Chapter 1025 Choice Is Very Important
Along with the decline of the Kingdom of Prussia, the former Junkers aristocratic group also inevitably declined.
In fact, the decline of the Junker nobles was not only due to defeat, even if they were defeated, they were still the largest political force in the Kingdom of Prussia.
The real reason for the decline of the Junkers aristocratic group is that there are no successors in the political arena. There is no way, there are too many dead on the battlefield, so that the reserve force can't keep up.
As a direct result of the two Russo-Prussian Wars, 56% of the Junkers lost their land completely, and 17% of the noble families became extinct.
The reserve force has suffered heavy losses, and the important positions in the government originally held by the Junkers will inevitably be given up.
One radish and one pit, the contraction of the Junkers aristocratic group is also accompanied by
The rise of other political forces.
Over time, the political landscape of the Kingdom of Prussia slowly changed. Today, although the Junkers Group is still an important political force in Prussia, "the army owns the country" has completely become history.
Especially after the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire, the status of the Junkers aristocratic group was once again under attack.
Before that, although they lost their dominance over the country, with their control over the army, no matter which political faction was in charge of Prussia, they dared not despise them.
It's different now, there is an extra boss on his head. If you want to overturn the table, you must first consider the feelings of the boss.
Otherwise, the table was overturned in the morning, and the counter-insurgency army came to kill it in the evening, so how can we play?
In addition to asking for money, Schlieffen and his party have another important task, which is to strengthen the relationship with the Palace of Vienna.
European aristocracy is a family, no joke. Even though it has only been three years since the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire, as early as thirty years ago, or earlier, the Junker nobles had contact with the Habsburg dynasty.
As long as you carefully study the origins of the lords entrusted by Franz, you will find many familiar aristocratic surnames in the German region, including the surnames of Junker nobles.
One or two can be said to be a coincidence, ten or eight is a very coincidence, but if the number is enlarged to a thousand or eight hundred, it cannot be explained by a single coincidence.
The reason for this scene is actually very simple: all the land in Germany is owned, but there may not be only one son of a nobleman.
Unless it is a big noble, it can be arranged. Otherwise, only the eldest son can inherit the family business, and the second son must fend for himself.
This is true for the members of the direct line, not to mention the collateral line. In fact, most of the offshoots of the nobility, except for a noble surname, are ordinary people.
Seeing the colonial empires such as Britain and France making a lot of money overseas, the people in the German region are naturally envious and jealous, including the nobles.
When the Vienna government issued a call and announced to join the colonial wave, everyone's reaction was quite calm. When Franz offered the method of enfeoffment, he couldn't bear it anymore.
It doesn't matter whether the territory is remote or not, but the attributes that can make money and be passed down to the family do exist. For most people, even if they can't get a title, harvesting a farm is a good choice.
With the development of immigration policies again and again, more and more German people participated in the colonial movement, and nobles were naturally indispensable among them.
With good education, strong military literacy, and the support of family resources and connections behind them, these people quickly stood out.
"If you are poor, no one cares about you in the busy city, but if you are rich, you have distant relatives in the mountains."
The same applies in continental Europe, and the aristocratic world is also realistic. Once a family is established, regardless of whether it is a collateral line or a direct line, the right to speak in the family will greatly increase.
People have circles, and when they go overseas, they naturally have overseas circles, plus a series of marriages. The Holy Roman Empire has not yet been reestablished, but the aristocratic groups in the German region have merged first.
Now that the ruling class has completed the merger in the process of making the cake bigger, the unification of the German region is also a natural thing.
It seems to be a logical thing, but behind it is also "some people are proud, and some are frustrated."
Although the Junker nobles also participated in it, the peak period of the colonial wave 30 years ago happened to be the highlight moment of the Kingdom of Prussia.
With the victory of the first Russo-Prussian War, Prussia seized a large area of land from the Russians, and the Junker nobles also made a lot of money.
Everyone's attention is on Europe, and those who participated in the overseas colonial movement are marginal figures, and the resources that can be used are almost negligible.
After the failure of the Second Russo-Prussian War, the Junkers Group not only lost everything politically and economically, but also killed a large number of the younger generation.
One wrong step, one wrong step.
Missing the colonial wave, the Junkers aristocratic group lost not only the gains in the colonial process, but more importantly, after the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire, the Junkers group had little influence in the empire.
