Chapter 438

The world is always full of coincidences. Nicholas II, who was still hesitant to start the Siberian Railway, decided decisively to build it after learning of the changes on the front line.

Obviously, after the logistics problems of the frontline troops, they didn't look for him, the Tsar, to respond to the problem. Instead, they turned to the Allied Command controlled by Shinra for help, which deeply angered Nicholas II.

In order to get rid of the influence of Shinra, Nicholas II had no time to investigate the true purpose of the Americans.

The railway won't run away. As long as the Siberian Railway is completed, no matter what the Americans plan, the initiative is in the hands of the Tsarist government.

In the face of absolute power, all "plots and schemes" were not worth mentioning. In addition to Britain and Austria, there is no third country in the world that the Tsarist government is afraid of.

The Siberian Railway was started. The Government of Vienna hasn't responded yet. Carlos, who was in exile, couldn't sit still.

There was no other way, the Russians were too ruthless. In order to save manpower and win the hearts of the people, Nicholas II decided to recruit all the labor needed for the Siberian Railway from France.

Anyone with a little bit of brain knows what kind of place Siberia is.

With the consistent style of the Hairy Bear, you don't need to think to know that the logistics of the labor is certainly not guaranteed. If French labor really went to Siberia to build the railway, it would be a narrow escape.

Since the outbreak of the European War, the young labor force of France has decreased significantly. The number of soldiers killed in the European War alone is more than the war in the original world.

Plus the losses in the civil war, the loss of population, and the loss of labor force caused by disability. In just six years, the number of young men in France has decreased by at least three million.

On the surface, the number of three million doesn't seem particularly large. But don't forget that at its peak, the total population of France was only about 30 million.

According to the calculation of 40% of the young and strong, the total number of young and strong labor force in the country is about 12 to 13 million. After dividing the men and women by half, the total number of young and strong men is about six million.

It goes without saying what it means for a country to have half of the young and strong men.

In the original world, France lost more than one million people in World War I and hundreds of thousands were injured. It didn't recover until the outbreak of World War II, let alone now.

Although the army of France in the original world suffered heavy casualties, the total population didn't decrease much. Now the total population of France has decreased by one-third.

At this point, all the talk of enduring hardships and revenge were all nonsense. If the Russians continued to wreak havoc like this, the Ottoman Empire would be the next example.

No matter what others thought, Carlos was really scared.

After going through so much, Carlos had already understood that it wasn't the Russians who wanted to suppress France on the surface, but the Vienna government that was behind it.

Even if the resistance forces defeated the Russians, it would be useless. The anti-French alliance could easily start another war against France. Ever since the Allied Command intervened, the war had begun to change qualitatively.

According to the current situation, no matter how the war against Russia ends, France will be the biggest loser.

Looking at the destructive power of the Russian Army, even if they are wiped out, France will lose a lot.

It is easy to start a plan, but difficult to stop it. Whether it is the Russia or the resistance forces scattered all over the country, it is impossible for them to stop because of his words.

…

Seeing the Foreign Minister return, Carlos hurriedly asked, "What did the Austrians say? Under what conditions would they be willing to interfere with the Russian army's violent conscription of able-bodied men? "

In any case, it was better to talk to the Vienna government, which respected the rules, than to the Tsarist government, which did not.

The Government of Vienna also needs to pay attention to their table manners. The Russians don't have so many scruples. As long as there are benefits, it is enough.

There is no doubt that the construction of the Siberian Railway by labor from France can reduce the pressure of the people, which is beneficial to the Russian Empire.

In this context, no matter how they protest to the Tsarist government, it is in vain.

The Foreign Minister Pietro replied bitterly, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. The Government of Vienna is very indifferent and doesn't give us a chance for in-depth communication.

Although Wesenberg promised to condemn the Russian Army's act of forcibly recruiting able-bodied men, this kind of condemnation has no meaning.

