Holy Roman Empire

Besides, is the foundation of the Russian Empire really gone?As an old empire, as long as the tsarist government is willing, it is still possible to raise more than one billion francs in war funds.

Pinning hopes on the financial collapse of the Russians, I think it is more practical to pray to God to bless the Prussians to survive. "

The prerequisite for supporting the Kingdom of Prussia is that they can win, at least they must be able to hit the Russians hard, and this investment is not in vain.

If the Kingdom of Prussia is settled by the Russians in twos and fives, all these investments will be in vain.Don't expect Prussia to be able to repay its debts after the defeat. Whether the country can be kept depends on whether other countries will continue to support them.

……

The public says that the public is right, and the mother-in-law says that the mother-in-law is right.The indecisive Napoleon III had a headache. Both views are very reasonable, and it is really difficult to make a decision.

This debate continued for many days before Napoleon III made up his mind.

"Okay, I have decided to provide loans to the Kingdom of Prussia, but they will use the sovereignty of the Rhineland region as collateral to ensure the safety of our loans."

This is a compromise solution, which not only supports the Kingdom of Prussia to continue the war, but also creates an excuse for seizing the Rhineland.

The Kingdom of Prussia won the war, and the strategy of severely damaging the Russians was realized, bringing France one step closer to the hegemony of the European continent.On the contrary, the defeated Kingdom of Prussia has no money to repay the debt, and they can directly take away the collateral.

On the surface, this is the best choice, no matter what the outcome after the war, they will not suffer.In fact, this is just wishful thinking of Napoleon III.

It is impossible for European countries to watch them succeed.The British do not want to see the birth of the European hegemony, the Russians fall to the hegemony position, France, Austria and Russia contain each other, and no one can gain an overwhelming advantage. That is what they want to see.

Geopolitical relations, even if Franz is not prepared to compete in the European continent, he will not let the French become the new overlord.

Good neighbors of the French such as Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, the Italian states, the Federal Empire of Germany, and the Kingdom of Prussia are also unwilling to see France grow stronger again.

The mutual defense treaty against France is the best weapon to contain them.How did a country that was hostile by its neighbors become the hegemon of continental Europe?

Is it only by strength?It seems that the French are not so powerful.The Russians can use millions of troops to maintain their dominance, but the French are absolutely unable to do so.

What kind of overlord is an overlord without a younger brother?Unless you have the strength to crush the European continent, you can only play at home behind closed doors.

……

In Berlin, Wilhelm I was unaware that a quarrel had just taken place in Paris that sealed their fate.The Austro-Prussian War that broke out on the European continent was completely different from the Russo-Japanese War in history.

The power that the Russians can exert here is definitely not limited to two or three levels.If only the British support it, the London government will also be overwhelmed.

If you are lucky, you can achieve your goal by supporting the Kingdom of Prussia with tens of millions of pounds. If you are unlucky, you will end up paying a price of hundreds of millions of pounds. It is not surprising at all.

Even if it is a loan, one must also consider whether the Kingdom of Prussia can afford it.In short, it was impossible for the London government to satisfy all the needs of the Prussians.

Recently, the Berlin government has applied for loans from almost every European country. No matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat. Even if some small countries can only provide loans of tens of thousands of pounds, they will not dislike it.

Foreign Minister McCarter frowned and said: "Just this morning, the Swiss government notified us that they will officially terminate the joint defense treaty between the two countries, and they will announce it to the outside world tomorrow.

It happened so suddenly that the Swiss government made a surprise attack, leaving us no time to recover.It seems that they are determined to draw a clear line with us. "

This is obviously not good news. The Puri Joint Defense Treaty is undoubtedly aimed at Austria.Historically, it was only disbanded in 1866, when Austria lost the Austro-Prussian War and was unable to conspire against the Swiss region.

Switzerland is now suddenly disbanding the Joint Defense Treaty, there must be something inside.They don't even need to think that they know that this is the work of the Vienna government.

William I sighed and said: "Forget it, we can't take care of these small problems anymore. The top priority is the Prussian-Russian War. Now the troops on the front line have exchanged fire with the Russians.

