Holy Roman Empire

The current international situation is not suitable for external expansion, and the Kingdom of Poland is too poor. Unless we accept Polish agricultural products as compensation, we may not even be able to recover our military expenses. "

It is a taboo for military strategists to revive the army in anger.

Although the land in Poland is good, Franz really can't raise his ambitions.After the War of Independence, Polish nationalism has risen, and it is too difficult to digest them.

Just for a piece of land suitable for growing grain, it is completely worth the candle to plant the hidden danger of splitting the empire.This ticking time bomb is for anyone who wants it. Anyway, Franz is not going to keep it at home.

Accepting Polish agricultural products as compensation is even more of a joke.Just like after World War I, Britain and France accepted German industrial products to pay off their debts.

The Germans failed to open up the British and French markets for domestic industry and commerce through the war, but achieved their goal through post-war reparations.

Britain and France, who were greedy for temporary benefits, also paid a heavy price for this.Under the impact of cheap industrial and commercial products from Germany, the industries of Britain and France went into decline.

At the beginning of World War II, as the defeated country, Germany's industry actually surpassed the sum of Britain and France. This has to be said to be an irony.

The government of Vienna cannot do such stupid things.It is too late to protect the domestic agriculture, how could it be possible to ignore the fundamentals for a little profit.

"First warn the Polish government and order them to quell the anti-Olympic movement in the country before Christmas, otherwise we will have a military parade in Warsaw."

Having no interest in Poland does not mean that the threat of force cannot be used.If the Polish government really lost its mind, Franz didn't mind fighting a war.

Just in this way, the Russians are cheaper.If Poland is disabled, Franz is very suspicious of the next Prussian war, what will the Kingdom of Prussia rely on to fight.

Neither Alexander II nor Alexander III is easy to deal with. The war potential of the Russian Empire is far higher than that of Prussia.

After suffering a loss, it is very difficult for the Russians to advance aggressively.As long as the Tsarist government fought steadily and the war turned into a war of attrition, the Kingdom of Prussia would not be able to consume the Russians.

At this time, the Kingdom of Poland is very important.If you were a little more ruthless and recruited millions of cannon fodder from the Kingdom of Poland, then Prussia would not be submerged in crowd tactics when facing gray animals.

Other Franz is not sure, but one thing is certain, that is, this time the tsarist government will not be short of food.

Even if the transportation of the Russian Empire still cannot be solved, the Tsarist government will reserve enough strategic materials before the outbreak of war.

This time the Prussians were unable to catch the Russians by surprise. Before the preparations were completed, it was impossible for the Tsarist government to take the initiative to provoke a war.

The Russian-Austrian alliance still has a few years to go. During this period, the Kingdom of Prussia will not be able to take the initiative to launch an offensive, otherwise it will drag Austria into the water.

Shaking his head, Franz dismissed these messy thoughts.Why bother so much, the international situation is ever-changing, and no one can guarantee what will happen tomorrow.

Perhaps when the Russo-Prussian War broke out, the situation changed again.Now Austria's strength is also growing rapidly. Perhaps when the Russo-Prussian War broke out, Austria had already left them far behind.

As long as one's own strength is strong enough, any challenge is nothing to worry about.Perhaps by then, the outcome of the Prussian-Russian War will become irrelevant to Austria.

Chapter 98 The Unpleasant Throne

For the sake of Christmas approaching, the Vienna government did not rush to find the Polish government bad luck. Even the news of Poland's diplomatic note was suppressed, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only conveyed Franz's threat.

European countries do not have the tradition of doing things at Christmas. Vienna was still so lively this Christmas, and Franz held a palace banquet as usual.

Good times are always short-lived. Just after Christmas, Franz received a bad news-Otto I of Greece died.

Compared with the original time and space, who was kicked out in 1862, this plane Otto I is considered lucky.With the strong rise of Austria, he, a pro-Austrian, will naturally not be kicked out of power because he is on the wrong side in diplomacy.

The headache is that Otto I, who was born in the Wittelsbach dynasty, has no children. Several of his younger brothers are unwilling to convert to the Orthodox Church, and the position of Crown Prince of Greece has always been vacant.

