Canning remained steadfast in his assertions. In his view, a rising Austrian empire across Central Europe was a more formidable threat than Tsarist Russia, and the presence of the European prime minister made him feel like he was stuck in his throat.

Of course, the reason why Canning went to such great lengths to sell his own goods to the cabinet members present had to start with the new labor law enacted in Austria a year ago, which made the cost of importing Italian slaves from British contract slave traders soar.

To avoid the risk of arrest, the grey traders bribed the foreign secretary.

"The Austrians were not economically strong, and their government was always on the verge of bankruptcy. For example, if a person with a huge debt does go bankrupt one day, it is not a good thing for his creditors or guarantors.

So it is inevitable that the desperate Austrians will turn to the side of the Russians, and it will be difficult for us to sanction the Russians, because the combined population of these two countries is more than 100 million people, and the territory is so connected that it is almost impossible to defeat them on land.

What we need is a weak Central European stitching monster and an isolated oriental monster. I think the best way to do that is to let the Russians and Austrians go to war. ”

Viscount Palmerston, who had just returned to London from India, made a surprising statement at the first cabinet meeting.

"Let the Russians and Austrians go to war? How is this possible? The Prime Minister, Viscount Melbourne, questioned that although this was what he had envisioned, he had abandoned it because the two countries were holy alliances and it was not in their own interests to go to war with each other.

"With the insatiable desires and consistent short-sightedness of the Russians on the land, it is highly likely that the barbaric Slavs will attack their allies as long as they are convinced that we will support this war. As long as the two of them are seriously damaged, we can concentrate on dealing with the French. ”

Palmerston was a die-hard supporter of the Russian threat, but he also had no affection for Austria as a country. In his view, the best outcome is for Russia and Austria to lose both, and a weak Europe is what Britain needs most.

Palmerston is tough, but not reckless. There is no reason to sacrifice the interests of one's own country in a problem that can be solved with the hands of the Russians.

In particular, the trip to India and the predicament of the British army in Afghanistan made the former foreign secretary particularly aware of the disproportionate costs and benefits of fighting inland.

The cost of maintaining the occupation alone was astronomical, let alone waging an evenly matched war, and he began to admire the Iron Duke Wellington a little when he thought about it.

"You said it too well, it's in the interests of the British Empire!"

"If Russia and Austria can turn against each other, then the strait problem can also be solved! What a genius idea! ”

"That's right! In this way, the Holy Alliance will completely collapse, and the world hegemony of the British Empire will no longer be shaken! ”

Palmerston's proposal was unanimously supported by the Cabinet members, because if it succeeded, it would be a good deal for Britain. Palmerston, striking while the iron was hot, made a new suggestion at this time:

"Gentlemen, in order to save Her Majesty's brave and fearless soldiers, we should withdraw our troops from that muddy pond in Afghanistan, where there is no point in continuing to be consumed. If we can bring about the Russian-Austrian internal bargain, then in the short term there will be no need to worry about the Russians moving south to the Indian subcontinent. ”

However, this proposal was immediately refuted by Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne.

"No, we must not withdraw our troops from Afghanistan. If the Russians are unable to break out of the Black Sea, they will find another way. There are only a few backward steppe civilizations between them and Afghanistan. By the time the Cossacks broke out of the Hindu Kush, it was too late for us to defend again. ”

"Yes, public opinion now does not allow us to do that. Damn the Times, they published the tragic story of the death of the Afghan convoy, and they don't know where to get the treaty between the Afghan army and the local natives. ”

The Marquis of Normandy added that he really wanted to stop fighting in Afghanistan because, as Palmerston said, the only benefit of war was the corpses of soldiers and the sky-high supply bills.

But the damn Times somehow got some sensational photos, as well as evidence that the British army paid protection money to the indigenous Afghans.

The news of the newspapers immediately spread throughout England, and even the newspapers on the European continent published the news that the British Empire had been beaten by a group of Central Asian natives to the point that they had to pay protection money.

The news was enough to disgrace the Cabinet, and it had even affected the general election, and the Whig Party's support had plummeted, and if it weren't for John Russell's personal relationship with the Queen, it would have been the turn of the Tory Party to govern now.

"These damn journalists, and those damn camera techniques! Now Britain has to continue to pay for this senseless war. ”

When it comes to the fate of the partisanship, even Palmerston is a little helpless, and he has a bit of a fluke mentality, thinking that it is a big deal to spend a little more money and conquer the land in a few years.

"We should shut down the damn newspaper and shut up those stupid pigs!"

Palmerston is still as tough as ever, and he feels that Thomas. Men like Barnes should have been hanged on London Bridge, but the Times's influence in Britain was too great, and the intricate interests behind it led to the end of each time.

The Viscount of Melbourne did not expect Palmerston to compromise so easily, he thought it would be another difficult battle.

At this point, the British top brass reached a consensus in favor of Serbia and managed to bring Russia and Austria to war.

Miloš was naturally ecstatic to learn that the British had decided to support him in retaking Belgrade, but there were 80,000 Austrian troops in the Belgrade area.

Even if all the Serbians were soldiers, it would be difficult to get benefits, and the 20 cannons and 5,000 rifles promised by the British had not yet arrived.

At this time, there were only 12 cannons and 12,000 rifles in the whole of Serbia, and the Austrians, in addition to the 80,000 troops, built a number of fortresses in the Belgrade area, the largest of which was Belgrade itself.

If you look at it this way, then the Serbs will not be able to win in any case, but the British showed Miloš a clear way, and that is to use the power of the Russians.

"Grand Duke Miloš, you can use the power of Russia to defeat the evil Austrian Empire. You don't have to worry about independence at all, with our British Empire as your solid backing, no one can enslave you, just look at Greece. ”

The British envoy Mills said with a little demagogy.

(End of chapter)