Chapter 297: A New European Balance of Power
Franz asked in surprise: Did they really catch the assassins?
In his opinion, these people should have gone into hiding after the failed assassination attempt in Paris. How could they still be there, waiting to die?
However, he overlooked the communication difficulties of the time; the government received intelligence early, but that didnt necessarily mean these assassins had the same information.
The news published in the Vienna newspapers still revolves around the assassination attempt on Napoleon III, the capture of the assassins, and France holding Sardinia accountable. News of these events hasnt spread as quickly.
The Carbonari were powerful in the Kingdom of Sardinia, but not in Austria. In fact, they were considered a heretical organization in Austria, and their tentacles reaching deep into Lombardy and Venice had long since been severed.
Even if the organizations within Sardinia received the news, they didnt have the ability to tell these assassins to retreat. Even the assassination itself was decided on a whim by lower-level members, with the top echelons of the Carbonari having no knowledge of it.
The Carbonari operates as an alliance, with nominal leadership over its members. In reality, everyone does their own thing, and there is no coercive authority over the members.
Archduke Louis laughed and replied: Yes, Your Majesty! After they were caught, these assassins insisted that they were French and that Napoleon III had sent them to kill you.
Its truly amusing that someone would make such a crude attempt to frame others. Did they really think that changing nationalities would make people believe them?
Franz chuckled coldly and said, Then keep an eye on them. Dont let them die too soon, they might still prove useful later on.
With a ready-made excuse handed to them, the Austrian government now had a reason to support the French. Even assassins who had not yet acted were still assassins, and in a situation where they could sympathize with each other, there was nothing wrong with France and Austria joining forces against a common enemy.
Whats even more amusing is that in this era, the Carbonari are an organization that operates openly, with the identities of its members a matter of public knowledge. Trying to find scapegoats was futile; when it comes to regicide, no one can escape.
Giuseppe Mazzini, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Camillo Cavour the three heroes of Italian unification were all members of this organization. There were even rumors that Napoleon III had previously joined this organization.
What can the government of Sardinia do? Hand over all these people? Unfortunately, apart from the King, all the top officials of the Kingdom of Sardinia are involved. Even if they wanted to, its not easy to cut off ones own arm; its an unsolvable dilemma.
Archduke Louis replied: Yes, Your Majesty!
Franz was also thinking about how to incite the French to annex the Kingdom of Sardinia. Even the opportunity to blackmail the Kingdom of Sardinia was temporarily abandoned.
Saint Petersburg
Whatever the Russian government was doing, whenever something happened in Europe in that era, they would always be involved. As a hegemon of Europe, it was their responsibility and duty to mediate conflicts between nations.
Of course, this responsibility and obligation are self-perceived by the Russians, since the European nations have never recognized it. The hegemonic position of the Russian government in Europe is based entirely on military power.
Nicholas I found himself in a dilemma. On the one hand, he detested the Italian radical organizations that were plotting to assassinate the emperors, and on the other hand, he did not want to see the French expand their influence.
It was not just Nicholas I; all monarchs of the entire European continent, with the exception of the outlier Franz, faced the same dilemma.
Whether Napoleon III was a nouveau riche or not, he was recognized as an emperor, so he was a member of the monarchical clique. Any ordinary political assassination would be met with collective resistance, let alone the assassination of a monarch.
When Bismarck was assassinated, the Polish Independence Organization suffered greatly as a scapegoat. Not only did they face brutal repression from Prussia and Russia, but they also encountered opposition from various European countries.
Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrode righteously said, Your Majesty, this evil organization plotting regicide must be punished and all its leaders sent to the gallows.
This is politically correct, even the allies of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the British, have demanded that they hand over the assassins. No monarchical state can tolerate the existence of such an evil organization plotting against monarchs.
Nicholas I nodded and said, Yes, this evil organization must be eradicated. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send a diplomatic note to the Kingdom of Sardinia demanding that they arrest the assassins immediately.
The current problem is how to prevent French expansion. We cannot allow the lessons of the Napoleonic era to be repeated. We must prevent the enemys expansion.
Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrode confidently said, Your Majesty, curbing the French expansion is not just our problem alone. French expansion in Italy poses the foremost threat to the British and Austrians.
We need not worry about this at all. Even if the French grew stronger, there would still be Prussia and Austria to block them.
Today is different from those times. Napoleon III is not Napoleon. He does not have his uncles natural talents. If the French were to invade Central Europe, they would face united opposition from everyone.
With the current strength of the French, they cannot sweep across the European continent. If the French expand into Central Europe, we will form an anti-French coalition and thoroughly eliminate this enemy once and for all.
It is instinctive to be wary of the French. After all, Napoleon once marched all the way into the Russian heartland. If it werent for the harsh winter saving Russia, the Russian Empire would have been doomed.
Therefore, in the struggle for continental hegemony, the Russian government has always seen the French as its main competitor, and of course, the French also see the Russians as their main competitor.
In addition to diverting attention from the domestic crisis, the French joining with John Bull to launch the Near East War was more of a continuation of the Franco-Russian rivalry for hegemony in Europe.
Finance Minister Vronchenko reminded, Your Majesty, Austria has developed rapidly in recent years. Although they are our ally, we must still be vigilant. Now that the French have shown their hand, it might be wise to let Austria and them counterbalance each other! We can also learn from the British and Austrians how to maneuver the balance of power in Europe.
The Russians maneuvering the balance of power in Europe sounded unbelievable. But it was also inevitable.
Of the three major players in the Near East War, Britain and France had already regained their vitality. Russia, the victor, was still recovering.
This shocked the Russian government, which was forced to undertake institutional reforms. Indeed, Nicholas I was growing old, lacking the vigor of his youth. Facing strong opposition from conservatives, he chose a cautious approach.
Moreover, the Russian Empire was too vast to be easily governed.
While the telegraph was becoming widespread on the European continent, it covered only a few major cities in Russia, with nationwide coverage still a distant prospect.
In such a situation, the central governments control over the regional governments was naturally inadequate. Reform measures that had been painstakingly passed were ultimately compromised when it came time to implement them.
The reforms had little discernible effect and failed to address the financial difficulties. The Russian Empire had lost its power to intimidate other nations, forcing a change in national policy as a last resort.
Nicholas I sighed deeply. The balance of power in Europe had always been maneuvered by Great Britain and Austria. Unexpectedly, Russia, which had always sought to disrupt the European order, would now also become a supporter of the continental balance of power policy.
Very well, let it be so!
Having made this decision, Nicholas I suddenly seemed to have grown much older.
Once the policy of European balance is initiated, it means that the Russian Empire has completely abandoned its expansion on the European continent, and the Russian government will have even fewer strategic options in the future.
But faced with reality, they have no choice. Even if they do not abandon expansion on the European continent, the Russian government cannot find any land to expand into. Their neighbors are all tough nuts to crack, and there is simply no way to move forward.
In fact, the Russian government had already been working on this before. Rebuilding the Vienna System was part of a balance of power policy, albeit with different motivations at the time.
Initially, the Russian government was only aiming to consolidate its own hegemony and buy time for domestic reforms. Now, due to financial constraints, it is forced to adopt the policy of European balance to save the costs associated with maintaining its hegemony.
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