Holy Roman Empire

The British ended up sideways, making this war confusing again.No one knows whether the Tsarist government's wallet was emptied first, or the Kingdom of Prussia was unable to support it on the battlefield.

With the loss of sea transportation channels, the Russians' plan to concentrate their forces and quickly defeat the Prussians went bankrupt.

Since the Russians lost the Polish region, the food price in St. Petersburg has continued to increase, and it has increased by 30.00% compared to before the war.

This is the result of Alexander II's timely measures to control it, otherwise it is not impossible for food prices to double.

The Russians have a lot of granaries, the only problem is transportation.From Ukraine and the Moscow region to transport grain to St. Petersburg, price increases are inevitable.

At the Winter Palace Military Conference, Army Minister Hlamed analyzed: "According to the current transportation capacity, the number of troops we can put into front-line operations will not exceed 40.

With such a small force, it is almost impossible to win this war.The original battle plan was outdated, and the Ministry of War decided to change the battle plan.

Carry out strategic defense in the Baltic Sea and Belarus, put the main force into Ukraine, and attack Poland along the Russian-Austrian border.

In this way, our troops can obtain supplies directly from Austria, reducing the distance of logistics transportation.

Recover the Polish area first, and then we can rely on the rivers in Poland to transport supplies from Austria to ensure the logistics supply of the troops. "

The battle plan looks very good, and it solves the problem of logistical supplies.However, Alexander II was very uncomfortable, which meant asking Austria for help.

There is no free lunch in the world, and relying on the support of Austria to carry out this war will inevitably have to pay a price.

Alexander II didn't want to see that the Russian army was working hard on the front line, but the biggest benefits fell into the hands of others, not even allies.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Christian Wahl objected: "This plan looks very good, but it is not easy to get the Austrians to cooperate. This is not just about money, but also about politics.

The Vienna government has been in a state of contradiction throughout the war.On the one hand, they want to use our hands to destroy the Kingdom of Prussia and create favorable conditions for unification; on the other hand, they want to preserve the territorial integrity of the German region.

They won't fully cooperate unless we can pay a big price.Without their support, it would be difficult to obtain sufficient supplies even with the support of Austria. "

The position of the Vienna government is not a secret, it just wants to see both Prussia and Russia suffer.This is in the best interests of Austria, which not only creates conditions for national unity, but also ensures the territorial integrity of the German region.

Only after being severely beaten by society will Prussian separatism go out and merge with Austria instead.

At present, it is the Junker nobles who advocate the establishment of Great Prussia. Once they merge with Austria, the domestic agricultural products will inevitably be affected, and the interests of their landlords will be difficult to protect.

The worse Prussia is beaten now, the more people will support the unification of Germany. The prerequisite is that the Kingdom of Prussia cannot be annexed by Russia.

In this context, it is not an easy task to expect Austria to fully support them in winning the war.

Foreign Minister Clarence Ivanov went on to say: "We have spoken to the Austrians about this issue.

The attitude of the Vienna government is very clear, they will abide by the Russia-Austria alliance, and it is limited to the content stipulated in the agreement.

If you want to change their decision, the price you have to pay is too high, and the gain outweighs the gain. "

In the face of interests, the relationship between allies must also rely on the back.Everyone present is not a novice, and they will not naively think that allies will cooperate with you unconditionally.

Speaking directly with interests is actually the best way to get along with allies to maintain the relationship.An alliance that only talks about friendship but not interests has never been long-lasting.

Alexander II ordered: "Send people to rent some warehouses on the Austrian border, store some materials in them, and use them as a transit point for trade between the two countries.

The military first regained part of the territory bordering Austria, and then started trade nearby to save transportation costs. "

This is playing side-by-side, stocking up on the Austrian border in advance, so that when the Russian army arrives, it can be replenished nearby.

Although there are still many formalities to go, this also saves time.Time is life on the battlefield. With sufficient supplies, the Russian army can fight for their lives with the Kingdom of Prussia.

