An alliance could not be forged on a whim; its advantages and drawbacks had to be weighed carefully, especially when the prospective ally was the United Kingdom.
France and the United Kingdom had allied more than once before, and judging by their past experiences, the results had never been satisfactory.
Napoleon IV was not beguiled by the United Kingdom's honeyed words. No matter how extravagantly they dressed it up, it only counted once it was put into practice.
As long as Britain and France formed an alliance, Britain would support France's expansion into Central Europe. Napoleon IV did not believe such a massive pie would fall onto his head for no reason.
Yet precisely because the pie they had painted was so enormous, Napoleon IV was reluctant to discard it.
Prime Minister Terence Bulkin said, "Your Majesty, the British proposal appears beneficial to us, but it is actually fraught with sinister intent.
"On the surface, they support our expansion into Central Europe. In reality, they want us to restrain Austria on their behalf.
"Given the current international situation, once we expand into Central Europe, we will incur the combined hostility of every European nation and may even trigger another continental war.
"If the situation truly spirals out of control, I have no faith in the British. With their usual conduct, it would already be something if they did not kick us when we were down..."
That was the truth. The Anti-French Alliance existed in name only because France had not posed a threat to anyone.
Once they showed their Tiger Tooth and made the nations of Europe feel threatened, that nominal alliance would immediately become a genuine one.
Expecting Britain to challenge the European Continent alongside France was worse than having France face the European Continent alone. At least in