Holy Roman Empire

Several orders in a row were issued, but no one marched into Warsaw.Encountering a steady opponent is troublesome. Even though the Prussian army has let go of the door, Ivanov decided to take down the enemy on the right wing first.

Chapter 258 Debt Kidnapping

Seeing that the Russians had gained the upper hand on the battlefield, the well-prepared Berlin government was still able to calm down, but the benefactor behind could not sit still.

"It is the uncle who owes money."This sentence is used here, maybe a little exaggerated.But the essence has not changed. Once the Pubo Federation is defeated, it will be difficult for creditors to get money.

The "collateral" promised by the Berlin government in advance depends on whether the Russians are willing to accept it.

According to the consistent behavior of the tsarist government, the possibility of pretending not to see it is as high as 80.00%, and the remaining 20.00% have seen it and will not admit it.

In order to win this battlefield, the Berlin government is doing its best to borrow money, and various secret contracts have been signed.

If the Pubo Federation is over, I don’t know how many financial institutions that have lent debts will also be over.If the consortium wants to transfer losses, a financial crisis is essential.

Not only financial institutions will be unlucky, but the real industry will not be much better.Many companies seem to make a lot of money from wars, but in fact many of them are profits on the books, and a lot of balance payments are in arrears.

There is no way, default payment is the biggest chronic disease in commercial circulation, and it runs through almost every aspect of the capitalist market economy.This is a difficult problem that all production enterprises must face.

No one knows how long the war will last, let alone how much it will cost.In order to support it for a longer period of time, the Berlin government naturally wants to spend as little money as possible.

It doesn't matter how much "debt" is, and it doesn't matter if the interest rate is high, they are all troubles of happiness.Only after winning this war will they need to consider these issues.

After the outbreak of the Russo-Prussian War, the export prices of all strategic materials in Europe rose sharply.

Nominally, enterprises have enjoyed the dividends of this wave of rising commodity prices, and have made huge profits; in fact, the Berlin government has only paid part of the payment, and many even only paid a deposit, and the remaining production costs need to be paid in advance by capitalists.

The Berlin government is rich, and there are still a lot of bank accounts lying in it. People who are well-informed have heard of it.

It's just that those who purchase materials are all depositing money. Usually, when the next batch of goods is purchased, the payment for the previous batch is settled.

Looking at the high profits, capitalists will naturally not refuse.Many enterprises with weak economic strength have to borrow from banks in order to advance payments.

To some extent, the Pubo Federation has hijacked the British economy through debt, and both sides have suffered losses.

Everyone knows the "risk" naturally, but it can't stand the huge benefits.In addition, the Prussian-Prussian Federation had already won the Russo-Prussian War once, and the newspapers in London continued to belittle the Russians, which virtually increased everyone's confidence.

All this changed after the Battle of Smolensk, and everyone suddenly discovered: "The Russian Empire is still the European military police, and the Pubo Federation seems to be unable to hold back."

This is not possible, we have already invested so much, no matter what, we can't let the Pubo Federation die!If the Berlin government is finished, everyone will be unlucky too.

The capitalists don't want the Pubo Federation to end, and the London government also doesn't want to see the Pubo Federation come to an end.After finally supporting a chess piece, it just disappeared, and no one wanted to see it.

For a while, the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin increased greatly, and domestic interest groups demanded that the government take action to avoid the worst situation from happening.

Putting down the documents in his hand, Benjamin asked in disbelief: "The situation has reached such a serious level that Britain was actually kidnapped by the Prussian barbarians?"

The deep disdain between his brows is enough to prove how bad his mood is. The relationship with Yingpu has always been very good. Under normal circumstances, he would not use the insulting word "barbarian".

Chancellor of the Exchequer Garfield: "The situation is worse than that. I suspect that even if the Pubo Federation wins this war, they may not be able to repay these debts.

Leaving aside the arrears of the final payment for materials, they have paid part of the money anyway. As long as the company is not too greedy, it is basically enough for the production cost, even if it is compensation, it will not pay much.

The trouble is the loans and bonds. Once the Pubo Federation is defeated, almost all collaterals will not be guaranteed.

The gold they took out was not enough to repay one-tenth of the debt.Even if the overseas assets of all the people of the Pubo Federation are added, this hole cannot be filled.

In the absence of complete statistics, we even found multiple mortgage loans, especially the loan agreement signed between the Berlin government and financial institutions in private. The multiple mortgages are very serious.

The debt owed by the Pubo Federation to us is far more than the 1.8 million pounds on the surface. The real figure may be 2 million or 3 million. No one except the Berlin government knows. "

These days, Britain's financial control is not strict, and financial institutions grant loans in private, and the London government has nothing to do with it.

Bond sales are even more chaotic. It is common to report 100 million yuan on the surface, but actually issue 500 million yuan.

In this era of manual supervision, it is too difficult to accurately count these data. As long as there is no problem, the British government will not intervene at all.

If something goes wrong, the British government has nothing to do with it.Financial problems, small problems will not be exposed at all, and once big problems are exposed, the institution will not be far from bankruptcy.

