The Russians directly put the British side in order, they never expected that the tsar would not care at all, or that the focus of Nicholas I and the British were not on the same channel at all.

By this time it was already May, and the ice in the Baltic Sea had melted and it was possible to communicate by sea, so this time the Russians replied much faster.

The French and the Russians were useless, and the British were left on their own.

But the problem came back to square one, and Franz gave them too much to do in order to keep Britain from getting into trouble with Austria in 1848.

From North America to South America, from the Isthmus of Central America to the Far East, from Ireland to New Zealand, the British were in constant trouble, and were already far beyond the upper limit of their load.

Note: The United Kingdom is located in the Northern Hemisphere, near the 0th degree longitude, and near the 50th degree north latitude. Crossing the Earth with its corresponding country, located in the Southern Hemisphere, near the 180-degree meridian.

The country that meets such conditions is New Zealand, which is located at 175 degrees east longitude and more than 40 degrees south latitude.

John Russell, though not a particularly shrewd prime minister, understands that Palmerston is throwing the blame.

But he can't do anything, as the British Prime Minister, he has set this pot.

But what to do with the Austrians? Really organize a force of hundreds of thousands of people to fight in Austria proper?

Not to mention whether it can win the war, military spending alone is not something that the British government can afford at this time.

At this time, the Bank of England was on the verge of collapse, gold reserves had bottomed out, and a run was spreading.

If a large-scale war were to be waged at this time, the result would most likely be the collapse of the entire British financial system.

So what about sending an expeditionary force of tens of thousands of people as much as you can? With Austria's narrow coastline, tens of thousands of people may not be enough to fill the gaps

So in the end, it still depends on sea dominance, but the Mediterranean Fleet is gone, and the North Sea Fleet has to keep an eye on Prussia and not to fight Denmark.

So the question arises, which fleet to send to the Mediterranean now?

"We must prevent the Austrian Crown Prince from becoming Emperor of Germany! There is no doubt about that! ”

John Russell solemnly declared.

This was already expected by everyone, after all, it was the king of Rome and the emperor of Germany, and now the Russians have made another emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is it necessary to take back the province of Britannia after a while?

Note: Britain was once one of the 46 provinces of the Roman Empire.

"We must rebuild the Mediterranean fleet and force the Austrians to abandon their attempts to form a Greater German Reich! Who wants to go? ”

As soon as John Russell said this, everyone looked at each other.

The rebuilding of the Mediterranean Fleet was indeed the best way to force the Austrians to abandon their attempts at the Greater German Reich.

"Prime Minister, we have just signed a peace agreement with the Austrian Empire. Have you forgotten? ”

Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Granville said.

It would not be wise to hastily tear up a peace agreement with a major power, which would not only mean the loss of friendship with that country, but would also have extremely bad international repercussions.

"Of course I do! So sit back and watch the Germans grow bigger and seize our market share? Now the French can't count on it! The attitude of the Russians again.

We can't accept the emergence of a super empire across Europe! ”

John Russell is also under a lot of pressure, because no one will remember his exploits whether he succeeds or not, and history will only say what he says.

"Deficit Prime Minister. Bury the Mediterranean fleet of the British Empire. ”

"But against the Austrians, we have a great risk . It was definitely not a wise move for the fleet to fight deep into the Adriatic Bay.

If the French join forces with the Austrians again, our fleet will most likely be wiped out in the absence of nearby supply ports"

The loss of the great island of Crete actually had a great impact on British hegemony in the Mediterranean, and the island of Cyprus was too far away and had a limited radiation.

The island's land carrying capacity is very limited, making it difficult to supply a large fleet.

At that time, the population of Malta, plus the British garrison, was less than 20,000.

And in order to complete the blockade of Austria, there will be more than 20,000 men in the navy plus logistics, and if necessary, the army may also be used.

The most important thing is that with the experience of Crete, the British navy was afraid that the Austrians would make another beach-grabbing landing.

Although the fact that the Austrians fought naval battles and used the army was despised by many naval experts, this was undoubtedly a new way of thinking.

And once the army lands on the island, the navy really has no good way. After all, a military port is not a fortress, and the main duty of the navy is not to fight a land war.

The most terrible thing is that after the fall of the Orleans dynasty and the hunt of Louis Philippe, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies fell to Austria.

Sicily and Malta were separated by the sea, and there were too many opportunities for the Austrians to carry out a sneak attack.

The words of the Admiralty Secretary made the hearts of all the senior British bureaucrats present tremble.

Bury an entire fleet? It wasn't just Robert Peele, everyone present was probably going to be nailed to the pillar of shame.

But if you think about it, it is not impossible, after all, the British have already folded two fleets in the Mediterranean in the strict sense.

Although one of them was only a squadron, it was also a member of the once invincible British Royal Navy.

(The first fleet was buried in the book during the Second Turkish-Egyptian War.) ）

The atmosphere at the meeting was very dreary, and they never imagined that the diplomatic situation would be so difficult. In this kind of pot-splitting game, no one wants to be the first bird.

Fortunately, at this time, the Viscount Stratford sent good news, and the Hungarians threw an olive branch to the Ottomans.

The nascent Hungarian regime was ready to give Belgrade to the Ottomans in exchange for the latter's support.

This condition undoubtedly appealed to Mejid, but the timid sultan did not dare to attack Austria directly, especially after the rapid defeat of the Austrians by the Kingdom of Sardinia and the combined Italian army, and the defection of the Pope, Mejid began to fear a possible crusade.

Viscount Stratford continued: "Austria at this time was an enemy both inside and outside, and those people were in need of our support. ”

John Russell's brow, which had just loosened a little, tightened again at this point.

"What do we do to support them? Hungary was landlocked, and the Ottoman Empire's Fira army could not even defeat the Egyptians. How much do we have to pay to help them? ”

Palmerston on the side saw a turnaround, he was not as upright as John Russell.

"Prime Minister, we don't need to send a single soldier, let alone spend a penny. We just need to make the Blasphemous Alliance again. ”

"The Blasphemous Alliance?"

John Russell said subconsciously, but after all, he was a knowledgeable person, and he reacted immediately.

"That's right! The Ottomans may not be reliable, the French may not be reliable, but it is another matter to form an alliance with them. ”

(End of chapter)