"Go back and tell Jero, I will definitely attend on ti!"
Faced with Jero Bonaparte’s invitation, Franz Joseph agreed without any hesitation.
The reason he was willing to co to France for the parade hosted by the French Empire was precisely to draw closer to the Anglo-French Alliance, so that the Austrian Empire could integrate into the ranks of the Anglo-French Alliance.
Now that the relationship between the Austrian Empire and the French Empire has already entered the ranks of a quasi-alliance, it’s ti to foster a better relationship with Queen Victoria.
To be honest, Franz Joseph was quite surprised by Jero Bonaparte’s bold invitation for him to interact with Queen Victoria.
Could it be that the French Empire is not afraid of the Austrian Empire abandoning the French Empire to ally with the Kingdom of Britain? Franz Joseph pondered.
"Yes! Your Majesty!" Mokar imdiately responded upon receiving Franz Joseph’s reply, "Then I won’t disturb you!"
Mokar then exited the room and closed Franz Joseph’s door.
Afterwards, Mokar took a carriage to the Elysee Palace, where Jero Bonaparte was currently conversing within.
When Mokar arrived at the gates of the Elysee Palace, the two soldiers guarding the gate stopped him and inford Mokar that the Pri Minister of Sardinia, Cavour, had just visited.
"Sardinian Kingdom? Where is Pri Minister Cavour now?" Mokar hurriedly inquired of the soldier.
"Chief Steward, Pri Minister Cavour said he would wait for His Majesty’s audience at Princess Mathilde’s residence!" the soldier replied to Mokar.
Hearing the soldier’s answer, Mokar slightly frowned and muttered to himself, "I didn’t expect! Cavour actually managed to get on the sa boat with Princess Mathilde! Looks like he must have given quite a bit..."
Mokar had only said half his words when he instantly realized there were two "people at leisure" beside him, so he hurriedly stopped and sternly reprimanded the two soldiers.
The two soldiers quickly assured Mokar that they were hard of hearing and hadn’t heard anything.
"That’s good!" Mokar threatened maliciously, "If I hear a single rumor outside, you’re finished! Understand?"
The two soldiers promised Mokar they wouldn’t spread any rumors.
After establishing his authority in front of the soldiers, Mokar then pulled out several banknotes worth a thousand francs from his pocket and, in an encouraging tone, said to the two soldiers, "It’s quite hard for you to guard the Elysee Palace, consider this your hardship allowance on behalf of His Majesty!"
Seeing the banknotes in Mokar’s hands, a look of yearning flashed in the soldiers’ eyes, but neither dared to actually reach out and take them.
After all, the person in front of them was the Chief Steward of the entire Tuileries Palace!
Seeing the two soldiers hesitate and not dare to take them, Mokar directly divided the banknotes into two equal parts and stuffed them into their pockets, reprimanding, "I told you to take them, and here you are hesitating like a bunch of won!"
Feeling the "weight" of the banknotes in their pockets, the two soldiers bead and expressed their gratitude to Mokar.
"No need to thank ! If you want to thank soone, thank His Majesty!" Mokar waved his hand and instructed the soldiers, "I’m going in now! Make sure you keep this place secure! Don’t let any unrelated people in!"
"Rest assured, Chief Steward!" the soldiers thumped their chests and assured Mokar.
Mokar entered the Elysee Palace and ca to the door of the study, listening closely for movents inside.
At this ti, inside the study of the Elysee Palace, Emperor of the French Empire Jero Bonaparte and Prince Albert, the King’s Consort of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, sat facing each other on the sofa discussing issues on the Cria Peninsula.
"Jero... May I call you as Victoria does?" Prince Albert inquired of Jero Bonaparte.
"Of course! Albert!" Jero Bonaparte replied to Prince Albert.
"Jero... In your opinion, should our two countries’ armies expand the scale of the war after capturing the Sevastopol Fortress?" Albert inquired whether Jero Bonaparte was willing to expand the war.
"If there is a suitable opportunity, France would certainly choose to expand the war!" Jero Bonaparte replied to Albert with ambiguous rhetoric.
Jero Bonaparte’s evasive rhetoric clearly did not satisfy Albert, who pressed further, "What do you think constitutes a suitable opportunity?"
