Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 1170: Undercurrents in Europe
"Mexico was able to counterattack and push back the Austro-Hungarian army. It seems that more territory on the southern front of Mexico will return to Mexico's hands?"

"No, Mexico is still too weak. The reason why it was able to win on the battlefield in the past month is because Mexico has the advantage of time and place."

"Father, what do you mean?"

“I mean, there are multiple areas where Mexico has strengths that have been demonstrated over the last month.

For example, Mexico has recently received increased support from the Latin American alliance, which is unmatched in other time periods, so it is understandable that it has exploded with power all of a sudden.

The second is that the Austro-Hungarian army in Mexico has been invading the country for a long time. From the beginning, they were full of vigor and morale, but now their advance has been blocked and their morale is low. Therefore, when the two sides fight, the morale factor determines the outcome of the war.

Finally, unlike the united Mexico, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was not united at the moment. The Hungarians were not eager to participate in the Mexican War. Instead, the Austrians were the biggest beneficiaries of the victory. Therefore, the Hungarians' passive sabotage had actually begun to show up in the Austro-Hungarian army. Not only did I know this, but Queen Victoria in London, William I in Berlin, and his Prime Minister Bismarck all understood it.

So although the Austro-Hungarian Empire looked mighty, in fact, in our view, it was only slightly stronger than a paper tiger.”

"Father, if that's the case, why are Germany and Britain pushing the Austro-Hungarian Empire to go all the way to Latin America to invade Mexico?

Also, didn’t Franz Joseph I understand that this would be a suicidal move for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to weaken its presence in Europe? "

"Child, many times, just because you don't want to do something doesn't mean you don't have to do it. Don't you understand?"

“Okay, I’ll just say it straight out.

Although the old man Franz Joseph I had blurry eyes, he still had a clear political mind, but what was the use.

Because he had been badly beaten by Bismarck and William I before, he was afraid of Germany.

A person sweeping the floor with dignity will remind him of sweeping away shame with revenge.
.

Germany couldn't win, so it naturally chose the weak to vent its anger.

With the full encouragement of Germany and Britain, he reluctantly pushed for war against Mexico.

Of course, the most important point is that the Austrian Empire was defeated by Prussia, and Germany eventually replaced them as the leader of the German Confederation. They lost their position, but were unwilling to change from an empire to a dynasty, so they formed the current Austro-Hungarian Dynasty with Hungary.

But this was formed with the help of Hungary, and the foundation was not solid from the beginning.

So after more than ten years of efforts, Franz Joseph still found it difficult to bridge the gap between the two largest kingdoms. Under the instigation of Britain and Germany, he might have decided to launch an external war to promote internal reforms, so as to strengthen his rule over the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This was his ultimate goal. "

"Father, do you think he can do it?"

"I can only shake my head and say it's difficult."

"Father, why?"

"Because someone won't let him have his way."

"Who?"

"The Hungarian nobility, the Hungarian parliament, the Russian agents, the German agents, the British agents, and our Dutch agents there, and so on.

All countries will not see a strong and unified Austro-Hungarian Empire. On the contrary, the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the current Austrian and Hungarian combined model is recognized by everyone. "

"Father, I understand. Although all countries are fighting back and forth over the issue of Austria-Hungary's invasion of Mexico, their purpose is to consume the foundation for Vienna's resurgence.

Berlin in particular should be hoping for that.”

"We in the Netherlands are just watching. Germany's allies are using up their resources, which is in our interest, so we will not stop it. Instead, we should step up our efforts."

"The UK should have similar ideas to ours, but most importantly, they are also using Austria-Hungary to consume the power of our allies, and then observe how much energy the Netherlands can mobilize."

"Finally, the Austrian nobles in Vienna were also willing to support this for the same reason my father mentioned just now: to deplete Hungary's own military strength and allow Austria and Hungary to be more united under the rule of the Habsburg dynasty."

"Father, it seems that our opponents don't need it!"

"Of course, no one who can grow up in this chaotic world is simple. This is true for the four major countries of Britain, Germany, France and Austria, as well as Tsarist Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Other small countries have their own survival wisdom. Child, you must remember one thing, that is, no matter whether the opponent is strong or small, as long as the opponent has the potential to become your opponent, you should not take it lightly and do your best to defeat the opponent."

"Is it the same as the Latin American powerhouse Argentina that my father is dealing with now?"

Melbourne, Kingdom of the Netherlands.

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Inside the Royal Palace of the Netherlands, King William IV of the Netherlands and his eldest son Prince Albert, had a conversation between them. The conversation began with the recent hot event in the world situation: the war between Mexico and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Prince Albert just turned 18 this year and officially became an adult.

Looking at him, William IV thought of the years when he had just come to this world.

In the blink of an eye, his son has grown up. What makes him even more emotional is that the topic they talk about the most now is politics.

I have to say that this little guy Albert is actually a natural politician.

Over the years, he actually worked hard at the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney, and obtained multiple degrees in political science.

Even his own political teachers expressed in newspaper interviews that Albert would be a qualified successor to the country's ruler in the future.

In view of this, William IV has recently begun arranging for him to intern at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

That’s right, it was an internship, and his internship teacher was none other than the former King Philippe of Belgium, now the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands.

As his assistant, he began to appear in various occasions.

With such realistic training, William IV was absolutely sure that Albert would be able to get the hang of things as soon as he came to power in the future.

However, although Albert entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for an internship, William IV's weekly assessment of his eldest son remained unchanged.

Today is the date of the assessment.

(End of this chapter)