After lavish rewards, Jerome Bonaparte had only 400,000 francs left.

Jerome Bonaparte also donated 200,000 francs to the French Academy of Sciences and the Charitable Hospital in his personal name.

When later scholars calculated the Emperor's living expenses, they found that the Emperor and Empress spent about 1.2 to 1.8 million francs annually.

The remaining funds were mostly used for rewards and charity.

On March 23, a letter from London crossed the sea to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Minister, De Luy, who received and opened the letter, hurriedly took it to the Tuileries Palace.

"Your Majesty, this is a letter from British Prime Minister Palmerston!" De Luy said as he handed the letter to Jerome Bonaparte.

As Jerome Bonaparte carefully read through the letter, his expression gradually became serious. After reading the contents of the letter, he looked up at De Luy and said, "What do you think of Palmerston's idea of opening a second front?"

It turns out that Prime Minister Palmerston mentioned two issues in the letter. One was to open a second front in the Saint Petersburg region, hoping to quickly defeat the Russian Empire.

To achieve the main goal of swiftly defeating the Russian Empire, Palmerston hoped that the French Empire could act together with the Kingdom of Britain to persuade the Kingdom of Sweden to join the war against the Russian Empire.

"Your Majesty, I think Palmerston's plan is too risky!" De Luy cautiously replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

Indeed! Palmerston's plan in the letter can hardly be called a plan, but more like a hasty decision made with a pat on the head.

The premise of landing in Saint Petersburg is that the British and French naval fleets can completely suppress the Russian Empire's built defenses in Saint Petersburg. Also, the Anglo-French vanguard must repeatedly defeat the counterattacks of the Russian Imperial Army.

Saint Petersburg is not a border town like Sevastopol; it is the heart of the entire Russian Empire.

It is also where two out of three Russian Imperial Guard units are stationed.

Once Anglo-French forces attempt to land at Saint Petersburg, forces from Britain, France, and Russia will inevitably engage in a fierce battle centered around the Saint Petersburg port area.

This result is something Jerome Bonaparte cannot accept under any condition.

Let alone persuading the Kingdom of Sweden to join the fight against the Russian Empire, which is also a fantastical idea.

The total military force deployed by the Russian Empire on the Finnish line is about 300,000 (as claimed by the Russian Empire), while the Kingdom of Sweden's total force amounts to about 70,000 at best.

Even if half of the boasted 300,000 Russian troops are cut, there would still be around 150,000 combat-ready soldiers.

Using 70,000 troops to fight against 150,000 would require the Kingdom of Sweden to have commanders like Berthier or Gustav.

Once the Swedish line is pushed back, the French Empire would need to step in to provide assistance.

Jerome Bonaparte even wondered if Palmerston intended to push the French Empire into a pit of fire.

"Opening a second front is definitely not agreeable!" Jerome Bonaparte decisively stated, "Tell Palmerston that the French Empire will only fight according to the established plan. If the Kingdom of Britain insists on landing in Saint Petersburg, then they're welcome to do so on their own!"

"Yes!" De Luy responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

"As for the matter of inviting the Austrian Empire to participate in the battle against Russia! (the other issue)" Jerome Bonaparte, after pondering for a moment, said, "You can say that the French Empire agrees in principle with the Kingdom of Britain's suggestion and agrees to negotiate with the Russian Empire under the mediation of the Austrian Empire!"

Jerome Bonaparte knew that this so-called negotiation was just a means for the Kingdom of Britain to pressure the Austrian Empire into picking sides!

Just as Jerome Bonaparte would use force to pressure Austria into choosing a side, the Kingdom of Britain preferred to use sneaky tactics to corner the Austrian Empire.

Not long after De Luy left the Tuileries Palace and returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a letter was dispatched from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arriving at 10 Downing Street on the 25th.

Prime Minister Palmerston, after carefully reviewing the contents of the official reply from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, muttered with a slightly disappointed expression, "It seems that France has been intimidated by the vast depth of the Russian Empire! But, well, this isn't bad either!"

After that, Prime Minister Palmerston summoned his secretary and instructed him to bring in Foreign Minister Earl of Clarion.

Once the Earl of Clarion arrived, Palmerston immediately ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to initiate negotiations with Russia.

The Earl of Clarion, having received the orders and returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, instructed the British envoy in Vienna via telegram to exert pressure on the Austrian Empire to facilitate negotiations with the Russian Empire.

After reading the telegram, the British envoy immediately set off for Mei Quan Palace for a brief meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Count Bao'er.

During the meeting, the British envoy reiterated the Kingdom of Britain's aspiration for peace while implying that the Russian Empire's presence in the Danube River Region is not only a threat to the European Continent but also to the Austrian Empire.

Therefore, the Kingdom of Britain hoped, with the help of the Austrian Empire, to drive the Russian Empire out of the Danube River Basin.

In return, the Kingdom of Britain would acknowledge the Austrian Empire's control over the Danube Duchy.

Count Bao'er, upon receiving Britain's response, was somewhat tempted but had not yet decided to forsake the Russian Empire.

Until Richard Metternich's letter made Count Bao'er immediately realize that this was the last deadline England and France gave to Austria.

Count Bao'er quickly went to Prince Metternich's residence to report the ultimatum issued to the Austrian Empire by England and France.

"It seems Austria has reached a point where it must choose a camp!" Prince Metternich said with a calm tone tinged with a hint of melancholy.

Since his efforts in the French Empire, promoting cooperation between France and Austria on the Russian Empire issue, Austria's diplomacy has been at a standstill.

The pro-Western and neutral factions were at loggerheads, with their Monarch Franz Joseph and his equally indecisive minister Count Bao'er not being firm-minded either.

The combination of an indecisive minister with an equally indecisive monarch is very destructive for a country.

Thinking of this, Prince Metternich couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He could only hope that after Austria joined the Anglo-French camp, England and France would overlook Austria's previous actions and side with the Austrian Empire against the Russian Empire.

As for the option of joining the Russian Empire, it was not even within Prince Metternich's consideration.

The Russian Empire's obsession with territorial expansion destined an inevitable conflict between the Austrian Empire and the Russian Empire.

However, this conflict seems to have arrived a bit early.

"Let's go! Let's go convince His Majesty together!" Prince Metternich stood up and said to Count Bao'er.

...

On March 30, just one day before the military exchange meeting mentioned by Jerome Bonaparte.

Richard Metternich once again appeared before Jerome Bonaparte to report on the latest situation of the Austrian Empire.

"Your Majesty, our country is willing to act as a bridge for communication between England and France and Russia, striving to maintain peace and stability in the Danube River Region!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.