Regardless of what the British thought, the Vienna Peace Conference was still held as scheduled. Without any surprises, the UK, Fao, and Russia all became the mediators.
With the arrival of the negotiation delegation, Vienna became even more lively. The representatives of Prussia and Russia were like diligent bees, flying around the embassies of various countries. Every day, there would be hot news, and the people who were watching the show relished it.
The British supported the Government of Berlin, while the French were hesitant. They reluctantly stood on the side of the Prussia and Poland Federation, but their support was limited.
As the host, Austria had not stated its position, and now it was the main target of contention between the two sides. Whoever had the support of the Government of Vienna would have the upper hand in the negotiations.
Putting down the worthless negotiation minutes, Franz asked, "Have you roughly figured out the bottom line of the Prussia and Russia?"
No one knew when it started, but everyone learned to make exorbitant demands in diplomatic negotiations. Usually, the first conditions that were put forward were more excessive than the last, without considering the feasibility.
For example, now: the Russians demanded that the Government of Berlin cede East and West Prussia, Pomerania, Poznan, and the Schleswig-Holstein duchies. They also demanded 960 million BND as war reparations.
The Schleswig-Holstein duchies were to be returned to the Danes. Even though it was unknown if the Russians had an agreement with the Danes, Franz knew that it was a disaster caused by "money."
The end of the war did not mean that the troubles of the Tsarist government were over. On the contrary, their troubles had just begun. In the years to come, the Russians would have to start a long life of debt repayment.
Up to this point in the war, the Russians had owed a huge amount of debt. The debt of Austria alone was as high as 670 million BND.
Now, the Russians had to pay Austria nearly 4 million BND every month. It would take decades to pay off all the debt, and the final sum of the debt would exceed 1.4 billion BND.
The annual revenue of the Tsarist government was only around 100 million BND. Just the debt of Austria alone was close to half. This was clearly not something that the finances of Russia could afford.
As far as Franz knew, other than Austria, the total debt of the Tsarist government in other countries was no less than 200 million BND, mainly the Nordic Federation and the United States.
The Nordic Federation used Finland as collateral for the loan. The United States was one of the few diplomatic achievements of the Tsarist government.
There was no other way. People were afraid of being alone, and countries were formed by people. It was not surprising that the two countries, which were isolated by the world, would unite.
During the Civil War, the Tsarist government had supported the Northern government, and now it was time to reap the rewards. It wasn't that the Americans were loyal, but that they were forced to join the United States.
After being jointly suppressed by the United Kingdom, France, and Austria, all the European countries kept a respectful distance from them. Other than the equally unpopular Russians, they couldn't find a better partner.
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The Tsarist government also owed a lot of internal debt. There was no way for Franz to know the specific number, but it was an astronomical number.
After the war, the compensation for the casualties of the soldiers, the settlement of the retired soldiers, and the economic reconstruction of the war-affected areas were another huge expense.
On this issue, the Tsarist government was not much better than the Government of Berlin. They were both the kind that could go bankrupt at any time.
Today was different from the past. Most of the debt was mortgaged with territory. If they could not pay the money, they would have to cede territory. Financial bankruptcy was not a good move.
Putting other areas aside, the Finnish area could not be abandoned. Otherwise, the strategic security of St. Peter Castle would be a problem.
In terms of economic value, the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were worth more than the icy Finland. Using these two duchies to pay off the debt could be exchanged for some pocket money.
At the same time, they could strengthen the strength of the Danes, complicate the internal relations of the Nordic Federation, and remove the possible threat from the north.
Franz understood that the Tsarist government wanted to get rid of the financial crisis, but the conditions they proposed were not desirable.
Regardless of whether the German Region was divided or not, the problem was that the Government of Berlin was also poor. After being taken advantage of by them, how could they pay for the war reparations?
Russia's conditions were acceptable. After all, they were the victorious country. It was not a big deal for them to ask for an exorbitant price. However, the conditions proposed by the Government of Berlin were not important to Franz.
The first condition was for the Russian Army to immediately withdraw from the territory of the Prabo Federation. The latter was not important. There was no room for negotiation.
