Holy Roman Empire

Insufficient training and inadequate weapons and equipment, the Russians naturally suffered a big loss when the battle broke out.If it weren't for the terrain and climate of the Crimean War, which made it difficult for the unsuitable coalition forces, the two sides would now have a winner.

Vienna

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the Russians have applied for loans from us again. The bond sales of the Tsarist government have been cold in the market. Most investors are worried that they will default."

Franz didn't even bother to complain about the Russians, and his reputation was so bad that there was no one else.Even if collateral is taken out, investors are worried that they will default.

This is not unfounded worry, Mao Xiong has a precedent.It's okay to renege on ordinary debts, and even for debts with collateral, they can also create excuses to renege on them.

For example, if the mine is mortgaged, they can levy a mess of taxes specifically for this mine, forcing investors to withdraw by themselves.

Another example is that the tax is mortgaged, and the creditor will collect it by himself. The prerequisite is that you can collect it.

……

It is Nicholas I's turn to pay back the sins done by the ancestors.There are too many bloody lessons, and now the capital market still has lingering fears about them.

Even Nicholas I tried to restore credibility, but it still didn't help.Without the efforts of several generations, it is difficult for their credit to be accepted by the market.

Look at the fact that all European countries are issuing banknotes, but they are still using gold and silver directly as currency. Not only is there a lack of credibility in the international market, but even the domestic capital market doubts the credibility of the Tsarist government.

Franz said without hesitation: "Tell the Russians that our finances are also very difficult, and we are unable to provide them with huge loans. I suggest that they try the capital market of a neutral country."

He was afraid. The Russians had already lent 2.02 million dong from Austria, including government loans of 1.3 million dong and private loans of 7200 million dong. Franz’s Royal Bank issued a huge loan of 500 million dong.

Of course, government loans are all ultra-low interest rates.Private loans naturally follow the laws of the market. When encountering a business partner with a bad reputation like the Tsarist government, monthly interest rates lower than 0.7% are not considered.

After deducting the messy handling fees, the interest that the Russians have to pay has actually exceeded the monthly interest rate of 1%.

Don't think that this is usury, even if it is such an interest, there are very few consortiums willing to lend money to the Russians.

High risks correspond to high returns. If it were not for the fact that the money could only be used in Austria, these loans would not have been approved at all.

Some private loans have other additional conditions, such as designating the money to be used to purchase a certain company's products, or...

Naturally, the tsarist government was keen to ask the Austrian government for a loan.Not to mention the high interest on private loans, there are still a lot of restrictions, and the tsarist government naturally couldn't stand it.

Even if the Russians had their backs, Franz didn't dare to print money unscrupulously. Who knows when the Near East War will end?What if it is early?

At that time, Austria has not accumulated enough capital, and the economic crisis broke out again. The Russians who got the loan may become bargain hunters.

In the face of interests, what should be guarded against is still to be guarded against.Basically, the Russians had to import a certain amount of gold and silver to Austria to ensure that the currency would not depreciate before Franz dared to lend.

Franz admitted that he was a conservative and knew nothing about economic issues.However, countries are different from enterprises. What countries need is steady development, not rapid outbreaks.

Metternich said: "Your Majesty, we need to stabilize the Russians at this time. We can help them sell a batch of bonds for emergency. The summer tax is coming soon, and the Russians should be able to return their blood by then.

The Bavarian government has come to a dead end by itself, and now it only needs time to ferment, as long as our people push it, they will be finished. "

It is not easy to cheat the Bavarian government. Austria created a lot of huge pits waiting for them to jump, but they avoided most of them.

For example, if the Bavarian government suppressed demonstrators, Austria could intervene on the charge of the Bavarian government's persecution of nationalists and attempts to split the German region.

Without even declaring war, Austrian troops could appear on the streets of Munich, and even be welcomed in.

Obviously, the Bavarian government is not stupid. Even if they don't know that Austria wants to attack them, they know that violent suppression will shake the foundation of their rule.

