Holy Roman Empire

This "most dazzling jewel in the crown of the British Empire" cannot be grabbed by Austria, but it still has the ability to overturn the chessboard.

Of course, "overturning the chessboard" is only a last resort. If it is done, Austria will be miserable.

There is no need to think about the colonization of the Americas, and the colonies in the Nanyang region may not be able to survive. Most of the overseas markets have been lost, and it will be difficult to recover for decades.

This is still optimistic.In case the British went crazy, the main force of the Royal Navy rushed out regardless, chasing the Austrian Navy and beating them hard, Franz would cry.

Rationally speaking, the chances of this happening are very low.The British were worried that the French would sneak attack on their homeland; Austria also worried that the French would take their salary from the bottom and cut off the link between the homeland and Austrian Africa.

The strength of Austria is also based on the premise that the mainland and the colonies are integrated. If they are cut off, they will not be much better than the German Second Empire, which was blocked in time and space.

……

Chief of Staff Albrecht suggested: "Everyone, in view of the current complicated situation, it is necessary for us to expand the navy.

If the British suffered a loss in the Prussian-Prussian War, the London government must find it elsewhere. Future international conflicts will inevitably intensify, and the pressure on the navy will greatly increase.

The French are also worrying. Since Napoleon IV succeeded to the throne, the Paris government's active participation in international affairs has dropped a notch.

A few years ago, it could be said that the Paris government was infighting and had no time to take into account international affairs. Now that Napoleon IV is in power and the Paris government has stabilized, it is abnormal if there is no movement. "

It is really unaccustomed to live without the French.Originally, the French stood in front to attract attention, the "Mediterranean Empire" shocked the European continent, and Austria was covered up.

With the silence of the Paris government, Austria had to stand up and fight the British in person.Whether it is the "Guano War" in South America or the Prussian-Prussian War in Europe, it is the game between Britain and Austria, and the French just follow suit.

In this age of the jungle, there is nothing that cannot be solved by force.When the pressure is high, the army will be expanded, and when the strength is in place, the problem will be solved.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl objected: "No, at least not before the expiration of the Triple Alliance. We must have the spirit of the contract."

The "spirit of contract" is a joke. It is estimated that Britain, France and Austria did not take it seriously, and at most they can only be comforted in their hearts.

It is precisely because there is no such thing that it is extremely precious. Everyone attaches so much importance to it and often talks about it.

There is no breach of contract because everyone has a "contract spirit", mainly because it is not worth breaking the contract.As long as the common interests of the three countries outweigh the contradictions, there will be no breach of contract.

The "Triple Covenant of Britain, France and Austria" has already been renewed once. Judging from the current situation, it is difficult to form a third alliance.

But it's hard to say, the international situation is ever-changing, and no one knows what will happen in the future.It is definitely unwise to tear up the covenant rashly, which will make diplomacy narrower and narrower.

Franz nodded: "The covenant still has half a year to expire, if the contract is to be renewed, then the ratio of the navies of the three countries will be revised.

Expanding the navy is a matter of time, but there is no need to be so anxious.Let the Ministry of the Navy make a plan first, and put it in the annual budget for the next year for the time being. "

Military expansion has never been an easy task, especially the expansion of the navy, which requires comprehensive consideration of various factors.

Unless it is the period of the arms race, the expansion of the navy in normal times usually takes several years to discuss.It's not about government efficiency, it's mainly about waiting for the budget.

The government's annual budget is determined in advance, and suddenly it is said that it will expand the military. Where will the money come from?It's not a time of war, so of course we have to follow the rules.

……

If it is known that a temptation will accelerate Austria's military expansion and trigger the subsequent arms race, it is estimated that the London government will not do anything.

Things in the future haven't happened yet, and Prime Minister Benjamin doesn't need to worry about it for the time being, but the current Prussian-Russian War worries him.

"How can the Pubo Federation win this war" is a big problem.Land warfare is different from naval warfare, and the London government can't intervene even if it wants to help.

The size of the British Army is not as large as the one-month casualties in the Prussian-Russian War.

It is absolutely impossible to send troops. The London government once again discovered that it is too difficult to interfere in the European continent without thugs.

Foreign Secretary Edward: "Your Excellency, the Pubo Federation is not short of supplies or troops, and the situation is far from as bad as we imagined.

At least within a year, the Pubo Federation will not be defeated.Winter is coming soon, and the following battles will inevitably slow down.

This is an opportunity, and it is imperative to plan a second anti-Russian alliance.Austria is supporting the Russians, and it is difficult to win this war with the strength of the Pubo Federation alone. "

Benjamin asked puzzledly: "Isn't the Ministry of Foreign Affairs already doing it?"

Edward explained: "The French are doing things in Annan, and the southern border of the Far Eastern Empire is unstable, so they are powerless to contain the Russians.

Although the Ottoman Empire intends to avenge the Russians, they are only afraid of Austria's reaction and need our security protection, which also requires France's participation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs only talked about the three Central Asian countries, but their strength is limited. Seeing that the Pubo Federation is at a disadvantage on the battlefield, they dare not make such an early bet.

