Chapter 470: Chapter 43, Napoleon III’s Thoughts
 

After the news of the establishment of the Greater French Empire spread, all of France was in a frenzy. At this moment, Napoleon III’s prestige had reached its peak, threatening to surpass that of his uncle, Napoleon.

From now on, Napoleon III was no longer the successor who had ascended to power through his uncle’s legacy, but a formidable sovereign of France in his own right.

However, the “sovereign” was not in high spirits at the moment, as the reactions of European countries were even more intense than Napoleon III had anticipated. It was uncertain whether the recently acquired Italy could be fully assimilated.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already exhausted many of its people, though they had been working incredibly hard. Still, the news coming back was far from optimistic.

As of now, not a single country in Europe had recognized the legitimacy of the “Greater French Empire.”

In terms of legal reasoning, Napoleon III really could not find any. The Bonaparte family was just a common nobility in Italy, who rose to prominence quickly because of his uncle, Napoleon.

Lacking legitimacy for the throne was one thing—they could have used elections as a stopgap, making do with what they had. But there was no such excuse for the legitimacy of the empire; not that it was insufficient, it simply did not exist.

Flipping through the history books, one finds that Italy and France once belonged to the same country during the Roman era. Still, no matter how shameless, Napoleon III couldn’t bring himself to claim he was a successor to the Roman Empire.

Moreover, the once mighty Frankish kingdom had united most territories of both countries, including parts of Germany.

But that empire was established by the Germanic people, and France had another name: the West Francia. It’s just that now the French don’t really acknowledge that title.

In the year of 843 AD, the Treaty of Verdun legally divided France, Italy, and Germany. The only connection between France and Italy was perhaps that their languages both belonged to the Latin family.

This was of no help. Napoleon III dared not raise the banner of the Carolingian Empire, as that would immediately lead to a fallout with Austria.

Besides, even if he did, this banner would prove useless, as most probably did not even remember that empire. Those who knew their history would question the Emperor’s legitimacy, as Napoleon III had no right of succession.

Europe has always recognized legal principles, and now that interests were involved, they would not readily acknowledge the “Greater French Empire.”

Belgium and Switzerland, originally swayed by the French, were now involuntarily leaning toward Austria, apparently frightened by the voracious appetite of Napoleon III.

There was no help for it; different regions carry different weights. The high profile of the Italian area meant that its occupation would cause a significant impact.

Consider the reaction of various countries when Austria expanded into the Balkan Peninsula—much milder, mainly because the Balkans were seen as the countryside while the Italian area was perceived as a bustling metropolis.

That impression wasn’t wrong. A decade ago, the Balkans were indeed a bucolic backwater, with local production levels stuck in the Middle Ages.

Prosperous regions were concentrated around Constantinople. If an area was economically backward and had been seized from infidels, then it couldn’t count as aggression.

In this regard, the European public’s sense of the bigger picture was quite sound—striking at the detestable Ottoman Empire was politically correct.

But when it came to expansion into Germany, the outcome was completely different. If it weren’t for the ongoing war in the Near East that kept everyone preoccupied, Franz would have had to stop immediately after annexing the South German Region, and Austria would not have had an easy time passing through.

If given a choice, Napoleon III would also have preferred a gradual approach to ease the external pressure.

However, unlike Franz, who was young and could afford to wait, time waits for no man. Born in 1808, Napoleon III was now 62 years old.

In later eras, this age might have been considered the golden years for politicians, but in an era where the average life expectancy of the French hovered around forty, it was already considered a long life.

Watching his health deteriorate day by day, Napoleon III had to think about paving the way for the next generation. He had many illegitimate children, but only one legitimate son, born in 1856, who was just 14 years old.

This age was clearly not sufficient to control such a vast empire. France’s war machine had roared ahead, not something that could simply be reined in at will.

Napoleon III believed he could still manage it, but his youthful son would not be up to the task.

Forcibly annexing the Italian area was a risk that Napoleon III was well aware of, but he did it anyway.

The desire for greatness among the French public was driving the war machine forward. Continuing to expand into the Italian area was only a matter of time; from the moment Sardinia was annexed, the war machine could not be stopped.

Especially with the successful examples of Austria and Prussia, French ambition was further stimulated, and Napoleon III was barely able to hold back the war machine.

Uncertain how much longer his body could endure, should any contingency arise, his young son would clearly be unable to control the empire.

Rather than expanding passively when the time came, it was better to take action now. At least with him at the helm, the chances of success were higher.

