Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 492: Alexandrovich

The rapprochement between France and Russia was not just all talk. Although Napoleon III was merely testing the waters to gain more influence within the Anglo-Franco-Austrian alliance, he took concrete actions.

On March 6, 1871, the Russian Empire’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Crown Prince Alexander Alexandrovich would visit the European continent, with France as his first stop.

The Russians’ cooperation was unexpected. Normally, the Crown Prince’s first stop would be Vienna, or Denmark at the very least.

The order of the Crown Prince’s visits, seemingly trivial, actually carried significant political implications, sending political signals to the outside world.

Austria was Russia’s most important ally and the only one with substantial influence, holding a significant position in Russian foreign policy. Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Denmark was connected to the Russian royal family through marriage, as Crown Prince Alexander Alexandrovich had married Danish Princess Maria Feodorovna.

Geographically, both countries bordered Russia. According to what was customary, a sea route visit would start in Denmark and end in Austria, or a land route would begin in Vienna and finish in Denmark.

These were standard diplomatic visit procedures, reflecting diplomatic importance and maintaining etiquette.

Starting with France made this visit intriguing. This wasn’t a business trip, and with so many countries to visit along the way, skipping directly to France made Alexandrovich’s travel route obviously awkward.

When it came to politics, no matter how awkward, Crown Prince Alexandrovich had to go through with it, as it concerned the Russian government’s foreign policy.

It was widely believed that this was the Russian government expressing dissatisfaction with the Austrian government. Recently, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs disrupted the Russian government’s “grain-for-debt” plan, so Russia’s discontent was natural.

The emergence of issues between Russia and Austria was a welcome development for many European nations. Numerous onlookers were ready to watch the drama unfold, and international media were quick to voice their opinions.

Everyone was waiting for the Austrian government’s reaction, but they were disappointed. There was no response as if nothing had happened.

This was the view of ordinary people, but for government officials in various countries, no reaction was the biggest reaction.

It either meant that the two sides had communicated in advance, in which case there was no problem, or the Austrian government simply didn’t care.

The former was insignificant, but the latter was different. If the Austrian government truly didn’t care about Russia’s actions, there were only two reasons:

Either the relationship between the two countries was very good, and they didn’t mind such a small issue. But this was clearly impossible, as although the Russo-Austrian relationship was good, it was far from being intimate.

Or the Austrian government had lost confidence in the Russo-Austrian alliance or no longer valued it. Undoubtedly, this was the truth.

The Russian government expressed its dissatisfaction in this way. Besides the French paying an appearance fee, the main reason was likely to test the Austrian government and seek benefits from Austria.

Without real financial gain, Alexander II wouldn’t have given the French such face, cooperating in this performance. There was never any so-called traditional friendship between the two countries.

The appearance fee for Crown Prince Alexander Alexandrovich was that France agreed to provide a loan of 500 million francs to the Russian government.

This was not easy, as since the Russian government declared default, all international financial institutions had shut their doors to them. Whether it was bonds or loans, as long as it involved the Russian government, no one was willing to deal with them.

With gains come losses. The French promise had not yet been fulfilled, but the Russo-Austrian alliance was already in crisis. The less the Austrian government seemed to care, the more worried the Russian government became.

The Russo-Austrian alliance was nearing its expiration date, and if it couldn’t be renewed, the Russian Empire would face unprecedented diplomatic isolation once the alliance expired.

Alexander II’s pressure greatly increased, and there was also considerable criticism within the Russian government. Many believed it was the Tsar’s willfulness that led the alliance towards breaking up.

This was a stain from Alexander II’s youth when he was pro-Prussian and had a clear anti-Austrian stance regarding the German states.

In the original timeline, Alexander II’s personal political inclinations played a role in Prussia’s ability to establish the Second Reich.

Having political inclinations was normal. After ascending the throne, Alexander II didn’t compromise with Prussia due to his pro-Prussian stance, nor did he distance himself from Austria due to his anti-Austrian views.

Even if his inadvertent actions had led to speculation among his subordinates and unintentionally cooled relations between the two countries, Alexander II later made efforts to repair the relationship.

However, great rulers all have pride. When Alexander II ascended to the throne, it was at the peak of the Russian Empire, so his arrogance was naturally more pronounced.

After the defeat in the Russo-Prussian War, as the Russian Empire declined, Alexander II didn’t adjust his mindset in time, which made the subsequent efforts to repair Russo-Austrian relations unsuccessful.

This probe against Austria further exacerbated the strained relations between the two countries, giving the conservative anti-reform faction in Russia an opportunity to attack politically.

