Chapter 462: Chapter 35, Winning Over and Co-opting

The tripartite negotiations soon reached a deadlock, with the French demanding the annexation of the Italian Area, and Austria proposing to incorporate the German Federation, neither of which the British could accept.

As a result, this would essentially release two great empires into the world. Despite the fact that France and Austria were already major empires, the British still did not wish to see them continue to grow stronger.

If France and Austria both completed their respective strategic plans, Britannia's position as the world's dominant power would be unstable.

Keep in mind that France and Austria had never formally recognized the British dominion, and there had always been voices within both countries challenging British maritime supremacy.

Times were no longer what they were twenty years ago, when British industrial output surpassed the entire continent of Europe, allowing the British to claim supreme domination due to the sheer gap in national power.