paranoianovel Chapter 762 European Time
Chapter 762 European Time
Chapter 762 European Time
Paris, the world's capital of art.
A newspaper with the headline "The Lone Wolf of America" appeared out of nowhere and delivered shocking news to Parisians at a low price.
The French's arch-enemy, the British, suffered a "Waterloo"-like defeat in that remote area of America, facing a small American country that, in the eyes of Europeans, was only slightly stronger than the natives. Tens of thousands of British troops were wiped out.
The newspaper concealed the fact that the Republic of Texas was a regime established by the Basilicata Wolf Tribe, and instead portrayed the image of a small American country that refused to succumb and bravely resisted the British power.
And the country's president, an old man who looked extremely old, was still tearfully begging France, as the light of civilization, to stand up for justice and expel the evil British.
This was certainly not a spontaneous report by the French, but the result of Giuliano mobilizing his hidden players in Europe and spending a lot of money.
After the report, the spy thought he would be wanted by the Royal Police, but unexpectedly, nothing happened.
It was as if the Paris government had tacitly endorsed the Texans, promoting themselves as a small overseas nation resisting British aggression.
Some second-rate poets even began to publicize the shamelessness of the British, the massacre of Americans, and the persecution of white immigrants in newspapers. The concentration camps set up by Britain in South Africa during the last Boer War were also brought up again.
Public opinion deteriorated faster than anyone had imagined, and the enthusiasm of Parisians for paying attention to world affairs also far exceeded the cognition of the Basilicata secret agents.
So much so that later, the French government, which had originally planned to acquiesce in the Texans' pursuit of public support, could no longer sit still. Faced with the marching masses, even the King of France had to declare that he would issue a diplomatic inquiries to the British.
...
New England, Rhode Island.
As one of the earliest thirteen states in the North American colonies, Rhode Island had a fairly good industrial base. Its textile, jewelry, and shipbuilding industries had all made considerable progress. In addition, as a port city, it was suitable for "exile overseas," and became the base for independence factions in the North American colonies.
At this moment, in the traditional Providence Manor, a man sitting with his back to the gate was listening to the reports of his subordinates with a frown.
"Those locals are really idiots. They have the most advanced weapons, but they can't even defeat a group of barbarians. The fire of civilization is extinguished in the face of barbarism."
"Let's get started, old Arthur. You have to step up to the plate this time."
Old Arthur MacArthur was silent for a long time: "My weight may not be enough."
"That's enough. You are a high-ranking official in Wisconsin. We will make you the leading figure of the independence faction this time. Don't worry, your son will be fine. It's ridiculous for the natives to want to shift the blame for the defeat to the commander of a state militia."
When it came to his son Arthur, old Arthur had no room for refusal. He nodded and said, "I understand. I'll do everything according to your instructions."
The man reminded, "Very good. Remember, you must be cautious in this action and don't involve too many irrelevant people. MI6 has a very sharp nose. The scale of the incident does not need to be too large. Just let those local masters see our strength."
"Yes, sir."
The man smiled, turned around, picked up the red wine glass on the table, raised it up, and clinked it with his: "For the legacy of Mr. Washington, for the independence and freedom of America!"
Old Arthur took the glass and drank it all. He knew very well that he was heading towards a point of no return.
The independent organizations of the North American colonies had long been infiltrated like a sieve.
There were not only British spies and agents, but also many people who had no intention of independence at all and just wanted to shout slogans so that the mainland would pay more attention to the interests of the colonies.
If these people had been reliable, Washington would not have been burned at the stake in Richmond.
But old Arthur had no choice.
...
Frankfurt.
As the northern capital of the German Confederation, Franz lives here two-thirds of the year.
The people of Vienna were quite critical of this, with some even declaring: "We gained a federation but lost an empire."
In the original history, the southern German part of the German Empire consisted of only a few small states such as Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden and Hesse, while the northern German part, dominated by Prussia, had an absolute advantage.
However, the North-South confrontation issue was still very serious. Before World War I, states such as Bavaria still sent ambassadors to other countries and even enjoyed a certain degree of diplomatic rights.
In this time and space, not only Austria has been added to the southern German part, but Bohemia has also joined the Confederation in recent years.
The North and the South are more evenly matched, and neither can overpower the other, which is not a good thing.
At the dawn of the 20th century, this monarch, who had been crowned Emperor of the Austrian Empire at the age of eighteen, had been on the throne for nearly fifty years.
