Chapter 450

The wheels of human civilization rolled forward, and the tide of the times was mighty. With the advancement of science and technology, the footsteps of the great era were getting closer and closer to this world.

Perhaps everyone was tired of fighting, or God was tired of watching war movies every day, but the world in 1897 suddenly became quiet.

Except for France, where the flames of war were still burning, Cuba, the Philippines, and Morocco were all quiet. The exhausted Kingdom of Spain was finally able to stop and take a breather.

However, this peace was not all fought on the battlefield, but more of it was the result of compromise between all parties.

No matter how much the Kingdom of Spain declined, it was not something that a few indigenous tribes could compare to. After a long period of fierce fighting, the rebels finally couldn't hold on any longer.

As the victor, the Kingdom of Spain was also not feeling good. The Spanish government, which had suffered heavy casualties and was heavily in debt, no longer had the ability to continue to encircle and suppress the rebels who had abandoned the city and retreated into the jungle.

Since everyone could not fight anymore, they could only sit down and negotiate. Relying on a series of compromises, the Kingdom of Spain finally quelled the colonial rebellion.

Obviously, this was not the end. Since the hatred had been formed, it was not so easy to eliminate.

The compromise was only a temporary truce. No one knew when the flames of war would reignite in the future.

It was just that the bitter Spanish government had no time to care about the future. The war was over, but their troubles had just begun.

Not to mention how to repay the huge debt, just the French mercenaries in their hands were a hot potato.

According to the contract, the mercenaries should be "repatriated" after the war was over. But now that the French and Russia were fighting, who should the Spanish government hand over this "elite force"?

It was definitely not possible to hand it over to the resistance. If they really did that, the Russians would definitely fly into a rage, and the entire anti-French alliance would have a problem with Spain.

The Spanish government would not do such a thing that harms others without benefiting themselves and asking for trouble.

In theory, the Russian Empire and Spain were both members of the anti-French alliance, and there was nothing wrong with handing over this mercenary force to the Russians.

The problem was that the Tsarist government did not do things properly. If they really handed over this mercenary force to the Russians, it would be pushing them into a fire pit.

Although the Russians had also formed a cannon fodder force in France, the Russians certainly did not dare to trust this kind of former French army.

It was the same for any ruler. An elite force that could not be controlled could only be destroyed.

With the style of the Hairy Bear, he would definitely send the mercenaries back to their country to repair the Siberian Railway.

In any case, the French mercenaries had made great contributions to the Spanish Kingdom. The Spanish government couldn't just sell them out like this.

Since it was not appropriate to send them back, the Spanish government could not just sell them. The problem was that the Spanish government was not rich. The war was over, and it was too wasteful to support more than 200,000 mercenaries.

…

Madrid

Prime Minister Antonio asked with concern, "How many people have we roped in?

It was a waste to spend money on mercenaries for a long time, but it was different to spend money on their own army.

It was a waste to spend money on mercenaries for a long time, but it was different to spend money on their own army.

It was not that the Spanish were not good at fighting. The main thing was that the army, like the country, had decayed.

Reform was never completed overnight. Before the military reform was completed, the Spanish government still needed a force that could hold up the facade.

They did not seek to reach the world's top level, but at least they needed to be able to beat the colonial rebels and maintain the stability of the colonial empire.

This group of mercenaries from France just happened to meet the requirements.

If it was when France was strong, Antonio would never dare to have this idea. But now it was different. France, which had been at war for years, was obviously a phoenix with its feathers plucked.

Except for the army, they were not as good as Spain in everything else, including the population.

Although the total population of France was slightly larger, there was a lack of young and strong labor force. If the current situation continued, the total population of Spain would be surpassed by Spain in a few years.

The comparison of strength had changed, and the courage had also changed. Without the risk of being occupied, Antonio was ready to poach people from France.

Colonial Minister Taboada: "The progress is very good. The French have long been tired of the continuous war.

