Chapter 658 Trouble with the French
A piece of fallen leaves were scattered on the ground, paving a golden "golden road".
Stepping on it makes a "clack" sound from time to time, which makes people feel so comfortable, as if stepping on a cotton blanket, there is no extra leaf, every leaf is a golden leaf, which makes people feel unforgettable.
The joy of the harvest fills Vienna, and the Franz family, who are out in the suburbs, have been lingering in the beautiful scenery and cannot extricate themselves.
Franz, who is prosperous in poetry, is writing hard at this moment, preparing to leave a beautiful chapter for future generations. However, he really has no talent, and the content he writes can never satisfy him.
The craftsmanship is too heavy, as if it was created for the sake of creation, and there is no such agility as "poetry is born in nature".
In this regard, Franz still has integrity. He has never found a shooter, and naturally he has no works that he can produce.
Destroying the evidence of the failure of creation, Franz was about to start all over again when the maid hurried over.
"Your Majesty, I just heard the news that the Tsarist government handed over the Commonwealth War Book at noon yesterday."
Hearing this news, Franz put down his pen and instructed: "Go on, pack your luggage immediately and prepare to go back to the palace."
When the Russian-Prussian War broke out, not only the situation in Europe has changed, but even the situation in the world will also change. Despite being well prepared, Franz had to go back and preside over the bigger picture.
...
Since it is an outing, it is naturally impossible to go far. In the evening, the carriage drove into the palace again. Before there was time to rest, Franz convened a cabinet meeting.
Foreign Minister Weisenberg: "This morning, the Berlin government also handed over the gauntlet to the Russians, and the second Prussian-Russian war has broken out in full force.
This afternoon, William I released the "Speak to the People", calling on the people and the Russians to fight to the death.
At the same time, a nationwide mobilization mechanism was launched. From now on, all men in the Pubo Federation between the ages of 15 and 60 will be included in reserve training. "
"15 to 60 years old", there is no doubt that this is the most powerful mobilization in Europe and even the whole world.
The last one that was so crazy was the Principality of Montenegro. During the First Near Eastern War, the Principality of Montenegro mobilized all the men in the country.
Franz did not accuse the madness of the Berlin government. In the face of life and death, no matter what decision it makes, it is understandable.
"How about the response of the people of the Commonwealth of Pubo? Do the people support the actions of the Berlin government?"
The most important thing in extreme mobilization is the full cooperation of the people. During World War II, Bulgaria, with a population of just over four million, mobilized 1.26 million troops, relying on the full support of the people.
Foreign Minister Weisenberg: "The time is too short, and we have not been able to investigate in depth. However, from the previous information, the people should support the war.
Especially the Polish people, they hate the Russians very much. If this war goes well, the Commonwealth of Pubo will really become a country after the war. "
Dabobo's awareness of national independence can be said to be the strongest in the world. William I was able to pull the two countries together, and the most important thing was the common enemy - the Russian Empire.
Under the repression of external forces, the two countries reluctantly leaned against each other, but they were still two countries in essence. Poland still retains an independent government, but there is a central government on its head.
The current political structure of the Pope Federation is somewhat similar to that of Austria before 1848. Poland is like Hungary, which wants to be independent, but because of the threat of the Russians, it does not dare to be independent.
Now the opportunity has come. Once the war breaks out, the Polish government will not have the confidence to refuse the central government's intervention in internal affairs. Power is easy to give away, but difficult to get back.
Don't think, Franz knows what the Berlin government will do next. Taking the opportunity of joint operations, he took command of the Polish army; taking advantage of the opportunity of coordinating logistics, he took command of transportation and local governments.
If the means are clever enough, they can also use a knife to kill people and take the opportunity to weaken Poland's strength. As long as a large number of men were killed and wounded, Poland would not be able to stop the general trend of the merger between the two countries after the war.
Prime Minister Felix: "Not only the Poles want war, but the Junkers have the right to speak in the Prussian region, and their desire to fight is very strong.
The victory of the last war has made many people get carried away. If this war allows them to easily win again, it is estimated that someone will want to challenge us. "
For a great Germanist, the Pope Confederation was a cancer. The stronger the Commonwealth of Pope, the less chance of Austrian unification of the German region.
There is no way, a single Kingdom of Prussia can also let them join the Shinra Empire. If another Poland is added, it will be too much.
No matter what changes in Austrian focus, Felix's belief in a unified Germany never changed.