As a result, the pit was not jumped, and they dug the pit themselves and buried themselves.On the surface, it seems that offending these small states is nothing, anyway, they are just shouting slogans at home.

But it is different when Austria is fueling the flames. The governments of these states can calm down, but the people cannot.

According to the Austrian plan, they are also one of the shareholders of Shinra, and they are the masters of the country; according to the Bavarian plan, they become shareholders, and they are also shareholders in name, but they are not qualified to participate in decision-making, and even the right to dividends is blocked. deprived.

In this case, it's no wonder they are not angry.As long as they get angry, when Austria takes action against Bavaria, they will oppose the government sending troops. The opposition of ordinary people will undoubtedly make the governments of these small states hesitate.

As long as they didn't send troops to help at the first time, the Kingdom of Bavaria would not be able to withstand the first wave, which later caused the established fact that Austria annexed Bavaria, and it would be too late for everyone to join in.

Without the Kingdom of Bavaria, these small states will have to face Austria directly. Their strength is limited, and they do not have the strength to resist Austria at all. The morale of the people is lost, and the subsequent problems will be easier to handle.

The small states of Germany look inconspicuous, and if they are united, their strength will not be weak.

Three or 40 troops can still be brought out, plus a Kingdom of Prussia, if they cannot be defeated quickly one by one, once they reach a stalemate, then this plan will fail.

Therefore, political camouflage is very important. Not to mention fooling the governments of various countries, as long as they hesitate and let Austria destroy Bavaria, the overall situation is settled.

On the surface, the Austrian government is now dominated by the peaceful unification faction, followed by the anti-German reunification faction. As for the voices advocating the unification of German regions by force, they will not be heard unless they go below.

From a political analysis, no matter how you look at it, the Austrian government has no motivation to take military action, nor does it have the conditions to make such a decision.

To some extent, the political stance of politicians will affect the country's decision-making, just as Lincoln, who advocated the abolition of slavery, was elected and the American Civil War was detonated.

If the Austrian government is the main war faction on stage, all the states in the German region will be extremely vigilant, just like everyone is vigilant against the Kingdom of Prussia now.

Even though their strength is not as good as that of Austria, their prime ministers are all from the military, a standard hardliner, who feels like a threat to everyone.

Franz said kindly: "Well, let's help the Russians withstand this wave first, and then they should collect war taxes again. I think the Tsarist government will not be short of money this year."

War tax is a unique type of tax in Europe. Before modern times, the funds used by monarchs to launch wars usually came from war tax.

There is also a war tax in Austria now, but Franz will not collect it unless it is a last resort.If you collect money, you can't lose the battle, otherwise the consequences will be very serious.

Marshal Radesky reminded: "Your Majesty, it's time to create an excuse for war. It is enough to divide and disintegrate the German state at this point, and it will be too late."

Franz thought for a while and said, "Follow the plan!"

Chapter 97 Killing the Thieves

Since Prime Minister Felix's visit to the German states, the topic of unification has been heated up in the media.It seems that if you don't talk about this topic for a day, you will be eliminated by this world.

Especially after the failure of Felix's trip to Bavaria, the impact was even greater, and German nationalism was naturally disappointed.

Regardless of whether they agree with the Shenluo Empire or not, they have to admit that this is the most likely solution for the unification of Germany.

When the unification plan of the Bavarian government appeared, it was immediately passed on to all parts of Germany by interested people, causing a sensation.

Austria is naturally disdainful, and the three-legged confrontation also depends on strength.Although the Kingdom of Prussia is only a medium-sized country, its military strength has reached the level of a great power, and it barely has this qualification.

But what about Bavaria?How did they obtain the same status, did they rely on representing many small states?Who agrees?

If their strength is close to that of Prussia, then there is no need to say that the tripartite confrontation is inevitable.Austria doesn't need to go west anymore, it just needs to manage the Balkan Peninsula honestly.

