Holy Roman Empire

The words of Prime Minister Frank interrupted William I's imagination and brought him back to reality.

"The reason? You should know what it means politically to give up the Lithuanian region?"

Militarily, defending the East Prussian region is of course the best choice, and you can directly use domestic railways to transport supplies.

Defending the Lithuanian region is different. The supply line has directly increased by more than 200 kilometers, and there is no railway connecting the country, and the logistical pressure will greatly increase.

But politically, the occupation of Lithuania marked the Kingdom of Prussia's upper hand in this war.Not only can it inspire the morale of the army, but it can also increase the investment of the funders behind it.

In William I's view, the winter in Lithuania was not too cold, and the Prussian army could bear it.There are also rivers in the territory to reduce the logistical pressure, and it is not a big problem to hold the Lithuanian area.

Prime Minister Frank said cautiously: "The war has now progressed, and we have to consider the aftermath. It is better to accept negotiations with the Russians as soon as it is good, and keep the fruits of our victory.

The tsarist government will not negotiate with us if we occupy the Lithuanian region.Even if it is for the sake of face, they will not cease fighting at this time. "

This is not just about face, but also related to Alexander II's personal prestige.Losing the war and going to the negotiating table is not something he can tolerate.

If you really lose and there is no chance of a comeback, then it doesn't matter what prestige is. If you don't want to admit cowardly, you still have to admit cowardly.

But the Russians didn't really lose the war, they just lost a battle.

Prime Minister Frank obviously didn't want to fight the Russians to the death, and planned to take advantage of this opportunity to accept it as soon as it was good.Annexation of Russian territory had never been part of his plans.

William I replied with a wry smile: "Prime Minister, the war has reached this point, if there is not enough income, what can we give to the country?

Moreover, the British aid is not easy to get.The London government supports our annexation of the Baltics, and not just support.

If it can't be done, then without the support of the British, how should we go in the future?

Since the military started this war, we are just a pawn, not a standard-bearer.Chess pieces cannot lose their value, otherwise they will become discarded pieces. "

Fighting to the end with the Russians was not what William I wanted.The reality told him that he must fight the Russians to the end.

The victory in the Battle of East Prussia strengthened the determination of the main fighters, and the strength of radical groups increased sharply, and they wanted to gain benefits in the war.

A mere Danish kingdom cannot satisfy their appetite at all.Moreover, the Kingdom of Prussia did not dare to annex the entire Kingdom of Denmark, at most it would cut a piece of land.

Now that the war has progressed, the Kingdom of Prussia is deeply in debt, and the patrons will not let them stop.

Now it's not just the British who need them to fight the Russians, the French and the Austrians also need them to continue weakening the Russians.If this cannot be achieved, then the Kingdom of Prussia has no value for existence.

Prime Minister Frank didn't know about it. That's because he was an anti-war faction from the very beginning, and countries didn't contact him.

After the war broke out, the military took the lead, the government was just playing second fiddle, and he was marginalized as prime minister.

The reason why he was not kicked out was because William I didn't want to see the military dominate. Even if Frank was allowed to occupy the position, he was unwilling to hand over the position of prime minister to the military.

Hearing the news, Prime Minister Frank's face turned ashen, and he left the palace in a daze.

Chapter 83 The Big Conspiracy

No one cares about the internal disputes in the Kingdom of Prussia. Most European countries are celebrating the news. The difference in popularity between Mao Xiong and Xiong can be seen.

Austria is no exception. If it is not for the impact, Franz is planning to hold a banquet to celebrate this great victory.

The Russo-Prussian War has progressed to the present, and the tsarist government has lost more than 50 troops. It is not clear how many people were killed, captured, or retired due to injuries.

The tsarist government hadn't figured out these issues, so Franz naturally wouldn't be bored to help the Russians make statistics.

As the victors, the Pubo Allied Forces are also uncomfortable, and the Kingdom of Prussia is fine. Although they have suffered heavy losses, they still have strength. There is a winter buffer, and they should be replenished in the coming year.

