The compensation of close to £14 million is indeed a nerve-wracking claim, but it is still acceptable compared to more than $200 million.

And this money will be recorded in the accounts of the state, and they and the financiers behind it will not need to bear it, and I can't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, such an outcome was not what Prince Albert wanted, because counting the previous investment and losses in the war, the total amount of losses on the British side of the whole war would exceed the 41 million pound mark.

If the previous 27.55 million pounds was paid for tuition, then the 14 million pounds at this time is purely unjustified.

Moreover, most of the merchant ships that entered the war zone were not innocent, and most of them would also do some shady deeds under the banner of the British.

You must know that it is not too easy to destroy criminal evidence in the vast sea, and there were no reconnaissance satellites back then that it was like looking for a needle in a haystack to find the truth.

From ancient times to the present, the priority of wicked people before committing a crime has never been the size of the crime, but whether they can escape punishment or use some means to avoid the punishment they deserve.

Therefore, during the Mediterranean naval war, it was not uncommon for people to kill people and destroy corpses, and some British even started their own ideas, after all, as long as no one found out, there would be no problem, and even if the other side escaped, it could be relied on on the Austrians.

War was the best talisman for these people, which is one of the reasons why the British later took the initiative to ban privateer licenses.

Some people feel that the degree of specialization of warfare is becoming more and more specialized, and civilian ships cannot provide sufficient combat power.

However, at that time, the British had no restrictions on the purchase of weapons by merchant ships, and many of them were equipped with artillery that was more advanced than the standard equipment of the British Navy.

Advanced enough that some merchant ships could capture warships and sell hundreds of white soldiers to indigenous Africans.

However, it was the Irish who suffered more at this time, after all, privateers were never picky eaters.

Some of the ships transporting refugees were also attacked, and the privateers killed all the rebels and missionaries before selling the rest to the indigenous chiefs of North Africa.

"White slaves" are not unfamiliar in North Africa, after all, many of their ancestors have made a name for themselves by running this business, and many of them may have these "white slave" genes in their bloodlines.

Even though the Ottoman Empire has long since declined, raising white slaves is still regarded as a symbol of power and wealth, and it is also a brave act to win glory for the country.

It's just that these yellow-skinned refugees are hardly sold for a very high price after a long period of sea wandering, but they are still very good compared to the other goods they plunder.

Although the price is not as high as that of black slaves in North America, it can still be sold for a high price of 80 pounds, and some women of childbearing age and good health can be sold for more than 150 pounds.

These Irishmen may never have dreamed that they would be worth so much, but their fate will be tragic.

Men will be given a special education of servitude, while women will have to give birth endlessly until they no longer have that value.

(By this time, the price of black slaves had been rising, from $150 at the beginning of the nineteenth century to $600 due to the blockage of the slave trade.)

It would be too early to exaggerate at this point, because the price would double again as we entered the nineteenth and fiftieth centuries. ）

In the case of a traditional monarchy, it is the duty of the state to save its citizens, and even if these people are to be executed, the people of their own country must come personally.

However, as a constitutional monarchy, the British royal family does not care as much about reputation as traditional European royal families, and they do not want to be the wronged leader.

So Prince Albert asked rhetorically.

"How do you determine which losses are caused by our country or by our merchants?

If you have no basis, can we also seek compensation from you for the loss of two thousand seven million five hundred and seventy thousand one hundred and twenty-one pounds?"

Prince Albert's words were very clever

, he did not compete with the domestic political and economic interest groups, but kicked the ball to the Austrian side, after all, whoever advocates will provide evidence.

If the Austrians could not produce evidence, then these reparations would have been waived; If the Austrians can produce conclusive evidence, then it would be better for those who caused the losses to the Austrians to pay for it.

In any case, the British royal family can save a lot of money, and they will not offend anyone, and they can only hate the Austrians.

At the same time, he is also knocking on the politicians at home and the Austrians in front of them, telling them that Britain is not easy to bully.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with Prince Albert's handling of it, but the timing is not quite right.

Baron Brooke nodded after hearing this, and couldn't help but feel in his heart that Archduke Franz's prediction was completely correct, and the other party would definitely mess around on the issue of compensation.

He motioned directly to the members of the mission to bring out seven or eight large boxes, which were opened and filled with documents and price lists.

