Holy Roman Empire

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Without any surprises, as a responsible major power, Austria naturally had to provide security protection to Belgium and North Germany.

On August 1, 1888, Franz issued the "Letter to the People of Europe," stating clearly that Austria was committed to maintaining the balance and stability of the European Continent and resolutely fighting against the evil forces that disrupted European order.

As to whether the two countries' governments dare to believe it, that remained unknown. Nevertheless, this announcement still had positive significance and garnered widespread support in public opinion.

With Austria's promise, Beide Countries also gained a trace of confidence at the negotiation table.

Just a trace, for the most disastrous losses in the event of war's outbreak would still be theirs, and no one knew who would win or lose between France and Austria in the end; certainly, those caught in the middle were always the losers.

Just because the governments of the two countries could be rational didn't mean the populace would be. After receiving an affirmative response from Austria, a massive anti-French movement erupted among the civilians of both countries.

In Brussels, the protesting populace had already blocked the streets, and even deep within the palace, Leopold II could clearly hear the protestations of the people.

Undoubtedly, they were all demanding the government take a tough stance against France. Nationalism had risen, and the conditions proposed by the French had deeply wounded everyone's pride.

Prime Minister Auguste, "Your Majesty, we can no longer retreat. The French desire for our demise never ceases; this is just the beginning.

Blind concessions can neither solve the problem nor will it prevent the French from thinking we are weak and open to exploitation, emboldening them to encroach further."

Clearly, Austria's firm position and the support of mainstream European opinion had influenced the Belgian government.

Prime Minister Auguste, usually composed and cautious, was also incensed by the unreasonable demands of the French, and turned to support a tough approach.

Leopold II nodded. He too wanted to be tough, but he lacked confidence in his heart!

It's true that Belgium had a secret pact with Austria, but in case of war, it would take time for Austrian reinforcements to arrive. They would have to hold their own in the beginning, and the likelihood of the battlefield being on Belgian soil was as high as 99.99...

If the Austrians faltered, or if they were several days late, Belgium might cease to exist. Leopold II had no confidence whatsoever in stopping a French invasion.

Unable to stop them militarily and unable to give in politically or economically,

one could see from the gathering crowd outside that if they agreed to the unreasonable demands of the French, the country would explode internally first.

Economically speaking, the loss of such a significant revenue would bankrupt the Belgian government!

Leopold II asked, "How are the communications with the Germans going at the Foreign Ministry? Do they agree to stand with us?"

Foreign Minister Jul shook his head, saying sarcastically, "The Germans are busy communicating with the British, hoping that the London Government will intervene in the actions of the French."

Leopold II, greatly surprised, asked, "Do they not think?

If they intended to intervene, they would have made their stance clear by now, and still, at this point, expecting the British to intervene is wishful thinking!"

No wonder Leopold II was astonished; it was knee-jerk knowledge that Britain and France had just formed an alliance, and at this point, the British Government would not fall out with their most important ally on their account.

Even Austria, the most likely to intervene, had so far only stated its position and had not directly interfered with the negotiations.

In Leopold II's opinion, rather than continue wrangling with the British, it would be better to take this opportunity to forge an alliance among Belgium, Prussia, and Austria to jointly curb the expansion of the French.

Foreign Minister Jul explained, "Perhaps the British made some promise to Hanover, and George I has always been resistant to leaning towards Austria.

However, other Sub-States in the Germany Region are communicating with Austria. The Grand Duke of Baden will soon visit Vienna, which may relate to this incident."

Although the North German Confederation is a loose federation, when it comes to national interests, their goals are still aligned.

With the British withdrawing from the International Coal Export Alliance and continuing to maintain high coal prices from France being unrealistic, signing a humiliating low-priced coal treaty with the French was even less likely.
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In a sense, the approach of the North German Confederation was the most in line with their own interests—Hanover hugging onto Britain's coattails at the center, while the smaller Sub-States sought Austria's support.

Not for the monk's face but for the Buddha's sake, even if negotiations failed, the French would not dare to move against them rashly.

However, this put Belgium in a difficult position. The North German-British-Austrian relationship was simply not comparable to theirs.

In those days, there was no shortage of men willing to shed blood for their country and nation; if the French invaded North Germany, whether the Austrians wished to engage in war or not, domestic nationalists would push Austria onto the battlefield.

Even if the Central Government was not inclined to fight, the border guards would kick things off on their own, and whoever tried to stop them would be crossing swords with public sentiment.

