Holy Roman Empire

This era is different from later generations. The government intervened in the market economy by means of administrative means, which avoided the outbreak of a major economic crisis.

Now the market economy is completely allowed to develop naturally. On average, there will be a small economic crisis every seven or eight years, and a major economic crisis once every few decades.

Every time a crisis breaks out, the total industrial output often falls by [-] to [-] points, and it is not impossible for it to drop by [-] to [-] percent in many cases.

Anyway, the bigger the bubble, the harder the final decline, and the faster the economic growth rate in the early stage, which is a bit like a roller coaster.

In 1854, the total mileage of railways under construction in the new Holy Roman Empire was as high as 2.3 kilometers, and the situation of blind investment in railways was already very serious.

However, Franz did not intend to stop it, but was going to push it later, trying to make the market even hotter.

The explosive economic development model is always unstoppable.All walks of life in Austria are growing explosively. Since the outbreak of the Near East War, the average annual industrial growth rate has exceeded 15.00%, and the economic growth rate has also exceeded [-]%.

Without the midway westward strategy, this figure would probably be a point or two higher.Rationality has long since disappeared, the market has gone crazy, and it has almost reached the point where investing in everything makes money.

The contribution of the Russians is huge. Since the outbreak of the Near East War, Austria has entered the era of trade surplus.Before that, Austria was in a trade deficit almost for a long time.

Obviously, the factor that gave the capital market the illusion of "investing in everything to make money" was the sudden war in the Near East.

Because of the war, a large amount of cash flowed into Austria from Russia, which stimulated the economic market. Many capitalists were blindly expanding production capacity, hoping to make a fortune before the end of the war.

Opening up overseas colonies in advance is also a means of diverting the domestic economic crisis, but the African colonies have just started, and their role in the upcoming economic crisis can be ignored.

Chapter 131 Disaster Strikes

Now that the Battle of Constantinople has been fought, there are countless corpses in the corners of the city, and before they have time to deal with them, they start to rot.

The two warring parties only cleaned up the corpses in front of their eyes, but in the corners of the city, the residents' houses were ignored.

The hot summer is coming, and in Constantinople in August, the whole city is filled with rancid smell, and the atmosphere is terribly depressing.

The artillery fire is still roaring, leaving only a broken wall and remnants, telling the past years.In order to capture this city, the Russians have paid too much.

Menshikov had long since stopped reading the casualty reports sent up every day.Thousands of casualties are paid every day, and he has been numb for several months.

The name of "Constantinople Meat Grinder" has spread all over the world, and wherever there are Europeans, the cruelty of this war is being spread.

If someone is interested in making statistics, they will find that the losses of the Russian army here have exceeded the sum of the two Bulgarian battles, but the Russians are still fearless.

Just because the outer defense lines of Constantinople were all breached, or it could be said to be bombed, and after spending tens of thousands of tons of ammunition, these fortifications were turned into ruins.

The street fighting has already begun, and now the two sides have entered the stage of purely fighting for their lives. The exchange ratio between the two sides has gradually dropped from the initial 1.3:1 to [-]:[-], [-]:[-]... and now it is [-]:[-].

A middle-aged officer said in a deep voice: "Your Excellency, our cannon fodder troops have been completely lost, and the Bulgarian guerrillas we have incorporated have also suffered heavy losses.

At present, there are not many young and strong people on the Balkan Peninsula, and it may be difficult to replenish troops now. "

Of course, there is not much left. The war has been going on until now, and the people who have suffered the most are the local people.

The Ottomans captured strong men to fight, and the Russians also captured strong men to fight. Britain and France did not capture strong men, but the Ottomans helped them capture them.

The Balkan Peninsula has a total population of just over 1000 million, how many young people are there?How could it be possible to withstand such a toss?

Before the attack on Constantinople, most of the Russians captured the strong men as coolies, and the tactics of driving people away and attacking the city were rarely used by the Russians.

After arriving in this city, the situation changed. The tragic casualties forced the Russians to use a lot of cannon fodder.

Menshikov replied in a cold voice: "Understood, it counts as much as you have. If the cannon fodder is dead, we will take the top.

The enemy is almost unable to hold on anymore, as long as we conquer this last city, we will win this war!

Order the Military Law Department to strictly enforce the military law, kill those who don't stand before the battle, kill those who retreat lightly, and kill those who disturb the morale of the army! "

There is no way, this war is not only related to the fate of Russia, but also to the fate of Menshikov himself.

If Constantinople cannot be conquered, he had better die on the battlefield, otherwise many people will want to tear him alive.

From a purely military point of view, Menshikov is an idiot, fighting a completely dumb war, regardless of the casualties of the army.

In order to keep this war going, the Russian army relied on strict military laws, and did a great thing for Livimenshkov, executing noble officers who violated military laws on the spot!

The number of noble officers who died in his hands was no longer one or two, and there were as many as dozens of them.

