Holy Roman Empire

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Without a doubt, with the support of the Vienna Government, the Armenian throne fell upon the head of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich.

After the news spread, European bystanders started their daily routines, with experts and scholars jumping out one after another to offer their opinions. Before a consensus could be reached from the debate, the British Government became anxious first.

The seemingly insignificant struggle for the Armenian throne contains political significance that cannot be ignored.

Armenia is situated between Russia, Austria, and Poland. Anyone who has read Procopius’s history of wars would know that Byzantium and Persia have long contested over this region.

The Tsarist Government’s desire to control the area is definitely not aimed at Austria; there are many more accessible areas along the lengthy Russian-Austrian border that would make an offensive unnecessary.

A simple Armenian kingdom has no value worth coveting by the Tsarist Government. Given the region’s small size, the obvious target becomes clear without need for expression.

...

Foreign Minister George: "The Caucasus region is too far away. Our influence can’t reach that deep, and we lack the power to intervene in the Armenian royal succession.

With Russia and Austria quickly agreeing on this issue, we have to be more vigilant. In addition to the Austrian threat, we cannot ignore the Russian threat.

In the future, we will face increased pressures in Central Asia and the Persian region. The Foreign Office suggests that we should appropriately support France and North Germany to restrain Russia and Austria from behind."

There is no choice; this is a problem left over from history. More than a decade ago, during the Prusso-Russian War, the British supported their minor allies in seizing Central Asia from the Russians.

The bear holds grudges. Regardless of whether Alexander III is a pacifist, as long as he desires to be seen as a ’good Tsar’ in the eyes of the public, his next target is to retake Central Asia.

If Russians return to Central Asia without any Russo-British conflict erupting, the Austrian Foreign Ministry might as well dissolve.

Facing the threat of two great powers simultaneously, if no one shares the burden, the British would certainly be overwhelmed.

Whether it is Persia or Central Asia, if any area is breached, India would become a battleground.

Russia and Austria might not necessarily capture India from the British, but it’s almost certain that the Indian situation would spiral out of control due to war.

If Russia and Austria adopt the mentality of ’if I can’t have it, neither can you’ and wholeheartedly support Indian independence, it would be disastrous.

With the precedent of American independence, the London Government has to be vigilant to avoid the worst-case scenario.

Finance Minister George Childs, pale with shock, said: "You’re playing with fire here, and it could easily spiral out of control!"

Supporting France and Germany seems like a good idea, as it could restrain Russia and Austria from behind, but it only works if they are willing to cooperate.

Various signs indicate that the French still harbor ambitions of expanding into Central Europe, and North Germany just happens to block the French’s path forward.

In recent times, a number of events have occurred: short selling the Franc, massive dumping, supporting the Revolutionary Party, and France’s withdrawal from the free trade system. These upheavals have brought Anglo-French relations to their chilliest point since the anti-French wars.

A small setback did not dampen French pride; on the contrary, it provoked a surge in French nationalism.

If a change occurs in the middle and enemies intervene, it is likely that even before they become effective, internal strife will break out.

Should such a thing happen, the British Government would truly become a laughingstock.

Foreign Minister George analyzed calmly, "Sir, don’t be agitated. The Franco-German conflict is not as deep as you imagine, and it’s far from erupting.

As long as the stakes are high enough, potential enemies can also become allies first. To achieve Franco-German amity, we must make full use of Russia and Austria.

For example: stir up anti-Russian sentiment in North Germany by playing upon Prusso-Russian enmity;

Or let France and Austria break into conflict in the Italian Area, in the Mediterranean, or over the Suez Canal...

They don’t necessarily have to fight. Just by exposing the contradictions and making them wary of each other, that would be enough."

"By the way, the Nordic Federation can also be utilized. During the Second Prusso-Russian War, the Tsarist Government used the sale of Finland as a ploy to obtain loans from the Nordic Federation.

If it weren’t for Austria’s guarantee, the Tsarist Government would probably have defaulted long ago. The seeds of conflict were already sown between them.

We just have to..."

Whether using new grudges to cover old ones will work, no one can guarantee.

However, this idea is still worth advocating. Britannia’s long-standing foreign policy has led to an unusually high number of enemies.

If unable to suppress the contradictions of old days, Britannia would be enemy to the whole world.

Prime Minister Gladstone interrupted, "Sir, your Foreign Office’s plans are too fanciful.

I don’t deny that Russia and Austria are threats to us, but such threats are only potentially significant and not likely to erupt in the short term.

International situations are ever-changing; perhaps today’s allies could become tomorrow’s enemies—who knows what the future will bring?"

After a series of upheavals, Gladstone believed that the best foreign policy for Britannia still remained to be ’splendid isolation.’

Britain has accrued too many benefits and what it needs now is to defend them. Avoiding involvement in Continental conflicts and appearing as an arbiter can continue to maximize these benefits.

The UK Foreign Office’s series of diplomatic blunders essentially come down to giving up their Channel advantage and directly involving themselves in Continental strife.

To guard against "potential" and "possible" threats, too much energy and money have been spent.

There is nothing wrong with the policy of European balance, and there is nothing wrong with a foreign policy that suppresses whoever is strong. When combined, however, problems arise.