Of course, this supplement only refers to military strength, and the war potential will inevitably decline, even with the manpower supplement of the two duchies.

The Poles are different. Even with the support of European countries, it still cannot change the nature of the mob.

In order to win over more people, the provisional government announced: the abolition of serfdom and the free distribution of land to the people.

But it's one thing to say it, and another to do it.The organization of the provisional government was chaotic, and the revolutionaries did not have any experience in governing, so they used rote methods and frequent farces in actual actions.

First, the aristocrats were pushed to the opposite side, and the subsequent internal struggle aroused the dissatisfaction of the middle class.

Without seeing the actual benefits, blindly shouting slogans, it will be ruined after a long time.As time went by, ordinary people gradually lost their enthusiasm for revolution.

If it weren't for the victory in the East Prussian Battle, it would be a question of whether the Polish Provisional Government could survive this winter.

The quality of a policy does not lie in the policy itself, but in its implementation.Apparently the Polish provisional government didn't know this, and took it for granted that as long as the government issued a decree, it would be implemented later.

As a result, it was true that the land was distributed free of charge, and the bureaucrats were free to play how to distribute it.It cannot be called a bureaucrat, it should be described more appropriately as a speculator.

The provisional government, full of idealism, ignored the reality and blindly introduced a series of policies that it thought were good. The end was self-evident, and the country was messed up.

This is a good thing for Austria. The chaotic Poland will discourage the Poles in the country, which is more conducive to promoting national integration.

Strategically, Austria successfully used the Prussian-Polish coalition forces to weaken the Russians, and did not allow Prussia and Poland to take the opportunity to rise, realizing the first step of the strategic plan.

Whether to continue to weaken the Russian Empire has become Franz's biggest headache right now.

On the one hand, I want to weaken this potential opponent, and on the other hand, I want the Russians to retain a certain strength, so that they can contain the British in Central Asia.

While the Russo-Prussian War was going on, the tsarist government had not forgotten to attack the Central Asian Khanates.It's just that the Russians' military operations in Central Asia are anticlimactic because of financial inability to support two-front operations.

There are also endless disputes within the Vienna government. The Russian Empire is not without strength. Their biggest problem is that they cannot use their own strength.

Theoretically, as long as the tsarist government can exert half of its war potential, it can easily take over the Kingdom of Prussia.

Austria's support for them in the Russo-Prussian War was far from comparable to that in the Near East War, which was also one of the factors that prevented the Russians from exerting their own strength.

This is determined by interests. Austria had a lot of benefits to take in the Near East War. Even if the money borrowed may not be recovered, it has made up for losses in other ways.

The Russo-Prussian War was different, and it was difficult for Austria to gain substantial benefits.Carving up the Kingdom of Prussia can only be talked about, if it is really done, the gain will outweigh the loss.

If Franz wanted to obtain the population resources of the North German region, he had to win the hearts of the local people. If he really joined forces with the Russians to carve up the Kingdom of Prussia, he would never want to gain the approval of the local people.

Nationalism is a double-edged sword. Franz used nationalism to establish the new Holy Roman Empire and obtained the rich human resources in the German region. Naturally, he also had to bear the troubles it brought.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl suggested: "Your Majesty, the Russo-Prussian War has been fought so far, our goal has been achieved, and we can consider mediating this war.

The finances of the Tsarist government have collapsed. Up to now, they have owed us a total of 3000 million Aegis in payment, a loan of up to 6500 million Aegis, and private bonds of 1800 million Aegis.

I don't think the Russians will be able to pay back if the war continues.Coupled with the previous debts, perhaps one day the Russians may not even be able to repay the interest.

Even if the Russians win the war and everyone divides up the Kingdom of Prussia, the gains for us are very limited. "

This is a fact. At present, the total debt owed by Russia to Austria has reached 2.37 million Aegis, and the monthly principal and interest payments total 215.4 million Aegis.

It doesn't seem to be much, and it can be fully borne by the fiscal revenue of the tsarist government.But the Russians not only have these debts, they also owe money to other European countries.

