Chapter 462: Chapter 456 The Chaotic Austrian Empire
If Prime Minister Cavour were facing the historical Napoleon III, or any member of the Bonaparte Clan who was not a time traveler, his ideas would not be wrong. In the eyes of the vast majority of the French, the Austrian Empire posed a greater threat than the Kingdom of Prussia. The battle in 1851 was enough to show the power disparity between Austria and Prussia.
But unfortunately, Cavour did not know that he was facing a man from the future with clairvoyance, and his schemes were destined to be illusions.
However, at present, Cavour did not know that in the heart of the Emperor of France, Sardinia’s weight was far beyond what Austria could match.
Based on opportunistic diplomacy, Cavour could only attempt to persuade his own king to join the ranks of the Anglo-French Alliance.
As long as Sardinia stood with Britain and France, the Austrian Empire would certainly not dare to act rashly.
Of course, deep down, Cavour wished that the Austrian Empire would undertake some irrational acts, such as allying with the Russian Empire to attack Sardinia...
If the Austrian Empire did so, the French Empire would also inevitably help the Kingdom of Sardinia defeat the Austrian Empire for its own safety!
As long as the Austrian Empire’s army did not appear on the Apennine Peninsula, Cavour was confident in taking the entire Northern Italy region.
The actions of welcoming the Sading Dynasty in Lombardy and Venice in 1848 might be replicated once more.
Given the coherence of Cavour’s diplomatic logic, Victor Emmanuel, being a soldier, was moved after listening,
Sitting on the gilded throne, Victor Emmanuel rhythmically tapped the armrest with his index finger while tilting his head to ponder Cavour’s answers.
Cavour stood respectfully with his head bowed, waiting for Victor Emmanuel’s response.
After a while, Victor Emmanuel looked at Cavour and slowly opened his mouth: "Prime Minister Cavour, can you guarantee that everything you said will come true? Will the Emperor of France really take action against the Austrian Empire?"
"Your Majesty, I cannot guarantee it, because I am not a prophet!" Prime Minister Cavour responded with conviction: "Diplomacy can only predict what might happen, and then guide it to a result advantageous to us. Even someone like Prince Metternich could not foresee the revolution coming so quickly! So much so that he hadn’t had time to prepare and was ousted from the historical stage!"
"Then tell me, why should we ally with Britain and France!!" Victor Emmanuel frowned, revealing a hint of displeasure in his words: "Why should we participate in a war that originally had nothing to do with us!"
"Your Majesty, I have said! Do you want to be the monarch of the Apennine Peninsula, or are you content to be just the monarch of the Sading Dynasty!" Cavour bowed slightly and repeated his earlier words: "If it’s the former, we must seize every slight possibility. If it’s the latter, then we must do nothing, quietly following Austria’s arrangements."
"Suppose I want to be the monarch of the Apennine Peninsula but do not want to join this damned war! What should I do?" Victor Emmanuel asked Cavour.
"That is absolutely impossible!" Cavour spread his hands and said firmly: "Last time we already tried to unify the Apennine Peninsula on our own, and at that time, the Austrian Empire was weaker than it is now, yet we still suffered unprecedented defeat. It’s impossible to defeat the Austrian Empire relying solely on the Kingdom of Sardinia’s strength; we can only rely on the power of Britain and France!"
"But, how should I explain it to the military and the people?" Victor Emmanuel impatiently questioned Cavour.
Cavour once again bowed to Victor Emmanuel without speaking.
If Cavour had the ability to persuade the military and the government to agree to his actions, he wouldn’t be in the Turin Royal Palace seeking support from Victor Emmanuel.
In fact, the majority of the military and government members disagreed with Cavour’s ideas. The wounds of the Austria-Sardinia War continued to torment them incessantly, and under Radetzky’s leadership, the Austrian army had become an insurmountable nightmare for them.
In their view, Cavour was pushing the Kingdom of Sardinia to the brink of war.
"Hmph!" Victor Emmanuel snorted coldly, dissatisfied: "It seems you can’t even handle those colleagues of yours!"
"Your Majesty, if you are willing to grant me authority, then I can guarantee that the Cabinet and the government will no longer see a single dissenter!" Cavour replied to Victor Emmanuel.
On the surface, the Sading Dynasty appeared to be a constitutional monarchy, but in essence, it was still an absolute monarchy.
Victor Emmanuel, who held military power, remained the main player in Sardinia’s political game. Without Victor Emmanuel’s approval, Cavour had no power to dismiss any oppositions.