In this regard, they have an absolute advantage. As long as a few more 10 people are lost, the Kingdom of Prussia will not be able to sustain it.Unless Britain and France personally participate in the war, they will be the winners of this war.

It's a pity that the winter in Poland is not cold enough to take advantage of the Russian army's winter combat capabilities.

……

In Vienna, Franz put down the information in his hands and became a melon-eating crowd, quietly watching Russia and Prussia show their special abilities.

The 19th century was the last glory of the monarchy, and the times created heroes. This period was simply the eruption period of the hero.

Wilhelm I of Prussia, Alexander II of Russia, Napoleon III of France, Emperor Meiji of Japan, Queen Victoria of England, and the protagonist himself, do not have a fuel-efficient lamp.

These few are relatively well-known, and there are also those with a relatively low sense of presence, such as: Rama IV and Rama V of Thailand. It is not easy to preserve oneself in troubled times.

Another example: Abdul Mejid I of the Ottoman Empire promoted modernization reforms and continued the life of the Ottoman Empire.

Including Karl XV of Sweden, Leopold II of Belgium, Nicholas I of Montenegro, Luxembourg...

If these people changed the time point, they would be able to set off a storm of an era. Unfortunately, everyone bumped into each other.

The king of a small country naturally doesn't have much room to play, and being able to survive in the narrow gap between the great powers is a kind of ability.

This requires superb political art, and it is definitely not enough for salted fish.Every standing in line is a test for the small country.

Now it's the turn of Alexander II and William I to PK. The winner will continue the road of the hero, and the loser will have to be eliminated, and everyone will be wiped out.

The King of Sardinia has become a sacrificial offering of this era, and was the first to be eliminated from the competition, exiled to London to dabble.

The days of leisure are short and will be broken soon.

Foreign Minister Weissenberg reported: "Your Majesty, Francesco II sent a telegram asking for help. The rebel army led by Gabriel has crossed the Strait of Messina and continued to march north. The counter-rebel army of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies was defeated again. .

The current situation in the country is out of control, and rebellions are emerging one after another. Thirteen rebel forces, large and small, have appeared in the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.

Just three days ago, Gabori called on rebels from all over the country to join the alliance in Naples, and the capital of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies is likely to be lost.

The most troublesome thing is that Francesco II, an idiot, actually sent a telegram for help to Napoleon III at the same time, which made the problem even more complicated. "

Rubbing his forehead, Franz also found the difficulty of the problem.If he just asked Austria for help, then nothing to say, he immediately sent reinforcements to help suppress the rebellion.

Regardless of how the later generations boasted about the Red Shirts, Franz dismissed it.The combat effectiveness of the army needs to be supported by national strength, and the Kingdom of Two Sicilies is an agricultural country.

The navy blocked the port, and without ammunition replenishment, the rebels would turn into guerrillas in at most three to five months.

Not any country can engage in guerrilla warfare. The Kingdom of Two Sicilies is limited in size and divided into two by the strait. Its population is only 870 million, and it simply does not have the ability to fight for a long time.

In fact, these methods are superfluous, and it is enough to directly send troops to crush them.If even an Italian rebel army can't handle it, the Austrian army can be disbanded.

Franz said dissatisfiedly: "Francesco II didn't ask the Spaniards for help, but actually found Napoleon III. It seems that the French have made a lot of tricks under our noses these years.

The staff should come up with a battle plan as soon as possible, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies can no longer fall into the hands of the French, otherwise the Mediterranean Sea will become France's private land. "

Franz knew about the French's petty tricks, but he never imagined that Francesco II would be affected.

Asking the French for help now is completely leading the wolf into the house.

At that time, it is easy to invite God, but it is difficult to send God off.With such a good opportunity, it's no wonder the French don't take root.

Even if you want to check and balance, you can't choose the ambitious France!Even if the British send troops to intervene, it is better than letting the French send troops.

