Holy Roman Empire

The British have the most colonies, the market is relatively sufficient, and internal competition is not so fierce. It can be said that it is the only choice for Prussia.

In this context, the British will naturally lower the price.While exporting industrial raw materials to Prussia, while accepting Prussian industrial and commercial products to pay off debts, it seems that they are helping the Berlin government, but in fact Prussia is working for them for nothing.

It's not just working for nothing, but now the British have gone one step further and want to make the Kingdom of Prussia work at a loss.

Frederick III's current mood is like this: he has worked hard for a year, but at the end of the year he did not earn a penny, and he still owes a lot of debt.

But he still can't refuse, otherwise he will lose his job, mortgage, credit card, ~~ chant all together, it would be simply...

Life is always going on, and "blood loss" is better than "lost money".It can only be recognized if the price is lowered, and the Berlin government has to bite the bullet and bear the loss.

Frederick III asked expectantly: "How is the situation, have the British agreed to extend the debt?"

There is no way, the Kingdom of Prussia is short of resources, and it is necessary to import industrial raw materials. Everyone in Mark does not recognize it, and this must consume foreign exchange.

The in-kind compensation agreement reached with the British does not mean that it is enough to throw the goods to the creditors. The Berlin government is not so domineering yet.

Most of Prussia's creditors are banks and financial institutions. These people are all involved in finance and have no interest in international commodity trade.

The real situation is that Prussia sold industrial and commercial products to British capitalists in exchange for foreign exchange. After deducting the cost, the remaining money was used to repay the debt.

The effect of the "agreement" was that the British government also let in Prussian goods.Otherwise, under the free trade system, the sales scope of Prussian goods is limited to the mainland of the United Kingdom.

Now that the price has plummeted, the sales price of the commodity is not enough for the cost of industrial raw materials, and it has made a loss-making business. Naturally, the Berlin government has no "foreign exchange" to repay the debt.

Foreign Minister Fudman's face suddenly sank: "We have tried our best, and even obtained the support of the London government, but in the end the negotiation failed.

The impact of this economic crisis on the UK is greater than we expected, and the banks are now short of money.

One of our creditors, Garrett Bank, went bankrupt during the negotiation due to a broken capital chain. "

The creditors were also short of money, and that was a big problem.Especially Garrett Bank, which itself went bankrupt due to a broken capital chain, and it is even more impossible to agree to a debt extension.

Frederick III sighed deeply, and asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer: "How much foreign exchange do we have now, and how long can we last under the normal payment of debts?"

Chancellor of the Exchequer Ovitz frowned and replied: "The situation is very bad. Now all our foreign exchange is worth about 765.6 million pounds, including 354 million pounds, 568 million Aegis, and 800 million francs...

Theoretically speaking, if no other expenses are made, it can only be used to pay off debts, and it can last up to seven months.

In practice, this is impossible.We must import industrial raw materials, machinery and equipment, and agricultural products to meet domestic production and living needs. "

Foreign exchange goes in and out, and under normal circumstances, with the export of industrial and commercial products, the balance of payments is still achieved.

After all, domestically produced industrial raw materials and labor costs do not need to pay foreign exchange, and the problem can be solved with Mark.

765.6 million pounds is equivalent to 56.04 tons of gold, which is already a well-deserved huge sum of money in this era, exceeding the total gold reserves of many countries.

If there is no foreign debt to repay, for a small country, such a large amount of foreign exchange reserves is enough to live a comfortable life.

It's a pity that if there is no if, the Kingdom of Prussia has huge foreign debts to repay.This huge sum of money is only enough to pay seven months of debt.

In fact, it can't last that long. Affected by the drop in the price of export commodities, the Kingdom of Prussia has now entered an era of trade deficit.

Unless the creditors are willing to accept the mark for payment, it is impossible for the Berlin government to pay its debts on schedule.

……

After receiving a telegram asking for help from the Berlin government, Franz's first reaction was to encourage the Prussians to renege on their debts.

As soon as this thought came out, it was like entering a magic barrier, and I couldn't linger on it.

"If the Berlin government reneges on its debts, what will happen?"

Foreign Minister Weissenberg's face changed slightly: "Your Majesty, the Prussian economy is seriously affected by the British, and the Berlin government does not have the ability to default on its debts.

If the Berlin government defaults on its debt, the British will only need to impose trade sanctions on them, and Prussia will collapse within half a year. "

This is a fact. If the Royal Navy seals off the coastline, the Kingdom of Prussia will fall into a state of embarrassment of lack of industrial raw materials and lack of market for products.

Of course, they can also go overland and bypass neighboring countries, but the cost is enough to bankrupt any company.

