If the war cannot be fought, then there will only be negotiations. On May 2, 1866, representatives of Austria and France held secret negotiations in Naples.

The interests of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies are only appetizers, and the most important thing is the great strategy of the two countries to divide up the European continent.

There was no overnight feud in front of interests, and the military conflict between France and Austria tacitly put the blame on the British.

Anyway, the British are not there, and there is no way to justify it, and it is good for everyone to let them take the blame.

Compared with the Franco-Austrian contradictions, in fact, the Anglo-French contradictions are much deeper. In Franz's view, the Anglo-Austrian contradictions are now deeper than the Franco-Austrian contradictions.

The small actions of the British on the African continent seriously affected Austria's African strategy, and for Franz, who wanted to localize Africa, it was uncompromising.

In contrast, the Franco-Austrian contradiction is easy to deal with, and the two countries still have a series of interests to exchange before the partition of the European continent.

Under the common interests, the contradictions between the two sides can be suppressed.

On the contrary, the Anglo-Austrian conflict in the African colonies is difficult to resolve, and with the style of John Bull's-stirring stick, it would be strange if he could sit back and watch Franz complete the strategic layout!

It is Austria's national policy not to be in conflict with two great powers at the same time, and now it is necessary to bring the French into the gutter.

This strategic negotiation to carve up the European continent was to fool Napoleon III, as long as the French took the first step, they waited to be isolated!

It is not the level of isolation that is now at hand, and the vigilance of small countries is not worth mentioning at all, and it is only the hostility of the great powers that can make the French really uncomfortable.

In a way, Franz didn't mind that the French's strategy would succeed. Only at that point can we truly cross the French Empire.

Just think about it, a France + three-quarters of Italy + Belgium + the entire territory west of the German Rhine, the appearance of such a giant, is there any other option than the anti-French alliance?

But this pit is the strategic plan of the French in the original time and space. No, Napoleon III had planned to swallow Italy entirely, but it had shrunk with the rise of Austria.

The Franco-Austrian War was part of their strategy to annex Italy, but Napoleon III actually played it apart.

In order to annex Luxembourg and Belgium, there was even a European crisis, which was pressed back by the British, Russian, Prussian, and Austrian forces.

Franz proposed the strategy of carving up Europe, which was almost a copy of the strategy of the French and used it to fool Napoleon III.

It's just that the military strength of France more than ten years ago was insufficient, and Napoleon III had just succeeded to the throne and coincided with the Near East War, so he did not dare to take risks at all.

Now that France's military strength had developed, and the Russians were weakened and unable to intervene in European affairs for a short time, Napoleon III's ambitions were naturally untenable.

Reaching out to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was to test Austria's reaction, and now that the results are out, it is naturally time to rip off.

If Austria could not benefit enough, even if it fooled Napoleon III, he would not dare to directly promote this crazy strategy.

Napoleon III could only be reassured if there were common interests on both sides, and everyone acted at the same time.

There are too many exchanges of interests involved, and this negotiation is destined to be protracted. In comparison, letting Francesco II get out of the way is not worth mentioning.

At the same time as the Franco-Austrian negotiations, the Prussian War broke out again, and the British were still powerful this time, although they did not find allies for the Russians in Europe, but they still had results in Central Asia.

At the end of April 1866, under the planning of the British, a great uprising against Russia broke out among the Samarkands, kicking off a wave of revolt against Tsarist rule in Central Asia.

The British not only sponsored the rebel army's weapons, but also formed a volunteer army of 8,000 Gurkha mercenaries to help the people of Central Asia free themselves from the rule of the tsarist government.

Gurkha mercenaries are the world's top three mercenaries, who once defeated 30,000 British troops with 12,000 backward weapons and equipment, won the recognition of the British, and since then have stepped onto the world stage.

If it weren't for the fact that the population was too small, it would be another military power. It is estimated that there is nothing to do with India, but they are invincible in South Asia.

The Khanates of Central Asia, which had not yet been conquered by the Russians, were also forced into war by the British, including Afghanistan. In a short time, more than 100,000 anti-Russian forces appeared in Central Asia.

By mid-May, Tashkent, the largest city in Central Asia, had been conquered, and Russian rule in Central Asia was in jeopardy.

In order to cope with the crisis in Central Asia, the tsarist government was forced to transfer troops from the Caucasus to reinforce the Central Asian theater of operations.

Looking at the operational map, Franz knew that the Russians were in big trouble. If you don't do a good job in Central Asia for these years, you will have to go down the drain.

If it weren't for the fact that the tsarist army attacked the three khanates of Central Asia, the situation would have been better. Under normal circumstances, these countries would not dare to provoke the Russians.

However, the situation is no longer normal. Everyone knew about the ambitions of the Russians, there was no possibility of compromise, and in order to protect themselves they had to turn to the British.

Now that the boss is asking to go to war, these khanates can only bite the bullet. If they offend the British again, they will really be finished.

Franz asked: "The Russians have transferred troops from the Caucasus, and the opportunity of the Ottomans has come, do you think the British can say that the Sultan government has fallen into the ground?" ”

Prime Minister Felix replied: "It is difficult to be sure, although the voice of the main war faction in the Ottoman Empire is high, but the Sudanese government is still in the shadow of the defeat in the war in the Near East and does not dare to challenge the Russians."

The position of the British, they could not ignore it, the Ottoman Empire wanted to survive, it could not do without the protection of European countries, and the British were the most important link in their diplomacy.

We have already made it clear that if the French ask the Ottomans any more times, the Sudanese government will most likely be forced into battle.

