Chapter 461: Chapter 34, In the Still of the Night
 

Late at night on the Vienna Ring Road, under the illumination of street lights, the Austria International Hotel stood out resplendently.

In precious Vienna, an Austria Hotel that occupied a space of 2888.88 acres was indeed a gorgeous sight to behold.

The hotel was equipped with a variety of entertainment facilities, making it the most luxurious hotel of the era, as well as the most expensive, bar none.

Just staying here was a symbol of status. Even the cheapest room cost hundreds of Divine Shield.

Different rooms corresponded to different levels of status, and the palace-style architecture within was reserved only for the Nobility. No matter how wealthy, commoners could only stay in the civilian area.

Therefore, this was Franz’s most failed investment. Everyone followed the rules: capitalists wouldn’t step into the aristocratic zone, and Nobility wouldn’t reside in the civilian area.

Even among the Nobility there was a strict hierarchy, and people only chose rooms that matched their status, never overstepping their boundaries.

Common rooms were often bustling with business, while the high-end aristocratic areas had few guests, especially the highest-tier Emperor Palace, which had yet to have its first customer.

It wasn’t that the hotel didn’t accept commoners, but that no one dared to cross that line. Social customs decreed this; any behavior beyond one’s status would lead to ostracization.

Gradually, this became an unspoken rule of the hotel: what kind of status you had determined the treatment you received. If there was no vacancy, guests would simply switch to another hotel.

The Emperor Palace, initially priced at 8888 Divine Shield, became embarrassingly inaccessible. Commoners couldn’t stay there and if a King was to visit, Franz certainly couldn’t expect him to pay.

In frustration, Franz added another four eights to the price tag, bringing it up to 88888888 Divine Shield, instantly elevating its prestige.

It became the most expensive hotel in the world, the price alone enough to buy two entire Austria Hotels, and truly nobody could afford it.

Not only was the Duke Level unvisited, but the Marquis Level rooms also struggled to bring in customers. It wasn’t a matter of affordability, but rather that such high-status Nobility already had their own residences in Vienna.

Local Nobility weren’t interested in staying, and relying on foreign Nobility for customers meant that they might not see even one in a year.

A vast number of ultra-luxurious rooms sat idle, necessitating substantial maintenance costs, which naturally drove up the operating costs of the Austria Hotel.

If it weren’t for the timely development of a civilian district next door, leveraging brand influence to attract wealthy patrons and opening membership-based business meeting rooms, Franz would have doubted his life choices due to potential losses.

Reality once again confirmed that things too avant-garde often turn one into a martyr. In later times, many wealthy tycoons couldn’t get enough of presidential suites, yet in this era, the Emperor Palace received no inquiries.

On the contrary, the newly introduced business membership system was a hit, with an annual fee of 12,000 Divine Shield and plenty of rich patrons to support it.

Nowadays, capitalists liked to do business in the Austria Hotel, not just to show off their wealth, but also as a testament to their own strength.

Those who could afford an annual fee of more than ten thousand were bound to be legitimate businessmen, as the hotel helped to verify the information of prospective members, ensuring they had sufficient means to qualify.

All sorts of money-making schemes were in place, and yet the profits of the Austria Hotel were just passable, indicative of how flawed Franz’s initial plans had been.

Lying on the hotel bed, the Marquis of MacKinnon wasn’t concerned with the hotel’s luxury, as everything had been arranged by the Austrian Government, sparing him from spending a dime.

Such were the benefits of a powerful nation; as the Foreign Minister of Britannia, he was received wherever he went, unlike the Japanese Delegation who had to find their own accommodations.

For MacKinnon, the more expensive, the better. He could even claim the expenses from the London Government afterwards. This was an invisible perk; after all, how else could one say that this era was the best time to be a British bureaucrat?

Why not stay at the embassy instead of insisting on a luxury hotel?

These were minor issues. The Great Britain Empire wasn’t short on cash, certainly not for the bureaucrats. Consider it a travel allowance; after all, Britain’s system wasn’t perfect yet, and this was the golden age of making money.

Pondering over the day’s negotiations, MacKinnon had trouble falling asleep. France and Austria were not very enthusiastic about the alliance proposed by them, showing even signs of resistance.

This in turn proved the existence of the France-Austrian Alliance; only if France and Austria already had an alliance would the British-French-Austrian tripartite alliance become insignificant.

This was highly disadvantageous for his subsequent tasks. Without the cooperation of France and Austria, the Tripartite Alliance couldn’t be established.

How could he hope to dissolve the France-Austrian Alliance if he couldn’t join? Now convinced of the Alliance’s existence, MacKinnon believed that France and Austria might have reached an agreement on European issues, differing from the views of others.

The Vienna conference could prove that on the Italian issue, France and Austria had come to an agreement, leaving only the disputes in the Central European Region unresolved.

However, the disputed Rhineland region was currently under the control of the Kingdom of Prussia; France and Austria were not yet at the point of direct confrontation.

If the two countries cooperated, with Austria absorbing the German Federation and France annexing the Italian Area,

Then the Rhineland region was not their territory; whichever nation gave up this area would not carry significant political risk.

If compensation could be gained from other areas, the likelihood of France and Austria compromising on this issue was very high.

Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, all three small countries, could potentially become the scapegoats in the compromise between France and Austria, as there was nothing that couldn’t be discussed in the face of interests.

