Holy Roman Empire

All the European nations had relaxed their restrictions on resources to France, which should have been good news, but Napoleon IV could not feel any joy.

There was no way around it, the shift in the political stance of these nations also meant that the European world was not optimistic about France's chances of winning the war.

At that time, the center of the world was in Europe, and the viewpoints of the European world would directly impact the judgments of nations worldwide.

Recently, the French foreign ministry had been actively seeking allies overseas and had achieved phase-wise success, especially after the British joined, which greatly enhanced their strength.

If it were not for this bad news, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and Japan might have become members of the Anti-Austrian alliance.

Now, that was all impossible. Politicians were not fools; they would go with the flow and speculate a bit, but asking them to fight alongside France against the current was out of the question.

Just look at the map to understand the critical role Egypt played in this war. Once it fell into Austrian hands, the Anti-French Alliance would be in an unbeatable position.

Seeing France strategically cornered, no amount of promised benefits by the Paris Government would tempt the opportunists to pull chestnuts out of the fire for them.

Fighting back his anger, Napoleon IV demanded, "How could the Egypt Area have fallen so quickly?

You know, we had just sent reinforcements not long ago. Twenty-three infantry divisions along with the troops in the Egypt Area, a total force exceeding eight hundred thousand men; are our troops nothing but lounging rice sacks?"

Rumors are not to be spread recklessly; if the Vienna Government dared to cheat people with the occupation of Egypt, they must have had some capital to do so.

Just a week ago, the French Army lost the seaport of the Egypt Area, severing the connection with mainland France. No one knows what happened at the front line.

From the perspective of a bystander, France had just reinforced the front line and then lost the seaport; it was clearly a trap set by the Austrians.

Since it was a trap, they naturally had the confidence of victory. The quick fall of the Egypt Area was, therefore, plausible.

The outside world might imagine this, but Napoleon IV could not endure it. Not only had he lost Egypt, but he also had additionally lost over three hundred thousand regular troops, incurring a huge loss.

If he had known this would happen, he would rather have withdrawn the troops from French Egypt and committed fully to fighting the Anti-French Alliance on the European Continent, which at least might have increased the chances of winning.

Facing an emperor on the verge of losing control, the equally perplexed Army Minister Luskinia reluctantly explained, "Your Majesty, no one knows what exactly happened in the Egypt Area. Perhaps, this is just false information released by the Austrians.

With the reinforcements we sent, there were over five hundred thousand regular troops in the Egypt Area alone. Governor Jacob, with his extensive combat experience, surely could not have been defeated so easily even if he couldn't overcome the enemy."

Surviving six months naturally had its prerequisites. War is fought with supplies; with sufficient logistical support, five hundred thousand regular French troops, along with three hundred thousand cannon fodder, certainly possessed a fighting chance.

But plans do not always keep up with changes. The French heavily defended port fell first, leaving the troops in French Egypt completely isolated.

According to intelligence from the Navy, they were simultaneously attacked by the Austrian navy and air force and suffered heavy losses before they were forced to retreat. After that, there was no more.

This is the tragedy of losing air superiority. The Mediterranean is not large; the Austrian Air Force could monitor every move of the French Navy from Libya, whereas the French could not pinpoint the movements of the Austrian Navy.

In an era without telegraphs, even if spies gathered intelligence, it could not be transmitted back in time.

With asymmetric information, the French Navy, in a series of actions, had to adopt a conservative stance. The main fleet dared not split its forces, fearing an ambush by the Austrian Navy.

The only forces stationed in the Egypt Area were a split squadron, very limited in scale. Naturally, they could not withstand a simultaneous sea and air attack by Austria.

Not having been completely annihilated was enough to prove the reliability of French naval commanders. As for the security of the port, it was indeed too much to handle.

Without the support of naval firepower and facing a combined sea, land, and air attack by Austria, the fall of the French port in Egypt was inevitable.

Hearing this explanation, Napoleon IV's expression softened slightly, "You mean the Austrians are spreading rumors, but what good does that do them? Is it just to intimidate those opportunists?

We all understand that rallying allies to attack the Austrian overseas colonies is only meant to break out of a politically isolated and passive situation and doesn't truly affect the outcome of the war.

For Austria, winning this war means that even if all the overseas colonies are lost, they would all return to their hands after the war.

By releasing this rumor now, they not only protect their overseas colonies but also push themselves to the opposing side of European nations, especially Britain and Russia, who definitely do not want to see them continue to grow strong."

Such a rumor is a loss for Austria, and this is the conclusion Napoleon IV came to based on the current international situation. It is also the reason the international community is willing to believe the rumor.

Foreign Minister Karl Chardlets spoke, "Your Majesty, perhaps the Austrians are planning for the post-war international scenario.

After all, if our strategy succeeds, Austria would make a lot of enemies overseas. Involving so many countries, if they all come knocking for revenge, it will indeed be costly; but to not take revenge is not an option either, as this relates to national dignity.

If so, then we must be careful. The enemy might have the confidence to win the war, which is why they are doing this."