Without Francesco II's request for help, the French would never have dared to reach out to Italy. Now the situation is different, and the Kingdom of Two Sicilies has sent it to the door.

The Italian conflict between France and Austria is about to break out. For Franz, this may be just a small trouble, but it means life and death for the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.

Franz can sell the Kingdom of Sardinia, but can't he sell the Kingdom of Two Sicilies?As for whether the French will become bigger, that's the case anyway.

As long as the interests are appropriate, many issues can be discussed.In turn, the French may sacrifice the Kingdom of Two Sicilies in exchange for concessions in other parts of Austria.

It's not so fun to use barbarians to control barbarians. Even if the two countries can't agree on the exchange of interests, can't they carve up the Kingdom of Two Sicilies?

The integrity of the great powers is so high, as long as the interests are sufficient, they can go up.The Kingdom of Two Sicilies is not a core interest for Austria, it can only be regarded as a marginal area, and it is similar for the French.

Of course, if Napoleon III really wants to unify the Italian region, then it goes without saying that this is an essential part.

The big deal is that with Sicily as the boundary, France and Austria will carve up the interests of the Mediterranean and jointly drive the British out.

At present, the cooperation between the two countries is still very happy. The British were firmly suppressed in the Mediterranean Sea, and the tentacles extending to Egypt were blocked by the two countries.

Chapter 89 Great Powers Want to Eat Meat

In Paris, Napoleon III has been knocked dizzy by this pie that fell from the sky.

The diplomatic situation in France has always been bad. European countries are repelling them vaguely, and many activities do not take them to play at all.

Among the four major powers in Europe, they have the lowest political influence. If there is a slight outrageous move, the neighbors will immediately prepare their troops for war as if the enemy is present.

After Napoleon III succeeded to the throne, he made a lot of efforts to improve the diplomatic environment, but still had little effect.

The governments of various countries talk very well, but they still take strict precautions against them in actual actions.Especially after the annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia, a joint defense alliance emerged directly.

At the beginning, Napoleon III was still a little worried, for fear of another anti-French alliance.After a long time, he got used to it.

Take precautions and take precautions. Anyway, these countries dare not go one step further.These actions of the neighbors just proved the strength of France from the side.

The emperor has been in office for a long time and has been praised by others for a long time, so it is inevitable that he will be a little bit flustered.

As time went by, Napoleon III's ambitions also grew day by day. Fortunately, France did not win the Near East War, otherwise he would have drifted even more.

Facing the joint defense of various countries, Napoleon III still did not dare to act recklessly.He still has this bit of self-knowledge.

In order to break the situation, Napoleon III also made a lot of efforts, for example: maintaining a good relationship with Ying-Austria as much as possible.

Coveting the Rhineland region, Napoleon III restrained his desire and did not do anything; eyeing the Italian region, he also held back.

The lesson left by his uncle told him that the anti-French alliance would really kill people.Without a reasonable excuse, as long as France expands on the European continent, it will incur boycotts from all countries.

The Kingdom of Sardinia is courting death by itself, and no one can say anything.Now several Italian states are regarded by Austria as deadly, and there is no room for them to intervene at all.

If there is no telegram for help from Francesco II and no excuse for interference, Napoleon III can only sit idly by now.

Napoleon said vigorously: "The opportunity has come. Which of our troops is free, send it to the Kingdom of Two Sicilies as soon as possible. If Austria sends troops to suppress the rebellion, there will be no room for us to intervene."

There is no doubt that Gabriel's rebel army was directly ignored by him.In the impression of Napoleon III, the combat effectiveness of the Italian army was only 5, and the combat effectiveness of the rebels was even less than 5.

In the face of the absolute disparity in strength, it is not a big problem even if it is underestimated.

The Kingdom of Two Sicilies is close at hand, and the force that the French can invest is enough to wipe out any rebels.

In the original time and space, the Red Shirt Army led by Gabriel and the Kingdom of Sardinia secretly supported him. At this time, the Kingdom of Sardinia has become ancient, so naturally it will not support him.

