Once the cannonball was fired, it was meant to kill. With the exposure of the arms smuggling case, the Russians suddenly became more confident.
The Tsarist government, which was already tough, became even tougher when it came to dealing with the law. Of course, since the escape of Carlos, it didn't matter whether the Tsarist government's stance was tough or not.
The Government of France closed down. Even if they wanted to find someone to negotiate with, the Russian delegation didn't know who to look for.
Faced with the increasingly serious conflict between the military and civilians, the Russian Army in France adopted the simplest method, which was what they were best at – using force to suppress.
Once the butcher's knife was raised, the consequences couldn't be controlled by an individual.
On December 21, 1895, the well-prepared French resistance organization ambushed the Russian Army's logistics battalion on the outskirts of Paris, which opened the prelude to the war against Russia in France.
From the "anti-Russian" slogan, it could be seen that the French, who had been beaten by society, had become rational.
They didn't let go of the previous atrocities committed by the Russian Army. They put themselves in the position of the victim and claimed that they were fighting for survival.
This method of controlling the scope of the attack was undoubtedly correct.
Thanks to the "barbarian image" that the Russians had long been deeply rooted in people's hearts, coupled with video evidence, European public opinion was sympathetic to the French people.
Unfortunately, this was the 19th century. Public opinion support was important, but for the Tsarist government, it couldn't even scratch an itch.
International interference didn't exist. Politicians were rational. They could forget anything except their own stance.
On the issue of suppressing France, all the member states of the anti-French alliance had the same stance. Even though everyone felt that the Russians had gone too far, out of consideration for the overall situation, the countries still chose to support them in secret.
After all, every time the Russian Army made a move, it consumed the national strength of France. For the neighbors, only when France was weak could they become good neighbors.
With the Government of Vienna taking the lead, the European countries followed suit. Except for a few countries that had troops stationed in France who felt a little bit of pressure, the rest were just onlookers.
Out of support for his ally, Franz generously announced that unlimited "free" potatoes would be provided to the Russian Army.
There was no other way. Shinra had a bumper harvest of potatoes this year.
On one hand, the potato production was soaring, on the other hand, the consumer market was shrinking. The Ministry of Agriculture was worried.
Potato shreds, mashed potatoes, potato flour, potato cakes, potato noodles, potato wine, potato cans, fried, steamed, braised, stir-fried …
The foodies obviously didn't have enough fighting power. They gathered dozens of potato recipes from many countries, but they still couldn't digest the harvest of potatoes.
Unlike wheat, potatoes weren't suitable to be stored for a long. If it was really piled up in the warehouse for three to five years, mold and germination would be a small problem. The most frightening thing was that it would really become "mashed potatoes."
In order not to waste the food, Franz decided to give it to the Russians. He didn't want the bureaucrats of the Tsar government to come up with something and cause the Russian army to run out of food.
This was to prevent the Tsarist government from creating problems and causing the Russian Army to run out of food. Even after Alexander II Of Russia's reform, the Tsarist government didn't have a shortage of food.
Even after Alexander II Of Russia's reform, the Tsarist government didn't lack food. However, having food at home and having food at the front line were two different concepts.
It was also a challenge for the Tsarist government to transport food from the Russian Empire to France. Now that the Government of Vienna helped solve the food problem for the soldiers, the Russian Army's logistical pressure was reduced by half.
The only problem was that the Russian Army on the front line had to eat potatoes every day. After the war, these guys would probably be scared of potatoes.
However, this wasn't a big problem. The gray animals never had the capital to be picky. It wasn't a new thing to starve in the Russian Army.
Moreover, as long as the Russian Army didn't have a one-track mind, they would take the initiative and look for more food locally.
The outside world generally believed that the Russian Army's atrocities were due to poor military discipline. However, from Franz's point of view, the poor military discipline of the Russian Army was also forced by the Tsarist government's bureaucrats.
Needless to say, the military budget was pitiful. They didn't have much money to begin with, and they were often owed by others. Even if they were given money, it would be at a discount.
In the Russian Empire, the troops that could get the full military budget were definitely the most powerful of the direct descendants. Usually, they would be accompanied by a strong officer.
A crying child would get milk. This was applicable everywhere. However, if the commanding officer stood aloof from worldly affairs and was unwilling to fight for it, then the soldiers under him would suffer.
It was normal for the logistics to be delayed and short of supplies. The bureaucrats knew how to calculate the financial accounts. If the monthly supplies arrived three days late, then in a year of twelve months, eleven months of supplies would be enough.