We have tested the Paris government, and it is very difficult to convince them. The best way now is to find an ally for the Popo Federation in Europe. "

Prime Minister Benjamin asked with some surprise: "You mean the Federal Empire of Germany?"

Immediately afterwards, he denied: "No. The strength of the Germans is indeed good, but there are too many internal states, and Hanover can only barely control the situation.

If they were allowed to go to war with the Russians for the Pubo Federation, wouldn't the small states in the country be in trouble?

You should know what role Austria plays in this.Don't be too busy to help when the time comes, and the German Federation will mess up first, and that will be troublesome. "

The German Federal Empire is an important pawn of Britain on the European continent. Its main role is to prevent Austria from unifying the German region. For this reason, the London government also promoted the Rhineland transaction, which cannot be abolished casually.

Edward smiled and said, "Of course it won't work to directly let the Germans join the war, but what about the Pubo Federation joining the German Federal Empire?"

If this news gets out, there will be a major earthquake in the entire European continent, which is simply subverting the current international order.

The merger of the German Federal Empire and the Pubo Federation is not as simple as 1+1=2. The two complement each other and make up for their last shortcomings. This means that after Britain, France and Austria, another top power has risen.

Although this nascent empire is slightly inferior to the three major powers, and its overall national strength exceeds that of the Russian Empire, winning this war is naturally not a problem.

The key is that the European structure will undergo earth-shaking changes after the war. Austria's German unification strategy will be shattered, and the French eastward strategy will also go bankrupt.

Prime Minister Benjamin shook his head: "This is impossible, the Austrians will not agree. The Vienna government will definitely send troops to intervene, unless you can get the French to contain them.

For the French, this is also detrimental to others.At that point, the Paris government will most likely choose to join forces with Austria to carve up Central Europe. "

In the face of interests, competitors and allies can also be transformed into each other.France and Austria also have criminal records, and no one can guarantee that they will not cooperate for the second time.

Edward said in a firm tone: "It depends on human effort, the strength of France and Austria has grown too fast, and if this continues, one of them will have the ability to threaten us.

If France and Austria join forces to carve up the Central European region, the outbreak of the France-Austria war will not be far away. German nationalists will not let the French rule the German region.

If the operation is good, both France and Austria will be seriously injured, and the situation in Europe will be brought back on track again. "

This is a conspiracy and an overt conspiracy.Nationalism is a double-edged sword, which can kill the enemy and hurt oneself.

Benjamin asked again: "After the Pudd merger, how to solve the master-slave problem?"

This is the most realistic question.The Pubo Federation is stronger, and it is definitely not willing to be a vassal; the same is true for the German Federal Empire. How can the emperor retreat when he has it?

Edward: "Of course there is no master and slave, and the emperor election system of the Holy Roman Empire will continue. Considering the current special situation, it is necessary for the Popo Federation to make concessions, for example: abandoning the emperor election.

We don't need a strong empire in Central Europe. The merged German Federal Empire should preferably be a loose alliance with certain strength.

The central government is weak, the states are bigger, and their strengths are not weak but they cannot be integrated. Such a political system is more conducive to European stability.

Only such a country can be accepted by France and Austria.Don't worry that the Berlin government will refuse, they have no choice at all. "

……

264章 巴蛇

The shocking idea of ​​the British directly shocked the Berlin government.

The annexation of the German Confederation is their dream, but the reality does not allow it. In order to avoid being mixed and beaten, the Berlin government has suppressed this year from the heart.

Unexpectedly, the British actually proposed it, but this time it was not the Pubo Federation annexing the German Federal Empire, but the German Federation annexing the Pubo Federation.

The order is changed, and the nature is different.The Russo-Prussian War is still going on, and the Berlin government has no confidence to negotiate terms and has to give up its dominance.

King William I had a headache. Compromise is not as simple as it sounds. Europe is a legal place.

Although the German Federal Empire is jokingly called the "comedy empire" by the people, it is also an empire recognized by everyone, and the Pubo Federation is now joined as an ordinary state.

Moreover, under this background, who knows if the other party will take advantage of the fire, for example: request to split the Pubo Federation and join it in the name of the two states of Prussia and Poland.

Or further separate the two duchies of Schleswig-Holstein and weaken the strength of the Kingdom of Prussia.

……

Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Friedman advised: "Your Majesty, the situation on the battlefield presently puts us at an extreme disadvantage.

The Belarusian region was lost, most of the Lithuanian region fell, the previously captured Warren region no longer existed, and the enemy was less than 150 kilometers away from Warsaw.

Our soldiers are brave, our officers are good, but these are not enough to make up for the gap in strength.

There is a huge gap in strength between Prussia and Russia, and it is difficult to win the war with our strength alone.

The experience of the last Russo-Prussian War tells us that to deal with the Russian Empire, we must have enough allies, attack from different fronts, disperse their forces, and increase the difficulty of their logistical supplies.

Unfavorable performance on the battlefield has made our former allies daunted.Now it is necessary to bring in a strong ally to increase everyone's confidence, and the German Federal Empire is undoubtedly the best choice. "

The Secretary of War Filippo asked: "Jeffrey, are you trying to betray the country?"

