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

Chapter 1301 Holy Alliance
Franz sent invitations to all European monarchs. Secondly, the Spanish rebellion was big enough to at least irritate the nerves of most European monarchs.

The royal family was massacred, the king was changed twice within a year, and the year 1848 had just passed, so the European monarchs all wanted to do something.

It’s not that no one is willing to take the lead, it’s just that small countries don’t have the strength, and big countries are all hindered by various reasons.

So Franz plans to step forward and take the lead.

In fact, Nicholas I was the most staunch supporter of sending troops to Spain. As soon as he learned that the Spanish Republicans had executed the king, he ordered the entire country to be on war alert.

But at this time Russia was like a giant with feet of clay, and the rebellion under its feet made it unable to move at all.

Otherwise, Nicholas I would have packed up the Cossack cavalry and shipped them to the Iberian Peninsula to give Ferrante Doyet a severe beating.

In the fight against the republic, Russia is definitely a trustworthy ally. Although Russia has a dominant ethnic group, the actual situation is not much better than that of the Austrian Empire.

Due to his personal experience, Nicholas I hated "democracy and republic" extremely. The Decembrists and Napoleon were his lifelong pain.

Although Russia cannot provide any substantial help, the presence of this powerful ally can still influence the direction of public opinion and the attitudes of small countries to a certain extent.

Russia had the strength to be stingy, but Prussia did not have that qualification. Facing the Austrian Empire's request, William IV did not dare to refuse.

After the Republican rebellion in 1848 and Spain, the German monarchs had become extremely sensitive, and any hesitation in Prussia's actions would be considered a potential supporter of the Republicans.

Franz was naturally aware of the little tricks that Prussia was doing in private, and the latter would never let the former get what he wanted.

In fact, all of this was originally designed by Franz, with the aim of making Prussia feel the pain of the dual system.

William IV had to choose between paying money or sending people. However, no matter which option Prussia chose, it would offend the French and Spanish Republicans, and it would also be a drain on Prussia's national strength.

In addition, according to Franz's estimation, William IV would definitely choose to let the Rhine region bear the war obligations.

This behavior may seem like a clever way of shifting conflicts and responsibilities onto opponents, but in reality it is further dividing the country.

The Rhine region has many barriers with Prussia itself, not just in terms of geographical location, but also in terms of religion, customs, language, and culture.

Naturally, those small countries in history were powerless to stop the merger of the eastern and western parts of Prussia. However, after Franz's merger with the same clan, the strengthened Hanover and Hesse were no longer objects that Prussia could manipulate at will.

The development of the Rhine region in the industrial age was unstoppable, and William IV's actions would only make the Rhine region more alienated from the Prussian government.

The other states in the German region had even less reason to oppose. As mentioned earlier, both the French Revolution and the Spanish Republican Rebellion at that time were too bloody and cruel.

At least that was the case in the eyes of the monarchs of European countries. Coupled with the influence of the Holy Alliance itself, it was not surprising that they were willing to contribute money and manpower.

Needless to say, the various states in the Italian region were even more deeply influenced by the Austrian Empire.

The only one who was somewhat hesitant was the Kingdom of Sardinia, King Vittorio Emanuele II. The joint defense agreement in the Apennine region brought about by the Austrian Empire had already made him very uncomfortable.

At this time, he really wanted to quit the job of asking the Kingdom of Sardinia to join the Holy Alliance. However, Victor Emmanuel II could only think about it. Cavour and the high-ranking officials of the Kingdom of Sardinia knew that the Kingdom of Sardinia could choose not to send troops or pay money, but it must show its attitude.

The attitude of the Kingdom of Sweden is ambiguous, with neither clear opposition nor clear support.

Oscar I actually admired Napoleon very much and also advocated liberalism.

He supported the Spanish Revolution, and if it had not had a bad impact, Oscar I would have wanted to open some champagne to celebrate.

However, Oscar I was a qualified monarch and would not do anything to shake the rule of the Bernadotte dynasty.

Oscar I would not pay for other countries either. He wanted Sweden to stay out of the matter like Britain, while still having a strong influence and preferably gaining benefits for its own country.

However, due to the limitations of national strength, Oscar I's vision could only be a fantasy.

Due to their political positions, the British and Portuguese royal families did not send anyone directly to attend the meeting, but they both sent special envoys to privately express their support for the Austrian Empire's war.

The actual support the Austrian Empire received throughout the entire conference was very limited, but this was enough for Franz, and he had no intention of relying on the power of other countries.

Paris France.

Louis Napoleon did not expect that the Austrian Empire would ignore the advice and directly declare war on Spain. France and Spain had already formed an alliance. At this time, if the Austrian Empire declared war on Spain, France could skip the armistice agreement and go directly to war with the Austrian Empire.

In Louis Napoleon's heart, he was unwilling to let the Austrian Empire fight to the death in Spain. It was not that Louis Napoleon did not want to defeat the Austrian Empire, but that he did not want the Republicans to continue to expand their influence.

The actions of the French Republicans were not actually approved by Louis Napoleon, and in fact the president only learned of the actions at the very end.

Although the alliance between France and Spain was beneficial to the Second French Republic, it was the Republicans who forced Louis Napoleon to do it.

No leader likes to be forced. Even if it is good for the country, it is a heavy blow to his personal prestige.

In addition, the prestige of the Republicans soared, and the first to suffer misfortune was Louis Napoleon, whose policies were disapproving to many Republicans.

Moreover, the Republicans already held the majority of seats, and the United Order Party had previously squeezed the Republicans out of important positions.

This time, Louis Napoleon probably has no reason to refuse, and the Republicans will definitely come up with their own policies to implement. The two sides will easily stand on opposite sides, and it will be impossible to reconcile.

The most crucial thing was that the Republicans held a meeting to prevent Louis Napoleon from ascending the throne and becoming emperor, which he could not tolerate.

However, the wheel of history could not be stopped by Louis Napoleon. In the face of the overwhelming public opinion, he could only choose to retreat temporarily.

However, for Louis Napoleon, if he could defeat Austria and the so-called Holy Alliance in Spain, it would be equivalent to tearing a hole in the Vienna system.

This is a good thing for France's future, and it is in line with his plan. It can also boost the confidence of the French people today.