Chapter 304: Mediation
As the Austro-Hungarian Empire pressed on multiple fronts, Italy soon found itself unable to hold out. By late 1870, Austro-Hungarian troops had crossed both Veneto and Lombardy, advancing into what used to be the original Sardinian Kingdom.
Seeing that the Kingdom of Italy was on the verge of collapse, the British had no choice but to step in and urgently mediate. After contacting Russia, as well as sending representatives from Prussia, France, and the Swiss side, on January 3, 1871, representatives of both Italy and Austria-Hungary convened in Birmingham, England, to negotiate a ceasefire.
In Birmingham:
Italian diplomat Gamor:
"Austria-Hungary openly dispatched troops to launch an invasion of the Kingdom of Italy, inflicting enormous damage upon us. Austria-Hungary must completely withdraw its forces from Italian territory and compensate the Kingdom of Italy for its losses."
"Hah!" Austrian Foreign Minister Friedrich couldn't help but let out a laugh. Anyone overhearing might think Italy had captured Vienna.
Friedrich:
"You're quite skilled at twisting the facts. From the very beginning, it's been obvious who's to blame for this war. Despite repeated warnings from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy ignored us and insisted on attacking the Papal States, a sovereign entity. For any Catholic nation, that was intolerable. The Kingdom of Italy—rather, the Sardinian Kingdom—has always behaved like a warmonger. Sardinia must pay the price for its actions!"
Gamor:
"The Sardinian Kingdom has always borne the mission of unifying the Italian region, and our actions have had the support of all of Italy. That's the will of the people, not warmongering."
Friedrich:
"The will of the people, is it? Interesting. What I've seen is the opposite of popular will: the people of the Papal States, together with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, resisting the Sardinian Kingdom's invasion; the Venetians in the Veneto, in Venice itself, proactively cooperating with our troops to root out the Sardinian forces in the city; plus the restoration of the Kingdom of Naples. All of this shows that the appearance of the Kingdom of Italy was a mistake. You simply used brute force to lump everyone together."
Gamor:
"All of it is your Empire's meddling. You colluded with the enemies of the Italian people, undermining Italy's unification for your own gain."
Friedrich:
"Mr. Gamor, you shouldn't distort things. Clearly, it was your own moves that lost popular support and led the Papal States to request the Austro-Hungarian Empire's military involvement to halt the Sardinian Kingdom's aggression. Earlier, we repeatedly exercised restraint. Sardinia, purely for its own gain, dismissed our warnings—only then did war break out."
Gamor:
"Hmph! Then how do you explain the presence of Austro-Hungarian troops in Rome? From Austria's homeland to the Papal States, there's the Adriatic Sea and the entire Italian Kingdom in between. Yet suddenly your soldiers appear in Rome—this proves you had plans laid all along, just waiting for Italy to fall into your trap!"
Friedrich let out a hearty laugh:
"You admit it's a trap. But if your Sardinian Kingdom weren't so greedy, who could force you to walk into it? And anyway, our troops were invited by His Holiness the Pope, stepping in for France to safeguard the Papal States. Whether by law or by principle, Austria-Hungary did nothing out of line."
At this point, Italy and Austria-Hungary began a fierce debate over who was on the side of justice.
"Enough, stop quarreling!" British Foreign Secretary Lord Granville abruptly cut them off:
"I summoned you here to find solutions, not to have a shouting match. The crisis in Italy has gravely affected regional stability. Let's hear each side's objectives. We won't argue who's right or wrong—our goal is to move toward peace."
Gamor:
"Italy's stance has been consistent: Austria-Hungary must unconditionally withdraw its troops from areas including Veneto and Lombardy and refrain from interfering in Italian affairs. That is our Kingdom's bottom line."
Friedrich:
"Huh! After all we've been through, you want to simply bow out? You're bold. If every small country that provokes a great power can just say 'sorry' afterward and walk away with no consequences, how would that work in the future?"
Lord Granville reminded him:
"Baron Friedrich, let's hold off that line of discussion. First, please present Austria-Hungary's ceasefire demands."
Friedrich:
"As the aggressors who started this war, the Kingdom of Italy must be punished. The Sardinian Kingdom is not qualified to unify Italy, so it should revert its name back to the Kingdom of Sardinia and acknowledge the independence of the Two Sicilies. It must also pledge never again to invade the Papal States or Naples, and, finally, Austria-Hungary will retake Veneto and Lombardy."
Gamor shouted**:
"That's impossible! Our Kingdom of Italy will absolutely not agree."
Lord Granville spoke up:
"Your demands are too harsh. Veneto and Lombardy are considered Italian lands, inhabited by Italians—so Baron Friedrich, your Empire should propose something else."
As a Britishman, Granville certainly preferred not to see the Austro-Hungarian Empire grow any further, so he expressed that sentiment.
Friedrich sneered:
"Ten years ago, Veneto and Lombardy were originally Austro-Hungarian territory. Sure, Italians live there now, but if the Sardinian Kingdom wants them, we can send them your way. Also, if we're deciding that areas with a different ethnicity must be stripped away, how about Ireland and Scotland…?"
He left that sentence hanging, and Granville, fully aware of his meaning, felt displeased.
Granville:
"We are here to focus on the Italian question. Let's not stray. As for Veneto and Lombardy, we'll set them aside for now. Next on the agenda is the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies."
Gamor:
"The Two Sicilies ceased to exist long ago. Even the government in Naples is illegal."
Friedrich:
"That's not your call. Both the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily are age-old realms. Their monarchs were once the legitimate rulers of those territories, so the Two Sicilies should be restored as an independent state."
The Two Sicilies, originally comprising both the Kingdom of Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples, now finds Naples in the Austro-Hungarian camp, whereas Sicily remains under Italy's control. Naturally, Austria-Hungary hoped to strengthen Naples.
Granville:
"There's disagreement here, too, so let's skip this point for now."
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10