Holy Roman Empire

The tsarist government had no reason to refuse to limit Austria without being able to make a head start.

Chapter 288 The New Pit

Regardless of what the British thought, the Vienna Peace Conference went ahead as scheduled.Not surprisingly, Britain, France and Austria have all become mediators.

With the arrival of the negotiating delegation, Vienna became more and more lively.The representatives of Prussia and Russia are like hardworking bees, flying around the embassies of various countries, and there are hot news every day, which makes the people who eat melon talk about it.

The British supported the Berlin government, while the French were a little hesitant. They were barely on the side of the Pubo Federation, but their support was limited.

As the host, Austria has not expressed its position, and now it is the main goal of the two sides' competition.Whoever has the support of the Vienna government will be able to gain an advantage in the negotiations.

Putting down the worthless negotiation minutes, Franz asked: "Have the respective bottom lines of Russia and Prussia been roughly figured out?"

I don't know when it started, but everyone learned to open their mouths in diplomatic negotiations. Usually, the conditions put forward for the first time are more than one, without any consideration of feasibility.

For example, now: the Russians demand that the Berlin government cede East and West Prussia, Pomerania, the Poznan region, the two duchies of Schleswig-Holstein, and also ask for a war worth about 9.6 million Aegis indemnity.

Among them, the two principalities of Schleswig-Holstein were returned to the Danes. Although it is not known whether the Russians had an agreement with the Danes, Franz knew that it was "money" that caused the trouble.

The end of the war does not mean that the troubles of the Tsarist government are over. On the contrary, their troubles have just begun, and the Russians will have to start a long career of repaying debts in the years to come.

The war has progressed to the present, and the Russians have owed huge debts.The debt of Austria alone is as high as 6.7 million Aegis.

Now the Russians have to pay the principal and interest of nearly 400 million Aegis in Austria every month. It takes decades of continuous payment to pay off all the debts. The final principal and interest will exceed 14 billion Aegis.

The annual financial revenue of the tsarist government is only about 1 million Aegis, and Austria's debt alone has taken nearly half of it. This is obviously not something that Russia can afford.

As far as Franz knew, apart from Austria, the total external debt of the Tsarist government in other countries was no less than 2 million Aegis, mainly the Nordic Federation and the United States of America.

The Nordic Federation is a loan mortgaged by Finland, and the United States is one of the few diplomatic achievements of the Tsarist government.

There is no way, people are afraid of loneliness, and a country is made up of people, so it naturally inherits this.It is not surprising that two countries that are isolated from the world are united.

During the Civil War, the tsarist government supported the northern government, and now it will naturally be rewarded.It's not that Americans are so loyal, in fact, they are forced to go to the United States.

They were jointly suppressed by the four countries of Britain, France, Occidental, and all European countries kept them at a respectful distance. Except for the equally unpopular Russians, they could not find a better partner.

Although the divided United States is not as rich and powerful as the original time and space, it still sold tens of millions of war bonds for the Russians.

This is only a foreign debt. In addition, the Tsarist government also owed a large amount of domestic debt. Franz has no way of knowing the specific figure, which is an astronomical figure anyway.

After the war, the compensation for casualties of soldiers, the resettlement of officers and soldiers, and the economic reconstruction of war-affected areas are another huge expense.

On this issue, the Tsarist government is not much better than the Berlin government, and they are the kind that go bankrupt every minute.

Today is different from the past. Most of the debts this time are mortgaged by the territory. If you can't pay the money, you will have to cede the land. The strategy of financial bankruptcy is not easy to use.

Leaving aside other regions, the Finnish region must not be abandoned, otherwise the strategic security of St. Petersburg will become a problem.

In terms of economic value, the two duchies of Schleswig-Holstein are worth more than the ice and snow of Finland, and they may be able to exchange for some pocket money by repaying the debts of these two duchies.

By the way, strengthen the strength of the Danes, make the internal relations of the Nordic Federation more complicated, and remove possible threats from the north.

Franz understood the tsarist government's desire to get rid of the financial crisis, but the conditions they proposed were not desirable.

Regardless of whether the German region is divided or not, the problem is that the Berlin government is also a poor ghost. After being slaughtered by them in this way, what will they use to pay the war reparations?

If the conditions of the Russians are acceptable, after all, they are victorious countries, and the lion's mouth is nothing, then Franz glanced at the conditions proposed by the Berlin government and didn't bother to look down.

The first is to order the Russian army to immediately withdraw from the territory of the Pubo Federation. The latter is no longer important, and this one is not negotiable.

Foreign Minister Weissenberg replied: "It can be preliminarily determined that the goal of the Russians is to cede territory and demand war reparations.

In addition to recovering the original territory, they also want to swallow the occupied East and West Prussia and the Poznan area, which is not a big problem.

The key is war reparations. The tsarist government is really out of money and wants to take the opportunity to make up for the financial deficit.

Judging from the current situation, if the Berlin government pays enough compensation, it is estimated that the Russians will be able to accept it without cede territory.

