Holy Roman Empire

The Vienna Government, apart from calling for restraint from both sides, essentially took no real action and adopted a stance of indifference; European countries' condemnation also remained merely verbal.

After all, these days, there are hardly a few countries that dare to provoke Russia.

While shouting slogans is one thing, actual intervention is quite another! Such a fearless international spirit is too much for an ordinary country to bear.

London

The British Government, which had just been overjoyed by the initial success of their "Divert Trouble Eastward Plan," had not had the chance to celebrate for a few days before they received the devastating news of the Russian Army ravaging France.

Yes, Prime Minister Robert Cecil was infuriated. If the Russians continued their turmoil, France, which was already on its last breath, would surely perish.

If it weren't for reason still prevailing, Robert Cecil would have ordered the Royal Navy to block the Baltic Sea and intercept the Russian ships transporting French laborers.

The main issue was that blocking the sea would be ineffective; even if the Baltic Sea were blocked, the Russians could take the Mediterranean or even go as far as to use Shinra's railway transport system.

For the sake of the bigger picture, Robert Cecil had to choose restraint. After all, escalating tensions with England and Russia now would mean their "Divert Trouble Eastward" strategy would no longer be viable.

The current international situation was very clear; once the Holy Roman Empire shifted its attention from the continent to the oceans, Britain would face its greatest challenge.

If they didn't bring Russia down before that happened, Britain would truly be in trouble. Competing with Shinra at sea and grappling with Russia over India on land—the very thought of the scenario was terrifying.

But no matter how much he restrained himself, Robert Cecil couldn't quench the rage in his heart. Without the French, who else could Britain use as cannon fodder?

The Russians?

Looking at the Russian-Austrian Alliance, which the previous few administrations had failed to dismantle over decades, Robert Cecil did not believe he could make the two countries engage in open conflict.

If Shinra and Britain did come to blows, the Tsarist Government was a hundred times more likely to exploit the situation and move south towards India than to advance into Europe.

The Spaniards?

It wasn't that Robert Cecil looked down on them, but in this day and age, the Duckboard Empire seemed nothing more than a cooked duck; the empire had long since flown off to who knows where.

Without the empire, the duck was just a dish on the dining table. Even if it were brought over, it would just serve as extra rations for the enemy.

If neither of these options worked, surely he couldn't turn to Sardinia, Belgium, Switzerland... these tiny countries?

As a qualified politician, Robert Cecil was no idealist. "Rouse the masses with a call to action" was something from novels; even Britain at its peak didn't have that kind of appeal, let alone now.

Simply put, "geopolitics" meant that these flip-flopping small countries on the European Continent couldn't possibly stand up against Shinra; instead, they might even get coerced into declaring war on Britain.

A similar scene had occurred in the previous wars against France. To round up numbers, the Vienna Government had used both carrot and stick.

The only three neutral countries were spared because they didn't border France and couldn't influence the overall situation.

The Holy Roman Empire of today was a far cry from the "New Shinra" of the past. If the declining Vienna Government could muster a gang to bully France back then, it was even more certain now.

If Europe wasn't in chaos, the Holy Roman Empire could marshal resources from Asia, Europe, and Africa. Faced with such an adversary, even Britain, with its domain over the seas, wouldn't know how to proceed.

Times have changed. In the past, the British Government's policy was to suppress any strong power; now Robert Cecil's goal had lowered to merely stabilizing the situation.

With an unprecedentedly strong competitor, maintaining Britain's maritime dominance was already fortunate; Robert Cecil dared not hope for more.

"The Russians are acting so recklessly. Is the Vienna Government, as the 'European Gendarme,' really just going to watch and do nothing?"

Although the title "European Gendarme" sounds powerful, it's not a compliment when applied to the Vienna Government.

In the Vienna Congress of 1815, Metternich used diplomatic means to control the pace of the congress, restricting Russia to Eastern Europe and pushing Britain out of Europe.

Subsequently, Austria formed the Holy Alliance, striving to maintain the monarchical system and the balance of the European Continent, gaining the title "European Gendarme" for a while.

However, that moment of glory was fleeting. In the following years, Austria, as an old-fashioned empire, started on a downward slope.

Lacking strength, Austria could not survive harsh attacks. To avoid becoming a target, the Vienna Government chose to divert trouble eastward, shifting the imposing title of "European Gendarme" onto the Russians.

The Vienna Government dare not to take the title, but the Tsarist Government rather liked it. Since 1848, the Russian Empire had claimed the flattering title "European Gendarme."

Reimposing the "European Gendarme" title on the Vienna Government is merely a hope that it will follow the path of its predecessor, declining in national strength.

Foreign Minister Cameron: "I'm very sorry, Prime Minister. Despite our efforts to build momentum, even King Carlos knocks on the door of the Vienna Palace every day, but the Vienna Government remains unmoved."

