NOVPUBAs the situation on the Afghanistan battlefield deteriorated continuously, the perspective of the upper echelons of the British Government was changing.
Army Minister Rosario, "The Russians on the Afghanistan battlefield are making rapid progress solely due to the support of France and Austria.
"Now, the enemy we are facing is not merely the Russian Empire, but a tripartite alliance where the Russians provide the troops and France and Austria provide the funding and materials. Stay connected via freewebnovel
"Although Britannia is powerful, it does not possess the ability to confront the three major European powers simultaneously. To win this war, we have to cut off the support that France and Austria are providing to the Tsarist Government."
Every setback at the front had to be accounted for domestically. Moreover, Rosario was not merely making empty claims; the Russian victories indeed could not be separated from the support of France and Austria.
Specifically, it was Austria’s support; the French government was also supporting the Russians, but given the Anglo-French Alliance, their efforts were somewhat restricted.
For the Army Department, the goal of expanding the army was achieved, and now the most crucial task was finding a way to win the war.
Rosario was well aware of the British Army’s capabilities and knew it could not reverse defeats in the short term. The optimal strategy for winning the war was to sever the external support of the Russians.
Without the financial and material aid from France and Austria, relying solely on their own capabilities, the Tsarist Government’s finances would not last a year and a half.
Whether by defeating the Russians head-on or exhausting them, as long as the war was won, that was what mattered. Rosario was a pragmatist with no need for niceties.
Foreign Minister George explained, "The Foreign Office has already been working on this, but the results have not been optimistic.
"Now, France and Austria support the Russians mainly to exhaust our strength, so they can benefit as the opportunistic fishermen.
"The Foreign Office tried to stir up conflicts several times but was suppressed by the governments of the three countries. Cutting off the support from France and Austria to the Russians in the short term is extremely difficult."
The current passive situation was actually the long-term sequelae of British foreign policy. France and Austria bore grudges against Britannia, and supporting the Russians was everyone’s means of retaliation.
Even without any benefits, France and Austria would still support the Russians. It’s correct that nations converse through interests, but people hold grudges.
For example, under normal circumstances, Russian bonds have no market, but the French people still buy them.
Many buyers aren’t solely speculating. Much more, they want to retaliate against the British and vent their pent-up fury.
Just as the advertisements say, every Franc spent on bonds turns into a bullet fired at the British.
Austria is similar; in recent years, the Vienna Government has been suppressed by the British Government and has achieved almost nothing overseas; they’ve been longing for revenge.
Beyond hatred, by using the Russians to deplete Britannia’s strength, France and Austria can also gain significant benefits.
If the British are defeated and India becomes a battlefield, then the once magnificent Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets will set.
The supremacy of the Royal Navy, which is inseparable from financial support, will not hold once India is ravaged, relying solely on the British Isles and other colonies to suppress France and Austria.
When hatred meets interest, it leads to the current situation. France and Austria are supporting the Russian attack on Afghanistan as a means to knock Britain off the world’s dominant position.
Finance Minister George Childs shook his head, "The situation is not that serious; the French remain our allies, and an anti-British alliance will not emerge.
"One can see from the level of support; only a small faction within the French government supports the Russians, which does not represent the official stance of the French government."
"Austria is no fool either; if the Russians occupy India, their pressure on the eastern front will increase. Their support for the Russians is definitely limited.
"If nothing unexpected occurs, once the Russians win the Afghanistan war, Austrian support will cease."
If France, Austria, and Russia really come together, any remaining fence-sitter states would obviously know whom to support; once the European Continent unites, Britannia’s hegemony will end.
The core reason Britannia instigates relationships among the European countries is to prevent the unification or alliance of the European Continent, which threatens their interests.
After centuries of effort by the British Government and historical issues, the European Continent has long been fraught with contradictions.
It’s true that France and Austria support the Russians, but this does not interfere with the competitive relations between Russia, France, and Austria; the position of a European Continental hegemon prevents true cooperation among the three countries.
