At this time, the "earthquake" in Poland not only affects the fate of thousands of Poles, but also makes neighboring countries worried.
Although only the French Emperor has publicly expressed his "personal opinion" on this, every head of government in other European capitals has also turned their attention to this new hotspot of international conflict.
Some people are secretly gloating about the misfortune and wishing that the chaos would become even bigger. Others, out of their own interests, hope that the turmoil will subside as soon as possible and everything will return to calm.
As for Austrian Prime Minister Prince Metternich, he happened to have these two moods at the same time, so he naturally fell into conflicts and entanglements.
For most of the extremely conservative nobles in Austria, the people's spontaneous "rebellion" against their monarch is the greatest evil act. Therefore, the Polish rebellion must be suppressed as soon as possible, and it is best to be killed by the tsar.
Do not stay.
As one of the top nobles in the empire, Metternich would naturally have similar thoughts due to his own position.
However, things are not that simple.
Putting aside the boring debate between the so-called "rebellion" or "uprising", Metternich has always considered issues based on national interests, so he has always been extremely wary of and disgusted with the expansion of his powerful neighbors.
On this issue, both France and Russia are equally annoying.
In the not-too-distant past, starting from 1792, Austria and France had been hostile on and off for more than twenty years. During this period, they fought countless times. It is true that they were mortal enemies; however, as a large empire that spanned central and southern Europe, Austria and France were also sworn enemies.
Feeling the pressure of Russia's gradual expansion.
Originally, for Austria, Russia was just a distant northern force. However, with the continuous expansion of the Russians, after the partition of Poland, the two countries had officially bordered; moreover, during the same period, the Russians continued to invade Ukraine and
The Balkans have expanded, so now the border between the two countries is getting longer and longer - and correspondingly, the potential pressure is getting bigger and bigger.
Therefore, as early as when he was confronting France, Metternich was already treating Russia as a potential imaginary enemy.
In 1814, during the Vienna Peace Conference, in order to prevent the Tsar from doing whatever he wanted, he not only colluded with the British Foreign Minister Viscount Castlereagh to deal with the Tsar, but even eagerly tried to win over France, which had just emerged from the shadow of the defeated country at that time, and
Prince Talleyrand, who represents King Louis XVIII, is secretly colluding, preparing for the three countries of Britain, France and Austria to unite to curb the ambition of the tsar and stop his appetite - if the tsar does not listen to the "advice", he will even go to war.
.
Unfortunately, Napoleon's sudden landing and restoration disrupted his wishful thinking. In an instant, all the major powers were busy continuing to kill this "usurper" and no longer bothered to contain the Tsar.
As a result, Tsar Alexander I got almost everything he wanted at the Vienna Peace Conference - the most important of which was to monopolize 90% of the original Polish territory. Almost all of the Polish territory that Prussia and Austria had divided up was taken.
The wedding dress fell into the hands of the Russian Empire.
Even the important Polish town of Krakow, which Austria had occupied for decades, was forced to spit it out and became a protected free city.
Poland is not a matter of life and death. Although it is regrettable to lose this territory, at least it will not hurt the bones. But the problem that follows becomes more and more serious - that is, Austria feels more and more serious from the approaching Russian Empire.
The pressure is getting bigger and bigger, almost like a awn on my back.
Russia, which was once far away in the horizon, is now very close to the Carpathian Mountains. As long as they cross this mountain range, they can enter Hungary and even the hinterland of the empire, which will become a disaster.
Therefore, Metternich was even more wary of the Tsar than Egeron, after all, he now had "skin-cutting pain."
Because of this, he instead hoped that the Tsar would be mired in Poland, and the greater the loss, the better.
Therefore, after the uprising broke out in Poland, the Russian Empire was caught off guard and retreated steadily. In the next few months, the Russian Empire was busy looking at one thing and the other, so much so that the Poles even publicly declared their independence and pretended to break away from the Tsar.
The posture of domination.
Seeing the tsar's distressed look, he just stood aside with a secretly happy attitude, neither making any gloating comments nor providing any help to the tsar, but just watching the situation escalate further.
However, he also knew that as the Russian Empire mobilized its troops, the Polish resistance was ultimately destined to be destroyed. But no matter what, every day they existed, they would consume more of the Tsar's financial and material resources.
This was ultimately a good thing for Austria, so he hoped that these rebellious rebels could hold on for a while longer.
Of course, it is absolutely impossible for him to publicly support the Poles and provide substantial help like the French Emperor. He is the founder of the Vienna System, and he cannot openly violate the political creed he formulated. Moreover, now Austria and Russia
It was still a superficial alliance, and he could not bear the risk of breaking with the Tsar.
With this tangled mentality, Metternich carefully handled all matters related to Poland. Today, he also came to Schonbrunn Palace specifically for the Polish issue to meet with the old Emperor Franz to whom he was loyal.
As usual, he was quickly received by the emperor.
However, His Majesty the Emperor seems to be in poor health today, with a cold and serious expression. He is old and gray, and his face is full of impatience. When he sees Metternich, his veteran minister who has served him for decades, he is just...