After conquering Constantinople, everything is easy to say, he is a national hero of Russia, these executed nobles are synonymous with cowards, and the families behind him are despised.

If Constantinople had not been conquered, the situation would have been different.In history, Nicholas I could not bear the consequences of the failure of the Crimean War, let alone Menshikov.

Menshikov hasn't lived enough, he doesn't want to die so notoriously, so now he is desperate.It doesn't matter who they are or what background they have, as long as they dare to violate the military law, they will be killed.

"Yes, Commander!" The middle-aged officer replied seriously

Not only Menshikov, but the fate of the senior officers of the expeditionary force were tied together.The Battle of Constantinople was extraordinary. If they lost here, they would not want to have a good life.

……

On the Crimea Peninsula, before the British and French allied forces had time to celebrate, a thunderbolt came. In July 1854, cholera broke out in the French barracks.

The hot weather and the unhygienic environment, before the coalition forces could react, the plague broke out and spread from the French barracks to the British barracks.

Flies and mosquitoes on the Crimean Peninsula became the best helpers for the spread of the virus. A large number of coalition soldiers began to vomit and have diarrhea, and then died in their tents.

The public places of the coalition forces have been flooded with dirt, and the sanitation system is useless.The number of sick people rose sharply, and the plague became out of control for a while.

By early August, 500 British soldiers had died of illness in the Varna area.The death toll of the French army has risen to more than 60 deaths per day.

This is just the beginning. This sudden plague was not discovered at first, and the plague spread to other areas along with the flow of the crowd.

Constantinople

In the open space not far from the pier, more than a dozen French soldiers were resting. Suddenly, one soldier started to vomit, which attracted everyone's attention.

A young man asked concerned: "Alphonse, what's wrong with you?"

The vomiting man replied weakly: "I don't know, it's just that I suddenly feel a little nauseous and want to vomit."

A man who looked like a military officer said: "It may be a cold, you should pay attention to yourself, if it doesn't work tomorrow, then you can go to the military doctor."

Apparently, he just thought that Alphonse had a cold. People usually fight this kind of minor ailment with their bodies, and only go to the military doctor if it is serious.

Although the French army is better than the British in terms of logistics, medical resources are also very scarce. Unless it is an upper-middle-level officer, it is also difficult for ordinary soldiers to obtain effective treatment.

At this time, another person said: "No, I'm going to make things easier."

After finishing speaking, he ran not far away to solve the problem without looking back.

Such a small episode will obviously not attract everyone's attention.They were reinforcements who had just arrived a few days ago and were now adapting to the climate of Constantinople.

We have seen a lot of adverse reactions due to acclimatization.Usually, as long as you stay for a period of time, you will be fine. If it doesn't work, you can only be repatriated.

However, most people are unwilling to be repatriated because of this, even if the casualty rate on the battlefield of Constantinople is high.

Because the body cannot adapt to the climate, adverse reactions are caused, and usually they cannot return to the voyage safely, and most of them will die on the way.

The sea in this era is not easy to mess with, and the environment on board is quite harsh. In the absence of medical care and medicine, once you fall ill, you will step into the gate of hell.

Seeing the increasing number of sick people, the commander-in-chief of the French army, Emable Jean-Jacques Pélissier, finally discovered something was wrong, but it was too late by this time.

Too many people died in Constantinople. In order to defend this fortress city, more than [-] French soldiers fell. The Russians will only die more, and the civilian casualties in the city cannot be counted.

Because of the war, the French army had no way to clean up the corpses in the city. In fact, many corpses were buried by collapsed buildings, and it was impossible to clean them up.

This created a superior living environment for mice and flies. The number of mice and flies in Constantinople this summer broke the highest record in history, as if they were the masters of the city.

Pelissier named the guard: "Please ask Dr. Ambroise to come over and give him these documents."

Despite his skepticism, Pelissier was not sure there was an outbreak of plague.Until this time, news of the outbreak of the plague in the Crimea Peninsula had not been reported to him.

Busy with the defense of Constantinople all day long, Pelissier didn't have the energy to pay attention to the gossip. Of course, if he wanted to pay attention to him, he might not be able to pay attention to it.

The coalition forces have been plagued by illnesses since the Crimea Peninsula. This is no longer news, and everyone has gotten used to it after a long time.

Moreover, the coalition forces on the Crimean Peninsula determined that the outbreak of the plague was only a few days earlier than Pelissier, and the virus had already entered the city before that.

Because of the war, a large number of people die here every day. After a long time, people's spirit becomes numb to death. What does it matter how many people die of illness?

……

Ambroise said seriously: "Your Excellency, I just went to the hospital to have a look. Based on this data, we can preliminarily judge that the plague is coming!"

Perissier's face darkened, and the worst happened.Constantinople is connected to the sea, and whether it is reinforcements or supplies, they may be sent up continuously. As long as he is willing to suffer casualties, he is confident that he will stick to it.

There is only one exception, and that is the plague.Human beings are fragile in the face of disease. Pelissier can defeat the Russians, but he is helpless in the face of the disease.

