Holy Roman Empire

It is different now, unable to break through on land, the Russians turned their attention to the sea, using their naval superiority to attack the Kingdom of Prussia.

This is an unsolvable problem. The Russians can launch a landing operation at any point, but Prussia cannot achieve a comprehensive defense.

……

In the Palace of Vienna, Foreign Minister Weisenberg said: "Yesterday afternoon, the Russian Minister submitted a new loan application to us. They are going to use the Prussian Saxony region as collateral for a loan of 3000 million Aegis."

The tsarist government was able to use the enemy's territory as collateral for loans.No, this may not be a mortgage, it may be a sale.

Given the financial situation of the tsarist government, the possibility of being able to repay the loan on time is very small, and the possibility of finally selling the collateral to repay the debt is very high.

The prerequisite is that the Russians won the battle and tore this piece of meat from the Kingdom of Prussia.

Franz asked with concern: "What's the opinion of the Saxon government? Are they interested in buying this land back with money?"

Prussia was assigned to Prussia at the Congress of Vienna in 1815.Now the Kingdom of Saxony is part of the new Holy Roman Empire. If this part of the land is returned, it will naturally be returned to the Kingdom of Saxony.

The Prussian Saxony region occupies 40.00% of the territory of the Kingdom of Saxony, and the Kingdom of Saxony has always wanted to take it back.When they joined the New Shinra Empire, Prime Minister Felix made a promise.

Now that the opportunity has come, can the Saxon government bear it?

Franz was very suspicious.

If the Saxon government can't bear it anymore, then the Vienna government has no way to stop it on this issue. After all, Franz also has to consider the hearts of the people.

The price of 3000 million Aegis is not unbearable for the economically developed Kingdom of Saxony.As long as they are willing to figure out a way, they can raise it.

Prime Minister Felix replied: "The Saxony government should be inclined to pay for the purchase of the Prussian Saxony region. Prime Minister Fressel will arrive in Vienna this afternoon."

Franz thought for a while and said, "Comfort them first. Now these lands are still in the hands of Prussia, and the Russians' promises are simply beyond measure.

We must have other collateral to reduce loan risk.

A promise can be made to the Saxony government. The prerequisite for approving the Russian-Austrian loan is that the Russians agree to sell the Prussian Saxony area, and the price must be agreed in advance. "

This matter is very troublesome, and it can be said that the Russians chose a good time.

Most people now believe that the Russians will win the war. At this time, the Prussian region is used as a bait, and the Vienna government cannot refuse.

The loan collateral was false, and the real purpose of the tsarist government was to raise funds to continue the war.

As long as the news spread, the people of Saxony would demand to buy back the land. The Saxon government could not refuse, and Vienna had to cooperate.

Franz didn't want to be taken advantage of.If the Russians have already won the war, let alone 3000 million Aegis, he will pay even 5000 million Aegis.

But right now it's just an unknown.If the Tsarist government were defeated, or if the land had not been ceded from Prussia, the loan would likely have been in vain.

Moreover, mortgage and sale are two concepts.Now that the tsar is short of money, in order to raise military expenses, he naturally dare not open his mouth like a lion, so as not to scare away the donors, and the future is uncertain.

At that time, the primary and secondary positions will be changed, and the public will be eager to take back the Prussian region, so why not sell it at a sky-high price?

Foreign Minister Weisenberg said worriedly: "Your Majesty, since the Russians have thrown out the Prussian Saxony region, I am worried that they may promise the Rhineland region to the French in exchange for loans."

Franz's face changed, this is not possible, but very possible.

Short of money, what can the tsarist government do?

Moreover, it is still generous to others.Once the French are tempted, will the Paris government do its best to support the Kingdom of Prussia?

The Berlin government can't promise the same conditions. Not everyone is Bismarck and dares to write empty promises to the French.

Diplomatically, you can't make random promises. If Bismarck hadn't been strong enough and lucky enough, the original space-time Rhineland region would have fallen into the hands of the French.

As part of the German region, the Rhineland has long been regarded as a possession by the Vienna government. How could it be easily obtained by the French?

Destroy, must destroy the French-Russian deal!

This was Franz's first reaction, and then he had a headache again, how to destroy the possible French-Russian deal.

"Bring the news to the British. Although the development of the Rhineland region has slowed down in recent years, the local rich resources and industrial base are still there. Once it falls into the hands of the French, it will soon lead to qualitative changes.

France is already very strong, and if it continues to grow, the London government will not be able to sleep. "

This is misfortune.The Russia-Austria alliance is still there, and it is inconvenient for the Vienna government to do many things against the Russians.

Prime Minister Felix suggested: "Your Majesty, should we push and simply let the Russians lose this war?"

It is very simple to want the Russians to lose the war, as long as Austria suddenly imposes a material embargo.At present, most of the strategic materials of the Russian army on the front line are produced in Austria.

Even if the tsarist government wanted to buy it elsewhere, it was too late in time, not to mention they couldn't find a buyer yet.

