It is easy to start a war, but it is difficult to end one. Therefore, a commander who wags a war that does not know how to end is not a great commander. Napoleon III considered himself very great, not much worse than his uncle. So before uniting the British Empire, the Ming Empire, and the Turkish Empire to beat the Russian bears, he had already figured out how to end it. I have to say that he is much more clever than our great tomorrow Zhu Jishi in this regard.

And before talking about this question, the first thing that needs to be clarified is why France wants to participate in this war? As the Russian Tsar Nicholas I analyzed, as long as Russia could expand, the capture of Constantinople opened Russia's southward passage to the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The Vienna system, which was designed to contain France, ceased to exist, and Britain would unite with France and Prussia against the alliance between Russia and Austria.

Thus, the real purpose of Napoleon III's participation in and even instigation of the war was not to tear apart the Viennese system, as most people believe.

"Russia needs to be defeated, weakened, and disqualified for hegemony on the European continent for a long time to come." Napoleon III said with some smugness.

"Moreover, France does not share a border with Russia, and geopolitics determines that the contradictions between France and Russia are not irreconcilable. As long as a strong country emerges between France and Russia - this is very possible. The British were most fond of supporting the Germans on the continent, either Austria or Prussia, or perhaps they were both brothers and sisters who received handouts from the British – I reckon that if Austria had supported Turkey in the war, the rift between Austria and Russia would never have been bridged. Contrarily. The Austrian Empire will cease to exist!

So after this war. The situation in central Europe will change dramatically. It is quite possible that one or two German powers will dominate Central Europe with the support of Great Britain. This time. France would have to form an alliance with Russia against the British-backed Germany. Therefore, the purpose of this war was, first, to smash the Vienna system; the second is to drag Russia from the throne of European hegemony; The third is the creation of an international environment for a Franco-Russian alliance.

And mediating the contradictions between China and Russia is the basis for France to form an alliance with Russia in the future...... Moreover, China, a powerful alliance with France, is also an important partner of France in the future against the British Empire. Because China and Russia are neighbors, their core territories are far apart, and if some buffer states can be established in Siberia and Central Asia in the future, which can be accepted by both China and Russia. Then the north and west of China will be in a safe situation but unable to expand further. Southward and eastward expansion will become China's inevitable choice, so that contradictions between China and Britain will be inevitable. Britain will have to devote her naval mainstay to the defense of the Strait of Malacca and Australia. In this way, the pressure on France in Europe will be greatly reduced. ”

"Some buffer countries......" Napoleon III referred to the "buffer countries" that confused the two ladies a little.

"Yes, this is my solution to the Sino-Russian contradictions...... I know it. His Majesty's ambitions for the territory of Eastern Siberia are hard for Russia to accept. There is a good chance that China and Russia will fight a century-old war on both sides of the Yenisei River, and I think this must be something that the British Empire could only dream of. However, such an outcome was not in the interests of the French Empire. ”

"But......" Mathilde's brow furrowed, and this time she felt that something was a little tingle.

"Rest assured, I have made arrangements for the establishment of an independent kingdom of Eastern Siberia, governed by the marriage of a Russian Grand Duchess and a Chinese prince, and at the same time the permanent independence and neutrality of China, Russia, and France. As for...... Alaska, I hope that land can be Henry. A kingdom or Grand Duchy owned by Bonaparte and a Chinese princess. ”

"A barren land!" Countess Deneuve muttered with some dissatisfaction.

"It's better to have a barren land than nothing!" Napoleon III smiled wryly and said, "First of all." In the future, there may be an opportunity to change Henry to a better piece of land. ”

Napoleon III's calculations were indeed very clever - using the Franco-Chinese alliance and mediating Sino-Russian relations to force Russia to form an alliance with France, and then the Franco-Russian alliance to contain the British-backed German state. Thus making France the leader of the European continent. At the same time, it used the Sino-Russian rapprochement to direct the direction of China's expansion to the east and south, so that Britain could face both the Franco-Russian alliance in Europe and China marching into the sea.

If it can really be realized, then France will be in a very advantageous position in European and international relations after the end of the war! Now it depends on whether the Chinese Majesty, who is thousands of miles away, is willing to accept such an arrangement. And, of course, the reaction of the British Empire......

……

Windsor Castle, England.

In the corridor to the Queen's office, the two men walked quietly forward, one in front of the other, very separate.

These two men, one is the British Prime Minister, the Earl of Aberdeen, and the other is the Home Secretary Viscount Palmerston.

"Henry (Viscount Palmerston), do you really think that war with Russia is inevitable? Perhaps we can contain Russia by supporting China. After walking for a while, the Count, who was tall and majestic-looking, but had a rather gentle personality, suddenly stopped and spoke in a low voice to Viscount Palmerston behind him.

Viscount Palmerston's smile was a little smug, although he was not the Prime Minister or even the Foreign Secretary, but he was the real soul of Aberdeen's cabinet - even if Her Majesty hated him so much, he was still moving towards the throne of Prime Minister step by step. Because he is the only British man who knows how to maintain the leadership of the British Empire.

"A series of failures in diplomacy with Russia have shown the reality that only tough measures can control Nicholas I's arrogance and restrain his impudence." The Viscount's voice was rather gloomy and firm, as if a prime minister was giving instructions to the foreign secretary, saying, "Russia has now violated the independence of the Turkish Empire, and has undermined its integrity; All means must be used to induce Russia to abandon its claims and cancel its aggressive actions. Otherwise, the hegemony of the British Empire will end in the hands of our generation.

As for China...... Yes, his rise was a threat to the Russian Empire. But I believe that the tsar was determined enough to choose between the inhospitable Siberia and the rich territories of the Turkish Empire. If we do not directly send troops to support the Turkish Empire, the tsar will bury the country completely in 12 months! ”

"Alas, it was a war! War against the Russian Empire! "The Prime Minister is really afraid of such a war.

"Intelligence shows that Napoleon's army is ready! All were reloaded with Mine-style rifles (similar to the Bésemai rifles), and there were enough A-oil and starch explosives in stock, and a large number of good officers were drafted into the army. Viscount Palmerston lowered his voice, "Obviously, as soon as he came to power, he was preparing for war!" There had to be a place for the French to unleash their long-built thirst for war. Otherwise, it is likely that we will suffer! ”

"That makes sense......," the prime minister muttered, then fell into thought.

Peace in Europe has probably lasted far too long, and since the defeat of Napoleon I, there has not been a single truly international war. It seems that the era of peace has come to an end.

While the Prime Minister was still mourning the imminent loss of peace, they had already arrived outside the door of the Queen's office.

One of the chamberlains gently opened the door, then informed Queen Victoria and Prince Albert inside, and invited the two ministers in.

"Earl," the two saluted the Queen, and before they could sit down, Prince Albert, beside the Queen, told the British Prime Minister in a tone even lower and more gloomy than Viscount Palmerston, "I have just received very sad news that the Ninth Russo-Turkish War is inevitable!" Because Nicholas I raised the asking price again, he asked the Turkish army to withdraw from Negro, which was tantamount to asking Turkey to surrender the Balkans to the Tsar! (To be continued......)