It can be seen that the Austrians have acquiesced to the atrocities of the Russian Army and have no intention of interfering. "

There is no betrayal. The feud between Shinra and France can be traced back to the Frankish Empire thousands of years ago. For the hegemony of Europe, the two countries have been fighting since the Middle Ages.

The Government of Vienna has too many reasons to suppress France, but they can't find a reason to support France.

The end result is that they want to make a deal with the Government of Vienna, but they can't even get a chance to negotiate.

Carlos sighed, "The Russians have begun to act, France is crying, and the people are about to give up.

If we can't persuade the Government of Vienna to intervene, then we can only fight the Russian Army in advance. In any case, we can't let the Russians take our people away. "

Unlike the previous exile, this time the Russians are forcibly recruiting able-bodied men, which is simply breaking the roots of France. If he didn't retaliate now, he wouldn't have another chance in the future.

If the Russians are allowed to take away 1.8 million young men, then France will enter the countdown to destruction.

If there is a chance, the countries of the anti-French alliance will not mind dividing up France again.

…

Potential is forced out. In the face of the threat of life and death, the French also burst out amazing potential.

Since the news of Russia forcibly recruiting able-bodied men spread, the French people, who can't bear the pressure, have joined the resistance organization. For a time, the resistance movement in France has been pushed to the climax.

The people at home are desperately resisting, and the overseas expatriates are also not idle. They generously donated and donated goods, while launching a public opinion offensive.

The governments of the various countries had yet to react, but public opinion had already exploded. With the efforts of the French, the atrocities of the Russian Army spread throughout Europe.

Even Frederick The Great in the Palace of Vienna felt the pressure. Although the European people don't like France, it doesn't mean they can tolerate the wanton behavior of the Russian Army.

After thousands of years of division, the European world has never lacked a "sense of crisis." Especially the people of small countries, the performance is particularly prominent.

As soon as the sentiment of "the fox mourns the death of the rabbit" came out, the public began to sympathize with the experience of the French people. Even in Shinra, there were voices against the atrocities of the Russian Army.

Looking at the newspaper in his hand, Frederick The Great rubbed his forehead. Although the Government of Vienna has a press control act, this kind of real international news is not restricted.

The Russian Army can only blame themselves for being useless. They don't even know how to keep it a secret and made the matter known to everyone.

First, they robbed, killed, and were secretly filmed. Now, they forcibly recruited able-bodied men, and the news is all over the place.

Being scolded is completely self-inflicted. If it weren't for his position, Frederick The Great would like to personally write an article and publicly criticize the atrocities of the Russian Army.

Although Shinra and France have a grudge, it is mostly a historical issue. As the winner, other than the people of the Duchy of Luxembourg and the Rhineland region in the west, other people don't feel too deeply.

It is human nature to sympathize with the weak, especially when the Russians continue to make trouble. Ordinary people's dissatisfaction with the Tsarist government is even more intense.

With the passage of time, more and more media joined the ranks of criticizing the atrocities of the Russian Army. Every day, prominent people in society write letters to the government, hoping that the Government of Vienna can fulfill the responsibility of a major country and interfere with the inhumane behavior of the Russian Army.

"Your Highness, King Carlos is here again."

The servant's voice brought Frederick The Great back to reality from his deep thoughts.

Recently, Carlos seemed to be punching in to work, and he had to go to the palace every day. At first, Frederick The Great received him in a formal manner, but later, he was so annoyed that he simply dealt with it symbolically.

It was the same thing every time, and normal people would be annoyed. But Carlos didn't seem to know this, and he persistently ran to the palace of Vienna.

Alright, he was forced to do so. As the king of France, Carlos had to do something when he was suffering at home.

Since he couldn't find practical and effective measures, he could only put on a show. Regardless of the actual effect, Carlos' spirit of perseverance was widely recognized.

Although he was forced to go into exile overseas, the European media generally had a good evaluation of Carlos.

Franz's reputation had long reached its peak, so he naturally didn't care about such a small matter. Frederick The Great couldn't. As the crown prince, he also needed to increase his reputation.

