Holy Roman Empire

……

Chapter 284 Contradictions

Compared with Austria's calm response, the Berlin government got angry.

The sign of the Pubo Federation is still there, and the refugees are all citizens of the Pubo Federation. It is obviously unreasonable to intercept their own nationals from entering the country.

However, there are also problems in not intercepting them. Millions of refugees are pouring in, and there will definitely be no jobs. Even if the Berlin government does its best, it will not be able to accommodate them.

There is no need to worry about job placement, and housing issues are also easy to deal with. Just set up a shed and be a family. They are all refugees and have no right to be picky, but they have to take care of food, right?

Stomachs can’t fool people, there are millions of mouths waiting to be fed. As long as they are put in, the Berlin government must find a way to feed them.

There is no doubt that this is a bottomless pit.Perhaps without the Russians attacking, the refugees would be able to overwhelm the Kingdom of Prussia.

Since the beginning of the Second Russo-Prussian War, William I's physical fitness has declined rapidly, and the bad news on the battlefield has made the octogenarian king almost out of breath.

Time has not spared anyone, and time has diluted William I's ambitions, and now he only wants to land safely.However, this is already a luxury.

The unique system of the Kingdom of Prussia determines that once this chariot is turned on, it cannot be stopped.Anyone who tried to stop the chariot from advancing would be crushed to pieces.

This chariot without brakes can only stop when the horse is tired from running.As a coachman, William I could only adjust the direction of the carriage and choose as wide a road as possible.

William I dragged his old body and asked with concern: "What is the position of all European countries?"

There is no doubt that the millions of refugees have exceeded the limit that the Kingdom of Prussia can bear. The Berlin government cannot solve the refugee crisis and has to turn to the international community for help.

Foreign Secretary Jeffrey Friedman replied with a gloomy face: "The situation is very bad. All European countries have condemned the Russian atrocities, but few are willing to take actual action.

At present, it is mainly the countries in the German region that provide us with substantial assistance.

Austria promised to provide us with materials worth 500 million marks and 2 tons of food for disaster relief within one month, and the other German states together have about 3000 million marks in material assistance.

Our previous negotiations with Britain and Germany have also changed. The position of the London government has changed again. Now their attitude is more inclined to Hannover.

If we want to get more support from them, we must establish North Germany together with Hannover, and sell part of the territory to Hannover in exchange for funds to repay debts. "

William I had no time to feel that his own people were still reliable in times of crisis, and he was stunned by the following conditions, which clearly determined them.

It is okay to establish North Germany. Although it is difficult to accept it in my heart to be dominated by Hanover, the Kingdom of Prussia is now in decline, and the subsequent sale of the territory will be fatal.

The huge debt owed by the Popo Federation will fall on the Berlin government in the future.To alleviate the debt crisis, the territory that needs to be sold is certainly not a star and a half.

In order to gain dominance in North Germany, Hanover will also try to weaken the Kingdom of Prussia as much as possible, and being slaughtered is an inevitable result.

Frankly speaking, William I really doesn't mind a compromise with Hanover if he can get through the current hurdle safely after paying these prices.

The problem is that he is not the only one who has the final say on Prussia. The conditions proposed by Hanover have already broken through the bottom line of the Junker nobles, and it is impossible for them to accept them.

This aspect is somewhat similar to the Donglin Party in the late Ming Dynasty.Knowing that the Ming Dynasty would be doomed if they did not pay taxes, after the reshuffle, they, as vested interests, would also be unlucky, but they were unwilling to give in half a step.

After Daming was finished, they found that the new master was not easy to serve, and it was too late to regret it.Under the butcher's knife, these people quickly chose to compromise.

The current Junker nobles are similar. It is okay to cease the war, but the premise is that their interests must be protected first.

However, reality cannot do it.No matter which one it is, it is impossible to pay such a sky-high price.

Things got stuck here, and the Berlin government didn't dare to take action if they wanted to deal with the aftermath.Because the person who wakes everyone up first usually does not have any good results.

William I asked: "What do you think?"

The room fell silent, and no one answered the topic. It wasn't that everyone didn't know how to answer it, but they didn't dare to answer it at all.

Politics is cruel. Many times, if you say a wrong sentence, you will pay a heavy price. Especially at this sensitive moment, you may become a "national thief" who will be punished.

Seeing that no one answered, King William I sighed: "Today's talk will be kept strictly confidential, only a few of us know, you don't have to admit that you have said it when you get out of here, and feel free to speak up if you have any ideas!"

There is no way, this is the tragedy of the "theocracy" system.Especially after the first Russo-Prussian War, the power of the Junkers grew further, and the Berlin government had to be influenced by it.

It is worth mentioning that these cabinet members, without exception, all have Juncker aristocratic backgrounds. In theory, they are all spokespersons for the interests of this group.

However, thanks to William I's scheming and their respective interests, the large group of Junker nobles also split.

Now, except for the radicals in the army who are still thinking about turning defeat into victory, everyone else knows that the Pubo Federation is finished, and the Kingdom of Prussia will also be finished if it does not save itself.