The Kingdom of Prussia also didn't buy it, and they couldn't get any benefits from the three-legged political system.Whether it is the Little Germany plan or the North-South Germany plan, it is more in their interests than this plan.

The two big states just laughed it off just because they were dissatisfied. At most, the newspapers ridiculed the Bavarian government for being overwhelmed.

The small states in the German region are fried, and they are represented in this way. Do we agree?

As soon as it was guided by the newspaper, public opinion exploded in an instant.All kinds of trolls have appeared, and they seem to feel uncomfortable if they don't scold Bavaria once.

The Rhine Daily directly published an article "Bavaria's Ambition", which also published the strategic plan of the Bavarian government to annex the German states.The steps are detailed, just like the real thing.

True or false, no one cares about this. Anyway, everyone thinks it is true. Otherwise, there are so many states in the German region, how could it be the three cabinets?

If you can't annex these states, why represent them in the empire?

It didn't take long for someone to uncover Bavaria's collusion with Britain, France and Russia in an attempt to kick Austria and Prussia out of the plan to split Germany.

This is true, because Britain and France did make this proposal, and the Bavarian government is willing to accept it.It's just that before it had time to start, it was strangled to death in the cradle by the union of Austria and Prussia.

Even the Bavarian government secretly supported this theory.It's just that the influence is too small, and it can't even occupy the mainstream in the Kingdom of Bavaria, let alone promote it.

Now the media is naturally talking nonsense when it comes out. A newspaper that does not carry out artistic processing, is it ashamed to say that you are a newsman?

Franz admitted that he paid for it. Without the money from the Austrian government, there are so many newspapers in Germany, and it is impossible to have such a neat black Bavaria.

Of course, there must be something to do with the decision-making mistakes of the Bavarian government this time. They took the support of the great powers too seriously.

This is a common problem of small countries, and they must act according to the eyes of the great powers, and they will inevitably be affected over time.

People are ambitious, and Maximilian II was no exception.Balancing between Austria and Prussia every day will get tiresome after a long time.

Once the three countries of Britain, France and Russia are encouraged, this kind of ambition will be unstoppable.Theoretically, Bavaria's plan is not without possibility of success. If history does not change, the plan of three parts of Germany is likely to become a reality.

It's just that the difficulty of this diplomatic operation is relatively high, and the Kingdom of Bavaria also needs to open up a little bit, with at least 20 elite troops.

As long as the surprise attack on the Kingdom of Prussia is successful after Prussia defeats Austria, then the Bavarian strategy will be successful, and this success rate is a bit scary.

Anyway, Britain, France and Russia will support them. As long as they recklessly win this wave, they will win. The strategy of a small country is to rely on gambling. How can they counterattack if they dare not bet?

Now the chances of success are even lower. Austria has not embarked on a prodigal journey, and its comprehensive strength is at least two Bavaria higher than that of the same period in history, which is completely incomparable.

Whether there is a chance or not, there is always a dream.Just like Franz still wants to unify the entire German region?

Because it was really impossible, I had to settle for the next best thing and implement the South German plan, and the difficulty dropped to a controllable range in an instant.

Even the implementation of the South Germany strategy has been split up. The first step is to take Bavaria. After doing this, we will talk about other things. If we can't do anything, it will be useless.

This Bavarian distribution strategy also appeared, and it appeared in the newspapers in a grand manner.

The first step is to create an excuse to unite Prussia, Britain, France and Russia to kick Austria out of the German Federation;

The second step is to unite Britain, France and Russia to kick Prussia out of the German Federation;

third step,……

No matter how fucked up these plans are, people are still pissed off.Isn't the plan of the Bavarian government an insult to everyone's IQ?

Even Maximilian II was angry, and he dared to swear to God that the plan of the Second Secondary School had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Of course, the Bavarian government has nothing to do with it. Even if you have such an idea, you can just think about it in your dreams. Who dares to let these contents appear on paper?

And even if it's arranging, at least it's a little more reliable?The first step is to use the hands of the big powers to force Austria out of the game, which is impossible.