The financial assistance promised by Britain and France did not arrive on time.The next focus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' work is to coordinate with Britain and France so that they can fulfill their promises as soon as possible. "

There is no way, cheating teammates seems to be the talent of Britain and France.The London government did not coordinate with the domestic consortium in advance, and is still trying to find a way to help them raise money; the French government delayed the progress of fundraising because of wrangling.

In the face of life and death, the Swiss disbanded the joint defense treaty against Austria, which is not worth mentioning at all.

William I understood the Swiss government's approach very well. Now that Prussia is playing with fire, it is normal for the Swiss to worry about getting burned.

In case Austria is dragged into the water because of the Russia-Austria alliance, wouldn't they also be dragged into the war because of the joint defense treaty?

The status of the eternal neutral country is hard-won, and it has been recognized by all countries with great difficulty.If they are dragged into the water, the French can annex the Kingdom of Sardinia, and Austria can also annex Switzerland.

It is true that Switzerland and the Habsburg family have feuds, but the strength gap between the two sides is too great. The Swiss government simply cannot afford the courage to go to war with Austria.

The Vienna government asked them to dissolve the joint defense treaty, and the Swiss government naturally followed suit.Anyway, since the outbreak of the Russo-Prussian War, even if the joint defense treaty exists, it will not play any role.

Understanding is understanding, and William I was still very angry at the Swiss government's downfall.It's just that they really don't have the energy to manage so much, and all problems have to wait until the war is won, and everything will be lost.

Foreign Secretary McCarthy replied confidently: "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Britain and France will not watch us lose due to lack of funds. Now they are delaying time, nothing more than worrying about our defeat and making investment go to waste.

As long as we are not defeated on the battlefield, the aid they promised will be fulfilled, and at worst they will be paid to us in installments. "

As the vanguard of the anti-Russian faction, McCarthy has always believed that the Russian Empire is already rotten, and it only needs to be pushed to collapse.

The Polish uprising that broke out not long ago, the Russians spent more than two months not only did not calm down, but intensified, spreading the flames of war to Belarus, which strengthened McCarter's judgment.

These understandings are completely different from William I's views, but since we are going to fight the Russians, it is natural to replace these confident anti-Russians.

If you hire a bunch of Russophobes and think about compromising with the Russians every day, how can you fight this battle?

Chapter 53

In Sicily, Negapolis, a manor, and the local revolutionaries joined hands.

"Mr. Gabori, our strength has been severely damaged after the last uprising, and we are unable to launch another armed uprising in the short term."

Local revolutionary leader Drakes objected.The revolutionary organization in Sicily has a long history. The January Uprising in Sicily was the prelude to the Great Revolution in 1848.

It's just that its influence in Europe is limited, and it didn't last long before being suppressed. The outside world tacitly believes that the February Revolution in France was the beginning of the Great Revolution.

In 1860, the revolutionaries of Sicily launched an armed uprising again. After hearing the news, Gabriel formed the famous Red Shirt Army and entered Sicily, opening the curtain of the revolution in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

This time and space have changed, and the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860 fell into the hands of the French. Naturally, it was impossible for Gabriel to organize the Red Shirt Army.

Without a unit capable of fighting, the armed uprising in Sicily was suppressed again, and the local revolutionary organization suffered heavy losses.

Drakes objected to launching an uprising now, but he had no choice but to do so.In recent years, the government of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies has kept a close eye on it, and the revolutionaries had to dive in, unable to expand their ranks.

Gabori said calmly and flickeringly: "Mr. Drakes, this opportunity is very rare. Revolutionary organizations in various European countries will launch uprisings in January, and we can minimize the chance of foreign powers intervening.

If we miss this opportunity, we will not only face the government of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, but also the interference of the three Offasian countries.

To put it bluntly, in the face of the intervention of the three major powers, even if our strength is ten times or a hundred times stronger, I don't think there is any hope of victory.

No matter how good the risk of launching an uprising is now, it will be lower when faced with the intervention of the three major powers.If this opportunity is missed, we may not see the success of the revolution in our lifetime. "

It is true that everyone launched an uprising together, but it is hard to say how effective it will be.Whether the three great powers will intervene is completely unknown.

