Holy Roman Empire

From the moment the city was broken, everyone acquiesced that Warsaw changed hands.

The fall of the Warsaw area also means the fall of the Kingdom of Poland. The main force of the Prussian army has withdrawn. The military impact is still within the controllable range, but the political impact will be great.

This means that the once-prominent Prussia Federation fell apart, and the only remaining Prussian kingdom could not support its status as a great power, and the Russians would not give them a chance.

Under the general trend, Moltke's performance in the Poznan area was inconspicuous. Even if the Russian Ninth Army was severely damaged, it did not change the decadence on the battlefield at all.

……

St. Petersburg, Alexander II is holding a celebration banquet in the Winter Palace.

The war has progressed to the present, and both Prussia and Russia are tired. The only difference is: the Prussian Federation is dying, while the Russian Empire is just exhausted and can hold on for a while.

Unlike the last time he returned to St. Petersburg, this time Ivanov received the most ceremonious welcome from the tsarist government, as if overnight his popularity improved and he became popular.

Not in the mood to care about these trivial matters, Ivanov stepped into the palace again and reported the next battle plan to Alexander II after resting at home overnight.

……

Alexander II asked suspiciously: "Marshal, are you sure you are not mistaken, do not take advantage of the victory to pursue at this time, and want to rest the troops?"

Ivanov replied affirmatively: "Your Majesty, until now, our soldiers have been fighting at high intensity and are very tired.

Especially the main force, many of them have been severely downsized, and they must rest and reorganize if they want to restore their combat effectiveness.Now that the enemy has suffered heavy losses, it is the best time for us to rest our troops. "

Alexander II questioned: "But if we stop at this time, it will give the enemy a breathing space and increase the difficulty of the next war."

Ivanov explained: "This does not affect the victory of the war. The Pubo Federation is not our opponent, and the remaining Kingdom of Prussia is even less our opponent.

Up to the present, the casualties of the Pubo Federation have exceeded 300 million, and the number of casualties alone is as high as 100 million, half of which are soldiers from the Kingdom of Prussia.

No matter what the Berlin government thinks, they can't fight anymore.The quality of soldiers mobilized by the enemy has dropped significantly.Even if the strength of the troops is restored, the combat effectiveness will drop a lot.

Now we don't need to continue to take risks. Let the troops rest for a month, and gather millions of troops to press the enemy together. The chances of winning are much higher than now. "

The weight of what different people say is different. After regaining Lithuania and Poland, the image of Ivanov as a "famous general" has taken root in everyone's minds.

The only regret is that Ivanov used a lot of troops. Behind the victory, there is always a lot of material consumption and casualties.

But this is all harmless. With the lessons learned from the last Russian-Prussian War, Alexander II became much more patient, and a steady general like Ivanov was his favorite.

After hesitating for a while, Alexander II made a decision: "Well, let the troops rest for a month.

But my marshal, I still want to end the war as soon as possible.The longer the delay, the more prone to accidents.

We have just rejected the mediation of the British, and I am afraid they will not let it go. If the big powers put pressure on us together, the government will not last long.

Besides, the government's finances are also very bad, and if it takes too long, we may go bankrupt. "

Not likely to go bankrupt, but destined to go bankrupt.The Berlin government is also poor, and it is impossible to get war reparations from them.

For this war, the tsarist government has owed huge debts, and the interest alone is an astronomical sum.The newly recovered Poland and Lithuania will spend huge sums of money to rebuild after the war.

From the very beginning, Alexander II was mentally prepared for financial bankruptcy.The first time was raw and the second time was familiar, he had already experienced it once, and he didn't care about doing it again.

It is a pity that this time is different. Most of the foreign debts are mortgaged, and there is no way to directly default on them.Unless absolutely necessary, the tsarist government will not let the financial bankruptcy.

Ivanov nodded awkwardly, he really didn't know how to answer this question.Guaranteed to end the war early, sorry this is impossible.