Now the question is, who should inherit the Greek throne?Franz has sent a telegram to the Wittelsbach dynasty, which is now the Lombard royal family, hoping that they can send a prince to take on this important task.

The result is very embarrassing, no one wants to take over this mess.It is also true to think about it, the current situation in Greece is very bad.The external debt is high, and the internal situation is also turbulent.

This is the aftermath of the Near East War. As one of the countries participating in the war, although Greece stood on the side of the winner, it was forced to retreat halfway under the military pressure of Britain and France.

This time, not only was the loot gone, but they were also severely punished by Britain and France, and they were burdened with huge debts after the war.

In any case, Greece also shed blood in the Near East War, paying tens of thousands of sacrifices and holding back part of the British-French Ottoman alliance.

After the war, Russia and Austria still helped Otto I to help him keep the throne.After the war, anti-British and French sentiments among the Greek people were strong, and Otto I naturally moved closer to Russia and Austria.

With the changes in the international situation, Austria has successively reached deals with Britain and France. Austria took over the French Balkans, and took the island of Corfu with the British.

In the Mediterranean dispute, France and Austria together excluded the British.In this context, Greece won the support of the Vienna government, and Otto I took the opportunity to expel the British.

This "expulsion" is almost the same as the British voluntarily giving up.After all, Greece's interests are still too small. Although the strategic position is important, the British have no skills to spare, and they really can't care about this scrap.

Finally, under the mediation of Austria, the Greek government paid a ransom in exchange for the "withdrawal" of the British from Greece.

This is the inevitable result, how can others be allowed to lie on the side of the couch.Since the French abandoned the Balkan Peninsula, the geographical location of Greece has been determined, and the British cannot occupy it for a long time.

Faced with the continuous resistance of the Greeks, the London government had no energy to suppress it. The cunning John Bull decided to sell it for a good price. In the end, the Greek government owed a large debt to the British.

Nationalism is a double-edged sword. Since the British were driven out, Greek radical groups have turned their attention to Austria and want to restore the Roman Empire.

This radical thought was naturally suppressed by the government of Otto I.Normal people know that this is an impossible plan, but idealists are an exception.

An idealist who was unwilling to fail, wanted to overthrow the rule of Otto I.There is no doubt that this gang of rabble did not succeed.

With the outbreak of the agricultural crisis, problems also appeared in the Greek domestic economy. Many farmers went bankrupt in the first wave of the crisis, and social conflicts intensified.

Although many immigrants were taken away by Austria, many remained, and the social security in Greece continued to deteriorate.

This created favorable conditions for radical groups to rebel. If Otto I was still there, it would not be a big problem to suppress this gang of mobs. The problem is that the throne is now vacant and the government is in chaos.

The Wittelsbach family has invested a lot of resources for the Greek throne, but they have not been able to get returns for a long time. Now they don't want to continue to invest.

This is not what Franz wants to see. If the Greek throne is not settled soon, it will not be long before Britain, France and Russia will join in.

With the participation of all countries, it will be difficult for Austria to occupy a dominant position. If an anti-Austrian government appears in Greece, Franz's early investment will be in vain.

"Prime Minister, who is the most suitable successor to the Greek throne at present?"

Prime Minister Felix frowned: "The best candidates are naturally Otto I's younger brothers Prince Luitpold and Prince Adalbert, but both of them have clearly renounced the right of succession.

There are many heirs further down, but because of age, we are not sure whether Otto I's nephew can secure the Greek throne. "

Otto I's sudden death left a mess.The current king of Greece is not easy to do. Without certain ability, he can't control the situation at all.

Otherwise, Franz would just fool a Wittelsbach family child and forcefully support him.

Europe is a world that depends on one's parentage, and succession to the throne is naturally as close as possible to one's blood, and closeness means orthodoxy.If it is the heir who ranks in the top ten, even if he is in the position, it will be difficult to win the support of the people.

After wandering for a few steps, Franz made a decision: "Continue to send people to contact them. As long as they are willing to inherit the Greek throne, they don't need to convert to the Orthodox Church. All problems will be resolved by us."

Although it might be up for grabs, and wanting to take advantage of Austria, Franz decided to give it.Who made the Greek throne unpopular?

