Holy Roman Empire

Public opinion in the German region, Frederick William IV obviously gave up.Such an obvious problem, how could it be so easy to reverse the stumbling block that the German states joined forces for them?

If you are scolded, you will be scolded, anyway, you won't lose a piece of meat.

They have the ambition to unify the German region, but they don't have the corresponding strength. Even if they have the support of the people, is it useless if they can't win on the battlefield?

The Prussian government made the right choice, and stopped losses in time if things could not be done. Compared with actual benefits, reputation can also be sacrificed.

Without the prestige in the German region, the relationship between Prussia and Russia has deteriorated, and the Kingdom of Prussia basically has no chance to unify Germany.

Strategically, Austria was victorious.But Franz couldn't be happy, money is money, money is absolutely impossible.

Gritting his teeth, Franz decided to drag the word.Once the Prussian government conceded and gave up the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein, he asked the Royal Bank to ask for a donation from the Prussian government.

You must know that the war has dragged on until now, and the Royal Bank has paid more than 400 million guilders to the Prussian government in donations. The money was used for the war, and it is obviously impossible for the Prussian government to refund it.

To delay time in the name of claiming back the donation and create time for the return, although it was a bit despicable to do so, it also offended the Prussian government to death, and Franz couldn't care less about it.

If he doesn't do this, what will he use to return the donations from the people?

If the payment is made in proportion to the remaining funds as promised in advance, Franz's financial hole will soon be exposed.

Only by insisting that the Prussian government cheated the donations, asking them to return the donations on behalf of all the people who have donated, and diverting everyone's attention, can we buy enough time for fundraising.

"Contact the governments of the German states. Once the Prussian government abandons the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein, everyone will attack together and encourage the people to ask the Prussian liar for the donated money." Franz thought for a while want to say

"Yes, Your Majesty." Metternich replied

Chapter 30 Whitewashed

I have to say that the Russians are very good at choosing the time. As soon as the ultimatum period ends, it happens to be December 12, and the next day is Christmas.

Whether it is to carry it to the end, or choose to compromise.The Prussians don't have to spend this Christmas, and they delayed for a few days before issuing an ultimatum to the Prussian government, and there is no lack of intentional disgusting Frederick William IV.

Berlin

After receiving the ultimatum from the Russians, the Kingdom of Prussia blew up. The main war faction and the main peace faction were arguing endlessly, and the plan to instigate Polish independence was brought up again.

Prime Minister Joseph von Radowitz said excitedly: "No, Poland will never be successful, even if we give up the general Poland and let them establish an independent state, it will not be able to stop the Russians.

On the contrary, doing so will also anger the Russians. They will unite with Austria and France to attack us. It is impossible for the Kingdom of Prussia to win this war! "

The new Foreign Minister Alpha said disdainfully: "Prime Minister, don't be so alarmist, the most you can do is fight the Russians.

The French are fighting fiercely. The parliament supported by the president opposes it, and the president vetoes the bills passed by the parliament. How could they participate in this war?

Austria supports us this time. Even if the Austrian government has ulterior motives, the people of Austria are our staunch allies.

If the Austrian government dares to join hands with the Russians to attack us, revolution will break out in the country before the operation begins, and they cannot take the risk. "

After a pause, he encouraged again: "The Russian Empire is already rotten, and this great empire can be broken at once. Since it is on the opposite side of us, why not break it?

As long as we stand up this time, all the people in the German region will become our loyal supporters, and the great cause of unifying Germany will be completed in our hands. "

It is a pity that none of the high-level officials of the Prussian government are junior high school teenagers. The Russian Empire is rotten, but this rotten empire is not something that Prussia can challenge.

The power of allies?Don't be ridiculous, it's okay to use it to fool the sophomores. Where did Prussia get its allies from?

Many states in Germany are watching the excitement and don't think it's a big deal, and they shouted earth-shattering slogans. If it really matches Russia, it will be another explanation.

