Chapter 967 Flexible Diplomacy
The end of the European Continental War not only means that Austria has gained European hegemony, but more importantly, the sword hanging over Austria no longer exists.
Take a look at the "Draft on the Disposal of the Law" and you will know that Austria has fed its allies this time, and it has also fed up their hatred.
It can be imagined how bad the relationship between Fao and Austria will be next. But these are all small problems, and there are many countries with high hatred values.
The meat that is eaten cannot be spit out. At this stage, if the French want to make a comeback, they must first ask their neighbors if they will answer.
Unlike today, when the French could despise these neighbors before the war, the situation is completely different after the war.
Although the declining Spain is not very powerful, it is big! Now that the fertile Roussillon region has been recovered, its strength will be further developed.
The newly restored kingdom of Sardinia cannot be counted on for the time being, but its development potential is not small. On the issue of anti-French, there is also the support of the Italian states. After an unpleasant experience, you definitely don't want to come here a second time.
Belgium, whose vitality has been severely damaged, is not very strong. It is as deep as the sea of hatred against the law.
Switzerland, the country of mountains, although its national strength is not good, everyone knows that the famous Swiss mercenaries are definitely hard to crack.
If France wants to make a comeback, no matter which direction it takes to make a breakthrough, it will be as difficult as reaching the sky. In particular, Austria was still staring at the side, and the movement was a little louder, and it was another anti-French war.
According to the analysis of the think-tank, after the war, the combined national strength of the four countries of West, Switzerland, Belgium and Sarawak is comparable to that of France. The blockade is unbreakable as long as the French are not broken through.
The threat of the Western Front ceased to exist, and the European continent was at peace. As long as Austria does not take the initiative to do things, no one can afford to do things.
As a pacifist, Franz decided to go out and toss less in the years to come, and just stay at home to farm.
Well, these are all deceitful people. The truth is that Austria is fed up and needs to stop and digest.
War is a beast of gold, even though Austria seems to be easy to win this time, in fact, the Vienna government is also heavily in debt.
In order to support this war, Austria not only emptied the national treasury, but also borrowed 800 million Aegis from the bank, and successively launched three war bonds to the people, totaling 760 million Aegis.
If it's just a billion-dollar increase in debt, it's not something Franz should worry about. After all, the Vienna government is in a good financial position, and there is no pressure to take on this debt.
The problem is that the German-Austrian merger has already begun, and other regions do not need much support from Austria, but the reconstruction expenditure in the Rhineland region is indispensable.
On this issue, don't expect the German federal government to pay, they are already heavily in debt.
Not long ago, due to arrears of wages, there was a general strike by public officials, and the rubber-stamp emperor of Hanover had long since let go.
According to the previous agreement, after the Vienna Peace Conference, George I will announce the dissolution of the federation and give up the throne. Anyway, it has nothing to do with myself, it is naturally broken.
In the end, Franz couldn't see it, and supported a sum of money to allow the government to function normally.
The real unfortunate ones are the creditors of the German federal government. The debtor is gone, and there is no heir to bear the debt, and the creditor's rights will naturally disappear.
The following state governments will not admit the debt, and Franz will also not admit the debt. No matter where the lawsuit goes, no one can say that the Holy Roman Empire is the heir to the German Confederation.
Debts may not be inherited, but territories must be received. The Rhineland region is the German federal government territory, not belonging to any state, and will naturally become the Vienna government territory after the merger.
Needless to say, since it is an area directly under the central government, it will naturally be funded by the central government for reconstruction. The states below are most humanitarian and support a little, and they are not legally responsible.
The resettlement of millions of people in their hometowns, from food, clothing, housing and transportation to jobs, all need the Vienna government to solve. Thinking about it makes your scalp tingling.
In contrast, the construction of newly occupied areas is nothing. Although the cost is also huge, there is no time requirement!
When the locals are repatriated, it becomes a no-man’s land, and the Vienna government can develop it whenever it wants.
In addition to these overheads, there is a huge hole to fill. The war has been going on until now, and the Austrian army has also paid a heavy price, and the casualty compensation is also an astronomical figure.
Up to now, the Vienna government has issued a cumulative pension of 460 million Aegis. It's not over yet, it's only a matter of time before the fee exceeds 1 billion.
Now it depends on how much the military merit field can be repaid. If the soldiers choose to take cash, it is estimated that the Vienna government is not far from bankruptcy.
Add all the expenses together, because of this war, the final cost that the Vienna government needs to spend will definitely not be less than 5 billion Aegis.
The direct economic loss caused by the war is as high as 7 billion Aegis, and the indirect economy even exceeds 15 billion Aegis.
Simply calculating economic accounts and asking the French to pay tens of billions of Aegis is not wrong at all.
However, the reality is very cruel. No matter how much you ask for, people who have no money will have no money. No matter how high the indemnity amount is set, in the end it is only what people have in their pockets.
If it hadn't harvested a large number of colonies, at the same time cleared the obstacles to the unification of the German region, and established Austria's European hegemony, the Vienna government would have lost its pants in this war.
From this point of view, the
Lanz had to thank the French for their wealth. If you compare the war in the original time and space, you can see that Britain and France, the victorious countries, lost their shorts.
After this unpleasant experience, Franz finally understood why Britain and France played appeasement before World War II. It's not that politicians don't know the risks, it's just that they can't afford it anymore.
"Peace is made." The meaning of this sentence can be said to be reflected in the true sense here.
No matter what other people think, Austria cannot afford to fight anyway. Fortunately, this war lasted only one year. If it lasted for three or five years, it would really shake the foundation.
