In Saint Petersburg, Alexander III received an affirmative reply from the Vienna Government, yet he could not bring himself to rejoice.
"Franz has always refused to act until he sees the rabbit. This time, he agreed so readily without raising a single condition. Do you think there might be some conspiracy behind this?"
Alexander III could hardly be blamed for being so suspicious. The Russian Empire had suffered too many silent losses over the past few decades, leaving him with lasting psychological scars.
Foreign Minister Oscar Jimenez replied, "Your Majesty, you are overthinking it. It may look as though the Austrian Government is helping us, but in truth, they are helping themselves as well.
"The British want an arms race precisely to target France and Austria. Now Britain, France, and Austria are all riding a tiger they cannot dismount. Until a victor emerges, none of them can stop.
"Whether or not the Afghanistan issue exists, the Austrian Government will be dragged into this arms race.
"By supporting us now, they not only create trouble for their competitors, but also do us a favor at no cost."
There was nothing wrong with that reasoning. The Vienna Government had indeed agreed to help restrain the British, but in reality, apart from shouting a few slogans, they did not need to do anything else.
The arms race was already underway, and construction had begun on many warships. They could hardly halt work and leave them sitting there, could they?
Even if the British dispersed their strength over the Central Asia issue and wanted to pause this game, France and Austria, having already joined in, would never agree.
Britain, France, and Austria had competed for decades. None believed itself inferior to the others. If one side said stop and everyone stopped, where would that