Holy Roman Empire

Since the tsarist government was not in danger, the loss of the Russian army was out of Franz's consideration, and he made a decision immediately.

"Delivery at the fastest speed, and give the Russians another 100 million rounds of ammunition to show our position."

It is not without benefits for the Russians to adopt arcane equipment, because Austria has long unified the ammunition caliber, and now the Russian army can still use the bullets even if they change their equipment, so there is no need to worry about the joke of sending the wrong bullets.

……

The efficiency of the Vienna government is still very high. In just two days, 30 rifles were drawn from the reserve equipment and sent to the Russian-Austrian border at the fastest speed.

Such a big movement cannot be hidden at all. After receiving the news, the commander-in-chief of the Prussian army Moltke made a decisive decision-to act first.

On October 1865, 10, the Pubo Allied Forces launched a full-scale counterattack against the Russian troops on the front lines of East Prussia, Belarus, and Ukraine before the Russians changed their outfits.

The Armageddon broke out ahead of schedule, and all European countries focused their attention on this battle.

If the Russians win, there is no doubt that the Kingdom of Prussia will be over; if the Prussian Allied Forces win, then the European pattern will be reshuffled.

In Sweden, Karl XV rejected the Kingdom of Prussia's proposal without hesitation: a joint plan against the Russians.

Although Sweden is also anti-Russian, and it stood on the opposite side of the Russians in the Near East War and supported the British-French-Ottoman alliance, but it does not mean that they like Prussia.

When the Pudan War broke out, Karl XV was ready to send troops to help Denmark defend Schleswig and curb the expansion ambitions of the Kingdom of Prussia.

In addition to worrying about the loss of lips and teeth, it is also related to the pan-Scandinavianism that prevailed in this era.

(Pan-Scandinavianism advocates: the joint establishment of the Nordic countries. Initiated in Skåne in the 19s and reached its peak in the mid-40th century. Sweden and Norway have established the Swedish-Norwegian Union under the signing of the Treaty of Kiel. , it is worse than Denmark.)

Karl XV is one of the supporters of this plan. He has always wanted to merge Denmark, Sweden, and Norway into one country.He also wouldn't mind having Finland join if possible.

In the first Pudan War, Sweden sent troops to help the Kingdom of Denmark, but the response was a step slower. By the time they arrived, the Russians had already intervened and did not participate in the war.

Karl XV also planned to send troops to intervene in the Pudan War. Unfortunately, Denmark was defeated too quickly. Many people in Sweden opposed sending troops. The intervention ended without a problem, and Pan-Scandinavianism was also severely damaged.

It is not without reason that the Prussians wanted to win over Sweden to join the war.The hatred between Sweden and the Russian Empire has a long history, and the relationship between the two parties has always been bad.

There are also Finns who already want to get rid of the rule of the Russians. They have proposed that they are willing to join Sweden as long as Sweden helps them to become independent.

Internationally, the British are also trying their best to promote the Puri Union, and the London government has long made a promise that they support Sweden's annexation of Finland.

The Paris government also hopes that Sweden will annex Finland so that it can stab Russia and is willing to help them.

For the sake of weakening the Russians, even the Vienna government is willing to provide loans to Sweden. It can be said that the entire European continent wants to see the Russians suffer.

Now that the tsarist government has been exhausted, the main force of the Russian army has been restrained at the front line, and with the support of the Finns, Sweden has a very high success rate in sending troops to capture Finland.

Both Finland and Sweden are easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even if the Russians want to counterattack in the future, it will be difficult to achieve results.

So much good news cannot conceal the fact that the Russians are too powerful.

Chapter 78 Opportunity in War

War is cruel, and civilians in the midst of war are especially precarious.

The people of East Prussia are deeply touched. Since they were occupied by the Russians, their good days are over.

Fix is ​​just an unremarkable small town, and it still hasn't escaped.The well-informed nobles and businessmen have all run away, and now the rest are a bunch of poor ghosts.

Even so, they still did not escape the hands of the Russians.Since oil and water cannot be produced by frying, it is better to produce strong men.

The only church in the town is now full of people.

A middle-aged man asked frowningly: "The Russians just sent people over and asked the town to send 500 laborers. Father, what should we do?"

The church was perhaps the only area spared, and for God's sake the Russians hadn't looted the town's only church.

Now all the dignified people in the town have run away, and among the remaining people, the elder Priest Prague is the most prestigious, and the people can only turn to him for help.

As a religious figure, Father Prague cannot and does not need to run away.The influence of European religion is very large, and the Russian army will not do anything to the church, even if it is a Protestant church.

Father Prague said regretfully: "Son, I also know this news. I just negotiated with the Russians, and they demanded 20000 rubles to be exempted from labor.

The Russians issued a warning that if they did not get the numbers together within a week, they would kill. "

Father Prague didn't think about collecting money. If the nobles and businessmen hadn't left, they might still be able to collect the money, but now it's impossible.