The Wittelsbach family was worried that the investment would not be able to recover the cost, and it was understandable that they wanted to find someone to share the cost.

There is no free lunch in the world. If you take the benefits of Austria, you must do things for Austria.The more you get, the more you have to give.

Although Greece is small, Franz still dare not underestimate it, it is better to control it in his own hands.Otto I did a great job, and it didn't hurt that Greece got a little messed up.

Franz is not demanding, as long as he continues to implement the population restriction policy of Otto I.In this era, the population of all European countries is rising rapidly, and Greece can stay where it is, which is also a clear stream.

As long as it keeps going, Greece, with a population of less than one million, can't afford to make a few waves no matter how hard it is.

This is all learning from the advanced experience of France. If it weren't for the rapid economic development of France after Napoleon III succeeded to the throne, perhaps their population growth rate would have been even lower.

It's just that the unreasonable part of it has been modified, and then sold to the Greek government, and combined with Malthus' population theory, it is very convincing.

With the current land of Greece, it is indeed impossible to support more people.In a short time, the effect is very obvious.

Since the increase of the petty tax, the enthusiasm of the Greek people to have children has been greatly reduced, and there are fewer children to support, and the living standards of the people have risen instead of falling.

Foreign Minister Weissenberg shook his head: "Your Majesty, it may not be good for us to intervene too much. At present, anti-Austrian sentiment among the Greek people is growing. If we intervene, I am afraid it will make things more troublesome.

What's more, the positions of Britain, France and Russia have to be considered. They don't want to see us control Greece. If they mess with it, the Greek throne may be delayed indefinitely.

Instead, it is better to wait and see the situation first.Whoever is willing to cooperate with us will support whoever takes the position.If someone is ignorant of current affairs, it is much easier to subvert the rule of a country than to establish a country. "

Franz has already heard the subtext.It is nothing more than worrying that after setting this precedent, it will affect the political structure of the empire.

There are many states in the Shenluo Empire. If the Wittelsbach family used too much power of the empire when they competed for the Greek throne, does that mean that several other royal families can also use the power of the empire to expand?

This is not unfounded worry, but will really happen.The relationship between the royal families of European countries is a mess, and it is commonplace to have the right to inherit the throne of other countries.

Are the thrones of Poland and Spain still vacant?There are quite a few interested aristocrats in the country, but they lack the support of the great powers and cannot gain an advantage in the competition.

The Vienna government did not support any of the great aristocrats in the country. Now it is fully supporting the Wittelsbach family to secure the Greek throne.

According to the rules of the game, the Wittelsbach family can get the support of the empire, but they must exchange resources.

This system of rules was designed by Franz himself, and the royal family borne a considerable part of the military expenditure, including the actions in Mexico.

Franz frowned: "This is indeed a problem, but it is not difficult to solve it. No matter how much the empire has paid, how much will be rewarded in the future.

You can clarify the issue in advance, if the Wittelsbach family is still unwilling, forget it.Presumably, Greece will be brought back into the arms of Catholicism, and no one will object. "

Austria is suppressing religion, but it does not mean that religion cannot be used to achieve its goals.There is no law stating that a Greek king cannot be a Catholic.

Even if there is, this kind of legal code that is outdated by the times must be abolished.Now is the era of religious freedom, how can we engage in religious discrimination?

Franz is not worried about the return on investment.The big deal is to promote cotton planting in Greece. Greece is a big cotton exporter in later generations, and it must be possible now.

It not only adds a source of raw materials, but also an additional place of grain dumping, which is enough to satisfy domestic interest groups.

Thinking of this, Franz suddenly opened up a new way of thinking, the agricultural crisis may be resolved in advance.

……

Chapter 99 Big Gamble

In the Royal Palace of Milan, the Wittelsbach family is having final discussions on whether to give up the Greek throne.

This problem is actually very easy to solve. Unlike the former time-space Otto I who was kicked out of power, this time Otto I died of natural causes. There are still many high-level Greek government officials who were brought over by Otto I from Bavaria.

With the support of Austria, these men still hold power.The foundation of the Wittelsbach family in Greece has not been damaged, and the heirs sent can stabilize the situation in the shortest possible time.

