"Hmph!"
"The Austrians are certain we wouldn't dare..."
The words reached Nicholas II's lips, but he swallowed them back down. There was no helping it—the Tsarist Government truly did not dare tear up the alliance treaty now.
With the treaty still in place, there were at least constraints. At most, the Vienna Government would make petty moves in secret; openly, it would not target the Russian Empire.
Once the treaty was gone, it would no longer be merely a matter of restricting supplies of strategic materials. They would openly support independence movements.
"Dismembering the Russian Empire"—that was the shared dream of Europe's politicians, and Vienna would naturally be no exception.
The domestic rebels were already troublesome enough. If the world hegemon stood behind them as well, the situation ahead would become even harder to contain.
Nicholas II's strategic vision might have been poor, but he was thoroughly versed in the rules of the political game. He knew how to use those rules to the Russian Empire's greatest advantage.
"Forget it. Since the Austrians are making excuses, set these foreign affairs aside for now. Once we catch our breath, we'll find an opportunity to settle accounts with them.
"As allies, we asked them for aid. Surely the Vienna Government can't simply offer nothing?"
One had no choice but to endure. Though the Russian Bear was accustomed to charging headlong, that did not mean they did not know how to lie low and bide their time.
So many countries were plotting against Russia at present that it was obvious the Tsarist Government had incurred public wrath. Even if the Vienna Government was willing to support them, there was little it could actually do.
To the Vienna Government, Russia was an ally, but so were the countries of Europe. Since this was an