Under Talleyrand's cold gaze, Aigron ended his talks with Prince Alberto, who was about to succeed the throne of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
The Prince has now left, but the secret deliberations between the Prime Minister and His Majesty the Emperor continue.
Although in front of Aiglon, Prince Alberto showed a warm attitude like a close comrade-in-arms and a brother of a different surname, Talleyrand did not trust the other party's performance at all, thinking that it was just a deliberate performance.
Of course, Aigron thought so too.
After all, for France, the fragmentation of Germany and Italy is in its own interests. Becoming a unified country in any direction may become a geopolitical disaster. It has no reason to help this historical process.
He also knows that the rise of "nationalism" is an irresistible historical trend in this century. He cannot change the entire trend alone, but even so, he can try to delay its occurrence and maintain his own interests for a long time.
In other words, if the unification craze of the Hohenzollern and Savoy families is forcibly curbed by him, it will be difficult to produce similar replacements in a short time.
The emperor and his ministers had weighed similar pros and cons many times in private, and had reached a tacit understanding with each other. Therefore, Talleyrand no longer took the trouble to teach Aiglon. He was now most concerned about another issue.
In order to win over Metternich, he believed that he should first give Metternich eye drops and put him in a sense of crisis, which would eventually force him to move closer to France.
And now, this opportunity has come.
There is no doubt that this is a two-faced approach, playing with fire, and may lead to disaster, but for Prince Talleyrand, who is experienced in this way, he is confident.
"Your Majesty, the prince's whereabouts here are quite secretive, but I will have a special channel to let Metternich know the news inadvertently." He smiled and reported to Aiglon, "However, it is too early now, let's wait first.
Wait, wait until the prince officially ascends the throne, and then we will leak the news to him."
Knowing that the Savoy family had surrendered to Emperor Bonaparte, Metternich would obviously feel anxious, but this anxiety would not bring him "international sympathy." After all, only Austria owned Italian territory, and his allies
, both Prussia and Russia have no interest in Lombardy or Tuscany. Even if he uses this as an attack, no one will respond to him, and it is impossible for the Savoy family to become an "international powerhouse".
Public Enemy".
He can only try to solve the problem within his own limited framework.
Moreover, there are more difficult problems.
Since the counterattack in 1815 and the reoccupation of northern Italy, Italians have generally been very resentful of the rule of the Austrian Empire, and Austria has used extremely severe methods to suppress this dissatisfaction, arresting and detaining everywhere, even hanging rebels, banning newspapers, and suppressing public opinion.
The effects of forces are mutual. In this era when national consciousness is slowly awakening, the more severe the suppression, the greater the resentment and resistance will be. Therefore, in the Italian areas ruled by the Habsburg family, the rebels
Various secret societies (such as the Carbonari Party) were formed to further resist.
Compared with the imperial ruling machine, the power of this kind of secret society or resistance organization is very weak after all, but if they find a spiritual leader or a strong backing, the situation will be completely different.
Historically, the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Savoy family have become such a "backup". They sponsored anti-Austrian organizations in various ways, supported nationalist elements across Italy, and finally made themselves the core of unity that everyone expected. Although
It was repeatedly defeated by Austria on the battlefield, but relying on hard work and luck, it finally had the last laugh, taking away all Italian territory from the Habsburg family, and even saw the death knell of the Habsburg Empire.
It is conceivable that after receiving France's acquiescence and encouragement, once the prince inherits the throne, he will immediately start his ambitious plan, and it will soon bring unexpected pressure to Metternich.
What could Metternich do about this? Take the initiative to launch a "preventive war" against the Kingdom of Sardinia?
Historically, he has not, because Austria is no longer what it used to be. It is no longer the power that can suppress Europe in the past. It has not yet recovered from its previous trauma, and can only rely on its past size to scare people and maintain it.
As for the international status of a front-line power, no one knows the weakness of the empire better than Metternich. If a large-scale war is launched rashly, not only will there be no benefit, but the empire itself may fall apart.
Moreover, as the host of the Vienna Peace Conference and the "designer" of the contemporary international architecture, if he took the initiative to launch a war against an ancient orthodox royal family, it would be a serious violation of the "Vienna spirit" and would leave an excuse for other major powers.
, he has to face huge national pressure. Prince Aiglon and Talleyrand can use "France and the Kingdom of Sardinia are bordering each other, and they are in trouble" as a reason to ask Austria to stop immediately, otherwise they will launch a "self-defense action." And other countries
Neither would agree.
Faced with such a risk, Metternich knew the pros and cons better than anyone else, and of course he did not dare to make a move (just like in history).
Since he was faced with such a predicament, he was in a dilemma, and he could not attract any foreign aid, he could only finally try to find his old friend Talleyrand for help, so that Talleyrand could put pressure on the Savoy family to settle down, at least for a long time.
Definitely sponsored by the Savoy family.
Therefore, in Prince Talleyrand's view, the Savoy family is not a reliable ally, but a bargaining chip that makes Metternich's bones stuck in his throat and he has to seek compromise. It can be used but must not be trusted, let alone be reconciled.
They "joined in the great event".
Deep down, Prince Talleyrand was as obsessed with the so-called "balance of great powers" as Metternich, and hoped that all the great powers could maintain a certain balance of power. He did not agree with taking big risks to break this balance, but hoped that in the present
Within the international structure, strive for as many benefits as possible for France (wait until the balance of power is imbalanced, and then use your own strength to seek a more favorable balance).
"Your Majesty, when it comes to Italian issues, it is best for you to only deal with the Savoy family. Remember not to instigate and sponsor the rebels yourself - as the emperor, of course you can sponsor revolutionaries, but if they regard you as a revolutionary target
, then how should you deal with yourself? Don't forget the lesson of Louis XVI." As if he was afraid that Aiglon would be too radical, Talleyrand warned Aiglon again, "You only deal with the Savoy family, they themselves privately
Whatever you do, it has nothing to do with you, and it will be easy to get rid of them when the time comes... As for those rebels, just let Metternich have a headache."
"I understand. Let's do what you want. I believe you can handle it well." Aigron nodded, indicating that he knew the stakes involved.
In this way, regarding the issues between the Savoy family and Italy, after Egeron decided on the general direction, he handed over all implementation-level issues to Prince Talleyrand and his officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he no longer said too much.
Interfering - this kind of delegation of power is also a special respect for the elders.
After Talleyrand died, no one could get such special treatment.
After discussing this issue, Prince Talleyrand seemed to think of another thing.