Compared to Austria's calm response, the Government of Berlin was anxious.
The Pubo Federation's sign was still there, and the refugees were all citizens of the Pubo Federation. It was obviously unreasonable to stop their own people from entering the country.
However, there were also problems if they didn't stop them. Millions of refugees were pouring in, and there were certainly no jobs. Even if the Government of Berlin tried its best, it wouldn't be able to settle them.
There was no need to worry about employment, and it was easy to settle the problem of accommodation. They could just set up a shed and have a family. The refugees had no right to be picky, but they had to provide food, right?
The stomach couldn't lie. Millions of mouths were waiting to be fed. As long as they were let in, the Government of Berlin had to find a way to feed them.
There was no doubt that this was a bottomless pit. Perhaps the Russians didn't even need to attack, and the refugees would be able to eat up the Kingdom of Prussia.
Since the beginning of the second Prussian War, William I's physical fitness had declined rapidly. The unfavorable news on the battlefield had pressed the old king to the point that he was almost out of breath.
Time was unforgiving, and William I's ambitions had been diluted. Now he just wanted to land safely. However, this was already an extravagant hope.
The unique system of the Kingdom of Prussia determined that once this chariot started, it couldn't be stopped. Anyone who wanted to stop the chariot would be crushed.
This chariot without brakes could only stop when the horse was tired. As the coachman, William I could only adjust the direction of the chariot and choose as wide a road as possible.
William I dragged his old body and asked with concern, "What is the position of the European countries?"
There was no doubt that the millions of refugees had exceeded the limit of the Kingdom of Prussia. The Government of Berlin couldn't solve the refugee crisis and had to turn to the international community for help.
Foreign Minister Jeffrey Friedman replied with a gloomy face, "The situation is very bad. European countries have condemned the atrocities of the Russians, but few are willing to take practical action.
At present, the countries that provide us with substantial assistance are mainly the countries of the German Region.
Austria promised to provide us with 5 million DM's worth of supplies and 20,000 tons of food within a month for disaster relief. The other German countries added up to about 30 million DM's worth of supplies.
Our negotiations with England and Germany have also changed. The Government of London's position has changed again. Now they are leaning more towards Hanover.
If we want to gain more support from them, we must establish North Germany with Hanover and sell some of our territory to Hanover in exchange for money to pay off our debts. "
William the First didn't even have the time to sigh that his own people were the most reliable in times of crisis. He was stunned by the conditions that followed.
It was possible to establish North Germany, but it would be difficult for Hannover to take the lead. However, the Kingdom of Prussia was now in dire straits, and the subsequent sale of territory would be fatal.
The huge debt owed by the Pu Bo Federation would fall on the Government of Berlin in the future. In order to alleviate the debt crisis, he definitely needed to sell a lot of territory.
In order to gain dominance in North Germany, Hanover would also try to weaken the Kingdom of Prussia as much as possible. It was inevitable that they would be slaughtered.
Frankly speaking, if paying this price could allow him to get through this crisis safely, William the First didn't mind compromising with Hanover.
The problem was that Prussia didn't belong to him alone. The conditions proposed by Hanover had already crossed the bottom line of the Juncker nobles. They simply couldn't accept it.
This was similar to the Donglin faction at the end of the Ming Dynasty. They knew that if they didn't pay the taxes, the Great Ming Dynasty would be finished. After the reshuffle, as the vested interests, they would also be in trouble, but they weren't willing to take a step back.
After the Great Ming Dynasty was finished, they would find that their new master wasn't easy to serve, and it would be too late for regrets. Under the butcher's knife, these people quickly chose to compromise.
The Juncker nobles were similar. They could stop the war, but the premise was that their interests must be protected first.
However, the reality was that they couldn't do it. No matter which party it was, they couldn't pay such a sky-high price.
Things were stuck here. The Government of Berlin wanted to deal with the aftermath, but they didn't dare to take any action. Because the first person to wake everyone up usually didn't have a good ending.
William the First asked: "What do you think?"
The room quieted down. No one answered this question. It wasn't that they didn't know how to answer, but they didn't dare to answer.
Politics was cruel. Many times, one wrong word could cost one dearly, especially at such a sensitive time. If one was not careful, one might become a 'national traitor' that would be executed.
Seeing that no one answered, William the First sighed: "Today's words will be strictly kept secret. Only the few of us will know. Once we leave here, you don't have to admit that you said anything. If you have any ideas, feel free to say them!"
There was no helping it. This was the tragedy of the 'church and state' system. Especially after the first Russo-Prussian war, the Juncker nobles' power grew even stronger, and the Government of Berlin couldn't help but be affected.
It was worth mentioning that all the cabinet members, without exception, had a Juncker noble background. In theory, they were the representatives of this group.
But thanks to William the First's schemes and the differences in their own interests, the Juncker nobles had also split up.
Now, except for the radical faction in the military who still wanted to turn the tide, everyone knew that the Prabo Confederation was finished. If they didn't save themselves, the Kingdom of Prussia would also be finished.
