Iron Dynasty Chapter 1157

The intelligence from Europe was laid out on Xiao Ming's desk. Austria had withdrawn from the European battlefield, and Prussia and France had a truce and officially recognized Henry's rule over France. In just a few months, the changes in the European situation were more volatile than the summer weather.

However, Xiao Ming did not care about these changes. To him, Henry had already achieved his goal. Both Prussia and Austria suffered considerable losses in the war against France, and Henry's army also suffered many casualties in the war. This war had forced the three land powers of Europe to rebuild their strength to fight the Empire for a while. And what the Empire needed right now was precisely this window of opportunity to strengthen the mechanization of its army.

"Prussia has recognized Henry's legal status over France. To the Empire, Henry could become the Empire's enemy at any time, because Henry no longer needs the Empire's help," Cui Shang'an analyzed.

Xiao Ming nodded. Prussia's sudden change surprised him a little, but he could guess Frederick II's purpose. Based on Prussia's historical nature, its next target would definitely be Austria and the Hungarian region, which also belonged to the Holy Roman Empire. To avoid continued war with Henry, he would likely team up with France to partition Austria.

"Henry once agreed to recognize the Empire's occupation of French Indochina, Canada, and Tangier. To test Henry, we just need to send an envoy to France and have him sign the agreement. If he chooses to stall, it means Henry is preparing to betray the alliance," Xiao Ming said thoughtfully.

"What if Henry really is preparing to betray the alliance?" Cui Shang'an asked.

"I never expected Henry to acknowledge it. So, during the French civil war, I took the opportunity to seize their colonies. Whether he acknowledges it or not, I will not spit out the meat that I have eaten. However, if he doesn't acknowledge it, the Empire can use the opportunity to stop its aid to him," Xiao Ming said.

After a pause, he said, "Tang Wenjie will handle the diplomatic matters. Your main task now is military preparation. The Suez Canal has been opened, which provides the conditions for the Empire to increase its military presence in Europe. Whether to protect the Empire's oil interests or to use force to open up the European market, the Empire needs to increase its military deployment in Suez and Tangier. I want you to deploy 50,000 people there within three years and build these two places into the Empire's impregnable military bases."

Cui Shang'an nodded. The Empire was now heavily engaged in agricultural construction in its African colonies. The fertile land of Africa, combined with the Empire's agricultural technology, had led to a bountiful harvest in one plantation after another.

The grain, vegetables, and meat from these plantations were supplied directly to the Empire's overseas military bases, saving the arduous task of transporting supplies from the Empire thousands of miles away.

In the past, it would have been almost impossible for the Empire to deploy 50,000 people here, but now it was very easy. After all, in the industrialized Empire, the farms in Africa were also mechanized, and the efficiency was very high.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Cui Shang'an responded and turned to leave.

Watching Cui Shang'an leave, Xiao Ming glanced at the intelligence documents. In fact, he was not very concerned about the changes in Europe anymore. This was because, for the Empire, the gap in strength between the two sides was getting bigger and bigger.

The reason he was muddying the waters in Europe was simply to save some effort when it was time to deal with Europe. After all, there were many European countries, and the situation was complex. Some countries even changed several times a year, so it was unrealistic to focus on supporting a certain person.

The Empire's utilization of France was over. The next country the Empire would cooperate with would be Austria. In short, he would not let Europe be so peaceful.

Deciding to adjust his policy toward Europe, Xiao Ming immediately sent a delegation to Austria. And as he had guessed, less than a month after the delegation departed, new changes appeared in Europe. France and Prussia jointly attacked Austria. On the tenth day of Austria's attack, the Imperial delegation arrived in Vienna.

"Beasts. Both Henry and Frederick II are beasts. Austria should not have danced with them." Facing Tang Wenjie, Franz angrily denounced the shameless actions of the two countries. In ten days, Austria's territory in Poland had been annexed, and at the same time, sixteen cities on its southwestern border had been lost. The French army, which had experienced a civil war, was very brave and skilled in combat. Coupled with the advanced weapons provided by the Empire, the Austrian army was retreating.

"It's not too late for Your Majesty to realize this. Henry has also betrayed the alliance with the Empire." Tang Wenjie said. After arriving at Suez City, which the Empire had built on the Mediterranean coast of the Suez Canal, Tang Wenjie first sent people to Paris. In Paris, his people were given a cold shoulder, and Henry never appeared from beginning to end. The agreement was naturally left unresolved.

It must be said that Henry's move was very clever. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the Empire without directly denying his original promise. But in Tang Wenjie's opinion, this was enough to directly brand Henry as having betrayed the alliance. The Empire would not beat around the bush with Henry on this issue. He could only appreciate his own performance.

Franz was calm on the surface, but his heart was on the verge of collapse. Faced with the two-pronged attack from France and Prussia, Austria would not be able to hold on for long. He said, "That Henry deserves to die. He should be punished by the Empire with a fiery blaze."

Tang Wenjie smiled and said, "This time, I have full authorization from the Emperor. I have now ordered the merchant ships in the Mediterranean to stop transporting supplies to France. The evil deeds of France and Prussia have disrupted the regional balance of Europe, which is something the Empire cannot tolerate. I think it is also something that Your Majesty cannot tolerate."

"You are right." Franz also smiled. He knew that what Tang Wenjie said were just formalities. "Regional balance" was nonsense. The Empire's goal was to contain Prussia and France. However, he could only agree now, so he said, "The esteemed Emperor of the Empire is truly a man of great understanding. We in Austria are willing to cooperate with the Empire, but now, faced with the attacks from France and Prussia, I'm afraid we don't have much time."

Tang Wenjie was not worried at all. He took out an agreement and said, "To maintain peace in Europe, we have decided to establish the Vienna Convention Organization. As long as Austria is firm in its agreement, it will be considered to have joined the Vienna Convention Organization. From then on, the Empire and Austria will become the founding countries of this Convention Organization."

Franz looked confused. He said, "Then what is the use of this organization to Austria?"

Tang Wenjie smiled. "The purpose of this organization is for the signatory countries to carry out collective defense. When any signatory country goes to war with another country, the other signatory countries must provide assistance, including the use of military force. How does that sound?"