Starting from the First Near East War, the British Government’s foreign policy has been caught in this cycle, constantly standing opposed to the great powers of Europe.

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Having suppressed the Russians, the French rose up; having finally subdued the French, Austria emerged; and now preparations to move against Austria are underway.

It appears as if the UK Foreign Office has achieved brilliant victories, but they have not had any substantial effect. The days of suppressing rivals seem endless.

The culprit behind this situation is none other than Britannia’s European balance of power policy.

In order to maintain the balance on the European Continent, the London Government is unable to knock out its enemies with a single blow. It’s not just about not killing them; they can’t even afford to maim.

If they accidentally strike too hard, the British must hurry up and intervene, lest a single power comes to dominate the European Continent.

Hatred does not vanish simply because of a helping hand; just because it hasn’t erupted now doesn’t mean it will never happen.

All the Rulers of the nations are human, and humans have weaknesses; don’t expect everyone to remain rational forever.

Should one day a hothead appear who recklessly launches a revenge war against Britannia, the painstakingly crafted situation by the British Government would vanish into thin air.

In this utilitarian age, any event is possible as long as the interests are sufficient.

For example: should the hatred index rise, the Rulers of Russia, France, and Austria might suddenly change their minds, deciding to clear the field before they vie for dominance over Europe.

Or, the Tripartite might realize that none can overpower the others, and simply endorse one another, searching together for easy prey outside their circle.

...

The British Government’s foreign policy has changed once again, a fact Franz is of course unaware of, as he is currently striving for the post-war restoration of the Near East.

As for the Russo-French-Austrian alliance, which the British worry about the most, Franz has never taken it seriously.

Austria may be willing to join hands with Russia and France against Britannia, but the latter two simply aren’t willing! The peak state of Austria is clear, as they are still licking their wounds. It’s obvious who would lead and who would follow should they form an alliance now.

Why would they submit to becoming a subordinate when they can be the leader themselves?

Unless Austria also falls into decline, or Russia and France recover, and all three countries reach a unified level of strength, only then might they consider joining forces to carve up Britannia.

If their strengths were truly equal, Franz wouldn’t dare to ally with them. The strategic location dictates this; as the sandwiched cookie, one must remain extremely vigilant.

As distasteful as they are, the balance of power policy of the British in this period of insufficient strength for Austria still has its positive aspects.

In fact, after entering modern times, the foreign policies of various countries have all been filled with utilitarianism and fickleness, with an excessive focus on short-term interests. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The British bear a substantial amount of responsibility for this change. Geographical isolation has made the British reckless and solely profit-driven.

Russia and France are actually learners of the British, but sadly they lack the protection of a channel; a blind imitation results in their struggles and embarrassments.

Austria did not emulate the British, not because Franz has higher morals, but due to geographical constraints.

With the tragic example of the Original time-space German Second Empire before him, Franz had no choice but to revise the Metternich Era’s foreign policy, becoming an inoffensive great power.

Prime Minister Felix: "Your Majesty, this is the Near East development plan formulated by the government, mainly divided into three stages.

What the government is implementing now is the first stage, mainly encompassing immigration settlement and mainline road construction, both complementing each other.

According to the plan, the government aims to complete the mainline railway from Vienna to Baghdad within five years, including two lines that connect to the Middle East Railway and the Arabian Ring Railway.

Considering the uniqueness of the Near East region, the subsequent immigration settlement will unfold along the railway line.

A total of 145 stations have been planned along the railway line, either establishing immigration towns or building cities.

Large-scale immigration will begin two years from now, initially targeting coastal areas for immediate transformation of existing cities.

...

Overall, the Vienna Government’s planned Baghdad Railway doesn’t essentially differ much from the one built by the Germans in the original time-space.

The difference is merely that the German Baghdad Railway went through Istanbul, while Austria’s goes through the Dardanelles Strait.

The European section of the railway has long been completed; the construction needed extends from the Dardanelles Bridge all the way to Baghdad.

The remnants of the Ottoman Empire’s railways along the route will have to be dismantled and rebuilt due to different track standards.

Connecting the Middle East Railway with the Arabian Ring Railway is still just a concept; both of these railways are also currently under construction.

The construction of the Middle East Railway is advancing rapidly and is about to be completed, whereas the Arabian Ring Railway, due to geographical conditions, might not be finished even by the time the Baghdad Railway is operational.

It is inevitable that immigration will lag behind. Although the Ottoman Empire has perished, rooting out the remnants occupying the mountains will still take time.

If it weren’t for the forced relocation of the peninsula’s population, forget two years; even another five years wouldn’t guarantee the eradication of local factions.

Taking the plan from the Minister, Franz began to examine the layout. In the absence of computers, the map was manually drawn; thus, a beautiful rendering was out of the question.

A few lines symbolized the railways; undoubtedly, an important project like the Baghdad Railway would naturally involve double tracks.

As for the stations along the way, they were merely small dots on the map. It was likely that the exact locations of the stations had not been finalized.

Without satellite maps, relying solely on the engineers’ manual efforts, errors were inevitable.

Skipping over the still somewhat presentable layout and the migration plan he was already familiar with, Franz’s brow furrowed at the final item: the budget estimate.