Chapter 255 The Tsar Wants to Abolish Slaves

January 1, 1855 is a memorable day in European history. On this day, the Four-Power Pact officially came into effect, and the European continent entered the era of the new Vienna system.

Each country begins to fulfill its responsibilities and obligations in accordance with the provisions of the treaty. British soldiers who "wrongly entered" Serbia have also begun to be repatriated.

Originally, when the negotiations started, these British soldiers could leave, but after staying in Serbia for so long, they were not idle.

Although the London government pays their living expenses, but everyone has no pocket money in their pockets, the bureaucrats of the London government will not send military salaries.

Austria only disarmed them, but did not restrict their personal freedom. In addition to a fixed place to stay and dine, the tavern is their favorite.

The Austrian government is only responsible for providing three meals a day, extra consumption, pay for it yourself! The days of sitting and eating the mountains and the air soon made the British soldiers extremely poor. It was difficult to live without money, and it would definitely be unbearable for a long time.

Violation of discipline? Now the Serbian region is under military control, and if you catch it, there is a risk of losing your head.

At this time, the local area was undergoing reconstruction, and there was a lack of young and strong labor. In order to make their lives more comfortable, many soldiers took up part-time jobs to earn pocket money.

The young men and women in Serbia suffered heavy losses, and the ratio of males and females was seriously imbalanced.

With a family, it is natural to have concerns with the local area. In this era of inconvenient transportation, this parting is a goodbye for most people. If it is not for the repeated urging of the British government, it is estimated that it will be delayed for a long time.

The Austrian government took in a total of 2,183 British soldiers. When they finally left, the team had grown to 3,128, and the additions were naturally family members.

Regardless of how the British cabinet felt after receiving the news, Franz was completely stunned after receiving the news.

However, considering the special situation in Serbia, he understood. Women of the right age always have to get married, and there are not enough young people in the local area, so they can only find them outside.

The British brand is still very useful in this era, at least for the Serbian locals, this identity is still tempting.

International marriages are legal in Austria. As long as both parties agree and then complete the registration in the church, they are protected by law.

Not only the British soldiers, but also many Austrian troops stationed in Serbia had the same situation. For this reason, there was a controversy in the General Staff. Finally, in the context of national integration, the government gave the green light.

It is impossible to block, and Franz still has this bit of tolerance. Why do you want to beat the mandarin ducks? It just added a sum of living expenses for the families of British soldiers, which the London government paid for.

Politically, this has also become a testimony to the friendship between Britain and Austria, at least that's what the British media reported. John Bull also wants face, and no one has investigated the real reason.

This is just a small episode, it is nothing more than a joke for people to have after dinner, and it will soon pass.

On the day the treaty came into force, Austria and the Ottoman Empire also completed the exchange of contracts. The Ottoman Empire recognized its defeat and ceded Serbia, Wallachia, Moldavia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina to Austria, and the territorial sovereignty of the above-mentioned areas was officially changed.

There is no hesitation in ceding territory. They are separated by France and Russia. Even if this area is given to the Ottoman Empire, they can do nothing.

In contrast, there was a dispute over the territorial transactions between the French and the Ottoman Empire, and the French representative directly issued a loan receipt for payment, and the Ottomans were naturally dissatisfied.

How can you go back on a good cash transaction now? But the French don't think so. Deducting 200 million francs from the debt is not also a cash payment?

Anyway, no matter how the Ottomans protested, the Paris government made up its mind that what cash could not give was to reduce its debt holdings.

No way, the French government is not rich now. The Near East War has reached the present, and the military expenditure of the French government is also an astronomical figure, and Napoleon III is also suffering from financial problems.

Moreover, after the loss of the Balkans, the solvency of the Ottoman Empire has also dropped significantly. If the debt is not reduced, whether these loans can be recovered is a problem.

The capitalists refused to take this risk, so they encouraged the French government to take over the debt. In order to win people's hearts, Napoleon III naturally agreed.

