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

Chapter 1651 The English Proposal
To put it bluntly, George Hamilton Gordon still felt that he had the advantage, but it wasn't that great, which is why he needed to add this insurance.

In addition, the previous commerce raiding really hurt Britain, and Britain has not recovered from that blow. Britain's entire Mediterranean commercial circle was completely destroyed, and hundreds of years of business were ruined in an instant.

In fact, Franz would really cry foul on this point. In all honesty, less than a quarter of the British losses actually ended up in the hands of the Austrian Empire.

The rest were divided up by other countries; ultimately, the world had long suffered under Britain's dominance. These nations were merely using this opportunity to diminish British influence, but all the blame and responsibility fell on Austria.

If these events had not occurred, the Austrian Empire would not have been constantly targeted, but it was precisely for this reason that Britain considered signing a secret agreement with Austria.

Furthermore, George Hamilton Gordon did this primarily due to pressure from within Britain, which forced him to do so.

The economic crisis has dragged on, and there is widespread lamentation in Britain. Some people have even quietly transferred their assets to the United States, France, Prussia, and even the Netherlands, Sweden, and Brazil.

Fortunately, no one fled to Austria or Russia, otherwise he would have gone even more insane.

In fact, Russia had a terrible reputation at the time, with some even saying that "only a madman would immigrate to Russia."

If this is the case for ordinary people, then it goes without saying that it is for the wealthy.

The Austrian Empire represented the other extreme, with its policy of allowing entry but not exit being terrifying.

What was even more chilling was the Austrian Empire itself. Although the Tsar was barbaric, he was not necessarily able to find the right weaknesses and relied more on physical elimination and direct plunder.

According to rumors and the boasts of Austrian imperial economists, Franz himself was clearly an expert in this field, and there was even a royal company involved.

They judge others by their own standards. Who knows if the so-called royal company has developed to its current level through some special means?

In Britain, they didn't have to worry about the monarchy, but in the Austrian Empire, what uncontrollable consequences might arise if they took business away from the royal family?
At least they don't think they would show mercy to their enemies if they held emperor-like power.

Moreover, after 1848, the Austrian Empire's main military actions were to increase the size of its navy and strengthen its defenses in the Adriatic Sea.

It's unclear whether the Royal Navy can blockade the Adriatic Sea, but Britain estimates it has no chance of landing at Venice.

In addition, the Austrian Empire's overseas strategic nodes were also increasing.
However, regardless of the circumstances, George Hamilton Gordon had to consider the feelings of businessmen at this point, as such continuous financial losses would eventually cause Britain to fall from its pedestal.

Signing a secret agreement with the Austrian Empire to guarantee the safety of non-military ships of both sides and maintain the smooth flow of wartime trade routes became essential.

Although George Hamilton Gordon was looking at George Villiers with an idiotic gaze, he still spoke.

"Then, Your Excellency, please handle this matter personally."

Vienna, Hofburg Palace.

"Your Highness, I believe your country should accept this goodwill. Your country's naval power is at a disadvantage, and in the event of war, not a single one of your merchant ships will be able to escape."

"By then, all your country's efforts over the years will have been in vain."

Prince Schwarzenberg simply scoffed at George Villiers's statement.

"Earl Clarendon, have you not forgotten who won before?"

In truth, Prince Schwarzenberg was quite interested in this secret agreement. If it could be realized, the Austrian Empire would indeed have far fewer worries.

Although he knew nothing about the navy, he could tell from the naval commanders' daily boasts about their strength and their inflated confidence that holding the coastline shouldn't be a problem. Following Prince Schwarzenberg's line of thinking, as long as they could hold the coastline, they would at least be invincible.

As for those overseas colonies, they can only suffer for now.

George Villiers' eyelids twitched. He disliked this tit-for-tat negotiation and preferred that everyone sit down and negotiate properly.

"Then why is your country still stuck in this little bathtub? Besides, I think we are civilized countries and should not continue to use those uncivilized tricks."

If it were the historical Prince Schwarzenberg, he might have thought about it more, but at this time, there had already been several large-scale debates between the Austrian Empire and Great Britain.

In the Austrian Empire, the image of English pirates was deeply ingrained in people's minds.

"Sir, one must not forget one's roots. Have you forgotten that your country rose to prominence precisely through these petty tricks?"

"Your Highness, a hero's origins are irrelevant. You must acknowledge that Britain is now a great power, and one prepared to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining international order."

It's not so narrow-minded as to be unable to move on from the past.

Prince Schwarzenberg gave a cold laugh.

"Your country has a lot of face to lose. Who sets the international order? How come I don't know anything about it?"

George Villiers wasn't annoyed; he simply said calmly.

"It is precisely because it did not exist before that we, as a major power, need to promote and establish it."

Although Prince Schwarzenberg was a German nationalist, Austria and Germany as a whole did not actually have any deep-seated hatred towards Britain. In fact, the British royal family came from the German region.

In his mind, Britain was, in a broad sense, also a German country. Moreover, Franz himself said that he was preparing for war to avoid war, not to compete with other countries.

Therefore, Prince Schwarzenberg did not refute George Villiers, who immediately realized this was an opportunity.

"Your Highness, the Russians are greedy."

Look at how they divided the spoils with your country. They took the vast majority of the land and isolated your country from the Ottomans. It is clear that the Russians wanted to keep it all for themselves.

Does such an ally still deserve your country's continued unconditional support?

In fact, what Georg Wiliers said struck a chord with Prince Schwarzenberg. Not only him, but the entire Austrian Empire's high-ranking officials, and even some insightful people in the general public, felt that Russia was untrustworthy and that a war between Russia and Austria was inevitable.

There's another implied meaning that no one dares to mention: Franz's actions at this point were tantamount to raising a tiger to his own detriment. This Russian tiger, once grown up, would devour people—this person could be the Ottomans, or it could be Austria.

Upon seeing that Prince Schwarzenberg remained silent, George Villiers immediately continued speaking.

"Both Britain and Austria are major colonial powers, and we know that your country is in contact with some of our merchants."

Without Russia, our two countries could have established a completely new international order. Our country has always advocated for free trade and free buying and selling.

After a series of threats and inducements, Prince Schwarzenberg began to hesitate, feeling that perhaps he should have a proper talk with His Majesty the Emperor.