Gabriel had no idea, so he chose Sicily as the first stop of the revolution.Great powers are not philanthropists, and they will not help in vain without substantial benefits.

Unless it is determined that there is no way to suppress the rebellion, the government of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies will do its best to suppress it by itself, and will not easily seek help from the outside world.

This is an opportunity. As long as the most difficult period is over, the big powers behind will be considered to intervene. They have gathered a certain amount of strength so that they will not be shot to death as soon as they appear on the stage.

Drex fell into hesitation, and the intervention of the great powers has always been their biggest worry.It was even proposed to retain the king to reduce this risk.

"Mr. Gabori, we can cooperate with you, but I can only organize more than a hundred people to participate in the uprising."

This means that Drakes gave up the initiative of the revolution.It's not that he doesn't want to fight, but there is no way. There are many revolutionaries in Sicily, but not many can participate in the uprising.

Not everyone can throw their heads and blood for the revolution.Most people support the revolution, and they are limited to doing revolutionary propaganda, supporting some financial resources, and forgetting to work hard.

Whether it is strength or prestige, Drakes can't compare with Gabriel, and it is inevitable to give up the dominance.

……

On January 1865, 1, the Italian National Salvation Army led by Gabriel launched an armed uprising in Corleone. Because the rebels wore red shirts as a symbol, they were also called "red shirts".

The prelude to the revolution began, and the Spanish Revolutionary Party launched an uprising in Elda three days later.

Isabel II had constant romantic affairs throughout her life, and the folk reputation was very bad.Because his father passed away early, the monarch's education was lacking, and his political performance was also called poor.

In the face of endless revolutions and court intrigues, she only knew how to change the government frequently to deal with it. During her 25-year ruling career, Spain changed 34 governments and promulgated 7 constitutions.

If it weren't for Spain's solid foundation, it would have been overwhelmed long ago.Such a background created favorable conditions for revolutionary activities.

However, as the stronghold of conservatives, Spain's traditional forces are very strong. Although these people don't like the fatuous Isabel II, they hate the revolutionaries who break the rules even more.

With the help of conservatives, Isabel II managed to hold on to her rule.This kind of support is not unlimited. In the later period, the conservatives couldn't bear her. In 1868, the Glorious Revolution broke out, and Isabel II was forced to go into exile in France.

In Venice, after some deception, Stephen and others finally organized a revolutionary team. Of course, most people didn't know that they had been joined the revolutionary party.

The Hungarian Independence Organization was broken into pieces, and under the banner of the Anglo-French-Austrian colonial company, a large number of Italians were recruited in the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Papal State, Lombardy, and Venice, and they were given simple military training.

All these colonial companies are real, and Stephen and others used the power of the Americans to register in Britain and France.

They are good at acting and quickly adapted to their roles.It is also commonplace in Austria for colonial companies to hire armed men to open up overseas colonies.

It's just that the Austrian colonial team rarely hired Italians, and even if they did, they mostly served as sailors and laborers, and they were rarely used on the battlefield.

Italians who are full of romanticism are not suitable for fighting. This is the experience that everyone has summed up over the years.

Of course, there will never be a shortage of unbelievers.Although the combat effectiveness of the Italians has been questioned, they can't stand them cheap!

The overall combat effectiveness is low, and occasionally there are a few alternatives?If you are lucky and carefully screened, it is still possible to hire Italians with strong combat effectiveness.

Looking at the large army gathered in his hands, Stephen hesitated. He even wanted to try to really launch an armed uprising. Maybe it would succeed?

He quickly dispelled this idea. Thousands of armed men gathered in the Venetia area. How could it not attract the attention of the local government?

If they hadn't connected with the Austrian intelligence organization in advance, they would have been suppressed long ago.In fact, it is not much better now. If Vienna did not intend to eliminate dissidents, they would have no room to play.

Lombardy Venetia has always been the most unstable area in Austria. Of course, this instability does not mean that uprisings break out here every day.In fact, since the Great Revolution, there has never been an uprising of more than a hundred people here.

The main reason is the awakening of nationalism in Italy, and many Italian intellectuals, some capitalists, and declining nobles still want to be independent.

