Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 3 革命浪潮

As the ships left one after another, the heritage of the Kingdom of Prussia, which had been praised for hundreds of years, was quietly emptied by Franz.

No, this should have nothing to do with Prussia.Now this is already the territory of the Russians, and the close cooperation between Russia and Austria is completely based on what they need.

The tsarist government eliminated hidden dangers and stabilized the local situation; Austria increased the population of the main ethnic group, and both sides were winners.

Affected by this, Russia-Austria relations have become more harmonious. As a witness of Russia-Austria friendship, the two governments recently reached an agreement on loan extension for two years.

Pure friendship, no political strings attached.Since the agreement was reached, trade between the two countries along the Baltic Sea has flourished.

Affected by the prosperity of Russia-Austria trade, Austrian international shipping companies took the lead out of the economic crisis, and a large number of ships shuttled between the Baltic Sea and the Austrian colonies every day.

Followed by agricultural products and daily necessities companies, immigration has driven up consumption and pulled these companies back from the brink of bankruptcy.

The price is that the Austrian National Bank successively issued tens of millions of Aegis housing loans to immigrants, artificially creating a consumer market.

……

A gunshot in Lyon broke the tranquility of the European continent.After the Great Revolution of 1848, the wave of revolution in Europe was once again ignited.

France is naturally the hardest-hit area. From Paris to Rome, revolutionary leaflets and slogans are everywhere, just like the small advertisements on telephone poles in later generations.

"Fire fighting" has become the most important job of the French government. The police and army have no time to take vacations, and everyone is busy.

Affected by the wave of revolution, revolutionary groups in various European countries responded one after another.

On February 1882, 2, an uprising broke out in Madrid, the capital of Spain;

On February 1882, 2, Antwerp, Belgium's largest port and heavy industry city, broke out the dock workers' uprising;

On February 1882, 2, the coal miners' uprising broke out in Luxembourg;

On February 1882, 2, a peasant uprising broke out in Switzerland;

On March 1882, 3, the textile workers' uprising broke out in London;

On March 1882, 3, the independence movement broke out in Ireland;

On March 1882, 3, the bourgeois revolution broke out in Portugal;

On March 1882, 3, an anti-Russian uprising broke out in Poland;

……

In the past two months, hundreds of revolutions, large and small, broke out in continental Europe, and strike movements took place in more than half of the industrial cities.

As if overnight, Europe returned to the era of the Great Revolution.

It's a joy to see others being unlucky, but it's like sitting on pins and needles when it's your turn.

As the leader of the capitalist world, Austria has not been able to stand alone.

In the past two months, the Austrian government has successively extinguished the Milan textile workers' riot, the Venice independence movement, and the Saxony copper mine riot, and cracked dozens of cases involving the Revolutionary Party.

Franz who watched was terrified. He never expected that there would be so many rebellious parties under his rule.

There is no doubt that more than 80.00% of these revolutionary parties are supported by foreign hostile forces, and two-thirds of them are written by the British.

What pleased Franz was that in this wave of revolution, Vienna was very stable. Not only was there no way to revolution, even strikes did not happen.

At this time, Franz somewhat understood why European countries in later generations were going to industrialize.

Normal times are fine, but once an economic crisis hits, the manufacturing industry will be hit too hard.

Especially for labor-intensive industries, it is a disaster.

Products cannot be sold, companies have to lay off employees to survive, and it is difficult to find new jobs during the economic crisis. Workers also need to survive, and conflicts arise.

Although other industries will also be affected, because the number of employees is relatively small, and they are not concentrated like large factories, the outbreak of the crisis is also scattered in various places.

Theoretically speaking, as long as no one makes trouble, a colonial empire like Austria can avoid the outbreak of revolution.

Unemployed people have no jobs in the country, but they can be resettled in overseas colonies.Generally speaking, as long as people have more choices, they will not go to extremes.

Thinking of this, Franz gritted his teeth with hatred for John Bull.In order to retaliate against the British, Franz immediately decided to increase his support for the Irish Independence Organization and the British Revolutionary Party.

In a sense, this wave of revolution that has spread across Europe is also the result of a few hooligans stabbing each other.

Prime Minister Felix: "Your Majesty, just received news that about [-] people in the Silesian refugee camp launched a protest, demanding that the government intervene in the atrocities committed by the Russians and rescue the oppressed..."

Before Felix could finish speaking, Franz angrily dropped the cup in his hand. "Protest", when did criminals have the right to protest?