The internal pressure left Alexander II in a difficult position. To be honest, the diplomatic issues weren’t entirely his fault. The cooling of Russo-Austrian relations was more due to conflicting interests.

The Russian government’s diplomacy was always known for its “crudeness,” which was also clearly not their strong suit. Most of the time, the Russian government’s diplomacy was subpar.

Unfortunately, Alexander II was not a diplomatic powerhouse either. In the original timeline, his main achievements were internal reforms and external expansion, with little accomplishment in diplomacy.

This visit to Europe was actually requested by Alexandrovich himself. This famous Alexander III in the original timeline had a keener sense of diplomacy.

Alexandrovich’s self-planned itinerary was as follows: Denmark - Nordic Federation - German Federal Empire - Netherlands - Belgium - Portugal - Spain - Britain - France - Greece - Montenegro - Austria.

He omitted Prussia and Poland because they had become enemies, and as the crown prince, he couldn’t visit enemy countries. Switzerland was also excluded as it was unimportant and inland, making it inconvenient.

This itinerary, arranged according to geographical order, seemed trivial but was actually the best choice, taking into account everyone’s face.

Starting with France meant that he would have to skip many countries along the way. As the crown prince representing the Russian Empire, Alexandrovich couldn’t take a roundabout route and then double back.

If he did that, it would show his high regard for France but would also appear overly subservient, causing the Russian Empire to lose face.

Alexandrovich tore up the itinerary in his hand. He was very dissatisfied with the Foreign Ministry’s approach, or rather, dissatisfied with his father Alexander II’s approach.

Just for a 500 million franc loan, this European visit had to start from France. The original plan to use this opportunity to repair relations with various countries now had to be reconsidered.

Despite his dissatisfaction, Alexandrovich only vented his emotions privately. He was well aware of how poor the Russian government was now, and when people are poor, they become short-sighted, and the same goes for a country.

Alexander II’s extensive land reclamation plan had indeed solved the peasants’ land issues, but the cost was exorbitant.

The grain produced couldn’t be sold, and it would take a long time to see returns.

Now, for industrial development, the government was vigorously undertaking infrastructure construction, simultaneously starting multiple railway lines.

All of these required money. The funds from earlier confiscations of property had already been exhausted, and now the Russian government wished they could split each coin into several parts to spend.

In the Winter Palace, Alexander II had to soothe his son’s emotions due to the sudden change in plans. If his son decided to refuse to go out of spite, it would be disastrous.

European crown princes had considerable say, and many even opposed their emperors. Although Alexandrovich wasn’t that extreme, there were still significant political differences between him and his father.

“I’m sorry, Alexandrovich. This situation is special, you know how desperately the government needs money. We can’t refuse the conditions offered by the French.”

Seeing the troubled look on his father’s face, Alexandrovich’s anger subsided. Nicholas I had taken Constantinople and brought the Russian Empire to its peak, but he also left a mess.

Unfortunately, this outwardly glorious empire had its facade shattered in the last war.

For the sake of reform, Alexander II had paid a great price, looking at least ten years older than his actual age.

Alexandrovich responded calmly, “You don’t need to apologize. Although I don’t agree with your actions, I understand your decision. It’s normal for the crown prince to make some sacrifices for the sake of national interests.

However, I must remind you that this is playing with fire. Aligning with the French now is very dangerous. If not handled properly, it could bring disaster to Russia.

The Austrians have already shown their stance through their actions. We don’t see it as them truly not caring about the Russo-Austrian alliance but as a warning to us not to align with the French.

If the Austrian government feels threatened, they might strike first. Their target could be the French, but more likely, it will be us.

When it comes to national strategic security, the Russo-Austrian alliance is insignificant. If this continues, I think the Austrian government will most likely not renew the alliance once it expires.”

Listening to his son, Alexander II nodded. He had also considered these issues but had misjudged the Austrian government’s reaction.

“Yes, I understand. During your visit to Europe, make sure to prepare well. While visiting, also conduct field observations of each country’s development and learn what can be useful for us.

Compared to European countries, Russia has fallen behind for many years. Especially compared to Britain, France, and Austria, whose strengths are formidable.

Don’t be misled by the fact that we defeated the Anglo-French forces in the Near East War and took Constantinople from them.

In reality, that war was a game between Russia, Austria, Britain, and France. Russia provided the manpower, Austria provided the materials and equipment, and only after paying a heavy price did we force Britain and France to back down.

Many years have passed, and Britain, France, and Austria have all made significant progress, while we have stagnated and fallen behind them.

In the last war, the Russian Empire didn’t lose to Prussia or the coalition of multiple countries; we lost to ourselves.”