Holy Roman Empire

In this era, it is indeed a sky-high compensation.In the Franco-Prussian War in the original time and space, the final war indemnity was only 50 billion francs, which shocked the whole world.

Calculated at the current exchange rate, 50 billion francs is only 4 million Aegis.

Of course, considering the age difference, the 4 million Aegis ten years ago is really no less than the 5 million Aegis now.

But Prussia and France are completely different concepts.The French easily raised 50 billion francs, and it is said that they are more than a billion.

We must know that the Franco-Prussian War also destroyed several eastern provinces, and the economic loss exceeded 200 billion francs. The French government itself still has a huge debt of tens of billions of francs, no less than the current Berlin government.

A solid foundation is so awesome, people can afford to lose, and it would be impossible for the Kingdom of Prussia.

Franz was not touched, because he had seen the indemnity of World War I and World War II, and his heart was already very strong, and it was difficult for him to be touched by such a small amount of money.

After contemplating for a moment, Franz nodded: "For the Berlin government, it is indeed a bit much. Can the Russians make concessions?

For example: reducing part of the compensation, or extending the payment period.Limit the amount of reparations paid each year to what the Kingdom of Prussia can afford. "

Weisenberg shook his head: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it will be difficult. The damage caused by the war is too great, and the Kingdom of Prussia has almost no ability to pay now.

Moreover, the Russians still owe us huge debts, and any suggestion of relief or postponement of payment is not suitable for us to propose. "

After hearing this explanation, Franz rubbed his forehead helplessly.If it involves self-interest, it means that there is no need to discuss it.

It would be embarrassing if the Vienna government proposed to the tsarist government relief from reparations, and the Russians also demanded relief from Austria's debts.

If the finances are not good, you can not lose money. How is this possible?According to this logic, how does Austria collect bills from the Russians?

Franz asked: "Based on the current situation, how long can the Tsarist government's finances last?"

The Russian-Prussian armistice does not mean that the war is over.If the treaty is not signed for a day, the war is not really over.

There are still millions of troops between Prussia and Russia still facing each other on the border. Even if there is no war, the daily expenses of eating and drinking with millions of mouths are not a small number.

For Prussia and Russia, which are not financially good, there must be pressure.

Prime Minister Felix replied: "Probably able to last for two to three months, the threat of force from the Russians failed to frighten the Kingdom of Prussia, which is also directly related to this.

If the Russo-Prussian War continues, at most for more than a month, the tsarist government will panic again.

It is not only the Russians who are short of money, but Prussia is not much better.If it weren't for the fact that the Prussian army was stationed on the mainland, which reduced transportation consumption, the Berlin government might go bankrupt first. "

The two poor ghosts were comparing their patience, and Franz was speechless.According to the current situation, it is no longer a question of how much the Kingdom of Prussia has to pay, but how much they can spend.

Chapter 297 Two Treaties

Time is a killing knife. No matter how persistent the two countries are, they have to bow their heads before time.

After more than two months of negotiations, on July 1881, 7, Prussia and Russia finally reached an agreement under the mediation of all parties.

It was really reluctant, neither the Tsarist government nor the Berlin government were satisfied with this peace treaty.

It's just that the surplus food at home is running out, so in order to avoid being starved to death, I had to compromise.

The end of the war does not mean that there is no need to spend money.Pensions for dead and disabled soldiers, resettlement of retired officers and soldiers, and post-war economic reconstruction all require a lot of funds.

Prussia and Russia dare not run out of their money bags. The government has no emergency funds, and it is not as simple as financial bankruptcy.

If the soldiers are not arranged properly, there will be big troubles.Mutiny is trivial, and the most feared thing is that someone raises his arms and calls "revolution" and it will come.

The three countries of Britain, France and Austria made it clear that the international community will only consider helping if an armistice treaty is signed.

These days, the three countries of Britain, France and Austria are the international community. The positions of the three countries are the same, and the rest of the countries add up to nothing.

Post-war reconstruction can be postponed, but disarmament and resettlement is imperative. Without the financial support of the international community, even the Russian Empire, which won the war, cannot stand it.

Both Prussia and Russia made concessions, or the three countries helped them make concessions. The content of the treaty:

1. The Kingdom of Prussia admits defeat and takes responsibility for the war;

2. Ceded East Prussia, West Prussia, and Poznan to the Russian Empire;

3. The Kingdom of Prussia paid 3.6 million Aegis to the Russian Empire as war indemnity, paid in 30 years, with an annual interest rate of 6%;

(Remarks: The first batch of payment is 6000 million Aegis, and then the monthly payment of principal and interest and 1798652 Aegis, a total of 70751 million Aegis)

4. After the Berlin government pays the first batch of indemnities, the Russian army must withdraw from the territory of the Kingdom of Prussia within one month;

5. The two parties complete the exchange of captives within one month, and no ransom will be charged;

……

Apologies and the like are not the key points. The real core is just a few, especially land cession and compensation.