Prime Minister Felix retorted: "Not necessarily! In normal times, perhaps the British would do this to scare others.

But it is different now, the wave of revolution in Europe is intensifying.

The French Revolutionary Party has occupied Paris, and the situation in the Kingdom of Prussia is also very bad, and revolution may break out at any time.

As long as the British are not prepared to collect debts from the revolutionaries, the Kingdom of Prussia cannot be ruined.

Now the Berlin government is really unable to repay, and the debt default will happen sooner or later. The London government should also be prepared.

As long as the Berlin government does not directly declare default and find a reasonable excuse for debt extension, the British government will not take extreme measures.

Banks, financial institutions, and speculators lent money to the Berlin government. Although these interest groups have great influence in the UK, they have not reached the point of making decisions for the government.

It is impossible for the British government to ignore the overall national strategy for their benefit.Without the support of the government, these people would have nothing to do with the Kingdom of Prussia.

If the situation in Europe deteriorates further, the Berlin government can also negotiate terms with the British to seek relief of part of the debt. "

It is not after World War II, the aristocratic group is in its heyday, and the consortium wants to control the government is simply a dream.

The French Revolution was already scary. If the Prussian Revolution is allowed to succeed, the wave of European revolutions will no longer be controlled.

Although Britain was isolated overseas, the wave of revolution still did not let them go.

Britain and France have been exporting to each other for many years, and they cannot be alone if the revolution spreads.

……

On May 1882, 5, a massive anti-hunger movement broke out in the Kingdom of Prussia. Countless people took to the streets to demand that the government import more grain to solve the domestic food shortage.

After the outbreak of the anti-hunger movement, the Berlin government responded very quickly and provided assistance to the international community in the shortest possible time.

At the same time, on the grounds that the repayment of foreign debts consumes a large amount of foreign exchange and has no money to buy food, it asks the creditors to postpone the payment of debts.

Undoubtedly, this is not a "request" but more like a notification.

Concurrent with the request, the Berlin government has suspended debt payments for May.

It was announced that the debt repayment funds in May will be used to purchase food to solve the domestic food shortage.

Most of the creditors of the Kingdom of Prussia are concentrated in Britain and France, which together hold 95.4% of the foreign debt of the Berlin government.

If the two major creditors, Britain and France, are dealt with, it can be said that all creditors are dealt with. To be precise, it is enough to deal with the British.

The French are very busy now, and the civil war has already broken out, so they can't take care of such trivial matters for a while.

Did famine really break out in the Kingdom of Prussia?

It depends on what the British think!

If the London government accepts this statement, then famine "really" broke out in the Kingdom of Prussia.

If the London government did not accept this statement, then there would be no famine in the Kingdom of Prussia.

Politics is all about weighing the pros and cons, not the truth.

Chapter 9 1867 The Eyeball Effect

"Find out, is the real purpose of the Austrians?" Prime Minister Gladstone asked

After Prussia announced the debt extension, the London government immediately suspected Austria, and found out what role the Vienna government played.

There is no way to keep this kind of thing secret. If Austria does not jump out to cheer, the Berlin government will not have the guts to do so.

Foreign Secretary Glanville George Leveson-Gauer: "On the surface, the Austrians were trying to drive a wedge between us and Prussia, and they succeeded in that.

Our intelligence personnel discovered that the railway transportation volume in Austria has skyrocketed recently, and in-depth investigations revealed that a large amount of strategic materials are gathering at the port.

The Austrians seem to be preparing for a war, but their army has not moved abnormally, and it should not be directed at France. "

After the Paris Revolution broke out, the London government paid close attention to Austria's movements, for fear that if they were not careful, the balance of the continent would be disrupted.

In terms of interests, France and Austria have been fighting for European hegemony for many years. Now that France is sick, Austria has enough motivation to add insult to injury.

However, France is not a soft persimmon, even if civil strife breaks out, it is not easy to provoke.Without sufficient preparation, it is impossible for Austria to act blindly.

Looking at the world map, Gladstone nodded and thoughtfully said: "There is no military mobilization, so the target of Austria's attack this time should not be very strong.

The Vienna system has just been established, and the Austrians will not slap themselves in the face. Most of this war is outside Europe.

The Far East, South America, the Near East, or African colonial scrambles, do you think the Austrians want to attack places? "

Colonial Minister Primrose analyzed: "The Far East is unlikely, and Austria's strength there is limited, not their strategic focus.

The chances of South America are also very small. The independence movement in Panama is progressing very smoothly. Unless they are going to swallow the Republic of Colombia in one gulp, there is no need to increase investment.