Just a quick glance.
"Is there anything you want to report, my Excellency, Prime Minister?" Then, the old emperor asked coldly.
While Metternich saluted, he secretly stared at His Majesty the Emperor, who was very close to him.
Over the past few decades, he has been following His Majesty the Emperor, and has witnessed with his own eyes the Emperor's transformation from an energetic young man to the indifferent and distant old man he is today.
In recent years, as the emperor's body has become weaker, his mood has become more and more unstable, and he often falls into irritability for no reason. Even though he is the prime minister, Metternich is still occasionally treated coldly.
Although this is a phenomenon that will inevitably occur when people grow old, Metternich could not help but lament in his heart that "the saint's family is declining."
The old emperor was becoming more and more alienated from himself, and in this empire, if he wanted to keep his power, the only foundation was the "holy family", so his heart was naturally filled with a sense of crisis and anxiety.
How to keep the emperor's holy family?
How can the old emperor continue to maintain his position after his "great success"?
For him, this is a crucial issue, and all major domestic and foreign events are nothing in comparison.
With all the distracting thoughts in his heart, Metternich cautiously began to play to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, given the current situation, the Polish issue may be resolved soon - the Tsar is about to launch a long-planned offensive, and judging from the intelligence we have received, the Poles are already weak, and their mobilization is also limited.
They are doing it very slowly, and it is expected that within two or three months, their organized resistance will come to an end. Therefore, we should prepare for this in advance now."
"Really?" the emperor asked in a low voice, but he didn't show any surprise because this was something that was expected.
However, his originally impatient expression became even more gloomy.
Obviously, the old emperor, like Metternich, did not like the news.
Although the old emperor was indifferent to the Polish requests for help before, it did not mean that he liked to see the tsar do whatever he wanted.
"That boy Nicholas needs to be taught a lesson." After a moment of silence, Emperor Franz made a cold comment, "I hope he can be more at ease from now on."
"I'm afraid this is a bit difficult, Your Majesty." Metternich shook his head, denying the emperor's judgment.
Then he explained, "The turmoil in Poland has greatly damaged the prestige of Tsar Nicholas. Even if he deploys troops and generals to quell the turmoil, the bad effects will not dissipate, and subjects everywhere will seriously question him."
Even the nobles would be dissatisfied with his high-pressure rule because of his ability to govern the country. Because of this, there were only two ways left in front of him. One was to implement more enlightened and deeper reforms as soon as possible.
, to comply with the voices of people from all walks of life; one way is to further strengthen centralization, and then use the victory of external expansion to win prestige... From our observation, the tsar is arrogant and domineering, and he is at odds with the domestic reformists. He will definitely
Choosing the latter, Russia may become even more restless in the future."
This is indeed the case. In 1825, when Tsar Nicholas just came to the throne, a Decembrist rebellion broke out in Petersburg. Thousands of soldiers, led by young officers, besieged the palace and rebelled. In the end, they were bloody suppressed by the Tsar.
As a result, the tsar further strengthened his domestic containment policy and attacked domestic progressive forces, which also made political conflicts more acute;
But now, just a few years later, Poland immediately launched a large-scale rebellion, which made the Czar even more disgraced and further deepened the crisis of rule.
The sense of crisis of "severe loss of prestige" will definitely prompt the tsar to seek ways to consolidate his prestige.
For the Russians, is there any better way to consolidate their prestige than through victory in external expansion?
In fact, the Tsar has already tried it. Not long ago, Russia took advantage of the Greek War of Independence to launch a large-scale war against Turkey. It went deep into the Balkan Peninsula, passed through Moldova, and Bulgaria approached Istanbul. If it weren't for other powers in the end, they couldn't stand it.
One after another came forward to mediate, and I am afraid that the Tsar has rushed all the way to the holy city that they dream of.
Even though he was caught, the Tsar still "profited a lot." According to the Russian-Turkish Treaty of Adrianople signed in September 1829, Russia obtained the mouth of the Danube River and its nearby islands and the east coast of the Black Sea, as well as the Caucasus.
covered a large territory.
Since he has tasted the sweetness before, the Tsar will definitely follow the same example and continue to rebuild his prestige.
And this is what the monarch and his ministers hate the most.
Because with the step-by-step expansion of Russia, there is no longer much of a "buffer zone" between Austria and Russia. As long as the Tsar expands further, whether it is expanding in Eastern Europe or the Balkans, Austria's living space will eventually be squeezed.
The situation in France is exactly the opposite. At the Vienna Peace Conference in 1815, Metternich led a series of territorial exchanges, allowing Prussia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the Kingdom of Sardinia to cut off all borders between France and Austria. Now the two
The two countries are not bordering each other at all, so naturally there is no need to feel any expansion pressure.
Therefore, the more direct threat to Austria now lies with Russia.
However, this is also the norm in Europe. Today's enemies are tomorrow's friends, and today's friends are tomorrow's enemies. Everyone chooses our enemies and friends based on the ever-changing situation, and everyone is used to this ups and downs.