The situation in Prussia is a bit complicated. The Berlin government was unable to pay the war reparations and wanted to keep East and West Prussia, so it only ceded the Poznan area. "

After thinking about it, Franz smiled and said: "The situation is better than we expected. It seems that the tsarist government that lacks money is the best tsarist government, otherwise they could swallow Prussia in one go.

As for what the Berlin government thinks, it doesn't matter at this time.As a defeated nation, they have little choice.It is simply unrealistic for people to spit out the territory that has been eaten by the Russians.

The finances of Prussia and Russia are not good. Every day the war lasts, they will increase their military expenditure by hundreds of thousands of Aegis, which they simply cannot afford.

We don't want to intervene too much for the time being. The negotiation has just begun. It is estimated that the representatives of Prussia and Russia have not entered the state. It is necessary to let them calm down first.

You can meet with the Prussian representatives in private and suggest that they repay the debts of various countries in kind. I believe everyone will not refuse. "

"Repayment in kind" This is the biggest pitfall. Prussia is not rich in resources, and only industrial and commercial products can be sold with "kinds" to pay off debts.

Franz had seen how dangerous this thing was.When World War II broke out in the original time and space, the industries of the Three Reichs of Germany actually exceeded the sum of Britain and France.

We must know that before World War I, the Second German Empire accounted for 14.8% of the world's total industry, while the British Empire accounted for 13.6% of the world's total industry. The two countries are very close, and Britain and France combined far exceed the German Second Empire.

The situation changed during World War II. In the early stage, the three German empires accounted for 13.2% of the world's total industry, while the British fell to 9%, and the French only had a pitiful 4.5%. After the annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia, Germany The Three Reichs surpassed the sum of Britain and France.

(The data is for reference only, and the answers given on different materials are different)

From the perspective of industrial data alone, Britain and France are more like defeated countries.The proportion of Germany's total industrial output declined. Alsace Lorraine, rich in coal and iron, was returned to France, and Silesia, the textile center, was ceded to newly independent Poland.

The main reason for all this to happen is the "kind" compensation.In order to repay the war reparations, Germany has to discount a large amount of industrial and commercial products every year to pay off its debts.

The capitalists discovered that it is actually more profitable to be a second-hand dealer than to produce by themselves.Needless to say, of course, interests come first.

Soon the homeland and colonies of Britain and France were flooded with German manufacturing, and the market that the German army did not get on the battlefield actually got it in the post-war indemnity.

I have to say that the world is really crap sometimes.

Nonsense is nonsense, Franz was looking forward to this scene very much.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Foreign Minister Weisenberg replied

……

Prime Minister Felix: "The British have been very active recently, preaching the benefits of establishing North Germany everywhere, but completely ignoring us, and the resulting impact is very bad.

Especially in the Kingdom of Hanover, many newspapers are advocating North Germanism.They used religious beliefs as an excuse to confuse people in an attempt to split the empire.

......"

What should come will still come. A matter as big as the establishment of the North German Empire cannot be decided by a few high-level people.

If the support of the people cannot be obtained, then the North German Empire is no different from the current "comedy empire". It is a country in name, but in fact no one can control the central government.

If the institutional structure is still as loose as it is now, it would be more appropriate to call it an alliance of states rather than an empire.

This is not what the British wanted, much less what George I wanted.If the centripetal force of the people cannot be increased, the value of this empire can only serve as a buffer zone for a big country.

Franz thought for a while and said, "You can create a little trouble for them, but you have to be careful not to frighten them.

It is best to draw everyone out, just to screen out who is our friend and who is our enemy.

The British want a North German Empire, so give them a North German Empire, but it must be a North German Empire that meets our requirements.

The Kingdom of Prussia is a good pawn, no matter how weakened it is, their strength is above Hannover.

A weak central government and a strong local government have always been the path to disaster.

As long as the post-war decline period is over, the unwilling Junker nobles will encourage the Berlin government to challenge Hannover again, and there will be excitement at that time.

Perhaps there is no need to wait until that time, the Kingdom of Prussia urgently needs money to save lives.I can't believe that these activists wanted to build the North German Empire when they were asked to pay. "

Deep down in his heart, Franz had already made a decision to let the Russians pay a sky-high price to the Kingdom of Prussia.

It doesn’t matter if the Kingdom of Prussia can’t pay it back. At worst, it will be paid back in 100 years, or 200 years if it doesn’t work.

When necessary, the debts of the Berlin government can also be passed on to the Central Government of North Germany.

There is a precedent for this. After the establishment of the Pubo Federation, the Berlin government wanted to completely integrate Pubo and directly unify the military and political affairs of the two sides. The debt of the Polish government fell to the central government.

Theoretically speaking, now that the Kingdom of Poland has fallen, the Berlin government has the opportunity to refuse to fulfill the debts of the previous Kingdom of Poland, which are borne by the Russians who occupied the Kingdom of Poland.

It’s just that this is a world where the weak prey on the strong, and the will of the great powers is international law. The creditors have no ability to force the Russians to pay back the money, so they can only bully the weak Berlin government.

The Berlin government has no confidence to refuse and can only continue to fulfill these debts.Similar things can also be replicated in the North German Empire.

No matter how many promises the British give, a debt transfer, the states that support them will choose to jump ship.