At present, the debt repayment expenditure of the Russians has already accounted for one-third of the fiscal revenue. If the Russo-Prussian War continues, the financial bankruptcy of the Tsarist government will be the inevitable result.

The Ministry of Finance has been mentally prepared for the Russians to renege on their debts, and Franz is also mentally prepared for this.

Although the money was also war money from Austria, since it was in his own pocket, he couldn't use it for nothing, and it had to be spent worthwhile.

There is no doubt that this value will definitely not be the partition of Prussia, it can only be made up in other ways.

In Franz's view, it has already paid back its capital.At the same time, Prussia and Russia were weakened, causing them to form a blood feud, and Austria's defense pressure in Eastern and Central Europe was greatly reduced.

However, in line with the principle of maximizing benefits, we must find ways to obtain more benefits.How to operate will test Vifranz's diplomatic skills.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg objected: "It is too early for a truce, and both sides may not accept our goodwill.

With the financial support of Britain and France, the Kingdom of Prussia still has the power to fight. The Berlin government led by the Junkers will definitely not stop the war. They also want to tear a piece of meat from the Russians and lay the foundation of their great power.

The Russians still have strength, and the Tsarist government will not admit defeat so easily.They managed to establish European hegemony from the anti-French war, and no one would be reconciled to throwing it away like this.

Both sides have the foundation to continue, and our current mediation is not to please both sides.

There is a buffer of winter time, presumably the Tsarist government will find a way to raise enough funds.

If they can't raise enough funds, then it depends on what conditions the tsarist government gives, and we can definitely sell them for a price.

The greatest benefit brought to the Prussians by the victory of the East Prussian Battle was politically, which made it possible to win over Sweden to join the war.

The Russia-Switzerland feud has a long history. In the past 300 years, they have fought eight wars. It didn't stop until the decline of Sweden in recent decades.

In addition, the Ottoman Empire may also send troops to recover the Caucasus.They had just completed a social reform. Although the reform was not thorough, they still recovered some of their strength.

The three khanates of Central Asia that have just been bullied by the Russians, Persia, which has recently turned against the Russians, and the Qing Dynasty in the Far East, all of these may become enemies of the Russians.

According to the information we have, the British diplomats have been very active recently, and the initial judgment is that they are in series.

It is conceivable that the tsarist government will not have a good life in the coming year. If it wins the Prussian War, it will be fine, and these countries will die down; if they continue to fail, then they will be in danger. "

Looking at the map of Eurasia, Franz had to admit that the Russians are really capable of spreading hatred.If John Bull's plan is successful, then the beleaguered Russian Empire may not be able to sustain it.

The "Russian-Austrian Alliance" is based on the fact that the strengths of the two countries are equal. If the Russian Empire is about to fall, Austria may be the first to fall into trouble.

Franz asked with concern: "Is the British plan aware of the Tsarist government?"

Deep down in his heart, he has already taken the negative example of Russia as a teaching material, reminding himself repeatedly that he can't be promiscuous, and he can't be promiscuous.

Foreign Secretary Weisenberg replied: "It is not yet certain. The Russians have not taken any action. We cannot judge whether they have insight into the British conspiracy."

The Austrian Foreign Office was able to discover the British plan for no other reason than that they regarded the British as their greatest opponents.

Since the opponent must pay attention to every move of the British, and the agencies of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs around the world are very tacitly staring at the British.

Prime Minister Felix suggested: "If the British have such a big plan, we need to remind the Russians.

The Russian Empire cannot fall, and if it does, it must be dismembered.We can't dismember the Russian Empire at present, so it's better not to let them fall. "

Dismemberment of the Russian Empire is no problem, the point is that there is no way to fragment them.Just tearing off a few pieces of meat on leftovers is no longer the pursuit of Austria.

Especially at the critical moment of the African strategy, now that there is a problem in the Russian Empire, Austria will fall into this quagmire and cannot get out of it in a short time.

