Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 377: Influence

Without exception, representatives from Britain, France, Austria, and Spain appeared at the negotiating table. Unable to get what they wanted in the secret negotiations, the Confederate government unhesitatingly invited the great powers to intervene.

Balancing the strength of both the North and the South was a shared desire among the four nations. Given that the comprehensive national power of the Union was stronger than that of the Confederacy, it naturally became the target of suppression by all parties.

Even representatives of the native Americans were present at the negotiating table. Disregarding racial conflicts and white supremacy, these issues were pushed aside in the face of interests.

However, the native Americans, with the weakest power, were only present as observers, awaiting the outcome. They still lacked a say at the negotiating table.

As a large alliance of tribes, the native Americans power was too weak, equivalent only to that of a federal state, and could not be compared to either the North or the South.

From the very start, the North and South bickered endlessly over legal issues. Matters of secret contact behind the scenes were concealed by both sides.

Making unauthorized private contacts with the enemy, without parliamentary approval these were things that could not see the light of day. Once exposed, it would be a political crisis.

At the same time, news also came out about the results of the Russo-American joint fleets operation in eradicating pirates in the U.S. Channel Islands. Its unclear how many pirates were eliminated, but the Russo-American joint fleet was almost annihilated.

The navy losing to pirates is not groundbreaking news. Occasionally, when they are caught all alone, its understandable for the navy to lose to pirates. In the age of sailing warships, the power gap between pirates and navies was not insurmountable.

However, this time, a combined fleet consisting of Russian and American vessels, totaling twenty-three ships, went to hunt down pirates but only two small boats returned, effectively resulting in the total annihilation of the fleet. This was major news.

If it was the navy of a small kingdom like Ryukyu or Hawaii that was wiped out by pirates, people could understand.

Even if the U.S. West Coast Fleet was to be pressed hard by pirates, such an outcome would be acceptable. After all, they are upstarts, and it is normal for their naval strength to be lacking.

Coincidentally, the protagonist happened to be the Russian Navy, and this incident occurred precisely during the Russo-Prussian War, exacerbating the situation.

After such an incident, the federal government of course could not turn a blind eye to it.

Nevertheless, the Russians also suffered casualties while helping to eradicate the pirates, prompting President Lincoln to immediately order a fleet to withdraw from the East Coast and head for the Channel Islands to eliminate the pirates.

Since negotiations were already underway and the Great Powers had intervened, anyone who tried to continue the war would be considered an enemy of the Anglo-French-Austrian-Spanish coalition. With war no longer an option, diverting forces to the West Coast was not a significant problem.

Simultaneously with the military deployment, the federal government immediately notified the Russian government by telegraph. Of course, the message was also relayed to various European countries as the telegraph lines passed through them, leading to the inevitable leakage of information.

Currently, there is only one telegraph line between Europe and America, with no direct telegraph line from the United States to Russia. Messages must be relayed through various European countries, making it impossible to avoid interception.

During the outbreak of the American Civil War, a news blockade by the federal government meant that other countries could only rely on ships for communication. News of the naval defeat, even if the Americans wanted to keep it secret, could not be concealed for long.

Moreover, the current situation is different. The importance of the Russians to the federal government has decreased, so President Lincoln naturally does not care about the trouble caused to the Russians by this leakage of information.

Turning a blind eye to past friendships is a common tactic used by American politicians. To gain the friendship of Americans, they should speak in terms of interests; everything else is nonsense.

In history, the support of the federal government by the Russian government facilitated national unity. However, as soon as the Americans recovered from the Civil War, they immediately became fervently anti-Russian.

The supporters behind the Russo-Japanese War were not just the British; Americans also made a major contribution.

Unfortunately, the term of office for a US president is only four years, and re-election is limited to two terms. No matter how good the relationship is, once a new administration takes over, all previous investments go down the drain.

Almost all republics perform very poorly in terms of policy continuity. Often they reverse course just for the sake of reversing the previous policies.

