War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Chapter 1032 John Russell steps down

"Twice? Why didn't I know?"

"Of course your most trusted teacher, John Russell doesn't want you to know. In this difficult time, he almost destroyed Britain!"

Prince Albert could no longer bear it. He felt that the war was entirely the result of the whig leader's own will.

Prince Albert himself came from the German region. He knew very well what the so-called Germany and the so-called Holy Roman Empire were. It was completely ignorant and ridiculous to regard it as a potential opponent.

Prince Albert knew very well that the Germans were a mess. His own family had participated in almost all wars, but had never done much work, but this did not affect their family status.

In the eyes of Prince Albert, it was not just the Germans, but the entire German nation.

He clearly mentioned in "On the Germanic Thinking Pattern and a Brief History of Germanic Civilization" that the barbarism of the Germanic people has never changed since ancient times. What has changed is that the stones and wooden sticks in their hands have been replaced by today's rifles, Artillery, those tribes became nations.

Even during the Frankish Kingdom, tribes and countries appeared alternately, and the so-called king was just a powerful tribal leader, no different from today's German Confederation.

As for the so-called title of Emperor of the German Empire, Prince Albert showed even more disdain. Wouldn't that just change the name of the Emperor of the Shinra?

The Austrians had ruled the Holy Roman Empire for hundreds of years, but they did not become a big threat. On the contrary, they even lost the throne of Spain.

Prince Albert did not believe the so-called concerns of John Russell and Palmerston.

"My dear, your words are a bit harsh."

In Victoria's mind, John Russell was an enlightened British gentleman and a qualified teacher who would not deceive her.

Prince Albert shook his head and said.

"No! My dear, things have come to a very critical juncture now. Not long ago they rejected the peace proposal without even giving the Austrians a chance to negotiate.

Now the Austrians are winning consecutive battles on French soil, and their frontline has been directed towards Paris.

The French were already too busy to take care of themselves. Of the two so-called victorious divisions, one stood still in Belgium and the other hesitated at the gate of the Austrian Empire.

Especially the Bellevue Army, which has never made a step forward since it occupied the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Now even French politicians feel that Bellevue is waiting for the right time to take over Paris. "

European aristocrats of this era were all familiar with the history of Napoleon's wars, and Victoria was no exception.

There were powerful enemies outside, heroes inside, and repeated betrayals. Victoria had already sentenced the Frenchman to death in her heart, and she finally made up her mind.

"My dear, what do you want to do? I will fully support you!"

Prince Albert has just returned from Ireland. He has witnessed with his own eyes the stupidity and incompetence of the so-called British elite, as well as the appalling corruption and poverty.

Many British bureaucrats regarded the Irish as weeds and felt that they should have been eliminated, or even ignored, their numbers could be restored with enough time. It was not until the Irish raised their weapons that they fled, and then began an almost genocidal retaliation. .

At this time, Prince Albert only felt that the elites in the British Parliament were all idiots, so he said with great confidence.

"Immediately resume peace talks with the Austrian Empire and resolve this dispute through peaceful means."

However, Victoria is not so optimistic. She knows that her teacher will not give up so easily, and that Palmerston is a guy who is not afraid of anything.

As for Austria, although she had not met Ferdinand I and Franz, she had met the two brothers Albrecht and Friedrich.

Neither of these two brothers is an easy man, and the illustrious military exploits from the battle reports can also prove this.

Are these people really willing to sit down and negotiate? Victoria said in a questioning tone.

"But will the Austrians agree?"

"Yes, because the Austrians don't want to fight this meaningless war.

The interests of the Austrians are in Central Europe, and they will gain nothing even if they win against us.

Similarly, we will not get anything if we defeat the Austrians, we will only get some undeveloped colonies and a verbal guarantee. "

Prince Albert was so angry that he couldn't figure out how those idiots in the Parliament passed such a stupid resolution.

For a war that had almost no real benefits, Britain lost the foundation it had built in the Mediterranean for hundreds of years.

According to the description of Admiralty Secretary George Eden, the Austrians were very good at land warfare, had no moral ethics, and always carried out sneak attacks.

Each time, they sent a large number of land troops to attack British warehouses and docks from land, forcing the British fleet to enter the ocean.

Then coupled with French treachery, the heroic Royal Navy was defeated.

No matter how brave the soldiers of the Royal Navy were, they could not defeat the Austrian Imperial Army, which was several times their size. George Eden took the cause of the defeat completely away from himself.

