Holy Roman Empire

Britain, France and Austria are all colonial powers. Everyone is full and has become a vested interest in the international order. The British also took the lion's share.

In contrast, rising stars of emerging powers are the real threat.After all, resources and markets are limited, old empires eat meat in big bowls, and emerging powers can't even drink soup.If you don't have any idea in your heart, how is it possible?

If it were not for the fear of the rise of emerging powers, Prussia and Poland would have merged a few years ago.

Prussia and Poland have a common enemy. Prussia has a great influence on Poland. William I has always been a favorable contender for the Polish throne.

Many people think that only when the two countries have common rulers can they cooperate closely and resist the invasion of the common enemy.

A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Even if the Russian Empire has fallen, it is still a big European country, which has brought heavy pressure to Pubo and Poland.

Not to mention the Russian Empire, even the declining Ottoman Empire, many people still stubbornly believe that they are a powerful country.

After a moment of silence, Prime Minister Gerston asked seriously: "Then what do you think about William I becoming the king of Poland? Do we want to stop it?"

This problem is also a headache. The Kingdom of Prussia is the younger brother of the British, but this younger brother is too strong and cannot be controlled at all.Once Prussia annexed Poland, this little brother would be gone.

Laluque Lloyd, Chancellor of the Exchequer: "Prussia's annexation of Poland does not affect us very much, but it does not allow them to succeed easily.

Isn't there a gossip that the Berlin government wants to make a deal with France and Austria in exchange for their approval?

Regardless of whether it is true or false, but what can Prussia trade for?If their transaction is completed, France and Austria will probably grow further, and there will be no room for small countries in continental Europe.

This is very dangerous, if they continue to merge like this, it will be more difficult to restrict later.Calculating the total economic volume of the country alone, both France and Austria have surpassed us.

If they continue to expand, maybe they don't need to unite in the future, any country has the power to threaten us.

The strength of the Royal Navy is also built by us with countless pounds.If France and Austria do not focus on the development of land power, they are capable of building a Royal Navy. "

Britain has already felt this threat.Different from the original time and space, both France and Austria are now growing like a snowball.

Perhaps the per capita income is not as good as that of Britain, but relying on the large number of people, both France and Austria have counterattacked in terms of economic aggregate.

Now, Britain's industrial dominance is also in jeopardy. After the outbreak of the second industrial revolution, they have lost their advantages in emerging industries.

With their strong family background, they can still survive, but the crisis is already brewing.If it weren't for the vast colony that gave them confidence, perhaps many people would have felt the crisis.

It's a pity that all of this has been covered up.What La Luke Lloyd saw was only the continuous increase in the fiscal revenue of France and Austria, which made him feel uneasy.

Chapter 128 Intrigue

After capturing the Ava region, the Russian army did not stop the war, but went straight to the Bosporus Strait, which is the first gateway to the Black Sea and is very important.

If a few decades ago, it would have been possible to cross the sea directly from Constantinople, but not now.With the development of artillery technology, it is too easy for shore artillery to block the strait.

The coalition forces also considered launching an attack from the Sea of ​​Marmara, but before the war broke out, the Ottomans concentrated all their navy there.

There are not many warships left by Austria in the Sea of ​​Marmara. It is okay to suppress the Ottoman navy, but it is impossible to destroy them.

Facing the enemies huddled in the port, it is more convenient to fight on land. The price the navy has to pay for rushing in for a decisive battle is too high.

In the Ava headquarters, the Lieutenant General Harosf, who has done all the crimes and meritorious service, reported in a low voice: "Your Excellency, the forward attack has been blocked, and the enemy's resistance is too fierce.

They even pretended to be old, weak, women and children in a very despicable way, so that our army could relax their vigilance and launch a sneak attack.The frontline troops were making slow progress and called for airship bomber support. "

What is "pretending to be old and weak women and children" is clearly old and weak women and children.Makeup techniques are not so powerful these days, and the difference in body shape still cannot be concealed.

Following the propaganda of the Sudanese government, the Russian army has turned into cannibals, and the people have been mobilized long ago, either voluntarily or forcedly. These people have caused a lot of trouble for the Russian army.

Admiral Ivanov glared fiercely, and his dissatisfaction was evident: "Trash, don't tell me that if we leave the airship unit, our soldiers won't be able to fight?

Tell the front-line troops that the airship troops are not their nanny, and they have to find their own way to fight their own battles.