The government in Paris is still hesitating, but as long as Napoleon III wants to carry out his European strategy, continuing to weaken the Russians is a must. ”

In fact, it was not only the position of the French, but if Austria could openly ask the Ottoman Empire to send troops, it would also put a lot of pressure on the Sultan government.

The Russian ambitions for the Ottoman Empire have never been extinguished, and it can be said that the Sultan government wants to see the Russians unlucky the most.

The only problem is that the people who had been economically involved in the war in the Near East have not been eliminated, and the younger generation does not dominate the government.

The old guys are afraid, in the last few "Turkish-Russian wars" they have ended in defeat and have lost confidence in defeating the Russians.

However, the uncomfortable thing is that if they do not attack the Russians, the Russians will not let them go. If you open the history books, you will know that the 20-year "Turkish-Russian War" has become a part of everyone's life.

It will be only ten years at most before the next "Turkish-Russian War", which is a law of history, and there has never been an exception for two hundred years.

Without the support of European countries, the Sudanese government did not have the confidence to single out the Russians, and even if their social reforms were beginning to bear fruit, the disparity in power between the two sides remained huge.

Against this background, the position of Britain, France and Austria is of paramount importance to them. Moreover, Britain and France were still their creditor countries, controlling their domestic finance, and the London government sneezed, and the Ottoman economy was in turmoil.

Historically, the French could pull the Russians into the chariot by economic means, and now the influence of Britain and France on the Ottomans is even further.

Franz smiled and said: "So, the Prussians should expect God to bless Napoleon III to make up his mind sooner!" ”

He is very satisfied with the current situation. The fact that the British were able to make such a big move in Central Asia was completely beyond his expectations.

But it's normal to think about it, rabbits will bite people when they are in a hurry, and the Central Asian khanates must also cooperate with the British at this time in order to protect themselves.

Everyone laughed, Central Asia is only a problem of ringworm for the Russians, even if it is all lost, the Russian Empire is still the Russian Empire.

The Central Asian coalition formed by the British was riddled with internal contradictions, and it was only under pressure from the Russians that they were able to reluctantly cooperate, and once the threat of the Russians disappeared, infighting ensued.

If you want them to go all the way to the interior of the Russian Empire, let's wash and sleep! If these people had this ability, Franz could not have been impressed.

Not to mention the Ottoman Empire, the recovery of the Caucasus was enough for them to fight for many years. To threaten the Russians further, perhaps they would have been able to do it in the last century.

It was possible to weaken the Russians and not to kill the tsarist government, which the Vienna government had always been fond of.

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg said: "Your Majesty, the British have made considerable progress not only in Central Asia, but also in the Far East.

At their instigation, the Japanese expelled the Russian troops from Tsushima. The ancient empire in the Far East also broke out in the dispute between the coastal defense faction and the Saifeng faction, and the Saifeng faction now has the upper hand.

Maybe they will also make a move, but unfortunately the telegraph network has not been completed, and we do not know the specific situation at present. ”

Franz was shocked, could it be that the historical event was going to be advanced? This is not impossible, now is the time when the Russian Empire is at its weakest, and it is obviously a good time to regain lost territory, and there may be a windfall.

After thinking for a while, Franz said casually: "The Far East is too far away to affect Europe, and even if the Russians lose the Far East, it will not have much impact."

It was they who decided the outcome of the Russo-Prussian War, and the British at most distracted the Russians and drained the Tsar's wallet.

Unless it can be said that the Swedes will do it, the Kingdom of Prussia will have to rely on itself. These potential allies can't really help them much. ”

These actions certainly restrained the large number of Russian troops, but the tsarist government did not have much else, that is, a large number of troops.

No matter how it is contained, the number of Russian troops on the battlefield of Prussia will not decrease. Unless the Swedes took action, the tsarist government was constrained by material supplies and could not maintain a large number of troops at the front.

This is determined by geographical location, whether it is Central Asia or the Far East, the transportation of strategic materials and to the east; And the strategic materials needed on the Swedish and Prussian fronts, part of the routes are overlapping.

For the Berlin government, the same was true of the other allies, and the only ones who could make an immediate difference were the Swedes.

Foreign Secretary Wessenberg analyzed: "I am afraid that this is somewhat difficult, the Swedish government has no signs of entering the war, and the British cannot give more bargaining chips."

The promised benefits were taken from the Russians. This kind of trick of the white wolf with empty gloves is played too much by the London government, and it cannot play its due role at all.

The Kingdom of Prussia was even worse, they wanted to win over Sweden, and they couldn't even give them chips.

Karl XV demanded that the Prussians withdraw from the Kingdom of Denmark, the Berlin government agreed to give up only Jutland, and the Duchy of Schleswig and Holstein they simply did not dare to let go. ”

The Duchy of Schleswig and Holstein was now of great importance to the Kingdom of Prussia, and only by raising the national banner could Austria not fall to the Russians in the war.

With the righteousness recognized by the Germans, some people donated money and materials to them, and there were volunteers who brought their own dry food to work hard.

Including Austria, there were volunteers who ran to support the Kingdom of Prussia, and whether this had anything to do with the Vienna government was not enough for outsiders.

In short, the German National Unity Committee, the German Folk Art Exchange Committee...... and many other social groups dedicated to the unification of the German region, all of which strongly supported the Prussians in their fight against the Russians.

If the Duchyes of Schleswig and Holstein were abandoned, this support would cease to exist, and Austria's position of absolute diplomatic neutrality would be reversed.