The Foreign Minister Wesenberg replied, "It can be determined that the goal of Russia is to cede territory and ask for war reparations.
In addition to reclaiming the original territory, they also want to swallow the occupied areas of Prussia and Poznan. This is not a big problem.
The key is the war reparations. The Tsarist government is really out of money and wants to take the opportunity to make up for the financial deficit.
Looking at the current situation, if the Government of Berlin pays enough reparations, it is estimated that Russia will be able to accept not ceding territory.
The situation in Prussia is a bit complicated. The Government of Berlin is unable to pay the war reparations and wants to keep East and West Prussia. They only ceded the Poznan area. "
After thinking about it, Franz smiled and said, "The situation is better than we expected. It seems that a Tsarist government that is short of money is the best Tsarist government. Otherwise, they could swallow Prussia.
As for the Government of Berlin's thoughts, it was not important at this time. As a defeated country, they did not have much of a choice. It was unrealistic to ask the Russians to give up the territory that they had already eaten.
Both Prussia and Russia's finances are not good. Every day the war continues, they have to increase their military expenditure by hundreds of thousands of SD. They can't afford it at all.
We should not get too involved for the time being. The negotiations have just begun. I think the Prussia representative is not in the right state yet. It is necessary to let them calm down first.
We can meet with the Prussia representative in private and suggest that they use goods to repay the debts of each country. I believe that no one will refuse. "
"Compensation in kind" was the biggest trap. Prussia was not rich in resources. Only industrial and commercial products could be used to repay the debts.
Franz had seen how harmful this thing was. In the original timeline, when World War II broke out, the industrial output of the three German empires exceeded that of Britain and France combined.
Before World War I, the two empires accounted for 14.8% of the world's total industrial output, while the British empire accounted for 13.6%. The two countries were very close. Britain and France combined far exceeded the two empires.
The situation changed during World War II. In the early stages, the three empires accounted for 13.2% of the world's total industrial output. The British fell to 9%, and the French only had a pitiful 4.5%. After annexing Austria and Czechoslovakia, the three empires surpassed the British and French combined.
(The data is for reference only. The answers given by different sources are different.)
Purely from the industrial data, Britain and France were more like defeated countries. Germany's total industrial output decreased. That was because Alsace Lorraine, which was rich in coal and iron, was returned to France. The textile center, Silesia, was ceded to the newly independent Poland.
The main reason for all this was the "compensation in kind." In order to repay the war reparations, Germany had to use a large number of industrial and commercial products to repay the debts.
The capitalists realized that being a middleman was more profitable than producing their own products. Needless to say, profits came first.
Soon, the British and French colonies were filled with German products. The market that the Germans did not get on the battlefield was actually obtained through the war reparations.
It had to be said that this world was sometimes really ridiculous.
Although it was ridiculous, Franz was looking forward to this scene.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Foreign Minister Wesenberg replied.
…
Prime Minister Felix: "The British have been very active recently, preaching the benefits of establishing North Germany everywhere. They don't take us seriously at all, and the impact is very bad.
Especially in the Kingdom of Hanover, many newspapers are advocating North Germanism. They use religious beliefs as an excuse to bewitch people and try to split the empire.
… "
What was meant to come would come. The establishment of the North German Empire was not something that could be decided by a few people at the top.
If they could not obtain the support of the people, then the North German Empire would be no different from the current "Comedy Empire." It would be a country in name, but in reality, the central government could not control anyone.
If the institutional structure was still as loose as it was now, it would be more appropriate to call it a federation rather than an empire.
This was not what the British wanted, and it was not what George the First wanted. If they could not increase the cohesion of the people, the value of this empire was only to serve as a buffer zone for large countries.
Franz thought for a moment and said, "We can create a little trouble for them, but we have to be careful not to scare them.
It would be best if we can lure everyone out and filter who is our friend and who is our enemy.
If the British want a North German Empire, then we will give them a North German Empire, but it must be a North German Empire that meets our requirements.
The Kingdom of Prussia is a good chess piece. No matter how weakened they are, their strength is still above Hanover.
Since ancient times, a weak central government has always been a path to disaster.