The land has been occupied by the Russians, there is no need to hand over, and now there is money left.This time it was Hannover's turn to play.

Amidst everyone's surprise, on July 1881, 7, the Hanover government and the Berlin government jointly announced the "Agreement on Land Transactions between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Kingdom of Hanover". The treaty stipulates:

The Kingdom of Prussia sold the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein and the territory west of the Elbe to the Kingdom of Hanover for a whopping £2.1 million.

不等大家从这个震撼人心的消息中缓过来，1881年7月20日，汉诺威政府同英国金融界签订了1.5亿英镑贷款协定。（约合3亿神盾）

With the 1.5 million borrowed and the 6000 million raised by themselves, at the end of July 1881, the Hannover government and the Berlin government completed the most expensive territorial transaction in history.

It should have been a gratifying thing to get the money, but it is a pity that the money just passed through the hands of the Berlin government.

The 1.5 million pounds provided by the British was to be used to repay the debt owed to them by the Berlin government. Obviously, this was not enough, so it was gone.

The obvious overlord clause, unfortunately there is no place to complain, the Berlin government can only accept it.

The remaining 6000 million pounds were taken, and after the first payment of the Russian war reparations was paid, this figure was cut in half again.

The Berlin government still couldn't keep the last 3000 million pounds. Disarmament resettlement and casualty pensions were almost spent, and the funds for post-war reconstruction are still unknown.

A double loan earns two interest while reducing capital risk. The British let everyone experience what a financial magic is.

……

In the Palace of Vienna, watching the British's magical operation, Franz couldn't help but want to imitate it, but finally found that there was no target to display it.

Putting down the documents in his hand, Franz sighed: "The Hannover government can raise 6000 million pounds by itself. It seems that we have always underestimated their financial resources. These small states in the German region may be richer than we thought. Much more."

Prime Minister Felix replied: "The performance of the Hannover government is indeed somewhat unexpected, but it is also reasonable.

After entering modern times, the economy of the North German region has developed rapidly, especially after the acquisition of the Rhineland region, the overall economy of the German Federal Empire has risen to a higher level.

Hanover controls the central government. Although it cannot control the small states in the country politically, they still influence each other economically.

The Hannover government raised 6000 million pounds, which can also be regarded as the German federal government raised 6000 million pounds.

This is still the result of the central government's insufficient control over the localities. Otherwise, given the economic situation of the German Federal Empire, there would be no problem with doubling this number.

However, the price of this territory transaction is still too high, which has greatly exceeded the actual value. It may not be possible to recover the cost by relying on these new territories for 100 years.

For a long time to come, the Hannover government will be burdened with huge debts, which will greatly affect their economy. "

The German Federal Empire occupies the most elite area of ​​the German region, and the natural conditions are very superior. More than [-]% of the industries of the former Second German Empire of Time and Space are here.

With such a basis, as long as the ruling class is not stupid, the economy will not be worse.

It is precisely because of the developed economy that there are so many people in the Austrian government who never forget this place.

If it was really a remote place, with European cultural traditions, it is estimated that everyone would have forgotten this place long ago.

The most typical is the Swiss region, which is the ancestral land of the Habsburg family, but because the mountainous area is too poor, everyone selectively sees it.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg: "Although the bid is a bit high and the debt is huge, the Kingdom of Hanover is not losing money.

They cost so much financially that the Berlin government must have made concessions elsewhere.

If there is no accident, the two countries have reached an agreement secretly, and there is only a suitable time to announce the news.

Theoretically speaking, after the confluence of Puhan, they will have the opportunity to truly control the German Federal Empire and establish the envisioned North German Empire.

With the integration of the North German region, these debts are nothing. "

Everyone said it was expensive, but Franz was embarrassed to say it was cheap.Reality tells him that when he disagrees with most people, it is best to keep silent unless necessary.

Everyone's experiences are different, they look at problems differently, and they come to different conclusions, which is nothing more than normal.

Franz waved his hand: "Okay, it doesn't matter whether Hannover lost or won.

Their so-called big plan will take a long time to implement, and we have plenty of time to think about it.