The members of the British mission were all shocked, wondering if the Austrians had really gathered all the evidence, right? What kind of productivity is this?

"Here is a list of some merchant ships and the cargo they carried, as well as proof of prices for the same period.

In addition to this, there is proof of the detailed origin and price of those goods, including those issued by the shipper and the consignee, and the further loss caused by this...

This also includes 2,324 eyewitness testimonies and records from third countries, as well as 600 complete interrogation records attesting to the burning of our ships and cargo seized in port by the Commander of your Mediterranean Navy prior to the evacuation of the island of Malta.

The total value of the loss of this part of the merchant ships is florin..."

Prince Albert was soon said to be sweating profusely, he did not expect that the Austrian side would really find this evidence, and even predicted his next step, there was actually a buyer's contract...

In fact, these things were originally in the hands of Austria, after all, these are the statistical lists of the Royal Development Company, and they can be used as evidence by finding a few hundred people to change them casually.

Franz did not intend to prove anything from the beginning, after all, according to the ancestral motto of the Habsburgs: "The royal family never proves itself", he naturally could not have violated this ancestral teaching.

"Whoever asserts, he gives proof." This Roman proverb was indeed a great step forward for mankind in Rome more than 2,000 years ago, but it may not be called a "golden rule" in the 19th century, and people need to add a scope of application to it.

This was not the case in this great war, which stretched across the entire Mediterranean, and although the war was not long, the British army had a very wide range of strikes, even the Austrian merchant ships that were anchored in the port of Cairo to escape the fighting, not to mention the ocean-going caravans that did not know the news of the war.

Just as some Japanese historians say that the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in the East were slandered by Asian countries, the comfort women were voluntary, and the slaughter was not carried out by civilians, but only soldiers who died in battle.

The evidence provided by the Austrian side weighed nearly a ton, and Prince Albert gave up after only a few glances, choosing to settle for the next best.

"We can pay this part of the compensation supported by evidence after careful review, but we still have to break down the responsibilities specifically, after all, there is still some evidence on it that shows that it was the actions of unofficial vessels...

If your country wants more reparations, then it must provide more evidence..."

Baron Brooke sighed, it seems that this is the so-called national ethos.

"No problem. We are trying to gather as much evidence as we can to prove all this, but your ships, cargo and people will need to cooperate with us for a while longer."

Baron Brooke immediately agreed to provide more evidence, which made the hearts of the members of the British mission bloom, and they thought to themselves, "What such a fool!"

However, the next sentence ignited the anger of the British mission, and the Austrian Empire refused to release the seized ships and personnel.

"Are you kidding us?"

Photo by British Admiralty Chancellor George Eden

The case started.

"Do you Austrians really think that if you win twice, you can keep winning? I tell you! We, the British, are quite capable of destroying the fleets of all the countries in the Mediterranean! ...」

The members of the Austrian mission, on the other hand, sneered, they were all old fritters in the mall, completely immune to this empty intimidation.

As for whether they were playing the British, those who wanted to play the Austrian Empire should know better.

Baron Brooke stood up and said.

"That's what you're talking about? Your fleet is very strong, we are well aware of this.

But we are here to negotiate, not to fight.

If you want to prove something on the battlefield, then please."

The second negotiation between Britain and Austria broke down again, and George Eden's words were dictated by Prince Albert.

He felt that the Austrians had come to London early, and had not left even in the cold, and that they must have been very urgent for peace.

Prince Albert consciously found the weakness of the Austrian side, and if he used it, he would definitely be able to achieve greater benefits in the negotiations, but he did not expect the Austrian representative to be so tough.

What Prince Albert didn't know was that it was not used against him, but that Franz knew too well about Palmerston and was afraid that Baron Brooke would not be able to withstand the pressure so he made a plan in advance.

After reading Palmerston's resume, Franz felt that Palmerston must have been a child king when he was a child, and he was too good at bullying others.

Especially when dealing with those weak and timid people, after eating and wiping people clean, they have to spit out a mouthful of old phlegm again, and put a stinky fart to humiliate each other.

That's why Palmerston likes to compare politics to a sport rather than a science, because it's as simple as eating and sleeping.

Although Prince Albert also wanted to lower the price by flipping the table, he really wanted to talk, and His Royal Highness did not have Palmerston's two-faced face, and the pace of peace between Britain and Austria stalled again.

Free to read.