As opposition parties overthrow their political rivals in elections, it is imperative to overturn the policies of the previous administration. This was what was considered politically correct.

Even if it is known that the previous administration was correct, it still must be undone. Otherwise, how can the politicians justify their actions to the electorate? Or rather, how can they justify them to their backers behind the scenes?

......

Upon receiving the news of the near-complete destruction of the Russian Navy, Franz at the Vienna Palace simply laughed it off.

Knowing full well how hostile relations were with the British, yet still going to the Americas to cause them trouble wasnt that just asking for death?

An ambush by pirates?

Who doesnt know the British Navys ancestors were pirates themselves? Its just that they were legalized pirates. Despite the recent whitewashing of the British Navys image in recent decades, occasionally reverting to their old trade of piracy is still inevitable.

Even into the early 20th century, rumors persisted of the British Navy engaging in piracy, though the British never admitted to it.

After a moment of silence for the Russians, Franz began to take pleasure in their misfortune.

He had heard plenty of jokes about the Russian navy before, but hearing it firsthand was different.

But these were minor issues; after all, the Russian government always relied on the army to make a living. When has the Russian Navy ever been powerful?

The size of the Russian Navy was not insignificant, ranking only behind those of Britain, France, Austria, and Spain in terms of total tonnage. It has also been in existence for two centuries since the 17th century.

However, this did not mean that the Russian Navy was powerful. On the contrary, the current Russian Navy lagged far behind the navies of European countries.

While major naval powers were constructing ironclad ships, the Russian navy was still relying on sailing vessels. There was no other reason for this other than the simple fact that they lacked funds.

First, there was the Near East War, followed by the reforms of Alexander II, and now the Russo-Prussian War. Where would the Russian government find the financial resources to develop the navy?

From this perspective, Nicholas Is decision to appoint Menshikov to be in charge of the navy showed considerable foresight.

Even though they hadnt developed their capabilities in naval warfare, at least their abilities in land warfare had improved, right? At least they had developed specialized skills, so the military expenditure wasnt entirely wasted.

Franz was considering whether to advise Alexander II to send the navy to launch a surprise attack on the coastal areas of Prussia.

If they couldnt achieve results in naval battles, they could make up for it in land battles. The elite Russian navy could easily defeat the hastily recruited militia of the Kingdom of Prussia without any pressure.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz decisively abandoned this tempting idea. It wasnt the right time now. Bringing it up at this moment would be extremely humiliating for Alexander II.

But there was no hurry; it could wait until later. Despite the inadequate combat capabilities of the Tsars navy, there was no pressure when it came to bullying the Prussian navy in naval battles.

Even though the Kingdom of Prussia had constructed an ironclad ship, its technological capabilities were limited, resulting in the creation of a pseudo-ironclad. There was no need to worry about insufficient firepower to sink them.

When it came to land warfare, it was uncertain. They were at the pinnacle of naval land combat capabilities in this era. Before engaging in battle, it was unclear who would have the upper hand between them.

In St. Petersburg, Alexander II was furious upon receiving news of the near-total destruction of the main fleet of the Far East Fleet during its visit to the United States.

The humiliation had spread all the way from the Americas. Although he suspected British involvement behind this, there was no evidence.

In this regard, the British Navy was professional. After taking off their uniforms, they could easily convert their warships into pirate ships. Even the Americans, who were the overlords of the area, hadnt noticed anything suspicious.

Now that the era of ironclad ships had arrived, the phasing out of sail-powered warships was inevitable. Yet, the pirate ships that raided the Russian Navy were still entrenched in the Channel Islands.

The men may have left, but the ships remained.

Clearly, the British had sold these soon-to-be decommissioned warships to the pirates, completely separating themselves from this ambush on the Russian fleet.

My Minister of the Navy, can you tell me whats going on? Since when has the Russian Empires navy been unable to defeat even pirates?

The current Minister of the Navy, Lawrence Lvovsky, replied nervously, Your Majesty, these pirates possess numerous warships and cannot be treated as ordinary pirates.