If the U.S. federal government counts, Gabori also has supporters.It's just that this supporter is still licking his wounds. It's the time to be a low-key person, unable to support them, let alone dare to support them.

The Minister of War Edmund Lebouf replied: "Your Majesty, the third infantry division, the fourth division, the seventh division, the ninth division, the No.12 division, the No.15 division, the second cavalry division and other units can be mobilized .”

It can be seen that Edmund Lebouf is very familiar with the French military deployment, and he said all the numbers of the mobile force in one breath.

France is now in its heyday, and it maintains a large number of mobile troops in peacetime.If war breaks out, they can easily mobilize millions of troops.

To intervene in the civil war of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, one or two divisions would be sufficient, and the number of rebels in Gabriel is only [-] to [-].

Napoleon III immediately ordered: "Let the Fourth Division, Seventh Division, Ninth Division, and No.15 Division form the Intervention Army, appoint Marshal Patrice McMahon as the commander, and rush to the battlefield as quickly as possible.

The navy sent a fleet to escort, and at the same time blocked the coastline of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, prohibiting any ship from docking in the rebel-controlled area. "

The mobilization of four infantry divisions at one time is obviously not just to help suppress the rebellion.The rebels are not worthy of Napoleon III's attention, and they are more in response to the possible outbreak of the French-Austrian conflict.

This time it is equivalent to France reaching into Austria's back garden, and it is normal for the Vienna government to overreact.

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Edmund Leboeuf, Secretary of State for War

This result hurt Foreign Secretary Abraham very much.Interfering in the Civil War of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies will not only arouse dissatisfaction in Austria, but also make the British and Spaniards unhappy.

The Spaniards ignore it for the time being, they don't have the energy to manage so much now.However, the reaction in London and Vienna cannot be ignored. If a chain reaction is triggered, it will be troublesome.

Foreign Secretary Abraham reminded: "Your Majesty, the issue of interfering in the Civil War of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies may have to be discussed in a long-term way. If we rashly intervene now, the international pressure we will have to bear will be very heavy."

This is inevitable. It is conceivable that as long as the French army enters the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, Inosi's protest letter will appear in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

What kind of consequences will be caused is still unknown, and there will be no good things anyway.

Under the current international situation, France can at best spread its influence to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and it can actually gain very little benefit.

Annexation is out of the question.Francesco II's request for help only provided an excuse for France to intervene in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, but it did not mean that they had the possibility of annexing the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.

It is very difficult to annex a country in continental Europe. Such a good thing as the Kingdom of Sardinia cannot be encountered every day.

Moreover, the same excuse can only be used once, and repeated use will lose its effect.

Napoleon III said confidently: "Don't worry, Francesco II invited us this time, even if the governments of various countries are upset, they will not intervene forcibly.

What we have to face is only the Austrians. The Vienna government will not fight us for the sake of a mere Kingdom of Two Sicilies, right? "

The Kingdom of Two Sicilies is the largest and poorest state in Italy.It seems that this is a big market, but the purchasing power is actually very low.

Food is basically self-sufficient, and the demand for industrial and commercial products is very small.With Austria, the largest trading partner, the total annual import and export trade will not exceed 300 million Aegis.

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies had nothing but strategic value.However, this strategic value is also very tasteless to Austria.

It is true that Sicily is located in the center of the Mediterranean Sea, but with the gathering of forces from all sides, there is no way for Austria to directly occupy it.

Even if it leaves a naval base, it's still useless.To the east is the Royal Navy's Mediterranean military base - Malta, and to the west is the French Navy base camp.

Putting the Austrian Navy in the middle of the two seems unreliable no matter how you look at it.

Even if these two naval powers are ignored, what can be done?Does Austria still dare to block the Mediterranean Sea? This is something the British dare not do!

Therefore, the Vienna government made the most sensible choice and left Sicily alone.Now Austria does not have troops stationed in this younger country, it is just a little economic interest.