After we made the conditions, about one-fifth of the mercenaries were willing to emigrate with their families, and nearly one-third said they would consider it carefully. "

"Tired" was naturally due to the Spanish government's propaganda. Not all mercenaries liked war, and even if they didn't think for themselves, they had to think for their families.

After experiencing war, they knew the value of peace. The six-year war had long made the people of France tired, but they had no right to announce the end.

In order to avoid the scourge of war, a large number of French emigrated with their families every year. Those who had money bought tickets and left, while those who had no money fled as refugees.

With the Russians responsible for drawing hatred in the front, the hatred of the European War was not worth mentioning at all. All the countries bordering France, including Spain, had received many refugees.

It was because of the acceptance of refugees that the Spanish government had the idea of keeping mercenaries. If the whole family was brought over, they were not afraid that these guys would not listen.

The Spanish government dared to accept hundreds of thousands of immigrants, even if it was not a lot. Anyway, there were many men and women in France after years of war, so it was easy to digest.

Prime Minister Antonio nodded with satisfaction. "Very good. With these seeds, we can mix in a few main army regiments.

The rest of the work will be handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Negotiate with the countries as soon as possible and get the families of these people back.

As for the French who are unwilling to emigrate, don't force them. If they want to go back, they can go back. But after they are sent back to France, we will no longer be responsible for their safety. "

Sure enough, the Spanish government's moral integrity was not high. They were unwilling to hand over the mercenaries to the Russians, which meant they wanted to poach them. Once they found that they could not use them, they would buy them without hesitation.

Antonio was not afraid that it would damage his international image. The French mercenaries did make great contributions, but it was not like the Spanish government did not pay them.

Originally, it was just a simple labor contract. Once the money and goods were settled, it would be over.

As long as they did not personally send the people to the Russians, it could not be considered a betrayal. As for what happened after they were sent back to France, it had nothing to do with them.

Foreign Minister Junior: "Prime Minister, perhaps we can hand these mercenaries over to the Carlos government. Although they are now in exile, they are still the only legal government in France.

Our previous employment contract was also signed with the Carlos government. Now that we are returning the people to them, it is a manifestation of our compliance with the spirit of the contract. "

It was not that Junior was soft-hearted, but it was mainly because he had just poached the people, and he had to take care of the feelings of the new immigrants.

He had to appease the people, but he could not offend the Russians. Handing the trouble to the Carlos government was the best choice.

As for how the exiled Carlos government would clean up the mess, it had nothing to do with Spain.

Anyway, King Carlos left on his own, and the Russians did not expel him. As long as he was willing, he could return to his country at any time.

It would not be a problem to bring an army back to his country. After all, he was the legal king of France, and Spain had no reason to stop him.

…

The Russian Army was fighting hard in France, and it was not without value.

The Siberian Railway had been started, and the Russian laborers on the Central Asian Railway had been replaced with French laborers. The Russians were all shouting "Tsar is wise."

This was the truth. After all, they did not have to do labor, so Tsar had to be wise. As for the life and death of the French, what did it have to do with them?

However, the "wise" Nicholas II was not happy at the moment. Although the frontline troops had asked the Allied Command for help a few months ago, which made him lose face, they were still his troops.

Moreover, he did not lose face for nothing. At least the logistics of the frontline troops did not need to be paid for by the Tsarist government. It was important for the Tsarist government, which was not rich to begin with.

As time passed, the number of casualties in the Russian Army continued to increase, and Nicholas II felt his scalp tingle.

However, the resistance of the French did not weaken. According to the frontline officers, every French person in sight, regardless of gender or age, could be a member of the guerrillas.

The more they fought, the more enemies there were, and anyone who encountered them would feel their scalp tingle. If it were not for the fact that someone was paying for the military expenses, the Tsarist government would have retreated a long time ago.

Of course, the fact that they were still holding on was not unrelated to the fact that Nicholas II was the new Tsar. As the first war after the succession, if they did not win beautifully, it would be very damaging to their reputation.

