With all its neighbors beginning to prepare for war, the French Government naturally had no choice. At this point, even if it did not start a war, it could only follow suit and arm itself.
In any case, Napoleon IV did not believe in so-called neighborly friendship. Given France's relations with the surrounding nations, the moment the balance of power tipped, someone would come knocking at its door within minutes.
In this age where the weak were prey to the strong, weakness was the greatest original sin—let alone when everyone already bore grudges against one another.
Since ancient times, military expansion had been regarded as the prelude to war. The French Government's actions further intensified everyone's panic, and for a time, storm clouds gathered over the European Continent as the winds filled the tower.
London
British Foreign Secretary George pointed at the map of Europe on the wall and said, "So far, the plan has proceeded smoothly overall.
"Although we failed to incite Austria to send troops to unify the German region, the French have taken the bait.
"Influenced by the tense situation, the Paris Government has already begun a massive military expansion. Once they have taken this step, there will be no turning back.
"The only problem is that too many countries have been dragged in. The French Government's diplomacy is truly abysmal. They have not found a single ally—not even managing to hold on to the Spanish.
"Under the current circumstances, if we do not step in to help, once war breaks out, Austria is highly likely to form an Anti-French coalition and pull Belgium, the German Confederation, Switzerland, Spain, and other countries into besieging the French."
Military expansion and war preparations were no laughing matter, especially in such tense times. Once a government expanded its military,