CHAPTER 596: CHAPTER 587 MEETING WITH ALBERT

"Go back and tell Jerome, I will definitely attend on time!"

Faced with Jerome Bonaparte’s invitation, Franz Joseph agreed without any hesitation.

The reason he was willing to come to France for the parade hosted by the French Empire was precisely to draw closer to the Anglo-French Alliance, so that the Austrian Empire could integrate into the ranks of the Anglo-French Alliance.

Now that the relationship between the Austrian Empire and the French Empire has already entered the ranks of a quasi-alliance, it’s time to foster a better relationship with Queen Victoria.

To be honest, Franz Joseph was quite surprised by Jerome Bonaparte’s bold invitation for him to interact with Queen Victoria.

Could it be that the French Empire is not afraid of the Austrian Empire abandoning the French Empire to ally with the Kingdom of Britain? Franz Joseph pondered.

"Yes! Your Majesty!" Mokar immediately responded upon receiving Franz Joseph’s reply, "Then I won’t disturb you!"

Mokar then exited the room and closed Franz Joseph’s door.

Afterwards, Mokar took a carriage to the Elysee Palace, where Jerome Bonaparte was currently conversing within.

When Mokar arrived at the gates of the Elysee Palace, the two soldiers guarding the gate stopped him and informed Mokar that the Prime Minister of Sardinia, Cavour, had just visited.

"Sardinian Kingdom? Where is Prime Minister Cavour now?" Mokar hurriedly inquired of the soldier.

"Chief Steward, Prime Minister Cavour said he would wait for His Majesty’s audience at Princess Mathilde’s residence!" the soldier replied to Mokar.

Hearing the soldier’s answer, Mokar slightly frowned and muttered to himself, "I didn’t expect! Cavour actually managed to get on the same boat with Princess Mathilde! Looks like he must have given quite a bit..."

Mokar had only said half his words when he instantly realized there were two "people at leisure" beside him, so he hurriedly stopped and sternly reprimanded the two soldiers.

The two soldiers quickly assured Mokar that they were hard of hearing and hadn’t heard anything.

"That’s good!" Mokar threatened maliciously, "If I hear a single rumor outside, you’re finished! Understand?"

The two soldiers promised Mokar they wouldn’t spread any rumors.

After establishing his authority in front of the soldiers, Mokar then pulled out several banknotes worth a thousand francs from his pocket and, in an encouraging tone, said to the two soldiers, "It’s quite hard for you to guard the Elysee Palace, consider this your hardship allowance on behalf of His Majesty!"

Seeing the banknotes in Mokar’s hands, a look of yearning flashed in the soldiers’ eyes, but neither dared to actually reach out and take them.

After all, the person in front of them was the Chief Steward of the entire Tuileries Palace!

Seeing the two soldiers hesitate and not dare to take them, Mokar directly divided the banknotes into two equal parts and stuffed them into their pockets, reprimanding, "I told you to take them, and here you are hesitating like a bunch of women!"

Feeling the "weight" of the banknotes in their pockets, the two soldiers beamed and expressed their gratitude to Mokar.

"No need to thank me! If you want to thank someone, thank His Majesty!" Mokar waved his hand and instructed the soldiers, "I’m going in now! Make sure you keep this place secure! Don’t let any unrelated people in!"

"Rest assured, Chief Steward!" the soldiers thumped their chests and assured Mokar.

Mokar entered the Elysee Palace and came to the door of the study, listening closely for movements inside.

At this time, inside the study of the Elysee Palace, Emperor of the French Empire Jerome Bonaparte and Prince Albert, the King’s Consort of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, sat facing each other on the sofa discussing issues on the Crimea Peninsula.

"Jerome... May I call you as Victoria does?" Prince Albert inquired of Jerome Bonaparte.

"Of course! Albert!" Jerome Bonaparte replied to Prince Albert.

"Jerome... In your opinion, should our two countries’ armies expand the scale of the war after capturing the Sevastopol Fortress?" Albert inquired whether Jerome Bonaparte was willing to expand the war.

"If there is a suitable opportunity, France would certainly choose to expand the war!" Jerome Bonaparte replied to Albert with ambiguous rhetoric.

Jerome Bonaparte’s evasive rhetoric clearly did not satisfy Albert, who pressed further, "What do you think constitutes a suitable opportunity?"

