Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 469: The Greater French Empire

As the power struggle between Britain and Austria in South Africa was just beginning, a significant change had already occurred on the European continent. This time, Napoleon III displayed his decisiveness by directly sending troops to control the governments of various Italian states.

Clearly, his patience had reached its limit, and he was no longer willing to continue negotiating with these parties.

After suppressing the feeble resistance of the states, the governments of each country were forced, under the threat of bayonets, to agree to unite with the Kingdom of Sardinia to form the Empire of Italy.

On August 24, 1870, the Italian Empire held its first parliamentary session, where Napoleon III was elected emperor by the parliament.

The next day, Napoleon III hastily crowned himself Emperor of Italy in Rome, taking the title of Napoleon I, Emperor of Italy.

Following this, Napoleon III announced the union of France and Italy, creating the Greater French Empire and once again crowning himself as emperor. The new empire was given two capitals to appease the Italians: Paris and Rome.

After Napoleon’s earlier efforts, the House of Bonaparte once again established an empire, or rather two empires: the Bonaparte dynasty of the Italian Empire and the Greater French Empire.

Napoleon III disregarded all decorum and etiquette. Opportunities for Britain and Austria to confront each other were rare, and missing this chance would make future encounters even harder.

With the establishment of the Greater French Empire, the European landscape changed instantly. Having annexed Italy, France now seemed poised to dominate the European continent.

As all eyes turned to Vienna and London, a new round of diplomatic maneuvering began in secret. A raging current against France was surging across the European continent.

In Vienna, even though he was mentally prepared, Franz was still shocked by Napoleon III’s audacity.

In his plans, the French should have proceeded step by step. For instance, first establishing the Italian Empire to unify the Italian region, and then promoting the merger of the two countries, a process that should have taken several years.

The Austrian government could no longer sit still. Prime Minister Felix immediately stated, “Your Majesty, we cannot allow the French to continue growing stronger, this threat is too great.”

It wasn’t difficult to disrupt France’s expansion plans. By immediately allying with the British and rallying other European countries to exert pressure, the French would likely be forced to compromise.

Don’t be fooled by Napoleon III’s swift actions and his appearance of being willing to burn all bridges to annex Italy at any cost.

In reality, he was not prepared to confront all of Europe, and the French lacked the courage to challenge the European continent again. This was merely a show of force to the outside world.

What truly gave them confidence was the secret Franco-Austrian treaty. According to the agreement, Austria was also supposed to take action against the German Federal Empire at this time, so both nations would share the international pressure.

Indeed, the Austrian government was already taking steps. Most of the state governments within the German Federal Empire had already aligned with Austria. If Franz wanted, he could annex the German Federal Empire within a month.

This was the convenience brought by railways. Many states that Austria had won over had adopted the Austrian railway standards, and several had already integrated their railways with Austria’s.

As of now, only the Kingdom of Hanover had not been fully infiltrated by Austria, while other states could not escape Austria’s influence.

This plan’s success was not only due to burgeoning nationalism but also due to economic interests.

The nobles and capitalists within the German Federal Empire had already taken concrete steps to align their interests with Austria.

Even in Hanover, a stronghold of opposition, this influence was becoming increasingly significant over time.

While the British supported them, British capitalists were not willing to share their markets with them or allow them to develop within their colonies.

During the development of its colonies, Austria actively encouraged immigration from the German states, including those in the German Federal Empire.

In addition to immigration, Austria also courted local power brokers, involving them in colonial development and creating mutual interests.

The German federal government was powerless against this infiltration. They couldn’t possibly enact laws prohibiting cooperation between the two sides, could they?

Moreover, even if they did prohibit it, it would be useless. The subordinate states wouldn’t listen to the central government. After all, everyone had long since determined that the central government wouldn’t dare to use force to resolve the issue.

The French suddenly accelerated their pace, and Austria naturally didn’t keep up. From beginning to end, Franz was only trying to deceive the French and had no intention of unifying Germany at this time.

Germany would be unified, but definitely not now. Before having the strength to dominate the European continent singlehandedly, Franz wasn’t prepared to become the target of everyone’s arrows.