As long as they survive the post-war decline, the Juncker nobles, who are unwilling to be left out, will encourage the Government of Berlin to challenge Hanover. At that time, there will be a good show to watch.
Perhaps we don't have to wait until then. Right now, the Kingdom of Prussia is in urgent need of money to save their lives. I don't believe that these people will still want to establish the North German Empire when they have to fork out the money. "
Deep down, Franz had already made a decision to let the Russians give the Kingdom of Prussia a sky-high compensation.
It didn't matter whether the Kingdom of Prussia could afford it or not. At worst, it would be paid in a hundred years. If it really couldn't be done, two hundred years was fine.
If necessary, the debt of the Government of Berlin could also be transferred to the North German central government.
There was a precedent for this. After the establishment of the Polish Federation, the Government of Berlin wanted to completely integrate with Poland and directly unified the military and politics of both sides. The debt of the Polish government fell to the central government.
In theory, now that the Kingdom of Poland had fallen, the Government of Berlin had the opportunity to refuse to pay the debt of the previous Kingdom of Poland and let the Russians who occupied the Kingdom of Poland bear the debt.
However, this was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. The will of the great powers was international law. The creditors had no ability to force the Russians to pay back the money, so they could only bully the weak Government of Berlin.
The Government of Berlin didn't have the strength to refuse and could only continue to pay these debts. Similar things could also be replicated in the North German Empire.
No matter how much the British promised, a nation that passed on the debt to them would choose to jump ship.
If they could take drastic measures, why should they be in a hurry? They could use this opportunity to waste John Bull's excess energy to prevent them from plotting in the dark.
Foreign Minister Wesenberg worriedly said: "Your Majesty, the situation might not necessarily develop according to our will. From the current situation, the Kingdom of Prussia will definitely reduce their forces after the war.
Due to the impact of this war, the Juncker nobles have suffered great losses. Thousands of noble officers have fallen on the battlefield, and more than 300 noble families are facing the crisis of having no heirs.
With the loss of the younger generation, when the older generation retires, the Juncker nobles will face the crisis of not having a successor, and their control over the country will be greatly reduced.
Perhaps they don't need to wait for the future, this war is an opportunity.
If William I announces his abdication after the war, these high-ranking Juncker nobles will have no choice but to step down as well.
Time is too short, they won't even have the time to groom a successor. The positions they leave behind will be filled by their assistants or subordinates.
After this round of political shuffling, the Juncker nobles will lose their control over the government. The new government will most likely take action to further weaken the strength of the Juncker nobles.
For example, using financial pressure as an excuse to disband the majority of the country's military and get rid of the abnormal political structure of the country. "
It's not a possibility, but a certainty. Political battles are cruel, if William I didn't take advantage of this opportunity, then he wouldn't be William I.
William I was already over 80 years old, he didn't have many years left to live, and after the loss of the war, his health was already very poor.
There was no reason for him to refuse the chance to take away his political opponents and get rid of the threat of his descendants.
Furthermore, this was an overt plot. It wasn't the emperor forcing them to resign, it was the glory of the nobles that made them too embarrassed to hold a high position.
Because of the war, the core of the Juncker nobles were mostly in the military. Other than a few high-ranking officials, the majority of them weren't from the military.
After the political shuffling, the military lost their control over the government. No matter who came to power, they wouldn't be given a second chance to take over the government.
The same thing happened in the original timeline. After World War I, the Juncker nobles' influence was greatly reduced, and after being suppressed by various parties, they even lost their control over the military due to 'Hitler'.
…
A political-controlled Prussia and a military-controlled Prussia were two completely different concepts, the bottom line was much lower.
Unlike the 'militarists' who used their fists to talk, the politicians preferred to compromise. This undoubtedly increased the uncertainty, no one could guarantee that the Government of Berlin wouldn't compromise with Hannover.
Franz nodded: "This is indeed a problem, but the benefits involved are too great, even if both sides really compromise, there's no way to complete it in a short period of time.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will keep an eye on them, if necessary, we can use extreme measures. "
Frankly speaking, Franz wasn't too worried. To achieve this, not only did they need excellent political skills, they also needed a suitable international environment.
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