Holy Roman Empire

As for the impact of the defeat of the French, the British people are quite optimistic.When the worst enemy is gone, it's time to celebrate.

New threat?

Sorry, everyone really can't feel it.In the long past, Austria has never threatened Britain.

Even when the Habsburg dynasty unified Spain, they were busy going back to fight the civil war, and they just ignored Britain.

Austria is terrible, is France terrible?The awesome Napoleon was pressed to death, and Austria did not unify the European continent, so why panic?

Prime Minister Gladstone, who drew the curtains and sat back in his seat, sighed helplessly: "It seems that the tragedy of the French was doomed from the very beginning. There are too many people who want them to be unlucky, and those who are willing to support them There are too few people.

Frankly speaking, if it weren't for the loss of France that broke the balance of Europe, I would have been there to celebrate. "

In the "sigh", at the same time, there is the sad emotion of the death of the rabbit and the fox.The popularity of the French Empire was not good, and Britain's popularity was not much better.

If it were not for the protection of the Channel, Britain would not be much better off than France.But now this strait is not so safe.

After venting for a while, Gladstone asked: "What's the matter, will the Anti-French Alliance accept us to mediate this war?"

George shook his head: "Unfortunately, both Russia and Austria have clearly expressed their refusal. You know, the rest of the countries are useless, and it is impossible to confront the new Austrian overlord over this issue."

Gladstone almost roared: "Are the Russians crazy? If they don't check and balance Austria, the future of the European continent will have nothing to do with them!"

George asked back: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, do you think the strategic focus of the Russians is still in Europe?"

This is a sad subject.From the actual actions of the tsarist government, it can be seen that the strategic focus of the Russians has shifted to the South Asian subcontinent, but everyone does not want to believe it.

After being silent for a while, Gladstone picked up his coffee and took a sip before slowly saying, "So, all our previous plans have failed!"

To suppress Austria in Europe, and to compete with the Russians for India in Asia, Britain is now fighting against the two major powers at the same time with its own strength.

In this context, the so-called provoking a conflict between Russia and Austria is a joke.With its strength, Britain has become the key to maintaining the existence of the Russia-Austria alliance.

George shrugged: "It's not a complete failure. Austria did not swallow the French warships in one gulp, but is preparing to auction off the French warships.

It may be because of financial pressure that we cannot afford to support so many warships; it may also be that the internal distribution of spoils is uneven, and we cannot withstand the internal pressure of our allies; or it may be that we do not want to have another naval race with us.

It is said that the Anti-French Coalition is going to invite all independent countries in the world to participate in the auction.If we want to prevent Austria from getting the French warships, we better get involved too.

However, there are also risks here.If the Austrians can't afford so many warships, we will take over for them if we get involved. "

……

Chapter 225 The spoils meeting

The autumn wind rolled up the yellow leaves, bringing the joy of a good harvest.The European Continental War, which lasted for more than a year, is over, and now is the time to reap the fruits of victory.

The Vienna Grand Hotel, which used to be unattainable in the past, is now overcrowded.The sudden increase in the source of customers has caused Droste, the lobby manager, a headache.

Working in the most luxurious hotel in the world, and having contact with big figures from all walks of life every day, Drost is also used to seeing big winds and waves.

The Vienna Grand Hotel is not always full. In the past, any big events and celebrations will be full.

Anyway, the hotel has its own rules, whoever makes the reservation first will get it, and no one dares to make a fuss here.

This time is different. Ever since the news of the peace conference in Vienna came out, the phone calls for reservations have been blasted.

According to incomplete statistics, seven kings, hundreds of nobles, and dozens of dignitaries from various countries have been confirmed to be staying here.

There is no doubt that it is impossible for only one person to participate in the peace meeting. These big figures all came with delegations.Choosing to stay at the Vienna Hotel is naturally because of face.

Regardless of the seemingly unattainable price of the Vienna Hotel, in fact it is only for ordinary local tyrants.Naturally, the big shots don't come at the same price.

This is also mutual benefit. The sky-high room rate and high-end service set off everyone's distinguished status. Anyway, as long as you don't tell it, no one will know the discount; the stay of the big nobles has raised the hotel's grade.

Top aristocrats like kings and grand dukes have always stayed in for free.Fortunately, these days, the big nobles are more concerned about face. If it is left in later generations, there may be a bunch of exiled monarchs running over to eat and drink.

When big people get together, problems arise.Aristocrats are also people, and there are also conflicts with each other, and conflicts are inevitable.

That's all, nobles also have to face, unless they drink too much, they can still maintain their self-cultivation under normal circumstances.If there is a conflict, it is not something a hotel manager can intervene.

Looking at the list of rankings, Droste was almost bald with worry.There is no way, there are not enough rooms with matching identities!

Big shots also want face, if their status and treatment do not match, they will turn their faces in a matter of minutes.

Headaches are headaches, and work still needs to be done.If such a small matter can't be dealt with, Drost will be the manager.

……

At the Royal Opera House in Vienna, the countries of the Anti-French Alliance gathered together and started a closed-door meeting.If nothing else, this loot-sharing meeting will end before the arrival of the delegations from various countries.