Looking purely from the potential for development, the Russian Empire far exceeded all other countries in Europe, even before Austria had annexed the Ottoman Empire, it could not compare with the Russians.
As long as it addressed its economic weaknesses, the Russian Empire would instantly be reborn from the ashes and become one of the strongest nations in the world.
From any perspective, there was no reason for France and Austria to continue to allow the Russians to grow stronger.
Especially for Austria, being a neighbor, from a geopolitical standpoint, the possibility of a conflict erupting between Russia and Austria was nearly a hundred percent.
Army Minister Rosario nodded, "Your analysis is accurate; logically, that is indeed the case.
But we cannot possibly allow the Russians to win the war in Afghanistan now, not even in the short term, it’s simply not politically permissible.
To win this war quickly, we must make France and Austria withdraw their support for the Tsarist Government.
Otherwise, even if reinforcements arrive and defeat the Russians, it would be useless. The Russians would continue to send more troops, just like in the Prusso-Russian War, as long as they have the financial and material resources, the Tsar has plenty of soldiers."
The Army Department suggests encouraging the French to expand into Central Europe, or to allow Austria to unify the Germany Region, intensifying the France-Austria conflict, and detonating war in Europe."
This is not the best method, but it is the most effective one. Merely stirring up relationships between the countries wouldn’t work, as the rulers are not fools and won’t fall for simple provocations.
To make others fall for it, the best method is still interest. As long as the interests offered are substantial enough, a scheme becomes an open plot, something too tempting to refuse despite known issues.
Foreign Minister George warned, "Allowing France and Austria’s ambitions to run wild can indeed solve the current issues, but what about the consequences?
Once France and Austria have determined a winner and a loser, a new master of Europe will be born.
If the winner is France, it might still be possible to incite a new Anti-French War among the European countries; but if Austria wins this war, we do not have the capacity to stir up an Anti-Austrian War."
It’s true that this world speaks with fists, but sometimes other factors must be considered. The countries of Europe aren’t fools and won’t be easily led by the nose.
French expansion into Central Europe would cause negative associations for everyone, but with the right guidance, to prevent the emergence of a second Napoleon, everyone would have a basis for cooperation.
It’s different if Austria claims victory; the Holy Roman Empire already existed before, and now it’s just reuniting, not invading.
As long as the Austrian Emperor does not annihilate all, preserving the existence of the sub-states, others won’t feel threatened for their lives.
For smaller nations, regardless of who becomes the leader of Europe, it won’t be them; as long as their own interests aren’t harmed, they won’t fight desperately.
Army Minister Rosario smiled, "Your Excellency worries too much. France and Austria are both major powers, it won’t be so easy to determine a winner and a loser.
Once this war begins, it is doomed to be prolonged. Regardless of who wins or loses, both will be severely weakened in the end.
The winner might potentially become the leader of Europe, but the loser won’t be destroyed. As long as we intervene timely, the defeated will still be among the major countries of Europe.
Driven by the power of hatred, the two countries would continue to oppose each other for a long time.
If France wins the war, the European territorial setup would become a Russian-Austrian Alliance against France; if Austria wins the war, it would be a French-Russian Alliance against Austria. 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓅𝓊𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
With hundreds of thousands or even millions of casualties, merely to gain the nominal title of leader of Europe, there wouldn’t really be any winner.
Besides, don’t you think that France and Austria are a bit too powerful? If this continues, I fear even the Royal Navy might..."
This is also why the governments of France and Austria exercise restraint; after all, it’s easy to defeat an opponent, but hard to obliterate them.
Neither France nor Austria have the capability to absorb the other, even if they annihilate a nation now, a new regime would still arise, and the confrontational situation between the two countries wouldn’t improve.
Unless they resort to genocide, a permanent solution to the problem. Unfortunately, it is already the 19th century; it might work overseas, but on the European Continent, other countries will intervene.
Neither France nor Austria has the capability to single-handedly fight all rivals, so naturally, they must exercise restraint. Otherwise, it would only result in mutual destruction, to the benefit of the onlooking Fisherman.
