Holy Roman Empire

The reaction of the European countries made him very cold. As the gatekeeper to guard the Russian Empire for the European countries, the Kingdom of Poland is also doing his best, but none of the three major powers, Britain, France, and Austria, have clearly expressed their support for them.

It seems that the support of the Kingdom of Prussia is obtained, but in fact these supports come at a price.

Prime Minister Dombrowski was certain that if William I could not be King of Poland concurrently, the Prussians would have to paddle in this war.

Now that the tsarist government is not ready for war, it is no problem to beat the kingdom of Poland. If you want to destroy the kingdom of Poland, the tsarist government must first consider whether the money in its pocket is enough.

The Kingdom of Prussia has a paddling motive, a half-dead kingdom of Poland, just in time for their annexation, to minimize backlash.

Dombrovsky made a decisive decision: "Immediately carry out nationwide mobilization, and we must prepare for a showdown with the Russians."

The foreign powers can’t count on them for a while, the French don’t have time to pay attention to them, and Austria is an ally of the Russian Empire, and the British know it’s not reliable.

Mediation is easy to say, but in fact it all depends on whether the Russians are willing to buy it.More than half of the 24-hour ultimatum from the tsarist government has passed. It is estimated that the Russian army had already killed the British before the diplomatic note reached the tsarist government.

The only hope of the Kingdom of Poland is the Kingdom of Prussia, and Prime Minister Dombrowski is ready for a temporary compromise.In the face of life and death, many things can be compromised.

In any case, the size of the Kingdom of Poland is still so large, even if the Prussians have a good appetite, they will not be able to swallow them for a while.

Until then, they had to block the first wave of the Russians.It would be miserable if the Kingdom of Poland was defeated without Prussian reinforcements.

Can't count on Prussia to help recover lost ground and drive the Russians back home?

Don't look at the last war they won, Prussia still can't catch up with the Russians in terms of national strength.Prussia would not be an opponent of the Russian Empire at all if it had not been funded by its patrons.

The Tsarist government had no money, and the Berlin government was actually not much better.Don't be surprised if one day you hear that the Berlin government has gone bankrupt, they've been on the brink of bankruptcy.

It is not so much that the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Russians, it is better to say that the gold masters behind them killed the tsarist government with their money.

European countries have contributed money together, and Britain and France have generously provided loans. Such good things cannot happen every day.The borrowed money also has to be repaid. For so many years, the two countries have been working hard to repay the debt.

After losing weight, the Russian Empire can no longer frighten Europe, and everyone's support will naturally be gone.

In this context, Prime Minister Dombrovsky does not think that Prussia has the strength to hang up the Russians.If it had this strength, the Berlin government would have annexed Poland long ago, and there is no need to wait until now.

The Polish government has never neglected "war preparations", but according to prior estimates, the war will be more than ten years away, so the Polish government is not fully prepared.

The Russian-Polish conflict came too suddenly, the Polish government just got the news, the ultimatum from the tsarist government came, and there was no time for them to prepare at all.

To complete the combat readiness within 24 hours is simply a fantasy.Unless it is a small country like Monaco at the level of a village chief, the national mobilization can be completed in a few hours.

Poland began to mobilize, and the Russians were not idle.The well-prepared tsarist government has assembled 20 infantry divisions and 5 cavalry divisions on the Russian-Polish border, and 20 infantry divisions have also been deployed on the Prussian-Russian border.

Apparently, the tsarist government did not trust the Prussians, so they stationed heavy troops on the border.

Today is different from the past, the tsarist government has hoarded a batch of food in advance, and the problem of feeding the Russian soldiers has been solved.The logistical pressure on the Russians has been greatly reduced.

20 infantry divisions may not be able to help the Kingdom of Prussia, but the defense of the border is more than enough.Even if the Berlin government wants to play tricks, it must first consider its own strength.

There is no way, if you have more soldiers, you can be willful.Casually, the tsarist government mobilized more than 50 troops, which already exceeded the combined standing armies of the two countries.

The tragedy is that the Polish government didn't notice it in advance, and even now Prime Minister Dombrovskiy doesn't know how many enemies he has to face.

In this respect, the Polish government is really unqualified.He showed the most incisive and incisive performance, and paid no attention to intelligence work at all.

