The end of the European War not only meant that Austria had gained the hegemony of Europe, but more importantly, the sword hanging over Austria's head no longer existed.
Looking at the draft law, it was clear that Austria had fed its allies to their heart's content this time, but at the same time, it had also drawn hatred.
One could imagine how bad the relationship between Fao and Austria would be. But these were all small problems. The more hatred there was, the more countries there were.
They couldn't spit out the meat they had eaten. At this point, if the French wanted to make a comeback, they would first have to ask their neighbors if they would agree.
Things were different now. Before the war, the French could despise their neighbors, but after the war, the situation was completely different.
Although the declining Spain wasn't strong, they were big! Now that they had taken back the rich Roussillon region, their strength would be further developed.
The newly restored Kingdom of Sardinia couldn't be counted on for the time being, but the potential for development was not small. On the issue of anti-French, they had the support of the Italian countries. After an unpleasant experience, no one would want to experience it a second time.
The greatly weakened Belgium wasn't very strong, but compared to the deep hatred of France, they were the vanguard of the anti-French.
The mountainous country of Switzerland, although not very strong, everyone knew that the famous Swiss mercenaries were definitely difficult to deal with.
If France wanted to make a comeback, it would be as difficult as ascending to the sky, no matter which direction they broke through. Especially since Austria was still watching from the side. If they made any big movements, it would be another war against France.
According to the analysis of the think tank, after the war, the combined national strength of the West, Switzerland, Belgium, and Austria was comparable to France. As long as the French didn't break them one by one, the blockade was unbreakable.
The threat of the western front no longer existed, and the European continent was peaceful. As long as Austria didn't take the initiative to cause trouble, no one could cause trouble.
As a pacifist, Franz decided to go out less in the future and stay at home to farm when he had nothing to do.
Alright, this was all a scam. The truth was that Austria had eaten too much and needed to stop and digest.
War was a gold-eating monster. Although Austria seemed to have won easily, the Government of Vienna was also in debt.
In order to support this war, not only did Austria deplete its national treasury, but it also borrowed 800 million DND from the bank. It issued war bonds to the public three times, totaling 760 million DND.
If it was just a few billion in debt, it was not worth Franz's worry. After all, the Government of Vienna was in good financial condition, and it was not a problem for them to bear this amount of debt.
The problem was that the merger between Germany and Austria had already begun. The other regions didn't need much support from Austria, but the reconstruction costs of the Rhineland region couldn't be avoided.
Don't expect the German Confederation government to fork out money on this issue. They were already deep in debt.
Not long ago, the civil servants went on strike because of unpaid wages. Hanover's rubber stamp emperor had long since washed his hands of the matter.
According to the previous agreement, after the Vienna Peace Conference, George I would announce the dissolution of the Federation and give up the throne. In any case, it had nothing to do with him. Naturally, he would just give up.
In the end, it was Franz who couldn't take it anymore and provided a sum of money for the government to continue operating normally.
The ones who were really unlucky were the creditors of the German Confederation government. The debtors were gone, and they couldn't find an heir to bear the debt, so the creditor's rights naturally disappeared.
The state governments wouldn't recognize the debt, and Franz wouldn't recognize the debt either. No matter where the lawsuit went, no one could say that the Holy Roman Empire was the successor of the German Confederation.
The debt could not be inherited, but the territory had to be taken over. The Rhineland region was a direct jurisdiction of the German Confederation government and didn't belong to any state. After the merger, it would naturally become a direct jurisdiction of the Government of Vienna.
Needless to say, since it was a direct jurisdiction of the central government, it naturally had to be rebuilt by the central government. At most, the states below would provide some humanitarian assistance, but they wouldn't be legally responsible.
The resettlement of millions of people back home, from food, clothing, housing, and transportation to jobs, all had to be solved by the Government of Vienna. Just thinking about it made people's scalps tingle.
In comparison, the construction of the newly occupied area was nothing. Although the cost was also huge, there was no time requirement!
After the locals were repatriated, it would become a no man's land. The Government of Vienna could develop it whenever it wanted.
In addition to these costs, there was still a huge hole to fill. Up until now, the Austrian army had also paid a heavy price, and the compensation for the casualties was also an astronomical figure.
Up until now, the Government of Vienna had paid a total of 460 million BND. This wasn't the end, and it was only a matter of time before the cost exceeded 1 billion.
Now, it depended on how much the military field could be used as compensation. If the soldiers all chose to use cash, it was estimated that the Government of Vienna wouldn't be far from bankruptcy.
Adding up all the costs, the final cost of this war to the Government of Vienna would definitely not be less than 5 billion BND.
The direct economic losses caused by the war were as high as 7 billion BND, and the indirect economic losses even exceeded 15 billion BND.
Purely based on the economic accounts, it wasn't wrong to ask the French to pay tens of billions of BND.
However, the reality was very cruel. No matter how many requests were made, the French didn't have money. No matter how high the compensation amount was set, in the end, they would only get what they had in their pockets.
If it wasn't for obtaining a large number of colonies, clearing the obstacles to unifying the German Region, and establishing Austria's position as the overlord of Europe, the Government of Vienna would have lost their underpants in this war.
In this regard, Franz had to thank the French for their wealth. Comparing it to the war in the original timeline, as the victorious countries, England and France, had lost their underpants.
With this unpleasant experience, Franz finally understood why England and France played the appeasement policy before World War II. It wasn't that the politicians didn't know the risks, it was that they couldn't afford to fight anymore.
"Peace is won through fighting." The meaning of this sentence could be said to be truly reflected here.
No matter what others thought, Austria couldn't afford to fight anyway. Fortunately, this war only lasted for a year. If it had lasted for three to five years, it would really shake the foundation.