These people have been secretly connecting stages, but have not taken substantive actions.As a country with the rule of law, Austria naturally cannot convict them because they may have an independent tendency.

The role of Stephen and others is reflected, and now they are constantly visiting the big shots here as merchants of the colonial company.

In the manor outside Milan, members of the Hungarian Independence Organization gathered in twos and threes. Prudence complained: "I'm exhausted. I finally completed the task. I don't know if it's right or wrong."

Mariut sneered: "Since we have made a decision, we cannot regret it. After the play is over, we are free men."

Once a person gives up the bottom line, there is nothing he can't do.In order to disappear from the list of Austrian political prisoners, they had to choose to cooperate.

Stephen said cautiously: "Okay, since these people have been targeted, even if we didn't have us, other revolutionary organizations would have found them.

Anyway, they will be unlucky sooner or later, so it is better to use waste and get out for us.

Now we have finished visiting people in Lombardy and Venetia.The next step is Hungary, but in order to avoid complications, we will not go there in person.

Give the list to the people below, and let them link up with these members to launch an armed uprising. Let's make arrangements individually!

Be careful not to let them lose the list.There is a lot at stake here, the result of years of operating as an independent organization. "

Looking at Stephen with a serious face, everyone was too lazy to complain.It is indeed the result of many years of operation. The list is provided by the Austrian intelligence organization, and they are only responsible for connecting them.

No, it cannot be said to be in series, to be precise, it should be to drag these people into the water.

Now the domestic situation in Austria is stable, and there is no future for rebellion at this time.Those who were deeply influenced by nationalism and wanted to be independent did not dare to make trouble.

But they secretly promoted nationalism, which made Franz intolerable.The enemy on the surface is not scary, the most difficult thing to deal with is always the enemy in the dark.

Based on the principle of strike first, since these people want to be independent, give them a chance.Just when the Hungarian Independence Organization came to the door, Franz decided to let them join the Hungarian Independence Organization.

Even if you are not a Hungarian, you can also collude with the Hungarian Independence Organization.In short, Franz will not give these people the opportunity to develop and grow.

Stephen and others now have a family and a business, and they don't want to continue making revolutions.He also needs someone who can give the Americans an explanation, proving that the money has not been spent in vain all these years, and that both parties are getting what they need.

These thousands of Italian mercenaries are just a bunch of unlucky ones.Originally, it had nothing to do with them, but now they are involved in it in a daze.

A large number of rebels were involved at one time, how could it be possible without a major case?And they were the initiators of this big case. Thousands of armed men launched a rebellion, which was enough to pull everyone involved in it.

Mariut echoed: "Mr. Stephen is right. Both the Spanish Revolutionary Party and the Italian Revolutionary Party launched uprisings. Now it's our turn to make a revolution."

There is indeed a revolution, but the fate of the revolution has changed.Acting and doing a full set, they have fabricated letters from many important people.

Now it's almost time to hit the door.According to the script, they encountered an accident, leaked the news, were forced to revolt ahead of time, were brutally suppressed, and finally went into exile overseas.

Since there was an accident, there was no time to destroy these letters.At that time, these letters and the secret meeting before the outbreak of the rebellion will be the evidence against these people supporting the rebellion.

斯蒂芬煞有其事的说：“现在大家都去准备吧！按照约定时间，我们1865年2月15日凌晨4:30点准时发动武装起义，大家务必要把消息通知到所有人。”

……

Chapter 54 Phishing Enforcement

The actions of the Hungarian independence organization can only be regarded as small troubles, and the movements of the French Revolutionary Party are considered major.

In January 1865, from Paris to Montauban, there were demonstrations in more than 1 cities throughout France, as if France had returned to the era of the Great Revolution.

Many people joined the parade in a daze, shouting all kinds of slogans, such as:

Some asked the government to support the Polish independence movement, some opposed a certain policy of the government, some advocated supporting the Spanish Revolutionary Party, and some opposed the colonial movement...

Only unexpected, there is absolutely nothing that cannot be shouted out.

Apparently, the French Revolutionary Party has also learned to be smart. In recent years, the domestic economy has developed well, and everyone's life is okay. At this time, rebellion is simply not feasible.