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

Chapter 1668 The French's Schemes
“I understand, but we can’t break the new Vienna system established by the Austrians on our own, just as the Austrians didn’t block us entirely on their own.”

Napoleon III said, stroking his chin.

"I agree with you, Your Majesty."

Alexander Colonna Walevsky affirmed Napoleon III's statement, but added further details.

"But we can leverage Britain's resources more than just that."

Napoleon III was immediately invigorated.

You mean...?

Alexander Corona Valevsky went on to say that...

"Your Majesty, the so-called New Vienna System may seem airtight, but it is actually full of contradictions, which we can make full use of."

For example, Prussia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Hanover, Belgium, and Bavaria in the German region were merely forced together.

Austria's self-righteous unification with its own kin greatly strengthened the power of the principalities and gave those smaller states many more options.

The Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the Italian region were both quite powerful, and their relationship with the Austrian Empire was superficial.

The storm of 1848 originated in Italy, and who knows, the next storm might also begin here.

Within Spain, there was no trust in Ferdinand II, the king who had been parachuted in, and uprisings in Catalonia never ceased.

Furthermore, the Austrian Empire itself was riddled with problems. Why would it need hundreds of thousands of troops to wipe out bandits? I think it's clearly a small-scale civil war!

Alexander Colonna Valevski paused for a moment before continuing.

"Your Majesty, you need not belittle yourself. Your reforms have been very effective. The French economy is recovering, and I think it won't be long before we return to the top of the world."

Back then, Your Majesty was also not favored in Italy; everyone thought the Austrians were destined to win. But in the end, Your Majesty crushed the Austrians' power with overwhelming force.

The "Your Majesty" in Alexander Colonna Walevsky's words refers to Napoleon I, and Louis Napoleon was well aware of how his uncle rose to power.

"Should we reject Britain's offer and focus on development?"

Louis Napoleon asked with some doubt.

"No, Your Majesty. We don't need to do anything; let them guess. Whether it's the British or the Russians, if they don't know our decision, they'll do their best to win us over."

In other words, we hold the initiative, and they have to consider our interests in order to make the situation more favorable to themselves.

"You mean you're waiting for a higher price?"

Louis Napoleon asked tentatively.

"No, it should be said that they reap the benefits without lifting a finger."

"how do I say this?"

"As long as we haven't decided which side to support, we can do business with both sides without any scruples. The rise of the British was largely due to the profits from war."

The British do this business, and so do we French.”

Napoleon III naturally understood what the other party meant; he had read quite a few books about free trade while he was in England.

"You mean using our neutrality to do business with both sides? That's a good idea. Once the war starts, they'll have no reason to refuse our arms and supplies."

“That’s right. Some things may seem insignificant in normal times, but they can be deadly on the battlefield. As long as we don’t take sides, they won’t make things difficult for us. After all, France is strong enough to influence the balance of power.”

Alexander Colonna Valevsky spoke with great confidence, but there were still some things he didn't say.

That is, during wartime, one can lean towards one side to exert pressure on the other, and after war, one can form an alliance with either side to change the situation and shape the international situation in a way that is more favorable to oneself.

This is what truly flexible foreign policy looks like.

Napoleon III understood the implications: the best outcome would be for the two major military blocs to fight to the death, thus crumbling the so-called New Vienna System and allowing France to return to its former glory.

However, all of this is predicated on strength. France must demonstrate sufficient value to instill fear in both sides in order to maintain its superior position.

Having figured all this out, Louis Napoleon immediately spoke.

"Prime Minister Alexandre Colona Walevsky, I wish to hold a military parade to demonstrate to the world the strength of the forces of the Second French Empire."

Alexander Colonna Valevski nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with Louis Napoleon's approach.

"I understand, I'll go prepare right away."

Napoleon III added.

"Don't be stingy with spending, and don't try to hide it. We must let Europe, and even the rest of the world, see that the France that they fear is back!"

This time, Alexander Corona Valevski said it very seriously.

"Your Majesty, I will certainly not let you down. This will definitely be the grandest military parade ever!"

The French's lack of a clear stance made cabinet members, including Prime Minister Gordon and John Russell, very uncomfortable. Just as they were speculating about what the French were up to, news suddenly broke that Napoleon III was going to hold a military parade.

Napoleon III's actions greatly diminished the joy brought about by the Austrian Empire's secret neutrality.

"If both France and Austria remain neutral, then our chances of winning are still very high."

John Russell said with a smile that he was just trying to ease the tension.

However, Prime Minister Gordon did not seem to understand all of this.

"We and the Ottoman Empire could not gain an overwhelming advantage over Russia, and due to the existence of secret agreements with the Austrian Empire, it was impossible for us to end the war quickly."

If the war drags on, the drain on our national strength will reduce us to a second-rate power.

Prime Minister Gordon's words were not alarmist, but John Russell and his Whig Party could not possibly agree with this view.

"Your Excellency, you are too pessimistic. The Russians are not as strong as you think, and if they know they can't win, will they keep fighting?"
I believe that the Russians will choose to seek peace at that time, and we will gain more opportunities for development.

Even the "sick man of West Asia" cannot remain weak forever. In a few years, perhaps the Ottomans will be able to withstand the Russian invasion on their own.
And I believe that once we emerge from the economic crisis, we will have no more adversaries in the world.

Prime Minister Gordon shook his head.

“I hope you are right, Lord Russell. Great Britain cannot afford to lose. We all understand what the consequences would be if we failed.”

John Russell's confident reply.

"Defeat will never belong to Britain, because we are not on the European continent. We may experience countless setbacks, but victory will ultimately be ours."

Just like the war against France, Napoleon could win countless times, but if he lost just once, we could drive him out of Europe.

We can lose countless times, but just one win will allow us to seize all of France's overseas territories and create decades of peace and prosperity.