In fact, it was not only the Junkers that was damaged, but the entire Kingdom of Prussia did not have a high say in the empire.
Although their military strength is still second only to Austria among all the states, when it comes to the right to speak, they don't even rank in the top ten.
In a word, "there is no one in the court".
Although the small state is limited in size, the ruling class and the Vienna government colluded early. The investment was made in advance, and the younger generation was sent to Austria for development early.
There are their people in the overseas colonies, their descendants in the imperial army, and they can also be seen in the central government
The figure of the children.
Decades have passed, and those that are gold have long since shone. The original investment is now reflected in politics.
There are people in the DPRK who can always bring some convenience. If the plight faced by the Prussian military had been placed on the heads of other influential states, the problem would have been resolved long ago.
Isn't it just a lack of military spending, and it's not that there is no way to solve it. Not to mention getting the same standards as the Central Army, but raising the central government's appropriation standards can always be done.
The Kingdom of Prussia is also a border, with the Nordic Federation to the north and the Russian Empire to the east, a proper military base. Asking the central government to bear 40% of the military expenditure is completely justified.
In addition, you can also accept missions to be stationed abroad to obtain subsidies from the central government.
If you are lucky, if you meet them, you might be able to get two combat missions, then there will be no problems.
Of course, the more money is taken from the central government, the greater the impact will be, and the autonomy will definitely be greatly affected.
This is also something that cannot be helped, it is impossible for you to take advantage of all the benefits. It is only right and proper to eat whose food and work for whom.
The army of the Kingdom of Prussia now has a high degree of autonomy, and the military expenses that can be obtained from the emperor are naturally not high.
Like all hinterland states with no military threat, the central government only bears 25% of the military expenditure.
The reason given by the War Department is very simple: there is no foreign military threat.
No kidding, this is serious.
The Ministry of War also gave a reasonable and detailed explanation: the Russian Empire is an ally of the Empire and does not need to be on guard; while the Nordic Federation has limited strength and does not pose a threat to the Empire.
The same thing, another way of saying it is two different results. However, both statements are reasonable, and it is impossible to distinguish right from wrong purely on the surface, and it is even difficult to justify.
As a member of the Prussian military, Schlieffen naturally disagreed with the statement of the Imperial War Ministry. But there was no way, he found a reason to refute.
There are contradictions between Prussia and Russia, which does not mean that Shinra and the Russians also have contradictions. The Russia-Austria alliance lasted for many years, and the Vienna government had enough reason to believe that the tsarist government would not invade.
As for the Nordic Federation, there is no need to mention it. Talking about the Nordic threat theory, Schlieffen himself felt ashamed.
In order to find a reason for military expenditure, Schlieffen also racked his brains. As for the reasons for domestic preparations, from the moment he arrived in Vienna, he decisively chose to give up.
The Russian threat theory is not easy to talk about. If we really only emphasize the threat of the Russians, maybe the Vienna government will send troops to help them guard the border.
For details, you can refer to the Principality of Luxembourg in the west. The defense problem is borne by the central army, and the state army only assumes a supporting role.
If that step is really reached, the autonomy of the Prussian military will be gone. It is also reasonable for the Central Army to assume the responsibility of border defense and set up a military region in Prussia.
"Three lives are unlucky, and the magistrate is attached to Guo".
With a military region coordinating regional armed forces overhead, the Prussian military became that unlucky "prefect", and it was only a matter of time before it was emptied.
...
In a military camp in the outskirts, the Prussian officer corps participating in the military parade was sweating profusely on the field at the moment.
As the commander, Schlieffen was full of sadness at the moment.
"Why, are you still worrying about military expenses?"
A familiar voice sounded from behind, pulling Schlieffen out of his contemplation. I saw him frowning, and then asked: "Mackenson, don't you ask knowingly.
Do you think other than this big trouble, what else can give me such a headache? "
Mackensen replied seriously: "Yes, and there are many more!"
"For example: the issue of the unified training and distribution of officers proposed by the Ministry of the Army, and the rotation plan for each unit proposed by the General Staff."
After the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire, Franz gathered the command of the army, but this gathering was also very limited.
The German states are used to doing their own things, and it is obviously impossible to take back power from them all at once.
In addition to using the distribution of military expenditures to intervene in the armies of various countries, under the instruction of Franz, the Ministry of War and the General Staff also tentatively put forward suggestions.