Franz tapped his fingers on the table and said, “Let’s wait a bit. The French forcibly annexing Italy won’t be so easy. The internal issues won’t be sorted out quickly.

For now, we’ll just put on a show. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will issue a statement strongly condemning the shameless behavior of the French. Let’s see how other countries react before deciding our next move.”

Joking aside, it wasn’t easy to lure the French in. How could they let them slip through the net?

If establishing a Greater France were so easy, why didn’t Napoleon unify Italy directly back then instead of appointing kings to rule it?

If it were just about unifying Italy, Napoleon III assuming the title of Italian Emperor might still be acceptable to the Italian people. But directly merging into Greater France? Nationalist elements would never accept that.

Keep in mind that what they’re merging with is France, the cradle of revolutionary thought. It probably won’t be long before revolutionary ideas spread from France to Italy, and then ignite like wildfire.

Even establishing a dual monarchy would be better than directly annexing Italy. At least with the former, as long as there’s no war and no external force to disrupt the situation, it can be stabilized by winning over local elites.

Frankly speaking, given France’s strength, as long as they handle diplomacy well, the external threat is very small. As long as the government doesn’t act recklessly, this dual monarchy could be maintained for many years.

If not to make the show more convincing, Franz would have held a grand banquet to celebrate this great victory. From now on, France will no longer be a threat for many years.

In the future, to bring down France, all one needs to do is support Italian revolutionaries. With constant revolts, France’s strength will be drained in the Italian quagmire.

Foreign Minister Wessenberg proposed, “Your Majesty, now that the French have drawn attention, shouldn’t we also accelerate our steps?”

At this moment, no one can hinder Austria from annexing the German Federal Empire. The French are caught in the eye of the storm and would welcome Austria stepping up to share the pressure.

Without France as a henchman, the British could at most flex their strength at sea. Meanwhile, the neighboring Prussia had the will but not the strength. If Austria really took action, the Prussian government’s first reaction wouldn’t be to stop them but to quickly annex Poland.

Franz sneered, “No need, proceed according to the original plan. We’re not in a hurry. The German Federal Empire will always be there, and it will be ours sooner or later.

For now, let’s continue to compete with the British for South Africa. There’s no rush for matters on the European continent. As allies, we should at least share some of the pressure for the French.”

Fulfilling allied obligations and sharing the pressure. No one would believe these words. When had France and Austria ever truly been friendly?

Even after forming an alliance, both sides frequently undermined each other. Franz’s sudden willingness to help France must have a hidden agenda.

The emperor was unwilling to explain, and everyone had no choice but to accept it.

Franz also had reasons he couldn’t express. They hadn’t yet experienced the power of nationalism and naturally didn’t know it was a huge pitfall.

He wanted to explain but he didn’t know where to start. With no way to elucidate, Franz had to make an autocratic decision.

After all, with France’s annexation of Italy, they have become the target of many. Whenever Austria decides to act, they will not lack allies. Everyone can only patiently wait.

...

Austria’s passive objection has had a significant impact on the European continent. Many believe that the Austrian government is afraid and does not dare to confront the French directly.

Behind the scenes, Franz has been fanning the flames, and he is determined to not stop until France is crowned the world’s leading empire.

In London, the British government, initially watching the spectacle and hoping to profit, could no longer sit idle. They never expected Austria to refuse to take the lead, shattering their hopes of sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight from a distance.

At 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli asked in frustration, “Can anyone tell me what the Austrians are thinking? Don’t they understand the threat from the French? Or are the famed Emperor Franz and Iron Chancellor Felix just cowards who only know how to develop their economy at home?”

No one could answer this question, as everyone was equally puzzled. After all, no one believed Franz and Felix were cowards. Otherwise, how did Austria acquire its territories?

Foreign Secretary Maclean analyzed, “Prime Minister, I have the opposite view. The Austrian government’s reluctance to take the lead likely means they’ve seen through our plan.

After suffering in the Napoleonic Wars, Austria surely fears the French. By not stepping up now, they probably don’t want to face France alone.