Everyone wanted to be the protagonist, and no one wanted to be a supporting character in the story. If it weren't for the bad influence, Frederick The Great would have ordered Carlos to be expelled.

Frowning, Frederick The Great said helplessly, "Invite him over!"

No matter what, he was also a king, and the necessary etiquette couldn't be lacking. As an antique of the world of European monarchs, no one would say anything if Franz avoided meeting, but if Frederick The Great followed suit, he would be scolded by the aristocratic circle.

…

Looking at the impatient Frederick The Great, Carlos spoke first, "Your Highness, the atrocities committed by the Russian Army in France are a blatant violation of the Vienna Treaty. This is intolerable by the civilized world.

As the head of the civilized world and the leader of the European world, the Holy Roman Empire should shoulder the responsibility of a great power and stop the Russians … "

Without waiting for him to finish, Frederick The Great rolled his eyes, "Your Majesty, we have talked about these issues many times. Let me reiterate again: the Holy Roman Empire has no intention of hegemony, and has no obligation to your country.

As for the atrocities committed by the Russian Army, I suggest Your Majesty to talk to the Tsarist government. This is a matter between your two countries, and I believe you can handle it well. "

If Frederick The Great stupidly interfered with the actions of the Russian Army just because of a few words of flattery, then he would really be a fool.

From the standpoint of the Government of Vienna, the best choice was to let France and Russia fight each other. The more casualties the two countries had, the more stable Shinra's position as the hegemon would be.

If the Russians could really destroy France, Frederick The Great didn't mind reimbursing the Tsarist government's military expenses, and he could even give them an extra bonus.

Pull a handful of France, and think about it. The hatred had been planted, and it couldn't be erased in a short time.

Before the Russian Army was stationed in Paris, the Government of Vienna had already made a plan. That was to use the hands of the Russians to attack the resistance forces in France and eliminate their desire for revenge.

Judging from the current situation, the Russians had completed the task beyond their expectations. Although the hatred still existed, the target of the hatred had changed.

The French, who originally wanted to revive and seek revenge on the anti-French alliance, had now reduced their goal to expelling the Russians.

This was a good start. As long as this situation continued for a few years, the French people would only remember the Russian Empire as their enemy.

Carlos struggled to argue, "But Your Highness, now thousands of French people are living in dire straits. Don't you want to do something for them?"

After getting up and looking out the window, Frederick The Great replied indifferently, "I don't want to!"

"Everyone has to pay the price for the choices they make. From the beginning when France launched the war of aggression, the fate of all of this was determined.

When the snow mountain collapsed, no snowflake was innocent. Now the people of your country are only paying for their previous actions.

What the Russian Army did, your country also did to other countries in the past. The countries of Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Rhineland were not spared the scourge.

You can't do what you did to others, but now that it's your turn to suffer, you can't? "

"Mockery," undisguised "mockery." Obviously, Frederick The Great was already impatient to the extreme, and he didn't even have the mood to beat around the bush.

As for whether or not Carlos could accept it, it wasn't within the scope of his consideration. Anyway, Frederick The Great only had one thought right now, and that was to get rid of Carlos as soon as possible so that he wouldn't cause trouble for himself.

The method was indeed a bit clumsy, but the effect was very obvious. Carlos was so angry that his face was blue and purple, as if he could explode at any time.

But Carlos, who grew up from setbacks, quickly realized the problem and quickly restrained his emotions.

"Your Highness, you are too paranoid. The Napoleonic government initiated the war, and the capitalists were behind the scenes. The ordinary people had no choice at all.

They were tricked into joining the war. Like Belgium, Sardinia, and other countries, we are all victims of the war.

Until now … "

Frederick The Great, who had no intention of participating in the quarrel, immediately interrupted, "Your Majesty, there is no point in arguing with me here.

Unless you can convince the people of Luxembourg and Shinra in the Rhineland region to give up their hatred for you, we will not support your country.

Instead of wasting time here, you should think about how to deal with the aftermath. "