Chapter 702 Legacy and Threat

The Russian-Prussian War has developed to this stage, and the international situation in post-war Europe will definitely undergo earth-shaking changes. As the standard-bearer, the Vienna government naturally wants to guide the situation in its own direction.

Pulling back his stray thoughts, Franz said slowly: "The Berlin government is already in a hurry. The situation in the Pope Federation may be worse than what we know.

According to the current development of the situation, the possibility of Pubo Federation turning over is very small, and we can prepare for the aftermath.

This time, we will not only fight against competitors and recover the previous investment, but also take away the biggest dividend. "

The Russian-Prussian war was not just as simple as it seemed. The Vienna government invested so much money, not just for the Russians to win the war.

The credibility of the Tsarist government is well known, and how could Franz support them if there were no good returns?

The Russian-Austrian friendship can at most fool ordinary people. Anyone with a little common sense knows that this thing is unreliable.

Perhaps before the Prussian-Russian War, the friendship between Russia and Austria had a long history. After the war, the two countries will transition from allies to rivals.

Of course, the tsarist government paid a heavy price in this war, owed a huge amount of debt, could not turn over for decades, and did not have the capital to turn against Austria in a short period of time.

For a long time to come, Russia-Austria friendship will remain the subject of diplomacy between the two countries, until one side does not need it.

The reason for letting Franz pay his capital is naturally not the attractive collateral provided by the Russians. In fact, asking for the territory as a mortgage is just to reassure Alexander II that he can take revenge against the Pubo Federation with confidence and boldness.

No matter how fertile the land in Ukraine is, it will only fall into the hands of Austria if the Russians are defeated and defaulted.

If the tsarist government wins the war, Austria also earns a loan interest, plus a little war money, the benefits and risks are completely disproportionate.

Using debt default to attack the British can be considered one of the goals; using excess production capacity after the war to suppress the French manufacturing industry can also be regarded as one of the goals; what really made the Vienna government pay the most is to eat the legacy left by the Commonwealth of Pope after the defeat of the war. .

It's not land. Although there is a lot of land in the Commonwealth of Pope, it is not enough to make Franz tempted.

Moreover, the Russians paid a painful price of millions of casualties for this war. It is impossible to let people do it in vain, right?

If Austria foolishly ran to take over the territory of the Commonwealth of Pubo, it would not be able to eat much meat. Instead, it would have to take on the heavy responsibility of guarding the eastern gate of Europe, and would fight to the end with the Russians from then on.

Building a Central European empire is tempting, but it comes at a very high price. The strategic position of Austria is already very bad, and if it extends its territory to the Baltic Sea, it will never be peaceful.

In Franz's view, the biggest legacy left by the Pope Federation is not the land, but the people on the land, especially the experienced officers.

After the Pubo Federation is over, the only two who are eligible to inherit these inheritances are Russia and Austria.

There is no doubt that Prussia and Russia have just had a shopping spree, and the seeds of hatred have been planted. No matter how the Junkers nobles have no morals, they will not be able to take refuge in the past immediately.

Moreover, even if they were willing to defect, they had to be willing to take them in.

Don't say that the Russian military does not welcome the Junkers, even the Austrian military will not welcome them, and no one is willing to add a group of people to their own bowls to grab food.

Franz wanted to subdue these people for his own use, and he would not directly recruit them. There were also not so many places in the Austrian army to place them.

Except for a very few generals, who can enter the military academy and impart war experience, most Junkers nobles still need to go home to farm and become a member of the Austrian military reserve officers.

If the continental war breaks out, there is still a chance for them to perform, otherwise they will only die in the field.

This is the instinct of the emperor. There is no doubt about the military literacy of the Junkers. Franz must be in his hands. Even if you don't use it yourself, you can't use it for others.

After the Russians won the war, if they wanted to settle their own people locally, they would have to liquidate their vested interests.

Not only the Junkers nobles, but also the common people may be unlucky. In fact, they don't want to be unlucky. What will the Russians use to pay Austria's debt if they don't raid their home?

The Russian-Austrian loan also has a secret agreement, but it is not only a territorial exchange, but also one of the conditions that the two sides have secretly reached.

This is also to get what they need, the tsarist government can clear the local instability, and Austria can get a batch of labor force to develop the colony.

Of course, there are limits to conventions. Austria does not want everyone who wants to collect rags. After the war, the Vienna government will buy these prisoners of war from the Russians in the name of rescuing their German compatriots, and take the soldiers' families along the way.