There is nothing wrong with it. Illegal immigrants accepted by refugee camps can also be legally defined as criminals.

Because of the large number of people involved, the Vienna government did not directly define everyone as criminals, but only punished the leaders.

This protest undoubtedly challenged Franz's bottom line.Isn't it nonsense to protest the atrocities of the Russians to the Austrian government?

Austria is not an international police force, so why should it interfere in other people's internal affairs.If you really point fingers at random, you will be beaten to death sooner or later.

The Vienna government has gradually resettled most of them, but there are still more than [-] people stranded in refugee camps, waiting to be resettled.

Franz sneered: "Send all the protesters back to the Russian Empire and give them to Alexander III to grow potatoes.

All relevant responsible persons were dismissed and held accountable.An investigation team was sent to investigate the ins and outs of the incident. I don't believe it was spontaneously done by the refugees. "

The refugee camp is managed militarily, and protests can still break out. If there is no dereliction of duty by the managers, Franz would not believe anything.

To put it bluntly, the managers are unwilling, and no one in the refugee camp can hear what happened to the outside world.

These people were not idle, and Franz also built a wall on the border.Not for anything, but mainly to find something for the refugees to do, so as not to cause trouble when they are free.

Take precautions, troubles are still at your door.For the sake of long-term peace and stability, Franz must kill chickens and monkeys.

Repatriation to the Russian Empire is the greatest punishment.The tsarist government will not welcome them, and it is lucky to be able to grow potatoes in Siberia.

Prime Minister Felix suggested: "Your Majesty, it is not a big problem to repatriate these rioting refugees, the trouble is the intensified wave of European revolution.

Although most of the riots initiated by the Revolutionary Party ended in failure and were not as severe as in 1848, the harm caused by such frequent riots should not be underestimated.

For the peace and stability of the European world, it is necessary for us to convene another international conference to unite the governments of all countries and jointly curb the spread of revolutionary ideas. "

These days, there is no government that is not afraid of "revolution". Due to the limitation of productivity, all countries in the world and the people at the bottom are having a hard time.

"It's hard to live" has the will to revolution, and the soil of revolution exists, and those with vested interests will naturally panic.

It seems that these revolutionary events occurred in isolation, but in fact more than 90.00% of the revolutions here are inseparable from international forces.

Maybe you didn't directly plan the rebellion, but supporting revolutionary organizations, spreading revolutionary ideas, and providing shelter to revolutionaries are all done by big hooligans.

Of course, smaller countries are also involved.It's just that the range of motion is smaller, mainly for thought output.

After the Great Revolution in 1848, European countries learned their lessons and settled down for a while, but they did not expect to see a resurgence now.

On this issue, Franz is not qualified to criticize others, and Austria has done similar things.

At least the turmoil in Britain and France was due to the Vienna government.If it weren't for Austria's participation, the European continent would not be so lively.

……

Chapter 4 战略铁路计划

Human beings are good at reflection, especially after experiencing "skin pain".The intensifying wave of revolution made the rulers aware of the danger.

Austria's cultural tradition tends to be conservative, and it suffered little loss in the economic crisis. Social contradictions were relatively moderate, and it was less affected by the wave of revolution.

International forces participated in the several turmoil that broke out in the country. The people's revolutionary will is not high, and the Vienna government's sense of crisis is not too strong.

When Franz was still considering whether to hold an international conference, Napoleon IV had already issued a call to European countries.

There is no way, the revolutionary enthusiasm of the French people is too high.The whole is just a powder keg, and a little spark can trigger a revolution.

According to incomplete statistics, since a gunshot in Lyon to the present, there have been as many as 116 rebellions and riots in France, more than the sum of the rest of Europe.

Not to mention marches and strikes.Almost every French city has had strikes.As long as God saves face, there will be demonstrations on the streets of Paris.

Having a deep understanding of the situation in France, Franz understood Napoleon IV's urgency to hold an international conference.

The Holy Land of Revolution is really not a joke.Recently, the people of Paris seem to have fallen in love with the meaningful activity of revolution, and they riot almost two or three times a week.

Fortunately, on the issue of suppressing the rebellion, the French ruling class stood on the same side, otherwise the Palace of Versailles would change its owner again.

Several financial consortiums in Paris have successively provided 15 billion francs to the French government to suppress the rebellion and stabilize the domestic situation.With money to buy the army, Napoleon IV managed to stabilize the situation.

Judging from the current situation, the three big hooligans are still stabbing each other, and France must be the first to collapse.

