Make France Great Again

"Please convey my gratitude to His Holiness the Pope! As long as my husband and I remain on the throne for even one day, France will never forget the friendship of the Pope State!"

Empress Augusta responded firmly, knowing well that the reason Pope Pius IX was willing to travel all the way from the Pope State to personally offer blessings to his godchild was simply to hope that the French Empire would continue to protect the interests of the Pope State on the Apennine Peninsula.

The current French Empire, having achieved its glorious feats, could be said to have done so over the corpse of the Russian Empire. In the eyes of Pius IX and others, even if her husband Jerome Bonaparte was not as capable as his uncle, he was certainly many times more formidable than the previous two generations of Bourbon.

Therefore, they were eager to maintain the friendship between the French Empire and the Pope State by currying favor with her and her children.

Augusta’s words undoubtedly relieved the ambassador from the Pope State. He believed that under the influence of Empress Augusta, Emperor Jerome Bonaparte, even if he sympathized with the revolutionaries, would not consider unifying the Apennine Peninsula.

"I will convey your words to His Majesty!" The envoy of the Pope State respectfully offered blessings to Empress Augusta: "Under the witness of God, the empire you and His Majesty Bonaparte have built will surely grow stronger!"

Empress Augusta nodded slightly and expressed her gratitude for the blessings from the Pope State.

Soon, after the departure of the envoy of the Pope State, the envoys from the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Württemberg arrived; both could be called kin nations of the French Empire.

The envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands first, on behalf of their Queen and King—Augusta’s sister and brother-in-law—offered their best wishes for the Crown Prince of the French Empire. They also hoped that Empress Augusta and Crown Prince Friedrich could someday visit the Kingdom of the Netherlands, where they would be well entertained.

"Please convey to my sister and brother-in-law that I will visit Amsterdam with my husband Jerome Bonaparte upon his return. I hope by then you won’t mind our visit!" Grateful towards her sister and brother-in-law, Empress Augusta responded to the envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with a slightly teasing tone.

Hearing that Empress Augusta and Emperor Jerome Bonaparte might visit the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the envoy’s face lit up with joy. After all, which country in Europe would not want closer ties with France at this time?

The Kingdom of the Netherlands was honored at the French Court, receiving treatment even the Kingdom of Prussia had not, thanks to the efforts of the Queen.

"I, on behalf of our Majesty, warmly welcome Her Majesty the Empress and His Majesty the Emperor to visit!" the envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands exclaimed excitedly to Empress Augusta.

After the envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands left, the envoy from Württemberg appeared before Empress Augusta.

Being proactive, Empress Augusta asked the Württemberg envoy: "Excellency, is everything alright at home?"

The Württemberg envoy was momentarily stunned, then shook his head and replied, "No, Your Majesty!"

"Did Father mention when he might come?" Empress Augusta inquired again.

"No!" The Württemberg envoy shook his head once more, then added, "His Highness Karl might visit France in the near future!"

"Oh!" Empress Augusta responded simply, then asked again, "Is my sister-in-law also coming?"

The Württemberg envoy’s face showed a hint of helplessness as he nodded and told Empress Augusta, "Her Highness Olga Nikolaevna will accompany His Highness Karl on the visit!"

"Alas!" Empress Augusta sighed, as if confiding in the Württemberg envoy, "I knew it, my elder brother definitely has something to ask for when he comes!"

The Württemberg envoy slightly shrunk his neck, not daring to speak on this perilous topic.

After all, neither Empress Augusta nor His Highness Karl were people he could afford to offend.

"Your Majesty, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now!" the Württemberg envoy cautiously inquired.

"Go! Go!" Empress Augusta waved her hand, instructing the Württemberg envoy to leave.

Shortly after the Württemberg envoy left, the envoys from the Kingdom of Britain and the Austrian Empire (temporary) appeared before Empress Augusta.

They respectively conveyed blessings from Franz Joseph and Victoria to Friedrich, and similarly hoped that the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince could visit their countries.

At that time, they assured, the Emperor would witness a passion not inferior to that of the French people.

...

As wave after wave of guests offered blessings to the Empress and the Crown Prince, time slowly drifted into midnight.

Friedrich Bonaparte, held in Mathilde’s arms, couldn’t help but fall asleep. To avoid waking the Crown Prince, Mathilde first ordered the band at the banquet to stop playing, then carefully carried Friedrich Bonaparte away from the bustling banquet.

