St. Petersburg, ever since receiving news of England and France's preparation to form an alliance, Alexander III became restless.
Originally, he had hoped to woo the French, to combine the power of the French-Russian-Austrian alliance to strike at the British. He had not expected the situation to reverse so quickly.
Filled with anticipation, Alexander III asked, "Is the news confirmed?"
Deep inside, he desperately hoped it was only a rumor.
Once England and France formed an alliance, the Austrian Navy would be powerless to contend against their united forces, and the Vienna Government would not be able to stand up to these two countries in naval matters.
The ongoing military competition among England, France, and Austria was about to end.
The Vienna Government's previous promise to use the arms race to contain the British would naturally turn into nothing more than a pipe dream.
