Chapter 362

Not only was the Government of London trying to help Prussia raise money, but the French were also not idle. However, they were not raising money, but were busy wrangling.

In terms of economic development, Napoleon Iii could be said to be excellent. In the past decade, the French economy has maintained rapid growth.

This was particularly evident in the financial sector. In 1851, France's revenue was 1.273 billion francs, and in 1864, France's revenue was close to 2 billion francs.

This was not counting the results of the Kingdom of Sardinia, otherwise, it could be increased by a few hundred million. The most prosperous region in Italy was not just for show.

After joining the French family, the market problems that plagued the capitalists of the Kingdom of Sardinia were finally solved, and the local economy began to develop rapidly.

Of course, there were advantages and disadvantages, and the French capitalists also came. The weak Sardinian capital obviously could not compete with the French capital, and could only use the advantage of the local snake to compete.

These battles were covered up in the case of economic development. After all, they made more money, even if the competition was more brutal, the wallet could not lie.

Nearly 2 billion francs in revenue, equivalent to nearly 80 million pounds, and at this time, the United Kingdom's revenue was less than 70 million pounds, the income gap between the two sides was as high as 10 million pounds.

Of course, this did not mean that the economic strength of France had surpassed the British. In this era, the fiscal revenue of each country was only the domestic fiscal revenue, and did not include colonial revenue.

Moreover, the fiscal distribution between the central government and local governments had to be considered. Different tax methods also affected the level of fiscal revenue.

However, these data could still prove that the French economy was developing rapidly. Before Napoleon Iii succeeded the throne, France's fiscal revenue was lower than that of the United Kingdom, and now it had achieved a reversal.

With the significant increase in fiscal revenue, the Government of Paris not only got rid of the financial crisis, but also had the ability to play franc diplomacy.

The economic ability to support Prussia, and Napoleon Iii wanted to replace Russia's position as the hegemon of Europe, did not mean that the French really had to support Prussia.

Within the Government of France, there had always been two voices on whether to support Prussia in this war:

Some people advocated assisting the Kingdom of Prussia, and then they would deal a heavy blow to the Russians, laying the foundation for France to seize European hegemony.

Others advocated sitting back and watching the Prussia lose, so that they could seize the Rhineland region, increase the industrial strength of France, and make up for the lack of resources.

Of course, both sides had to go to war with Prussia, so the French government supported Prussia before the war broke out, and even provided an interest-free loan of fifty million francs in advance.

Now that the war had broken out, continued support had become the focus of contention between the two sides.

"The gap in strength between Prussia and Russia is too great. Even with our support, we can't change the outcome of the war. Our strategic goal has been achieved, and the Prussia's War.

Our strategic goal has been achieved, and the Russia's Russia has. We don't have to do anything, just wait for the Rhineland region to be taken over after the war. "

Foreign Minister Abraham objected, "No, this is the weakest time for the Russians. Even if the Kingdom of Prussia is a little weak, they still have more than 700,000 troops.

In addition, the outbreak of the Polish independence movement has restrained a large number of Russia's troops. The Tsarist government may not be able to defeat the Kingdom of Prussia in one fell swoop.

As long as the war continues, the Russians will stop their domestic reforms because of the war.

This is what all European countries want to see. The Government of Vienna will not provide too much support to the Russians at this time. If the war can drag on for a year or two, the Tsarist government will lose because of its finances. "

Finance was the weakness of the Russians. Alexander II Of Russia's reforms were in progress, and the social dividends brought by the reforms had not had time to be reflected in the revenue.

Because the war in the Near East had consumed a lot of money, Nicholas I Of Russia had been working hard to make up for the losses of the war. He did not leave enough for Alexander II Of Russia to support a war.

It was because they saw the shortcomings of the Russians that the Juncker nobles dared to plan this war. It was also because of this that the British supported Prussia.

Minister Alan shook his head and said, "Do you still need to say what's going on with the 700,000 troops of the Kingdom of Prussia? They have at most 400,000 fighting power, and the rest are just picking up guns to make up the numbers.

Right now, the only countries in Europe that have the ability to send 700,000 troops are us, Russia, and Austria. No matter how militaristic the Kingdom of Prussia is, their national strength limits the upper limit of their military strength.

Russia already has more than a million troops. To defeat the Kingdom of Prussia, they don't even need to mobilize.

Putting aside their relationship with the Russo-Austrian Alliance, as long as the Tsarist government promised Austria a lot of benefits, the Government of Vienna will provide them with loans. In any case, these benefits are cut from the flesh of the people of Prussia.

Even if Austria's financial resources can't compare to ours, it's not much worse. It's enough to support Russia to defeat Prussia.

Moreover, does the Russian Empire really have no reserves? As an old empire, as long as the Tsarist government is willing, it's still possible to raise a few billion francs for the war.

Instead of pinning your hopes on the financial collapse of the Russians, I think it's more practical to pray to God that the people of Prussia can survive. "

The prerequisite for supporting the Kingdom of Prussia is that they can win. At the very least, they have to be able to deal a heavy blow to the people of Russia. Only then will this investment not be wasted.

If the Kingdom of Prussia is defeated by the people of Russia in a few moves, all this investment will go down the drain. Don't expect Prussia to have the ability to repay the debt after the defeat. Whether or not they can save the country depends on whether other countries will continue to support them.

…

Everyone has a point, and everyone has a point. The indecisive Napoleon Iii has a headache. Both viewpoints are very reasonable, and it's really hard for him to decide.

