Holy Roman Empire

Franz could only smile at the Russians' fanciful notions. In fact, such outlandish plans had always been emerging in real life.

Politicians are human, and since they are human, they can make blunders, especially when it comes to interests, the probability of making a mistake increases even further.

On the surface, the Russians, under the guise of allies, took the first step to occupy France, and indeed Austria was powerless, but the Vienna Government could stall!

Can't enforce the partitioning of France, can't delay the negotiation time either? If one year doesn't work, then two years, if two years don't work then three to five years. Would the Russian Army be able to live in peace with the French public over such a long time?

Austria could simply enjoy the show and consider what to do with France after the Russians retreated in disgrace.

If coordinating the relationship between England, France, and Russia weren't so troublesome, with almost no possibility of success, Franz would really like to give a push and then sit back to enjoy the contest between the Tsarist iron fist and French nationalism.

"Send a telegraph to the front-line troops, telling them to end the war as soon as possible, the soldiers are waiting to come back for Christmas!"

It's only July now, almost five months until Christmas. It's not difficult to simply defeat the French, but to sign a treaty and withdraw the troops before Christmas, time is tight.

Typically, post-war conferences involving multiple nations' interests tend to be heated and protracted, possibly dragging on for two or three years.

Without a doubt, Franz didn't wish to delay any longer. Various signs indicated that the Hanover Government had become active again, with British influence behind it.

Know that an internal enemy is much more fearsome than an external one. Once these individuals sway the interest groups of the Sub-States, the troubles that follow would be enormous.

Franz had no desire to test human nature; in the face of interest, human nature is the most unreliable. Establishing a fait accompli and a proper relationship between sovereign and subject was of utmost importance.

With this status, Franz was not afraid of these individuals making trouble. Unable to touch the Kings below, can't the Sub-State Governments be changed? Whoever dares to make trouble would be brought down through gathered scandalous information.

As long as the armies, tariffs, diplomacy, and the issuance of currency of the various Sub-States were gathered up, and the judiciary and education system were unified, no matter how much they stir beneath, no big waves could be overturned.

Times have changed; at the beginning, in order to gather these powers, Franz fought wits with several Sub-State Governments for over a decade, taking control bit by bit. Now, it could all be done in one fell swoop.

As for the resistance of the Sub-State Governments, it could be completely resolved through negotiations. As long as the interests are right, there should be nothing that couldn't be agreed upon.

Cheating, bribery, coaxing, and intimidating – Franz was already adept at these tricks. Ultimately, it was all about rallying allies while concurrently taking down the enemy.

Compared to "kill the chicken to scare the monkey," sometimes "kill the monkey to scare the chicken" produces even better results. The more one jumps now, the quicker they die in the future.

Franz wasn't worried about people making a fuss; he was actually more concerned about those who do nothing. After all, only when more actions are taken do more problems get exposed.

Should there actually be such a clean and flawless politician, Franz was powerless, for even the Emperor had to follow the rules of the game.

However, such a public-hearted individual would not become a barrier to unification. After all, having gone through this war, the idea of a great unification had already taken root deeply in people's hearts.

...

With Franz's order, war flames reignited, from Central Europe to Southern Europe, smoke of gunpowder was everywhere, with not an inch of clean land to be found.

At the Southern line Allied Command, representatives from the Italian States were gathered together to attend this highly political and military-significant meeting.

Historically, the Italian Area had always been full of princes, and the situation was only second to the chaos of the Germany Region. With the unification of the Germany Region imminent, it was time for the Italian Area also to be sorted out.

Previously, in order to unite all possible forces and with the goal of wooing Italian nationalists, the Vienna Government had never made its stance public regarding the handling of the Italian Area.

Now that the general situation had been settled, there was no need to delay any further. Whether to jointly establish the Kingdom of Italy or to split into several Sub-States, a clear conclusion was needed at this time.

In a sense, this meeting was merely a formality. The important figures qualified to attend the meeting all understood the intention of the Vienna Government.

No one objected, not only because they couldn't resist the more powerful, but more importantly due to the distribution of interests. Establishing a unified Kingdom of Italy would be easy, but who would take the lead?

Leaving the specific benefits aside, the issue of who would receive the crown alone was a conundrum.

Previously, the Italian Independent Organization dominated, and despite being divided into factions, there was, at least nominally, a leader – Victor Emmanuel III.

Things were different now, with the royal families of the various States getting involved. None was nobler than the others, and behind all of them was a group of interest groups, with none likely to give way.

If we can't come to an agreement, then we can only go at it alone. After all, there has never been unity, so playing separately is no big deal.

