The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1140: Chapter 114: A Wise Bird Chooses the Right Tree to Nest

Germans can be quite aptly divided into two classes: those with “von” in their names and those without. Those with this word in front of their names are fortunate, as it signifies they are nobility, thus belonging to the upper echelon of society. The others, lacking this distinction, can combine all the letters possible to form a name, but they remain commoners.

— John Lossrup Motley

On the avenue of the University of Gottingen, Schneider was happily perusing the student records of the Austrian Prime Minister.

Those who work in intelligence often have such a vice; they are interested in peeping into others’ privacy, even if it’s just an ordinary person’s privacy, they want to get to the bottom of it, let alone a prominent figure in European politics.

Arthur sat on a bench, smoking, while suggesting, “Honestly, I don’t understand why Viscount Palmerston is so concerned about Metternich, but in my opinion, his influence on Austrian politics is far less than Mr. Talleyrand’s influence on French politics.”

“Hmm?” Schneider looked up at Arthur, “What do you mean by that? I admit that Metternich and Talleyrand are outstanding figures of the same level, but now one is the Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire, while the other is just the French Ambassador to the United Kingdom.”

“If we only look at positions, indeed that’s the case.”

Arthur continued.

“However, according to the information I’ve gathered, although Talleyrand is just an Ambassador to the United Kingdom, the main foreign policies of France currently are devised single-handedly by him. Throughout his life, he’s always been the one steering the direction, never fully controlled by anyone.

But Metternich is different. Although he’s nominally the Prime Minister of Austria, that’s because his policies align with the Emperor’s. If he were to have a differing opinion on certain matters, he would be a mere figurehead.

Look at those reforms he’s instigated in Austria; to put it nicely, at least in name, the government underwent necessary reorganization, the State Council and the State Conference were convened, the new conference surnames injected fresh blood into the dreary atmosphere.

But in reality? Austria hasn’t changed a thing. The State Conference was established but couldn’t be held according to protocol. This is because the new form of meeting isn’t favored by either the Emperor or the bureaucrats. Many reform measures ultimately became appendages to political strife. The appointed officials aren’t highly capable, but all kinds of corrupt bureaucratic practices prevail.

This can be seen from our interactions with Mr. Feng Kromeier. We dared to take that money because, as far as the Foreign Office is concerned, all we needed was the chaos in Italy, regardless of the process, the Foreign Office didn’t care. In other words, even though we took the money, we still accomplished things for the Foreign Office, making us competent national servants.

However, for Mr. Feng Kromeier, Northern Italy is a core interest of the Austrian Empire, but he still dares to indulge his own ambitions, allowing figures like Mazzini to incite uprisings, and then using it to showcase his brilliance. August, although we’re all worms feeding on the national tree, at least we still produce silk, while Mr. Feng Kromeier only takes without giving back.

What does this indicate? It indicates that Austria’s national machinery is lying on the old tracks, barely alive, yet no one is guiding it; no authority comes to intervene. Everyone is acting on their own, relying on inertia. Few regard Metternich as their superior, because they all know, Metternich is essentially no different from them, as everyone’s power stems from the Emperor.”

Schneider could not help but laugh at this point: “Arthur, you’re right. It’s not just you who noticed this, many in the Foreign Office think the same. Although Metternich has a high reputation in Europe, and the Emperor cannot easily dismiss him, we have also realized his influence on the Austrian Emperor is always limited, and indeed the Emperor cannot entirely trust him. Do you know why I approached Feng Kromeier for a deal earlier and not someone else?”

“Why?”

Schneider put away the file in his hand and stood up: “Because Kromeier is a confidant of the Austrian Home Secretary Kroflrat. There are two immensely powerful figures within Austria, one being Kroflrat, responsible for internal affairs, and the other being Metternich, responsible for foreign affairs. But the two do not get along at all, and politically, their philosophies are almost completely opposite.

Metternich is a typical conservative royalist, but his identity as a royalist is not that pure. Perhaps, because he studied in Gottingen during his youth, although Metternich is German, he doesn’t favor centralized management in administrative and economic matters but endorses the British model.

And Mr. Kroflrat, he is an enthusiastic advocate for centralized management; he calls for limited reforms and improved administrative efficiency. Yet on the other hand, Kroflrat utterly despises the traditional German supremacy management, often labeling himself as a ‘Bohemian patriot.’