Over the past few years, he felt that his mental state was deteriorating. The expensive potions prepared by the royal wizards could heal his body but could not alleviate the vicissitudes of his soul.
Royal advisor Conrad walked quickly to the emperor's side and said, "Your Majesty, there is an important message from America."
A hint of impatience flashed in the old emperor's eyes: "America? I don't want to hear any news about America."
Ever since his brother, Maximilian I, the French puppet emperor of Mexico, was executed by the Mexicans, he became increasingly unwilling to hear news about America, which had become a sad place for the old emperor.
It was during the Austro-French War. Except for the old emperor and Maximilian's queen, no one was willing to send troops overseas for a Mexican emperor who "surrendered to the enemy". The navy of the Austrian Empire was very weak, and even if it wanted to go overseas to punish the Mexicans, it was unable to do so.
After the war, Mexico claimed it would make compensation, and with the support of Britain, the matter was dropped.
Conrad said cautiously: "Your Majesty, this is good news."
"The British colonies have rebelled again? That may be good news, but those weaklings will not succeed. America is a battleground between Britain and France, so there is no need for us to set foot there."
Franz shook his head.
He had no interest in the situation in America, or even in the recent popular saying in the country, "opening up a place in the sun."
Nowadays, overseas development has become increasingly difficult. The soft persimmons and lucrative fruits have long been picked out, and what remains are either hard bones or barren lands.
Germany's existing colonies of German Southwest Africa, German East Africa, and German Guinea, which were developed with strong support from overseas factions, are almost all in a situation where their income is not enough to cover their expenses and they must be maintained with state subsidies.
The overseas faction claimed that this was an essential initial investment, but the old emperor believed that instead of investing in those overseas territories, it would be better to transfer funds to Galicia, Hungary or Illyria.
It's closer and the level of development is generally lower.
"That's not it. The British suffered a crushing defeat in the war with Texas. The total number of casualties was at least tens of thousands, and more than half of their proud airship force was also lost!"
Franz's squinting eyes immediately widened, and his whole lazy aura perked up.
"The Texans? The country formed by those Italian wolf tribes who defected overseas? When did they have such power?"
The fighting power of the wolf tribe is not weak, but if a single wolf clan had this kind of strength, the wolf tribe of the Two Sicilies would not have been suppressed by the Habsburg family in southern Italy.
"And according to reliable intelligence, when the British suffered this defeat, the French Cuban fleet was watching from the sidelines, and the two sides were on the verge of a fight!"
Conrad looked very excited. It was true that Britain and Germany were allies, but the British already had enough interests in the world.
In this world, most countries would celebrate when they see the British in trouble.
"The British have exposed their incompetence. If the two sides really go to war, we can just sit on the sidelines and watch! No matter who wins or loses, they will suffer heavy losses. Your Majesty, our chance to rebuild a new European order since the collapse of the Metternich system has come!"
Franz was obviously not so excited: "Britain and France will not fight so easily. Besides, if the British are defeated, I am more worried that the French will ignore the British's deterrence and attack us... Pass on my order, let the border soldiers strengthen their vigilance and keep an eye on the French movements."
These words poured cold water on the royal adviser's hot-headed thoughts, and Conrad couldn't help but think about this possibility.
The old emperor suddenly asked: "Also, is there still no news about Viviana?"
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty..."
The old emperor sighed deeply, he had been emperor for a long time and many tragedies had happened to him. His beloved wife was shot, his only son committed suicide for love, and the young generation whom he had the highest hopes and treated as his own daughter, the Candle Knight, also disappeared mysteriously.
"Your Majesty, with Her Highness Viviana's strength, if she wants to hide, it will be difficult for us to track her down."
"forget about it…"
The old emperor waved his hand and fell into deep thought again.
Conrad didn't dare to say more. The mysterious disappearance of the Candle Knight had become a taboo in the court.
It is said that Elector Frederick went to Schönbrunn Palace and made a big fuss because of this incident. In front of all the monarchs of the states, he mercilessly accused the Emperor of corrupting his daughter and even brought up the matter of Crown Prince Rudolf, which deeply hurt the Emperor's face and heart.
From then on, the two never had any contact with each other and never met again.
As the strongest state in North Germany, Brandenburg's discord with Austria was also an important reason for the division within the federation.