But there’s no way around it; the British Empire and Austria-Hungary allied together are not even slightly fazed by any country in the world.

Not to mention Russia, whose industry has just begun, even Germany, the new power in Europe, or France, which once dominated Europe, cannot maintain a calm and peaceful dialogue.

The naval strength of the British Empire alone is enough to dominate the world, not to mention the combined land forces of the United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary, which pose a severe threat to Russia.

The British Empire is famous for its navy, but that doesn’t mean the UK’s army combat power is poor. Although not comparable to countries like Germany and France, which primarily dominate with their armies, the UK army’s combat power is still among the upper middle in the major powers.

There’s no need to elaborate on Austria-Hungary. The main ethnic group, the Austrians, or the Southern Germans, are notably fierce in combat, as seen in Germany’s army combat prowess.

Although Austria’s population percentage in Austria-Hungary isn’t large, the army mixed with Austrians, Hungarians, and other minorities is not too weak in combat effectiveness.

The biggest issue for Austria-Hungary is the language barrier within their multi-ethnic army. Not everyone has the unimaginable linguistic talent of Emperor Franz Joseph I.

Of course, regardless of the internal issues within Austria-Hungary, they remain one of the traditional great powers of Europe, with significant overall strength.

Faced with the joint war threat from the United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary, the Russian diplomat could only once again turn his gaze to Bismarck, the German Chancellor presiding over the meeting.

Bismarck had long planned to maintain complete neutrality at this meeting to avoid severely damaging relations with both Russia and Austria-Hungary.

Seeing Russian diplomat Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov look at him, Bismarck could only subtly shake his head, indicating that he was powerless in the matter.

Although he had long suspected that Germany might remain indifferent, when Chancellor Bismarck shook his head at him, Russian diplomat Alexander couldn’t help but show a disappointed expression.

Without Germany’s support, it meant that Russia would only have to rely on itself in this meeting or be at the mercy of the United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary.

As a Foreign Secretary, Alexander well understood the internal attitude and specific decisions of Russia. Russia could not start a war against the United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary again, having already borne significant casualties and military expenses in the Russian-Turkish War.

The Russian-Turkish War had already lasted a year. Starting another war with the UK and Austria-Hungary would hardly be worth it, even if Russia could secure ultimate victory.

Russia has sufficient population, so the loss of troops is not much of a worry for the Russian Government.

But while troops are being lost, weapons and ammunition are also being consumed at an alarming rate. Whether manufactured domestically or imported from Spain, these are hefty military expenses.

If they eventually win the war, Russia can console itself with the acquired lands and control over the Balkan countries.

But if this war ends in failure, Russia would lose everything.

This is precisely why, even before attending the Berlin Conference, Tsar Alexander II instructed the diplomat to show a tough stance in the early stages of negotiations, hoping to force the United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary to back down.

If the UK and Austria-Hungary enforce compliance through the threat of war, Russia would have no choice but to fall into the trap and surrender.

Alas!

Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov sighed secretly in his heart, and his spirit seemed deflated, suddenly losing its vigor.

After a brief struggle in his expression, Alexander helplessly said, "Let’s proceed as you suggest, esteemed envoy. Russia is willing to revise the Saint Stephen Treaty, but on the premise that our interests are adequately respected."

Seeing that the Russian diplomat had chosen to compromise, the representatives of the United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary exchanged glances and saw a hint of a smile in each other’s eyes.

Although their combined strength could already crush Russia, that does not mean they wanted to engage in a war with Russia.

Russia’s most troubling feature is its vast population, representing an enormous army of millions. If they truly angered this giant, mobilizing millions of troops, wouldn’t the United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary have to mobilize millions of troops to maintain battlefield superiority?

Even if they could win the war this way, the United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary would still bear significant losses.

Especially Austria-Hungary, without any colonies, the mobilized army would be entirely from its population.

Among the various ethnic groups in Austria-Hungary, only the Austrian Army’s combat capability is somewhat reliable. If the Austrian Army suffers heavy losses in war, it could even affect Austria-Hungary’s stability.

One of the considerable reasons Austria-Hungary was dismembered into several countries after World War I was the severe losses leaving Austria unable to control Hungary.

Only by maintaining a constant advantage of the dominant nationality over minorities can long-term national stability be achieved.

This also highlights the importance of colonies. Troops armed and produced in colonies may have weak combat abilities, but they serve excellently as cannon fodder.

Even with a loss ratio of 10 to 1, colonial powers don’t see a loss. Ten indigenous colonials aren’t worth one native citizen, especially in nations with already large populations.

For Spain, even losing all indigenous population isn’t as undesirable as losing 1 million of its native population.

Especially since war losses are among the most capable young labor force, whose value cannot be measured by indigenous peoples.