War is not a child's play, how can it be over if he says it ends early.This kind of thing cannot be promised indiscriminately. If the judgment of the government is affected, the consequences will be disastrous.

For details, you can refer to "Yuandudu", who fooled the emperor with the mythical strategy of "Ping Liao in five years", which not only killed himself, but also took advantage of the national fortune of the Ming Dynasty.

Not to mention financial problems, things that the government can't even handle, he, a soldier, is even more confused.Ivanov, who is self-aware, selectively ignores Alexander II's expectant eyes.

Chapter 2 Eighty Best Allies

After the news of the end of the Battle of Warsaw spread, the whole of Europe was boiling.Newspapers vacated their pages one after another to carry the news.

You must know that the Prussian army achieved the "Warsaw Great Victory" not long ago. The uninformed people always thought that the Prussian army had the upper hand in the Warsaw area. Such an amazing turning point is really unacceptable.

Especially for the speculators who bought the Pubo Federal War bonds, it was even more difficult to accept this cruel reality.

Protesters and marchers have already appeared on the streets of London. The stock exchange was surrounded by angry people with three floors inside and three floors outside. I don't know how many floors there are in the middle.

"Being cheated" naturally needs to seek justice.Only a small part of these people bought from the beginning, and most of them were high-level receivers who were tricked into boarding the ship later.

After the Prussian Army won the "Warsaw Victory", the British media were optimistic about the Prussian Federation's victory in the war, and the war bonds issued by the Berlin government rose sharply.

Facts have proved that the capitalists are not easy to take advantage of. If the Pubo Federation is about to win the war, how can they leave?

Except for a few front-line staff members of the "Kalmaca Securities Company" responsible for issuing Pubo Federal bonds, the company's executives have long gone to nowhere.

"Smash it!"

Who knows who yelled, and the speculators, dazzled by anger, broke through the interception of the security personnel and began to vent their hearts out. The remaining few unlucky staff members became scapegoats and were ravaged by everyone.

Fortunately, the stock exchange is a key defense area of ​​the London police. The atrocities that occurred at the Karmaca Securities Company were quickly stopped by the police who came to inquire.

This is just a microcosm. In the context of the departure of capital predators, not only the securities market has been hit hard, but the stock market is also doomed.

Undoubtedly, the banks that undertook Pubo federal loans became the hardest hit areas of this turmoil, and their stock prices plummeted all the way.

Before the Pubo Federation was defeated, London was already in chaos.The British government these days is still very capable of execution. Prime Minister Benjamin immediately held a press conference to reassure people.

The general meaning is: Don’t worry if the creditors are still there, the London government will find a way to keep the Berlin government, and the bonds in everyone’s hands will not become waste paper.

If you want to interpret it in depth, it can also be understood as: the creditor is still there, but he is very poor now, and he will know when he can pay back the money.

As for the war bonds, it is definitely impossible to pay them immediately. The shortest time is three to five years later, and it is normal after ten or twenty years.

By then, the British government will have changed its term, and it will be a matter for the subsequent government to worry about. Prime Minister Benjamin doesn't mind writing a blank check first.

However, the British Foreign Office has accelerated the pace of action, constantly lobbying European countries to intervene in the Prussian-Prussian War. So far, three countries: Portugal, the Netherlands, and Belgium have echoed the London government's proposal for an armistice.

……

Not long ago, the Austrian government also received an invitation from the Berlin government to mediate. Franz has been hesitating. With the end of the Battle of Warsaw, things can no longer be delayed.

"We can't wait any longer. The Russo-Prussian War is about to end. We must take action, or the situation will get out of control." Foreign Minister Weisenberg suggested

It is indeed going out of control. If the Tsarist government swallows the Kingdom of Prussia, it will be difficult for them to spit it out.

Based on the current international situation, the tsarist government is likely to take advantage of Austrian nationalism, use the territory of the Kingdom of Prussia to cover debts, and set the Vienna government on fire.