"We cannot allow any monarch to ignore the interests of other countries and act arbitrarily in Europe." So, after a brief thought, the old emperor concluded, "The Tsar wants to suppress the rebellion. This is his legal right. Everyone has nothing to say.
"But if the tsar wants to do something random, European countries must give him a clear answer to dissuade him."
"You are absolutely right, Your Majesty." Metternich bowed slightly and agreed with the emperor's judgment. "But someone needs to take the lead in doing this, and it cannot be done by us, because after all, we still need to maintain friendship with Russia.
relation."
"Then who will do it?" the old emperor asked.
But this rhetorical question, in this situation, always seems to mean asking knowingly.
After all, "containing the Tsar" is easy to say, but not so easy to do. Nowadays, the number of people in Europe who are qualified to do this can be counted on one hand.
And a young man who was entangled with them happened to be one of them...
Yes, only the young man who openly expressed his sympathy for Poland had enough strength and weight and was willing to go against the Tsar.
"Considering the current situation, it is imperative that we further strengthen our relations with France, Your Majesty." So, now that we have reached this point, Metternich simply made it clear, "We want to contain the Russians, but we do not want to
If we want to be involved in a war again, then we can only form a tacit understanding among the big countries, so that the countries can check each other to curb the ambition of the tsar and quell the turmoil before it happens."
When he heard Metternich clarifying his words, the old emperor's face became even more ugly.
Although with the passage of time, his grandson's flight has long been a thing of the past, and the grievances between the Habsburg royal family and the Bonaparte family have been eliminated again with Theresa's marriage and the birth of children, but he took the initiative to "befriend" himself.
This rebellious grandson still made the elderly emperor feel a little depressed.
If his grandson took the initiative to come over to show his kindness, that would be easy, but now he had to show his kindness with a low profile, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Alas, people are inevitably stubborn when they grow old... Metternich saw everything in his eyes and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
However, this is also in line with his plan.
"Your Majesty, our friendship with France is very important to us right now. We might as well ask Her Royal Highness Sophie to show her goodwill to France..."
His words instantly made the emperor's face turn as cold as ice, and even the temperature of the room seemed to have turned cold.
"Your Majesty, what I mean is that there is no other intention in asking His Highness Sophie to secretly send a letter to France to persuade the two countries to be friendly. After all, in his mind, His Highness Sophie's status is unusual." Metternich quickly explained to the emperor.
, "Moreover, according to the information we have received, Sophie's sister, Her Royal Highness Maria, is currently in France and has a close relationship with him. If we use their sisters' private information channels, we do not have to bear any official risk..."
Metternich's implication was that if the entire diplomatic trial was wrapped up in the connection between Sophie and Maria sisters, it would be purely a private matter, and there would be no question of who bowed to whom between the two emperors.
The problem of being submissive and the face issue that the elderly are most concerned about are no longer a problem.
Diplomacy is inherently divided into two categories: open and secret, and there are often people in the royal family who undertake some kind of secret diplomatic mission, so Prime Minister Metternich's proposal is not particularly unexpected.
However, once some "bad things" from the past are involved, the whole thing becomes distorted.
Maria had come to Vienna to visit her sister before, so the old emperor also met Maria once. He immediately sneered, and then sneered almost mockingly.
"Hmph, if you can't get the original owner, why not use fakes as substitutes? He is still loyal after all..."
Metternich did not dare to make random comments about the two emperors at this time, so he just smiled and maintained a decent silence.
However, the old emperor's sneer did not last long. He soon became serious, and his eyes were full of suspicion.
"You actually said nice things for her? Why?"
As the emperor grew older, his control over his own power and the people around him naturally gradually declined, and this decline brought about more and more serious fear and suspicion. What the emperor feared most was that people around him would unite to take advantage of him.
I have become more and more suspicious over the past few years.
He was not only suspicious of his brothers, but also of his son and daughter-in-law, including the Prime Minister himself. Therefore, his first reaction was to suspect that his Prime Minister was a chameleon and was secretly colluding with Sophie.
"Your Majesty, I did discuss this matter with His Highness Sophie, but my intention was entirely out of national interests." Metternich had long guessed that the emperor would ask this question, so he instead spoke in the most magnanimous tone.
He replied, "Although Her Royal Highness Sophie is willful, after all, she married into our country and will live in our country forever. Her interests coincide with the interests of the royal family. She also hopes that the empire can prosper and the country can last forever. Therefore, I will be patient."
I persuaded her to see the situation clearly and agreed to help promote good relations between our two countries."
Metternich spoke with a straight face, as if he was sincere for his country, and did not show any sign of "finding a way out for himself", and his answer indeed satisfied the emperor.
"Call her over, I want to ask her personally." So, after pondering for a moment, the old emperor gently waved his hand to the attendant next to him.
Metternich didn't show any expression on his face, just quietly waiting for the next drama.
My lovely madam, I have won the opportunity for you, and then it depends on your own performance. If you don't have the ability, then don't blame me for finding other partners.