Thinking of this, Franz admired the Tsarist government. The Near East War, the Prussian War, the Anglo-Russian War … Since Franz succeeded to the throne, the Russian Empire has never been at peace, and it would come every ten years.
After so many wars, the Tsarist government not only persisted, but the foundation of its rule was not shaken, and there were even fewer domestic contradictions than in the original timeline.
Of course, the easing of domestic contradictions also has a price. The population of the Russian Empire is 20 million less than that of the original timeline, and the total industrial volume is far less than that of the same period in history. The only things that surpass the original timeline are probably the territory and agriculture.
The overall national strength has declined, but the regime is stable. It should have been a joke, but it really happened.
However, if you study history carefully, you will find that similar things have happened more than once in history.
After every change of dynasty, a large number of people will die, and then social contradictions will be alleviated. As long as the ruling class doesn't die, a prosperous era will come.
The situation of the Russian Empire is similar. The Tsarist government survived the most dangerous period of the war and became the winner. Now, it is natural to enjoy the fruits of victory.
From this point of view, the European continent often waged wars in the Middle Ages, not only because of the warlike nobles and lords, but also because of the intention to reduce the population.
…
Before the first wave subsided, another wave arose.
While the anti-French alliance was immersed in the victory of the anti-French war, the British didn't stay idle. Taking advantage of the French's defeat and having no time to care about overseas, the British invaded French Indochina.
No, it can't be confirmed for the time being that it was an invasion. The British took out the colonial transfer agreement signed with the Bonaparte Dynasty. If the content is true, then it is just an ordinary colonial transaction.
There was no doubt that with such a crushing defeat on the European continent, the French colonial government overseas naturally did not have the determination to resist the British.
Seeing the colonial transfer agreement, regardless of whether it is true or not, the colonial governments have surrendered one after another.
No, it should be said that the territory has been transferred. Although the British took over the colony, the French army was not disarmed, nor did they enter the prison camp.
The triumphant progress overseas did not make the Government of the United Kingdom feel relieved. As the day of the Vienna peace conference approached, the smile on Gladstone's face became less and less.
No matter how much they ate overseas, it was just some leftovers. The anti-French alliance's power couldn't extend, so they took advantage of it.
Such an advantage was meaningless for the current international situation. Britannia, which was already isolated, became even more isolated.
His former allies and underlings were all gone now. The advantage of the anti-French alliance was too obvious. No matter how the Government of London tried to rope them in, no European countries stood with them.
Gladstone, who was originally planning to cause trouble at the Vienna peace conference, was no longer in the mood. The current international situation was very obvious. As long as the anti-French alliance did not disband, they had no right to speak on the European continent.
Foreign Minister George: "According to the news from the embassy in Vienna, the closed-door meeting of the anti-French alliance has ended. The details are not known for the time being, but they have expelled the French.
Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Sardinia, and other countries have taken action to expel the French in the border area.
It is estimated that the anti-French alliance has reached an agreement to divide up France. The current expulsion is mostly to prepare for the annexation of the territory.
Because the French army took similar actions in the German Region before, the anti-French alliance is now retaliating, and we can't morally condemn them. "
Saints weren't popular these days. Blood for blood was the mainstream of the times. The European war was an aggressive war initiated by the French, and it was only natural for the anti-French alliance to retaliate.
Of course, the main reason was that the anti-French alliance was too powerful. Most European countries were members of the anti-French alliance, and a few neutral countries also stood on the same side.
The European continent's position was the same, and Britannia's transcendent status naturally no longer existed. Standing directly on the opposite side of the anti-French alliance, the Government of London was also terrified.
After receiving this bad news, Gladstone frowned even more. "Figure out the contents of the treaty at all costs. Before that, don't be in a hurry to take a stand.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to communicate with Russia and Spain. An overly powerful Austria is not in their interest, and encourage them to come out and fight for the spoils of war. "
This was an overt plot. Every major European country had a dream of being the hegemon of Europe, and Russia and Spain were no exception.
Austria had become the biggest stumbling block on their road to hegemony. If there was a chance, they certainly wouldn't mind kicking it away.
George shook his head. "Prime Minister, this is impossible. Spain has declined and is now busy counterattacking the Philippines. It is the time when they need Austria's support, and it is impossible to turn against them.
The Russians are indeed ambitious, but their road to the west has been blocked. Without enough confidence, they won't turn against Austria. "
A "potential" competitor was just a "potential" competitor. Spain was too weak and didn't have the capital to compete for hegemony; it was true that the Russians were strong, but the Tsarist government wasn't stupid.
It was easy to fight for the spoils of war, but the problem was to be able to eat them. Whether it was dividing up France's territory or competing for overseas colonies, a powerful navy was needed as a backing.
This happened to be what the Russian Empire didn't have. Turning against an ally for something they couldn't get was something that would only happen if their brains were damaged.
Gladstone slammed the table. "We have to do it even if we can't do it. The anti-French alliance is too powerful. We can't fight them directly. We can only disintegrate them from the inside.
If we can't persuade Russia and Spain to oppose Austria, then find a way to join the alliance. In short, Britannia can't be isolated by the European world. "
If they couldn't do it, they would join. This was a traditional Britannia skill. Back then, the Fao and Spain were allies, but after Britannia joined, the two countries quickly became strangers.
If there were international relations scholars who studied this period of history, they would find that there was an obvious turning point in the Fao 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 conflict between the two countries continued to intensify, directly leading to the disintegration of the alliance.
From this point of view, Britannia also played a dishonorable role in this European war, but they misjudged the strength of both sides, leading to the collapse of the game later.
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