Disputes are disputes, or do not affect the performance of the treaty. International loans are usually overlord contracts, and soon the French found the interpretation clause on the loan contract, proving the legitimacy of what they did, making the Ottomans obediently shut up.

All the treaties were carried out normally, the new Vienna system was established, and the clouds of war that shrouded the European continent disappeared.

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St. Petersburg

The streets and alleys are celebrating this great victory, but this does not include the top officials of the tsarist government. Their families know their own affairs, and they are very aware of how much moisture this victory will bring.

If it weren't for the sudden plague that hit the confidence of the French, it is estimated that the Russian army was still fighting fiercely in Constantinople at this time.

In the Winter Palace, Nicholas I roared: "Why can't the great Russian Empire even get a little post-war pension?"

Gray animals are worthless, but after all, they have won battles, so how many people should they be given some compensation? Those who survive should also be rewarded a little bit, and they can't get enough of the promotion, so a little bounty will always be given out!

If these tasks are not done well, the next

Who once gave his life to the tsar?

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Aristan Lirod, replied with a wry smile: "Your Majesty, the casualties of this war are too great, and Constantinople needs to be rebuilt again. The government's finances have long been overwhelmed. Now we have to spend hundreds of millions of rubles at one time. , it is really difficult.”

Constantinople must be rebuilt. This is a dual demand of politics and religion. Even if it is to sell iron, the tsarist government can only bite the bullet.

Post-war pensions and bounties must also be issued, both of which are equally important. This will undoubtedly be a test for Russia's finances.

The Russians must thank the plague for ending the war ahead of schedule. If it drags on for another year and a half, they won't be able to make money even if they sell iron.

Nicholas I snarled: "If you don't have money, you can find a solution. You don't need to remind you of financial difficulties. Now the task of the Ministry of Finance is to find a way to solve this financial crisis.

In any case, post-war pensions had to be paid, and the cost of rebuilding Constantinople had to be raised. "

"Your Majesty, the best way now is to collect donations from the people for the reconstruction of Constantinople.

The government is short of money. We can try to avoid giving cash directly as rewards after the war, such as giving the soldiers themselves and their families the status of free citizens.

You can also learn from the Austrians, grant land to ordinary soldiers according to the size of the credit, and reduce financial expenses. ' replied Aristan Lirod

The serfs in the Russian Empire got rid of their status restrictions, that is, they fought for His Majesty the Tsar.

This road is very narrow, serfs are the private property of the nobles, and the tsar cannot arbitrarily deprive them. While granting the status of free people, they must also compensate the owners of the serfs.

Now Aristan Lirod means that he is undoubtedly fighting the land in the newly occupied area. In any case, the Bulgarian region was more fertile than most of the Russian Empire.

These lands are also wealth, which can be traded with nobles. Serfs do not have private property, and giving land to soldiers is more like giving land to their masters.

Now that everyone has received the benefits, granting these serf soldiers the status of free citizens is naturally not a problem.

This is based on the victory of the Near Eastern War. Otherwise, if you want to give so many soldiers the status of free people, it is estimated that the nobles will not be so easy to compromise.

Emancipation of serfs is not so easy to do. As the Minister of Finance, Aristan Lirod did not dare to say liberation of serfs directly. Instead, he used roundabout means to release some of the serfs by taking advantage of post-war rewards.

Nicholas I was not a fool, and soon understood what Aristan Lirod meant. The number of Russian soldiers who participated in this Near Eastern War is almost two million.

Most of them were born into serfs. If these people and their families were turned into free people, it would undoubtedly open the door for abolition of slavery.

The harm of serfdom to Nicholas I is clear, if not for too much resistance, he would have already started to do it.

After the outbreak of the war in the Near East, they saw the strength of capitalist countries, and the Russian upper class had realized that serfdom had to be abolished before they could catch up.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to win the award is very maneuverable. Even if this temptation fails, the government has not directly announced the abolition of serfdom, so there is still room for relaxation with the nobles.

After thinking about all this clearly, Nicholas I nodded, agreeing with Aristan Lirod's plan.

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