Franz thought for a while and said: "Then find an opportunity to report the news to the Russians. But not now, wait until the British plan is almost completed before acting.

With so many countries involved, it is definitely not a simple matter to want them to attack the Russians at the same time. The British may be wishful thinking. "

Everyone has hatred, and everyone has interests.These factors constitute the prerequisites for all countries to take revenge on Russia. Unfortunately, the governments of various countries are not so powerful.

Due to the inconvenience of communication, so many countries are unable to communicate adequately, and everyone is scattered all over the world. The so-called joint operation is just wishful thinking, and it is easy to be defeated by the Russians one by one.

What's more, the governments of many of these countries are corrupt, and they simply don't have the courage to regain lost ground. They must make up their minds unless the British go to battle in person.

That being the case, Franz was naturally not in a hurry.Wait until the British are almost ready before notifying the Russians, which can also increase the difficulty of the game for Alexander II.

If the tsarist government used diplomatic means to solve the problem, wouldn't it embarrass the British?

Chapter 84 I have no money, so I can only kill pigs

St. Petersburg, since the end of the East Prussian Battle, the Tsarist government at the center of the whirlpool has had a hard time.

Although the generals on the front line were blamed, Alexander II still understood that the real cause of the defeat of the Russian army was not the command of the generals.

If there was no order for a quick battle, perhaps the East Prussian battle would still continue.According to the original strategy, the Russian army only needed to confront the Prussians and rely on maritime superiority to attack to win.

Offense and defense are not a concept at all. If the Russian army adopts a defensive strategy, it will definitely not lose so quickly.With the sudden increase of the Prussian troops, they lost a few lines of defense at most.

"Money" became the chief culprit for the failure of this battle, followed by the poor transportation of the Russian Empire, the third was the corrupt bureaucratic system of the Tsarist government, and finally this "decisive battle order".

The Minister of War, Hlamed Hui, reported: "Your Majesty, we have mobilized, and the loss of troops on the front line can be replenished in the next two months.

For the lost weapons and equipment, domestic military enterprises are preparing to rush to work day and night. We have ordered the insufficient part from Austria to ensure that it will be equipped to the troops before the spring of next year. "

Hlamed very wisely ignored the matter of accountability. Although the main military officers on the front line were blamed, they were not dismissed or held accountable, and were ordered to perform crimes and meritorious deeds.

Overall, their performance is still passable.These officers are the biggest gains of the Russians in the Near East War, and they are the elite of the Russian army.

Now that there is still a war to be fought, the shrewd Alexander II will naturally not do the self-destruction of the Great Wall.

"It's still about the money, isn't it?"

Alexander II asked helplessly. From his tone, it could be heard that the issue of "money" had not appeared once or twice.

The Secretary of the Army, Hlamed, replied affirmatively: "Yes! We have owed too much payment for the goods, and many cooperative enterprises have also fallen into financial difficulties. Now they require that the arrears be paid first before they can organize production. "

It is common for the tsarist government to owe money to enterprises, but it is rare for the tsarist government to owe such a heavy debt this time.

The capitalists are not fools. Knowing that the tsarist government's finances are in trouble, they will naturally not continue to borrow money.

In this regard, the officials of Tsarist Russia are their allies, and the companies cannot make money, so what can they give them as kickbacks?

Not only military enterprises, but also all cooperative enterprises of the tsarist government now have a large backlog of debts.

If these problems are not resolved, the Russian Empire does not need to think about the war next year, just bow its head and admit defeat.

Alexander II asked expectantly: "What plan does the Ministry of Finance have to solve the current crisis?"

Chancellor of the Exchequer Christian Wahl replied with a haggard face: "There are two solutions: one is to levy another war tax; the other is to borrow foreign debts."

No bonds were issued, no internal borrowing, which undoubtedly shows that the credibility of the Tsarist government has collapsed, and domestic financial problems have also occurred.

In fact, when the Russian army first occupied East Prussia, many people from the outside world were optimistic about them. The Ministry of Finance took advantage of this opportunity to sell a batch of bonds.