Being an ally was no easy task either. The great powers of Europe were riddled with contradictions, and Austria had only one possible ally. Once it chose a side, everyone else became an enemy.
Perhaps Metternich had seen through the heart of the matter long ago. After the war against France, he had taken the initiative to contract Austria's sphere of influence, striving to balance the strengths of the European nations and placing Austria in a position above the fray.
For this era, those diplomatic measures could all be considered successful. The sole failure was Austria's internal reforms; its own strength had failed to keep pace.
Without sufficient strength, the Vienna System naturally could not be sustained. Austria had to make another choice.
"Let's wait and see what stakes the British offer. If they insist on continuing to support Italian unification, then the Kingdom of Sardinia cannot be allowed to remain.
"At worst, we'll suffer a little loss and help the French manage their share of the territory for now. Once their domestic situation stabilizes, we can sell it back to them!" Franz said viciously.
On the Italian question, the French were undoubtedly open to being bought off. They had long been eyeing the Italian region like a tiger watching its prey, while Austria's strategic focus was not here at all. There was no conflict between their core interests.
Kingdom of Sardinia. Charles Albert had become like an ant on a hot pan; the course of the war had diverged far too greatly from his expectations.
In the age of firearms, victory could no longer be won merely by having greater numbers.
Even though the Sardinian army had erupted with unprecedented ferocity, with home-field morale +200%, it still could not change the fact that it was a rabble.
On