Chapter 304 Mediation

As the Austro-Hungarian Empire exerted force on multiple fronts, Italy soon became unable to withstand it. At the end of 1870, the Austro-Hungarian Empire crossed Venice and Lombardy and headed towards the former Kingdom of Sardinia.

Seeing that the Kingdom of Italy was in doom, the British had to step in for emergency mediation. After contacting the Russians, the three Franco-Prussian countries sent representatives at the same time. On January 3, 1871, Italy and Austria negotiated an armistice in Birmingham, England.

Birmingham.

Italian diplomat Gamor: "The Austro-Hungarian Empire blatantly sent troops to launch a war of aggression against the Kingdom of Italy, causing huge losses to the Kingdom of Italy. The Austro-Hungarian Empire must fully withdraw its troops from the Kingdom of Italy and compensate the Kingdom of Italy for its losses."

"Pfft!" Austrian Foreign Minister Friedrich couldn't help but laugh out loud. For those who didn't know, he thought Italy had defeated Vienna!

Friedrich: "You are better at confusing right and wrong. Who is actually responsible for the war has been clear from the beginning. Under the repeated emphasis of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy ignored the opposition of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Insisting on launching an attack on the sovereign Papal State is intolerable for any Catholic country, and the Kingdom of Italy, not to mention the Kingdom of Sardinia, has always been a warmonger, so the Kingdom of Sardinia must fight for itself Pay the price for your actions!”

Gamor: "The Kingdom of Sardinia has the mission of unifying the Italian region, so our actions are supported by the entire Italian region. This is what the people want, not warmongers."

Friedrich: "Oh! It's really interesting to see what everyone expected. The scene I saw was not what everyone expected. The soldiers and civilians of the Papal State worked with the Austro-Hungarian Empire to oppose the invasion of the Kingdom of Sardinia. At the same time, in the Venetian region, the Venetian citizens tried their best to cooperate with the Austrians. The Hungarian army destroyed the Sardinian army in the city, and the Kingdom of Naples was restored. All this shows that the emergence of the Kingdom of Italy was a mistake, and you just used violence to force everyone together."

Gamor: "All this is caused by you, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, who are causing trouble behind the scenes. You collude with the enemies of the Italian people and oppose the unification of Italy for your own selfish desires."

Friedrich: "Mr. Gamor, you can't say nonsense. It is obviously your own actions that are unpopular, which led the Papal State to invite the Austro-Hungarian Empire to intervene militarily to stop the invasion of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Before that, we The Austro-Hungarian Empire has always maintained restraint, but the Kingdom of Sardinia turned a blind eye to the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s warnings for its own selfish desires, which finally triggered the war.”

Gamor: "Hmph! How do you explain the Austro-Hungarian Empire's army that appeared in Rome? The Papal State is separated from the Austrian mainland by the Adriatic Sea and the Kingdom of Italy, and the sudden appearance of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's army in Rome proves that you were there early. It was premeditated and the hole was dug, just waiting for us Italy to jump in."

"Hahaha!" Friedrich laughed heartily, "You also said this is a pit, but if your Kingdom of Sardinia were not too greedy, who could force you to jump into the pit? Besides, Austria-Hungary The imperial army accepted the invitation of His Majesty the Pope to protect the security of the Papal State on behalf of France. In terms of power and reason, the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not go out of its way."

Italy and Austria had a heated debate over who was the right side of the war.

"Okay, stop arguing!" British Foreign Secretary Earl Granville ended the speeches of both parties. "I called you here to solve the problem, not to quarrel. Now the problem in Italy has seriously affected the stability of the region. , so both parties should first state the results they want. We will not discuss right or wrong first, but strive for better peace in the future."

Gamor: "The attitude of the Kingdom of Italy is consistent. The Austro-Hungarian Empire must unconditionally withdraw its troops from areas including Venice and Lombardy, and no longer interfere in Italy's internal affairs. This is the bottom line of our Kingdom of Italy."

Friedrich: "Humph, the war has come to this point, and I still want to simply stop. But I dare to think that if all small countries provoke big countries like this, they can just say sorry later and no longer be held responsible. Already?"

Count Granville reminded: "Your Excellency Friedrich, we should wait to discuss these words later. Now we will put forward the Austro-Hungarian Empire's armistice request."

Friedrich: "As the initiator of the war, the Kingdom of Italy must be punished. The Kingdom of Sardinia does not have the conditions to unify Italy, so the Kingdom of Italy should change its name back to the Kingdom of Sardinia, recognize the independence of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and at the same time ensure There will never be another invasion of the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples, and eventually the Austro-Hungarian Empire will regain Venice and Lombardy."

"This is impossible!" Gamor snapped, "We, the Kingdom of Italy, will never agree."

Count Granville also said: "Your country's request is too harsh, and Venice and Lombardy are Italian territories, and the people living there are also Italians, so Your Excellency Friedrich, your country should change its plan. !”

As a British person, Count Granville naturally did not want to see the Austro-Hungarian Empire continue to strengthen, so he said this.

Friedrich sneered: "Venice and Lombardy were the inherent territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire ten years ago. As for the Italians living there, if the Kingdom of Sardinia wants it, we can give it to you. And if it is just because of differences, If the country can be divided if nations live in one area, I think Ireland and Scotland..."

Friedrich did not continue, but Count Granville knew what he meant.

Count Granville was a little displeased: "We will only discuss the Italian issue today. Don't discuss unnecessary topics. As for the issues of Venice and Lombardy, we will put them aside for now. Let's discuss the issue of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies."

Gamor: "The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies no longer exists, and even the current regime of the Kingdom of Naples is illegal."

Friedrich: "This is not your decision. The Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily are both countries with long histories, and their monarchs are also the monarchs of the original two countries, so the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies should exist independently."

The Kingdom of Two Sicilies is composed of the Kingdom of Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples. Now the Kingdom of Naples belongs to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while Sicily, where the Kingdom of Sicily was originally located, is under the rule of the Kingdom of Italy. The Austro-Hungarian Empire naturally hopes to strengthen the power of Naples.

Count Granville said: "Since this is also controversial, let's pass it first."