Now the airship unit is carrying out a strategic bombing mission, which is related to the entire war situation, not just for them. "

The Austrian airship force is limited in size. Even if they are all sent out, there are only a few people. While carrying out strategic bombing, there is simply no way to allocate enough troops to support the front-line Russian army.

Ivanov was able to become the commander of the Russian army, but he didn't just pretend to be in the top position because of his strategic vision.

From the perspective of the overall battle situation, bombing the Ottoman cities now, weakening the enemy's war potential, blowing up roads and bridges along the way, and increasing the pressure on the enemy's logistics supplies are much more important than winning one or two lines of defense.

If you just stare at the battlefield in front of you, you will be foolishly bumping into each other and colliding all the way.Not to mention the 15 Russian army, even if it is 150 million Russian army, there will not be many people left in the end.

For Lieutenant General Harosov, Ivanov is still very fancy. Otherwise, because of Ava's affairs, he could be allowed to go home for the elderly. How could he stay to wait for crimes and make meritorious service?

Ivanov is very aware that this war in the Near East is seen by many people as a good opportunity for gilding. This 15-strong Russian army has a large number of related households mixed in.

Wanting to ask for help at every turn, most likely it was done by the officer of the related household.If the Austrian airship unit was under his command, Ivanov would be more than willing to sell favors.

Unfortunately, this time the two sides are commanding separately.Ever since the Russian army insisted on launching the Black Sea Strait Raiders, the Allied Forces General Command has been completely reduced to a logistics office + a relationship coordination committee.

Now both sides are fighting on their own, and joint operations do not exist.Austria's cooperation is also limited to providing them with logistics, and when necessary, providing ship transfer troops.

There is no problem with this command mode. The Austrian army is fighting in the Middle East, and the Russian army is fighting hard in the Asia Minor peninsula. The two places are far apart and they cannot join forces.

Let’s forget about the airship unit. Due to information asymmetry, there were accidents that accidentally injured friendly troops in the previous few cooperations, and the two sides even had a big fight.

Then, Aleister completely released the Russians, pretending not to see them no matter how the Russian army fought.All the airship troops were sent out for strategic bombing, far away from the front line.

The distance creates beauty, without the cooperation of the airship troops, the Russian army immediately missed the benefits of having someone to cooperate with.The airship unit may not be able to kill many enemies and destroy many fortifications, but it is very important in disintegrating the enemy's army.

According to past experience, no matter how fierce the resistance of the Ottoman army was, as long as a few bombs fell from the sky, the morale would drop by a notch in an instant.

It is impossible for Ivanov to admit that the Russian army cannot fight without the help of Austria, so he can only bite the bullet and continue.Moreover, strategic bombing by airship troops is also beneficial to the entire battlefield.

Lieutenant General Harrosf explained: "Your Excellency, the casualties of our army have indeed been a bit heavy recently, and the casualties in the last two days have exceeded 1000.

After paying such a high price, we can still only move forward a dozen kilometers a day. In addition to the casualties in the Battle of Ava, the number of casualties in our army has exceeded [-].

According to the current progress, it will take at least one month to conquer the Bosporus Strait.The casualties that need to be paid may be as high as tens of thousands.

This has exceeded our capacity. The Bosphorus is just the beginning, and it is only a small step away from the first phase of the strategic mission.

If this situation does not change, it is impossible to win this war with our current strength.Even if the country can continue to increase its troops, there are still many problems that need to be involved. "

If the enemy dies, the battle will naturally be difficult to fight.In just over a week, the Russian army has set a record of defeating 5.8 enemy troops, annihilating 1.2 enemy troops, and capturing 836 enemy troops.

The fact that there are so few captives is the result of the Sudanese government's propaganda.The Ottoman soldiers thought that the Russian army would kill them all, so naturally they would not surrender.

The captured prisoners are basically the results of the previous landing battles.Since news of Ava's massacre spread, Ottoman soldiers rarely surrendered.

The enemy chose to fight to the end, and the casualties of the Russian army inevitably increased.Now there are more than 8000 casualties in the Russian army, including more than 2000 people who died in battle. Even if they receive effective treatment, only half of them can return to the battlefield in the end.

Ivanov shook his head: "I am aware of these situations, but it still doesn't work. The airship force is not our army, and the command is in the hands of the Austrians.

The coalition headquarters is still in Constantinople, and there is no plan to move.Even to coordinate, we have to send someone back to Constantinople first.