"If the Russian Empire suffers heavy losses on the Crian Peninsula, I will naturally choose to pursue!" Jero Bonaparte replied to Albert, "Given the current circumstances, neither I nor the Ministry of War believe that pursuit is a good option!"
"But if we don’t engage the Russian Empire directly, we may never be able to harm them! Are you suggesting our two countries should continue to drag on in Cria against the Russian Empire?" Albert asked in a challenging manner, revealing his concerns: "If we cannot quickly force the Russian Empire to the negotiation table, their quasi-military alliance in the New Continent might wage war on us!"
I wouldn’t mind if the United States of Arica joined the war! Jero Bonaparte thought to himself.
After all, if the United States joins the war, it is the Kingdom of Britain that would suffer.
If the United States could exhaustively strike down Britain’s hegemony, Jero Bonaparte would be sure to give them a grand funeral.
Unfortunately, a war between Arica and Britain is unlikely in the short term; Albert’s reason for saying so is most likely to prompt quick action on his part.
"Albert, I don’t believe the United States of Arica will join this war! Even if it truly wishes to join, the Russian Empire probably wouldn’t accept it!" Jero Bonaparte confidently answered Prince Albert.
"Oh?" Prince Albert inquired of Jero Bonaparte with interest: "Why do you think they won’t unite?"
"Because the United States is a republic, while the Russian Empire is an absolute monarchy! The differences in their systems an that they will never co together!" Jero Bonaparte answered Prince Albert, "Of course, it doesn’t rule out the possibility of Nicholas I making desperate moves under extre circumstances!"
"But even if the United States doesn’t join, we can’t just linger on the Crian Peninsula, right?" Albert paused, sighed, and continued to Jero Bonaparte: "Every minute we stay there costs us thousands of British pounds! Our army is supported by millions of taxpayers! If we keep lingering without action, they will complain!"
"You have a point!" Jero Bonaparte nodded in agreent with Albert’s statent: "A prolonged war indeed wears down dostic enthusiasm and finances; once the public realizes their taxes are being poured into an endless war, they might not love war as they do now!"
"Therefore, I must act quickly!" Albert said eagerly, "We can open up second and third fronts while attacking the Crian Peninsula, draining the Russian Empire’s money and soldiers continuously! This way, we can defeat the Russian Empire at the fastest speed!"
"I do not agree with your view!" Jero Bonaparte imdiately responded to Prince Albert: "Opening second and third fronts would not only rapidly deplete our two nations’ financial reserves but also might not achieve the results we desire! We must focus all our efforts on one decisive battle, continuously bleeding the Russian Empire on the Crian Peninsula!"
"Didn’t you just say we should wait for an opportunity in Cria?" Prince Albert questioned Jero Bonaparte.
"By waiting for an opportunity, I didn’t an just sitting idly by!" Jero Bonaparte revealed a cunning smile to Albert, "Now that we have taken Sevastopol, with its comprehensive defense system and fortifications, we can rely on it to engage the Russian Empire in trench warfare, gradually wearing down their troops on the Crian Peninsula!"
"But would Nicholas I really willingly attack Sevastopol?" Albert questioned Jero Bonaparte.
"Whether willing or not is not up to Nicholas I!" Jero Bonaparte, exuding confidence, replied to Albert: "A group of Russian soldiers has already been secretly sent to a prison near Paris, and they will be the highlight of tomorrow’s parade!"
Upon hearing Jero Bonaparte’s words, Prince Albert was greatly astonished.
This is like publicly humiliating the Russian Empire in front of European countries; if Nicholas I finds out, he would be furious.
"Tomorrow, you, I, and Franz Joseph will be at the forefront of the parade, jointly reviewing the Russian prisoners!" Jero Bonaparte further disclosed to Albert.
"Franz Joseph? He’s willing to join the opposition against the Russian Empire?" Albert hastily inquired.
"No! Franz Joseph is unaware of the Russian prisoners in the parade! The Austrian Empire remains neutral!" Jero Bonaparte shook his head, saying with schadenfreude, "However, after this parade, it’ll be hard for the Austrian Empire to remain neutral!"
"Indeed!" Albert’s expression also revealed a smile, "It’s hard for Nicholas I to believe that a country participating in a Russian prisoner parade can maintain a neutral stance!"
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