Emperor Meiji is not a fool to be able to counterattack from an eraser seal. The army's "guarantee" not only did not reassure him, but instead made Emperor Meiji feel even more unsure.

As an experienced emperor, Meiji knew very well what the troops sent by European countries to overseas colonies were. Defeating a colonial army dominated by indigenous people was nothing.

Moreover, the protagonist of this war is not the army. The key to the real decision of victory or defeat is diplomacy, followed by the navy.

Ignoring Oyama Iron's guarantee, Emperor Meiji said cautiously: "There are only three months left before the meeting of the Vienna Peace Conference, and we should also prepare.

Prime Minister, you will lead the team to take a tour this time. You don’t expect Britain and Austria to support us, but at least you must keep them neutral.

The rise and fall of the empire is here…”

Hirofumi Ito's face changed. With his understanding of Emperor Meiji, he could confirm that Meiji's confidence had been hit.

He was sent to Europe not only to participate in the Vienna Peace Conference, but more importantly, to find a way out and make the worst plans.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that attending the Vienna meeting would be a joke. With Japan's current international status, it is not even qualified to go to the negotiating table.

As can be seen from the content on the invitation letter, the Anti-French Alliance only invites them to attend the warship auction.

It is not the Japanese government’s turn to establish a new international order. When everything is settled, they can just abide by it.

Because of the Philippine War, even this warship auction, the Japanese government could only make a fuss.

This is not a matter of money. As a member of the anti-French alliance, the Spaniards are also one of the sellers and they cannot sell warships to their enemies no matter what.

Even if you buy it, it will be useless. The Spaniards will definitely find a way to get stuck in their necks. It is impossible for warships to return to their country before the end of the war.

Against this background, the Vienna Peace Association is completely useless to the Japanese government, and there is no need for the Prime Minister to take action himself.

...

St. Petersburg in January was already covered in silver. Under the biting cold wind, the streets and alleys became less popular.

The Fickstar Cafe, which used to be crowded with people, has now become silent. In the huge living room, there are only six or seven people scattered.

From the expressions and temperaments of the people, we can see that except for the two protagonists, the rest are bodyguards.

...

As one of the protagonists, the Russian Foreign Minister Oscar Jimenez waved his hand and interrupted: "Mr., if these are not nutritious, you don't need to repeat them.

We have never had friendship with your country, and Austria is our ally now. It is impossible to start from our side and destroy the Russian-Austrian alliance."

After being interrupted, Richard not only did not get angry, but instead smiled with satisfaction.

It is indeed difficult for Britain and Russia to have a relationship with friendship. In the past 30 years, the two countries have had two wars, and the casualties on both sides were hundreds of thousands.

In contrast, the Russian-Austrian alliance, which had been maintained for decades and had almost no major conflict, can be called "friendship".

However, the problem cannot be looked at the surface. If Russia and Austria's relationship is really close, there will not be this secret meeting in these icy and snowy days.

Richard, who is good at observing words and expressions, has discovered problems from the conversation just now.

Of course, the greater possibility is the signal deliberately released by the Russians, otherwise Oscar Jimenez would not have the need to emphasize the tone when using the word "now".

"Mr., I know that there are many misunderstandings between your country and Britain, but that is the past, and we should look forward.

With the end of the European War, France's decline was a foregone conclusion. If we do not take action, then the new European overlord will be Austria.

Now your country and Austria are allies, which does not mean they are always allies. You should know that true allies only exist when strength is equal. Once the balance is broken, the situation will be completely different.

Even if your country gives up its plan to move west, it cannot guarantee that the Austrians will not move eastward. After all, the only one that can affect Austrian hegemony on the European continent is your country.

The true allies of your country are Austria thirty years ago, not the reborn Holy Roman Empire.”

In international competition, one has always been rising and the other has declined. Austria has become stronger, but relatively speaking, the Russian Empire has been weakened.

The British felt the threat of Austria's rise, and the Tsarist government also felt it. Even because the two countries are neighbors, the Tsarist government felt it deeper.

For the interests of the Russian Empire, or the Tsarist government, it was the secret meeting that made it feel at ease.

But after contacting Oscar Jimenez was very disappointed. The British still used the same routine to sow discord, all asking the Russian Empire to do, not what Britain wanted to do.

It is not impossible to tear up the Russian-Austrian alliance, but the premise is that the interests must be large enough. Obviously, the British who like to make money by nothing has not offered enough prices.

"Your Excellency is right, but that's just something that may happen. No one can predict in advance what will happen before the future has arrived.

At least the Russian-Austrian alliance is still unbreakable now. We will not give up our allies just because of a possibility. So just say what your purpose is, there is no need to go around here."

The development of the Russian-Austrian alliance has penetrated into various areas of the two countries. It is not something that can be lifted just by severance. Once you turn your face, both sides will suffer heavy losses.

In this context, despite trying to limit Austria's development, the Tsarist government still restrained it and did not take any directive action on the surface. Instead, it placed its hope on the enemy and hoped that the British would take action to interrupt Austria's development momentum.

In this regard, Britain and Russia think about it almost the same. No one is willing to make a first bird at this time, jump out of the hatred of Austria, and make the opponent's fisherman profit.

"Your Excellency, Austria is a very serious threat to us. I believe your country is unwilling to live under the Yin Yin in Vienna.

In order to remove this threat, we propose that the two countries work together to undermine this Vienna Peace Conference, crush Austria's ambition to establish a new international order, and return the international situation to the era of three-legged strength, and let our three countries jointly dominate the world."