Seeing the situation, Empress Augusta immediately explained to the guests present, and the music resumed until it finally ended at midnight.

As the banquet concluded, Empress Augusta, weary, dragged her body to the door, cautiously opened it, and entered the room.

Soon, Empress Augusta, lying on the bed, fell into a deep sleep.

...

While Empress Augusta was sound asleep, the Mei Quan Palace in faraway Paris remained brightly lit.

As the Emperor of the Habsburg Empire, Franz Joseph was gathering his ministers to discuss state affairs.

"Regarding the telegram sent by Ambassador Richard Metternich from the Crimea Peninsula, what are your thoughts?" Under the candlelight, Franz Joseph asked the ministers present with a cold expression as he glanced around.

Count Bao’er, responsible for managing the foreign affairs of the Austrian Empire, was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, I believe that this action by His Majesty Jerome Bonaparte is meant to drive a wedge between us and the Russian Empire, leading the Russian Empire and the Austrian Empire into a state of perpetual enmity!"

"Count Bao’er is right!" Minister of Internal Affairs Ba He also voiced his agreement with Minister Bao’er’s opinion, "The actions of the French Empire undoubtedly place us within the hatred of the Russian Empire!"

Having listened to the speeches of both the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Franz Joseph leaned slightly towards not taking on this hot potato.

After all, the Austrian Empire also has territorial conflicts with Poland; both Galicia and Krakow were taken from the Kingdom of Poland.

Although France assures that the newly established Polish Duchy will not make claims, there would still be mutual suspicion between the two countries.

Just as Franz Joseph decided to abandon the Polish Duchy, Prince Metternich’s voice reached his ears: "Your Majesty, I think Minister Bao’er’s statement is not correct!"

"Advisor Metternich, what differing views do you have?" Franz Joseph immediately inquired of Prince Metternich.

"Your Majesty, I believe the Polish Duchy must be under our control to be secure!" Prince Metternich spoke resolutely to Franz Joseph: "Minister Bao’er just said if we take over the Polish Duchy, the hatred of the Russian Empire for us would be prioritized! So, may I ask Count Bao’er, which country is currently most hated by the Russian Empire?"

"The French Empire!" Count Bao’er answered without hesitation.

"Incorrect!" Prince Metternich shook his head as a response to Count Bao’er.

"Your Highness, how do you view it?" Count Bao’er looked at Prince Metternich with a face full of bewilderment.

The war between France and Russia ultimately ended in a Russian defeat, and the current Russian Empire not only had to cede territory but also had to pay indemnities.

In whatever way one looks at it, the French Empire should be the most despised nation by the Russian Empire.

"Minister Bao’er, can the current Russian Empire defeat the French Empire?" Prince Metternich asked Minister Bao’er. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Bao’er shook his head decisively; if the Russian Empire could defeat the French Empire, they wouldn’t have ended up in such a predicament.

"Will the Russian Empire be able to advance into the territory of France in the future?" Prince Metternich asked Count Bao’er once more.

Count Bao’er shook his head and said, "I don’t know about that! However, the possibility should be quite slim!"

"Very well!" Prince Metternich nodded. Then he continued, "Since Minister Bao’er believes that the Russian Empire is currently struggling to defeat France, and in the future, has little chance of advancing into French territory, then what reason does Russia have to resent France?"

"That’s different..." Count Bao’er couldn’t help but argue.

"Minister Bao’er, whether a nation views another as an enemy or ally doesn’t stem from subjective like or dislike, but from strategic planning according to geographical factors for a security environment!" Prince Metternich eloquently argued, "The Russian Empire and the French Empire share no direct geographical borders, making the likelihood of future wars between them minimal, while the possibility of their alliance is significant."

"An alliance? How could that be possible!" Count Bao’er’s eyes widened in disbelief as he responded.

"Minister Bao’er, nothing is impossible! This war has temporarily pushed Russia out of the European stage! If they wish to return to Europe, they cannot do so without France’s consent!" Metternich replied to Bao’er, "With this as a foundation, the conflict between France and Russia cannot be as dire as our country’s relationship with the Russian Empire..."

Since the Russian Empire began expanding its influence in the Balkan region, the Austrian Empire has consciously limited the expansion of the Russian Empire, preventing it from encircling the Austrian Empire.

During the Crimean War, Austria even joined the camp of England and France, engaging in a war of attrition against the Russian Empire.