It's easy to break up the family, but hard to divide the property. There have always been territorial disputes among the Italian States, and now, due to the French occupation, it has become a muddled account.

The disputes were unresolved, so it fell to Austria, the "big brother," to arbitrate. Additionally, because the states hadn't truly restored their sovereignty, it wasn't appropriate for the foreign ministry to intervene directly, so the heavy task of mediating fell on General Mörck. Experience new tales on My Virtual Library Empire

"The purpose of inviting everyone here today, I presume, is clear to all. With the French on the verge of defeat to avoid unnecessary trouble, the post-war arrangement of the Italian Area also needs to be clarified now.

Firstly, each state will regain its independence, and it's the task of the new governments to form governments and restore production. How exactly to proceed will be handled by the future governments of each state.

What we need to do today is to preliminarily delineate the territorial boundaries of each state, primarily based on historical connections, while also taking into account the contributions made by each state in the Anti-French war, and considering them comprehensively.

Anyone with demands or suggestions can bring them up, and we can discuss them together, striving for a result that satisfies all parties."

"Discussing" was wishful thinking. The so-called "historical connections" simply meant restoring the pre-war boundaries, with perhaps minor changes, but generally maintaining consistency.

What could really be negotiated was the distribution of "contributions." Since everyone was aware of the times and had joined the Anti-French Alliance, the Vienna Government couldn't possibly allot the territory of one state to another.

Therefore, the land to be divided could only come from the French. In a sense, this meeting was also a rehearsal for the post-war spoils division conference.

Mörck chose this time to hold the meeting primarily because the battle of Turin was about to begin. If benefits weren't offered to spark interest, aside from the Kingdom of Sardinia, other states' Italians weren't sufficiently enthusiastic!

Annexing French territory was certainly exciting news for Italians who had suffered under French rule.

As for the problem of Austria taking the opportunity to grow stronger after the division of France, that wasn't everyone's concern.

As enemies, the Italians naturally hoped for a weaker France, preferably one that could be divided and done with once and for all.

Victor Emmanuel III suggested, "Excellency the Commander, the disputes among our states are not significant, and the key conflict is to drive out the French.

Since 1870, the French have been mercilessly exploiting the Italian Area, and we have the right to claim compensation from the French government.

As long as the French pay a sufficient price to make up for our losses, the minor disputes that exist among us can be easily resolved.

To drive out the French as quickly as possible, we, the Kingdom of Sardinia, are willing to commit all our resources. Three hundred thousand Sardinian Soldiers are already fully equipped and ready to launch an attack on the enemy at any time."

Among the Italian States, only the Kingdom of Sardinia bordered France directly and therefore bore the greatest military pressure. Conversely, once France was divided, the Kingdom of Sardinia would be the greatest beneficiary.

After understanding Austria's intentions, Victor Emmanuel III naturally needed to cooperate, especially since the upcoming operation was to recapture the Sardinian capital, making it their unavoidable responsibility.

Mörck smiled slightly, "Very well, the upcoming battle for Turin will be entrusted to you.

On behalf of the Austrian Government, I promise that after the war, everyone will receive at least 30,000 square kilometers of territorial compensation, as well as a substantial amount of war indemnities.

However, these lands and indemnities will only be distributed to states and individuals who have made contributions.

You don't have to worry about the difficulty of managing exclaves, we will coordinate territorial exchanges for the states; and for those awarded to individuals, they are allowed to form their own countries, with Austria providing security protection."

Scanning the expressions of those present and seeing no fervor, Mörck was slightly disappointed.

It was understandable, though; after society's harsh ordeal, there was a burning desire for a strong nation. Any sagacious person would want to unify the Italian Area, and no one would foolishly venture out to establish a country independently.

Not to mention the soft-footed Italian Nobility, even the Military Nobility in Austria hadn't been heard of attempting to establish their own countries over the years.

It wasn't that people didn't want to be the boss, but rather that it was no longer the Middle Ages, long past the era when village chiefs could claim kingship.

In this world governed by legal and blood descent, having guns doesn't mean one can rule as a monarch. Without the support of citizens, forming an independent country is akin to seeking death.

Unless one is a member of the royal family with a legitimate claim to the throne and has the support of the local populace, even the combined backing of all the great powers would not secure a stable kingship.

From this perspective, Mörck's promise to individuals was but a "flower in the mirror, a moon on the water"—visible, yet untouchable.

The real beneficiaries would still be the states. Apart from the Kingdom of Sardinia, where the King himself was in attendance, the rest were merely representatives. Since they were essentially employees, their lack of excitement was normal.