Vienna Palace
Foreign Minister Wessenberg said with a smile, "Your Majesty, in seeking our support, Russia and Prussia have offered almost identical terms.
"The Russians promise that if we support them, we may obtain Silesia after the war; Prussia promises that if we remain neutral, it will cede the Silesian Region to us after the war."
The Russians' promise was generosity with someone else's property. The Tsarist Government would not mind buying Austria off with Prussia's interests.
The Berlin Government's promise was born of desperation. They were unwilling to give up Silesia as well, but to win the war, they had to steady Austria first.
If they won this war, they could recover all they had paid tenfold; if they lost, Silesia would not be theirs to keep anyway.
Though so many years had passed, the Austrians still bore a grudge over the Silesian Region. Especially in recent years, as their strength grew, calls within the Vienna Government to reclaim the Silesian Region had become increasingly loud.
Once the Kingdom of Prussia showed weakness, Austria would certainly kick it while it was down. The Berlin Government therefore had no choice but to stabilize Austria first.
Seeing Felix hesitate as if he wanted to speak but held back, Franz asked, "What does the Prime Minister think?"
Prime Minister Felix answered, "Your Majesty, neither of these is the best choice. What we need is for Prussia and Russia to wound each other badly.
"Our alliance with the Russians is already an eyesore. Every country in Europe is working to break it apart. If the Tsarist Government continues winning, the troubles we face in the future will only multiply.
"For us, the Russian Empire is already powerful enough. If the Tsarist Government completes its internal reforms, it will be difficult to say whether