Chapter 133 The British Calculation

On May 1874, 5, the Tsarist government declared war on Poland. That afternoon, the Russian army crossed the border and launched an attack on the Kingdom of Poland. The Russian-Polish War broke out again.

From the outbreak of the Russian-Polish conflict to less than a week before and after the outbreak of the war, this efficiency refreshed Franz's understanding of the tsarist government.

The results of Alexander II's reforms have been reflected in efficiency. According to the previous efficiency of the tsarist government, it is impossible to get things done within a few months.

The sudden Russian-Polish war stunned many people.The European governments had no time to react, and the war had already started.

In London, Prime Minister Gerston was only exhausted.While busy with domestic elections, and concerned about the changing situation in Europe, even the Irish issue has been postponed.

"The war in the Near East is still going on, and the Russians have started a war with the Poles. Did they forget the lessons of the last multi-front battle so quickly, who can tell me what happened in the middle?"

With his rich political experience, Prime Minister Gerston can be sure that the Russian-Polish war was definitely not the result of a conflict.Over the years, the conflict between Russia and Poland has exceeded three digits, but this time a war broke out.

Looking at the rapid actions of the Russians, it is clearly premeditated.The war in the Near East distracted Britain, and the London government directly believed that the Russians were preparing for war against the Ottoman Empire.

To this end, the British are still trying to figure out how to keep the Ottoman Empire.Don't worry now, the tsarist government provoked the Russian-Polish war, and has no more energy to devote to the war in the Near East.

Foreign Secretary Maclean: "Your Excellency, according to the intelligence we have gathered, this time the Poles are in big trouble.

The Berlin government was not active in sending troops to rescue the Kingdom of Poland. After the outbreak of the war, it did not send troops, and even military mobilization was very slow.

The Polish throne election is imminent, and William I's support rate is very high. Under normal circumstances, he is almost certain to be elected.

The biggest obstacle is the current Polish government. There are certain signs that the Polish government is ready to use abnormal means to interfere in the election and kick William I out of the race.

It is not surprising that the Prussians had great ambitions for Poland and resorted to killing people by means of swords to oust the Polish government in advance.

From the current situation analysis, Prussia and Russia should have reached a deal in secret.The Vienna government has not yet acted, and what role they played in this, we cannot yet make an accurate judgment.

By the way, Prussian diplomats have been very active recently, frequently meeting with high-level European countries.Just three days ago, the Prussian Minister in London and I had an in-depth discussion on the Polish issue.

To counter the Russian threat, they wanted to form a Prussian-Polish federation, and they looked to us for support.

If nothing else, the Prussians have also had contact with the French and Austrian countries, but I don't know if they have reached a deal. "

Prime Minister Gerston nodded, and the explanation was correct.The sudden outbreak of the Russian-Polish war would make no sense if the two countries did not notice it in advance.

If Prussia and Prussia had secretly colluded, then everything would make sense.The Prussians helped cover the tsarist government and created conditions for the Russian army to attack Poland. It is not surprising that the Polish government was kept in the dark.

Unlike the governments of other countries, the Polish government is a hodgepodge, and almost every major power has put a nail in it.

The Kingdom of Prussia was the strongest in Poland, and many people were bought by the Dublin government.Coupled with the fact that the Polish government committed suicide, and the military was on fire, it was too easy to intercept part of the intelligence.

Prime Minister Gerston frowned: "If the Austrians are involved, it will be the fourth partition of Poland between Prussia and Austria.

This is not a good phenomenon. Let them continue, and there are probably not many countries left in the European continent.

If Austria did not participate, then what interests did Prussia and Prussia offer in exchange for the acquiescence of the Vienna government?

Likewise, the Berlin government promised the French some favors in exchange for the support of the Paris government, or the Prussians did not receive their support.

All these issues must be clarified. I do not think that without the understanding between France and Austria, Prussia and Russia could privately divide the kingdom of Poland.

The interests of being able to buy off France and Austria are definitely not small. Prussia and Russia are both poor people, with average industrial and economic strength. The promise should not be economic, so the answer is ready to come out.

In any case, they can't let their deal be concluded, otherwise France and Austria will be completely bigger. "

The British foreign policy has always followed their interests. When analyzing problems, a large number of interest factors are also mixed.

Using this analysis method, many obscure problems have become clear, and many things can be learned by directly tracing the interests.