Only Britain, France and Austria have this production capacity in Europe.If the Russians could be pulled from their supremacy, how could Britain and France refuse?

The compromise between France and Russia was also based on the fact that the tsarist government was sure of victory.Napoleon III will not help the Russians win the war and consolidate the enemy's hegemony.

This is also the reason why countries are afraid of the Russia-Austria alliance. The two countries have formed an alliance to complement each other's resources, and the strength that can be exploded is already 1+1>2.

Franz shook his head and said, "No, we can't make a move at this time.

The Prussians still have the power to fight. As long as Britain and France are more generous and let the Prussians arm the young and strong of the whole country, the Russians may not be able to win.

Have you noticed that the reforms of Alexander II have been suspended, and after the war, will the tsarist government still have the ability to continue reforms? "

In order to support this war, Alexander II had to compromise with domestic conservatives to ensure domestic stability.

This compromise will make it difficult to reform in the future.At least in the face of the same problem, the difficulty of reform has increased significantly.

From the perspective of long-term development, the Russian-Prussian War has achieved its strategic goals.An imperfectly reformed Russian Empire is what Austria needs.

Now that the strategic goal has been achieved, there is naturally no need to continue targeting the Russians.The Russia-Austria alliance has not yet come to an end, and the matter of hatred can only be done by others.

……

The plan can never keep up with the rapid changes. When the tsarist government was negotiating with Austria, it also started negotiations with the French.

In the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon III hesitated to accept the olive branch offered by the Tsarist government.

There can only be one European hegemon, and on this issue, the Russian Empire is France's greatest competitor.

Now lending money to the tsarist government is undoubtedly funding the enemy.

In Napoleon III's view, to obtain the Rhineland region, the biggest problem is not military, but political.

Annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia is enough, and European countries have formed a joint defense circle against them. If the Rhineland region is annexed by force, it will inevitably trigger the intervention of various countries.

At this time, the French need allies.Unlike the mortgage of the Prussian Saxon region, the tsarist government promised to support the French annexation of the Rhineland region.

This is determined by geopolitics. No matter how powerful the tsar is, it is impossible to cross the German Confederation to occupy the Rhineland area, so mortgages are naturally out of the question.

With the support of the Tsarist government, France would not be politically isolated.After some exchange of interests with other countries, the success rate of annexing the Rhineland region is very high.

Foreign Minister Abraham suggested: "Your Majesty, whether you want to lend to the Tsarist government or not, I think the key is to look at the final outcome of this war.

Now the Russians have a very good chance of winning, and I can't think of how the Prussians can come back.Even without our loans, the tsarist government could have raised funds elsewhere.

That being the case, why not simply carve up the Kingdom of Prussia with the Russians to maximize our interests. "

Allen, the chancellor of the exchequer, objected: "No, the credit of the Russians is too bad, and they are simply unable to repay the loan with their financial capabilities.

Our money is not brought by strong winds, so we cannot just waste it in vain.The partition of the Kingdom of Prussia could also be done without lending to the Russians.

Once the Kingdom of Prussia is defeated, we can use the excuse of asking for debts to temporarily take charge of the Rhineland region, creating an established fact.

Then slowly public relations, exchange interests with other countries, let them recognize our occupation of the Rhineland region.

The support of the Russians doesn't matter at all. We have to make deals with other countries without their support. Even if the tsarist government objects, they have no ability to intervene.

Why spend such a waste of money? "

Foreign Secretary Abraham retorted: "Earl Allen, this is not a waste of money. With the support of the Russians, it is much easier for us to get the acquiescence of all countries.

If there is no support from the Russians, all European countries will oppose it. Even if we have eaten the Rhineland region, we will still spit it out in the end. "

The support of European countries may not be important, but the support of major powers is necessary.

Of the five major European powers, except for Spain, which is in civil strife, which can be ignored, the remaining few must obtain the support of at least one of them.

The lessons of history have taught the French that it is impossible to go it alone, let alone being reckless.

……

Chapter 70 Alexander II

Soon Franz saw how powerful Alexander II was.The news of the secret negotiations between Russia and Austria spread out without accident, but the content changed a little.

This change made Franz grit his teeth and approve the loan. The amount was negotiated from 3000 million Aegis to 5000 million Aegis, and it was still an interest-free loan.

Of course, the Russians also took out a new collateral-the tariff revenue of the Ukraine region, avoiding the situation of losing everything.

If the tsarist government acquired Prussia after the war, the debt would be canceled and the tsarist government would use the Prussian region to repay the debt.

No way, the Russians boasted too much.The loud-mouthed Russian envoy preaching about the efforts of the Vienna government to reclaim Prussia.

He also said nonsense: Franz communicated with Alexander II by telegram many times, and the two sides have reached an initial agreement that after the war, the Tsarist government will sell Silesia and Prussia to the new Holy Roman Empire.

