Why not go to war with the Ottomans was a question in the hearts of many Austrians. After all, in their eyes, crusading against heretics and demons was perfectly justified.
"Yes! While the Ottomans are fighting the Russians, we can kick them while they're down—and settle accounts with those damned British along the way."
Several well-dressed gentlemen who had just come downstairs chimed in.
In truth, hostility toward Britain ran deep among the Austrian Empire's elite as well. After all, the first thing they saw upon opening their eyes to the world was the British slandering them.
The art of smearing others was still rather primitive in this era. People basically said whatever came to mind, with no regard for reality, since many of those writing such articles had never even set foot in Austria.
Moreover, although Franz had continued doing his utmost in recent years to avoid competing with Britain, the private commercial sectors did not care about any of that. The two sides had long since come to blows.
"Do you think war is some street brawl? Kicking them while they're down? Seizing the opportunity? Doesn't moving an army take time? Doesn't declaring war take time? Don't you need a reason?
"Even if the Ottoman Empire is weak, it still has twenty or thirty million people. Is it really something you can just attack whenever you please?
"And have you considered what will happen after the Ottoman Empire collapses?"
The speaker was Ludwig von Renz. He had long been carrying out assignments in the overseas colonies, and after returning home, his strongest impression was that people today were far more radical than radicals like them had ever been.
"Isn't it a good thing if our enemy collapses?"
A student retorted.
"The death of a decaying empire, the collapse