If you analyze it carefully, you will find that the so-called defense of the territorial integrity of the German Federation does not include parts of Prussia and East Prussia.

This is a bright and huge pit. Once you jump into the Kingdom of Prussia, you will be singled out with the Russians.Of course, there is still support, and there are many countries that are unhappy with the Russians.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Holder said coldly: "Mr. Alpha, unless all German states declare war on the Russians at the same time, it is impossible for us alone to win this war.

Maybe you haven't noticed yet, for the Pudan War, we spent the last gold coin in the national treasury. As early as half a year ago, the government's public officials couldn't receive the full salary, and in the last three months it was even a penny Did not send.

In the case of nationwide mobilization, our strategic materials can support up to half a month of combat time. Unless our army can win the war within half a month, there is no need to launch this war. "

Lack of money is one of the biggest problems. The Pudan War broke out in March last year. There was a truce midway, but the armies of the two countries are still in confrontation.

The Kingdom of Prussia's finances are in perennial deficits. In order to support this war, they have tried every means to raise military expenses.

Now there is really no other way. International loans cannot be borrowed, and the bonds issued by the government are ignored in the financial market. In order to support the war, the domestic people have donated many times and have exhausted their pockets.

Even in order to raise funds, they did not hesitate to put down their face and asked the people in the German region for help. They got a lot of money, but the problem was that there was not much left in the hands of the Prussian government.

Not having money is only one aspect, and the other is that you really can't win.In the era of volleying guns, crowd tactics are one of the most effective tactics.

The border between Prussia and Russia was undefended. Once the war broke out, the main force of the Prussian army was dragged down, and the Cossack cavalry rushed to the hinterland of the Kingdom of Prussia.

"The Russians interfered, and the Pudan War could not go on. At this time, the most important thing is to find a way to persuade the people in the country to explain the predicament we are facing to the people and let them understand the government's difficulties.

This problem was solved by the Prime Minister, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent people to communicate with the Russians, restart negotiations with the Kingdom of Denmark, and invite Austria to join in mediating the war.

As a token of our sincerity, the Kingdom of Prussia will lift national mobilization as soon as negotiations begin. " Frederick William IV arranged without haste

……

On December 1849, 12, under the armed mediation of the Russians, the Prussian government announced that it accepted the Russian proposal to restart the Putin negotiations and at the same time terminate the national mobilization.

As soon as the news came out, the German region was blown up, and anti-Russian sentiment among the people began to rise, and they became disappointed with the Prussian government.

During the national mobilization in the Kingdom of Prussia, everyone was very touched. There were not a few people who donated money and materials. Now suddenly the Prussian government is scared. Isn’t this a waste of everyone’s feelings?

The Prussian government was persuaded, but what about the two duchies of Schleswig-Holstein?In the eyes of the public, this is a matter of principle and cannot be given up.

Everyone's eyes turned to Vienna. As the boss of the German state, the Austrian government must show a clear attitude at this time.

Metternich is a veteran of diplomacy, how could he jump in to help Prussia top the tank?

On Christmas Day, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced: "The Austrian government will hold a federal meeting in the near future, and the Federal Parliament will send a delegation to participate in this negotiation.

Prior to this, the Austrian government hoped that the Kingdom of Prussia could assume the responsibility of a big country and defend the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein. "

At this time, everyone remembered that it seems that there is still a federal parliament in Germany.

But for the Prussian government, the emergence of the Federal Parliament at this time is to cause trouble for them.

Of course, it is impossible to compromise in the federal parliament. Everyone wants to save face.

Even if the Federal Assembly decides to declare war on the Russians, it is only a matter for Austria and Prussia, and they are out of reach of the states in the rear, so what are you afraid of?

Don't even think about getting the Federal Parliament to agree to give up the Duchies of Schleswig-Holstein.

If Prussia gave up the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein, all the responsibility would fall on them.

At this time, rumors have spread that the Prussian government took advantage of everyone's patriotic enthusiasm to provoke this war in order to divert domestic conflicts. Public opinion is very unfavorable to the Prussian government.

