Just as Valerovsky and Von Bismarck were exchanging business pleasantries in a carriage en route to the Prussian Mansion, Prince tternich, leaving St. Stephen’s Cathedral, "happened" to encounter the Minister of Internal Affairs Bach.
"Mr. tternich, I have so matters I’d like to discuss with you!
Do you have so ti now?" Minister Bach said to Prince tternich with a serious expression.
Prince tternich slowly nodded. From Minister Bach’s expression and eyes, tternich sensed urgency.
Obviously, Minister Bach’s matter of discussion was not a trivial one.
With Prince tternich’s consent, Bach imdiately pointed to a carriage parked by the roadside and then pleaded with Prince tternich, "Your Highness, could we have a detailed discussion in the carriage?"
"Of course!" tternich responded with a nod.
tternich and Bach both entered the carriage belonging to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The driver, upon hearing Bach’s order to start, quickly raised the whip and lashed the horse standing in place.
Upon receiving the "signal" from its rump, the horse imdiately began to trot forward, the carriage behind swiftly moving along with its pace.
After the carriage had traveled a certain distance, Minister of Internal Affairs Bach began to explain the situation to Prince tternich.
"According to reports from the police stationed near St. Stephen’s Church, just a few minutes ago, the Prussian Envoy Von Bismarck and French delegation’s deputy envoy Count Valerovsky left St. Stephen’s Church together in a carriage!
Judging by the direction they headed, it seems the carriage is going to the Prussian Embassy!"
Hearing Bach’s report, a serious expression appeared on Prince tternich’s face. After a mont, he calmly asked Bach, "What about Prince Monfou? Did he leave in the carriage as well?"
Bach thought for a few seconds, then shook his head and replied, "No! According to the police stationed near the church, Prince Monfou left alone in a French Embassy carriage!
Valerovsky was left standing near the church until the envoy Von Bismarck erged, after which Valerovsky began to move.
After a brief conversation, the two left together in the carriage!
I suspect Valerovsky was specifically waiting for Von Bismarck to co out!"
"Did your police overhear their conversation?" Prince tternich asked Bach again.
Though Prince tternich understood that eavesdropping in public places was nearly impossible, he held onto a faint hope.
A mont later, Bach shattered tternich’s hope.
Shaking his head, he answered Prince tternich, "No! The police were a street away from Von Bismarck at the ti, so it was impossible to eavesdrop on their conversation!"
Prince tternich sighed. After a mont of silence, he slowly asked Bach, "Mr. Bach, what is it that you want this old man to do?"
"Your Highness, haven’t you received any news from Paris about this conversation?" Bach subtly queried Prince tternich.
"Mr. Bach," Prince tternich replied with a bitter smile, shaking his head, "If it weren’t for your revelation, I would still be in the dark!"
"Haven’t your friends in Paris ntioned anything to you?" Bach persisted in asking Prince tternich.
With Bach’s repeated questioning, Prince tternich couldn’t help but feel a tinge of displeasure.
"Mr. Bach, I do have so friends in Paris, but our relationship is strictly private friendship.
Just as you wouldn’t tell whether you’ve planted secret police in my residence, they would not divulge the secrets of France to !" Prince tternich spoke with a slight hint of dissatisfaction.
Once Bach heard Prince tternich’s words, he instinctively clenched his hand into a fist.
How does he know I’ve planted secret police in his ho?
Bach did indeed have secret police stationed in Prince tternich’s mansion, but only a handful of people knew about it.
Bach began to suspect soone had leaked this information to Prince tternich.
"Surely not!" Minister Bach forced a lighthearted tone as he explained to Prince tternich, "Who would dare plant police in your residence!"
"Mr. Bach!" Prince tternich smiled enigmatically as he slowly spoke to Bach, "I can tell you a secret!"
"Please, go on!" Bach posed in a manner eager to listen.
"When I was Pri Minister, I also planted secret police in the residences of both political enemies and allies!
I considered it a necessary evil, but I only used them to find out with whom they t and what they did!
As long as they haven’t done anything harmful to the Empire, I can turn a blind eye!
Even though I’ve heard several tis about their conspiracy to overthrow , I didn’t care!