What's even more tragic is that the Russians did this. The Vienna government not only has to swallow the bitter fruit itself, but also has to thank them, at least on the surface.

What does the Kingdom of Prussia have now?

The answer is - debt!

Now that Austria accepts the Kingdom of Prussia, not only the money lent to the Russians cannot be recovered, but it may even have to pay the Tsarist government a sum of money.

Not only that, the Berlin government owed a huge debt, and it must be unable to repay it after the war. Now that it has taken over the Kingdom of Prussia, it also means taking over a huge debt.

In addition to debts, post-war economic reconstruction also required a large sum of money. There is no doubt that the Berlin government cannot afford it, and the central government must cover the bottom line.

This is only economic, political troubles are more.If the diplomatic work is not done well, it will fall into the target of public criticism.

Knowing that it is a mess, and Austria is not being taken advantage of, it is naturally impossible to run to take over at this time.

Intervention has become the best choice. As long as the Russians are not allowed to occupy the Kingdom of Prussia, these latter troubles will naturally disappear.

No matter how many debts there are and no matter how difficult the difficulties are, the Berlin government is responsible for them. If they really can’t pay the money, they can renege on their debts. Anyway, there is no unification, and it will not affect Austria’s reputation.

"It's still too early. The Pubo Federation's strength still exists, and it must be consumed by Russian manpower, otherwise it will be a big trouble in the future." Prime Minister Felix objected

As the leader of Greater Germanism, Prime Minister Felix has always put the unification of the German region first. The Kingdom of Prussia has a strong military strength, which is obviously not conducive to national unity.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg reminded: "Prime Minister, our first national policy is the localization of Africa, and the unification of the German region can only be ranked second.

So far, most of our African strategy has been completed. Except for Egypt occupied by France, there is only a half-dead Ottoman Empire.

The top priority is to stabilize the European continent as soon as possible, establish a new international order, and look for opportunities to solve the Ottoman Empire first. "

There are actually many national policies in Austria, but they have changed over time, and now there are only two left.

For example, the original Near East strategy, with the decline of the Ottoman Empire, directly became part of the African strategy.

This is also forced out. After the localization of Africa, the connection with the local area has become the top priority.It is indeed very convenient to travel by sea, but it is a pity that security is not guaranteed in the war years.

The advantage of the Royal Navy is too great, and the Austrian Navy is simply incomparable.Not to mention chasing the British in a short time, even the French navy overwhelmed the Austrian navy.

Since it doesn't work at sea, we can only find a way on land.Most of the Middle East has fallen into the hands of Austria. The Vienna government wants to connect the mainland with Africa. The only obstacles in the center are French Egypt and the Ottoman Empire.

The food needs to be eaten bite by bite. The French are not weak. The Vienna government has no intention of attacking Egypt for the time being, but the weak chicken of the Ottoman Empire is a tragedy.

Prime Minister Felix nodded, then shook his head again: "It is true that our core strategy is African local integration, but this does not contradict the German reunification plan.

We have a lot of opportunities to solve the Ottoman Empire. After the Russo-Prussian War, the Tsarist government will be peaceful for a long time, and has no energy to compete with us in the Near East.

It can be said that in the next ten years, we will take the lead in dealing with the Ottoman Empire, and the Russians will not prevent us from extending the railway to the Suez Canal.

On the contrary, the Kingdom of Prussia is even more troublesome. We can't do it ourselves. If we don't solve them now, it will be difficult to find opportunities in the future. "

It's not easy to be the boss, especially a boss who cares about his own image.Even if the German region is divided, everyone still recognizes Austria's leadership. The core reason is that the Vienna government has managed its own image for decades.

Naturally, the good reputation that was created with great difficulty cannot be destroyed in the civil war.Especially for the emperor Franz, he would rather prevent the unification of the German region than smash his own signboard.

Otherwise, it will be embarrassing to find that the country has finally been unified, and its own throne is gone.

There are many similar cases. Franz doesn't think that his descendants are all powerful masters who can live in the town.

