Eagle’s Glory

While the Grand Duke and his wife were rejoicing and gratified by Teresa's letter, in the prime minister's residence in Vienna, there were two other people who were troubled by the status quo of Duke Reichstedt.

Prime Minister Metternich and the British ambassador to Austria, Lord Robert-John Talbot, sat at a table, each other so serious that no one cared that the coffee before them had cooled.

Recently, the two of them have met very frequently, and with the efforts of the two of them, the situation that had been derailed seems to have really begun to slowly turn back on track.

Now is the time to test what they have achieved.

"Mr. Ambassador, I have received news from Duke Reichstedt." His Excellency the Prime Minister cut to the chase, "He rebuilt Ioannina with Ali Pasha's granddaughter, and made her convert to the Orthodox Church and become a duchy. The Grand Duchess. I want to ask, what do you think?"

The ambassador also had his sources, so he had already learned the news, so he didn't show the slightest surprise.

"The Duke of Wellington has said in advance that if he does not violate the interests of Britain, then the British will not embarrass a warrior who fights for Christians." The ambassador replied immediately, "Although he has an unpleasant surname, he has since Has not sinned and should not suffer the consequences for those sins for which he is not responsible. If he can pull his teeth out of the Turks, then this should be his prize, and no one can say anything bad except the Sultan. No one was hurt by it."

"The duke is admirably magnanimous." Metternich immediately noticed that the ambassador was expressing that Britain would not interfere in the Principality of Ioannina.

He knew that the British were certainly not as noble as they said, but since they didn't want to interfere, he didn't need to worry about it.

"I think this young man has enough reason, he knows to respect the interests of Britain, and he knows how to stop when it is enough." Metternich nodded lightly, "If this troublesome matter can be solved in this way, it is not a loss. Decent, after all, one more Christian country in the Balkans can also contribute to peace in Europe."

After a pause, "So the real concern is France's attitude. What do you think he will do?"

"King Charles X is so overwhelmed right now, it's hard to imagine what he'll do on his own initiative," the ambassador replied calmly, "and even if he wants to do it, it's too late - the Tsar has already made a mess, if he really God knows what will happen if he sends troops out of the field, and I don't think sensible people in France would let the king do that."

"That's right." Metternich agreed.

In his heart, he didn't believe what would happen to the Bourbon royal family, which was suffering from internal and external troubles. The French were cheering for the victory of Christians. If King Charles X disregarded the feelings of the people, he really wanted to launch an army to attack the Christian warrior Lai. The words of Duke Hstedt, on the contrary, are creating public opinion for him, and maybe his parliament will be against it.

Moreover, France did not want to see the tsar in the Balkans and Near East wantonly show his power.

If the French choose to acquiesce, which means that the three countries of Britain, France and Austria have unified their positions, and Prussia is indifferent to everything here, then the Tsar will face a 3-1 disadvantage.

Although the tsar is young and vigorous, he is definitely not a madman. Since he has already earned enough benefits on the battlefield, and they have further weakened Turkey - no matter what, they should have been satisfied.

There is no doubt that in two or three decades, the Russians will break out another war with the Turks, further eroding the ancestral property of the Turks, but at least now they should be subdued in the face of the pressure of Western powers.

Metternich carried out his plan methodically. He first coordinated the positions of other powers, then took advantage of the situation to put pressure on the tsar, and then forced Turkey to make territorial concessions in order to satisfy the tsar.

Except for the poor victim, all parties can end up decently, which is what he pursues.

This time, everything was finally back on track as he had hoped.

"I have sent a note to the Russian ambassador to our country, Count Litvinsky, and asked him to pass on my handwritten letter to the Tsar and inform him of our coordinated position." Metternich finally picked up the cooled coffee, and then Taking a sip with great interest, "I believe that when he receives the letter, he will follow my advice. It's time for the young man's impulse to end."

"I hope he will, too," replied Lord Talbot, slightly proudly. "But if the Tsar does not listen to advice, Great Britain will never be helpless."