Of course, I’m not telling you this to boast about my magnanimity. What I an is that secret police are like a double-edged sword; used too long, it can easily harm its handler!
Those who place blind faith in this power are destined to be backfired upon!" Prince tternich hinted.
"Thank you for your kind teachings!" Minister Bach responded to Prince tternich.
"Alright! Back to the point, I really haven’t received any news from Paris!" Prince tternich said to Bach with a stern expression, "which ans the eting between Valerovsky and Von Bismarck probably wasn’t initiated by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs!"
"You an!" Minister Bach imdiately understood the subtext of Prince tternich.
If the eting between Valerovsky and Von Bismarck wasn’t with the consent of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then it must have been orchestrated by that Emperor of France.
Including tternich, no one knew exactly what that Emperor wanted to do.
However, they could not ignore the opinions of the Emperor of France.
The present French Empire is now the strongest force on the European Continent; their army is capable of crushing any country that dares to challenge them!
"Your Highness, what should we do now?" After a long silence, Bach once again asked tternich, "What exactly does that Emperor want to do?"
"Minister Bach, that seems to be a concern for the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Pri Minister, not you!" Prince tternich said to Bach in an intriguing tone.
Bach’s face bore an awkward expression as he responded sowhat unnaturally, "I just have the future of the Empire in mind!"
Then, realizing that his previous statent was too much of an attempt to deceive himself, Bach continued to reveal his political ambition to Prince tternich, "If the Empire needs it, I would unhesitatingly assu the necessary responsibilities! (referring to becoming Pri Minister)"
"Mr. Bach, I appreciate your honesty!" Prince tternich smiled, "When I was your age, I too wanted to be the Pri Minister of the Austrian Empire!"
"Thank you for your encouragent!" Bach responded to Prince tternich.
Then, Prince tternich brought the topic back, "If my judgnt isn’t wrong, the reason the Emperor t with Von Bismarck should be because of the Rhine Region issue!"
"Why do you say that?" Bach asked Prince tternich in confusion.
"Because the Emperor has already obtained what he wanted on the Apennine Peninsula, his next target would naturally be the Rhine," Prince tternich said to Bach, "That’s what he has been relentlessly pursuing since 1850, though various reasons (the Crian War) constrained his actions!"
"So what should the Empire do about it?" Minister Bach asked Prince tternich again.
"Mr. Bach, that’s sothing Count Baur should consider!" tternich said to Minister Bach, "Unless the Emperor appoints you as the Pri Minister imdiately, I suggest you refrain from making too many moves!"
"Should we remind Count Baur?" Minister Bach said.
"Of course!" Prince tternich nodded and said to Bach, "By the way, Mr. Bach! I have a request, and I hope you can fulfill it!"
"Your Highness, please go ahead!" Minister Bach responded to tternich.
"Would you kindly escort to the Prussian Embassy!" Prince tternich asked Bach.
"Your Highness, are you planning to disrupt their eting!" Minister Bach was surprised by Prince tternich’s decision.
"No!" Prince tternich shook his head and pointed to his ear, "I rely intend to listen to the genuine ideas of Valerovsky and Von Bismarck!"
"With you there, they likely won’t reveal their true thoughts!"
"That’s not necessarily true!"
...
On the other hand.
Under von Bismarck’s hospitality, Valerovsky sat on the brown leather sofa of the Prussian Embassy.
With different intentions, the two began conversing intermittently. Von Bismarck started by expressing his admiration for Valerovsky, praising him as the most outstanding Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empire, and noting that the Paris Peace Conference he led was worth learning from by him and all Prussian diplomatic officials.
(Even though the Kingdom of Prussia’s interests were severely damaged at the Paris Peace Conference led by Valerovsky!)
"Mr. Bismarck, as long as your nation doesn’t bla for how I hard your interests to satisfy the Polish nobility at the Paris Peace Conference, I would be very grateful!" Valerovsky said to Von Bismarck with a smile.
"Only diocre people complain behind others’ backs!" Von Bismarck said disdainfully to Minister Valerovsky, "Those ministers from the Prussian court are such diocre people; they don’t seem to realize that this world was always survival of the fittest. You (the French Empire) have the strongest military, and naturally, you create history!"
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