When a catastrophe is imminent, they fly separately. At this time, the first thing officials in politics must protect is their own interests.Of course, there are patriotic morals, but for most politicians, they come after personal interests.

Seen by King William I, Prime Minister Melanie Griffiths replied anxiously: "Your Majesty, at this point, no matter how excessive the conditions are, we have to talk.

It is not surprising that the British fell to Hannover. Since they want to support the chess pieces, of course they must choose those that are easy to control.The control of North Germany by Hanover is more inseparable from them than we are.

In addition, debt is also an important factor.After the war, our financial income will definitely drop significantly, and our financial income in the next five years may not necessarily have high interest rates.

If the British want to recover their debts, the prerequisite is that we have money in our pockets first, so it is not surprising that we are forced to sell the land.

However, we owe too much debt. If we are slaughtered by the Russians and sell all the remaining territories, we may not be able to pay off their debts.

If the British want us to continue to repay our debts, they must leave us enough capital.

Moreover, Hannover's size is limited, and they can't eat much. Judging from this aspect, the price we need to pay should not be too great.

If the conditions with them are too much, we can also consider contacting the Austrians.Although the Vienna government may not welcome it now, but we have delivered it to their door, and they must not be able to refuse. "

Melanie Griffiths, the prime minister, is the result of a compromise between all parties. In normal times, he is just an eraser, without much sense of presence.But being able to become the Prime Minister is not as simple as it seems on the surface.

This answer made William I's eyes shine. It's not that he couldn't think of these questions, but mainly because he was too old and didn't have so much energy to think deeply.

That's right, the Berlin government still has a choice. Although neither path is easy to follow, it is better to have a choice than to have no choice.One more choice means more bargaining capital.

Foreign Secretary Jeffrey Friedman shook his head: "Austria doesn't have to think about it. At most, it can make a gesture of contact and ask Hannover for advice and bargaining. The military is unlikely to agree."

Joining the Shenluo Empire led by Austria, the biggest loss is not the government but the military. The Vienna government generally does not intervene in the local area, but the army must be in its hands.

Looking at several other states, we know that after the central government took over the state's military and was responsible for military expenditures, the armed forces of each state's government were left with the police and militia.

Of course, the fact that the state government has no soldiers does not mean that the king has no soldiers.In addition to the directly subordinate palace guards, the troops stationed on the ground are also under the command of the king of the state.

This is also the reason why the Vienna government was able to easily obtain the command of the army. It just deprived the state government of the command of the army, and the king's rights were not lost.

From the standpoint of the king, this is actually a strengthening of the kingship.If you have soldiers in your hands, you can speak hard, and the military expenses are still allocated by the central government, so it is difficult for the governments of the states to influence them financially.

It's just that it's difficult but not impossible. If the state government is willing to spend money, it can still maintain a certain influence.

It's just that no state government is willing to do this. No matter how the military expansion command is in the hands of the king and emperor, they simply can't intervene.

They are not prepared to rebel, so why maintain influence over the military?

Essentially speaking, the political structure of the New Shinra Empire was created by the emperor and the kings of various states, and the core is to maintain their own power.

William I didn't mind, but the Prussian military didn't!In other countries, the government suffered losses and lost control of the army; Prussia was the complete opposite, and they lost control of the government through the army.

If there is a merger, the first thing the Berlin government will do is probably to stop military funding and carry out large-scale disarmament.

If conditions permit, politicians can apply to the central government to disband the army.

There is a precedent for this, the Principality of Liechtenstein disbanded its army after joining the Shinra.Don't ask why, people just don't want it.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Gorman said with a smile: "It is not entirely impossible. If the military is defeated and suffered heavy losses on the battlefield, they will have no capital to oppose.

Judging from the current situation, the probability of this happening is very high.The only trouble is that with the heavy losses of the army, we lose the capital to negotiate with the Russians. "

Politics is cruel, and class interests are not equal to personal interests. After the defeat, the Junker nobles suffered heavy losses, but it was an opportunity for politicians to seize power.

If it weren't for worrying about losing the capital to negotiate with the Russians after the defeat, everyone present really didn't care about the heavy losses of the military.

William I was also very conflicted in his heart. On the one hand, he hoped that the army could win a few battles and obtain the capital to negotiate with the Russians so that the war could end with dignity.

On the other hand, he wants to use the war to attack the military's power and let the government take the lead, so as to end the war as soon as possible, overcome the current crisis, and keep his throne.

After hesitating for a moment, King William I made a decision: "The two families will contact each other first, and finally make a decision based on the situation on the battlefield.

The general trend in Austria has already been established, and the Vienna government does not want to get involved in this muddy water now, so it is unlikely that there will be any results.When we get to that point, it's the same if we just rely on it.

The focus now is still to talk to Hannover, we must find out how much the British support them, this is related to our future status in Germany. "

This answer is not unexpected, the Prussian military is too strong, even the king has no ability to fight against them.

