Holy Roman Empire

Inside the Prime Minister's office on Downing Street, the atmosphere was especially eerie.

Prime Minister Gladstone roared, "What is the Police Department for? How could something like this happen?"

There was no way around it, just a few hours ago, Russian Envoy Whight-Nicholas was attacked on his way to the UK Foreign Office and had since met his God.

It goes without saying that even if Britain and Russia had not officially gone to war, at most the British government could only expel the Russian envoy and had to ensure his personal safety before he left.

According to the rules of the game, every government had an obligation to guarantee the personal safety of foreign envoys. With the accident of the Russian envoy, the British government could hardly shirk its responsibility.

Minister of Police Rogers replied bitterly, "It was a complete accident. Envoy Whight was on his way to the Foreign Office when he encountered a protesting crowd.

A journalist among the people approached for an interview, and Envoy Whight's response was somewhat excessive, which sparked dissatisfaction among the people, leading to a conflict."

Although the police accompanying him tried to block the crowd, someone unknown started throwing miscellaneous objects at Envoy Whight. A stone happened to hit Whight's head, and he died on the spot after failed resuscitation efforts.

An explanation is a disguise; the incident happened, and the police's failure in security was a fact. No matter how it was explained, it couldn't be whitewashed.

The conflict appeared accidental, but was everything really just a coincidence?

Prime Minister Gladstone was deeply skeptical and said mockingly, "All just coincidental accidents, and the Police Department isn't at fault at all.

Then tell me, how did these flying stones come to be on London's busiest street?"

An accidental encounter and a language conflict are understandable, given that the positions of both parties differ.

However, the flying stone presents a problem. On London's busiest streets, if there were stones on the ground, sanitation workers would have cleaned them up long ago.

Bringing something like bread to a protest could be understood, but who would bring a stone just for the sake of it?

Even if the occasional person has a strange habit, it's improbable that a whole group does. There was only one fatal stone, but many were thrown at Envoy Whight.

Minister of Police Rogers explained, "According to the suspects that the police arrested, these stones were intended for smashing glass.

We have confirmed that the protest crowd was headed towards the Russian Embassy. Recently, it's the third time the embassy's glass has been smashed by the public.

After synthesizing all the information, we determined that this was an accidental event, mainly because the Russians went too far.

According to personnel at the scene, when the journalist asked about the Russian Army's sneak attack on our Afghan garrison, Envoy Whight publicly taunted: 'Even if it was us, what can you do about it?'

That statement triggered the public's anger, leading to what happened afterwards.

The incident was so sudden that the police responsible for Envoy Whight's safety simply couldn't disperse the crowd in time."

Sidestepping the main issue and creatively interpreting events equates to a final answer.

It's not that Rogers was irresponsible; these kinds of situations are impossible to investigate deeply, and the best course of action is to close the case as soon as possible.

The longer the issue drags on, the greater the trouble it causes. Regardless of the government's stance, in the hearts of many, the person who killed Envoy Whight is a British hero.

Prime Minister Gladstone held back his words, for how could the public understand what those who planned these actions knew all too well.

The Russian Army's sneak attack on the British garrison in Afghanistan was a fabrication, and the wrongfully accused Russians naturally couldn't acknowledge it.

Russian Envoy Whight in London was a straightforward man. Scolded by journalists, it would also be normal for him to utter some harsh words in heat.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Foreign Minister George interjected, "The situation has reached this point; how Envoy Whight died is no longer important.

No matter what answer we provide, the Russians will not accept it, and we must prepare for the worst."

The death of an envoy, without any compensation of benefits, no nation would accept such a dubious explanation.

Undoubtedly, the relationship between England and Russia had broken down, and the British Government was now unable to offer compensation to the enemy.

"Ah!"

Prime Minister Gladstone sighed deeply.

Initially, the blame was put on the Russians merely to quell the adverse effects of a frontline defeat and avoid a political crisis.

Due to geographical reasons, it was impossible for Britain to attack the Russians, and civilian uproar made no difference.

Although the parliamentarians often had flights of fancy, they were lucid about one thing: their lack of confidence in the British Army.

They wouldn't instigate a war, and the Tsarist Government wasn't prepared for prolonged conflict. The possibility of a war erupting over a verbal dispute was virtually nil; there was truly no need to worry about the situation spiraling out of control.