The Prussians have nothing to say, they definitely want to see Austria go.The question is, who doesn't know that Britain and France PK Maoxiong, and they are both playing real fire. Why does Bavaria let them unite?

At least there must be common interests, right?For example, Austria committed public outrage and received common boycott from everyone, but hasn’t this happened yet?

Can Bavaria unite with Prussia to make Austria withdraw?It is estimated that as soon as this plan is proposed, the Austrians will go crazy.

Does anyone believe in such a second-year plan?The answer is: yes, and a lot more.

At least Franz believed it, and so did the Austrian government. On April 1853, 4, the Austrian Foreign Ministry issued a diplomatic note to the Bavarian government, warning the Bavarian government not to play with fire.

The public opinion was in an uproar, but most people still supported it. After all, Austria only gave a diplomatic warning, which seemed to relieve the anger of many small German states.

If it is really a fight, it will be different, and many people's ideas will change again. This reason is not sufficient.

Franz was a good-tempered emperor, and he would not launch an army in anger. He just added another item in the note behind the excuse for war.

After being warned, the Bavarian government immediately clarified that the above situation was slanderous, and they had absolutely no plan to split Germany.

After the small episode, the third wave of public opinion campaign ended, and the fourth wave of public opinion campaign began.

Entering May, the new hot topic in the German region has become "how to unify the German region".

This topic is very sensitive. The governments of all countries keep silent, but the people are talking about it. The most disappointed Shinra faction, they were the first to be eliminated.

The Bavarian government acted as the backer and became the target of everyone's scolding.Of course, in the eyes of Maximilian II, it was worth it. Although he was scolded a lot, he got benefits.

All three countries, Britain, France and Russia, have publicly issued diplomatic statements, criticizing the reconstruction of Shinra as an unstable factor that undermines the balance of Europe, and warning Austria not to play with fire.

Then, Franz didn't even bother to look at it, so he threw these notes into a corner, and it was over.

The Bavarian government has been highly praised by the powers. If it weren't for the conflicts between Britain, France and Russia, they would have personally ended up helping Bavaria achieve its strategic goals.

It is estimated that Maximilian II did not believe this statement, just listen to the diplomatic words.This is just the big powers cheering them up. If you really believe it, prepare to cry!

On the surface, the Kingdom of Bavaria has an advantage in this political game. Austria just threatened them, and they were immediately warned by the great powers.

Comparing all the plans together, everyone found helplessly that the one who was eliminated first was actually the most likely to succeed, and the second-year boys had a chance to perform.

"When the door to peace is closed, then force will be the only option, and Germany will eventually be united."

When this slogan was chanted, it quickly spread in the German region.The second-year boys didn't know what this meant, so they shouted.

In an instant, many people were frightened, especially the governments of many small states. They were most worried about the military rule of Germany.

The interests of everyone in the reconstruction of Shinra are still guaranteed. Once it becomes the unification of the country by force, there is no doubt that they are the part that is unified.

The national reunification completed through bloodshed will naturally kill them, the reactionaries who destroy the national reunification, and the smell of fireworks in the German region is getting stronger and stronger.

The time that Franz had been waiting for came. The mass base was ready, the blood of the people was ignited, and everyone had no choice but to accept the reality of unifying Germany by force.

This time cannot be delayed, the enthusiasm of the people cannot continue, and when they calm down, it will be too late.

The momentum of the hardliners within the Austrian government began to rise. On June 1853, 6, Prime Minister Felix delivered a speech on the Iron Curtain in the Vienna National Assembly.

"After days of hard work, our plan to unify Germany by peaceful means ended in failure under the collusion of national and foreign thieves.

But Germany will eventually be unified, this is the mission given to us by history.

At this time, perhaps we should change to a more liberal approach to achieve national unity.

The great Germany has been full of iron and blood since its birth, and now we have no choice.

Since someone forced us to take this step, then use iron and serum to sweep away this decayed world and cast this empire with new glory!