It's just a "test", unifying the training and distribution of officers, and the rotation of troops. On the surface, it is very common, but in essence it is related to the right to appoint personnel and the command of the army in peacetime.
If these powers are obtained, the so-called national army will cease to exist.
Especially personnel rights. As long as the Ministry of the Army swaps officers from different states when distributing them, and their own children cannot serve in their own state, the inheritance of power will be broken.
The command power of the army in peacetime also has a huge influence. The rotation of defenses directly broke the tradition of the state's troops being stationed locally. Once it is not stationed in the state, is the state army still the state army?
It involves the core interests of the military aristocracy of the state, so such a proposal is not feasible at all.
If it is forced to operate, the Holy Roman Empire that has just been unified may soon fall into a situation of fragmentation again.
After all, the Shenluo Empire has a large stall now, which is supported by the ancient traditional enfeoffment model.
If the central government unscrupulously usurped the rights of the state, what would the overseas nobles think? No one wants to make a wedding dress for someone else in the end with the foundation he has worked so hard to build.
It takes years to build a reputation, but
A bad reputation is often only needed once.
Schlieffen shook his head disdainfully: "Nonsense, these proposals are all jokes, it is impossible to pass them, and they are not even eligible to enter the parliamentary vote.
It is clearly written in the constitution that the national army only accepts the dual command of the emperor and the king. Neither the Ministry of War nor the General Staff have the power to intervene in the state army.
The value of their existence is only to assist the emperor in managing the army, not to manage the army for the emperor. This is a completely different concept.
It seems that you are in a good mood. Could it be that you went out to meet friends and had a windfall? "
When the word "friend" was mentioned, Mackensen's expression suddenly became unnatural. Unlike Schlieffen, who was originally from the Junker nobles, Mackensen is a representative of the rise of the grassroots.
Born in Saxon Mackensen, he was able to enter the Prussian army because of an accident.
His grandfather used to be the commander of the Hanoverian cavalry, but his father's generation had already fallen into poverty. Not only did he not have the title of nobility, but he was also reduced to a land broker.
In his youth, Mackensen aspired to become a cavalry officer. At that time, Austria had not yet grown, and the Kingdom of Prussia had not declined.
Opportunities arose soon. On the one hand, Austria opened up overseas colonies to recruit people;
The young and vigorous Mackensen decisively chose to join Prussia, whoever the Russians are.
With his extraordinary talent and luck, Mackensen quickly stood out, and was even unexpectedly appreciated by William II. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Prussia was still defeated.
It is obviously impossible to turn around at this time. As an ordinary person, Mackensen, who took one step forward, could only bite the bullet and go on.
Confined to the stage of the Kingdom of Prussia, Mackensen, who was born as a commoner, quickly hit the ceiling.
One radish and one hole, the Prussian army is limited in size and cannot afford too many senior generals. Mackensen, who has no background, can only stop as a colonel.
This is already a high allocation, unless the position is greatly improved, otherwise the colonel is the end of Mackensen.
It's a pity that the Kingdom of Prussia has a total of four divisions. The Vienna government recognizes no more than fifteen general positions. The Junker nobles themselves don't have enough points for this position. How can it be his turn to take the top position?
It is already a miracle that he was born as a commoner and was able to get into his current position. Looking at the entire Prussian army, there is no second one.
In contrast, childhood playmates were caught on the express train of Austria's rise. Overcoming obstacles all the way, took the lead in crossing the threshold.
If it’s just these things, then that’s fine. It’s normal for different national conditions and different developments. The point is that the Holy Roman Empire was unified, and this difference became obvious.
One is the commander of the major general of the Central Army, and the other is the commander of the colonel of the Bangguo Army. You don't need to think about who has a more promising future.
This is no longer a question of ability. No matter how powerful Mackensen is, there are only a few positions in the Prussian army.
Although a little dejected, it is not regrettable. After all, there are only a few in Austria who can rise from the common people.
Mackenson's friend was able to rush out. In addition to luck and ability, the surname also played a role.
The descendant descendants of nobles are usually similar to ordinary people, but once turned over, they can quickly continue their connections with the family behind them.
After a brief moment of stupefaction, Mackensen replied: "That's right! He suggested that we should not act rashly and strengthen our relationship with the Palace of Vienna first.
After all, when we were strong, we often offended Austria.
It is not possible to settle accounts after autumn, but there must be many people in the Vienna government who are unhappy with us. These people may not be able to accomplish anything, but it is easy to ruin our affairs. "