Holy Roman Empire

The Rhineland region is an enclave, and the connection with the country is not so close. Except for the pain of the capitalists, most people have no direct loss of benefits.

It doesn't involve self-interest, just follow the trouble and vent your dissatisfaction, and the matter will pass.

The Kingdom of Prussia is not yet the capitalists to be the masters, and there were people who made trouble when they gave up Silesia, and in the end it was not an obedient compromise.

Even without the Rhineland region, the iron and steel production of the Kingdom of Prussia has dropped by [-]%, and the total industrial volume has been reduced by nearly [-]%, and William I is still not panic.

The Kingdom of Prussia has a limited internal market, and industrial and commercial products are not competitive in the international market. In just a few years, there are signs of overcapacity in China.

This is a characteristic of the times. Affected by many factors, the capitalist world in this era will experience an economic crisis every ten or eight years.

From 1847 to the present, there have been three economic crises, and the fourth is not far away.If the agricultural crisis counts, it is about to erupt for the fifth time.

The more industries the better, the overcapacity is a disaster.If you open the history book, you will find that after every crisis, war will break out, and everyone seems to be used to using war to get through the crisis.

The economic crisis of 1847 led to the Great Revolution of 1848; the economic crisis of 1857 led to the American Civil War; the economic crisis of 1867 led to the outbreak of the Prussian-Prussian War; the agricultural crisis that broke out two years ago led to the Near East War, the Russian-Polish War. war.

Abandoning the Rhineland now, which seems to be a heavy loss, is actually buying time for the Kingdom of Prussia to integrate the Kingdom of Poland.

Otherwise, a new round of crisis breaks out, they do not want to start a Russian-Prussian war, and someone will send them to the battlefield.

In any decision, the interests of some people will inevitably be damaged, and William I did not mind sacrificing the interests of some capitalists first.Anyway, the bourgeoisie is a complex group, and as long as the rulers are not stupid, they cannot unite.

Without the Rhineland, there are also many people who would benefit.Without one competitor, everyone can carve up the market they left behind, and these beneficiaries will not give up their own interests for the sake of "class interests".

……

Ruhr, the news of the sale of the Rhineland by the Berlin government has come, and the local government is already preparing to evacuate.

People spontaneously took to the streets and started a massive demonstration.This time there is really no one to organize, and they are suddenly abandoned, and everyone will feel resentment in their hearts.

As a manager of the Ruhr area, Andrea was also very upset, and the documents issued by his superiors were torn to shreds by him.

Under normal circumstances, he would never have dared to do this. Deliberately damaging the official document would cost him his job. Now he is so angry that he can't care so much.

After the destruction of the office, Andrea managed to calm her anger.As a nobleman loyal to his country, Andrea understands what the bigger picture is.

The Rhineland region is destined to be abandoned, but with so many people and industries, it cannot all be abandoned.The Berlin government has issued an order to organize as many people as possible to evacuate.

That's right, it is to prioritize the evacuation of personnel.After a war with the Tsarist government, the Berlin government had recognized the importance of population.

If there is not enough population, there will be no sufficient source of troops. When encountering the tsarist government, which is good at playing crowd tactics, it is impossible to have fewer troops.

As long as there are people, there will be land and factories.The Berlin government had an evacuation experience, but the situation was completely different.

When the Silesia region was abandoned, the Kingdom of Prussia had just won the Prussian-Russian War and acquired a large amount of land. The East Prussia region was beaten to white land again, and the population continued to be replenished. According to immigration, there was no problem at all.

The current situation is much more complicated. The Rhineland region has a much larger population than Silesia, and it is not easy to accommodate so many people.

The Kingdom of Prussia does have some undeveloped land, but most of these lands are in poor geographical conditions, and there are very few undeveloped high-quality lands.

It is obviously not enough to settle the people of the Rhineland.The Prussian domestic industry is also unable to absorb so many people, which is doomed to have a choice in this evacuation.

Andrea's task is to organize the departure of people who are more useful to the country, mainly the rich and the middle class, including: capitalists, doctors, teachers, engineers, skilled workers...

