The Shadow of Great Britain

Arthur and Schneider heard these words and their eyes turned playful.

There's no need to say more, this young French noble from 1805 is likely an Orleans, and now, 28 years later, he's already become a king.

Schneider savored the wine in his glass: "No wonder when the July Revolution happened, Metternich was so restrained, repeatedly assuring the Russians: he believed this French revolution posed no threat to other European countries. I remember the Tsar of Russia even suspected Metternich of losing his mind at the time, because in the past, Metternich was far more eager to suppress revolutions than he was."

Being the King of France, yet once having intended to join the Anti-France Alliance, this news is even more shocking than Louis Bonaparte becoming a policeman in Britain. If the Austrians chose to publish this document, Louis Philippe would be utterly ruined.

This also explains why during the July Revolution in 1830, Metternich, a renowned conservative in Europe, not only didn't criticize the Parisians who revolted but instead blamed Charles X for his downfall due to foolish ruling measures.

Louis Philippe of France had just ascended the throne in July and by the end of August, he anxiously sent General Belliard to Vienna.

According to intelligence from the British Foreign Office, during three meetings in Vienna with Metternich, and while meeting the Austrian Emperor, General Belliard went to great lengths to convince the Austrians that Louis Philippe, the new ruler elevated to the throne by revolution, would fully stand by the "Treaty of Vienna" and would not allow revolutionary movements to spread beyond France.

Moreover, Louis Philippe sent a personal letter to the Austrian court, boasting that compared to the deposed Charles X, he was a protector of order, dedicated to maintaining stability and peace in Europe.

The Austrian Emperor and Prime Minister Metternich were evidently pleased with this letter, so they soon recognized Louis Philippe's government as the legitimate regime of France and actively engaged in diplomatic relations with the new government.

In establishing diplomatic ties with France, they moved even faster than Britain.

This approach caused Tsar Nicholas I to be constantly suspicious during that period, doubting whether the Austrian Empire had already compromised with the Liberals, and if the 'Holy Alliance' was disintegrating just like that?

Those Austrians...

Could they be...

Conspiring with France and Britain to overthrow monarchies like mine!

Thinking of this, Arthur could only sigh, in terms of choosing rulers, indeed France has a tradition.

Apart from those who are most loyal to France, anyone, be it traitors, short men, foreigners, or separatists, can become the master of France.

However, Feng Kromeier's words reminded Arthur, when he left Scotland Yard, he had Ledley destroy Louis' archived files, or, rather, they were burned by the rioters in the London riots.

Yet, because Arthur was too sentimental, he still kept a copy of Louis' employment records, including his oath of office.

Of course, this was mainly for commemorative purposes, Arthur could swear to God, just like Schneider, pressing his heart, that he had no intention of using this for any other purpose.

Hmm...

But thinking about it...

Arthur turned his head, suddenly feeling that Heine taking subsidies from France didn't seem so severe anymore.

After all, the current French King Louis Philippe was, strictly speaking, a collaborator.

And his little brother Louis lived on the enemy's royal compensation, so if it were to be pursued seriously, he couldn't escape the label of a puppet.

As for Heine, his situation was probably akin to hiding in the concession, living off foreign relief while writing rebellious articles.

With that comparison, even Eld's image suddenly seemed much purer.

In any case, Eld's feelings for the University of London were genuine, although he was greedy, lustful, and foul-mouthed, cursing the Royal Navy, he still went to sea with the Beagle, spending many years abroad!

All in all, according to traditional moral views, Eld was at most minorly flawed.

However, the three mentioned earlier were lacking in significant virtue.

Nonetheless, this also verified Feng Kromeier's statement, Arthur's social circle was indeed quite mixed.

While Arthur was lost in his thoughts, Schneider and Feng Kromeier started chatting again: "If for this reason, you believe that Louis Philippe couldn't possibly support Young Italy's expedition against the Northern Italian States under Austrian control, there's indeed reason."

"Reason? What reason?"

Feng Kromeier, as if suddenly afflicted with amnesia: "I just told you a little story, as for who that young noble of France is? Perhaps no one will ever know. Of course, if Young Italy indeed launches an expedition, perhaps we will soon see the truth of that letter."

At this point, Feng Kromeier suddenly frowned, paused, then put down his knife and fork and said: "No, are you sure Young Italy's expedition is targeting Tuscany, Lombardy, Parma, or Modena?"

The places Feng Kromeier mentioned were all Italian states under Austrian control.

Among them, the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia not only had Austrian garrisons but was also directly administered by Austria.

The Duchy of Modena, Duchy of Parma, and Grand Duchy of Tuscany were nominally independent, but their rulers were members of the Austrian royal Habsburg family, hence they were also considered traditional Austrian spheres of influence.

However, as Feng Kromeier speculated, Mazzini's Young Italy did not choose to start from states under Austrian control this time, but instead chose to act in the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, controlled by the Savoyard Family.

The new king of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, Carlo Alberto, had just ascended to the throne not long ago. This new king was relatively progressive in thought and actively promoted some liberal reforms domestically, and due to differing views, his relationship with Austria was also quite subtle.

When Carlo Alberto just came to power, Young Italy and the Charcoal Party once held high hopes for him, believing that this Italian king should take on the responsibility of unifying Italy.

However, no matter how they pressured him in public discourse, this new king remained deaf and dumb, even arresting some revolutionaries causing trouble in the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont.

And such actions instantly enraged Young Italy.

As is well known, feelings born from love turning to hate are usually deeper than ordinary hatred.

Mazzini and others targeted the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont in part because its military strength was not as formidable as the Austrians, and partly because Carlo Alberto greatly disappointed them, so they had to give him a lesson.

Arthur originally wanted to create some diplomatic friction between France and Austria through Young Italy's expedition, giving Metternich and Louis Philippe something to deal with before this year's Munich conference.

Because this year's priority for the Foreign Office was to address the Portuguese Civil War issue, according to Viscount Palmerston's plan, when Britain couldn't free up resources to manage other affairs, it was best if other countries were also occupied. Especially when Britain had just suffered silently over the Ottoman and Egyptian issues, it was necessary to find other topics for discussion in the international news section of London's major newspapers.

But what Arthur didn't expect was that Louis Philippe had skeletons in his closet, and the evidence of his misdeeds was in the hands of the Austrians.

So, to convince Feng Kromeier of his story, he had to offer another explanation.

He glanced tentatively at Schneider and casually asked: "How's the bank's business?"