gives you no chance of winning on land. Britain has the Royal Navy and can retreat strategically when necessary. You do not need to fear retaliation from the Holy Roman Empire. We do not have that luxury.” Rejecting the offer outright? Of course not. Anyone in Carlos’s position would be desperate for a chance to turn things around. The reason he had not agreed to an alliance with Britain was partly because there was no confidence in victory, and partly because Britain simply could not be trusted. If these two issues could be solved, then joining the anti-Holy Roman Empire alliance would not be a problem at all. But that was impossible. Unless Britain could rally every major European power, there was no way to gather enough momentum for a true anti-Holy Roman Empire coalition.
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