Franz is not afraid of someone stealing business. Nationalism has risen. Except for him, the emperor of Shinra, who holds high the banner of a unified Germany and can conquer them with national righteousness, other countries have no such capital.

Spread these people over the colonies, and Austria can digest them quickly. If it falls into the hands of Britain and France, I am afraid they will not dare to put these people on the colony.

The remnants of the army are also relatively speaking. The combat effectiveness of these people is not bad, and they are definitely at the forefront when they arrive in the colony.

If you enter the British and French colonies, the cultural traditions are different, and you will not be able to integrate in a short period of time. That is a proper unstable molecule, and it is still the kind that may ignite the wolf smoke at any time.

Felik

Prime Minister Sri Lanka: "Your Majesty, it is the British who are in the most trouble now, and they may encourage the rest of Europe to intervene in this war.

The life and death of the Commonwealth of Pope does not matter to us, but the Kingdom of Prussia is one of the German states, although they themselves have announced their withdrawal.

As leaders of the German nation, we cannot completely turn to the Russians on this issue. On the bright side, we must also make a gesture of protecting Prussia and give an explanation to the outside world.

If the Tsarist government could not stand the pressure and let the Kingdom of Prussia go, it would be very difficult for our plan to proceed. "

Nationalism is a double-edged sword. Now that Austria has enjoyed the benefits brought by nationalism, it must undertake the obligations brought about by nationalism.

For example: unifying the German region, maintaining the territorial integrity of the German region, combating separatism...

There is no doubt that the Vienna government will definitely intervene. Not to mention the preservation of the entire Kingdom of Prussia, at least to preserve the territory of the Prussian region.

After thinking for a while, Franz shook his head: "Don't worry. Poland and Lithuania are territories that were once recognized by the Russians in the world. As the victor, the tsarist government will definitely be able to take it back.

Even if the Kingdom of Prussia is saved, it will shed a layer of skin. Huge debts, war reparations, a tired domestic economy, all these factors put together, it is not so easy to get rid of.

If you want to make a comeback, the international situation must allow it. The Russians will not give up suppressing them, and we will not give them this opportunity. "

For Austria, the size of the Kingdom of Prussia was still too large, so big that Austria was worried that if they swallowed them, they would be choked to death.

Without splitting the Kingdom of Prussia, the road to German unification will always be a castle in the air. The new Shinra Empire established by Franz does not need powerful states. The existence of the Kingdom of Prussia will weaken the authority of the central government.

Splitting is easy to say, but it is very troublesome to operate. First of all, this kind of hatred cannot be done by Austria. Otherwise, even if the future is unified, the Prussian people will be alienated from the central government.

In this context, Franz chose the Russian as the knife. For strategic considerations, it is not surprising to support the Russians in the Russo-Prussian War.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg: "Your Majesty, if the Commonwealth of Pope is defeated, the European continent will be dominated by Britain, France, Austria and Russia in the future.

Geographically, we occupy the center of the European continent and are naturally the most favorable competitor for continental hegemony.

Whether we like it or not, in the future we will all be involved in European disputes. In recent years, our strength has grown rapidly, which has made many people feel uneasy.

With the development of the times, the number of international conflicts will gradually increase in the future. Under the trend of interests, it is very likely that France and Russia will move closer.

In theory, we could also win over the British as allies to counter the Franco-Russian alliance, but this is the worst option. "

Not possible, but very likely. In the original time and space, France and Russia were all leaning against each other, but the alliance between Britain and Germany was in vain.

Did the Russians really go to the French because of the loans? Franz thought it was before the crossing, and now he doesn't think so anymore.

In the original time and space, France and Russia moved closer, which was essentially a strategic need. The Second German Empire was too strong, which made them feel threatened and had to huddle together to keep warm. Lending is the catalyst, not the deciding factor.

Although the international situation has changed, Austria's strength can also arouse the vigilance of France and Russia.

France and Russia have not moved closer. It is nothing more than a friendly relationship between Russia and Austria. The French are still immersed in the glory of the Napoleonic era and have not clearly recognized the Austrian threat.

Franz nodded with satisfaction. He was able to clearly see the potential threat to Austria from the post-war international situation, which was enough to prove that the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had matured, not immersed in the past glory, and had a sober self-awareness.

"It's certainly a big threat, but it's for the future. We still have time to make arrangements to completely weaken our competitors before they react.

The most important thing right now is the Prussian-Russian War, eating the legacy left by the Prussian Federation and enhancing our potential strength. "

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