This was not what the London Government wished to see. France and Austria were already powerful, posing a threat to Britannia’s security. If they were allowed to grow even stronger, there would be no way to contain them.

The plan to incite war between France and Austria, making them weaken each other, had over a hundred schemes in the London Government’s repertoire. Yet when it came to practical implementation, they didn’t know where to begin.

Now, France and Austria are constraining each other, and the European Continent as a whole can still maintain balance. Once war breaks out, that balance will be destroyed.

If at the end neither side suffers mutual destruction, and a victor emerges in a short time, Europe will have a single dominant power.

Another coalition war against France or Austria? Except for those with wild imaginations and bombastic rhetoric, no one holds out hope for this.

The Russian Empire and Prussia+Poland are utterly at odds; the power of hatred prevents them from joining forces, and the remaining countries combined probably won’t have enough strength.

When the time comes, Britannia can only enter the fray herself. Within the United Kingdom, anti-war sentiment is surging; wars over the past decade have made its citizens deeply resentful of war, and any intent to enter a conflict must first address domestic opposition.

McLin is not an idealist; he doesn’t believe the nations of Europe will follow the script laid out for them. Both Napoleon III and Franz made their main achievements in politics.

Such opponents are much harder to deal with than Napoleon. What if things are mismanaged and full-blown hatred is stoked between the two countries, making them turn on them instead of fighting among themselves – what then?

Keep in mind the France-Austrian Alliance has not yet dissolved. If this alliance isn’t aimed at them, who else could it target?

Joining this alliance and further dividing France and Austria is the best course of action.

If the latter can’t be achieved, then as a fallback, the three countries can unite to rule the world; all Britannia needs to do is figure out how to become the leader of the alliance.

You could say the British have thought through all the issues comprehensively; the only trouble now is how to convince France and Austria to agree to an alliance.

McLin pondered in his heart; his initial plan had already failed. What benefits from which locations can now be presented to buy off the two countries and, at the same time, protect Britannia’s interests to the greatest extent?

It’s impossible to cut their own flesh; at most, they can exhibit generosity at the expense of others – sacrificing other countries’ interests to achieve their goals is what they master.

The night deepened, and amidst these calculations, McLin drifted off to sleep. In his dream, he concluded this diplomatic gamble, establishing Britannia’s dominance as the world’s superpower and becoming the greatest Prime Minister in British history.

…

McLin was not the only one troubled by the Tripartite Alliance. The Palace of Versailles was brightly lit, with Napoleon III also troubled by this issue.

Don’t assume that just because someone is pro-British, they won’t be anti-British. In the face of interests, the stance of political figures can change at any moment.

Napoleon III, who had lived in Britannia, was very aware of how fearsome the British could be; at one point, he even developed a phobia of them.

However, time always erodes everything, and over a decade reigning as an emperor, Napoleon III’s fear of the British gradually faded.

The France of now is far from what it was back then, and the gap in strength between it and the British is actually not large. Yet Napoleon III’s wariness of the British never waned.

The British, clearly a naval superpower, pose a significant threat to France but not a fatal one. If it came to a head-to-head struggle, the French could still manage to inflict mutual destruction.

In contrast, the land power Austria could pose a fatal threat to France, and yet Napoleon III was fully confident in Austria, harboring no such wariness.

The deepest convictions held within one’s heart are also crucial in determining political directions.

This is similar to the Russia of later generations; even though its comprehensive national power had fallen behind, it was still perceived as the world’s second-strongest country. Instead, it was…

Franz and Napoleon III faced a similar issue. He too was wary of the British but did not regard the French as a mortal threat.

What did it matter if both were land powers? Mentally unphased, the geography determined it would be difficult for France and Austria to strike at each other’s core areas.

The Alps are not conducive to the movement of large armies, which means they cannot attack from the Italian Area, and not to mention the other side.

Looking back at the two world wars, the Germans attacked France through Belgium, which shows that the Southern Region is not suitable for large military operations.

Circumventing Belgium also means having to cross Prussia before the two sides can engage in battle.

Although Europe has no precedent for using the pretext of helping one country to attack another, the Berlin Government is still not daring to ask for passage. Of course, even if they were willing to lend the way, others would not dare to take it.

Unless they first occupy Belgium and the Rhineland region, otherwise, their forces would have their supply lines cut as soon as they crossed, which would be catastrophic.

Because they do not view each other as threats, France and Austria have formed an alliance based on mutual interests, both confident that they would slowly overpower the other once their strategic layouts were complete.

However, this does not work against the British. Neither the Austrian Navy nor the French Navy has the strength to suppress the Royal Navy; the most optimistic estimate is mutual destruction.

This is also why during the Napoleon III Era, even after relations with England thawed, there wasn’t a further step toward an alliance.

Now is no exception; both France and Austria see the British as their greatest enemy, and the British hold the same view. Forming an alliance with one’s enemy is naturally not easy.

After drinking a sip of freshly ground coffee, Napoleon III sighed. He did not want to break with the British, yet John Bull was interfering with his annexation of the Italian Area.

Deep down, Napoleon III had made up his mind. If the British would acquiesce to the expansion of France, then they could form an alliance; otherwise, there would be no need for discussion.

If an alliance cannot bring benefits to France, then it is pointless to play along with the British.