Holy Roman Empire

There is no way, the Three Khanates of Central Asia were once attached to the Tsarist government.It's just that the Russians have too much appetite and want to eat them.In the first Russo-Prussian War, it was instigated by the British.

Some things cannot be turned back. Since you are a traitor, you can only fight the Russians to the end.

This means that it is impossible for the Central Asian region to win a war, and with the support of the British behind it, the possibility of the war continuing is very high.

In contrast, the Afghan government is not underestimated.A semi-slavery and semi-feudal agricultural country, what can we use to fight the British?

With John Bull's usual method, both diplomatic and military measures are taken together, and the possibility of forcing the Afghan government to compromise is very high.

There are already too many similar success stories.

In fact, the original space-time Afghan government also chose to compromise, but the British have too much appetite and are ready to swallow them in one bite.

Without any accident, the British army defeated the Afghan government very easily.Then it was unexpectedly discovered that Afghanistan without a government is even more terrifying.

This point has also been personally verified by later generations of the United States and the Soviet Union.Defeating Afghanistan is very easy, the trouble is ruling the Afghan region.

It has not been verified yet. What everyone sees is the strength of the Afghan government. Two regular regiments of the British army are more than enough.

Military issues are still minor issues.As long as there is money, the tsarist government has nothing to fear.

If you open the history books, you will find that financial resources are the biggest shortcoming of the Russian Empire. Except for a certain special period, the Russian government has never been short of money.

Because the agricultural tax allowed payment in kind, grain export became the most important income of the tsarist government, accounting for more than half of the total export trade.

In this agricultural crisis, the boss, the second child, and the third child are playing games. As the fourth child in Europe's largest exporter of raw grains, the Russians have suffered a disaster completely out of nowhere.

The reduction in grain export revenue does not mean that the total amount of grain exported has decreased, but that international grain prices have fallen.

In any case, the British's food self-sufficiency plan and the French's large farm plan have achieved some results.

Although the total amount of grain imported by the two countries has only dropped by an insignificant one or two percentage points, the reaction to the international grain trading market is still terrifying.

The market as a whole is in oversupply, and the trading price of raw grains will naturally drop sharply.Food prices fell, and the tsarist government's wallet naturally had to be hurt.

You can't fight without money. Against this background, the Minister of Finance who is in charge of the government's purse has passively become the leader of the anti-war faction in the Russian government.

War Secretary Paradru Vald was unimpressed: "The deterioration of the government's finances makes this war all the more necessary.

As long as our plan goes well and we seize Central Asia first, then India in the future, all problems will be solved.

To start this war, the government's lack of financial resources is only temporary, and the Ministry of Finance can find a way to raise funds.

Without this war we will never be out of financial trouble. "

There is nothing wrong with it. The wealth that the British plunder from India every year is higher than the fiscal revenue of the Tsarist government.

If India is really captured, the financial difficulties faced by the tsarist government can indeed be solved easily.

Perhaps it was a bitter experience during the westward march, and no one wanted to come back again. The Russian military basically went south to support Indian supporters.

This point of view also had supporters in the tsarist government.

After all, in implementing the strategy of going south to capture India, the only enemy to be faced is the British family; while in the strategy of going west to Europe, the enemies to be faced are all European countries.

Against the British, even if they fail, the price they have to pay is very limited.

No matter how hard the British fight, it is impossible to go all the way into Siberia along Central Asia. They have a chance to make a comeback.

Going west to the European continent is different. If the operation is wrong and you are beaten by European countries, the consequences will be much more serious.

In the lightest case, the loss would be heavy, a person would be seriously injured and paralyzed, and in the worst case, the country might be destroyed directly.

From this perspective, the Prussian-Russian War is meaningful to the European world.Woke up the greedy polar bear and made outstanding contributions to the peace and stability of the European world.

……

Chapter 1 Limited War Liability

The two camps in Europe are facing each other, but it is not the four countries involved that are most worried.Both Russia and Austria, Britain and France have their own advantages, which are enough to protect themselves.

The real unlucky ones are the small countries caught in the middle of the two major alliances.Now the conflict between the two camps has not intensified, and everyone can barely cope with it.

Once the conflict between the two sides escalates, everyone will be forced to stand in line.In fact, geopolitics has already determined the direction of countries, and there is no room for them to choose by themselves.

Countries in Western Europe can only support Britain and France, while countries in Eastern, Northern, and Southern Europe must support Russia and Austria.

neutral?