On Christmas Day in 1849, people in the entire German region were not doing very well. The newspapers were full of news about the Pudan War, and the festive atmosphere was diluted.

In order to express his dissatisfaction with the retreat of the Prussian government, Franz ordered the cancellation of Christmas celebrations, court banquets and government celebrations.

The attitude of the Russians was very tough. If the border between the two countries did not return to the pre-war level within a month, the Tsar's army would enter the Kingdom of Prussia, which directly ruined the possibility of the Prussian government making a fortune.

The Prussian government is not an idiot either. It knows that the longer this kind of thing is delayed, the trouble will come. The negotiations have not yet started, and the Prussian army has already begun to withdraw from the Jutland peninsula.

One of the factors is that there is no money. The 10,000+ army goes deep into the enemy's territory. The logistical pressure is not small. Anyway, they decided to give in. It is better to return earlier to save money.

……

Vienna Schönbrunn Palace

Franz was in a bad mood. The Prussian government was too quick to persuade, and it was impossible to use the negotiations to delay the time.

Now he finally understood why so many people were caught embezzling public funds. There were too many accidents and it was difficult to effectively control them.

Investing in the food processing industry, the factory has just been established, and if you want to make money, you have to wait until the factory is running, right?

The invested mines are not much better. The time is too short, and basically no effective development has been carried out.

The only thing that is being mined is the gravel mine, but the railway construction has just begun, and the profit is good, but unfortunately this is just a drop in the bucket.

The total amount of savings in the Royal Bank has reached 276.89 million dong, and the monthly administrative expenses of the bank are 1.8 dong, which must be deducted, and a part of the funds must be reserved for bank operations, and there is not much money to fill the hole.

Theoretically, among the donations, 300 million dong will be turned into bank deposits. In fact, this is also an unknown number, and Franz dare not take this limit.

At the end of the year, the Habsburg family has a lot of assets, but if they recklessly misappropriate them to fill holes for themselves, it is easy to cause internal conflicts.

In fact, these industries already have a mature management mechanism. Apart from supervising the operation, Franz only takes his own share every year.

Since his uncle is still alive, the money he, the patriarch of the Habsburg family, can get is naturally greatly reduced, only 30 dong in profit dividends.

If it wasn't for the end of the year, the royal annuity would come down, Franz really didn't know how to fill this hole, why couldn't he have the cheek to borrow money?

Or is it withholding donations from the government?I believe that the Ministry of Finance will not be so ungrateful, running over to urge His Majesty the Emperor to pay back the money.

Since the royal annuity was used to fill holes, the Vienna court naturally had to cut unnecessary expenses, and the reduction of palace banquets was one of them. The Prussian incident only provided him with an excuse.

Franz sent someone to make precise calculations. The total cost of various banquets and activities in the Austrian court every year will not be less than 50 guilders. If it is a bit extravagant, 100 million dongs will not be enough.

"Your Majesty, the Pudan War is coming to an end. For the sake of the bank's reputation, we are going to return the donation." John Stewart reminded

For a bank, the most important thing is reputation.For the reputation of the Royal Bank, Franz even gave up the opportunity to embezzle huge donations.

Otherwise, the donations that entered the Royal Bank would have been gone for a long time.Directly insisting that all of them were handed over to the Prussian government, it became a headless case.

Franz thought for a while and said, "Hold a press conference, explain what happened, invite Prussian representatives and notaries to the scene, and check the accounts.

Announcement to the outside world: If the negotiation goes well, the unused part of the donation will be refunded after the end. Let everyone bring the receipt issued by the bank at the beginning and go to the business point of the original donation to get a refund in the same proportion.

This year's royal annuity will be directly deposited into the Royal Bank, and dividends from royal assets will also be deposited into the bank. The funding gap is not a problem.