While Britannia might not necessarily fall out with the French over this, Queen Victoria's expression would certainly be quite a spectacle.

Even if they did not fall out publicly, some covert actions against the French were likely to occur behind the scenes.

Belgium did not have this kind of treatment, though. The relationship between England and Belgium was alright, but that was about it, as the two countries were not military allies that bore obligations to each other.

Because of their size, Belgium was not very important to Britannia. Of course, the British did not wish to see France annex Belgium.

But just a beating, that didn't fall within the scope of British intervention.

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Austria goes without saying; from the moment it became independent from the Holy Roman Empire, Belgium was no longer considered one of its own.

Although the two countries have signed secret treaties, that doesn't mean they won't be betrayed. If the French want to annex Belgium, Austria will certainly fulfill its obligations.

If it's just about giving them a beating, nobody can be sure whether Austria will go to war with France over this.

In fact, what Leopold II is most worried about now is not being annexed by the French.

Annexing a country on the European Continent is a highly contentious act, and without the tacit approval of a major power, the French would not dare take such a huge risk.

The current military threat is to beat you down and then install a new government. For a ruler, this is almost as bad as losing the country.

After much hesitation, Leopold II slowly said, "First, pacify the people outside, tell them that the government will absolutely not accept the unreasonable demands of the French.

The Foreign Ministry will continue negotiations with the French; the price of coal exports can drop, but not too much below the international average export price."

No matter how great the French threat is, Leopold II still possesses the responsibility of a monarch, choosing first to reassure his domestic populace.

Since the rise of the two great alliances, the scent of gunpowder on the European Continent has grown stronger, and Leopold II has certainly noticed it.

Unfortunately, Belgium is only a small country and does not have the capital to be a trendsetter, even facing more complicated situations than the North German Confederation.

...

Paris, watching Franz release the "Letter to the People of Europe," Napoleon IV's face turned ashen.

It was originally just a probe, and they had not expected Austria to jump out and cause trouble so soon.

Having the support of a major power and not having it are two completely different concepts. Without a doubt, it's now impossible to get the Beide Countries to accept the conditions.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Napoleon IV threw away the "Letter to the People of Europe," which he had only read halfway, and cursed: "Damn Habsburg dynasty, always haunting us, you're everywhere!"

France and the Habsburg dynasty had been duking it out for dominance over Europe for hundreds of years, and the animosity between the Bonaparte dynasty and the Habsburgs ran through the Anti-French Wars.

In recent decades, although tensions had eased somewhat, the conflicts between the two countries did not diminish, but kept increasing instead.

However, so as not to give other countries an advantage, both governments subconsciously concealed overt conflicts, fighting each other countless times in secret.

Prime Minister Terence Burkin consoled him: "Your Majesty, there is no need to be angry over such a trivial matter.

Although we did not make the Beide Countries accept our conditions, we have still probed their bottom lines.

Even Austria, which appears to be the most determined, is just blustering. If they really wanted to stand up for the Beide Countries, they would have joined the negotiations directly.

As it stands now, they seem to support the Beide Countries, but in reality, it's limited to moral support only.

There hasn't been any substantive action taken, and if it came down to going to war with us for those two countries, the Austrian government would most likely balk."

In some sense, Napoleon IV really had no need to be angry, as the current outcome was much better than he had anticipated.

If it weren't for Franz's aggravating "Letter to the People of Europe," it could have been considered perfect.

Napoleon IV said with a sneer, "What does that matter? The bottom lines of the European countries are indeed very low, but what we want to do still challenges their limits.

The big three of England, Russia, and Austria do not want us to fill our last gap, and even our close allies have warned us, haven't they?"

To the outside world, only Austria openly expressed support for the Beide Countries, condemning the actions of the French government.

However, in secret, Britain and Russia also expressed their dissatisfaction with the French government.

Perhaps these covert warnings were not very strong, but for the French government, they still represented an intangible pressure.

Prime Minister Terence Burkin: "Regardless, this is a good start.

Even though the European countries still reject us, they are no longer united and each has its own agenda.

On the issue of containing us, the three big countries of England, Russia, and Austria have already shown differences. If it weren't for geographic limitations, Austria probably wouldn't have been so active.

The spirit of the governments of the Beide Countries has already been dampened by us. In the upcoming negotiations, all we have to do is make slight concessions, and the governments of the two countries should accept them.

With the cost of coal falling, there will definitely be a boost to domestic industry and the economy. The new prosperity is not far off."

...