"Bankruptcy" is the best weapon to evade responsibility. The government can only catch a few scapegoats at most, and more often it can't even find a scapegoat.

Prime Minister Benjamin has been too lazy to delve into the specific debt figures of the Berlin government, which is meaningless.

In terms of investment, this investment is already a junk asset, and timely stop loss is the best choice.

Unfortunately, this is not possible.No one wants to see their money go to waste, and the London government must be responsible for the aftermath.

The original time and space, Britain and France used this trick to successfully pull the Americans into the chariot. Although they have not reached that point now, it still gives Prime Minister Benjamin a headache.

"Damn barbarian, why did he suddenly become so insidious!" Prime Minister Benjamin complained

"No, these situations are only for us, or do all countries have them?"

This issue is very critical, if all countries are kidnapped by the debt of the Pubo Federation, then the problem will no longer be a problem.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Garfield shook his head: "Unfortunately, Prime Minister. Although similar problems have occurred in other countries, the numbers involved are not large.

It may be that the debts owed by the Pubo Federation to all other countries are less than one-third of ours.

In addition to us, the second largest creditor country of the Popo Federation should be the French, then the German Federal Empire, and the remaining countries can be ignored.

The Berlin government does not yet have the capacity to borrow money from the whole world. "

Hearing the news, Benjamin almost fainted. He swore it was the worst news he heard this year.

The main reason for this situation is that the British are too rich, and the people have a lot of idle funds; the second is the foreign policy of the London government.Without the support of the government, private financial institutions would not be so enthusiastic.

Everyone took it for granted that the government would not let the Pubo Federation lose the war.That being the case, there is nothing to worry about. Does the Berlin government still dare to renege on its debts?

Other countries are different. Not everyone is optimistic about the Pubo Federation, and not everyone has the confidence to guarantee debt security.

For example: the financial circles in Austria do not borrow money from the Commonwealth of Poland, the reason is very realistic-the Vienna government is supporting the Russians.

Affected by politics, everyone is not optimistic about the Pubo Federation, so naturally no one will lend them money.

Not to mention small European countries, not to mention whether the money can be guaranteed to be recovered, the key is that they don't have much in their pockets!

In this context, it is not surprising that France has become the second largest creditor and the German Federation has become the third largest creditor.Who gave you money in your pockets and a good relationship with the Berlin government?

Benjamin asked unquestionably: "What about the Russian Empire? Don't tell me, the Tsarist government also borrowed a lot of money from us!"

Garfield nodded helplessly: "Unfortunately, Your Excellency, the Tsarist government does owe us a large sum of money, of course not as much as the Pubo Federation, about 6000 to [-] million pounds.

A large part of this was borrowed before the war, and it could also be counted as an advance payment for importing Russian agricultural products, and some were the balance owed for purchasing materials after the outbreak of the war.

We roughly counted the foreign debts of the Russians, and there was no surprise. Their largest creditor country is Austria, and the total debt should not be less than our loan to the Pubo Federation.

Most of them are loans, and a small amount of bonds, and there is very little final payment for purchasing materials.Because the tsarist government had a precedent for defaulting on debts, most Austrian companies required cash settlements. "

It seemed that the news was too heavy. After a short pause, Prime Minister Benjamin finally recovered.

"This is the worst situation. We can't watch the Prussian Federation lose, and the Vienna government can't watch the Russians lose. This war is not just a matter of Prussia and Russia!"

Anglo-Austrian confrontation, or a proxy war between Britain and Austria through Prussia and Russia.Either way, the final outcome is not optimistic.

Especially now that the Pubo Federation is at a disadvantage on the battlefield, and it is even more passive for Britain.The price to be paid is too great for the Pubo Federation to come back.

Foreign Minister Edward: "The situation is not that bad. In fact, we are mainly kidnapped by debts, and Austria still retains the initiative.

The Russians' loans from Austria only involved a few big banks and the territory as collateral. Although the valuation was a bit high, as long as they could be cashed out, they would not lose their money.

Judging from the current situation, I don't think the tsarist government has the ability to default.On the contrary, we are in big trouble, and the same debt involves hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people. "

Even if you don't have a headache, lending money to two families at the same time seems to be a good thing, but in fact it is suffering.No matter who wins, there will be a debt default, it's just a matter of how much.

However, the London government cannot control the financial sector. The bankers invest based on their own interests, and the national interests are not within their consideration.

It's fine if they can be recovered smoothly. Once the debt defaults, these consortiums will get out of their shells and resort to the omnipotent "bankruptcy" method.

Of course, there are also idiots who are not smart enough, or who react slowly, who did not transfer the risk in time, and played themselves to death.

Fortunately, the Russians have a bad reputation, and there are few capitalists who are willing to lend them money. Otherwise, the London government will have to experience the real dilemma.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Garfield shook his head: "I don't think there is any difference, even if the Vienna government has more options, it is impossible for them to allow the Pubo Federation to win the war.

They will even be happy to use our hands to weaken the Russians and clear away a major obstacle to their unification of the German region.

Think about it, the Pubo Federation was defeated and disintegrated, the vitality of the Russian Empire was severely damaged, and our economy was hit hard by debt defaults. Could there be a more ideal situation than this?

