The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1410: Napoleon III's Choice
Paris France.

Napoleon III stood at the window and looked at the latest intelligence sent to him, with no expression of joy, anger, sorrow or happiness on his face.

But the ministers in the cabinet could no longer bear it.
War Minister Armand Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the operation was still in the planning stage. If it was really carried out, it would inevitably lead to confrontation with the German Confederation and the Austrian Empire again.

Of course, some people feel regretful. If the plan to attack Alsace-Lorraine could have been implemented earlier, would it be over now?

France really needs a victory now. If it can win, the national sentiment in France will be greatly alleviated.

Foreign Minister Alexander Valevsky was the real planner of the operation, but his purpose was to eliminate potential threats to the Napoleonic dynasty.

The House of Orleans in Alsace-Lorraine, the House of Bourbons in Fribourg, and the independent Duke of Aumer in North Africa were all threats that could replace the House of Napoleon.

If these guys could be killed while the Near East was in chaos and the great powers were too busy to look west, the rule of the Second French Empire would be greatly strengthened.

At the same time, the recovered land can also alleviate France’s current difficult financial situation. As long as the economy improves, the opposition and the poor will naturally no longer have complaints.

But now I have to think of other ways
Alexander Walewski was actually the illegitimate son of Napoleon and Polish Countess Marie Walewska, and the only illegitimate son publicly acknowledged by Napoleon I.

Alexander Valewski was a soldier who had participated in the Polish uprising and was also a strong diplomat, but in all accounts the first impression he gave to observers was that he was handsome.

Alexander Valevsky and Napoleon III hit it off immediately, and the two planned a coup together. Before the coup, the latter had promised the former the position of foreign minister, and after the coup, the former did get what he wanted.

Alexander Valevsky was probably the only person in the Second French Empire who was more patriotic than Napoleon III.

Napoleon III was naturally aware of Valevsky's concerns, but he couldn't say that the other party had already predicted their predictions and even proposed compromise conditions.

Franz naturally knew that the French could not hold back. To predict the French actions, he did not need to rely too much on the intelligence of the intelligence departments. They were too proud and would not feel the pain unless millions of people died.

This is the problem with nationalism. Excessive national fanaticism will ignore many problems, so Franz needs to constantly suppress it.

Franz also knew that Napoleon III would definitely prevent the war from happening. After all, the latter was a shrewd politician and would never sacrifice his political career because of a momentary impulse.

However, the reason why Franz contacted Napoleon III was not to humiliate or scare him, but because he planned to invest in France.

This was not aiding the enemy, but a way to expand the influence of the Austrian Empire. For example, France was in short supply of French railways at the time, and no one was willing to take over.

Franz could promote the standards of the Austrian Empire. If France adopted the track gauge of the Austrian Empire, then the ruler of the Austrian Empire would remeasure Europe.

This will greatly weaken Britain's influence and may even affect the formulation of international standard track gauges.

Correspondingly, the Austrian Empire's industrial products will be imported into France in large quantities, squeezing the French's own industry, especially the railway-related industries which will be greatly impacted. The Austrian Empire, on the other hand, will open up overseas markets.

Similarly, the telegraph industry will become a huge breakthrough, and the benefits it brings are far beyond what money can measure. In addition, the Austrian imperial department store chain "United Forces" has also accumulated considerable experience through domestic expansion. Now is a good time to go overseas and compete for the blue ocean.

Although France is in the midst of an economic crisis, only the lower class and part of the middle class have no money. The real upper class and wealthy people are still worried about how to spend their money and even seek to buy luxury goods.

Franz is a kind-hearted man who hates to see others suffer, so he is willing to help these people reduce the burden on their pockets.

In addition, financial and consumption traps that were not available in the Austrian Empire were not restricted in France.

Of course, the "United Forces" is an official organization of the Austrian Empire and naturally cannot do those dirty things, but it does not mean that the French compradors cannot do it.

In short, investment does not mean aiding the enemy, it can also be a means of control and infiltration. However, just in case, it is still necessary to keep the core technology confidential and control the capital. After all, unscrupulous businesses will do anything to make money.

Louis Napoleon naturally knew that Franz had bad intentions, but the British were not necessarily good people either.

Since British investment and loans can help France restore its economy, why can't Austrian money do the same?

Maybe we can take advantage of the conflict between Britain and Austria and make them check and balance each other. Wouldn't France then become the ultimate winner?
Louis Napoleon believed in a liberal market economy. Could he use this to test his beliefs?

In addition, Louis Napoleon knew better than to say that all these investments were used in France, and if things didn't work out, he could turn the table.

As for war, it was not within Louis Napoleon's consideration. He was very clear about his own level, and the two failures in Strasbourg and Boulogne left a deep impression on him.

Retake Alsace-Lorraine by force?

Will the German Confederation stand aside? Will the French army, which has lost hundreds of thousands of young and strong men, still have the strength to fight? Can France, in the midst of an economic crisis, still afford the huge military expenditures? Will civilians continue to tolerate politicians sending their fathers, husbands, and sons to the battlefield?
Napoleon III already had the answer in his mind.

Of course, it would be a different story if Louis Philippe was overwhelmed by France’s momentum and chose to surrender directly.

As for Fribourg, he didn't even dare to think about it. Although the local population was mainly French, they were all people loyal to the Bourbon dynasty or French people who didn't consider themselves French at all.

The most crucial thing is that even if Count Chambord surrendered to France, it would still be an invasion of the German Confederation by France. At that time, even if the Austrians did not want to fight, they would be pushed onto the battlefield by the German Confederation.

The North African region controlled by Duke Omar is no longer something France can deal with at this time.

At this time, Duke Omar not only occupied the whole of Algeria, but also almost annexed the whole of Morocco. The Berber tribes in West Africa were also defeated.

In order to maintain such a huge territory, the entire Duke of Omar's territory adopts a model of universal military service, which means that in theory, the Duke of Omar has millions of troops under his command.

In addition, there is a very powerful fleet in North Africa, and with the existence of the Austrian Empire, France can only choose to use strategy to regain North Africa.

(End of this chapter)