The strategy of a great country cannot be concealed at all, and countless pairs of eyes are staring at it?However, it is impossible for any country to have only one set of strategies. There are also primary and secondary strategies among many strategies, and this order changes with the changes in the international situation.

It is currently recognized by European countries that the most important strategy for the French is to digest the Italian region, followed by the expansion into Central Europe and the seizure of territory west of the Rhine.

The most important strategy of Austria is to unify the German region, mainly to unify the German Federal Empire with a high popular support rate, and secondly to expand to the Ottoman Empire.

Because of the mutual restraint of European countries, the French's second strategy could not be implemented, and Austria's most important strategy on the bright side could not be carried out either.

But once France and Austria reach a compromise, and Prussia and Russia acquiesce to their actions, the situation will be completely different, and the remaining countries will not be able to oppose it.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Laluke Lloyd: "The situation is not so bad, if it really gets to that point, France and Austria will have a showdown.

Obviously, the current France and Austria are not ready for war.I don't think they're going to go to war, at least until the clearing is done.

Of course, in order to prevent this from happening, I feel it is necessary to strengthen the German Federal Empire.

If the Prussians want to annex Poland, let them abandon the Rhineland.Anyway, it is an enclave for Prussia, and it is also coveted by the French.

Rather than leave it to the French to enhance their strength, it is better to throw it to the German Federal Empire. At that time, France and Austria will only be able to contain each other. "

This is a conspiracy. Now that the French Empire is in full swing, it is a tragedy as their neighbors, and the national defense pressure is greatly increased.

The Rhineland region is just an enclave. With the Russian Empire as a great enemy to the east, once the French decide to make a move, the Kingdom of Prussia will be powerless to resist.

Since it cannot be maintained, the status of the Rhineland region in the heart of the Berlin government has been greatly reduced, in exchange for annexing the Kingdom of Poland, it is estimated that many people will agree.

Giving the Rhineland region to the German Federal Empire, the British are also not at ease.Once the Rhineland region was incorporated into the German Confederation, France and Austria could only keep each other in check.

Even if the Vienna government wanted to compromise and carve up a larger version of the German Federal Empire with the French, the German people would not agree!

Nationalism has determined that once the French intend to attack the Rhineland, Austria must stand on the position of the German Confederation, and the Vienna government will not dare to make concessions.

Conversely, if Austria wanted to annex the German Federal Empire, the French could not agree.How can France's strategic security be ensured by extending Austria's power to the west of the Rhine?

Unless one party falls, the other party's purpose is likely to be achieved.In this context, the British can play a balance between France and Austria.

Whether there will be a power imbalance between France and Austria is a matter of the future.The foreign policy of the London government has always focused on the present, rather than chasing the illusory future.

No one can guarantee what will happen after decades or centuries.Today is an ally, tomorrow may be an enemy, and the day after tomorrow may become an ally again. Diplomacy is a joke at all.

Prime Minister Gerston: "This issue is not urgent, first leak the news to the German Confederation, if they want to gain the Rhineland, they must also pay a price.

After getting the Rhineland region, the strength of the German Confederation has been greatly enhanced, and it is also the second most powerful country in the European continent after Spain.

We have to work hard to persuade the Prussians for them, and we have to settle the French. They can't afford nothing! "

In a short time, Prime Minister Gerston made a judgment.It is very likely that the Prussians will abandon the Rhineland, which means they can escape the French threat.

As for the losses, the German Federal Empire can completely make up for it.The German Federal Empire is almost the richest region in Germany, and its finances are much stronger than that of the Berlin government. It is not a problem to sell a good price.

With this money, many problems are solved.In the next Russian-Prussian war, the Kingdom of Prussia is no longer without a chance of winning.

As a broker, Britain could also make a political profit from it and expand its influence in the German Confederation.

……

The outside world is naturally ignorant of what happened inside the London government, and everyone was attracted by the war.

The Near East War and the Prussian-Polish War broke out at the same time, and everyone was waiting for the reaction of Prussia and Austria.Many people are speculating whether the European continent will lead to a full-scale war.

Prussia, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire can be seen as allies, and they are one treaty away from the Russians.

Russia and Austria are also allies, and in theory now the tsarist government has a chance to pull Austria into the water.Once a full-scale war breaks out between the two sides, Pubo + Ottoman will definitely not be able to beat Russia + Austria, then they can only pull people into the water.