Of course, Metternich could hear the determination and danger contained in this sentence - it was this danger that led to the Crimean War on the original historical line - for him, a great war Once it breaks out, no matter who hits whom, it means that the balance of power is derailed, and it is not a scene he wants to see.

Of course he could not have foreseen the Crimean War, but he could naturally see that Great Britain was at the height of its glory at this time, ruling the entire ocean and countless colonies, and any country that confronted it must be weighed. Look at the consequences.

The Vienna system he participated in created by no means meant that there were no conflicts of interest between great powers, but he ensured that such conflicts would eventually be resolved courteously at the negotiating table.

Everyone acts in accordance with the principle of balance of power, do not cross the thunder pool that is the enemy of everyone, restrain their own adventurous impulses, eliminate the tragic war invisibly, and let the peace on the continent continue for as long as possible - this is the pursuit of his life. .

"I hope that in the rest of my life, no one will challenge the resolve of Great Britain again..." The Prime Minister sighed.

In the Prime Minister's emotion, the ambassador's original serious expression suddenly became a little subtle.

"By the way, Your Excellency, I have heard some unpleasant rumours recently."

"What rumor?" Metternich asked.

"Princess Teresa, the daughter of Archduke Karl of your country, has come to Duke Reichstedt's side—"

"If that's what you're saying, then I admit it's true." Metternich nodded calmly. "The Duke of Reichstedt had an engagement with Her Royal Highness the Princess, although there was a little... not so pleasant episode, but neither the Duke nor the Archduke Karl has announced the termination of the engagement, so the engagement is still valid. Reasonable and legal. In that case, what reason do I have to interfere? So when Princess Teresa and I asked to leave the country to be reunited with my fiancé, I agreed."

"If that's the case, then of course I have no right to question, the sacred engagement should be respected." The ambassador nodded first, then suddenly changed the conversation, "But, the rumor I heard is... Princess Teresa She has been reunited with Duke Reichstedt long ago, she left without consent, and may have even been with the Duke...well, got along...for a long time."

The ambassador stopped here. Of course, he didn't come here to ask for guilt. This kind of thing has nothing to do with him. Whether Princess Teresa is decent or not, he doesn't care. The reason why he asks in person is that he wants to see Look at the Prime Minister's joke - it's British cold humour too.

"You really don't need to waste your time on such rumors, sir." Prime Minister Metternich replied without changing his face, "Princess Teresa is the eldest daughter of the most respected commander-in-chief in our country, and has received the strictest royal education since childhood. She has a dignified personality and excellent knowledge. She is the pride of the royal family. How could she have done such an indecent thing? She recently applied to His Majesty the Emperor of our country with the consent of her parents. His Majesty was grateful for her The engagement was so strong that it was agreed to let the couple start their family, and if you ask me anything, I can only tell you that's all I know."

He didn't show any shame or embarrassment at all, as if this were the unequivocal fact.

Although both of the people present knew that was not the case.

For the ambassador, his bad tastes have been satisfied, so he is not interested in further inquiring.

Anyway, since the official caliber has been determined, then this is the "fact", and if we continue to refute the argument, it is trampling on the dignity of the Habsburg royal family, which is definitely not a wise move.

This year, the ceremony is broken, and it is her own problem that Princess Teresa does some deviant things, and it has nothing to do with the United Kingdom.

"It's really touching that Her Royal Highness is so steadfast." The ambassador nodded lightly, expressing his acceptance of the official statement, "Then, please allow me to congratulate Duke Reichstedt and Princess Teresa on their marriage in my own name. I have to admit, the two of them are really a good match."

"I will convey your congratulations." Metternich finally smiled.

He knew that since the ambassador made such a statement, it meant that the United Kingdom forgave all Austria and the means he played in it, and no longer pursued the possible conspiracy that existed before.

Just as Prime Minister Metternich was about to say goodbye to the ambassador, the ambassador suddenly said another word.

"My Excellency Prime Minister, I would like to convey the last words of the Duke of Wellington - if Reichstedt is interested in visiting England one day, the Duke of Wellington would be happy to meet this young man, of course, this must be a personal identity. Access."

