Saint Petersburg. Ever since receiving news that Britain and France were preparing to form an alliance, Alexander III had been unable to sit still.
He had originally hoped to win over the French and combine the strength of Russia, France, and Austria to strike at Britain. He had never expected the situation to reverse so quickly.
Alexander III asked hopefully, "Has the news been confirmed?"
Deep down, he dearly hoped it was nothing more than a rumor.
Once Britain and France formed an alliance, the Austrian Navy would be powerless to stand against their combined forces. The Vienna Government could not possibly go head-to-head with both nations at sea.
The ongoing naval arms race between Britain, France, and Austria was about to come to an end.
The Vienna Government's earlier promise to use the arms race to tie down the British would naturally come to nothing as well.
Although Austria had never intended to honor that promise from the beginning and had already prepared its excuses, the Russians did not know that.
After all, the Vienna Government's reputation was good enough. It had never broken an agreement all these years, and Alexander III had never doubted it.
Once the arms race ended, the Russian Empire would have to face a wealthy and powerful Britain.
Because of the Anglo-French alliance, Austria would also be tied down by France. The Russian Empire could only confront the British alone.
Foreign Minister Oscar Jimenez replied, "The news has been verified. Britain's Foreign Secretary George arrived in Paris as early as half a month ago, and the two countries are conducting alliance negotiations.
"The Foreign Ministry has ordered the embassy in Paris to closely monitor the negotiations. Any news will be sent back immediately."
Stop them, interfere, sabotage?
None of that was possible. Britain and