After these people are evacuated, it is the ordinary workers and farmers.The final buyer is either Belgium or the German Federal Empire. The Berlin government is not afraid to offend them and can slowly organize the evacuation of personnel.

Before evacuating, we must first disperse the demonstrators outside, otherwise so many people will block the streets, and many jobs will not be able to be carried out.

After hesitating for a moment, Andrea persuaded herself and walked out.It is quite a bit windy and easy to water and cold, and the tragic and solemn hero who is gone forever.

Well, the situation is actually not that serious. The angry people did not rush up to beat Andrea, but shouted slogans for an explanation.

On the one hand, the success of education has taught the Prussian people to abide by order; on the other hand, the garrison has already moved, surrounded by heavily armed soldiers, and if they want to make trouble, they must consider the consequences.

The crackdown on the labor movement these days is nothing new.After seeing the army's posture as if it were facing a big enemy, everyone couldn't help but start to behave.

Andrea arrived in front of the government building and instructed the staff to move the table, bit him and stood on the table, waving a Prussian flag in his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

Advanced equipment can only rely on roaring, and Andrea tried her best: "I know why everyone came here, and now I am as sad as you.

Because we all love this country and the land that raised us.But there is no way, and now I have to announce the bad news.

What you are hearing is not a rumour, the government is indeed giving up the Rhineland. "

After getting the official reply, the clamor sounded again, and some angry people began to lose control of their emotions. If it wasn't for the army to stop them, they might have rushed forward.

"quiet", "quiet"...

Andrea's heart-wrenching screams were of no avail, and he was forced to have the soldiers fire warning shots into the sky.

"Bang bang bang..."

After the gunfire, order barely returned to normal.I have to sigh, or bullets are more deterrent.

"Keep quiet and give me 2 minutes. If you have any questions, discuss them after I finish speaking. Don't forget that discipline is the basic code of conduct for every citizen."

After listening to the discussion, everyone looked at Andrea, waiting for his explanation.

"The Berlin government doesn't want to give up the Rhineland, but there is no way, the Kingdom of Prussia is too weak. Facing the threat of foreign powers, the government has to consider the safety of everyone's life and property.

Some people may say that they are not afraid of death and are willing to fight for the Kingdom of Prussia, and so do I.If possible, I'd rather go to battle with a gun than live in humiliation here.

But people can't just think about themselves. We must be responsible for our parents, wife and children, and we must be responsible for the Kingdom of Prussia.We were relieved for a while, what should they do, and what should the country do?

Don't tell me the nonsense that victory belongs to Prussia, first figure out who the enemy is facing now, and think carefully with your own mind, whether we have a chance of winning.

It is not that the Kingdom of Prussia has not experienced failures. During the Anti-French War, we almost perished, but in the end, it has not been revived again.

As long as there is hope for people to live, today's humiliation can be recovered tomorrow.Temporary abandonment of the Rhineland region does not mean permanent abandonment.

One day, the Kingdom of Prussia will be truly strong and fearless and we will be back here again.History will remember all this..."

1Chapter 16 威逼利诱

Andrea's speech was so moving that even he was moved.However, it is of no use. Most of the people present are ordinary people. Their ideas are not so great, but they pay more attention to the interests of the moment.

If the number of people exceeds [-], the IQ is halved, and the crowd outside is more than [-]?People in the front can hear Andrea's speech clearly and pass it to the ears of those in the back. Naturally, out of context and artistic processing are indispensable.

Looking at the chaotic crowd, Andrea reluctantly admitted: It is impossible to reason.

Unless he has the energy to do ideological work one by one, with his three-inch tongue, it is still possible to persuade everyone.Obviously this is impossible, there are so many people outside, he can't be busy at all.

After hesitating for a while, Andrea finally made a decision: "The colonel orders the soldiers to disperse the crowd!"

……

Facts have proved that the military is more deterrent.Andrea struggled with her words to no avail, and as soon as the army intervened, the crowd was quickly dispersed.

The fact that the demonstrators have dispersed, does not mean that the matter is over.The army was able to maintain stability, and that was the first time the Berlin government bought the soldiers.