As for the next Vienna peace conference, it was just a procedure to implement the content of the spoils conference.

"Your Excellency the Marquis, the European war has just ended, so it's inappropriate to put all the French warships up for auction?"

Spanish Foreign Minister Vehdade Salimi questioned.There is no way, who let the European war end, the war belonging to Spain is not over yet!

As a veteran power, although it has declined, the arrogance of the Spaniards still exists.It's okay to suffer a little grievance in the European continent, it's because of your own lack of strength.But the Japanese also came to make troubles, so I couldn't bear it.

In the past few months, the Philippine fleet has been almost wiped out, and even the Philippine Islands have been lost, but the Spanish government still has not surrendered.

Naturally, it was the anti-French alliance that gave them confidence.According to the prior agreement, Austria made a promise: after the victory of the European War, Spain will get part of the French fleet.

The agreed warship suddenly became an auction, and Behdad Salimi naturally couldn't accept it.You know, the Spanish government is still waiting to teach the Japanese after getting the warship!

Weisenberg smiled slightly, and immediately assured: "Your Excellency, please rest assured that Austria's prior promise is still valid. There is no way to auction off the French warships.

Everyone knows how large the French navy is.In the just-concluded European war, Austria paid a heavy price, and there is no plan to expand its navy in a short time.

We do not participate in the distribution, and all of them are divided up by everyone. I am afraid that the financial pressure of all countries will be very heavy.

What's more, the essence of the French navy is only the hundred or so ironclad ships, and the remaining auxiliary warships can only be regarded as tasteless.If there is no bundling sale, no buyer will be found at all.

If you want to get some warships, you can just get them from the auction.Don't worry too much about the price, we can operate in the dark.

Of course, if someone offers a sky-high price, there is no need for everyone to grab it.If the auction fails, we can sell a batch of active warships to you at a low price afterwards. "

Weisenberg did not keep it secret, and Austria was indeed not interested in French warships.As for the news, no one knows whether the British believe it or not.

This is just a small problem. If you cheat the British, you will make money, but it doesn't matter if you don't.It doesn't matter how much it sells, it really can't be dealt with, the worst is to accept the French warship.

It can't increase the combat power, but it's okay to take it out to scare people.As long as you don't pull it out and PK with the Royal Navy, there is no risk.The only downside is that it hurts money.

"The warship is just a small problem, you can deal with it however you want, let's discuss how to deal with France!"

It was the representative of Belgium who spoke. As the biggest victim of this war, Belgium is now a mess.

Not only the economic loss was heavy, but even the people were tossed away.At this moment, the Belgian government is busy calling on the exiled people to return to their country and rebuild their homes. It really doesn't care about warships or warships.

If it cannot get enough compensation from the French, it will be difficult for Belgium to rebuild its homeland.

Glancing at the crowd, Weisenberg stood up, picked up a pen, walked to the map on the wall, and drew a curve directly on the mainland of France.

"Let's talk about the territory first. The map is here. If anyone is interested, they can circle it first. If there is no doubt, it will be approved. If there are objections, we will discuss it later.

This is the goal of Austria. We want to take back the homeland of the HRE previously occupied by France, namely the Kingdom of Burgundy, the Duchy of Lorraine, and the province of Alsace. "

(Kingdom of Burgundy: present-day Franche-Comté)

From the perspective of territorial area, the above-mentioned areas add up to less than [-] square kilometers, which is less than one-tenth of the French mainland.

The value can be calculated, not just the territory.Just look at the economy. Both Alsace and the Kingdom of Burgundy are important industrial and resource areas in France, and Lorraine is an important agricultural area.

Austria won the above-mentioned areas, France's industry directly shrank by one-third, and its overall national strength dropped by at least one-quarter.

Oscar Jimenez hesitated to speak. From the standpoint of the Russian Empire, he naturally did not want Austria to continue to grow, but now is obviously not the time to intervene.

The Russian army was just playing soy sauce in this war, and its own right to speak was not high.What's more, Austria is not eating alone. They have brought together the four countries of Belgium, Switzerland, Saxony, and West to carve up France.

Jumping out to be a villain at this time has no effect at all except to offend people.

Watching other people draw circles on the map, Oscar Jimenez forced himself to resist his desire.There is no way, even if an enclave is allocated, the Russian Empire is not capable of operating it.

Everyone's expansion direction is along the mainland, there is no conflict of interest between them, and no one makes trouble, so the scene is naturally harmonious.

"If there is no objection, then this will be used as a draft of the post-war territorial punishment of France, and the specific details will be determined later."

Negotiating spoils is a complicated job, and it cannot be completed by one or two people. All countries come with teams.

All the people present are high-level officials from various countries. They have to respect their identities and decide on the general direction.The specific details of the negotiation and the exchange of benefits are still carried out by the people below.

After a pause, Weissenberg looked up and saw everyone's complicated expressions.He doesn't care what everyone thinks, as long as no one objects.

