Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 460: To Ally or Not?

Under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, over a hundred people gathered, holding prepared banners and shouting, “Protest!” “Protest!”...

Inside the building, journalists from various European countries were waiting for the results of the meeting, now watching the commotion. Photographers were busy adjusting their cameras, ready to capture this historic moment.

Without any hesitation, Wessenberg immediately ordered a crackdown. Upon receiving the order, the police who had rushed to the scene wielded their batons and quickly dealt with the demonstrators.

The protesters were gone, but Austria’s reputation was tarnished. This premeditated protest made the international conference awkward.

The Italian protest did not affect the outcome of the conference. With France and Austria holding a unified stance, the conference quickly passed a new international law dividing regions based on cultural traditions.

In a way, this law was also beneficial to the British. They could use it as a basis to incorporate English-speaking areas into their sphere of influence.

Great powers typically aren’t concerned with appearances. Even this international treaty had many different interpretations, deliberately leaving loopholes.

When needed, they could interpret it in the way that best served their interests to maximize their gains.

International treaties inherently had double standards for big and small countries. If stretched a bit, this could even become one of the justifications for legalizing colonies.

Although the goal was achieved, Wessenberg wasn’t happy at all. The sudden appearance of the protestors severely damaged the reputation of the Austrian government.

Keeping it secret was impossible. Representatives from so many countries and journalists from major European newspapers had no obligation to keep Austria’s secrets.

Wessenberg could only hope that the response from his people was quick enough to prevent the journalists from taking any photos; otherwise, the trouble would be even greater.

Since it had already happened, it couldn’t be covered up. Wessenberg couldn’t send people to check the journalists’ equipment as the Austrian government had to maintain some level of dignity.

Of course, if the foreign representatives hadn’t been present, it might have been a different story. Tailoring responses based on the audience is a principle of great powers.

Once the guests were seen off, Wessenberg’s smile vanished. With a gloomy expression, he said, “Send someone to ask the Vienna Police Department what’s going on. Why did a bunch of people suddenly show up to cause trouble?”

Investigating the case wasn’t the Foreign Ministry’s job, but since it involved diplomacy, Wessenberg had to intervene.

He didn’t believe that the Vienna Police Department would have approved a demonstration today. For a group like this to gather without the police knowing, there had to be something behind it.

Representatives from various Italian states were present, and none of them opposed the proceedings, so there was no point in staging this farce.

Even if the scale of the protest were ten times larger, it would have no effect. Austria would not halt its plans because of Italian opposition.

Ultimately, only the international reputation of the Austrian government was damaged. But reputation doesn’t equate to power; as long as Austria remained strong, no one would dare to challenge it, regardless of its tarnished reputation.

Among the major powers, Austria’s reputation is still relatively good. With Britain, France, and Russia as comparisons, it can’t be that bad.

At worst, it will be criticized by international observers as “tyranny,” but their words don’t carry much weight. After all, the Austrian government has its own official media, and at worst, it will just be a war of words.

Tomorrow, Vienna’s newspapers will report that lawless elements colluded with foreign forces to disrupt an international conference.

A middle-aged security officer immediately responded, “Yes, Minister!”

Wessenberg didn’t stay and went directly to the palace. Such a significant issue needed to be reported to the Emperor.

Franz had already received the news and was on the phone berating the Minister of Police.

Regardless of who the opponent was, how could the enemy organize over a hundred people to cause trouble in Vienna without the police knowing?

If this isn’t negligence, what is? With just a little more vigilance, they could have intercepted it in advance, avoiding this farce.

Franz didn’t believe that the other side would be willing to send out over a hundred spies to cause trouble. The value of spies lies in their ability to remain hidden; once exposed, they’re doomed.

The protest group that emerged now obviously couldn’t have any core members; most of them were likely just fools who had been duped.

Austria isn’t like France; protests and demonstrations without prior approval are illegal and punishable by exile.

Those who annoy the Austrian government will likely be exiled to remote, desolate places. They might even be sent to some uninhabited island in the Arctic Ocean to spend their days surrounded by ice and snow.

Of course, the more likely outcome is freezing to death. The glacial regions, with temperatures plunging dozens of degrees below zero year-round, are uninhabitable for most people. Never underestimate the bureaucrats’ capacity for revenge.

Smart people operate from the shadows. Even submitting a petition to the Austrian government is better than directly confronting them.

The former is a legal action. Even if the Austrian government doesn’t accept it, there won’t be any trouble for them. The latter is a crime, and the bureaucrats whose careers are affected won’t let them off.

Franz didn’t care about these people’s fate. He was angry about the police’s insufficient control over Vienna. How could such an obviously unusual situation go unnoticed?

If today, over a hundred people could suddenly appear outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, does this mean that one day, a hundred people could suddenly rebel?

A hundred people is no small number. Most European revolutions didn’t have that many participants when they first started.

If such a number were to erupt at a critical moment, the damage would be incalculable.

The thought that “there are always treacherous subjects plotting against me” is common, and for an emperor, it’s even more severe. Franz could never afford to let his guard down.

When Wessenberg arrived at the palace, the situation was already close to being resolved. Those arrested had already confessed under police interrogation.