For the vast majority of ordinary people, it is better to talk about their ideas, the overall situation, and the big truths than to talk about the benefits.

The Berlin government promised the soldiers to pay a lot of money to settle down, and to arrange work for their family members, and the treatment was not lower than the current job. Under the comfort of the officers, the military's morale was stabilized immediately.

In fact, it is impossible to mess up if you want to. The Prussian Kingdom's army implements a garrison exchange, and most of the soldiers stationed in the Rhineland are not locals.

In the case of not involving self-interest, it is still effective to speak big truths.These soldiers may sympathize with the local population, but they will never violate the order.

Andrea couldn't use the same method. The Berlin government was willing to buy the morale of the army with money. The number of troops was limited. There were only tens of thousands of soldiers in the Rhineland region, and only a dozen or 20 of them, including their families.

However, the number of ordinary civilians is not so small, and the relocation expenses allocated by the above are limited, and it is simply impossible to properly resettle them all.

Such a large-scale relocation cannot be accomplished by one or two people.Now it is not only necessary to persuade ordinary people, but also grass-roots bureaucrats.

Remembering that most of the grassroots public officials are locals, Andrea sighed helplessly. He himself was unwilling to give up the Rhineland region, let alone these people?

He dragged his tired body into the conference room, took a sip of water from the cup, and moistened his hoarse voice.

"Everyone sit down, you all know. The Berlin government has made a decision and the sale of the Rhineland is a foregone conclusion.

Everyone knows that the French have always been eyeing us, and that the Rhineland region has been under strong military pressure for a long time.

The current international situation is very clear that our biggest enemy is the Russians.While fighting against the Russian Empire, we simply cannot preserve the Rhineland.

Rather than let the Rhineland fall into the hands of the French, it is better to sell it to Belgium or the German Confederation, at least in the hands of the German nation. "

Speaking of which, Andrea also squeezed out a few tears.

"I know this outcome is difficult for everyone to accept. Frankly speaking, I can't accept it either. But for the sake of this country, we have no choice.

The Prussian-Russian war may break out at any time. Once the war begins, we will not be able to divide our troops to defend the Rhineland region, and the fall is the inevitable result.

Britain, France and Austria have formed an alliance. Britain and Austria do not want to see the French annex the Rhineland, but they will not turn against the French because of the Rhineland.

Now Britain and Austria are asking us to sell the Rhineland region, although they intend to suppress us, but more to prevent the French from continuing to expand into Central Europe.

The Berlin government had no choice but to reject Britain and Austria, and we had to face the pressure of the French alone. "

Everyone bowed their heads in silence, protesting with silence.Andrea's heart sank, everyone understands the big truth, but it involves self-interest, and it is not so easy to make sacrifices.

The Berlin government made a promise that they would be properly resettled.In fact, it's just a blank check, one radish and one pit. Where did the Kingdom of Prussia come to put them in so many places?

Even if it can be settled down, it will be assigned to the backcountry where officials lack, how can it compare to the prosperity of the Ruhr area.

In addition to interests, the inseparability of the homeland is also an important factor.Not everyone is willing to toss, and many people who are dissatisfied with the Berlin government will be held back at this time.

Both Belgium and the German Federal Empire were once part of the Holy Roman Empire.From the perspective of nationality and cultural tradition, everyone belongs to their own people.It's not unacceptable to turn around and change owners.

Andrea would have thought the same, if not already in a high position.Don't think that the Kingdom of Prussia is more powerful. In fact, the living standard of the Prussian people is still the lowest among several German countries.

High military spending has squeezed out funds that should have been used for people's livelihood.Because of the debt, the Prussian people had to pay high taxes.

For many people, as long as the ruler is still one's own, can protect everyone's interests, and will not be discriminated against politically, why should they follow the Kingdom of Prussia to the dark side?

The rise of nationalism has affected many people.Over the years, the Kingdom of Prussia has been playing with de-Germanization, but in the Rhineland region surrounded by the German state, it has the least influence.