If you don't want to cause hatred, then the best way is to reduce the bloodshed in the process of German unification. Even if you really want to bleed, you must first find a scapegoat.

In this respect, the Russians were really good allies of Austria.The Ottoman Empire, the old enemy in the south, was brought down by Russia and Austria, and the ambitious Kingdom of Prussia in the north was being taken care of by the Tsarist government.

Every time there was a conflict of interest between Russia and Austria, Franz's mentality suddenly became peaceful just thinking about the contribution of the tsarist government.

It doesn't matter if it's money or not, it's mainly for the friendship between Russia and Austria.Don't you see that the last time the tsarist government announced a debt default, the Austrian government didn't even get mad.

Franz interrupted the quarrel between the two: "The mediation of the Russo-Prussian war can be slowed down first, and send someone to test the bottom line of the tsarist government.

If they intend to pay off the Kingdom of Prussia and set us on fire, they will immediately cooperate with the British and intervene in this war.

Other than that, everything else is negotiable.A weak, even divided Prussia is the best Prussia.

As long as it is not too much, we can acquiesce to the tsarist government's annexation of part of the land of the Kingdom of Prussia. As long as it does not involve the German region, everything else is negotiable. "

Thugs have to pay appearance fees, let alone Russians?They have worked so hard to fight all the way, paid the casualties of millions of soldiers, and piled up a lot of debts, so there must be some rewards.

In Franz's view, the Kingdom of Prussia has been going so smoothly in recent decades that it has become obsessed with it. It actually wants to form its own system and compete against Austria. This situation must be combated.

If you don't kill others to make an example, what if the German states follow suit?

For example: The Kingdom of Hanover, which is eager to try, is still not satisfied with the current German Federal Empire. Relying on the support of the British, it is secretly working on the so-called North-South German plan.

The Vienna government did not seek their misfortune. It was because Hannover was still in the stage of imagination, and had made a lot of plans, but did not take any substantial actions.

……

Chapter 281 Every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite

The British, it turns out, overestimated their influence.Against the background of Austria's silence and France's passive sabotage, the willingness of European countries to intervene in the Prussian War was not as strong as they expected.

In diplomacy, everyone held high the banner of "peace" and actively called for a truce between Prussia and Russia. When it came time to intervene by force, everyone was offline.

"Sending troops" does not exist, even if the British just ask everyone to make a gesture to intimidate the Russians, no one is willing to buy it.

In essence, everyone wants to restrict the Russians because they are worried about threatening their own national defense security.

The situation is different now. With the revival of Austria, it is impossible for the Russians to go west.

Without enough interests, everyone's enthusiasm for participation is naturally low.The face of the British is only enough for everyone to shout a few times diplomatically, which can be regarded as putting pressure on the tsarist government.

The London government is actively interfering because they have invested too much resources in the Pubo Federation, and the interests involved are too great, and the London government is reluctant to let go.

In a sense, this is also the result of Britain's declining influence in Europe.The existence of France and Austria has weakened the hegemony of the British.

Without the cooperation of France and Austria, the British alone could not make the Tsarist government compromise.International mediation has become a real "mediation", without the ability to control the Prussian-Russian War.

The international intervention promised by the British has not yet arrived, and the Berlin government, which wants to retreat unscathed, is in a hurry.

The Polish region has been lost, the Poznan region has been reduced to a battlefield, and the East Prussian region does not seem to last long.

The once powerful Pubo Federation now has less than 30% of its territory and less than 40% of its population, and the morale of the people in the country has also dropped to freezing point.

Recently, vicious incidents such as strikes, market strikes, and tax resistance have continued to appear in the Kingdom of Prussia.

For this war, the Prussian people have paid too much, and the heavy burden weighed them down.

Berlin was already under martial law. If the war continued, William I worried that he would be guillotined one day.

This is the drawback of "Islamism". The proportion of military expenditure is too high, which seriously affects people's livelihood.