Colonies in the Near East and Africa are possible. Ottoman is the feud of the Habsburg dynasty. Franz has repeatedly stated in public that he wants to eliminate this...

The colonial cores of France and Austria are all on the African continent. The two countries are afraid of each other's strength, coupled with geographical constraints, there is no large-scale conflict. The Vienna government has the motive to add insult to injury.

I think they are more suspicious of Egypt.The Ottoman Empire can be attacked at any time, and the opportunity to seize the Suez Canal may be this time.

France is very tough externally and offended many people in the colonial struggle.After the civil war broke out, many countries made small moves, including us wanting to get a share.

If there is no war, there is a lack of a leader.If Austria takes the lead, the feast of partitioning the French colonies will break out.

France, which has lost its overseas colonies, even if the civil war is over, it will be difficult to threaten Austria with one increase and one decrease. "

Fao co-manages the Suez Canal. There is no way, but it does not mean that everyone does not want to monopolize it.

Today is different from the past, and now it has the strength to dominate the Suez Canal.As long as the Egyptian region is taken, the Austrian Asian and African colonies will be connected, and they will not be afraid of prying eyes at all.

Foreign Minister George retorted: "My opinion is just the opposite. Judging from the current international situation, the chances of Austria attacking Egypt are very small."

Immediately, he picked up a baton, walked up to the hanging world map and pointed: "This is Austria, from the map we can see how bad their strategic position is, it can be said that they are surrounded by powerful enemies.

In recent years, the Vienna government successfully abolished the Ottoman Empire through diplomacy and military strikes, and then used the Prussian War to end Prussia and severely weaken the Russians, and the situation gradually improved.

In the short term, capturing Egypt and attacking the French Empire may benefit more; but this will worsen the relationship between France and Austria. After the civil war, France is Austria's biggest enemy.

History will repeat the old story of France and Ottomans jointly forming an anti-Habsburg dynasty.Under the trend of interests, most Russians will also join in.

In this context, it is difficult for Austria to find allies. Even the pro-Austrian German states will most likely fall to the anti-Habsburg alliance. "

George drew a circle on the map with his baton, and said a little harder: "There are enemies on all sides. Once a war breaks out, Austria will be exhausted. No matter how powerful the country is, it will not be able to withstand such a toss.

From the perspective of long-term development, what Austria needs most is to continue to maintain friendly relations with the French, take the opportunity to destroy the Ottoman Empire, and obtain a stable rear. "

The "strategy" determined by geographical location cannot deceive people. The map is there, and you can know it at a glance.

Austria, located in the heart of Europe, can be revived itself is a miracle.

Behind this miracle is a series of diplomacy, maintaining friendly relations with many countries at the same time, creating conditions for revival.

Needless to say, the Austrian plan was discovered, of course it was to be sabotaged, otherwise it would live up to the reputation of "shit stirrer".

……

The action of the British was still a step slower. The success of the Paris revolution gave Austria courage. The Vienna government has decided to cut the mess quickly without waiting for diplomatic results.

Franz: "Have you found an excuse for war?"

The key to restricting Austria from launching a war is no longer the international situation.

A gunshot in Paris pushed the European revolution to a climax again, and no one dared to risk the world to start a war in order to defend the Ottoman Empire.

Not to mention strength, after two Near East wars, the Ottoman Empire has long been seriously injured.

Now everything is ready, only one "excuse" for war is owed.For this plausible excuse, Franz nearly lost all his hair.

Foreign Minister Weissenberg: "We already have evidence of the massacre of Armerians by the Ottoman government, including 1867 citizens of the empire."

After finishing speaking, Weissenberg took out a thick stack of photos from the envelope, on which were pictures of Ottoman soldiers massacring.

If it wasn't for the fact that after looking through a few photos, they felt familiar, and Franz would have almost believed them.

The photo must be real. With the photography technology of this year, it is unrealistic to try to fake it.

It's just that there may be a slight error in the time when it happened, and it was a few years earlier.

The point of time is not critical, as long as the content of the photo is real is enough.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz still took out the one that impressed him the most: "Gatling shoots refugees": "If it has been published in the newspaper, don't publish it to the public."

Weisenberg replied without changing his face: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, these photos have never been published.

If you feel familiar, it may be that the content of the shooting is somewhat similar, but there are still differences in essence. "

Franz nodded, he still believed in the eyes of professionals.The task of creating a pretext for war is given to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not to the military, mainly because of "professionalism".

Otherwise, such excuses as missing soldiers and shipwrecks would not be justified at all.

Don't say whether people in the world will believe it, even people in China will not believe it.

In contrast, the death of thousands of imperial citizens in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is much more shocking.