There is no problem for the time being. Once the two major alliances meet, they will become the first victims.

No matter which side you fall to, you will be severely beaten by the other side.Especially Belgium is so hard-pressed, and its poor strategic position determines that they cannot be alone.

Of course, this is the worst possible ending.In a short period of time, there is no sign of war breaking out between the two major alliances.

Leopold II, who had a strong sense of urgency, could no longer sit still.Originally, Britain and Austria were quasi-allies of Belgium, and they all resisted the expansion of the French into Central Europe.

Now that the situation has fundamentally changed, and Britain and France have formed an alliance, is the British promise to protect Belgium's security still effective?

Foreign Minister Juhl said solemnly: "Your Majesty, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note, inviting us to conclude a treaty to maintain peace and stability in Europe with Switzerland, the North German Federation, and Spain."

Open the map and you will know that the above-mentioned countries are good neighbors of the French.After excluding the French, it is self-evident to whom such a treaty was concluded.

This can be regarded as a counterattack against the alliance between Britain and France. Austria is preparing to use practical actions to prove that the French can still be contained without the participation of the British.

Leopold II asked suspiciously: "The Austrians only invited four countries to participate, and there are no countries to continue to invite?"

Theoretically speaking, the above-mentioned four countries must face the threat of the French, and it is easiest to move closer to Austria if there is a real pain.

However, "anti-fa" has always been a common matter for all European countries, not a problem for a single country.The sudden change made it difficult for Leopold II to accept.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Jules replied affirmatively: "Austria did only invite our four countries. It is said that the Vienna government is worried that other countries will not feel the pain, and the position of containing the French is not firm. destroy.

Perhaps in the view of the Vienna government, the alliance of the five countries is enough to curb the expansion of the French to the outside world. "

This is also the view of most people. Although France is strong, it has not widened the qualitative gap with Austria. With the addition of the Sibired four countries, the anti-French alliance will be stable.

Compared with an internally divided alliance, a small alliance with common interests and the ability to cooperate with each other is more reliable.

Prime Minister August sighed: "If this is the case, then we will be in big trouble next.

Without the participation of European countries to share the pressure, the pro-French Spanish government will probably not participate. After all, the possibility of the French going west is almost zero, and their pressure is not great.

Switzerland's position is essentially irrelevant because of its geographic location.If the Swiss government insisted on neutrality, Austria probably would not persecute it.

To choose between France and Austria, the North German Federation will definitely support Austria. Even if Britain and France form an alliance, they will be more inclined to Austria.

Because of the relationship between strength, the North German Federation still has the strength of temporary neutrality in a short period of time.

As long as the two major alliances do not go to war, they can act as a buffer between Fao, and there is no need to clearly stand for the time being.

The seemingly tentative invitation is actually forcing us to stand in line.Between Russia and Austria and Britain and France, we must choose a side. "

The most tragic thing is this. Others may escape, but the hard-pressed Belgium cannot escape.

There is no way, the French's ambition to conspire against Belgium always needs to be curbed.

Originally, Britain and Austria were responsible for this important task. Now that the British have turned to form an alliance with the French, only Austria can continue to curb the ambitions of the French.

Now that Austria is rejected, Belgium will have to fight alone when it encounters a French invasion in the future.

As for the British, everyone really has no confidence.Even if the London government is willing to send troops to intervene, Belgium will be dead before the expansion of the British Army is completed.

After hesitating again and again, Leopold II said slowly: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent someone to negotiate with Austria. We can sign the terms of joint defense against the French, but the prerequisite is that it must be kept strictly confidential.

Austria doesn't care about offending the French, but we don't have the ability to make trouble.Remember that in the content of the treaty, Austria must provide us with security protection.

At the same time, we sent people to strengthen our ties with the North German Federation, Switzerland, the Netherlands and other countries. When it came to a critical moment, their position was also very important. "

Belgium has no choice but to fall to Austria. It is the French who are ambitious for them now, not Austria, which is hundreds of miles away.

To join Britain and France is to seek skin from a tiger.The status of an ally is worthless in front of interests.If one operation is not good, it will be eaten alive.

Choosing to sign a secret contract was actually Leopold II's hedging strategy.

It is best to be able to hide from the world, but it is really impossible to hide it. If you can be exposed one day later, you will also take risks one day later.

……

Compared with Belgium, the North German Federation is lively, and there are various opposition and support.