From the perspective of the beneficiaries, I have reason to believe that the current situation is planned by the Austrian government.

Of course, it could also be France, but I don't think that kid Napoleon IV has the ability. "

……

Chapter 259 The Czar's Choice

"People sit at home, and the pot comes from the sky."

Similar things often happen in international politics and diplomacy. In many cases, politics needs to determine the "truth".

For example, now, due to economic influence, the London government has to support the Berlin government, but their strength alone is not enough, and the French must be pulled in.

In this context, the black hand can only be "Austria".From the perspective of interests, it happens that the Vienna government also has motives, which is even more unclear.

It doesn't matter if it can't be cleared. On the issue of the Prussian-Russian War, Britain and Austria were already on the opposite side, and the debts are too much.

Franz didn't care, but Alexander II had a headache.As soon as the British made a move, most of their diplomatic efforts were wasted.

No way, diplomacy is really not their strong point, just look at the international reputation of the tsarist government to know how amateurish their diplomacy is.

To be able to achieve the current results, it is because the opponent is also a diplomatic rookie, and the two sides are pecking at each other as rookies, which is barely evenly matched.

It’s not that Russia and Prussia don’t have excellent diplomats. When it comes to the personal abilities of grassroots diplomats, even if there is a gap, the overall difference is not too big. The root of the problem lies in decision-making.

Excellent diplomats are important in international diplomacy, but more importantly, it depends on the decision-makers above. They are the ones who really have the power to decide a country's diplomacy.

It is a pity that none of the decision-makers in Prussia and Russia is good at diplomacy, and the efforts of the officials below are useless.

The former Second Empire of Time and Space is the best example. During Bismarck's administration, his diplomatic work was at its peak, but after the replacement, it was a mess.

After the Battle of Smolinsk, the outside world was generally optimistic about the Russians, and the Tsarist government also took the opportunity to step up its diplomatic offensive against the Nordic Federation.

It is difficult to send charcoal in the snow, but it is easy to icing on the cake.Many people in the Nordic Federation are tempted, especially the Danes who are gearing up to avenge the Pudan War.

From a strategic point of view, as long as the Nordic Federation stabs the Pubo Federation now, the war will be over, no matter what terrifying plans Moltke has.

It's a pity that the tsarist government's actions were too slow. I don't know if it was because of interests or other reasons, the negotiations have not yet achieved results.

With the intervention of the British, the Nordic federal government, which was supposed to be the icing on the cake, was shaken again, and the alliance became a dream. The Russians missed the best opportunity to win the war.

This is not the biggest headache for Alexander II. What is more troublesome is that after the victory of the "Battle of Smolensk", domestic optimism began to rise.

A lot of people who can't do anything, eat whatever they want without leaving waste, have become military masters, pointing fingers at the front line.

"What is driving directly into Warsaw", "surprise attack on Berlin"... Various strange tactics emerge in endlessly, and they all sound good, and they can win the war casually.

Talkers are nothing, just treat them as listening to stories and doing things, just get rid of them first.The situation is very different if the talkative party has social influence.

The gang of talkative parties in Russia happens to have social influence, and some people still hold power in the government.These guys "beeped", and Alexander II felt a headache, not to mention the pressure on the commanders on the front line.

……

In St. Petersburg in July, there is no severe cold in winter and no extreme heat in summer.The temperature of more than ten degrees is the most pleasant season.

At this best time, the exciting "Smolensk Victory" ushered in again, and the whole St. Petersburg was filled with the joy of victory.

As the biggest hero in commanding this battle, Marshal Ivanov quietly returned from the front line and came to attend the military meeting.

Faced with the compliments from his colleagues, Ivanov just laughed it off.My family knows my own affairs, and no one knows better than him how much the Smolensk battle was.

The main force of the Prussian army still exists, and it is too early to talk about "victory".If it was not for political needs, Marshal Ivanov would not mind publishing the truth and exposing the sinister intentions of the enemy.

There are no ifs in politics, and the tsarist government needs a victory. The "Smolensk Victory" came at the right time, and the false must become true.

Relatively speaking, this is not a fake, at most it can only be regarded as artistic processing.That bunch of captives was a reflection of their achievements.

Of course, as a real soldier, Ivanov didn't think there was anything to show off.He even suspected that the enemy couldn't afford so much cannon fodder, and deliberately stuffed them to increase logistical pressure.

……

Hermitage

Alexander II smiled and said, "Marshal, tell us about the situation on the front line!"

There is more than one marshal of the Russian Empire, but Ivanov is the only one who can appear here and is treated seriously by Alexander II.

The greatest confidence of a soldier is always his military exploits. No matter how much moisture there is, winning is winning. As a victor, Ivanov has the capital to be respected.

Perhaps Ivanov's military command ability is not the best, but he has advantages that others do not have, that is, the battles he commanded have never been defeated.

If you look through his resume, you will find that this is a stable output player.What I like most is to fight steadily and oppose any military adventures.

In addition, his luck has always been very good, and the enemies he encountered have always been weak.