It's not that the town doesn't have 2 rubles, but property doesn't equal cash. Nobles and businessmen still have real estate after they run away, but it's a pity that the Russians only want cash.

Everyone is unwilling to fight with their own country, but people have to bow their heads under the roof.

Mao Xiong is not easy to talk, since they say they want to kill people, they will definitely kill people.The head of the young man who initially tried to resist the Russians was still hanging on the flagpole at the gate of the town.

If one person resists—kill the whole family; if a guerrilla is discovered and does not report—kill; if someone attacks the Russian army, everyone within a 200-meter radius will be drawn every five times—kill; if there are more than ten people in a resistance team—Tuzhen...

Under such a high-pressure state, the local people dared to be angry and dare not speak out.The war has progressed to the present, and the Russians have already played real fire, and there are not a few villages and towns in East Prussia that have been slaughtered.

International opinion?It's a pity that the tsarist government is used to being scolded, and they are not burdened with debts.

Besides, the Russians are not stupid, how could they admit it?There is no evidence, at most scolding in the newspapers, the Russians are fearless.

In this era, the cameras are too big, and the shooting effect is not good, and the sneak shots are useless, and the Prussians can't produce convincing evidence at all.

These are all excuses. In fact, the countries can't do anything about it. When the cover is lifted, everyone doesn't look good, and they simply pretend that they don't know.

"Then what should we do, or let's run!"

Someone suggested.Serving on the battlefield is not a good job, especially for the Russians.

The news has spread, and many people know that the Russian army likes to use labor as cannon fodder.This is the experience they learned in the Near East War. Capturing laborers on the spot as cannon fodder can reduce the loss of troops.

An old man asked: "Russians are everywhere, where are they going?"

Running is not as simple as it is said. How far can they run with their family behind them, no money in their pockets, and the raids of the Russians?

A young man asked: "But we can't really work for the Russians and fight our own army?"

The old man reprimanded: "What do you know, a brat? There are not enough young and strong people in our town to add up to five hundred."

This is the crux of the problem, not whether they are willing or not, but simply impossible to complete the task.

The population of the town was not large. After the war broke out, a large number of young and strong men were drafted into the army. Now there are not five hundred young and strong men in the town.

……

Seeing the quarreling crowd, Father Prague felt very headache.These are the followers of his development. If these people are gone, his parents will be gone too.

"Children, please keep calm before the Lord. I will go to Konigsberg and ask my friends now to see if there is any other way."

Königsberg is the closest city to the small town. If the Russians want to smoke locally, they will certainly not only target one small town.

It was a sliver of fantasy for the Priest of Prague to go to the city for help.Not all the nobles ran away, and a large part of the nobles in East Prussia still stayed.

Some people chose to organize guerrillas to resist the Russian invasion, while others wanted to run away, and most of them are now gathered in the city.

There is no tradition of killing nobles in Europe, the prerequisite is that you don't leave alone.If it was just one person, he would be killed if he was killed, and no one would know anyway.

It's different when everyone gathers together. The Russian army will not attack them. This is the rule of the game, and it also applies to the Russians.

In a hurry, Father Prague rode to Königsberg.What came into view was a depression. The bustling streets in the past were no longer crowded with people. The scattered pedestrians also left quickly when they encountered the Russian patrol team.

As a religious figure, Father Prague was not questioned.Of course, he didn't go to the Russian army either.

Under normal circumstances, the Russians would not touch people in the religious circles, but it does not mean that they dare not touch them.In this age of war and chaos, it is nothing at all to die a few people.

Without loitering, Father Prague went straight into the church in the city.Regardless of high or low, Europeans in this era can have a relationship with the church.

There is a good saying: If you want to find someone, just wait at the door of the church.

"Father, why are you in such a hurry?"

A middle-aged man in expensive clothes who spoke had met Father Prague a few times, and the two were nodding acquaintances.

Father Prague, who met an acquaintance and was about to inquire about the news, showed a bit of surprise on his face.Asked suspiciously: "Mr. James, didn't you leave?"

The current situation is not good, rich people are running away to escape the war.Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for a well-informed businessman like James not to know the news in advance.

James replied: "I just came back after finishing a business, and the Russians came. But I got the citizenship of the Empire not long ago, and the Russians will not embarrass me."

The "Empire" is naturally the Shenluo Empire. Even if a new word is added, it is also the only recognized empire in the German region.

The Russians are not lunatics, and naturally they will not ask for trouble to attack foreigners, especially businessmen from allied countries.

Father Bragg was a little surprised and said: "God bless, Mr. James, you are so lucky to have escaped this catastrophe.

Now the Russians are plundering everywhere. In the small town of Fix where I live, because I can’t get any money, the Russians threaten to pay [-] laborers. "

Naturally, these news cannot be hidden from James. As a successful businessman, the most important thing is to be well-informed.