This is why Franz tends to support the Wittelsbach family. If a foreign king is replaced, it will be difficult to control Greece.

Although Otto I was not a successful king, he was not a waste either.Greece was defeated in the Near East War, but the king was victorious.

With the sword of the British and French Ottomans, Otto I successfully eliminated dissidents.Until now, radical groups in Greece have not recovered.

The few aristocrats and capitalists are all smart people, and it doesn't matter if they shout slogans. Anyone who believes that they can "rebuild Rome" must be a fool.

In the original time and space, after a series of social beatings, the strategic goal of Greece became smaller and smaller, degenerating from the original "rebuilding Rome" to "Great Greece".

Even "Great Greece" is actually not small at all. If the territory is calculated, it is about seven or eight times larger than it is now, and it may be even larger.

George I proposed "establishing a great Greek country with Constantinople as the capital and Athens as the economic center", which was criticized by Greek patriots.

From the map, this plan is about one-third of the Balkan Peninsula and one-quarter of Turkey, including many islands in the Aegean Sea and Cyprus.

This plan is not too much, the original space-time Greece almost achieved its goal.Unfortunately, it was just a little bit short, so it still failed.

It is a tragedy now. The road to expansion is blocked by Austria. It does not matter whether the goal is lowered or not. There is no hope of success at all.

The anti-Austrian radical group in Greece is just unwilling to be reconciled to the shattering of the dream of a great power.It's just that in the face of cruel reality, their supporters are too few.

Against this background, with the support of Austria, it is not difficult to secure the throne of Greece as long as the country's domestic capabilities pass the test.

……

In Warsaw, after receiving a diplomatic reply from Austria, the Polish government did not even pass Christmas.

There is no way. Originally, they sent a note to Austria. The main purpose was to provoke a wave of verbal wars and use the patriotic enthusiasm of the people to divert everyone's attention.

The reason why Austria was chosen was mainly because there was no choice.It is easier to scold the Russians, but after a long time of scolding, the people become numb.

Except for a few radicals who want to expand their territory to Moscow, most Poles have no interest in the land of the Russian Empire, and now they want to regain their homeland.

This part of the territory is in Prussia and Austria. The Kingdom of Prussia is an ally of Poland. The pro-Prussian faction in the government is too powerful, and they have to join forces with Prussia to deal with the Russians. They can only engage in Austria.

The Polish government did not expect the Vienna government to respond so violently.The territorial dispute in Opo has been raging for many years, and the Vienna government has not taken drastic measures. This has caused many Poles to have the illusion that they accidentally used excessive diplomatic words and got into trouble.

Well, they don't know yet that there are Prussians behind this radical diplomatic rhetoric.Otherwise, the officials of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs would not be so "negligent".

After receiving the threat from Austria, the interim prime minister of the Polish government, Dombrowski, immediately summoned officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to scold him severely.

It is not so obvious that you are looking for death. The diplomatic note threatened Austria. It would be strange if the Vienna government did not respond violently.

As an international revolutionary fighter, Dombrowski is no ordinary person. In addition to leading the Polish uprising, he was also one of the leaders of the Paris Commune movement.

In the face of reality, compromises are still required.In order to be able to keep the regime, Dombrowski turned into a "royalist".

The Polish throne is vacant. In addition to the intervention of international forces, the "royalists" headed by Dombrowski do not want the king to be born, which is also an important factor.

For them, the older the time, the better.When the Polish people are used to not having a king, then Poland does not need a king.

The premise is not to cause trouble, otherwise the situation will change as soon as the great powers intervene.In an era when the monarchy is still strong, launching a challenge rashly is the way to death.

Foreign Minister Vlublevsky said with a gloomy face: "Your Excellency, the matter has been found out. The person who tampered with the document was a patriotic young man working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who committed suicide after the incident.

A suicide note was also left explaining the situation.Mainly dissatisfied with the government's weakness on the Austrian issue, and then changed the document privately when submitting a note to Austria. "

It doesn't matter whether the matter is true or false, as long as you think about it with your brain, you will know that there is a problem.It is possible for patriotic youths to exchange documents privately, but suicide is very nonsense.