Metternich froze for a moment, then sighed and smiled bitterly, "He's a real soldier."

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While Metternich and the British ambassador were discussing secretly in private, a group of people in the imperial village on the outskirts of St. Petersburg were also troubled by the changes in the European continent.

After a delay of about half a month, the Tsar finally received the news of the founding of the Duchy of Ioannina.

With this news came a letter written in the name of Grand Duchess Ioannina.

Of course, although the signature is Grand Duchess Heide, everyone knows that it must have been ghostwritten by Duke Reichstedt.

The tsar was sitting at his desk at this time, while his foreign minister, Karl-Necherroddie, stood respectfully by the side, waiting for the tsar's instructions.

Although it was snowing heavily in the Imperial Village at this time, dyeing everything around it white, the fireplace in the room still kept the temperature within a comfortable and pleasant range.

Tsar Nicholas I, who was wearing a uniform, read the letter with an indifferent expression, and then there was a hint of ridicule at the corner of his mouth.

"My brother has learned from his father too many times this kind of rhetorical letter, so how can I repeat the same mistake? If he thinks that saying this will make me elated, he will underestimate me too much. already."

Then he threw the letter into the fireplace next to him, watching it burn to ashes.

"This is the best home for it."

"Your Majesty, Duke Leichstedt is nothing to worry about, but the ideas of European countries must be paid attention to." Foreign Minister Nessel Roddy replied quickly. "According to the intelligence we have, there has been quite a lot of diplomatic interaction between the UK and Austria recently, and it is foreseeable that they are coordinating their position on our country - maybe they will send us a note shortly."

"Those hypocritical and shameless fellows!" the tsar uttered a curse, "they profess their devotion to God, but they would rather watch the pagans slaughter Christians in the great city of Rome!"

"They love profit more than God." The Foreign Secretary quickly cursed along with them. "God will punish their shamelessness and blasphemy sooner or later."

Of course, he also knew in his heart that he was the same in Russia. The tsar was just annoyed that he could not get the coveted Constantinople.

It is no wonder that the tsar is angry. After all, since the war, the Russian Empire's army has progressed more smoothly than expected, and it has entered the territory of Thrace. It is conceivable that as long as the Western European powers stand by and watch, then Tsar Nicholas I will fulfill the long-cherished wish of the ancestors of all dynasties and truly become the Caesar of Rome.

How can it not be frustrating to fail when success is within easy reach?

It's just that chagrin is chagrin, people have to face reality after all.

The foreign minister believes that the Russian Empire's victory is big enough for now - it has taught Turkey a hard lesson, and once again confirmed the prestige of the Tsar as the defender of the Orthodox Christians, and has also taken large swathes of Turkish territory.

Although some territories may need to be returned due to pressure from Western European powers, the benefits already obtained are large enough.

Russia's expansion has never been achieved overnight. As long as it is persevering and slowly embezzling, it will eventually be able to achieve its goal.

Of course, the tsar also knew exactly what the foreign minister was thinking.

"The thought of me becoming Bonaparte's benefactor makes me a little unbearable. This kid took advantage of my light to win a duchy, and he wrote back to me to lose sincerity... Where is this loss of sincerity, it's like Demonstration." The Tsar said bitterly, "But since I can't do anything to this little **** right now, I'll swallow this offense."

"Your kindness is enough to impress God, Your Majesty," replied the Foreign Secretary.

After some flattery, he asked again, "So, do you agree with us to stop here?"

"We can stop and pull back, but not now." The Tsar shook his head, "I haven't received their official note yet, and even if I did, I could respond slowly - during this time we can go further Hit the Turks hard and prepare for future wars. Whether it is ten or twenty years, we will reach our goal, even to the generation of my son. Constantinople is destined to belong to our Romanov family! "

"I firmly believe so." The Foreign Secretary bowed.

For him, as long as the tsar doesn't get carried away, and agrees to accept it, that is the best result.

The tsar didn't look at him again, but turned to the fireplace, and sighed thoughtfully, "It would be a good thing if my son Alexander could have what he has."