Let’s discuss now, the tsarist government’s application for a 5000 million Aegis loan from us. "

The war is really terrible. The Russians who received the war indemnity are still suffering from a money shortage.

It's really not that the Tsarist government wasted money. Although the amount of indemnity that Prussia had to pay was not small, the first batch of indemnity was only 6000 million Aegis.

This number seems huge, but it is insignificant compared to the millions of troops mobilized by the tsarist government and the number of people killed and disabled in the war.

The salaries of most soldiers in the Russian army are very low, almost negligible, and only a small amount of subsidies are available during wartime.

Now that the battle has been won, a severance pay is indispensable if everyone is to be disarmed and returned to the fields.

Based on the calculation of disarmament of 300 million, each person pays 20 Aegis, and 6000 million will be gone at once.Even if it was a 3000% discount, it would cost [-] million Aegis.

In fact, 3000 million Aegis is definitely not enough. The treatment of officers is not comparable to that of ordinary soldiers, and the dismissal standards are naturally different.

Cut standards?

This is already very underestimated. In Austria, this is only two months' wages of ordinary workers.They have sold their lives on the battlefield, and the price can be said to be extremely low.

Those who survived were settled, and those who were killed and disabled could not be so hasty, otherwise no one would work for the tsar.

143.3 million were killed in battle and 67.1 were disabled. Without hundreds of millions of Aegis, it is impossible to handle it at all.Fortunately, it can be paid in installments, otherwise the tsarist government would not be able to make up the bankruptcy.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl proposed: "Your Majesty, the financial situation of the Russians is very bad. Even after receiving the war reparations from Prussia, they are still not out of crisis.

There are still huge risks in granting loans to them now.Unless the tsarist government can offer conditions that we cannot refuse, it is not recommended to undertake loans to Russia. "

Not only is the risk huge, it is a huge pit.The end of the war does not mean the end of the crisis.

Without the orders brought by the war, the extra production capacity in the market is consumed, the inventory of enterprises is rising, and the economic crisis is already brewing.

Once the crisis broke out, the Kingdom of Prussia, which was waiting to be rebuilt, would definitely not be able to bear it. The Berlin government declared bankruptcy, and the Russians would not be able to receive war reparations.

After cutting off this income, no one knows whether the tsarist government can hold on.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg objected: "From a purely economic point of view, it is indeed very unwise to lend to the Russians now.

But from the side view, this is also an opportunity.We can put forward higher conditions for greater benefit.

If the Tsar is willing to fully support our annexation of the Ottoman Empire, I think this loan can still be released. "

"Take advantage of the fire", the word came to Franz's mind, and he couldn't get it out of his mind.

The Ottoman Empire is Austria's next strategic goal. It is easy to defeat the Ottomans, but it is difficult to annex them.

Britain, France and Russia are the biggest obstacles. Due to geopolitical relations, the Russians still have the right to speak on this issue over Britain and France.

Prior to this, Franz's plan was to carve up the Ottoman Empire with the Russians, but how could carve up compare to domination?

Occupying the Ottoman Empire alone not only connects the mainland and the Middle East, but also extends Austria's influence to Central Asia, which is of great strategic significance.

Soon Franz came to his senses. Such a great benefit must not be so easy to eat in his stomach.

The Russians are not fools either, they can bear enough with one opponent from the British, and if Austria is put in, it will be even more difficult for them to regain Central Asia.

Franz shook his head: "You can test the Russians, but don't hold out too much hope. The tsarist government has not yet reached the end of its rope."

……

Chapter 298 A Weak Country Without Diplomacy

"What, the Austrians want to annex the Ottomans?"

Alexander III, who had just been crowned emperor, received this bad news before he had time to celebrate.

Foreign Secretary Osiel Rivera replied: "Yes, Your Majesty. We applied for a loan from the Vienna government not long ago, and they made this request."

Alexander III shook his head and replied affirmatively: "No, this is absolutely not possible!

Once the Austrians annexed the Ottomans, their power would penetrate deep into Central Asia, and no one can guarantee that they will not become our competitors.

If the Central Asian region falls into the hands of the indigenous khanates, we can take it back; if it falls into the hands of Austria, it will be almost impossible to get it.

Now we are seriously injured, and we have no ability to compete with them.

The Austrians want to control our lifeline. They have won the Central Asian region, and they have the ability to divide the Russian Empire into two.

Coupled with the Dardanelles that he already controls, the future Russian Empire will depend on their faces. "

There are good reasons, but Osiel Rivera does not agree.Being controlled by others is too big a topic.