According to the information provided by the Americans, we can preliminarily conclude that this is the work of the British, as the cannons on their ships are of British make. Its even possible that the British Navy disguised themselves as pirates and ambushed us.

But rest assured, the Navy Ministry has already prepared to dispatch a fleet to the Pacific to wipe out these pirates and wash away our humiliation.

Alexander II cursed angrily, Fool! You know it was the British behind this, yet you still want to send warships over there. Do you think our losses are not great enough already?

Retaliation, of course, crossed Alexander IIs mind, but their strength didnt allow for it. If the enemy were the British, no matter how many warships they sent, the outcome would be the same.

He dared not overestimate British integrity. If the Royal Navy posed as pirates, few countries could withstand them.

Foreign Minister Clarence Ivanov proposed, The dignity of the Empire must not be profaned; these pirates must be eradicated.

However, dispatching fleets from our homeland is out of the question, especially with the ongoing Russo-Prussian War. We should deal with the pirates through diplomatic means instead.

Whether its urging the Americans to dispatch troops or seeking assistance from the Austrians, both are viable options. The British, for the sake of their own reputation, will not stick up for these pirates.

This was inevitable. No matter how shameless John Bull was, he would not openly collude with pirates. From the start, these pirates were sacrificial pawns.

The British only aimed to strike a blow at the Russians and had no intention of actually falling out with them. The current Russian Empire is not so easy to provoke if pushed to the brink, they may have to fight another war to defend India.

Leaving behind this band of pirates is just to let the Russians vent. It prevents the Russian government from having no way to back down and going to look for trouble with the British.

The Russian government has no money? Thats true, but it doesnt mean the Russian nobles are also penniless. If pushed to desperation, Alexander II could promise India as collateral and raise funds from the domestic nobility to put together the budget for a war, which would not be much of an issue.

The Russians are now extremely arrogant, confident that their army is the best in the world and can stomp anyone in their path.

Alternatively, they could seek funds overseas. As long as the interests are sufficient, theres no fear of being unable to borrow money.

The Austrian financial sector dares not lend to the Russian government mainly due to concerns over their repayment ability. However, if Alexander II were willing to offer collateral that would entice Franz, these concerns would disappear.

The vast Russian Empire has abundant capital. As long as Alexander II was willing to sell out the country, obtaining a loan from the French would not be difficult, let alone the Austrians.

Things that would not normally happen may not be so unthinkable for the Russian Empire.

Peter IIIs remarkable maneuvers, documented clearly in history books, serve as a precedent. Who can guarantee that Alexander II wouldnt take a similar gamble?

Just as Nicholas I did back then, winning the gamble would establish Alexander II as one of Russias greatest Tsars; losing would merely mean meeting God a bit sooner.

After hesitating for a moment, Alexander II made a decision, Lets have the Americans handle it. This whole affair started because of them in the first place, so its only natural for them to take care of the aftermath.

This was the wisest choice. The strategic value of Russo-American relations was not high, to begin with, so there was no need to invest too much capital.

Using this incident as an excuse to draw a line on the relationship between the two countries would be beneficial for everyone.

The federal government was not yet the America of later generations; it couldnt offer assistance in European affairs, and couldnt even provide a loan for aid.

Likewise, they couldnt provide the assistance the Americans wanted. This tragic naval incident was a warning from the British, telling them not to meddle in American affairs.

Alexander II, who had originally planned to secure a seat in the negotiations between the North and South, was completely woken up.

The Russian Empire was indeed powerful, but only on land. They wielded significant influence in Europe, Central Asia, and the Far East, but in the distant Americas, no one would take them seriously.

Of Britain, France, Austria, and Spain participating in this mediation, which one was not a major naval power? Which one doesnt have a fleet in the Americas or the capability to mobilize tens of thousands of troops?

Strength is what determines influence. Dont you see, the federal government that has a good relationship with them is not even inviting them to participate now?