"If the Russian Empire suffers heavy losses on the Crimean Peninsula, I will naturally choose to pursue!" Jerome Bonaparte replied to Albert, "Given the current circumstances, neither I nor the Ministry of War believe that pursuit is a good option!"

"But if we don’t engage the Russian Empire directly, we may never be able to harm them! Are you suggesting our two countries should continue to drag on in Crimea against the Russian Empire?" Albert asked in a challenging manner, revealing his concerns: "If we cannot quickly force the Russian Empire to the negotiation table, their quasi-military alliance in the New Continent might wage war on us!"

I wouldn’t mind if the United States of America joined the war! Jerome Bonaparte thought to himself.

After all, if the United States joins the war, it is the Kingdom of Britain that would suffer.

If the United States could exhaustively strike down Britain’s hegemony, Jerome Bonaparte would be sure to give them a grand funeral.

Unfortunately, a war between America and Britain is unlikely in the short term; Albert’s reason for saying so is most likely to prompt quick action on his part.

"Albert, I don’t believe the United States of America will join this war! Even if it truly wishes to join, the Russian Empire probably wouldn’t accept it!" Jerome Bonaparte confidently answered Prince Albert.

"Oh?" Prince Albert inquired of Jerome Bonaparte with interest: "Why do you think they won’t unite?"

"Because the United States is a republic, while the Russian Empire is an absolute monarchy! The differences in their systems mean that they will never come together!" Jerome Bonaparte answered Prince Albert, "Of course, it doesn’t rule out the possibility of Nicholas I making desperate moves under extreme circumstances!"

"But even if the United States doesn’t join, we can’t just linger on the Crimean Peninsula, right?" Albert paused, sighed, and continued to Jerome Bonaparte: "Every minute we stay there costs us thousands of British pounds! Our army is supported by millions of taxpayers! If we keep lingering without action, they will complain!"

"You have a point!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded in agreement with Albert’s statement: "A prolonged war indeed wears down domestic enthusiasm and finances; once the public realizes their taxes are being poured into an endless war, they might not love war as they do now!"

"Therefore, I must act quickly!" Albert said eagerly, "We can open up second and third fronts while attacking the Crimean Peninsula, draining the Russian Empire’s money and soldiers continuously! This way, we can defeat the Russian Empire at the fastest speed!"

"I do not agree with your view!" Jerome Bonaparte immediately responded to Prince Albert: "Opening second and third fronts would not only rapidly deplete our two nations’ financial reserves but also might not achieve the results we desire! We must focus all our efforts on one decisive battle, continuously bleeding the Russian Empire on the Crimean Peninsula!"

"Didn’t you just say we should wait for an opportunity in Crimea?" Prince Albert questioned Jerome Bonaparte.

"By waiting for an opportunity, I didn’t mean just sitting idly by!" Jerome Bonaparte revealed a cunning smile to Albert, "Now that we have taken Sevastopol, with its comprehensive defense system and fortifications, we can rely on it to engage the Russian Empire in trench warfare, gradually wearing down their troops on the Crimean Peninsula!"

"But would Nicholas I really willingly attack Sevastopol?" Albert questioned Jerome Bonaparte.

"Whether willing or not is not up to Nicholas I!" Jerome Bonaparte, exuding confidence, replied to Albert: "A group of Russian soldiers has already been secretly sent to a prison near Paris, and they will be the highlight of tomorrow’s parade!"

Upon hearing Jerome Bonaparte’s words, Prince Albert was greatly astonished.

This is like publicly humiliating the Russian Empire in front of European countries; if Nicholas I finds out, he would be furious.

"Tomorrow, you, I, and Franz Joseph will be at the forefront of the parade, jointly reviewing the Russian prisoners!" Jerome Bonaparte further disclosed to Albert.

"Franz Joseph? He’s willing to join the opposition against the Russian Empire?" Albert hastily inquired.

"No! Franz Joseph is unaware of the Russian prisoners in the parade! The Austrian Empire remains neutral!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head, saying with schadenfreude, "However, after this parade, it’ll be hard for the Austrian Empire to remain neutral!"

"Indeed!" Albert’s expression also revealed a smile, "It’s hard for Nicholas I to believe that a country participating in a Russian prisoner parade can maintain a neutral stance!"