Unless the Prussian army suffered a crushing defeat on the battlefield and the Russians directly occupied Berlin, the government would have to consider the interests of the military when making decisions.

Chapter 285 How Difficult Life Is

When the Berlin government was worrying about the refugee issue, the people below had already made choices for them.

The reason was that there were too many refugees pouring in, the local government did not provide timely relief, and the hungry refugees ransacked a noble manor in Skwirzyna, accidentally killing the old count who was inspecting the manor.

There have been many looting of places, but this is the first time to kill a nobleman.Perhaps they realized that things were getting worse, and in order to survive, these people decisively chose to kill people to silence them.

The refugees themselves are a mob assembled impromptu. It's easy to kill people to cover up the truth, but how could it be possible not to leave any clues?

Needless to say later, the news caused a shock immediately after the leak, and the nobles naturally wanted to retaliate.

A large number of refugees flooded in, and it was not only the local nobles who lost their interests. The losses of the local people were even greater.

Chaos broke out, and once the butcher's knife was raised, it could never be lowered.In order to restore order, the Berlin government immediately ordered the garrison to intervene.

In fact, at this time, the Berlin government has been unable to control the situation.The local troops must be more inclined to the locals, and the bayonets naturally fell on the refugees.

Perhaps many refugees are innocent, but at this time, no one can distinguish, nor do they want to distinguish, and the massacre broke out.

After receiving the news of the massacre, William I's first thought was to stop it immediately, and then gave up.

This is a multiple-choice question with no choice. Either side with the refugees and offend the nobles, capitalists, and ordinary people in Prussia, or side with the Prussian people and pretend nothing happened.

No need to think about it, the Berlin government knows where it should stand.As for the refugees lying in a pool of blood, they saw nothing and knew nothing.

A strange scene appeared, the Russian army was driving the refugees, and the Prussian army was also driving the refugees. The two sides jointly wrote a "March of Killing".

Affected by this, the Polish soldiers in the Prussian army also mutinied.If the Russians were not too cautious and worried about fraud, and did not take the opportunity to send troops, it is estimated that the Berlin government would have nothing to do.

……

The sudden massacre silenced the European world collectively.

Condemn?

The media is already doing it. Newspapers and radio are criticizing the atrocities committed by the Prussian government. Of course, there are many condemning the refugees.

Journalists also have to eat, and their positions are naturally influenced by their donors.

……

Vienna Palace, this amazing news brought Franz, who was thinking about life, back to reality.

How to characterize this matter is another headache.From the standpoint of a bystander, Franz was unable to determine what was right and what was wrong.

Are refugees at fault?The answer is: yes and no!

It's not wrong for them to just survive, but it's a big mistake to hurt others while surviving for themselves.

The tragedy that happened in Skvirzhina was not accidental. On the way of fleeing, more innocent people fell down.

Maybe only a few people do evil, but everyone has no ability to distinguish, and they don't want to distinguish. Others are not obliged to pay for their mistakes.

Human nature cannot stand the test, especially in the face of hunger.

Are the Prussian nobles and people wrong?The answer is still: yes and no!

To protect one's own interests, it is definitely right to suppress rioters; if the problem is deliberately enlarged to the entire refugee group, there will be problems.

But as a bystander, Franz thought he was not qualified to blame them.If the crisis can be resolved in advance, why ask others to solve it after the disaster occurs?

Smart people know that after losing the Polish region, the Berlin government has been unable to relieve so many refugees.

Without relief food, the refugees will be in chaos sooner or later. This cannot be changed by manpower.

If the war cannot end as soon as possible, even if the Prussian nobles and capitalists open warehouses to release grain, it will not help.

For my own benefit and for the country I protect, I chose the simplest and most practical method, which seems to be not wrong.

He can understand everything including the expulsion of refugees by the Russians.Regardless of morality, the tsarist government was unable to relieve the refugees. In order to prevent more people from becoming refugees, the expulsion of refugees was actually a last resort.

Franz is not the Virgin, he knows how to think rationally.Three to four million refugees, even in the 400st century, is a difficult problem to solve, let alone this era.

A simple math question shows that, based on the ration of one catty per person per day, 300 million people will consume 1500 tons of grain every day, and 400 million people will consume 2000 tons of grain.

This is just theoretical data. In fact, this amount of food is definitely not enough. Maybe a catty of high-calorie food can maintain people's survival needs, but the demand for cheap low-calorie food is obviously higher.

People these days are more able to eat. It is easy for a young and healthy person to eat three to five catties of food in one meal. Most people are the big eaters of later generations.

Disaster relief does not need to be full, as long as it does not starve to death.Based on the fact that refugees need 2000 tons of food every day, that is plus the consumption of mid-way transportation, and this figure must be enlarged to at least 2500 tons.

In addition to food, other materials are also indispensable.There are too many refugees, and we must do a good job in epidemic prevention, otherwise the plague will be troublesome.

Preliminary estimates, tents, clothing, medicine, coal, daily necessities... these messy things add up, and there are hundreds of millions of Aegis that cannot be bought.