"Now let's move on to the next topic - war reparations. In principle, we still respect the wishes of all countries, and determine their share based on the actual situation, as well as everyone's contribution to the war and the sacrifices they made.

Now to determine the total amount of compensation, first count the war losses of various countries, and I will start with the beginning.

In the past year, Austria’s anti-French war totaled: 74.23 people were killed, 214.16 million people were injured, 1546 million tons of strategic materials were consumed, and 66.98 billion Aegis was spent on war funds.The direct economic loss is as high as 186 billion Aegis, and the indirect economic loss is 564 billion Aegis..."

Water injection must exist, and the loss statistics in Austria have not been completed. Where can I get any accurate data?

Except that the casualties are not easy to fabricate and are basically true, other data are seriously watered.

The only thing everyone can be sure of is: As the main force in this anti-French war, Austria must have paid a high price.

"Belgium lost a total of 20 soldiers in this war, more than 500 million people were displaced, and civilian casualties exceeded 50. The economic loss is even more difficult to count. It is initially estimated that it will not be less than 100 billion Aegis..."

Halfway through the conversation, the Belgian representative couldn't help but shed tears.There is no way, Belgium after the war is really miserable.

It can be said that once we returned to the primitive society, the city was turned into ruins, and the factories and mines that had been in the sunset are now grass growing and warblers flying.

Compared with the more than 500 billion losses of the Austrian water injection version, the 100 billion losses in Belgium are genuine.

It's not that they don't want to inject water, they really can't get in.The whole country is gone, and the plate is so big. Everyone knows how much loss there will be.

In view of the tragic experience in Belgium, everyone wanted to express comfort, but they didn't know how to speak.

Chapter 226 "Draft of the Handling of Laws"

After a series of bargaining, on December 1891, 12, the Anti-French Alliance finally reached an agreement and signed the "Draft of Disposal against France".

At this point, the spoils meeting is almost complete.Just let the French sign at the Vienna Peace Conference to confirm its legality.

Although the countries of the Anti-French Alliance had agreed in advance, it was still a manifestation of efficiency that a preliminary agreement could be reached in less than two months.

After getting the signed contract, Franz very much suspected that everyone was going so fast in order to go home as soon as possible for Christmas.

The "draft" is indeed a "draft". Except for the agreement on the general framework, the specific details are basically blank, and even many clauses are ambiguous.

For example, there is only one place name for the territory of France, and the specific boundary line is not reflected in the treaty.

It seems to be clear, but in fact there is a huge gap.In Europe's thousands of years of history, the area governed by the same place name is not static.The specific period shall prevail, and there is no clear agreement in the treaty.

As a vested interest, this is obviously a good thing for Austria.There is no clear agreement, which means that there can be more room for maneuver, and the boundary line can be moved and changed slightly.

The boundary line is not clear, and the amount of compensation is also not fixed, but the distribution ratio of each country is agreed, and the details can be discussed again.

In any case, we have to leave some things for the Vienna Peace Conference, and listen to the opinions of other countries by the way, otherwise the subsequent plays will not be able to be performed.

The content of the treaty is as follows:

Territorial aspect

Austria took back the Principality of Lorraine, the province of Alsace, and parts of the Kingdom of Burgundy (Franche-Comté), totaling about 4.7 square kilometers;

The Counties of Flanders and Artois (the northern Pas-de-Calais region) were assigned to Belgium, covering an area of ​​about 1.2 square kilometers;

The Principality of Savoy (Upper Savoy, Savoy) was assigned to Switzerland, with an area of ​​about 1.03 square kilometers;

Part of Provence was assigned to the Kingdom of Sardinia, covering an area of ​​about 2.3 square kilometers;

Corsica was assigned to Tuscany, with an area of ​​about 8682 square kilometers;

Spain took back the Roussillon area, covering an area of ​​about 2.4 square kilometers;

Andorra becomes independent (468 square kilometers), and Monaco restores its original territory (20 square kilometers).

war reparations

奥地利33.4%、俄罗斯帝国20%、德意志联邦25.5%、比利时15.5%、西班牙0.3%、瑞士0.2%、意大利所有邦国共分4.5%，黑山、希腊、亚美尼亚各自拿0.2%。

France needs to pay a total of 500-800 billion Aegis for war reparations (the specific figure was determined at the Vienna Peace Conference), and various countries formed a joint bank to provide loans to the French government to pay reparations, with a monthly interest of 99 per thousand, and repayment of the principal and interest in [-] years.

……

Although Austria has worked very hard, it still failed to completely divide France.It failed even to drive the French out of the Mediterranean.

It's not that it can't be done, but it can't be done.It’s okay to cede land after a losing battle, but there must be a limit to cede land, and it’s best to have a legal basis.

As the de facto continental hegemon, Austria has become the biggest beneficiary of the rule system, so it is natural to maintain the rules of the game.

In this context, the division of France and Austria was all under the banner of recovering lost land, and the land obtained was also the former homeland of Shinra.

This statement is indeed a bit far-fetched, but it is better to have a legal basis than nothing.Plus the fist is big enough, barely considered legal.