The little actions of the French did not come as a surprise to Franz. As Austria continued to grow stronger, it was only a matter of time before the French felt threatened.
There weren't many on the European Continent qualified to be France's allies, and compared to courting the British, the French government naturally preferred to court the Russians.
This was determined by geography; the spheres of influence of France and Russia did not border each other, and even if there were conflicts, those were mainly historical issues, leaving the two with few conflicting interests.
By contrast, the issues between England and France were not just historical leftovers; they also involved a multitude of direct clashes of interest.
From the colonies to their homelands, England and France faced severe strategic conflicts. In those days, the disputes between England and France were still the main international conflicts, with even the France and Austria dispute having to step aside.
