Holy Roman Empire

Having figured out the Russians' calculations, Franz could only sigh: How can a person who has left a great reputation in history be an idler!

From his succession to the present, Alexander II has been focusing on domestic affairs, and has been very mediocre in diplomacy.

This kind of performance is also in line with everyone's positioning of the tsarist government. After all, the tsars of all dynasties were basically masters who fought with strength but not wits.

After a long time, Franz also relaxed his vigilance towards him.Diplomacy also requires talent, which has always been the shortcoming of the tsarist family, and no one in later generations said that Alexander II had strong diplomatic skills.

As a result, if you don't make a move, it's nothing. Now if you make a move, you will be shocked.At the same time, the UK, France, and OP were counted, and a bunch of small European countries were also involved.

If the plan goes well, the final result will be: the breakdown of the Prussian-Austrian relationship, the breakdown of the Franco-Prussian relationship, the breakdown of the Austrian-French relationship, the breakdown of the Anglo-Austrian relationship, the breakdown of the Anglo-French relationship...

If the diplomatic relations of all countries are broken, then the isolated Russian Empire will have an opportunity.

The ambition of the Tsarist government has never been small. How could it be possible to defeat the Kingdom of Prussia without biting off a piece of meat?

In this context, it is very necessary to divide European countries.Starting with Fao this time is to cut off the possibility of countries interfering in the Prussian-Russian War.

Except that the conflict between Britain and Russia is too deep, which concerns the core interests, and the two sides cannot compromise.

Russia and Austria are allies, and the relationship between France and Russia is not impossible to ease. As long as these two countries are settled, the European continent will no longer be able to organize to interfere with the coalition forces.

The strength of the British is indeed strong, but it is a pity that they are all in the navy.With the poor strength of the British Army, no country would be foolish enough to form a coalition with them and go to fight the Russians.

This determines that John Bull must have an ally on the European issue, otherwise it will be difficult for them to obtain the right to speak that matches their own strength.

After the Near East War, the British minimized their interference in continental disputes, which also has this factor.

In this context, even in the struggle for overseas colonies, civil organizations of Britain, France and Austria often fought each other, and Anglo-Austrian and British-French relations could still be maintained.

Franz didn't get angry because of a bad move this time, and he didn't take revenge right away.After so many years of being an emperor, his character has long been tempered.

……

Chapter 71 The Prussian Counterattack

Europe is in turmoil, and it is not Austria or John Bull who can't sit still first, but the Berlin government in the whirlpool.

No way, no matter how many people the Russians counted, once the plan is successful, they will definitely be the worst.

"In any case, we must also destroy the Russian borrowing plan."

King William I said cautiously.He still doesn't want to be ousted from power. The Kingdom of Prussia has already bet on its national destiny, and the people cannot tolerate failure.

Once the Russians are allowed to obtain loans from France and Austria, this war will really be impossible to fight.Even if it wins the decisive battle that is about to begin, the Kingdom of Prussia still cannot change the fate of failure.

What the tsarist government lacked was not soldiers, they just lacked money!No matter how heavy the loss was, it was the same thing for St. Petersburg.

There is history to check this. Hundreds of years ago, Russia went to war for years, and finally there were no men who fought. As a result, they organized female soldiers to continue fighting.

Today is different from the past. There are really many people in the Russian Empire now, 9000 to [-] million.William I didn't think that the tsarist government could not stand it.

Foreign Secretary McCarter suggested: "Your Majesty, I propose to take different measures against France and Austria, blocking their loans to the Russians.

To deal with the French, you can start with the joint defense plan.Take advantage of European countries' fear of the French and use diplomatic means to exert pressure.

Austria's ambition to unify the German region has never been extinguished. The French plotted for the Rhineland region, and they stood on the opposite side.

The British are also very afraid of the French. If the French want to annex the Rhineland, the London government is likely to intervene.

All we have to do is make Napoleon III think that as long as they annex the Rhineland, they will be boycotted by Britain and Austria.

Vienna and London will cooperate with us in this diplomatic drama.They just need a strongly worded diplomatic statement, and the French will hesitate.

To deal with the Austrians, I suggest using nationalists to create pressure from public opinion, accusing the Vienna government of colluding with foreign enemies and betraying the interests of the German nation.

Originally, this loan was the result of Russian calculations, and the Vienna government agreed to it only due to public opinion.Now we are also using nationalism to give the anti-Russia an excuse to sabotage this loan. "

The positions of politicians have always changed with demand.Initially, for the needs of expansion, the Kingdom of Prussia launched German nationalism, advocating the unification of the German region and the establishment of a large empire.

With the revival of Austria, they found that it was impossible to unify the German region, but it was very likely to become the target of unification.In order to protect their own interests, they started Prussian independence again.

Now, in order to destroy the Russians' loan from Austria, McKate did not hesitate to resort to German nationalism again, preparing to use nationalism to influence the decision-making of the Vienna government.

Prime Minister Christian thought for a while and said: "These plans can only delay time, unless we win a big victory on the battlefield and dispel everyone's view that the Russians will win.