How long does it take to go back and forth?If you come like this every time, how will you fight the next battle?

We have made a clear agreement with Austria, and now it is enough to ask them for help once or twice. If we need their help throughout the war, we will be able to win. Things will not be so simple.

Countries look at interests, and no one will pay blindly.Behind every time we ask for help, we need to pay a price. These are the interests that should belong to the Russian Empire. "

Anything involving politics becomes more difficult.Both sides have done a lot of stabbing between allies.

It's just embarrassing that the Austrians did it in a more subtle way, and they couldn't catch it on the surface; on the contrary, it was the Tsarist government who did things, and many things were caught.

The people below are not clear about these open and secret fights, but Ivanov has already contacted them.For the sake of interests, these conflicts were suppressed by both sides.

But the estrangement has already been buried. Today you plot against me, and tomorrow I plot against you. Almost every time a conflict arises, the relationship between the two countries is further separated.

The Vienna government refused to renew the contract, and the tsarist government did not jump out to criticize, that is because Austria caught many handles, and it was unreasonable to argue.

If these things are not exposed, hello, me, hello, everyone. Once the cover is lifted, things will not end well, at least the hostility between the two countries is inevitable.

The high-level intrigue directly hurt the officers and soldiers below.Otherwise, even if the airship force is insufficient, can't the Vienna government make up for it?

It cannot be said that Austria does not even have a reserve of airships, only the 120 airships on the front line.

You must know that the Austrian airship force has existed for more than ten years. For such a long time, naturally many airships have been retired midway. These airships have not been dismantled and sold for scrap iron, but are still sealed up.

It can be activated at any time as long as the Vienna government wishes.Anyway, the Ottomans had no anti-aircraft firepower, so even if the performance of the airship was a bit poor, it would not be a big problem to use it to bomb the enemy.

It is not impossible to change this situation, as long as the tsarist government is willing to bow its head, or is willing to pay a certain price, it can achieve its goal.

Unfortunately, this can only be wishful thinking.In this Near East war, the two countries joined forces entirely because of interests.Since interests are involved, there is no way to compromise on many issues.

The casualties of some soldiers were not seen by the tsarist government at all. How could it be possible to give in?

The flames of war on the front line were still burning, and Russian soldiers rushed up one after another to fight hard with the Ottomans, and the two sides fought in the dark.

St. Petersburg was not peaceful either. Ever since Poland received the re-opening of parliament for king elections, the tsarist government could not sit still.

The facts are in front of us, William I does not even have a strong competitor in this election, and there is no suspense about winning.

Once Poland and Prussia share the monarchy, the union of the two countries will inevitably become closer, and may even merge into one country.

It was the tsarist government that caused the two countries to step up their alliance. The existence of the Russian Empire has brought heavy pressure to the ruling classes of the two countries. People of insight in both countries know that only by uniting can they have the power to fight the Russians. .

This is not something that individuals can resist. Before this, it was the intervention of the great powers that prevented all this from happening.After all, after the Russo-Prussian War, the Russian Empire was a bit miserable, and the Tsarist government seemed likely to collapse at any time.

The three countries of Britain, France and Austria did not want to add a piece of cake to the table, so they strongly interfered in the election of the Polish throne and kicked William I out immediately.Not to be outdone, the Prussians simply pushed the Revolutionary Party to power and secretly supported the Revolutionary Party to prevent the election of the throne.

The delay in resolving the Polish throne is the result of the joint intervention of all parties.Now the situation has changed, and no one thought that after the reform of Alexander II, the Russian Empire recovered so quickly.

It may not be as strong as it was at its peak, but it is also much stronger than Prussia and Poland now.If the comprehensive national strength is calculated, the Russians are almost twice the sum of Prussia + Poland.

This action of the Berlin government was also forced out.If the Kingdom of Poland is not annexed, then the following wars are almost doomed to lose.

After the reforms of Alexander II, the Russian Empire was much more stable.There is food in hand and no panic in the heart. Even if it is painful in the agricultural crisis, it is an advantage in war years.

If the tsarist government can control its fullness, the gray cattle will have fighting power.If you want to consume the Russians, don't be funny, the tsarist government hasn't retreated to Moscow yet?

No matter how many battles are lost on the front line, the tsarist government with food in hand will not collapse.After the outbreak of the agricultural crisis, Alexander II gritted his teeth and directly collected grain as a tax, turning the grain into a strategic reserve. This was the root cause of the tsarist government's financial brink of bankruptcy.