Compared to the prestige of Tsar as a monarch, the lives of the gray animals were not worth mentioning. On this issue, the position of the Tsarist government was very unified.

Nicholas II threw away the telegram in his hand and complained, "Reinforcements again, I really don't know what the idiots at the frontline are doing!"

Casualties must be replenished. The more casualties the Russian Army at the frontline suffered, the more reinforcements needed from the rear.

Unlike the deduction on supplies, when it came to the soldiers' replenishment, the bureaucrats of the Tsarist government rarely discounted.

Especially after the frontline asked for help from the Allied Command, no one dared to stir up trouble on this issue. After all, no one could guarantee that the idiots at the frontline would not leak the matter.

This was the first war after Tsar's succession. If Tsar thought that this was targeted at him, then it would be over.

Political struggles were struggles, but there must be a bottom line. Taboos that could not be touched must not be touched, or else officials would die.

On this issue, Alexander II Of Russia used thousands of heads to teach the Russian bureaucrats a harsh lesson, and everyone still had lingering fears.

Although Alexander III was not that tough, he had also dealt with a lot of people who did not have eyes.

Although the current Nicholas II Tsar's methods were a little lacking, his life ideals were great. On many occasions, he publicly stated that he wanted to emulate his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father.

People were not afraid of learning from Alexander III, but if they learned from the previous two ruthless people who killed decisively, it would be fatal.

Especially after the outbreak of the "Hedeng Massacre," everyone clearly felt that Tsar's murderous aura had increased.

Just look at the fate of the bureaucrats who embezzled supplies at the frontline. Not only did they have their homes confiscated, but they were now all digging potatoes in Siberia.

It was said that each person had to dig a cart of potatoes and send it back to wash away the sins they had committed.

The Siberian Railway had just been built, and it was still a long way from opening to traffic. Obviously, most of these unlucky people would not be able to return.

In the face of an angry Tsar, no one was willing to go up and get scolded. Others could pretend not to hear, but as the Prime Minister, Sergei Witte could not hide.

"Your Majesty, this cannot be all the fault of the officers at the frontline. They have done their best.

In the past six months, the frontline troops have sent 500,000 laborers to the country, and the number is gradually increasing.

The French resistance has the support of the British, so it is normal that it takes a little longer. "

It was not that Sergei Witte was exonerating the frontline troops. The intensification of France's resistance was originally forced by the Tsarist government to "forcibly recruit able-bodied men."

If it were not for the fact that they had no other choice, the French would not have resisted so fiercely. After all, people were afraid of death, and those who were truly unafraid of sacrifice would always be in the minority.

Although politicians generally had low moral integrity, they still had skills in shifting the blame. Casually throwing the blame would cause the people to betray them sooner or later.

The domestic decree increased the pressure on the frontline troops, and then shifted the blame to the commander of the frontline troops. Such a stupid thing was not something Sergei Witte could do.

As the Prime Minister, he also had to take responsibility. When it was time to bear the thunder, he had to take the initiative to stand up.

Just look at the effect. As soon as Sergei Witte said this, the military representative looked much more pleasing to the eye.

Nicholas II sneered and said sarcastically, "Is this a little longer, or a hundred million longer?

If this continues, the Central Asia Railway will be opened to traffic. They can't wait for the Siberian Railway to open to traffic before they can extinguish the French resistance! "

Nicholas II didn't care if there were reinforcements or not. Anyway, the Russian Empire had no shortage of gray livestock, and there were people who paid for the war.

The key was that the French resistance couldn't be extinguished, and Nicholas II had no place to put his face. Tsar also needed to be compared. Compared to the previous rulers, Nicholas II's performance after succeeding the throne was obviously not good enough.

Not only the domestic people compared, but the international media also often used it to ridicule. For Nicholas II, who cared about his face, this was absolutely intolerable.

Sergei Witte wanted to say something but stopped. When would the French resistance be extinguished, this question could only be answered by God.