However, this was also in line with the common beliefs of people at the time. After all, the British Empire's navy was invincible, but a tiger could not stand up to a pack of wolves, not to mention that land warfare was not the Royal Navy's strength.

However, Victoria's answer surprised Prince Albert.

“Maybe this was indeed a meaningless war before it started, but now it is not.

My dear, peace is our wish, but the foundation of the British Empire in the Mediterranean cannot be lost! "

Victoria is not a political novice. She understands the significance of this war and even more clearly the significance of those islands. This is also the trump card she uses to persuade Congress.

If she cannot keep Britain's position as maritime hegemon, she can only continue to maintain this meaningless war. After all, that is Britain's core interest.

Prince Albert also understood the situation at this time. Although the royal family was not as weak as it seemed, it still needed a reasonable excuse, and it must safeguard British interests.

"I will dear."

Prince Albert knelt down on one knee and kissed the back of Queen Victoria's hand. When the latter stood up again, their eyes met, and everything was unspoken.

Meanwhile, Whitehall.

John Russell sat slumped in his chair, knowing his fate. Although the British external intelligence agencies often ignored some important information at this time, the monitoring of the country, especially its own people, was watertight.

From George Eden's whistleblower to Prince Albert's return, even John Russell knew clearly the conversations between Victoria and his wife.

But what made him determined was another thing. Not long ago, a message from the Overseas Intelligence Service finally arrived in London.

According to this message, a Russian fleet passed through the Bosporus Strait on the eve of the Second Mediterranean Battle.

If this piece of information is correct, then it will not only be Austria and France who are fighting against Britain, but also the Russians and maybe the Ottomans. After all, they have not sent troops.

John Russell did not dare to think about how Britain could exit this wrongly launched war with dignity in the face of the collective conspiracy of the great powers.

France was defeated one after another, Russia entered the scene, the Ottoman Empire continued to wait and see, and domestic riots became more and more violent, including the Irish, Chartists, and the hateful Tories.

John Russell's decision put Britain into an unprecedented dilemma, and all forces at home and abroad were eager to cut him into pieces.

For John Russell personally, he wished he could die, but who could take over such a mess?

Palmerston is a tough guy, but it is impossible for the Queen and his wife to let this guy become Prime Minister.

Then there are the traitors of the Tories. If they had not opposed it, Britain could have mobilized more resources in the war. If it had gone all out from the beginning, it might not have failed.

If they had not fomented domestic rebellion, Britain would not have diverted resources domestically and would not be so weak externally.

While John Russell was still thinking wildly, there was a knock on the door of his office.

"Please come in."

John Russell's tone was calm, and he still maintained the dignity of a prime minister and the cultivation of a British gentleman.

As the door handle turned, the door lock made a clicking sound. The menacing military police and the arrogant villain did not appear in the imagination, and there was only a figure of Prince Albert at the door.

John Russell was stunned for a moment, then immediately stood up and saluted and said.

"Your Highness, why did you come in person without notifying us in advance so that we could greet you?"

After the two briefly exchanged pleasantries, Prince Albert went straight to the point.

"Earl Russell, I think you should take a rest."

John Russell said with some shame.

"Your Highness, I also want to rest, but the British Empire is in crisis, and as the Prime Minister of the Empire, I cannot."

Although Prince Albert felt that the guy in front of him was the culprit of Britain's internal and external troubles, he was Victoria's teacher after all, and the politics between nobles usually did not have the concept of life and death.

"Earl Russell, Britain sincerely thanks you for your service over the years. We have prepared a 372-acre (approximately 2262 acres) manor for you in Australia for you to enjoy your life."

Prince Albert handed John Russell an envelope containing a land deed and a letter of resignation.

How could John Russell still not understand what Prince Albert meant at this time? He immediately wrote his name on the resignation letter, then stood up and said with tears.

"Thank you, thank you Her Majesty the Queen, I will submit my resignation to Parliament tomorrow."

"You have worked hard."

Prince Albert still answered politely, but John Russell didn't care. As a sinner, he was very lucky not to be put into a sack and sunk in the Thames, but he still had some heartfelt words to say.

"Your Highness, the three cabinets on the left contain the sufferings our British Empire is facing at this time, as well as some of my thoughts and suggestions. I hope they can be helpful to you."

Everything was calm, and John Russell's letter of resignation was approved by Queen Victoria and the British Parliament.

The Whig leader chose to leave Britain as soon as possible.