Otherwise, after the tax reform, so many moths have been cleaned up.Even if a large area of ​​territory is lost, the fiscal revenue of the tsarist government should exceed before, how could it be about to go bankrupt?

Glancing at the crowd, Alexander II asked: "William I jumped out to fight for the Polish throne at this time, what do you think?"

The tsar is not easy to do either. Since he took the throne, Alexander II has not had a good life for a few days.

Because of a misjudgment, at the beginning of his succession, he wanted to restrict Austria and ignored the threat of the Kingdom of Prussia. As a result, the current unfavorable situation has been caused, and internal criticism has never stopped.

If it weren't for Alexander II's political skills, he would have been ousted from power long ago.It is not that the Russian Empire has never happened before the change of the tsar.

The last example was Peter III, who happened to be pro-Peterian.Alexander II obviously learned his lesson and decisively chose to beat Prussia. Although he lost the war, he still kept the throne.

In this regard, the Russian people are still very generous. Victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs. As long as the tsar can keep an eye on the inside of the government, as long as the people at the bottom can fill their stomachs, they will not rebel because of the defeat of the war.

Foreign Secretary Chris Basham: "Your Majesty, the actions of the Prussians at this time are related to the current international situation.

Napoleon III died of illness, and the French government fell into the vortex of power struggle, and had no energy to participate in international affairs in a short period of time.As long as the Prussians are willing to pay a certain price, it is not difficult to keep the French on the sidelines.

As the relationship between Russia and Austria turned cold, the Vienna government might not have had the idea of ​​supporting Prussia to contain us.Even if not now, there will be in the future.

Now.A large part of our and Austria's energies have been drawn into the Near East War. If the Prussians are willing to spend a lot of money, the Vienna government may acquiesce in their actions.

After the two countries have been settled, it will not be difficult to persuade the British.Even if the London government objects, it will not send troops to intervene.

If the three countries of Britain, France and Austria do not take action, even if we send troops to intervene, the Prussians will not let go, which will inevitably trigger a new war.

We are not ready yet, and the Near East war has restrained part of our strength, and the outbreak of war now is very unfavorable to us.The Prussians should have spotted this opportunity before taking the opportunity to make a move. "

After Chris Basham stroked like this, things became clear.Although there is a solution, it is a pity that the decision-making power is not in the hands of the tsarist government.

If France and Austria do not act, their family alone cannot scare the Prussians at all.They are enemies anyway, and the Berlin government doesn't care what they think.

……

Chapter 129 It's true and false

In the Middle East, the Austrian army launched an attack on the Ottoman Empire in two directions.One way started from the Sinai Peninsula, and the goal was Jerusalem; the other way sent troops from the sea and went straight to the Kuwait area.

The natural conditions in Kuwait are harsh, with a tropical desert climate, drought, little rain, and frequent sandstorms. The whole area is desert, which is not suitable for agricultural production.

Before the discovery of oil resources, it was not taken seriously by everyone. It was only in 1871 that the Ottoman Empire established a special county in Kuwait, which is the credit of the Age of Discovery.

There are excellent ports in Kuwait. In order to develop the domestic economy, the Sudanese government plans to build a railway to directly enter the Indian Ocean from the Persian Gulf.

However, the plan is always just a plan, and the railway only exists in the ideal, and the Sudanese government has no ability to implement it.

Due to the limitation of natural conditions, the Kuwait area is still a poor and backward rural area. The domestic transportation has not been solved, and it is more than enough to conduct overseas trade.

Now the Sudanese government doesn't have to worry about these issues, the Austrians have made the choice for them.Facing the sudden enemy, the Kuwaiti defenders were defeated in a state of bewilderment.

It's not that they don't work hard, it's that the strength gap is too big.The Sudanese government did not expect that the Kuwait area would become the target of Austria's offensive at all, and there was only one garrison regiment that was not full.

Politically speaking, the strategic Kuwait region is of little significance now.But if you look at the map, you will understand that Austria is enclosing land.

Today, the world has almost been divided up, and the rest are either hard bones, or the forces of various countries converge and check each other, so it is not easy to break the balance rashly.

Although the Arabian Peninsula is a little barren, it is still a soft persimmon with fewer competitors.

Except for Austria, only the British stretched out their tentacles, but John Bull seemed to look down on these small rural places, and put in very little effort.