"Can it be controlled?" Pelissier asked with concern

It's just control, he doesn't look forward to treatment anymore.If you are infected with the plague in this era, you can only resign yourself to fate, and there is no specific medicine.

Ambroise thought for a while and said, "Sorry, Commander, I can't answer this question for you.

It depends on the spread of the plague, and it is necessary to determine how many people have been infected with the virus, and finally draw a conclusion.

But now is a time of war, the army is mobilized too frequently, and the number of our doctors is seriously insufficient. It is impossible to disperse them to the army for diagnosis and treatment, and it is impossible to determine which ones are common colds and which ones are plagues.

In fact, in terms of symptoms, these symptoms may also occur with the common cold. If the death rate is not too high, I suspect that this is just a highly contagious influenza. "

The reason why the plague is terrible is the speed of spread and the high mortality rate.

Pelissier continued to ask: "Can you determine the nature of this plague?"

There are also classifications of plagues, and different classifications have different lethality in the end.

Ambroise shook his head and said: "At present, we have too little information to determine the source and transmission route of this plague, and the possibility of plague cannot be ruled out.

From a professional point of view, I personally think that Constantinople is no longer suitable for staying.

There are too many people dying in the city, and we can often smell the smell of carrion in the stinky sewers. War is the source of the plague. "

Perissier said with a wry smile: "Well, Doctor Ambroise, I will entrust you with the task of investigating and preventing the plague.

As for the question of whether Constantinople is suitable for living, I can't answer you. This is not only a military issue, but also involves politics. "

Constantinople is not suitable for staying any longer, and Pelissier also knows this reason. The plague has broken out, so it is definitely not suitable for staying any longer.

But the consequences of abandoning Constantinople are too serious, at least he, the commander of the expeditionary force, can't handle it, and he doesn't even have a say on this issue.

Ambroise replied: "Okay, Your Excellency Commander. I can only say that I will do my best, and the final result cannot be guaranteed!"

Chapter 132 Fire Cooking Oil

After the news of the plague outbreak in Constantinople was confirmed, Pelissier did not dare to neglect, and immediately reported to the Paris government.

Versailles Palace

Napoleon III was in a very bad mood. The news of the outbreak of the plague in the Crimea Peninsula had just come back, and the plague broke out in Constantinople.

Napoleon III was not interested in knowing where the virus came from, and now his headache is what to do next.

Fortunately, the Crimea Peninsula has such a large territory, and the spread of the epidemic can be controlled by dispersing and isolating the epidemic areas.

Constantinople is now only a place the size of a palm, with such a high population density, and street fighting with the Russians. How can this epidemic be controlled?

The Minister of War Arnault said: "Your Majesty, the plague broke out in Constantinople, and the situation on the front line may be worse.

To increase troops at this time is to push the boys into the fire pit.Brave French soldiers can defeat the Russians, but the plague, only God can solve. "

Since the outbreak of the Battle of Constantinople, the French army has been increasing its troops almost every month, and it cannot be regarded as an increase in troops. It is mainly to supplement the consumption of troops on the front line, and by the way, replace some troops that have been destroyed.

Napoleon III did a good job in this regard, and did not use a single army to death.Even if it is to eliminate dissidents, most of them are looking for excuses to be transferred from the post, and there is no killing.

Now that the war has been fought, the Paris government has long wanted to stop it, but because of political factors, Napoleon III cannot compromise.

Now Arnault is vaguely reminding Napoleon III that he must either find an excuse to abandon Constantinople, or organize more troops to fight the Russians. In short, he cannot continue to procrastinate with fuel tactics.

Napoleon III, who was extremely politically sensitive, immediately came to his senses. He even thought of more, and said eagerly:

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately negotiated with the Ottoman Empire to let them abandon Constantinople, and we will protect their interests in other areas in return.

We can unite with the British to exert pressure. At this time, I believe the London government will make a wise choice.

Release the news of the negotiations, saying that we want to take back this holy city for the Christian world, and contact the Catholic Church to help build momentum.

Command Pelissier on the front line, no matter what method he uses, he must let the Russians be infected with the plague! "

In this era, science has not been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. If no action is taken and the Russians seize the opportunity to launch a political offensive, the consequences will be uncontrollable.

If the plague only broke out in the coalition forces, but the Russians were safe and sound, there would be no need to fight the subsequent wars, and the British and French governments could be finished by political means alone.

The sentence "God will punish the traitor who helped the heretics" estimated that the morale of the frontline troops collapsed in an instant.Whether they are Protestants or Catholics, they all believe in God.

Constantinople is the holy land of the Christian world, which gives the city a strong religious color.In terms of religious feelings, no one likes to help the Ottoman Empire.

If the people in the country know that the government has been punished by God for helping the heretics, then is there any need to consider the consequences?

Napoleon III did not dare to test the piety of the French people. Compared with this terrible consequence, the importance of the Ottoman Empire as an ally is not worth mentioning.