The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1144 Vienna Peace Conference 3.0
Duke Uvarov would naturally not step into the trap set by the other party, but instead used another killer move.

"During the conference, the entourage of ambassadors from various countries will number at least a thousand people. Who will pay for their entertainment?"

Duke Uvarov deliberately emphasized the word "hospitality". You know, the accommodation, meals, travel and security of these thousand people are already a huge expense.

However, it is nothing compared to the expenses on recreation, entertainment, and souvenirs.

The two Vienna Peace Conferences, one cost 1300 million florins and the other cost 700 million florins. The total cost of the two conferences was almost the annual income of a secondary power.

(This is comparable to the historical income of the Netherlands, 1.5 times that of Portugal during the same period, and 50% of that of Belgium.)
Nearly 3.4 million rubles is not a small number. At that time, Russia's annual fiscal revenue was only million rubles.

Ten million rubles may not seem like a lot compared to 3.4 million rubles, but at this time Russia's fiscal expenditure was already fully booked.

In addition, it was a war at that time, and Chernyshev had no way to solve the additional expenses of nearly 10 million, but the old prime minister, who came from a military background, still stubbornly refused to admit defeat.

"Do you have any other solution? If not, shut up."

Nicholas I knew that Prince Uvarov was right and had a favorable impression of both Franz and Austria.

"Young people, the future of Russia depends on you."

"I will not disappoint your Majesty."

In fact, there are not many young people in both the military and political circles in Russia. In the political arena, one needs to accumulate experience, and the situation in the military is similar.

Even if some gifted people were able to climb to high positions early on, most of them were just occupying the positions without doing any work. Some of them were influenced by democratic ideas and became the Decembrists.

Although Nicholas I decided to appoint Prince Uvarov as the chief of the Russian negotiations, he did not accept his plan in its entirety.

The reason was to prevent the Austrian Empire from becoming more aggressive and making more demands.

In addition, four deputy envoys were sent to Duke Uvarov. The average age of these people was over 65 years old, which means they were very experienced.
Even if the Russians gave up hosting the peace conference, it would not be the turn of small countries like Greece and Egypt. The only country that could possibly compete was France.

However, Napoleon III dismissed this idea at the first opportunity. France at that time had no ability to compete with Austria, and he knew very well how he got to the negotiating table.

Even though the British ambassador repeatedly instigated him, Napoleon III had no intention of taking the lead, so the former had to give up.

The latter was very clear-headed. Even if France had not lost the war in 1848, he would not be willing to be used as a gun by the British.

With no one competing and with Russia's support, the right to host the conference naturally fell into Austria's hands again.

At this time, Vienna also became a veritable conference capital.

The Greek delegation was the first to arrive in Vienna, not because Greece was close to Austria and had convenient transportation, but because the Greek delegation was in Vienna.

Greek Ambassador Andronikos is a Greek who graduated from the University of Munich. As the only college student in the entire cabinet, his speeches always receive special attention.

As a man who studied civil engineering, Andronikos made full use of his professional expertise. He was not only able to repair bridges and roads, but also to build military fortresses, dig trenches, and even capture cities.

Andronikos was also a Macronist who fully believed that Otto I could revive ancient Greece and even rebuild Byzantium.

This time his goal was also very simple, that is, Thessaly, Macedonia, Thrace, Greece wants them all! (The area in the picture shows the area Greece hopes to obtain in this battle.)
Austrian Prime Minister Felix felt the pressure at the first moment. No wonder Franz didn't want to hold a peace conference in Vienna. These people were really difficult to deal with.

The second group to arrive in Vienna was the Russian delegation. The reason they arrived so quickly was probably because of road problems.

In fact, the Russians knew very well that whoever they supported would be the final winner, so they went straight to Vienna.

Prince Andrei Uvarov remained calm and apart from a routine meeting with Franz on the first day he just went sightseeing and shopping.

Franz still admires this kind of person, who is neither humble nor overbearing, and is not arrogant at first but respectful later. He is capable, courageous, and has a long-term vision.

Franz thought of the guy in Berlin. If it weren't for that guy making trouble, Austria's generator development speed wouldn't be so slow.

It’s just that this time Prussia didn’t even have the qualifications to sit at the table, otherwise Franz would have liked to see the two of them meet.

However, the four deputy envoys could not keep their cool and were running around Vienna all day, giving money and women everywhere in an attempt to build relationships.

This group of people was very superstitious about the so-called secret agreement, and Franz was annoyed by it.

Prime Minister Felix was even more miserable. He was discovered by his wife when he was in contact with a female agent from the Russian Special Section 3. As a result, his wife scratched his face when he got home.

Andrei Uvarov became more and more shocked as he walked around Vienna. If the majesty of Constantinople gave men a desire to conquer it.

The city of Vienna exudes an atmosphere of nobility and laziness everywhere, which makes people intoxicated inadvertently.

The city is huge, but its strong artistic atmosphere makes it hard for people to associate it with words like majestic and grand.

There are few beggars in Vienna, but there are many street performers, and their level is quite high. These street performers are very humble, but not humble.

Duke Uvarov soon found the reason why he was not humble. The Austrian royal family provided some simple shelter for these wandering artists. The conditions were not very good, but at least they could shelter them from the wind and rain.

Moreover, the royal family and the government would often assign tasks to these wandering artists, asking them to perform in specific places or create specific songs or paintings.

On the one hand, it provides them with the minimum living security, and on the other hand, it also gives them the opportunity to stand out and show themselves.

This also led to a record low suicide rate among artists in Vienna
In Andrei Uvarov's opinion, time passed very slowly in this city. Except for the postman and the sanitation worker, no one in the city seemed to be in a hurry.

The air is always filled with a sweet aroma. After the Austrians opened up the trade route to Mexico, their sugar consumption increased in retaliation.

The Viennese like to pour a spoonful of boiling syrup on all kinds of food, as if it were some kind of religious ritual.

Prince Uvarov has seen a lot these days, sweet bread, sweet pork chops, sweet and sour carp, sweet wine, sweet salad
The city has both elegant opera houses and small theaters popular with ordinary people, as well as a large number of street performances.

In addition to art, there are many entertainment activities, including the oldest professions of mankind, the most primitive desires, and the most advanced technologies and ideas.

Even Duke Uvarov, who was tempered in the ice and snow of Russia, almost fell without realizing it.

"The land of gentleness is the grave of heroes."

This sentence is indeed true.