Holy Roman Empire

The setting sun dipped below the horizon, bathing the earth in a radiant sunset glow that cast a deep red light across the land.

The sound of artillery fire in Paris had ceased, and the government forces had breached the city. Sporadic gunshots could still be heard occasionally, seemingly voicing the revolutionaries’ reluctance to yield.

Returning to the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon IV’s heart was in turmoil. The once magnificent palace now lay in ruins.

To Napoleon IV, the Palace of Versailles was not just a palace; it was where he was born and raised. The sudden loss of a home brought a sorrow that only those who experienced it could understand.

Perhaps driven by a desire for vengeance, the Paris Revolutionary Government destroyed this symbol of imperial power right before their downfall, seemingly swearing an unending hatred between the two sides.

In a sense, they had succeeded. The Palace of Versailles was the symbol of the French monarchy, and its destruction signified the loss of the monarchy’s supreme dignity, not just the obliteration of a structure.

With a pale face, Napoleon IV asked in a trembling voice, "Have the rebel leaders been captured?"

At that moment, Napoleon IV had only one thought: to arrest the ones who had destroyed his "home" and scatter their ashes to calm his raging heart.

Security Minister Ansoche replied anxiously, "Not yet, it is said that on the third day of our assault, the rebel leaders had fled."

The ease with which Paris was conquered was directly related to the flight of the Revolutionary Party’s leaders.

This was Paris, where too many buildings filled the government troops with trepidation, and heavy artillery was out of the question.

If it weren’t for the loss of their leadership, the internal forces fighting on their own, this "Battle for Paris" could have lasted a month or two with little trouble, and with stiffer resistance, perhaps even up to a year or half more.

Good manners are nothing against the harsh reality. Consumed by rage, Napoleon IV roared, "If you haven’t caught anyone, what are you doing here?

Go and arrest them now, and if you can’t bring me the rebel leaders, don’t bother coming back!"

A single phrase surfaced in Ansoche’s mind: "There would be payback after the fall". As the Minister of Police, Ansoche was directly responsible for this nationwide revolution.

Like previous revolutions, if the police had been a bit more effective, most of the time, things wouldn’t have escalated to the worst case scenario.

The inefficiency of the police was dictated by France’s national conditions, and it was unfair to blame the Minister of Police alone. But the world has never been fair, and Ansoche must bear this burden.

The inefficiency of the police was due to many reasons, and Napoleon IV couldn’t change this national condition; even replacing the entire police system would make no difference.

Before retaking Paris, it was necessary to pull together, and no matter his dissatisfaction, Napoleon IV had to endure it.

Payback was supposed to come later, once the domestic situation had stabilized. But now, provoked by the destruction of the Palace of Versailles, he could not hold back any longer and lashed out prematurely.

Ansoche hesitated to speak further, knowing that to explain was to excuse, and that responsibilities for what had happened, regardless of the reasons, could not be escaped.

Capturing the rebel leaders was just a pretext for his dismissal; if the French police were that capable, the Revolutionary Party would have been dissipated long ago.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After speaking, Ansoche left without looking back.

Watching his retreating figure, everyone felt a sinking feeling, and a sense of empathetic sorrow naturally arose.

Rebellion required someone to take responsibility. With such unrest, someone of sufficient significance within the government had to bear the consequences, and that person could certainly not be the Emperor.

Napoleon IV was not yet of age, and without an heir, his abdication would spell the end of the Bonaparte Dynasty.

Merely having a Security Minister was clearly insufficient, and to complicate matters further, Napoleon IV had not appointed a Prime Minister, casting the situation into further confusion.

Noticing the somewhat awkward atmosphere, Foreign Minister Terence Burkin, who bore the least responsibility, spoke up, "Your Majesty, it is getting late, you should settle down for now!"

The Palace of Versailles had become ruins and could not be repaired in a short time, necessitating a new residence for the Emperor.

…

While Napoleon IV was still looking for a new home, the British could no longer hold back. After seeing the French government suppress the Paris Revolution, the British Government wanted to get involved in the Near East War.

During a Cabinet meeting, Foreign Minister George said, "The Paris rebellion has been quelled, and the situation in France has stabilized. The Italian Independence Organization won’t last much longer.

The focus of our foreign policy should now be the Near East War. From the current situation, the Ottomans are performing quite well.

Facing multi-front assaults from the Anti-Turkish Alliance, they’ve managed an organized retreat, which has exceeded our expectations. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

I propose we increase our support for the Sultan Government to help them withstand the first wave of the Anti-Turkish Alliance’s offensive and thwart the Austrian conspiracy."

Prime Minister Gladstone frowned with incredulity, asking, "My Foreign Minister, are you sure you’re not mistaken? Can the Ottomans alone hold against the Anti-Turkish Alliance’s offensive?"

"The first wave of the offensive" was directly filtered by Gladstone to mean "the offensive." In Gladstone’s mind, it was already beyond expectations if the Ottomans could even barely survive against the encirclement of two great empires. Stay tuned with empire

Foreign Minister George confidently replied, "I can assure you, the information from the embassy confirms this.

The Ottomans are resisting fiercely. Now it is a total war effort, and the Anti-Turkish Alliance is making painful progress.

Along the coast of the Marmara Sea, the Ottoman Army has defeated the Anti-Turkish Alliance multiple times, achieving significant victories.

Given the current situation, as long as they have sufficient supplies, the Ottoman Empire can hold out for two or three years.

Such a long period could give the French enough time to catch their breath.

By then, we could join forces with other European countries to pressure Austria to abandon its plan to annex the Ottomans, and the chances of success are very high.

At the very least, we can force Austria to accept the reality of North Germany’s unification by the Treaty of Depp."

In maintaining the balance of power in Europe, the UK Foreign Office has always been at the forefront, maintaining the fine tradition of "pressure the strongest country on the European Continent."

After some hesitation, Gladstone waved his hand and said, "Since you are so confident, then go ahead and try.

I look forward to good news of your plan’s success.

However, in supporting the Ottoman Empire, we still need to invest cautiously, considering the sunk costs."

Lack of confidence did not prevent Gladstone from accepting the plan. The Great Britain Empire was wealthy and strong, and a mere amount of supplies was of no concern to them.

Ten thousand bullets, as long as they could wound or kill an Austrian Soldier, would mean the London Government made a killing.