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

Chapter 1666 Golden Horse "Award"

"A secret agreement is enough. The Austrians can't make a public announcement, otherwise things would be much simpler."

Almost all members of the British cabinet, including John Russell and George Hamilton Gordon, were convinced that the secret agreement signed by the Austrian Empire was in their best interest.

Moreover, even if it is a secret agreement, major powers generally will not deliberately violate it, especially traditional royal families like the Habsburgs.

If this secret agreement was signed by the Russians, then probably no one in the British cabinet would believe it. After all, according to the British, the number of agreements the Russians tore up was not much less than the amount of toilet paper the Tsar used.

However, this secret agreement still posed a challenge for John Russell and George Hamilton Gordon, because it stipulated that the Austrian Empire would remain neutral in the war as long as Britain and its allies did not attack Russian territory.

But they were not military strategists after all. According to John Russell and George Hamilton Gordon, the Ottoman Empire was lucky to even defend its homeland, let alone have the strength to attack the Russian mainland.

To take it a step further, if the Ottoman Empire really had the ability to attack the Russian mainland, wouldn't that mean the balance of power between the attackers and defenders had been reversed?

Did the Austrians still have the courage to fight at that time?

Therefore, both John Russell and George Hamilton Gordon were very satisfied with this secret agreement.

After a string of compliments and praises, George Villiers brought up another matter.

"This diplomatic mission has been quite expensive, but I think it's worth it. Don't you think so, Your Excellency?"

George Hamilton Gordon was startled; he should have known better than to get so close. Working for his political enemy and now asking him for reimbursement—George Hamilton Gordon had never encountered such a shameless person.

"How much did it cost?"

George Hamilton Gordon said through gritted teeth that he would not abuse his power for personal gain, that he considered himself a man of principle, but that others thought he was easy to bully.

"Half a million."

George Hamilton Gordon's eyes widened.

"Why are there so many?"

George Villiers' face immediately darkened, and he promptly produced a receipt.

“Your Excellency, this is the amount spent. I have a list of promissory notes from Rothschild Bank here, and Rothschild Bank can act as guarantor for me.”

George Hamilton Gordon quickly explained.

“I’m not doubting you, I just think half a million is too much. I apologize for any offense. Half a million pounds is more than enough to build a fully equipped large ironclad warship.”

"George Villiers said impatiently."

“If the Austrian Empire does not remain neutral, the Royal Navy will need to deploy at least an entire fleet to keep an eye on them.”

Prime Minister Gordon knew that George Villiers was telling the truth; the commanders of the British Royal Navy hated the Austrian Empire's navy with a passion and had no doubt regarded it as their number one enemy.

According to the Navy Minister's estimate, it would probably take the entire North Fleet to achieve victory against the Austrian Empire, a fact that Prime Minister Gordon still remembers vividly.

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna.

Prince Schwarzenberg wanted to give the golden horse to Franz, partly to show his loyalty to Franz, and partly because he was afraid that he would be implicated by the horse, since it could be used as leverage against him for accepting bribes.

In recent years, Franz has been cracking down on corruption in the bureaucracy, with a large number of officials being purged each year for issues such as embezzlement, abuse of power, and dereliction of duty. Even without the powerful position of prime minister, Prince Schwarzenberg's family's wealth accumulated over decades would have been enough for him to enjoy all the luxuries of the world.

The catastrophe of 1848 truly terrified him. Prince Schwarzenberg did not want to suffer the same disgrace and exile to the colonies as those traitors. He knew very well that Franz was not just joking, nor was he a monarch with grand ambitions but little talent like Joseph II.

Moreover, as a nationalist himself, Prince Schwarzenberg understood better than anyone else what radical nationalists would do.

If one becomes a disgrace or stain on the nation, then those young men who fervently idolize one will surely use even more insane methods to completely erase one from this world.

Furthermore, although that golden horse was undoubtedly a treasure of the world, it was not anything special in Prince Schwarzenberg's eyes.

Prince Schwarzenberg thought he had thought things through very clearly, but he never considered that if he didn't care about something, how could Franz possibly care about it?

Franz's men intercepted Prince Schwarzenberg halfway there, as he was unsure whether the British had any other tricks up their sleeves.

Bribery is bribery, and if you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way. If the British discover that the Austrian monarch and his ministers are putting on a show, things will get really complicated.

To appease Prince Schwarzenberg, Franz simply bestowed the golden horse upon him, since it was an Englishman's possession anyway, so he considered it a case of borrowing flowers to present to the Buddha.

However, Prince Schwarzenberg himself remained fearful, and he instructed his trusted servants to carefully hide him in an underground chamber.

Little did they know that this cautious behavior made the British agents more credible, since it fit their image of someone who had done something wrong.

Paris, Tuileries Palace.

Immediately after Napoleon III saw off the British envoy, he ordered an audience with Alexander Colonna Walevsky.

Alexander Colonna Valevsky said respectfully as he entered.

"You summoned me, Your Majesty?"

Napoleon III got straight to the point.

"The British have come to persuade me again to unite against Russia."

Alexander Corona Valevsky was shocked upon hearing this and immediately said...

"Your Majesty, the British are pushing France into a fire pit. They want to limit the Holy Alliance, but they don't want to be the ones to take the fall."

The armistice agreement between Russia and the Ottoman Empire is about to expire. To put it nicely, they're looking for allies; to put it bluntly, they're looking for someone to take the fall.

Alexander Colonna Valevsky's unsparing criticism surprised Napoleon III, though the surprise was fleeting, as he too felt the British had ill intentions.

"Don't worry, I didn't agree to the British's offer. I've said before that we're brothers, and I'll discuss any decisions I make with you."

Alexander Colonna Walevsky knew that although Louis Napoleon was only saying it, he was still very pleased.

However, Alexander Corona Valevsky did not get carried away and remained very respectful.

"Your Majesty, we absolutely cannot fall into the British's trap. I am not sure whether our involvement in the Near East war will provoke Russian retaliation."

But I'm sure the Austrians won't let this opportunity pass them by and will continue to weaken us.

Upon hearing the name of the Austrian Empire, a shadow fell over Louis-Napoleon's face.