It was meant to be kept secret, but before the debate came to a conclusion, the news was already flying all over the sky.

There is no accident, when things are on the table, it also means that Austria's win-win plan has failed.

Under the pressure of Britain and France, Spain and Switzerland have declined the proposal of the Vienna government successively. As for Belgium, they are only in contact secretly, and the Belgian government also dare not stand in line on the surface.

……

When the news of the failure came, Franz was not surprised.No one is a fool. Austria is now trying to form an anti-French alliance, which is essentially cannon fodder, and it can't fool smart people at all.

With the recovery of the French economy, the voices of the main combatants in the country are getting louder.

The military headed by the nobles wants military exploits, and the capitalists want to solve the problem of coal supply. These happen to be solved by war.

Otherwise, there would not be a bait thrown by the British, and the French government would be willing to give up the centuries-old hatred between the two countries-to form an alliance.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg took out a document and said: "Your Majesty, this is the preliminary result of the negotiations with the Belgian government. The biggest problem at present is the distribution of rights and obligations.

The Belgian government is only willing to bear part of the responsibility for the war on the pretext of its own lack of strength.

Only if: the French invade Central Europe, they will send troops to the war.

If war breaks out between us and the French in the Italian region, Belgium only promises to provide material assistance, and they must remain neutral on the surface. "

Limited war responsibility is actually equivalent to not assuming war responsibility.

If you open a map of Europe, you will know that the best route for the French to invade Central Europe is to borrow from Belgium.

The enemy is attacking the door, even if there is no joint defense treaty, Belgium can only bite the bullet and push forward.

It seems that Austria is at a disadvantage, but in fact this is a relatively fair treaty.

As far as the size of Belgium is concerned, if Fao really starts to fight in Italy, their joining will not be effective.

The French can defeat them with a partial division, and Austria will inevitably send troops to rescue.

The greatest value of wooing Belgium is not to expect how strong Belgium's combat effectiveness will be and how much role it will play.

The main reason is that after the Austrian army gained the upper hand on the battlefield, they could drive straight in from Belgium and gain the strategic initiative.

Without much hesitation, Franz made a decision: "Accept their request, but there is a request for an excuse.

If a war breaks out between us and the French, when we need to borrow a way, as allies, they must let it go and help maintain the logistics.

In return, after the victory of the war, they will also have their share of the spoils, and all the disputed territories between France and Belgium can be owned by them. "

Who wouldn't write a bad check, anyway, the promised land is French territory, if Belgium has an appetite, it's good to send it to them.

Not only Belgium, but Franz doesn't mind if allies join, they get a piece of land in France.

To deal with the enemy, it is natural to severely weaken it.The Franco-Prussian War in the original time and space did not end perfectly, because it did not weaken France in a real sense.

Whether it is compensation or cession of land, it can only make people feel pain, and it will not kill them at all.

If the Kingdom of Prussia had been more flexible in its diplomacy at that time, had fooled Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and other countries, and pulled everyone up to share the spoils, perhaps the outcome would have been quite different.

When all the neighbors have taken the benefits, everyone is on the same front.As victors, no one wants to see their enemies revived.

At that time, everyone will join forces to suppress France.No matter how powerful the Paris government is, it can't withstand the care of so many enemies together.

Chapter 111

The turbulent international situation did not affect the outbreak of the Central Asian War.With the end of the arms race, the British also let go.

On March 1888, 3, following the order of Governor Lytton, two Indian colonial divisions launched an attack on the Afghan region, which opened the prelude to the Central Asian War.

After the Palace of Vienna received the news of the start of the war in Afghanistan, Franz once again became a melon eater.

There is no need to worry. You can see from the British style of play that the bureaucrats in London don't take Afghanistan seriously.

The two Indian colonizers seemed to be powerful, but they were actually a group of mobs.

In terms of real combat effectiveness, I am afraid it is not as good as the two main British regiments.Such troops are barely able to maintain law and order, but when put on the battlefield, they can only be compared with the enemy.

"Are the weapons and equipment in place to aid the Afghans?" Franz asked.

If you want to use the Afghan war to bleed the British, weapons and equipment are still indispensable.

No heroic Afghan could last long without international assistance.

Foreign Minister Weissenberg: "The first batch of supplies has been shipped secretly, and in terms of time, the Afghan government should have distributed them.

Our intelligence network in Afghanistan is not perfect. After the war broke out, we were completely blinded, and we didn't know anything about the specific situation there. "