Victory was in sight, but Franz had to stop.It is true that Austria is suppressing France, a competitor, but this does not include promoting the French Revolution.

The revolution is full of too many uncertainties. The French revolution is successful at this time. Who knows if it will spread to the whole of Europe in the future?

Not surprisingly, European countries, including Austria, responded to Napoleon IV's call.

After preliminary consultations, it was decided that on April 1882, 4, a meeting of the International "Reactionary" League would be held in Paris.

……

Vienna Palace, economic conference

Railway Minister Solteren: "In view of the current economic situation in the country, the Ministry of Railways has decided to start the strategic railway network plan ahead of schedule.

The main lines are: the Arabian Peninsula Railway, the Middle East Railway, the North-South Railway in Central America, the Nanyang Railway, and the Austrian African Railway.

Considering special circumstances, the Arabian Peninsula Railway and the Middle East Railway will be built in sections, and some areas with poor geographical conditions will be temporarily put on hold until the technology matures before construction.

Our colonies in the Nanyang region are all islands, and the construction of railways will inevitably be carried out according to the terrain of the islands. At present, the key areas are Lanfang Autonomous Province and New Guinea Island.

Especially the Lanfang Autonomous Province, which has become the economic center of the Nanyang region, does not have a decent railway, which is simply a joke.

The Circum-Austria-Africa Railway, due to geographical constraints, cannot guarantee full penetration with our current technology.

The Ministry of Railways is negotiating with the French to see if they can merge with their railways in Egypt.

Use 'Libya-Egypt-Sudan-Uganda' to replace the original 'Libya-Chad-Central Africa' railway line.

If the plan can be implemented smoothly, our next step is to build a bridge over the Suez Canal to connect Africa and Eurasia.

The current situation in France is very bad. As long as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can cooperate with the pressure, the chance of success is very high. "

In the strategic railway network plan of the Ministry of Railways, except for Alaska and the Patagonian plateau, Austria's overseas colonies are basically covered.

Theoretically, after the completion of these main railway lines, the Vienna government's control over overseas colonies will reach another level.

Foreign Secretary Weissenberg: "Sir Soltram, your plans are very good, but the Circum-African Railway is a bit unreliable in the end.

France is not a small country. Even if their current situation is not good, if we can exert diplomatic pressure to force the Paris government to make concessions, there will be troubles in the future. "

Solteren was puzzled: "Why? The railway runs through Africa and Eurasia, which can effectively promote the economic development of Egypt, and the French are also beneficiaries."

Weisenberg patiently explained: "This is not just a matter of economic interests, but also involves strategic security.

If the plan of the Ministry of Railways is followed, Egypt will become a transportation hub between the Middle East and Austrian Africa, and at the same time fall into our encirclement.

Once the relationship between France and Austria deteriorates, or a war breaks out, our army can enter Egypt by railway.

Under the multi-line siege, it is absolutely impossible for the French to hold Egypt.If you lose Egypt, you lose the Suez Canal.

Losing control of the Suez Canal, the French lost more than half of their overseas trade, and they could basically declare defeat.

Even now, due to the crisis of the situation, the French government has chosen to compromise. For the sake of national strategic security, the French will do sabotage. "

In a sense, Egypt is the lifeline of France. In the original time and space, the French followed the British, so why not because they were stuck in the neck?

It's almost the same now. If a certain Faol turns his face, the French must defend Egypt.

Otherwise, the Suez Canal will be lost, and the Cape of Good Hope will not pass, and their maritime lifeline will be cut off in half.

Prime Minister Felix added: "It is not only the Circum-African Railway that has problems, but also the Nanyang Railway.

Lanfang Autonomous Province is a special existence. The central government has never controlled them, and naturally there is not much binding force.

If it wasn't for them paying taxes every year, I would have almost forgotten that there is such an autonomous province.

In the past 1881, the Lanfang Autonomous Provincial Government paid 376.4 million Aegis in taxes and fees to the central government. All we need to do is provide them with security protection.

This is a stable source of income. When formulating policies related to Lanfang Autonomous Province, the government in principle opposes any policy that may intensify conflicts.

To build a railway in Lanfang Autonomous Province, the Ministry of Railways must obtain the consent of the autonomous provincial government.It's hard, they're very conservative about building railroads. "

There is no way, Lanfang Autonomous Province is too peaceful, and has almost no sense of political presence.

The most dealing with them is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Taxation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for dealing with international conflicts, and the Taxation Department is responsible for collecting taxes, and then there is no more.

No one doesn't like a stable financial source that can get huge profits without paying much cost.