The participants in this illegal activity weren’t just Italians. After all, there aren’t many Italians in Vienna, and gathering over a hundred of them wouldn’t be easy.

The interrogation revealed that the protest was organized by five Italian students, while most of the others were temporarily hired at high wages. The information was provided by a middle-aged man named Robinson.

The trail ended there. The students knew nothing about “Robinson” other than meeting him at the Fico bar.

These unlucky fools were duped by someone they had just met. Driven by a sense of patriotism to protect Italy’s territorial integrity, they decided to take a stand.

Most participants were hired on the day of the protest, so the Vienna police had no time to get wind of it. By the time concerned citizens reported it, the incident had already occurred.

Franz was very dissatisfied with the investigation results. Not knowing who was behind this and seeing the Austrian government embarrassed was utterly shameful.

Frowning, Franz asked, “Tyron, didn’t you receive any intelligence?”

Tyron, the head of intelligence, immediately replied, “Preliminary judgment suggests that ‘Robinson’ is an alias. His first appearance was at the Fico bar, where he first met those idiots.

Altogether, they had three encounters, all at that bar. We’ve sent people to question the staff, and a bartender provided a clue that Robinson’s beard was fake.

With the sketch based on witness descriptions, it will be difficult to find this Robinson. There are too few clues at the moment, and we need more time.”

Professional spies are hard to deal with. Without surveillance, and in a chaotic place like a bar, finding someone is incredibly difficult.

Even if Robinson appeared in plain sight, no one would know who he was. Normally, spies have legitimate cover jobs, making it hard to spot anything unusual on the surface.

Getting preliminary clues in such a short time is already quite an achievement.

Franz said sternly, “Keep investigating. Don’t overlook any clues. If this hidden threat isn’t removed, it will become a disaster sooner or later.”

Guessing who the mastermind is isn’t too hard—there are only two or three likely candidates. Judging by the style of this operation, the enemy was very cunning, leaving no valuable clues, which resembled John Bull’s handiwork.

With France and Austria reaching an agreement, the British couldn’t prevent the redefinition of the Italian region. It’s normal for them to cause trouble at this point.

Deploying just one spy who managed to stir up this incident with mere trickery probably has the masterminds laughing. They almost paid no price to plunge Austria into a media storm.

“Resembled” is not the same as “certain”. International politics has always been a mix of truth and falsehood, with lies disguised as truth and truth disguised as lies. Many times, even what our eyes see can be deceiving.

For now, they can only say that the British are the most suspicious. They have the motive, the capability, and a history of similar actions.

However, they can’t rule out other countries intentionally framing the British. As someone familiar with such tactics, Franz often did similar things himself.

Without catching “Robinson,” it was hard to make an accurate judgment on this matter. Franz didn’t like to follow his gut; he always followed his interests.

Whoever is held responsible should align with Austria’s best interests. This is why overt schemes usually succeed easily, while covert ones are much harder to pull off.

As long as the benefits gained are significant enough, Franz is willing to be manipulated. In international politics, Austria, like Britain, always aligns with its interests.

...

The case hadn’t ended when a sudden development made the situation even more complex.

British Foreign Secretary Maclean formally sent a diplomatic note to Austria, proposing an alliance between Britain, France, and Austria to jointly maintain world peace and stability.

The latter part can be ignored; the British have never been associated with peace. If they stopped causing trouble, the European continent would be much more peaceful.

The focus is on the “alliance.” Franz’s first reaction upon receiving this news was that the Franco-Austrian alliance had been exposed.

To make the British lower their pride and actively seek an alliance with France and Austria, the only thing that could pressure them this much was the “Franco-Austrian secret treaty.” Franz couldn’t think of anything else that would qualify.

The Franco-Austrian alliance already has many contradictions. Now, adding the British into the mix raises the question of how long this alliance could last.

In his hesitation, Franz asked directly, “What is the Foreign Ministry’s stance? Do you think we should ally with the British?”

This decision was hard to make because it involved extensive interests, and the pros and cons must be carefully weighed. Especially when allying with the British, extra caution was needed.

Under great pressure, Wessenberg said cautiously, “Your Majesty, the Foreign Ministry believes we should discuss this matter specifically with Britain and France to see what benefits we can gain before deciding whether to form an alliance.”

An alliance between Britain, France, and Austria obviously has many benefits. At the very least, in terms of dividing the world, everyone can negotiate behind closed doors.

However, there are also disadvantages. The conflicts between the three countries are a major obstacle to forming an alliance.

Unless these conflicts are resolved or temporarily suppressed, even if an alliance is formed, it will be nominal due to differing interests.

Franz never expected sincere cooperation. Britain, France, and Austria were all major players in this era, and there was no external enemy strong enough to necessitate their alliance.

Each country is a dominant power on its own, so there is no practical need for an alliance. This made Franz’s expectations for an alliance low, and Britain and France probably felt the same.

If there were no conflicting interests among them, forming an alliance wouldn’t be a bad idea. However, the reality is quite the opposite. The main international conflicts of this era include Anglo-French, Anglo-Austrian, Prusso-Russian, and Anglo-Russian conflicts.

Reconciling the differences between Britain, France, and Austria isn’t simple unless the British are willing to make significant concessions and stop stirring trouble on the European continent.