Baron Lawis was deeply frustrated. He had never imagined that, as the British ambassador, he would be dragged into an alley and beaten up.
What frustrated the baron even more was that the people who beat him were a group of Irishmen. He had thought it was an international dispute, but under the Austrian government's maneuvering, it had become an ethnic dispute within Britain.
Most of all, Baron Lawis had never expected the Austrian Empire to be so hard-line and unreasonable, even threatening to continue its war with the Ottomans.
On the other hand, the Ottoman army had performed so miserably that it had inflicted fewer than a hundred casualties on the Austrian army. It had not even posed as great a threat as the Albanian militias. No wonder the Austrians were so confident.
With no other options, Baron Lawis could only send the news back to London as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the news from Saint Petersburg was no more encouraging.
Only Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, president of the French Second Republic, had indicated he was willing to negotiate, but his price certainly wouldn't be low.
In truth, the British ambassador had misunderstood Louis Bonaparte. France's newly inaugurated president was eager to improve relations with Britain.
However, Louis Bonaparte hoped the British would make the first move, so he often came across as aloof. In the British ambassador's eyes, that simply meant the British offer wasn't high enough.
"More money?"
Prince Albert flew into a rage, sprang to his feet, and slapped the letter down on his desk. He couldn't help but roar,
"Louis Napoleon—what is he supposed to be? His uncle was defeated by us! What right does he have to negotiate with us?"
"Your Highness, Cyprus is in French hands. We can't afford to let this opportunity slip