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

Chapter 1562 Albert's Plan

If French is added, will German, Spanish, Latin, or Russian also be added?
In fact, the French people's struggle has already gained the support of all of Europe. Although the Germans, whose confidence has been inflated, have withdrawn from the award, it does not prevent them from adding German elements to the World's Fair, nor does it prevent them from promoting their national culture.

Although the Russian government did not participate in the World's Fair, Nicholas I stated that Russia's dignity could not be ignored.
A Vatican cardinal claimed that "Latin is the cornerstone of European civilization."

On the one hand, he was emphasizing the status of Latin, and on the other hand, he was reminding people that English was nothing more than the language of the nouveau riche.

The reason why the six major sects besieged Bright Peak was due to Franz's efforts was that the Austrian Empire was not suitable to directly participate in the war at this time, but it could stir up the European situation in other ways.

The British were in for a headache. Putting aside the cost of adding other languages, the sheer efficiency of communication would be a disaster.

Besides this, there will be a whole host of chain reactions. Will public sentiment in the UK erupt? Will there be more cultural conflicts in addition to language and writing systems?

Should we ban pork consumption just to appease the Ottomans?
Just as chaos erupted in Whitehall, Prince Albert walked in.

"Your Highness, what brings you here?"

Although John Russell was displeased, he still maintained basic manners and greeted Prince Albert with a smile.

"Your Excellency, thank you for your hard work."

After greeting Prime Minister John Russell, Prince Albert glanced at the others present and spoke slowly.

"If I hadn't come, the royal family would probably have been smeared."

Prince Albert had apparently heard some rumors before he arrived, and the group of high-ranking British officials exchanged glances, unsure how to explain.

"No explanation needed. I know what you're thinking. This kind of thinking will never stop unless this matter is resolved."

"Now I can give you a suggestion for your reference."

John Russell gave George Villiers a look, and the latter immediately responded.

"Your Highness, what good idea do you have? Please speak."

"I have already discussed this idea with the Prime Minister."

John Russell was puzzled. He had been busy dealing with all sorts of messy official business lately and hadn't had time to see Prince Albert.

However, John Russell soon realized it.

"Your Highness, are you referring to the World's Fair Committee?"

"That's right, we can designate France as the host country for the next World Expo. This would appease the French people to the greatest extent, silence other countries, and attract speculators like moths to a flame."

In this way, the World's Fair became a true World's Fair.

Prince Albert handed over the plan he had prepared to John Russell.

"Your Highness, this is truly a brilliant plan."

John Russell exclaimed in genuine admiration.

Immediately after Prince Albert left, an official complained, "Has His Highness overstepped his bounds? The royal family is not allowed to interfere in politics."

John Russell rolled his eyes at the official with a helpless expression, thinking to himself, "If you were so capable, would you need someone else's help?"

However, he only dared to say it to himself: as the head of the British government, John Russell had to distance himself from the royal family.

Vienna, Hofburg Palace.

Franz was not surprised by the British handling of the situation. What truly shocked him was the French people at that time. Even after so many failures and setbacks, this nation remained terrifyingly powerful.

Franz had assumed the French would simply write a few short-lived articles criticizing the British, as was the case in history, but the reality was that such a terrible torrent once again shook the whole of Europe.

It seems that only a catastrophe of the magnitude, such as World War I combined with an economic crisis, could break the French people's fighting spirit. As for occupying France, at this point it seems like a complete pipe dream.

Fortunately, the Alsace-Lorraine region was predominantly German, and thankfully he wasn't blinded by victory and went on to occupy mainland France.

Otherwise, the outcome of the war might very well have been rewritten.

The British showcased their airship at the end of the Great Exhibition, which was a real show of force.

However, the officials of the Austrian Empire were not surprised at all. Olga even stretched out her hands to catch the candy, since Austrian airships were usually used to scatter candy when they appeared in cities.

Other countries had different thoughts. Some admired Britain's strength, while others felt that the Austrian Empire's advantage in weaponry had been neutralized, and that Britain might be a worthwhile bet.

Of course, some countries would be very distressed, such as Prussia and France.

Albrecht von Rohn was terrified of airships because there were no effective means to counter them, so their appearance caused great panic.

When there is no way to counter a weapon, the only way to deal with it is to master the weapon itself.

However, Prussia's military budget now requires parliamentary approval, and without funding, it would be better to hope that the other party will sell the patents to them.

Moreover, at this time, the Prussian army was facing off against the Austrian Empire, and was at a disadvantage in terms of troop strength. Therefore, it had to surpass its opponent in weaponry, but according to intelligence at the time, the Austrian Empire's weapon technology was superior to Prussia's in every aspect.

How exactly should such a war be fought?
Albrecht von Rohn privately asked many military experts, and most of the answers he received were wishful thinking.

However, one of the ideas of Lieutenant Colonel Helmut Karl Bernhard von Moltke was quite interesting. Although it sounded a bit crazy, it was not a pessimistic answer given after all else failed.

Even a madman like Helmut von Moltke had to admit that Prussia would need a bit of luck to defeat the Austrian Empire.

The French also had their own airships, but their performance was still very backward. The proud Gallic rooster could not accept the fact that it was lagging behind others.

They must surpass Austria and Great Britain to become number one in the world.

However, this was only the idea of ​​the military and academia. For a pragmatist like Louis Napoleon, researching airships at any cost was obviously unrealistic.

He felt that stealing secrets and copying or directly purchasing patents was much more cost-effective than conducting research on his own. This was supported by data at the time, which showed that the cost of a technology would drop by an average of 50% five years after its emergence, becoming only 10%-15% of the cost of independent research and development.

If achieved through espionage or reverse engineering, the cost would decrease further.

Although there was widespread opposition from the French academic community, the French government simply couldn't afford to invest in scientific research at that time. After all, investing in factories, railways, and colonies would be far more lucrative than research.