Moreover, the primary threat from a stronger France isn’t to Austria. Italy is newly conquered, and the French cannot rely on the Italians to secure their rear.

If attacking from Central Europe, geography dictates that France must advance from the north. Austria remains safe until Belgium, the German Federal Empire, and the Kingdom of Prussia fall.

Since there’s no threat in the short term, the Austrian government can naturally afford to wait. When everyone can’t stand it anymore, they’ll form an anti-French alliance again and jointly cripple the French.”

Obviously, this wouldn’t be the result they wanted. If France were to fall, the European continent would be Austria’s domain. By then, with Germany unified, Britain would be powerless to stop it.

The desire to suppress France stems from the French becoming a threat to their interests. Not to mention, once the French annex Italy, the British would have no foothold in the Mediterranean.

Furthermore, having learned from past mistakes, the French this time will avoid following in Napoleon’s footsteps.

After annexing Italy, France will likely avoid conflicts on the European continent for many years, reducing other nations’ vigilance.

Unable to continue expanding on the European continent, their target would inevitably turn overseas. The British would be the first to bear the brunt, with the French challenge to their maritime hegemony almost inevitable.

Being the world’s leading colonial empire brings not just glory and wealth but also challenges from various nations.

In this respect, Austria was much more stable. Their core colonies were all on the African continent, and now that the situation was settled, they weren’t afraid of anyone coveting them.

The few overseas colonies they have don’t offer enough benefits to cause anyone to turn against Austria.

In contrast, the British are much more hated, having taken the largest slice of the pie. Even combined, the colonies of other European nations are less enticing than theirs.

It’s not just the colonies. The mere presence of the Strait of Gibraltar at their doorstep often keeps the French awake at night.

The longstanding enmity between Britain and France isn’t easy to forget. If they fail to secure this chokepoint to bisect the French naval forces, it would be the British who couldn’t sleep at night.

This dilemma makes it hard for the British government to make a firm decision. Now, they want to suppress the French but also fear crippling them too much, which is quite troubling.

Colonial Secretary Louis reminded, “Gentlemen, let’s not forget our ongoing conflict with Austria. It seems the Austrian government doesn’t intend to stop.

According to reports from the front, we’re currently at a disadvantage on the battlefield. That idiot Delf has already sent three urgent requests for reinforcements, each more urgent than the last.

If we don’t take measures, we might lose the Cape Colony before we even solve the French problem.”

The French have been so conspicuous that everyone’s attention has been diverted, even overlooking the calls for help from South Africa.

Robert, the First Lord of the Admiralty, said passionately, “We absolutely cannot abandon the Cape Colony. With the Suez Canal controlled by France and Austria, if the Cape of Good Hope falls to Austria, neither of our two sea routes to the Indian Ocean will be safe.”

He had every reason to be agitated. Losing the Suez Canal to France and Austria had already put them in a difficult position. Losing the Cape of Good Hope would make the Royal Navy’s situation even worse.

Not to mention, if relations with Austria soured one day, and all of Africa’s coastline became enemy territory, the Royal Navy would struggle with logistics and supplies on their way to India.

The Suez Canal wasn’t even worth considering. Military ships were already prohibited from passing through, except for French and Austrian warships. Ships from other countries had to take a detour.

The canal company’s rules specifically targeted the British, mainly as revenge for the sabotage they committed during its construction.

In Benjamin’s mind, he was cursing Louis for not just being incompetent but also for being a liability whose only contribution was to create more problems.

Embarking on colonial expansion without even identifying the enemy and hastily starting a war has now backfired, and Louis won’t even admit his mistake. Despite his anger, Benjamin knew he had to clean up the mess.

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli rubbed his forehead and said, “Alright, the strategic value of the Cape Colony is indeed too important to lose.

The Foreign Office should contact the Austrian government to see if a negotiation is possible. The Colonial Office must quickly come up with a plan to reinforce Cape Town.

With the situation in Europe out of control, we need to resolve the Cape Town issue as soon as possible. If necessary, we can consider abandoning the Boer republics.”

Undoubtedly, Benjamin had already tied the fate of this war to Louis. If they lost the war, it would be time for a new Colonial Secretary.