"Join the Federal Empire of Germany, do you know what it means?"

With an extra boss on his head, life can't be so carefree.Regardless of the fact that many states within the German Federation do not buy the account of the central government, in fact the central government still has a lot of power.

For example: issuing currency.

No matter how loose a country is, it is impossible to allow multiple currencies to appear. The central government is holding the banner of "for economic development", and it is difficult for the following states to refuse.

Of course, there is no way.As long as you learn from those small states and simply use international currencies such as Aegis and the British pound, the central government can't do anything about them.

It doesn't matter to these small national studies, their own market capacity is limited, they do not have the ability to print banknotes, and the losses caused by using foreign currencies are also limited.

For the convenience of trade, using international currency, when engaging in overseas trade, it is directly used for settlement, and an exchange fee is saved.

It is different in the Pubo Federation. No matter what currency is used, a large amount of seigniorage must be paid to others, which will greatly affect the government's fiscal revenue.

Economic losses are second, and politically, people have to criticize them.The central government does not interfere in the internal affairs of the state. This statement was first proposed by Franz, and it was only effective a few years ago, and it has not been interfered in the future.

It is nothing more than the fact that the Vienna government has done very covertly, reaching in by enacting laws and promoting the independence of the judiciary.

Nominally, the central government has no right to interfere with the operation of the state government, but the judiciary has the right to arrest corrupt officials within the state.

If this kind of influence is not big enough, then does the tax paid by the state and the finance allocated by the central government count?

The pit was dug in advance, and no one knew in advance that there would be surplus funds while maintaining the central government's expenses based on tariffs, seigniorage, colonial revenue, and tobacco and alcohol taxes.

This is an inevitable result. The central government does not bear the administrative expenses of the local governments, and does not need to invest in infrastructure for the state. Apart from military expenditures, the fiscal revenue supports the emperor and thousands of bureaucrats in the central government.

Except for a part of the remaining funds being invested in scientific research, the distribution of the remaining funds is an opportunity to intervene in the internal affairs of the state.

If you have money in your pocket, you can speak hard.In the beginning, these incomes were limited, not enough for the central government's expenses, and the states needed to share the expenses, so naturally they didn't dare to offend the uncle below.

Now that the central government's pockets are full, if Bangguo wants to apply for central financial appropriations, he has to consider the opinions of the central government.

Similar things can happen in the German Federal Empire.

Although they only get seigniorage, they also spend less.Because in the beginning, the rights of the central government were restricted, and the armies were supported by the states themselves. They only needed to support a bunch of civil servants and emperors.

Jeffrey replied unhurriedly: "Of course I know what this means, but do we have a choice?

What are you afraid of?

As long as we win this war, with our strength, is it possible that Hannover can do nothing to us?

Don't forget that the system of the German Federal Empire follows the Holy Roman Empire and implements the emperor election system. If we win enough allies, we can also change the central government.

No matter how many restrictions they have set now, we can find ways to bypass them in the future.Treaties can be torn up and laws can be changed.

At that time, this is all the internal affairs of the empire. As long as there is a reasonable reason, even the British will not be able to say anything!

As long as they want us to contain France and Austria, the London government will not do anything to us!The most urgent task now is to think about how to bring the German Federation over. "

Theoretically speaking, as long as the Pubo Federation joins the German Federal Empire, usurping Hanover's central government status is not a problem.

The Berlin government can think of it, and Hannover can naturally think of it.

Snake Tunxiang, that is the legendary "Ba Snake", not all snakes have such a good appetite.

Hannover can't even deal with a group of small states within the German Federation, so it's not an ambitious master in any way.Even if the Pubo Federation delivered it to their door, they probably wouldn't dare to accept it.

Filippo was very hurt. His objection was mainly due to the issue of dominance. However, the reality is cruel. It is not a question of whether the Pubo Federation is willing or not, but whether people are willing to accept them.

This is not the first time to worry about this issue. Many years ago, some politicians put forward the idea of ​​"Prussian-Austrian merger to jointly dominate Central Europe". Unfortunately, Austria is unwilling to share the fruits with them.

There is no way, the contribution and the return are not equal, and Franz naturally cannot agree.

Even if the Berlin government lowered the conditions at that time, the result was the same. The dual empire is not fun, and Franz is unwilling to challenge the hell dungeon.

Joining the German Federal Empire this time, the bottom line of the Berlin government is undoubtedly lower. As long as they win the war, it will be a big deal to regret it in the future. Anyway, Hannover has no strength to force them to perform the contract.

After a moment of silence, William I slowly said: "This time the British led the way, presumably the London government has a way to make Hanover compromise.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the British first. As long as it can bring the German Federal Empire into the water, it can agree to any conditions first. Whether it should be fulfilled will wait until the war is won. "

Nothing wrong, the Berlin government is qualified to consider these issues only if it wins the war; if it loses the war, the Pubo Federation is doomed.

Even if the three countries of Britain, France and Austria make a move and the Kingdom of Prussia can be preserved, it will be a shrunken version, and it has nothing to do with them.