Otherwise, the Russian conspiracy will succeed in the end.In the face of interests, all contradictions are not worth mentioning.

Compromise between Fao and Austria is not possible, only an excuse is needed, and the three divisions of Prussia can become a reality.

Nationalism most influenced the decision-making of the Vienna government, but could not influence their decision-making.

They opposed the French occupation of the Rhineland, not because of nationalism, but more because they didn't want to see the French grow bigger, and because they suffered from the spoils plan. "

This is the essence of the problem, and the unification of the German region is just Franz's political slogan.Call it when you need it, and throw it aside when you don't need it.

This is different from the original annexation of the South German region. Now the ethnic problems in Austria are not so serious, the integration work is progressing steadily, and the unification of the North German region is no longer the only option.

Finally, the core of the problem returned to the battlefield.If this war is lost, the Kingdom of Prussia will naturally die and cannot escape the fate of being divided.

Now they think about actually winning the war.The Russians are not easy to deal with. If they lose a battle, the tsarist government can organize another battle.

The only thing that could constrain the tsarist government was finances.Now they are thinking about how to cut off the source of funding for the tsarist government.

After hesitating for a while, King William I made up his mind and said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is at ease and bold, it has reached this point, and it will not be worse anyway.

When necessary, a blank check can be issued to France and Austria. The Russians can promise, and we can also promise.

As long as we can get more from the Russian Empire, it is not a bad idea to sell these lands to them! "

This is William I comforting himself. Even if he wins the war, it is still unknown how much meat he can bite off from the Russians.

Since the promise to France and Austria is a blank check, he is not prepared to honor it.

Unless it is absolutely necessary, it is impossible for William I to exchange the well-managed land for Russian land.

Looking at the map, you can see that the area bordering Russia and Prussia is the territory of Dabobo.Although the geographical conditions are good and the resources are abundant, the problem is that it is not easy to rule!

There are many Poles in the Kingdom of Prussia. Once Russian Poland is annexed, Prussia will change from a German country to a Polish country.

If it hadn't been for the Vienna Conference in 1815, when Prussia gave up the Warsaw region in exchange for the Rhineland region and the Prussian Saxony region, the Germanization movement would not have been so easy to succeed.

We must know that after the three countries of Prussia, Russia and Austria divided up the Polish region, 1000 million of the 450 million Poles were in Prussia, 150 million were in Austria, and 400 million remained in the Russian Empire.

It can be said that the first Vienna system saved the Kingdom of Prussia and allowed them to get rid of the embarrassing situation where the Poles were in the majority.

It is obviously not the best choice to continue jumping into the huge pit of Poland now.It is a pity that the reality cannot be chosen by William I, and the Junkers cannot tolerate Prussia becoming a second-rate country.

Of course, the Kingdom of Prussia had experience of assimilating Poles.William I also did not intend to annex the core area of ​​Poland. Their goal was the Lithuanian region, and if possible, they would take the three Baltic countries in one fell swoop.

Since the goal must be relatively large, can it be achieved?Ideals are always needed, how will you know the result if you don’t try?

This is also part of the British strategic plan, namely: Poland's independence, Prussia's occupation of most of the Baltic Sea, and weakening the strength of the Russians.

……

Politics requires military cooperation. While the Berlin government took diplomatic action, the Prussian army also began to counterattack.

Moltke changed his previous strategy of not moving like a mountain and killing the tsarist government, and turned to take the initiative to look for opportunities to fight the Russians.

This change made the Russians very uncomfortable. Caught off guard, the Russian troops who entered East Prussia suffered heavy losses. In just one week, 3 people entered.

For the entire battle situation, the total strength of both sides is over one million. It seems that the 3 troops seem insignificant, but in fact the impact it brings is indeed huge.

In field battles, the power of breech-loading rifles is surprising, and the exchange ratio between the two sides on the battlefield is astonishingly 1:2.7.

This is not defending the city. Such a disparate exchange ratio in the field is undoubtedly telling the world that the combat effectiveness of the two armies is not at the same level.

Chapter 72 Benefit Catalyst

More than ten kilometers outside the city of Venice, in an ancient castle, Viscount Oraby is holding a grand welcome banquet. The host of the banquet is Baron Fickney who has just returned.

This is not the first time that Fickney has come here, but it is different from the last time, the standard of the welcome banquet is much higher.

It can be seen that Viscount Orabi is very enthusiastic this time, unlike last time, it is just a courtesy banquet.

No one asks the poor in the downtown area, and the rich has distant relatives in the mountains.

Baron Fickney felt it deeply.Ten years ago, he borrowed money to go to the colony to develop, but he was often ridiculed; today, the old ridicule has become praise.

Even though he is far away on the African continent, these are not obstacles to the well-informed nobles.

Today is different from the past. In everyone's eyes, the African continent ten years ago was infested with poisonous insects and beasts, and diseases and plagues were rampant; now the African continent has become a field of hope.