“Taking things slowly was definitely not going to work. If he tried to play it as safe as Franz had, it might take twenty years to fully annex the Italian Area, and Napoleon III didn’t have that kind of time.”

“The Italian Area wasn’t so easy to assimilate, and forcing the issue now would only make it harder. France’s main efforts in the future would have to be focused on assimilating the Italian Area.”

“During this period, there would undoubtedly be many troubles, but with the strength of France, they could still be suppressed. After setbacks, even the most radical activists would gradually become more rational, refraining from recklessly initiating wars.”

“As long as France didn’t start a war on the European Continent, there wouldn’t be any danger—a point Napoleon III was quite confident of.”

“The only power on the European Continent with the capability to threaten France was Austria, yet geographical circumstances dictated that whoever initiated conflict between France and Austria would suffer the most.”

“Since Austria had already given up the Italian Area, their strategic focus on the European Continent would no longer be here.”

“As for the Central European Region, Napoleon III had abandoned his previous plans. After consuming the Italian Area, to then aim for Belgium, the Rhineland, and other areas, would likely usher in another coalition against him.”

“No matter what, Italians without a strong nation were certainly easier to rule than the German People of Central Europe.”

“Moreover, by occupying the Italian Area, it would also strengthen France’s influence in the Mediterranean, consolidating its rule over the North African Region.”

“Every advantage has its downside, and the price to pay was maximizing the hatred of every other European country towards us. For a very long time to come, France would be regarded as the least welcome presence in the European world.”

“If handled improperly, an Anti-French Alliance could even arise. To avoid the worst-case scenario, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was naturally very busy.”

“As soon as Foreign Minister Montero came over, Napoleon III, concerned, asked, ‘How is it going, are the Austrians willing to help delay the British?'”

“Drawing Austria to their side was the most important part of French diplomacy right now. Without this major enforcer, other European countries were not a concern.”

“The troublesome steamroller was now preoccupied with farming. After one failure, the Tsarist Government seemed to have become invisible, barely engaging in European affairs.”

“Of course, having too many creditors to face was also a factor. The Tsarist Government was not thick-skinned enough and was busy reducing its profile to avoid being hounded for debts.”

“Spain’s position was also crucial, but their infighting had left them with little capacity to worry about the Italian Area.”

“That left the Great European Nations, namely Prussia, Poland, and the Nordic Federation. These three countries had significant strength, but without a leader, they dared not stir up trouble.”

“Now, by attempting to draw Austria into restraining the British, Napoleon III’s aim was to leave the European countries leaderless and thus avoid the emergence of an Anti-French Alliance.”

“Envoy Montero replied with joy, ‘The Vienna Government has agreed to constrain the British to a limited extent, but they want our support for their actions in the Middle East, as they intend to reclaim the Holy Land.”

“Considering the importance of this issue, our Vienna Envoy has already agreed to the Austrians’ conditions.’

“French influence had also extended to the Middle East, and Napoleon III was also keen on sending troops to reclaim the Holy Land to gain political prestige. It’s just that he was too busy and hadn’t got around to it.”

“Napoleon III made a decisive statement, ‘Well done, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should try to provoke the Vienna Government into declaring war on the Ottoman Empire.”

“If necessary, promise them collaboration in reaping the benefits of the Mediterranean. Let them have the Eastern Mediterranean, including the Ottoman Empire, while we take the Western Mediterranean. Let the British eat dirt!”

“Also, send someone to donate to the German unification organization, and encourage these nationalists to stir up trouble, to create pressure on the Vienna Government and tempt them to act against the German Federation.’

“Anyone can write a blank check, and Napoleon III was no exception. Engaging Austria to hold back the British was merely a probe; he didn’t really expect Austria to succeed in holding them back.”

“Even if they’ve agreed to help now, who knows if the Vienna Government might change its mind in a few days and decide to team up with the British to create trouble. When it comes to interests, promises are unreliable.”

“The division of Mediterranean interests, in effect, started when the French occupied the Italian Area, creating a fait accompli, merely adding the Ottoman Empire into the equation.”

“However, Austria would have to fight the Ottoman Empire on their own, and they could only share spoils if they won.”

“No matter the benefits Austria could attain, as long as they wage war against the Ottoman Empire or attempt to annex the German Federation, Napoleon III would rest easy.”

“He simply wasn’t aware that Franz had already decided to be a spectator, or else he wouldn’t be worried. Since he didn’t know that, the best strategy was to keep Austria busy elsewhere, to prevent them from turning their attention towards France.”

“Montero nodded; it was not the best choice, but certainly the safest. As long as Austria made a move, the precarious situation of France would no longer exist.”