Thinking of this, Franz admired the tsarist government. The Near Eastern War, the Prussian-Russian War, the Anglo-Russian War... Since Franz's accession to the throne, the Russian Empire has not been at peace, and it will come every ten years or so.
After so many wars, the tsarist government has not only persevered, but the foundation of its rule has not been shaken, and even the domestic contradictions are less than in the original time and space.
Of course, the alleviation of domestic conflicts also comes at a price. The population of the Russian Empire was 20 million less than in the same period in the original time and space, and the total amount of industry was far less than in the same period in history. The only things that exceeded the original time and space were probably only territory and agriculture.
The overall national strength has declined, but the regime has stabilized. It was supposed to be a joke, but it happened.
But a careful study of history reveals that something similar happened more than once in history.
After each dynasty change, a large number of people die, and then social contradictions are eased. As long as the ruling class does not die, a prosperous era will come.
The situation in the Russian Empire is similar. The tsarist government survived the most dangerous period of war and became the victor, and now it is natural to enjoy the fruits of victory.
From this point of view, wars were often waged on the European continent in the Middle Ages, and it was not only the noble lords who were belligerent, and there was no lack of the intention to use wars to reduce the population.
...
One wave has not settled, and another has risen.
When the Anti-French Alliance was immersed in the victory of the Anti-French War, the British were not idle either. Taking advantage of the French defeat and no time to worry about overseas, they brazenly sent troops to invade the French Indochina Peninsula.
No, it's not certain that it's an invasion yet. The British took out the colonial transfer agreement signed with the Bonaparte dynasty. If the content is true, it is just an ordinary colonial transaction.
There is no doubt that the defeat on the European continent was so disastrous that the French colonial government far overseas naturally did not have the determination to resist the British.
Seeing the colony transfer agreement, whether it is true or not, all the colonial governments surrendered one after another.
No, it should be said that the territory was handed over. Although the British took over the colony, the French army was not disarmed, let alone entered a prisoner of war camp.
The rapid progress overseas has not pleased the British government. Seeing the day of the Vienna Peace Conference approaching, the smile on Gladstone's face became less and less.
No matter how much you eat overseas, it's just some leftovers. The power of the anti-French alliance could not be extended, so they took advantage of it.
Such cheapness has no meaning in the current international situation. Britain, already isolated, became even more isolated.
The original allies and younger brothers are now all gone. It can only be said that the advantages of the anti-French alliance are too obvious. No matter how the London government draws them together, there is no European country to stand with them.
Gladstone, who was planning to do things at the Vienna Peace Conference, has no interest now. The current international situation is very obvious. As long as the anti-French alliance is not dissolved, the European continent has no right to speak.
Foreign Secretary George: "According to the news from the embassy in Vienna, the closed-door meeting of the anti-French alliance has ended. The specific content is temporarily unknown, but they have already expelled the French.
Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Sardinia and other countries have all taken action to expel the French from the border areas.
According to preliminary estimates, the anti-French alliance has reached an agreement to carve up France. Most of the current expulsion is to prepare for the next annexation of the territory.
Because the French army has taken similar actions in the German region before, the anti-French alliance is now going to retaliate, and it is not easy for us to condemn it morally. "
Notre Dame is not popular these days, and blood debt is the mainstream of the times. The European Continental War was a war of aggression initiated by the French, and revenge by the anti-French alliance was also a matter of course.
Of course, the more important thing is that the anti-French alliance is too powerful for "100 million" points. The vast majority of European countries are members of the anti-French alliance, and a few neutral countries have followed suit.
Continental Europe is in the same position, and Britain's detached status naturally ceases to exist. Standing directly on the opposite side of the anti-French alliance, the London government is also cowardly.
Receiving this bad news, Gladstone's brows furrowed even tighter: "Do whatever it takes to figure out the contents of the treaty, don't rush to take a stand before that.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued to communicate with Russia and the West. The too powerful Austria was not in their interests, and they encouraged them to come out and compete for the spoils. "
This is a conspiracy. Every major European country has a dream of hegemony on the European continent, and Russia and Spain are no exception.
Austria has become their biggest stumbling block on the road to supremacy, and they certainly wouldn't mind kicking them off if they had the chance.
George shook his head: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, this is impossible. Spain has fallen, and now it is busy counterattacking the Philippines. It is just when Austria needs support that it is impossible to turn its face.
The Russians are really ambitious, but their way to the west is blocked and there is not enough
Be sure, they will not turn against Austria. "
A "potential" competitor is just a "potential". Spain is too weak to compete for hegemony; the Russians are powerful, but the tsarist government is not stupid.
It is easy to fight for the spoils, the problem is to eat it. Whether it is to carve up the mainland of France or to compete for overseas colonies, a strong navy is needed to back it up.
This is exactly what the Russian Empire does not have. Turning your face for something you can't get and your allies can only happen when your brain is flooded.
Gladstone slammed the table: "If you can't do it, you have to do it, the anti-French alliance is too strong, we can't directly compete with them, we can only disintegrate from the inside.
If Russia and Spain cannot be persuaded to be anti-Austria, they should find a way to join the alliance. In short, Britain cannot be isolated from the European world. "
Join if you can't handle it, this is a traditional British skill. In the past, Fao were all allies, but after Britain joined, the two countries quickly became strangers.
If there are international relations scholars who study this period of history, they will find that there is a clear turning point in the Fao-Austrian relationship.
Before the establishment of the Triple Alliance, the two countries could be said to be in a honeymoon period; after the establishment of the Triple Alliance, the contradictions between the two countries continued to intensify, which directly led to the disintegration of the alliance.
From this point of view, Britain also played a disgraceful role in this European war, but miscalculated the strength of both sides, which led to the collapse of the later game.