There is no doubt that this must have won the tacit approval of Alexander II.The Russian minister held high the banner of Russian-Austrian friendship and repeatedly emphasized Franz's contribution. In the eyes of ordinary people, this was an effort for the unification of the empire.

After all, the Paris conference split the German region, and it is very difficult to reunify it.Now we can only take roundabout measures to slowly promote national reunification.

Reclaiming land is always a good thing, and the nationalists rejoice, and sing their praises.

Domestic public opinion was mobilized, and Franz was put on the fire. If he retreated, he would lose his prestige, and he had no choice but to take the blame.

Now he understands that the tsarist government's promise to gift Silesia to Austria was a bait.

What would happen if Austria took back Silesia after the war and watched the Russians annex Prussia?

Franz was the emperor of Austria and also the emperor of the Saxon people.Once the bowl of water is uneven, the people below will lose their minds.

Not only the people of Saxony will be dissatisfied, but other states will also be dissatisfied with the central government.At that time, the new Holy Roman Empire, which was finally unified, will return to a state of fragmentation again.

Franz didn't dare to bet that the Russians would lose the war now, and he had to accept the loss.

After all, this Prussian-Prussian war was completely the result of his butterfly effect. Now that the Russians have the upper hand, and they have strong strength, under normal circumstances, it will be the Russians who will win the war in the end.

If it's just a question of money, this deal can be regarded as taking what they need.The tsarist government did not quote randomly, and it was even a little low.

However, the Prussia-Saxony region has not yet been acquired by the Russians, so the price is justified.

But Franz knew that for the sake of Silesia, the Vienna government had already guaranteed the Russians and owed a large amount of strategic materials on credit from the country, and now it has received another 5000 million Aegis loan.

If you don't want to lose everything, the best choice for the Vienna government now is to support the tsarist government to win this war.

Otherwise, these debts will not be recovered until the year of the monkey.

For the sake of its allies, the tsarist government probably won't directly renege on the debt, but they just don't have the money to pay back, can the Vienna government forcefully collect the debt?

Once the Russians are defeated, not only the current debts, but also the old debts before, may eventually become bad debts.At least until the Tsarist government's finances improved, they couldn't afford it.

Not only did it kidnap Austria economically, but it also completely broke down the relationship between Austria and Prussia.Now the Vienna government is almost openly supporting the tsarist government, and naturally stands on the opposite side of Prussia.

By the way, it also divided the Anglo-Austrian alliance, bringing the two countries to stand on opposite sides again.

Britain and Austria have the same national policy on maintaining the European balance. Since the establishment of the first Vienna system, Britain and Austria have been secret allies, and the two sides are only separated by an alliance agreement.

After the outbreak of the Near East War, the relationship between the two countries dropped to a freezing point.However, because of common interests, the relationship between the two sides quickly heated up again, and the two countries jointly promoted the establishment of the second Vienna system.

It's not over to provoke the Austrian-Prussian relationship and the Anglo-Austrian relationship. The Austrian-French relationship and the Anglo-French relationship are also in the calculations of the Russians.

Once the French take the bait given by the Russians, the relationship between Britain and France will also break down, and the relationship between Austria and France will be over directly.In any case, Franz could not sit back and watch the French annex the Rhineland.

Even if he could bear it, domestic nationalists would push Austria to the battlefield.

Franz is not afraid of going to war with the French. The covenant of mutual defense against the French is still there. At worst, he can organize an anti-French alliance. The Vienna government has experience in this regard.

The problem is that since the Metternich era, the situation in which Austria's allies spread across Europe has changed, and diplomacy can no longer be so calm.

That's right, France and Austria are now quasi-allies.Otherwise, Franz would not have watched Napoleon III annex the Kingdom of Sardinia indifferently.

A verbal promise can't be counted, and in the end we still have to speak with benefits.Since the Orleans Dynasty, France and Austria have maintained a quasi-alliance relationship, the kind that can be formed at any time if necessary.

There was a break during the Great Revolution, but with the emergence of the Faou Secret Treaty, the relationship between the two parties has warmed up again in the face of common interests.

Especially after the French annexed the Kingdom of Sardinia, the relationship between the two countries reached a new height.

Now the pro-British faction in the French government is strong, and the pro-Austrian faction is actually not small at all. It is not surprising that one person is pro-British and pro-Austrian at the same time. Politicians change their positions according to actual needs.

Napoleon III was not a fuel-efficient lamp. As a master of political struggle, how could he not pay attention to the balance of power?

A dominant Anglophile faction is not in the interests of the emperor.In case one day we meet with the British, and our men are all pro-British, then who will we send to charge?

Although Napoleon III appeared as a pro-British faction, in fact, most of the people he promotes now are not pro-British, but mostly anti-British.

This also applies in Austria, where the anti-Russian faction in the Vienna government has always been strong in the case of the Russian-Austrian alliance.

Many politicians do not really want to be anti-Russian, but politically need them to be anti-Russian. This is standing in line, or political speculation.