Facts proved that allies were not so easy to find. These days, there were only a handful of countries qualified to ally with France, and because of conflicting interests, even fewer were actually willing to do so.
Alliances also had to follow the principle of equality. If the disparity in strength between the two sides was too great, then one was not looking for an ally, but for a lackey.
From the bottom of his heart, Napoleon IV was naturally willing to take on lackeys. The problem was that no one was stupid—why should anyone become France's lackey for no reason?
In theory, once France showed signs of defeat, the British would likely support them for the sake of the balance of power on the continent, and the countries of Europe would also cease their little acts of sabotage.
Unfortunately, that existed only in theory. The prerequisite was that the upper echelons of every government remained absolutely rational and allowed no personal feelings to interfere.
Clearly, that was impossible. Politicians were people too, with the same seven emotions and six desires as ordinary folk. Once emotions were involved, they would inevitably affect their decisions to some extent.
Given France's relationship with the various countries, there were countless people who wanted them dead. If they showed weakness and played dead, they might really end up dead.
Napoleon IV did not dare gamble. Even as the situation in Africa worsened and France gradually fell into a strategic disadvantage, he could only keep the lid tightly shut and put on a show of strength to intimidate the European powers.
"Allies?"
"Who can become our true allies?"
This was a question from the depths of the soul. France currently had only one ally: Britain. Unfortunately, that ally was unreliable.
To sum it up in