London, United Kingdom.

The British were very optimistic, whether it was the Prime Minister, the Viscount Melbourne, or Palmerston, and even the less temperamental Lord John Russell, they felt that Austria and Prussia were killing themselves, and that they would inevitably cede their land and pay reparations and write a review.

Even the British colonial minister, Constantine Phipps, and the Marquis of Normandy began to prepare for the reception of Austria's overseas colonies.

(Due to some changes in history, the Whigs are still in power, and Robert Peele and his Tory have not yet come to power.)

In fact, he had previously done relevant understanding, the colonies in Africa were easy to solve, and the troubles were in East Africa and Asia. After all, Tanzania was given to Austria by the Omani Empire, and if Britain rashly entered the region, it could cause displeasure in the East African hegemon.

The Austrian colonies in the Mekong valley were fanatically religious, and the British had failed to infiltrate them several times, and had kidnapped some real laborers, but no one had ever given the slightest useful information even if they were tortured to death.

What is even more terrifying is that Austria has established a number of arsenals in the region, and the entire South Seas is supplied by it, and fanatics have mastered advanced weapons, and there is nothing more terrible than this.

"What a foolishness, the damned Vienna system, and the rotten Austrian Empire should go to the grave." Palmerston said.

"The collapse of the Austrian Empire will inevitably give rise to Russian westward ambitions, and we should not weaken them too much, lest they adversely affect our British supremacy. Perhaps we should warn Russia against its ambitions in the German region."

John Russell was already thinking about the post-war international situation, but his approach still caused Palmerston's displeasure.

"Why warn the Russians in the first place? Wouldn't it be better to let them kill and let them rob? The more chaotic Europe is, the safer we are. The Russians like to fight, so let them fight. We could even promise the Russians that Poland would be given to them, so that we, the British, would be able to solve the problem without even sending troops. ”

Palmerston means that the Russians work for nothing, and finally put the Russians together. This naturally resonated with everyone, and the Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne also said.

"That's right! Louis Philippe was also a very good man, allowing Russia, France and Prussia and Austria to fight, and then we in Britain could sell weapons and supplies to both sides. This will not only allow the mainland to maintain the balance of power, but also make our British strength to a higher level. ”

"Your Excellency Prime Minister is wise!" The horses of the cabinet members were delivered in time, and they all knew what kind of fool Louis Philippe was, and they would be willing to acquiesce to his annexation of Luxembourg, even if he lost all his overseas colonies.

"The German Confederation still has this benefit, we really should give the old Kurdray parliamentarian of Luxembourg a medal." The Melbourne Viscount continued to quip.

"What a nice Christmas present."

There was a cheerful atmosphere in the British Cabinet.

Palmerston knew very well what to do with Nesserlov and Kizot, the Russians wanted to be allies with the British, and the French wanted to have a Franco-Belgian customs union.

It doesn't matter, promise to come down first, and when they fight to the point where both sides lose, Britain will take action again, and deal with France first, because it has a large number of overseas colonies, and the huge interests can convince those timid parliamentarians at home.

When France is settled, we will deal with Russia, the enemy of civilization. By the time these two battles are over, the national strength of Prussia and Austria should have been almost consumed, and he can already imagine the four countries groveling at the London Peace Conference.

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

Franz and Metternich's long conversation was not over.

"You mean to start with France?" Metternich was a little incredulous, but seemed to have something in mind.

"That's right, the British will also go to France. After all, the French are stupid and greedy, and they are the most gullible. But we can also take advantage of that and make them work for us. Franz said.

"But King Leopold I of Belgium was the son-in-law of Louis Philippe, and he married Princess Louise Marie Thérèse Charlotte Isabelle de Orleans of France, and their children would inherit the Belgian throne."

Metternich said with concern that King Leopold I of Belgium was both the in-laws of the British royal family and the in-laws of the French royal family, which was very difficult.

"But it was a product of the revolution, and Louis Philippe didn't want to wait that long. Spain was too big, he had to wait, and Belgium was nothing more than a small country.

If it were at her fingertips, I don't think Louis Philippe would have minded letting Princess Louise and her husband continue living in Wallonia, France. ”

Franz believed that greed can easily overcome human nature, especially when the interests are large enough, where can the happiness of his daughter compare to the great cause of himself and his family?

"Give Walloon to France in exchange for concessions from France?" Metternich finally understood what Franz meant, but he didn't seem to fully understand.

But Franz did not want to continue to pursue such a trivial matter, but said directly.

"Yes, the Belgian province of Wallonia is predominantly French-speaking, which is why the French have always coveted it."

"Wouldn't it be better to hand over Flemish to them in order to win over France? Moreover, the "lowlands" have always been a no-go zone for the British, and there will be no peace between England and France after France has acquired Flement. ”

Metternich gradually followed Franz's train of thought, but it was a little too radical, or too naïve.

It is good to let France swallow Belgium in order to sow discord between Britain and France, but there are too many loopholes, and too many interests will make the other side suspicious.

Although France and Britain were in full contradiction at this time, there were not many high-level people on both sides who really wanted to fight.

"Your Excellency, our Austrian Empire should be the one who maintains order, and if we want to match the six countries, how can we be without the Netherlands. We can return the Belgian Flemish to the Netherlands.

As for the contradiction between Catholicism and Protestantism, we in the Austrian Empire can accept those excluded Catholics. Anyway, Austria has a lot of land, and if they don't want to be in Austria, they can go to overseas colonies to seek development.

Moreover, the Dutch have long been dissatisfied with the independence of Belgium, and if the British can dig a hole in the Vienna system, we will have the means to fill it.

The British wanted to destroy our system and create their own system, and if Austria always avoided fighting, the other side would gain an inch.

If we want to maintain our order, we must pay a corresponding price. In the same way, if they want to disrupt the order, they must pay a price. In this way, the Anglo-Saxons can settle down a little. ”

Metternich was surprised, it was hard for him to imagine that this was a 12-year-old child's plan, but perhaps only a child would be so naïve.

(End of chapter)