Why worry if you can get your salary out of the pot?Taking advantage of this opportunity to consume John Bull's excess energy, lest they secretly plot is the kingly way.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg said worriedly: "Your Majesty, the situation may not develop according to our will. Judging from the current situation, the Kingdom of Prussia will definitely disarm after the war.

Affected by this war, the Junker nobles suffered great losses. Thousands of noble officers fell on the battlefield, and more than 300 noble families faced the crisis of extinction because of the war.

The younger generation has suffered a lot of losses. After the older generation recedes, the Junker nobles will face a crisis of no successors, and their control over the country will definitely decline significantly.

Perhaps there is no need to wait for the future, this war is an opportunity.

Someone always needs to take responsibility for a defeat. If William I announced his abdication after the war, these high-ranking Junker nobles would have to follow suit.

The time is too short, and they don't even have time to train heirs.The positions left by them will be filled by deputies or subordinates.

After this round of political reshuffle, the Junkers will lose control of the government.The new government will most likely act to continue weakening the Junkers.

For example: using financial pressure as an excuse to abolish most of the domestic military and get rid of the deformed political structure in which the military owns the country. "

It's not possible, but it will happen.Political battles are brutal, and it wouldn't be William I if he didn't take advantage of the opportunity.

William I was over eighty years old, and he didn't have a good life for a few years. He was hit by the defeat of the war and his health was already very poor.

If there is an opportunity to take away political opponents and clear away the hidden dangers of future generations taking power, he has no reason to refuse.

And this is still a conspiracy, not the emperor forcing everyone to resign, but the glory of the nobility makes everyone feel embarrassed to be in a high position.

Due to the war, the core of the Junker nobles are mostly in the army.Most of those who remain in the government are not army Junkers except for a few high-level ones.

After the political reshuffle, the military lost control of the government.Whoever comes to power will not be given a second chance to take control of the government.

The same scene was also staged in the original time and space.After World War I, the power of the Junker nobles was greatly reduced. After being suppressed by all parties, they were squeezed out by "Hitler" during World War II, and even lost control of the army.

……

Prussia controlled by politicians and Prussia controlled by the army are not the same concept at all, and the bottom line is much lower.

Unlike "militarism" who habitually speak with their fists, politicians prefer to compromise.This undoubtedly increases uncertainty, and no one can guarantee that the Berlin government will not compromise with Hannover.

Franz nodded: "This is indeed a problem, but the interests involved are too great, even if the two parties really compromise, there is no way to complete it in a short time.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should keep an eye on them. We can take extraordinary measures when necessary. "

Frankly, Franz wasn't too worried.To achieve this, not only superb political skills are required, but also a suitable international environment.

Chapter 289 It's Not Money, It's Life

The laissez-faire of the Vienna government undoubtedly fueled the arrogance of the North Germanists. Although the governments of the various states did not express their views, the voices of the people continued to rise.

In order to implement the plan smoothly, Kaiser George I also privately declared that the establishment of the North German Empire was a key step in the process of German unification.

On the surface, it seems that there is nothing wrong with it. From the three-legged stand to the two-strong stand, it is indeed one step closer to the unification of Germany.

It's just that if you think about it carefully, the problem here is too big.If Depp merged into the North German Empire, then Franz's new Holy Roman Empire would become the South German Empire.

In the future, who will unify who will have to be discussed carefully.

George I wanted to unify South Germany with North Germany?

Well, if this is said, a normal person probably wouldn't believe it.

If the Pubo Federation merged with Germany at its peak, there might still be a chance.The prerequisite for this lost opportunity is that Austria was besieged collectively by European countries.

At this point, the last lost chance is gone.The comprehensive national strength of the severely damaged Kingdom of Prussia is not as good as that of Bavaria, and the comedy empire is at most comparable to the strength of several states within Shinra.

The lack of strength has a lot of internal problems, and the army alone has not sorted it out.The armies of each state exist independently, and the central government has no command.

If this is fine, the more important thing is that most of the states, including Hannover, have a joint defense treaty with Austria.

Mainly for the French, but also for the Russians.According to the provisions of the treaty, in the event of an invasion by foreign enemies, an allied force will be formed with Austria as the core.

This is Metternich's contribution. The international environment at that time was completely different from what it is now. Everyone was only worried about threats from France and Russia. Austria was still harmless to humans and animals at that time, so they boarded the ship happily.

Now this treaty has become a double-edged sword. While protecting the security of the German Federation, it also restricts the German central government from gathering the military power of the states.

The Vienna government can pull everyone together for joint exercises, but the German central government can't. They don't have this power, and the state government doesn't have Yiwu to cooperate with.

In order to unify domestic military and political issues, George I negotiated with the governments of various states many times, but to no avail.

In the absence of external threats, no one wants to give up power.The inconspicuous joint defense treaty at the beginning has become one of the legal basis for each state to have its own army independently.

After many failures, George I was hopeless.He was about to give up, but at this time, the British also gave him new hope.

The establishment of the North German Empire was another round of political reshuffle. The original biggest competitor, the Kingdom of Prussia, was affected by the war and had lost its qualification to compete for the leadership of the empire.