News from the Russian Embassy indicates that recently, Russia and Austria have been in frequent contact. We all know that the relations between Russia and Austria are very close, and Austria has significant influence in the Russian Empire.

"Those Eastern European barbarians have simplistic minds, and often act without thinking. If Austria manages to win over the Russians, the war that follows will be tough."

There has always been a hierarchy of contempt, where western Europe advances while eastern Europe lags behind, with the Russians at the very eastern edge being the subject of disdain.

Without a doubt, Karl Chardlets was deeply influenced by this notion and always harbored biases against the Tsarist Government.

Whether it's strategy or benefits, as long as someone is foolish, none of that is a problem.

According to the principle that two tigers cannot share the same mountain, as neighbors, Russia and Austria ought to be incompatible like fire and water. Yet, the reality is exactly the opposite, surpassing everyone's expectations.

So much so that international relations experts in Europe were led astray, some even boldly asserting: as long as politicians maintain restraint, all conflicts can be resolved through political means.

Honestly, this viewpoint wasn't without the potential for success. If it weren't for the British stirring trouble, the European continent might have indeed resolved disputes by political means.

Consider that twenty years ago, France and Austria were allies. The escalation of conflicts between the two nations began after the British joined the alliance.

Lacking confidence in the Tsarist Government, and fearing the worst scenarios, the French Government reluctantly made a decision for a quick resolution, ordering the frontlines to launch an attack, driving the European war to a new peak.

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London, ever since the news from French Egypt arrived, Prime Minister Gladstone had been losing sleep.

The unified expanse of Austria was terrifying; the very existence of this colossal entity had severely threatened Britannia's strategic security.

From that day forward, Britannia's maritime hegemony could no longer keep Austria in check, and if one day the two nations turned against each other, Britannia would have to struggle with Austria on land.

Without recourse, as the Suez Canal had already fallen into Austrian hands, the Cape of Good Hope had become Britannia's only nexus connecting to British-India, making it a critical military point to hold.

Losing this meant losing India. As for taking a detour, although theoretically feasible, it practically lacked operability.

Speaking of detours might sound simple, but if one indeed takes tens of thousands of miles around, it not only increases the time at sea, risks, and costs but also weakens the British Government's control over India. Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire

If the Russians were to head south again, the British Government couldn't guarantee that they could send troops and strategic materials there in time.

Inside the meeting room, Prime Minister Gladstone spoke gravely, "Gentlemen, the worst scenario we feared has still come to pass.

French Egypt has fallen, and all our measures to restrain Austria have lost their effect. Right now, we not only need to think of ways to support the French but also must consider how to secure the safety of the Cape of Good Hope."

Whether it's a crisis mentality or paranoia, theoretically, as long as Russia and Austria strike a deal, Austria could target the Cape of Good Hope.

The trade details were mentally conjectured by everyone present. The Russian Army would send troops to the European continent to help combat the French in exchange for Austrian forces capturing the Cape of Good Hope, severing Britannia's connection with India.

One would dominate over Europe and Africa, the other would take over British-India, and together the two nations would divide the world. From a benefits perspective, both Russia and Austria would make a killing.

Foreign Minister George said, "The Foreign Office has already started taking action. We are trying to prevent Russia and Austria from growing closer.

However, this is far from enough, unless the French are able to severely weaken Austria in the European war. Otherwise, from now on, the Cape of Good Hope is no longer safe.

The outcome of battles is uncertain and purely based on military strength on paper, I do not believe that the French have the potential to win the war.

Even if we fully support the French, they do not have the capability to severely damage Austria. Keep in mind that the current Austrian Empire is not only the foremost industrial powerhouse in the world but also dominates a vast empire spanning over thirty million square kilometers and has a population of hundreds of millions.

Moreover, with other nations in the Anti-French Alliance, even if we join forces with the French, we would still struggle to gain an advantage.

In this context, we either have to enter the war ourselves, or we have to force the French to fight to the death, using them to exhaust Austria's strength.

The benefits of this are clear, as the strength of both France and Austria would be degraded regardless of who wins or loses, leaving neither able to dominate Europe after the war."

This choice is easy to make. Britannia just had a face-off with the Russians in Afghanistan, losing over two hundred thousand native troops and simply does not have the capacity to engage in a "friendly match" with Austria.

Not wanting to fight to the death ourselves, we have no choice but to let our allies do it. France is also a great power, and if they exert all their strength, they should give Austria enough trouble.

Once Austria's strength is significantly damaged, that will be the time for Russia and Austria to part ways. After all, there can only be one master in Europe, and it's only due to an inability to win that they were forced to give up; the moment a new opportunity arises, neither will let go.

Colonial Minister Primrose echoed, "Sir, your proposal is excellent, and I greatly agree. However, before that, we need to reinforce the Cape of Good Hope, not giving the Austrians any chance to exploit.

It would be best to redeploy the troops withdrawn from the Afghanistan battlefield to the Cape of Good Hope area for guarding, to dispel any ambitions Austria might have."

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