"Prime Minister Cavour!" Victor Emmanuel leaned back against the chair, closed his eyes, and admonished Cavour: "I am tired, I don’t want to hear the noise outside the window anymore! Can you help me deal with it?"
"Yes!" Cavour was overjoyed and immediately bowed to Victor Emmanuel in response.
"Alright! You can leave now!" Victor Emmanuel waved his hand to dismiss Cavour.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After Cavour slowly left the Turin Royal Palace, Victor Emmanuel reopened his eyes and muttered to himself, "Alas! I don’t know whether my decision is right or wrong!"
After speaking, Victor Emmanuel II shook his head to himself, stood up, and left the throne.
That afternoon, with Victor Emmanuel’s tacit approval, Prime Minister Cavour immediately began dealing with the radical opposition within the government.
The radical opposition, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was dismissed, while the entire Turin Royal Palace remained in silence.
The government and the military quickly realized the monarch within the Turin Royal Palace had already sided with Cavour, so they had to change their attitude and begin accommodating Cavour’s policies.
Through consultations between Prime Minister Cavour and the Commander-in-Chief of the Sardinian Army, Charles Albert, the Sardinian Kingdom decided to dispatch 16,000 to 20,000 troops to participate in the Crimean War.
For the Pading Dynasty, with a standing army of less than 60,000, these forces were sufficient to demonstrate Sardinia’s stance.
Having resolved the issue of the number of troops to be dispatched, Cavour then found the British Envoy to report on the Sardinian Kingdom’s desire to fight alongside Britain.
However, Cavour, filled with enthusiasm for serving the imperialism of the Anglo-French alliance, was met with a cold response from the British Envoy.
"The Kingdom of Britain does not need the soldiers of the Sardinian Kingdom. We do not believe your soldiers can help the Kingdom of Britain in fighting the Russian Empire!" The British Envoy did not leave Cavour any room for courtesy, bluntly asking Cavour not to stir up trouble in the Near East, especially not to incite anti-Austrian sentiments in Lombardy and Venice.
Upon hearing the British Envoy’s words, Cavour’s heart immediately sank halfway down, knowing that in Britain’s eyes, Sardinia’s value was far less than that of the Austrian Empire.
The sorrow of a small nation is nothing less than this.
"Your Excellency, I can assure you! We absolutely will not incite actions against the Austrian Empire at this time! The Sardinian Kingdom only wishes to follow in the footsteps of Britain and France, contributing its part to maintaining European peace!" Prime Minister Cavour lowered his stance and pleaded with the British Envoy.
"Prime Minister Cavour, I will say it again! The Kingdom of Britain does not need the Sardinian Kingdom to join the war! You only need to mind your own business!" The British Envoy furrowed his brows, with no respect in his words.
"Yes, I understand!" Cavour nodded and replied to the British Envoy.
Leaving the British Embassy, Cavour’s face showed little disappointment. He turned and headed to the French Embassy.
At the French Embassy, Cavour did not receive the rough treatment he had at the British Embassy. The French Envoy politely inquired about Cavour’s purpose for visiting the French Embassy.
When Cavour expressed his hope that the French Empire would accept the Sardinian Kingdom and allow Sardinia to participate in the war against the Russian Empire to maintain European peace, the French Envoy’s face showed a subtle change.
He then maintained a courteous demeanor and replied helplessly to Cavour: "This issue is really not something a small envoy like me can decide. However, I can send your request to Paris for a decision from there! The whole process might take more than a week!"
"Thank the envoy!" Seeing that the French Envoy did not outright reject him, Cavour finally breathed a sigh of relief. What he feared most was being rejected by both Britain and France at the same time. If things indeed developed to that scenario, Cavour feared he would face simultaneous attacks from Victor Emmanuel and the opposition.
Currently, although the response from France was not an agreement, it was not an outright rejection either, which counted as a good start.
Subsequently, when the French Envoy inquired about the number of troops Cavour planned to send to Crimea, Cavour solemnly stated, "If France agrees, we plan to dispatch 20,000 troops to participate in the war against the Russian Empire!"
"20,000?" The number reported by Cavour made the French Envoy gasp, reminding, "As far as I know, that’s nearly a third of your country’s military strength! If this war fails, your country’s army could suffer a devastating blow!"
"That’s correct!" Cavour said solemnly, "My monarch and I believe the French Empire will surely triumph over the Russian Empire, and our country is willing to spare no effort to help the French Empire achieve victory!"