It's clear that the Vienna Government's resolve to suppress France has reached an unshakable point. Not even international prestige can sway them in the slightest.

From the current signs, it seems highly likely that the Russians have reached a political deal with the Vienna Government, with France becoming the sacrificial lamb in this transaction.

The Tsarist Government used the suppression of France as a bargaining chip, in exchange for Vienna's acquiescence to their construction of the Siberian Railway, incidentally solving the labor issue for the railway as well.

The most direct evidence of this is that the logistics and supply for the Russian Army stationed in France are now provided by the Vienna Government.

If our deductions are correct, then while we pay attention to the Holy Roman Empire, we must also heighten our awareness of the Tsarist Government.

"This is an oversight in our previous work, underestimating the cunning of the Russians allows them to take advantage,"

For Britain, how the Russian-Austrian hook-up occurred is irrelevant. The key is the end result— the Vienna Government indeed supports Russia's actions.

Other things can be deceptive, but the fact that the Vienna Government is supplying the Russian Army cannot be faked.

After calming down, Robert Cecil waved his hand and said, "It's not your fault; we all underestimated the Tsarist Government.

No one expected those damn Russians to play such ruthless political games.

If they had that ability before, the situation in Europe would never look like it does today."

Diplomacy has always been Russia's weakness. The inherent impression left by the Tsarist Government to the European world is that they favor force over reason.

Even Alexander III, acclaimed as "the Tsar who understood diplomacy best," actually only soothed relations with European nations, allowing the Russian Empire to be accepted by the European world.

The greatest diplomatic achievement was probably further consolidating the Russian-Austrian Alliance. Tightening the economic bond between Russia and Shinra even more, completely eliminating the threat from the western front. Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire

No exaggeration or downplaying, this was indeed a great diplomatic accomplishment. By binding the economies together, Russia's and Shinra's interests became intertwined. Now if one falls, the other is likewise doomed.

Other European nations have to worry about the threat posed by the rise of the Holy Roman Empire, but the Tsarist Government doesn't have to care at all.

The interests of the two countries are too deeply entangled. For the Holy Roman Empire to wage war against the Russian Empire would mean having to strike themselves first.

No sane person would like to "self-harm." Until the economies of the two countries are separated, the Tsarist Government doesn't have to worry about threats from Europe and can boldly move southward or eastward.

At this point, aside from consoling themselves, there's little else the British Government can really do, unless they abandon the conspiracies against the Russian Empire and terminate the Siberian Railway project.

Obviously, this is impossible. Even though the Holy Roman Empire is Britain's greatest threat, the Russian Empire is the most direct threat to the British.

This is not a contradiction. Although the Holy Roman Empire is powerful, its navy has a long way to go to surpass the Royal Navy.

Even if it did surpass, it doesn't mean the two countries would immediately go to war.

As long as the British Government doesn't strike first, it's more likely that Shinra will, through prolonged confrontation, slowly pull Britain down.

That kind of behavior—having a slight advantage and then rushing to gamble on a decisive battle—is something only an adolescent would do; a mature nation wouldn't blindly bet its fate.

Compared to the long-term threat of the Holy Roman Empire, the Russians are the immediate threat. The Central Asia Railway is only three or four years from being operational.

According to the principle that each new Tsar must wage a foreign war upon accession, it doesn't take much thinking for Robert Cecil to know where the Russians are aiming.

With an abnormal enemy like Shinra to contend with, Robert Cecil really doesn't have the energy for a friendly match with the Russians in India.

Better him than me. For the sake of their own safety, they can only shift the disaster elsewhere. Whether or not they can trap the Russians in the Far Eastern region, the London Government must try.

Finance Minister Pavlov said, "The plan to use the Siberian Railway to deplete the Russian's national strength has already failed by one third; therefore, the remaining two thirds cannot be allowed to fail.

Regardless, we must first ensure the Russians launch the Siberian Railway project. French laborers only reduce the Tsarist Government's human resource investment, but the financial and material investments are indispensable.

With the railway project to bog them down, at least for the next few years, the Russians will lack the strength to move south and contest India with us.

In the meantime, we must increase our support for resistance organizations such as the French Resistance, the Polish Revolutionary Party, the Bulgarian Independence Organization, the Russian Revolutionary Party, and the Afghan Guerrillas, among other anti-Russian groups.

Regardless of whether they succeed in the end, as long as they cause some disturbance, they will deplete Russia's strength.

Once the Siberian Railway is operational, the Russians will have a second strategic option. The situation will be very different."

Reality is brutal. Since France's fate seems sealed, it's better to just abandon them. After all, it's not the first time we've betrayed an ally, especially since it's the French we are selling out.

(Note: The British Finance Minister is divided into the First and Second Minister. The Prime Minister serves concurrently as the First Finance Minister, while the Second Finance Minister is the one who executes the duties.)