Also, settle the previous matters as soon as possible, and complete the commercial loan procedures without leaving any traces. "

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied John Stewart

As long as you have money, many problems will be easy to solve. If the funding hole is filled and the loan procedures are filled, the matter will be over.

After such a wave of operations was completed, Franz's misappropriation of donations became a legal commercial loan obtained from the bank, and this asset was also laundered.

Chapter 31 Budget

After Christmas, the Austrian government's next annual budget session begins again.

In fact, at this time, the budget battles of various departments have ended, and now it is only the final round of determination.

If the issue of determining the budget is really discussed at the meeting, it is estimated that in the last few days, it will be too late to even review the project materials prepared by everyone.

Prime Minister Felix submitted a report to Franz, saying: "Your Majesty, this is the annual budget plan for 1850. The main expenditures mainly include: military expenditure, government administration, education funds, land ransom, infrastructure construction, The six major items of cultural unification.

Among them, military expenditure decreased by 1849% compared with 27, while education expenditure increased by 31%, cultural promotion expenditure increased by 32%, government administrative expenditure increased by 9%, and infrastructure construction expenditure increased by 44.5%. [-]%. "

In general, except for the decline in military expenditure, other expenditures have increased significantly.The exception is the land ransom, which never existed before.

While spending has increased, government revenue has also increased, otherwise this budget would have been impossible to pass.

Franz took the budget report and just glanced at the budget summary sheet.

Military expenditure was 6156.84 million dong, including 1065.23 million dong for the navy and 5091.61 million dong for the army.

The war was over, and disarmament had been completed in 1849.By 1850, it was normal for military spending to drop dramatically.

However, only the military expenditure of the army has decreased, and the military expenditure of the navy has increased by 150 million dong compared with the previous year. It seems that the power of the colonial faction in the government has grown.

Education expenditure is 6850.94 million dong, including 4016.41 million dong for compulsory education, 2056.32 million dong for university education (including scientific research expenditures for university laboratories), and 778.21 million dong for middle school education;

The cost of education is much lower than Franz estimated. On the one hand, compulsory education is still popular and has not been completed; on the other hand, families with conditions choose education for students to have a better future. Fee-paying schools with better conditions.

On the surface, the Ministry of Education allocates the same education funds to all students in the compulsory education stage. In fact, compulsory education schools also provide students with free three meals, school uniforms, and accommodation.

The cost of a child is not large, but it is not a small expense if the number is too large. The initial estimate is that the expenditure of 1000 million dong will be reduced.

Funding for infrastructure construction is 4820.38 million dong, including 2015.2 million dong for railway construction, 1541.6 million dong for post-war reconstruction, 1026.32 million dong for urban infrastructure renovation, and others...

There is no way around this. Some railways have no commercial value at all, but they have important military value, so they must be repaired.

Later generations criticized the railways of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for taking care of the military and affecting commerce.

In order to avoid this situation, this kind of railway can only be repaired with the money of the Austrian government. It is estimated that it will not be able to start construction in the next century depending on private investment.

Fortunately, these railways are not long, generally only [-] kilometers, the longest is no more than [-] kilometers, and the total mileage is only two to three thousand kilometers.

After the construction is completed, it will be connected with the Austrian railway network, so that the domestic army can be sent to the front line in the shortest time.

Government administrative expenses are 5328.21 million dong, of which enterprise management administrative expenses are 1126.1 million dong and government agency administrative expenses are 4202.11 million dong;

Seeing this, Franz frowned, it seems that it is necessary for the state-owned enterprise to operate independently.There is no problem in merging together in the short term. In the long run, relying on the government to manage enterprises will derail the market sooner or later.

The cultural promotion fund is 2316.08 million dong, which is an effort to unify the language and script.

Because of the influence of the Austrian government's policies, everyone knows that learning a common language is easy to find a job, and the promotion in cities is relatively smooth, but it is troublesome in rural areas.

Franz didn't have a good solution either, coercion was impossible, and that would only make things worse.It seems that it is impossible to unify the language and characters in this generation, and it can only be done in the next generation.