Oscar Jimenez shook his head: "We have felt your country's sincerity, but this is far from enough.

If the Vienna Peace Conference is destroyed, the Russian-Austrian alliance will come to an end. The price we have to pay is too high, and it may even lead to domestic economic collapse.

If your country breaches the contract later, we will bear the anger of Austria alone. The risk here is too great and it has exceeded our ability to bear it."

Minister Richard promised: "High risks can lead to high returns. As long as the general trend of Austria gathering is interrupted, all efforts are worth it.

As for your country’s losses, we can find ways to make up for some of them. In short, we will not let our friends suffer."

...

The Gatchina Palace, Alexander III, who was holding the conditions of Russia and Austria, was currently in a difficult mental struggle.

The conditions given by the British were that as long as the immediate impact was overcome, the Russian Empire could soar into the sky, take Austria and become the new European overlord.

However, the greater the profit, the higher the risk. If the operation fails, or the British defaults in the middle of the process, the Russian Empire may be over.

Even if we don’t think the British will breach the contract on this issue, who can tell the politics correctly?

The London government is also in office for several years. If you are unlucky, you will encounter a stupid fool and make a few tricks, and the Russian Empire will be in trouble.

This kind of thing has happened in history. The Russian Empire itself was a victim. If it weren't for the divine operation of Peter III, the Russian Empire would have long become the overlord of the continent, and there would have been no such trouble at all.

Of course, this is better for Alexander III to have these troubles. After all, if Peter III does not mess around, it is not their turn to be the Tsar.

In contrast, Austria has much safer conditions and naturally much smaller returns. It is impossible for a continental overlord, and the South Asian overlord can still look forward to it.

Looking out the window, Alexander III asked: "How much does the Central Asian Railway cost? Have you evaluated it?"

Minister of Finance Alisher Gulov: "The total length of the Central Asia Railway is 3,864 kilometers, and the total length of the attached lines is more than 15,600 kilometers.

Not only will it have to withstand the test of harsh climates, but it also has to pass through many harsh terrain in the middle. The estimated construction period is 12 years, and the initial estimate is to cost 1.276 billion gold rubles."

Railways have always been the pain of the Russian Empire. Not to mention the developed European countries, even the British and Indian railways next door are better than them.

It was not because the Tsarist government did not work hard, but because its strength was not allowed! The Russian Empire not only had a vast territory, but what was even more terrifying was the harsh climate.

In other countries, after the exploration is completed, design drawings are drawn up and they can start working directly.

The Russian Empire is not good, and their railways must be able to ensure normal operation in the snow and ice. Occasionally, a major cooling will occur, and extreme weather of minus 40 degrees Celsius will occur.

You get what you pay for. The Russian Empire's railway requirements are high, so the construction cost is naturally high.

The completion of the railway is just the beginning, and the more trouble is the later operation. The harsh natural climate directly increases the later operation and maintenance costs, which is simply a bottomless pit.

Foreign capital construction is flocking to the public, so there is no need to worry about funds; while the Russian Empire only pays for railway construction.

There is no way, who has made the Russian Empire lose money for many years! No one has done a loss-making business, and capital is unwilling to invest, so the construction of railways will naturally be slow.

If it weren't for Austria's agitation and with French reparations, you can look forward to it, the Tsarist government said that it would not start the Central Asian Railway at this time.

“Can it shorten the construction period?”

There is no requirement to reduce construction costs, that is, Alexander III knows what kind of bureaucrats in China are. If the construction costs are really compressed, no one can guarantee that the built railway will be successfully opened to traffic.

Similar things have happened. In the previous railway construction, some idiots compressed the gauge and sleeper length without authorization in order to save money.

If you want to carefully study the railways that have been successfully opened to traffic, they all have one common feature - budget overspending.

Simply put, it is to first report a low-price project. When the project is halfway through, there will be no money, and the government will force it to increase its investment.

"If contracted to Austrian Railway Company, the total construction period can be reduced by one quarter, and the main line can extend to the Afghan border within eight years.

However, their offer is very high, and when we provide labor, we will have 1.886 billion gold rubles; if it is entirely built by them, the budget will be as high as 3 billion gold rubles."

Alishel Gulov was also helpless with such a price difference. The domestic railway companies have a low budget, but unfortunately they cannot be completed smoothly every time. Not only is the construction period impossible to guarantee, but additional budgets are also required.

The Austrian railway company's asking price is indeed high, but the construction period is guaranteed, the quality is reliable, and it is always a one-time quote. Even if there are increments in the future, the increased budget will not be too much. The final cost will be lower.

If so, the Tsarist government should introduce Austrian railway companies to reduce construction costs. On the contrary, almost no Austrian railway companies undertake projects in the hands of the Tsarist government.

It’s not that the Tsarist government was unwilling to ship contracts, but that there was no Austrian railway company willing to take orders. The reason was very realistic. The Tsarist government was poor and there was no guarantee of payment.

So much so that the construction of a railway funded by the Tsarist government has become a bargaining chip for Austria to negotiate terms, and it is still a very tempting chip.

As long as the railway was built into the Afghanistan region, the door to the Russian Empire to India would be opened.

The Tsarist government naturally dared not be careless for such an important project. If the entrusted person is not a human, the investment will be wasted.

The biggest benefit of handing over to the Austrian Railway Company is safety. Everyone knows that the Vienna government wants the Russian Empire to go south and fight against the British, and will definitely ensure the quality of this railway.

Even if there is a problem with the budget in the middle, there is no need to worry about shutting down work. The Austrians will advance funds to complete the project with their fearless internationalism.
Chapter completed!