The remaining month would naturally be in debt. If this continued, at a suitable point in time, the old debts would be erased and become the personal income of the bureaucrats.
Under this kind of background, if they didn't find a way to do some side business, then when their military service ended, they would return home empty-handed. How would they have the face to see their parents?
…
King Carlos, who was stranded in Vienna, was dumbfounded when he received the news that the Government of Vienna was sponsoring the Russian Army with potatoes for free.
There were not so many coincidences in politics, especially when it came to the actions of a hegemon country, which would be interpreted in depth.
Franz's donation of potatoes to the Russian Army was just to avoid the "cheap potatoes hurting the farmers," and also to declare the friendship between the two countries.
After all, the war had already begun, and it wouldn't be long before the Russians would place a large military purchase order. It was only right for them to organize some activities to give back to their old customers.
In the eyes of Carlos, this became a political signal of the Government of Vienna supporting the Russians. For the Government of France, which wanted to expel the Russian Army, this was obviously bad news.
…
In the most luxurious palace courtyard of the Austrian Hotel. The French ministers who took a detour from Spain gathered together. Perhaps it was because they were too tired from the journey and didn't have enough rest, many of them were not in a good state of mind.
Carlos glanced at the crowd and said apologetically, "You have just arrived in Vienna, and it is reasonable to let everyone rest for a while. But the current situation is very unfavorable for France, so we can only work hard.
You may not know, but I have been in Vienna for a long time, and Franz only showed up once at the welcome banquet, and then he spent his vacation in the palace.
Even the senior officials of the Government of Vienna avoided me when they saw me, and they didn't give us the opportunity to communicate with each other. "
Carlos felt bitter. The last time he came to Vienna, he didn't enjoy this kind of treatment.
The emperor could even spend his vacation in his own palace, which was really "fake." To make up an excuse, at least show some sincerity!
For example, physical discomfort, mental state, busy work … There were many excuses, but he was given the emperor's moderate "vacation" at home.
That was fine. Compared to the senior emperor of Shinra, Carlos was just a junior, and it was not a big deal for him to suffer a little grievance.
But the senior officials of the government also avoided him, which was a bit unreasonable. As the king, he personally went to find someone, which was already putting himself on a low enough pedestal.
Regardless of whether they could come to an agreement or not, he had to give some face and have an in-depth conversation.
Unfortunately, as an uninvited guest, Carlos was so unpopular in Vienna.
Of course, it was only the senior officials of the Government of Vienna who didn't like him. After all, he was the king of a country, and the Bourbon Dynasty's prestige was not low, so the banquets for Carlos were endless.
In the beginning, Carlos was also actively involved, hoping to make friends with the bigwigs of Shinra, so that he could influence the negotiations with the Government of Vienna.
However, the reality was cruel. It was okay to talk about romance, but when it came to politics, everyone became taciturn, watching Carlos perform a one-man show.
After attending a few banquets, Carlos finally realized what was going on. These guys invited him just to keep up appearances, and no one was really willing to have a deep relationship with him.
If the nobles who invited Carlos to the banquet knew about Carlos's conclusion, they would definitely shout that they were wronged.
How could they dare to have a "deep relationship" with him when he asked for help when it involved the interests of the country?
Status determined position. As a vested interest in the existing international system, no matter how miserable France was now, the nobles of Shinra would not have the slightest sympathy, let alone have the slightest bit of sympathy.
The world of the nobles was also very cruel. If one didn't know their place, it was impossible for them to survive in this circle.
The Foreign Affairs Minister Pietro advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down! The indifference of the Government of Vienna is indeed very disadvantageous to us, but we have to look at the other side.
From the beginning to the end, the Government of Vienna did not make a public statement on the anti-Russian movement, which proved that there was still room for negotiation.
The relationship between Russia and Austria seemed to be very good, but the hidden contradictions were not small. The long border between the two countries was the biggest hidden danger.
No matter how good the relationship between the two countries was, once there was an opportunity to destroy the other side, the other side would never be lenient.
If the Government of Vienna really supported the Russians, it would have already held an alliance meeting and pulled the European countries together to help the Russians deal with the aftermath.
Perhaps in the eyes of the Government of Vienna, watching us and the Russians fight and consume each other's strength is the most beneficial for them. "
A reasonable analysis was almost close to the truth. However, no one was happy at all.
If the Foreign Affairs Minister's judgment was correct, then "with the current state of France, can they defeat the Russians?"
It was an interrogation from the depths of their souls. No one could give a definite answer, or rather, they were unwilling to give an answer. Because their judgment wasn't the result he wanted.
…