At this time, the most important thing for the political officials was to protect their own interests. Of course, there was also patriotism, but for most politicians, it was ranked behind personal interests.
Being stared at by William the First, Prime Minister Melanie Griffiths nervously replied: "Your Majesty, at this point, no matter how excessive the conditions are, we have to negotiate.
It's not strange for the British to side with Hanover. Since we have to support a chess piece, we have to choose one that is easy to control. Compared to us, Northern Germany controlled by Hanover is more dependent on them.
Other than that, debt is also an important factor. After the war, our revenue will definitely drop significantly, and in the next five years, our revenue might not even be as high as the interest.
If the British want to collect their debt, the prerequisite is that we have money in our pockets, so it's not strange for them to force us to sell our land.
But we owe too much, and if the Russians cut us off, we might not be able to pay off their debt even if we sell all our remaining land.
If the British want us to continue to pay off our debt, they must leave us enough capital.
Besides, Hanover's size is limited, and they can't eat much. From this point of view, the price we need to pay should not be too high.
If the conditions with them are too much, we can also consider contacting the Austrians. Although the Government of Vienna may not welcome us now, they won't be able to refuse us if we send ourselves to their door. "
Melanie Griffiths' position as prime minister was the result of a compromise between all parties. In normal times, she was just an eraser without much of a presence. But to become prime minister, how could it be as simple as it seemed?
This answer made William the First's eyes light up. It wasn't that he hadn't thought of these problems, but mainly that he was too old and didn't have that much energy to think deeply.
That's right, the Government of Berlin still had a choice. Although these two paths were not easy to walk, having a choice was better than not having a choice. One more choice meant one more bargaining chip.
Foreign Minister Jeffrey Friedman shook his head. "Don't think about Austria. At most, they can make a gesture of contact and bargain with Hanover. The military will never agree."
If they joined the Austrian-led Shinra Empire, the biggest loss would not be the government, but the military. The Government of Vienna generally didn't intervene in local affairs, but the military had to be in their hands.
Looking at the other states, after the central government took over the state's army and was responsible for military expenses, the armed forces of the state governments were left with the police and militia.
Of course, the fact that the state government didn't have soldiers didn't mean that the king didn't have soldiers. In addition to the direct palace guards, the local troops were also under the command of the state king.
This was also the reason why the Government of Vienna could easily take command of the army. They only deprived the state government of the command of the army, but the king's power was not lost.
From the king's point of view, this was actually a strengthening of the royal power. Military expenses were allocated by the central government, and it was difficult for the state government to influence through finance.
It was difficult, but not impossible. If the state government was willing to spend money, it could still maintain a certain amount of influence.
However, no state government was willing to do so. No matter how much they expanded the army, the command was in the hands of the king and the emperor, and they couldn't intervene at all.
They weren't planning to rebel, so why should they maintain influence over the army?
In essence, the new Shinra Empire's political structure was created by the emperor and the kings of the states. The core was to maintain their own power.
William the First didn't mind, but the military of Prussia didn't! In other states, it was the government that lost control of the army, but in Prussia, it was the army that lost control of the government.
If they really merged, the first thing the Government of Berlin would do would be to stop the military funding and conduct a large-scale disarmament.
If the situation allowed it, the politicians would also apply to the central government to disband the army.
There was a precedent for this. After the Principality of Liechtenstein joined Shinra, they disbanded their army. Don't ask why, they just didn't want it.
Finance Minister Golman smiled. "It's not completely impossible. If the army is defeated and suffers heavy losses on the battlefield, they won't have the capital to oppose.
Looking at the current situation, the probability of this happening is very high. The only problem is that if the army suffers heavy losses, we'll lose the capital to negotiate with the Russians. "
Politics was cruel, and class interests were not equal to personal interests. If the Juncker nobles suffered heavy losses after the war, it would be an opportunity for the politicians to seize power.
If it wasn't for the fear of losing the capital to negotiate with the Russians after the war, the people present wouldn't care about the heavy losses.
William the First was also very conflicted. On one hand, he hoped that the army could win a few battles and gain the capital to negotiate with the Russians so that they could end the war with dignity.
On the other hand, he wanted to use the war to attack the power of the military and let the government take control of the situation so that the war could end as soon as possible, survive the current crisis, and protect his throne.
After hesitating for a moment, William the First made a decision. "Let's contact the two parties first, and then decide according to the situation on the battlefield.
Austria is already in power, and the Government of Vienna doesn't want to get involved in this mess. I don't think there will be any results. If it really comes to that, we can just rely on them.
The main point now is to talk with Hanover. We need to know how much support the British have for them. This is related to our future position in Germany. "
This answer was not unexpected. The military of Prussia was too strong, and even the king didn't have the ability to go against them.
Unless the Prussia army suffered a crushing defeat on the battlefield and the Russians directly occupied Berlin, the government had to consider the interests of the military when making decisions.
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