The "Great Prussian Thought" is actually a variant of the German Great Unification Thought, but the place to be unified is different, and the cultural tradition is still the same.

Austria dares to shout the slogan of unifying the German region, which is based on strength. Even if the Vienna government does not shout, the vigilance of all countries will not weaken.

It will be different if you change the Kingdom of Prussia. If the Berlin government does not shift its target and chooses the same strategy as Austria's German unification strategy, who knows if it will be annexed by Austria through political means in the end?

Many people know that the military capabilities of the Habsburg Dynasty were not good, and the talents of the imperial temples of all dynasties were all focused on political diplomacy.

If you open the history book, you will know that almost every expansion of the Habsburg dynasty was a political and diplomatic success.

For other European countries, the threat of Austria is not comparable to that of France, which is good at military force; but for countries in the German region, after the rise of nationalism, the biggest threat has become Austria, which is good at political diplomacy.

High-level government officials know what's going on, but people at the bottom can't imagine so much, including most grass-roots officials, who don't have such a far-reaching vision.

No matter how nicely said Andrea, abandoning the Rhineland region and harming their interests cannot change the fact.

Everyone has patriotic thoughts, and it is difficult to say which country they love.

Including idealists in the Kingdom of Prussia now believe that the German Confederation should unite to build a powerful empire and dominate the world.

Franz's fiddling with the German Unification Committee laid the theoretical foundation for this idea.It also owns the German Unification Daily, which spreads the idea of ​​unification to the German region.

This kind of newspaper is naturally banned by the Berlin government. The headquarters of the newspaper is in Frankfurt, and it is not under the control of the Berlin government. It is indispensable to bring a few newspapers secretly.

Anyway, one can count as one, there is never a shortage of idealists in this world.The more the government bans it, the more interested secondary two teenagers will be.

Sometimes data can deceive people. According to the propaganda of the German Unification Organization, as long as the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Federal Empire and the New Holy Roman Empire are merged, the unified German Empire will immediately become the world's first empire.

On paper, it really looks like that, but in fact, politicians know that this is impossible.If it really merges, the new empire will not become stronger, but will first fall into a situation of internal and external difficulties.

There are constant internal power disputes, and external hostility from European countries. More than 90.00% of them may be beaten by everyone, and then fall apart.

In any case, the idealists still believed it. These people often expressed similar views and influenced many people. Many people believed that the German states were their own.

This is very unfavorable for the relocation work, just like when we relocated to Silesia, many people chose to stay.

The situation in the Ruhr area is even more serious. Many local capitalists can't leave if they want to. Plants and machinery can be moved, but industrial raw materials cannot be moved.

Among them, the steel industry is the most obvious. Not every region has such unique conditions.For their own sake, they can only stay.

If these people refuse to leave, they will naturally retain the workers and technicians. Otherwise, who will work for them?

As the region with the most powerful bourgeoisie in the Kingdom of Prussia, relocating is not as simple as it sounds.Andrea has already felt the pressure, and looking at the reactions of his subordinates, he knows that things are in trouble.

Immediately slammed the table and asked, "Why don't you speak? Aren't you all very capable in normal times, and all of you are dumb at the critical moment?"

An old man put the water glass in his hand on the table and replied angrily: "Your Excellency Mayor, what do you want us to say? As a group of abandoned people, don't we even have the qualification to be silent?"

The Ruhr area is the largest industrial area in the Kingdom of Prussia. As the manager of the Ruhr area, Andrea also serves as the mayor of Bottrop.

"Mr Andrew, I know the government's decision this time has hurt your interests, but for the sake of this country, we have no choice.

Now that the time is running out, I don’t care whether you can make it up or not, you have to cheer me up and complete the task of domestic deployment perfectly.

The Berlin government has ordered that the entire Rhineland region will enter a state of military control. Your task is to do everyone's ideological work and organize the orderly evacuation of relevant personnel.

Whoever wants to slack off will be punished with treason.Am I kidding, you can try it.

The person in charge who completes the relocation first, together with the subordinate executives, will be promoted to two levels, and will be rewarded with 50 marks in cash.