Even though he is over seventy years old, Felix still insists on visiting all the states in the German region once a year to promote "Great German Thought".
This is clearly not what these state governments want to see. If it weren't for the fact that Austria's advantage was too great, the vested interests needed to leave a way for themselves, and Felix would have been shut out long ago.
Franz smiled slightly: "Don't worry, my Prime Minister. The Russians are not soft persimmons, and this war will not be over in a short time.
Britain and France support the Commonwealth of Commonwealth, and we support the Russian Empire. Both sides want money and money, and they want materials and materials, and the last thing to fight is people.
The commanding ability of the federal officers in Pubo is stronger, and the domestic infrastructure is more complete; the Russians have a large land.
Rich in resources and large in population. Both sides have their own advantages, and this war has to be fought. "
Even wars are often the most brutal. For the common interests of all, Britain, France and Austria will not let them end the war easily.
Foreign Minister Weisenberg: "Your Majesty, before the outbreak of the Russian-Prussian War, the Berlin government not only sold its only colony, but also successively sold all its colonial strongholds overseas.
The buyers were all French, even if someone had offered a higher price. There are various indications that there is an unknown transaction between the French and the Commonwealth.
During William I's visit to Paris, the Austrian threat theory was also put forward. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the secret agreement between the French and the French should be aimed at us. "
The secret appointment is the most troublesome thing. Franz has always been playing secret appointments and cheating people. He didn't expect Feng Shui to take turns, and now it's his turn to worry.
After pondering for a while, Franz waved his hand: "Forget about the Franco-Prussian Secret Pact, before the end of the Russian-Prussian War, even if they wanted to target us, they would not have the strength.
The French economy is already in trouble, and if their African development plan fails, the good days of the Paris government are over. "
Franz has downgraded the French threat by two notches since Napoleon III annexed the Italian regions. The Italian region looks like a piece of fat, but it is actually a glossy appearance.
In the industrial age, development is inseparable from resources. The Italian region happens to be the region with the most scarce resources in Europe. If the French want to digest it, they must first solve the resource problem.
Unfortunately, France is not rich in resources, and its own development is not enough. If it is not enough, it can only be imported. Now "Grand France" imports a large amount of industrial raw materials every year.
France has been running a trade deficit since 1870. If the franc can become a world currency, a small deficit can easily be made up.
Unfortunately, under the squeeze of the British pound and the Aegis, the living space of the franc is already very small, and more and more countries are unwilling to reserve the franc.
Against this background, the outflow of gold and silver is naturally unstoppable. Fortunately, in this era, there are still many countries that directly use gold and silver as their currency. With their solid wealth, the Paris government has smoothed out the deficit by selling silver.
This situation is obviously unsustainable, and there are only two paths before the French government, either to increase exports or to reduce imports.
There is no need to think about increasing exports. Because of the cost of industrial production, French industrial and commercial products have always been uncompetitive in the international market.
If exports cannot increase, then imports can only be reduced. It is against this background that the development of the African continent has become the national policy of the Paris government.
Of course, this development is different from the development in Austria. The French just want to establish a raw material origin, but they are not prepared to localize.
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At the Palace of Versailles, the news of the outbreak of the Russian-Prussian War came, and Napoleon IV immediately decided to hold a banquet to celebrate the good news.
Looking forward to the stars and the moon, it is finally here. In recent years, the French economy has encountered bottlenecks and has been in a downturn for several years.
Economy Minister Elsa: "Your Majesty, the outbreak of the Russian-Prussian War is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for domestic industry and commerce, but it is also accompanied by a crisis.
Compared with the gains brought by the war, the profits that can be obtained by investing in the North African colonies are too small. If we can't solve this problem, I'm afraid our African continent development plan will fail again. "
Development is inseparable from capital. Without sufficient capital investment, the development plan of the African continent will naturally fail.
Originally, the French capitalists had no interest in developing the colonies, just because of the excess domestic capital, there were not enough investment projects. With the continuous efforts of the government, it was reluctant to persuade some people to invest in the colony.
It's different now. The Russian-Prussian war broke out and new opportunities for making money appeared.
Anyone with a bit of political savvy knows that this war will not be over in a short period of time. As long as you invest in war-related fields, you can get rich returns.
Rather than invest in a colony that sees no return, stay and make a fortune in war. In the face of interests, everyone knows how to choose.
Napoleon IV's good mood disappeared instantly. The African strategy is of great importance to the French economy, and the outbreak of the Prussian-Russian War meant that all their early efforts were in vain.
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