This kind of debate lasted for many days before Napoleon Iii made up his mind.

"Okay, I've decided to provide a loan to the Kingdom of Prussia, but they have to use the sovereignty of the Rhineland as collateral to ensure the safety of our loan."

This is a compromise. Not only will it support the Kingdom of Prussia to continue the war, but it will also create an excuse to seize the Rhineland.

If the Kingdom of Prussia wins the war, then the strategy of dealing a heavy blow to the people of Russia will be achieved, and France will be one step closer to the European continent. On the other hand, the defeated Kingdom of Prussia will have no money to repay the debt, and they can directly take away the collateral.

On the surface, this seems to be the best choice. No matter what the outcome of the war is, they will not be at a disadvantage. In fact, this is only wishful thinking on Napoleon Iii's part.

The European countries will not let them succeed. The British do not want to see the birth of the European continent's overlord, and the fall of Russia. The Fao, Russia, and Russia will be restraining each other, and no one will be able to gain an overwhelming advantage. This is what they want to see.

Because of the geopolitical relationship, even if Franz is not prepared to fight for the European continent, he will not let the French become the new overlord.

Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, the Italian states, the German Federal Empire, and the Kingdom of Prussia, these good neighbors of the French also do not want to see France become stronger again.

The mutual defense treaty against France is the best weapon to contain them. How can a country that is hostile to its neighbors become the overlord of Europe?

Just by strength? It seems that the French are not that powerful. The people of Russia can use millions of troops to maintain their position as the overlord, but the French will never be able to do so.

What kind of overlord is an overlord without underlings? Unless they have the strength to suppress the European continent, they can only close their doors and play at home.

…

In Berlin, Wilhelm I still does not know that a quarrel has just taken place in Paris that will decide their fate. The Franco-Austrian War that broke out in Europe is completely different from the Russo-Japanese War in history.

Here, the power that the people of Russia can exert will definitely not be limited to two or three layers. If only the British support, the Government of London will also not be able to afford it.

If they are lucky, supporting the Kingdom of Prussia for tens of millions of pounds can achieve their goal. If they are unlucky and end up paying a price of hundreds of millions of pounds, it will not be surprising at all.

Even if it is a loan, they must consider whether the Kingdom of Prussia can afford it or not. In short, it is impossible for the Government of London to meet all the needs of the people of Prussia.

Recently, the Government of Berlin has applied for loans to almost every European country. No matter how small the mosquito is, it is still meat. Even if some small countries can only provide a loan of tens of thousands of pounds, they will not refuse.

Foreign Minister Mckate frowned and said, "Just this morning, the Swiss government informed us that they will officially cancel the joint defense treaty between the two countries. They will announce it to the outside world tomorrow.

It happened too suddenly. The Swiss government made a surprise attack and did not leave us time to recover. It seems that they are determined to draw a line with us. "

This is obviously not good news. The Prussia joint defense treaty is undoubtedly against Austria. In history, it was only dissolved in 1866, when Austria lost the Prussian War and had no ability to plot against the Swiss region.

Now that Switzerland suddenly wants to dissolve the joint defense treaty, there must be an inside story. They do not even need to think to know that this is the work of the Government of Vienna.

William I sighed and said, "Forget it, we have no time to care about these small problems. The urgent matter is the Prussian war. Now the frontline troops have already exchanged fire with the Russians.

The financial assistance promised by Britain and France did not arrive on time. The focus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to coordinate with Britain and France and let them fulfill their promises as soon as possible. "

There is no way, it seems that Britain and France are born with the ability to cheat their teammates. The Government of London did not coordinate with domestic consortia in advance and is still trying to help them raise money; the Government of France delayed the progress of fundraising because of wrangling.

In the face of life and death, the Swiss dissolving the joint defense treaty against Austria is not worth mentioning at all.

William I understood the Swiss government's approach very well. Now that Prussia is playing with fire, it is normal for the Swiss to worry about getting burned.

If Austria is dragged into the water because of the Russo-Austrian Alliance, won't they also be dragged into the war because of the joint defense treaty?

It is not easy to get the status of an eternal neutral country, and it is not easy to get the recognition of other countries. If they are dragged into the water, the French can annex the Kingdom of Sardinia, and Austria can also annex Switzerland.

Switzerland and the House of Habsburg are enemies, but the difference in strength between the two sides is too great. The Swiss government does not have the courage to go to war with Austria.

The Government of Vienna asked them to dissolve the joint defense treaty, and the Swiss government naturally complied. Anyway, from the beginning of the Prussian war, even if the joint defense treaty exists, it will not play any role.

Although he understands, William I is still very angry at the Swiss government for adding insult to injury. However, they really do not have the energy to care so much. All the problems have to wait until they win the war, and everything will be over if they lose.

Foreign Minister Mckate replied confidently, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Britain and France will not watch us lose because of a lack of funds. Now they are stalling for time because they are worried that we will lose the war and lose our investment.

As long as we do not lose on the battlefield, the assistance they promised will be fulfilled. At worst, they will pay us in installments. "

As the vanguard of the anti-Russian party, Mckate has always thought that the Russian Empire is rotten, and that it will collapse with just a push.

The Polish Uprising that broke out not long ago, the Russians spent more than two months not to quell it, but it became more and more intense, and the flames of war spread to the Belarus region, which strengthened Mckate's judgment.

This understanding is completely different from William I's view, but since they are going to war with the Russians, it is natural to replace them with these confident anti-Russians.

If they employ a group of Russian phobes who want to compromise with the Russians every day, how can they fight this war?