At this point, the fantasy should be over. On May 1874, 5, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated its position: the Vienna government was absolutely neutral in the Prussian War.

This time everyone can rest assured that the so-called all-out war in Europe does not exist, and small countries don't have to worry about standing in line.

Abdul Aziz I was very disappointed by the decision of the Vienna government in Ankara. He originally expected the outbreak of the European War to share their military pressure.

There is no need to think about it now. European countries are not stupid. Who wants to fight without interests?The Vienna government remained neutral in the Russo-Polish war, not by surprise.

It is very difficult to carry out territorial expansion on the European continent, and the legal basis is the biggest problem.Austria has no legal basis for Poland, and its occupation of land is not legal at all.

This is not the same as expanding in the Balkans. Grabbing land from the Ottoman Empire does not need to worry about legal issues, nor does it need to worry about being condemned by public opinion.The Vienna government deserved the title of "liberator", not an aggressor.

It is different to rob Poland. Although Dabobo is not very popular, it is also a sovereign state recognized by everyone. If you rob the territory of the Kingdom of Poland, you will invade.

Unable to seize territory, and the Polish government was so poor that it could not even collect military expenses for launching a war. It was normal for Austria to have no interest in Poland.

Chapter 134 The Ottoman Crisis

Compared with the ancestors who ravaged Europe, Asia and Africa, Abdul Aziz I can be called a good baby.Since succeeding to the throne, he has been friendly to his neighbors, and has been cautious in diplomacy, avoiding conflicts with European powers as much as possible.

Except for throwing stones at the Russians in the Russian-Prussian War, Abdul Aziz I never initiated a war on his own initiative.It can be said that he is a rare pacifist among the Sudans of all dynasties.

Moreover, the last war was full of inside stories. If it weren't for the secret instigation of the great powers, Abdul Aziz I would have chosen to be a spectator.

Of course, he was not a "pacifist" of his own accord.It is entirely because the surrounding enemies are too powerful, and it is really impossible to win and can only choose peace.

When you come out, you always have to pay it back. When the Ottoman Empire was strong, it made enemies everywhere, and now it is necessary to pay the price.

Can't just let you bully people without letting others take revenge?This is not a fall of the Ottoman Empire.Austria and Russia both came to take revenge. If it wasn't for their strength, Persia might also intervene next door.

Now Persia and the Ottoman Empire are rotten brothers, and both are on the verge of decline.Because of the geographical location, the Ottoman Empire was neighbors with two great powers at the same time, so the tragedy happened earlier.

In contrast, the Persians in the east are much better, and only need to face the British.At any rate, there is still hope of victory. The Persians also smashed a British invasion more than ten years ago.

With a cold cry of "humph", King Abdul Aziz I tore the battle report in his hand into pieces.Undoubtedly bad news again, Abdulaziz I is going crazy these days.

"Yesterday the Austrians just besieged Jerusalem, and today the Bosphorus is occupied again. Will the Dardanelles be lost in a few days, waiting for the enemy to parade in Ankara?"

Everyone bowed their heads and said nothing. It was not that the Ottoman army did not work hard, but that the gap between the two sides was too great.The Russians did not just fight blindly. Within a month after the outbreak of the war, the Russian army landed from five ports successively.

Without waiting for the reinforcements sent by the Sudanese government to pass, the Russian troops who landed had already withdrawn, and they continued to attack at another port.

It seems that there are not many victories, but in fact, the damage to the Ottoman Empire is not small.The scorched earth policy was implemented all the way, and a large number of people in coastal areas were forced to migrate to inland areas.

While fighting the enemy, the Sudanese government also shoulders the heavy responsibility of resettling war refugees.Don't look at Abdul Aziz I's loud clamor, asking all the people and enemies to fight to the end, it's not like that at all in practice.

After the Russians conquered a place, they immediately started to destroy, for example: destroying farmland, burning houses, destroying iconic buildings, and expelling local people into the inland areas.

The coastline of the Ottoman Empire is too long to focus on defense, and the weak areas allow the enemy to take advantage of the loopholes.

Every time the Russian army landed successfully, the Ottoman Empire would have tens of thousands, or even 10,000+ war refugees.The law of impunity also applies in the Ottoman Empire, and it is impossible for the Sudanese government to hold so many people accountable for fleeing.