At this time, he returned to Königsberg just to make money.There was a shortage of labor in the Austrian colonies, and sending immigrants to the colonies was also a business.

James just took a fancy to the opportunity of war. He has signed labor export contracts with many companies in the Austrian colonies, and now he is coming back to attract people.

To organize immigration elsewhere, the Russians might interfere.If you go to the Austrian colony, there will be no problem at all, and the loan from Vienna is not for nothing.

When he came back this time, James also communicated with the colonial government.As long as he can fool the people to go to the colonies, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be responsible for the aftermath if something goes wrong.

James feigned surprise and exclaimed: "God! Five hundred laborers, wouldn't the town of Fix be in trouble?"

Father Bragg nodded bitterly, and said helplessly, "That's true. I had no choice but to come here for help."

At this moment, Bishop Bernard came over, accompanied by seven or eight priests. From their expressions, it was clear that something bad had happened.

Father Prague repeated what he had just said, and Bishop Bernard said helplessly: "Sorry, I can't do anything about this problem, everyone has encountered this problem.

I have already visited Russian officers on behalf of the Church, and unfortunately I was kicked out without even entering the gate. "

No way, who made them Protestant churches, and the Russians are Orthodox Christians?

If you don't shout and kill heretics, that's all to save face, can you still expect to give them a good face?

Looking at the ashen-faced people, James knew that the opportunity had come.

"Your Excellency, if you want to avoid the Russian labor, I suggest organizing the people to leave Königsberg first, and come back after the war is over."

Bishop Bernard shook his head and said, "Mr. James, your method won't work. The Russians have set up roadblocks on traffic arteries, and they won't let everyone leave at all."

James smiled slightly and said: "Under normal circumstances, of course it is impossible to pass. But we can use other ways to detour. As early as two years ago, Russia and Austria signed the "Labor Employment Treaty."

We can sign a short-term employment contract with an Austrian company, and then take refuge in an Austrian colony by boat, and return to Königsberg after the war is over. "

This is purely fooling around. It is easy to enter the Austrian colony, but it is difficult to leave.

The cost of immigration alone cannot be borne by ordinary people. When they earn enough money, will they still have a foothold when they come back?

Bishop Bernard was still thinking, but Father Bragg couldn't help it: "Mr. James, can this work?"

James replied affirmatively: "Of course! Now that the treaty is signed, the Russian military officers will definitely implement it. Otherwise, it will trigger a diplomatic conflict between Russia and Austria, which is not something they, middle and lower level officers, can bear."

Father Bragg said without hesitation: "Okay, I'll go back and talk to the people and let them decide freely whether to leave."

Bishop Bernard stopped him and said, "Father, this issue has too much to do with it, and we must consider it carefully."

He knew very well that if the people left and Königsberg became a dead city, would the church still have value?

return?Let’s fool the children, once they go to the Austrian colony, it is God’s blessing that one-third of the people will come back in the end.

Father Prague said indifferently: "Your Excellency, no matter what happens, it will not be worse than it is now, I can't watch the children kill each other.

The Russians recruit young men to use as cannon fodder, and let them fight our army. Can you tolerate this kind of thing happening? "

Chapter 79 Take what you need

Bernard was speechless, no matter how great the hidden danger was, he could not survive.Future issues, let’s talk about them in the future. Only by getting through the present calamity can we have the capital to consider these issues.

Everyone has personally felt the threat of the Russians. The loss of property is only a small problem. The key is that personal safety is not guaranteed.

Königsberg was in a depression because of the poor military discipline of the tsarist army, who would dare to do business?

A priest suggested, "How about we discuss it with the nobles in the city?"

Bishop Bernard hurriedly said: "No! Father Ren, you should know the situation of the nobles in the city now. The Russians are staring at them. Do you want to leave now that we are sending them to your door?"

The Junker nobles were still very loyal to the Kingdom of Prussia, and many of them were passionate youths leading guerrillas in the enemy's rear, which naturally attracted the attention of the Russians.

It's not that Bishop Bernard doesn't support the guerrillas. It's because East Prussia is too small. There are 3 Russian troops gathered on a land of more than 38 square kilometers. How can this be done?

The ending is self-evident, the resistance team was completely wiped out, and the people who supported the guerrillas suffered heavy losses. The Russians used tens of thousands of dead bodies to teach them a lesson: don't make trouble.

This is also the reason why the local nobles want to gather together. They are really frightened, worried that the Russian barbarians will snap their heads and snap them too.

When everyone gathers together, even if someone wants to fight with his head twitching, the noble officers in the Russian army will stop it. This is their common class interest.

The nobles can't protect themselves, and now they are very likely to get burned.Under normal circumstances, the Russian army would not treat religious figures like them.

James pretended to be worried and urged: "Everyone, let's make a decision earlier, the Russians will not give us so much time.