Winners are not to be blamed, and Baron Fickney enjoyed the treatment of a winner full of wind, which satisfied his vanity.

There are quite a few Austrian nobles who developed in the African continent, but after being distributed in the vast Africa, there are not many of them.

Besides, everyone is busy making money, how many of them have leisure time and hold banquets every day?

Fickney's participation in the banquet was not without purpose. To promote the localization of the colony, it is inseparable from the support of the local nobles.

Now supporting the localization of the colonies, in addition to the people who developed on the African continent, the local capitalists are also a major force, but this is far from enough.

Austria is not Britain and France, and capitalists have very little political voice.Even Baron Fickney, aristocrats who developed in Africa, had a higher political voice than capitalists.

These nobles are the main force behind the localization of the colony this time.

It may be too exaggerated to connect with everyone in this world through five people; but it is not difficult to connect all the nobles in Austria through five nobles.

……

Baron Fickney said with a smile: "Olabi, I haven't seen you for ten years. I didn't expect Harrington, Gardner, and Devinton to be so old. It can be seen that they will all become excellent soldiers."

Viscount Oraby replied as a matter of course: "Yes, I am proud of them."

Joining the army is a tradition of the Austrian aristocracy. Noble children have to receive military training since childhood. Becoming an excellent soldier is the pursuit of many noble children.

Modesty is not a virtue in Europe, it can only be seen as hypocrisy.

Viscount Obira thought that his son would become an excellent soldier, so he would admit it openly. This was his true thought.

Baron Fickney asked with concern: "Are you going to send them to serve in the army or the navy?"

In recent years, the status of the Austrian Navy has been greatly improved, and it can almost keep pace with the Army.

Many aristocratic children who chose to enter the navy at the beginning seized the opportunity of the navy's expansion and soared to the sky.

Now that noble children serve in the military, there is one more choice—the navy.

"Harrington and Devinton went to the Army, Gardner went to the Navy, and they both went to military school," said Orabie proudly.

Harrington was studying at the Artillery Command Academy in Vienna, and he would be enlisted in the army more than a week after graduation. Gardner and Devington came back this time to send him into the army.

De Winton was studying at the Munich Infantry Command Academy and was only in the third grade; Gardner was studying at the Austrian Naval Academy just outside his home and was just in the first grade.

Fickney, you came back just in time, if you were later, you would not see them. "

This is a typical hedging bet. With the continuous development of overseas colonies, the well-informed nobles have realized the importance of the navy.

Uncertain about the country's future strategic focus, many nobles are betting on both ends.Anyway, there is not much conflict between the army and the navy in Austria, so it doesn't hurt to do so.

All three sons have been admitted to the military academy, and Aurabi is indeed proud.

Although nobles naturally have a higher starting point, it is not so easy to enter the Austrian military academy.There are 9 military academies across the country, and the number of students admitted each year is only more than 3500, and the number of applicants is no less than [-].

This is the impact of compulsory education.The number of people with basic education has increased sharply, and students with good grades have been admitted to middle schools and can apply for student loans to continue their studies. This has directly led to a sharp increase in the number of middle school students.

The admissions of the Austrian military academy and the university are separated, and candidates can apply for both sides. Anyway, there is a three-month stagger in the middle, and the admission results will not be affected by each other.

There is no doubt that this is the era of thousands of troops crossing the single-plank bridge.Whether it is a university or a military academy, the students report first.

Grassroots students who can break through all the way are not much worse than academic masters, at least in cultural classes.

Even due to resource constraints, the education they receive cannot be compared with that of noble children, but there are always geniuses and lucky ones.

If it's just competing with grassroots students, then it's nothing.The problem is that the competition among noble children is also very fierce. In this era, only children were not popular in Austria, and every family basically started with three or five.

There are also a large number of descendants of nobles. Although these people have no titles to inherit, it does not mean that their children's education is poor.

Now Austria's middle class is basically these people.Doctors, teachers, lawyers, small and medium-sized businessmen, most of them were descendants of nobles.

There are too few truly pure grassroots that can rise.The lucky ones who have no knowledge background, no social connections, and can grow up are the children of destiny.

At present, in Austrian universities, the proportion of noble students is only 31.1%, and the proportion of students from ordinary families is only 1.2%. The rest are from this middle class group.

In military academies, the children of nobles still occupy a dominant position, accounting for about 64.8% of the total number of students, the middle class accounts for 34.3% of the total number of students, students from ordinary families can be ignored, and there are not many foreign students.

No way, this is the result of fair competition.The reality is so cruel. From the beginning of public compulsory education, they lost at the starting line.

Students from ordinary families accounted for the majority at the primary school stage, but became a minority at the middle school stage.On the face of it, the probability of going from primary school to secondary school in Austria is about 8%.

However, after the compulsory education is over, almost [-]% of the children of the rich can go to school, and this ratio has been pulled up.

Grassroots students from ordinary families are not academic masters, and basically do not have many opportunities.They have to enter the top one percent in the entrance examination to get the bursary.