According to the original plan, relations between England and Russia were merely to continue deteriorating, with diplomatic wrangling taking its slow course.

But plans never keep up with changes. The Russian Envoy was killed in broad daylight, forcing both the British and Russian Governments into a corner.

The British Government could not provide a response that would satisfy the Russians due to political factors; they couldn't even hand over the murderer.

From the moment the London police classified the incident as an accident, it was apparent that those fellows weren't really trying, influenced as they were by public opinion.

The British Government had its difficulties, but wasn't the Russian Government in the same boat?

With the British Army's defeats in the Afghan Region, the War Party within the Tsarist Government saw their power swell quickly.

Now, with this incident occurring, if a satisfactory response was not obtained, no one but God could prevent war from breaking out.

After hesitating for a moment, Prime Minister Gladstone said slowly, "Order the Governor of India to prepare for war with utmost effort, and we must also start preparing domestically.

"Just the Indian Colony is no match for the Russians; once war breaks out, we need to send troops to reinforce the Afghan Region in the shortest time possible.

"The UK Foreign Office must continue diplomatic efforts; if possible, this war should be avoided."

Having just gained a foothold in the Afghan Region, for the British Government, it was most important to swiftly clear up the local conflicts and to re-establish social order. To go to war with the Russians at this point would be purely a loss.

Even if they won the war, they wouldn't have the strength to enter Central Asia; if they lost, not only would they have to give up Afghanistan, which they'd just secured, but the Indian Colony would be under constant threat from the Russians.

...

Despite the British Government's efforts to suppress the news, the murder of the Russian Envoy spread like wildfire.

By the time the news reached the Vienna Palace the following afternoon, Franz's first thought upon hearing the news was — impossible.

"An Envoy of a nation killed in broad daylight" — was this some kind of international joke?

Defined by the British as "an accident," such an explanation needed to be believed to be effective.

Whether it was a stone thrown by mistake or any other reason, from the beginning, the "Envoy Case" was tied to conspiracy.

As to who the mastermind behind the scenes might be, that was a difficult question to answer. It wasn't that it was hard to guess, rather there were simply too many suspects.

The mastermind could be an enemy of the British, possibly an enemy of the Russians, or it might even be the War Parties of both Britain and Russia.

If one were to delve deeper, it would be revealed that both Britain and Russia were champions of attracting hatred; their combined enemies roughly equated to the whole world.

One doesn't benefit the more enemies they have, and for Franz, vigilance was necessary against such hidden peers.

"Analyzing the current international situation, who do you think is most likely behind this?" Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire

No sooner had Franz finished speaking than he felt he had asked a foolish question. If suspicion was to be allocated, Austria certainly topped the list.

The Vienna Government had done quite a lot in an effort to provoke a war between England and Russia. Some of those activities could not even be kept secret.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg replied, "Suspicion-wise, we and the French are the most likely culprits. After excluding ourselves, the French would be the most likely suspects.

"However, this conclusion isn't very reasonable. There are many ways to provoke a war between England and Russia; normally, the French Government would not resort to harming an Envoy of a country."

Deep down, Franz felt somewhat embarrassed. It was better not to dwell on the past... Let the ignominious history fade into the annals of time.

However, Weisenberg's ratiocination was correct. In normal circumstances, politicians would not opt for extreme measures.

After all, that was a high-risk endeavor; if the news leaked, it could result in a significant scandal. Offending both England and Russia was a guaranteed disaster.

Even if action was necessary, the preferred choice would be to use a cat's paw. Only the scapegoat could be caught in the crosshairs of an investigation.

Franz shook his head: "Forget it, let's leave this problem for the British and Russian Governments to worry about.

"Regardless of who the mastermind is, in the short term, it is to our advantage.

"With such an incident occurring at this juncture, war between Britain and Russia is almost inevitable.

"From now on, we need not get involved. We'll leave the stage to England and Russia and simply watch their performance."

The more critical the moment, the less one should stick their neck out. What if Austria were mistaken as the mastermind by England and Russia? That would be a real injustice.

Such matters only become more tainted the more one tries to clean them. Once involved, there was no washing it off.