Chapter 475

The news that the Russian Navy had suddenly occupied the Baltic Sea shocked the entire European world. Many people thought that the Kingdom of Prussia was doomed.

The Kingdom of Prussia's coastline was in the Baltic Sea, which was the Russian Navy's sphere of influence.

From the beginning of the war, the Danish Navy had blocked the sea transportation routes for Prussia. Strategic supplies from Britain and France could only be transferred by land.

In the early days, the Tsarist government ignored the role of the navy and did not attack the coastal areas of Prussia. If they fought on land, the Kingdom of Prussia still had the power to fight.

But now it was different. They could not break through on land, so the Russians turned their attention to the sea and used their naval superiority to attack the Kingdom of Prussia.

This was an unsolvable problem. The Russians could launch a land attack at any point, but Prussia could not fully defend.

…

In the Palace of Vienna, Foreign Minister Wesenberg said, "Yesterday afternoon, the Russian Minister submitted a new loan application to us. They are going to use Prussian Saxony as collateral for a loan of 30 million DER."

Only the Tsarist government would use the enemy's territory as collateral for a loan. No, this might not be collateral, but a transaction.

With the Tsarist government's financial situation, the possibility of repaying the loan on time was very small, and the possibility of selling the collateral to pay off the debt was very high.

The prerequisite was that the Russians won the war and tore off this piece of meat from the Kingdom of Prussia.

Franz asked with concern, "What is the Saxon government's opinion? Are they interested in buying back this piece of land? "

Prussian Saxony was given to Prussia at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Now that the Kingdom of Saxony was part of the new Holy Roman Empire, this part of the land would naturally be returned to the Kingdom of Saxony.

Prussian Saxony occupied 40% of the Kingdom of Saxony, and the Kingdom of Saxony had always wanted to take it back. When they joined the new Shinra Empire, Prime Minister Felix had made a promise.

Now that the opportunity was here, would the Saxon government be able to resist?

Franz was very doubtful.

If the Saxon government could not resist, then the Government of Vienna could not stop it. After all, Franz also had to consider the people's feelings.

For the economically developed Kingdom of Saxony, a price of 30 million divine shields was not unbearable. The price of 30 million DER was not unbearable for the economically developed Kingdom of Saxony.

Prime Minister Felix replied, "The Saxon government should be inclined to invest in the purchase of Prussian Saxony. Prime Minister Fraser will arrive in Vienna this afternoon."

Franz thought for a moment and said, "Calm them down first. Now that the land was still in Prussia's hands, the Russians' promises were worthless.

We must have other collateral to reduce the risk of the loan.

This matter, "Russians, Russians, Russia," Russia, Russia, "Russia" Of Russia, Has "Russia" is, Russia, Is, Country, "Russia", ""

This matter was very troublesome, and it could be said that Russia had chosen a good time.

Now that most people believed that Russia would win the war, using Prussian Saxony as bait was impossible for the Government of Vienna to refuse.

The loan was fake, and the Tsarist government's real goal was to raise funds to continue the war.

As long as the news got out, the people of Saxony would demand to buy back the land. The Saxon government could not refuse, and Vienna had no choice but to cooperate.

Franz was not willing to be a sucker. If Russia had won the war, then not to mention 30 million DER, he would even pay 50 million DER.

But now, it was just an unknown. If the Tsarist government was defeated, or if they did not cede the land from Prussia, then the loan might go down the drain.

Moreover, a loan and a sale were two different concepts. Now that Tsar was seriously short of money, in order to raise military funds, they naturally did not dare to ask for an exorbitant price, lest they scared away the investors, and the future was uncertain.

At that time, the position of primary and secondary, taking advantage of the people's eagerness to get back Prussian Saxony, wouldn't it be sold at a sky-high price?

Foreign Minister Wesenberg said worriedly, "Your Majesty, since the Russians have thrown out Prussian Saxony, I am afraid that they may promise the Rhineland to the French in exchange for a loan."

Franz's face changed. This was not just a possibility, but a very likely possibility.

What couldn't the Tsarist government do when they were short of money?

Moreover, it was generous at the expense of others. Once the French were tempted, would the Government of Paris still do its best to support the Kingdom of Prussia?

The Government of Berlin could not promise the same conditions. Not everyone was Bismarck, who dared to make an empty promise to the French.

One could not make careless promises in diplomacy. If it wasn't for Bismarck's strong skills and good luck, the original Rhineland would have fallen into the hands of the French.

The Rhineland was a part of the German Region, and the Government of Vienna had long regarded it as a possession. How could it be easily obtained by the French?

Destroy, I must destroy the Franco-Russian deal!

This was Franz's first reaction, and then he had a headache, how to destroy the possible Franco-Russian deal.

"Leak the news to the British. Although the Rhineland has been developing slowly in recent years, the local rich resources and industrial base are still there. Once it falls into the hands of the French, it will quickly lead to a qualitative change.

France is already very strong, and if it continues to grow, the Government of London will not be able to sleep. "

This was a disaster. The Russo-Austrian Alliance was still there, and it was not convenient for the Government of Vienna to do many things against the Russians.

Prime Minister Felix suggested, "Your Majesty, should we give it a push and simply let the Russians lose this war?"

It was very easy to want the Russians to lose the war. As long as Austria suddenly imposed a material embargo, it would be enough. Currently, most of the strategic materials of the Russian Army at the frontline were produced in Austria.

Even if the Tsarist government wanted to buy it elsewhere, it would not have enough time, not to mention that they could not find a buyer.

In Europe, only three countries, Britain, and Fao had this production capacity. If they could pull the Russians down from their position as the hegemon, how could Britain and France refuse?

The Franco-Russian compromise was also based on the Tsarist government's confidence in winning. Napoleon Iii would not help the Russians win the war and consolidate the enemy's hegemony.

This was also the reason why the countries were afraid of the Russo-Austrian Alliance. The two countries had formed an alliance to complement each other's resources, and the strength that they could erupt was already 1 + 1 > 2.

Franz shook his head and said, "No, we can't make a move at this time.

The people of Prussia still have the strength to fight. As long as Britain and France were more generous and let the people of Prussia arm all the young adults in the country, the Russians might not be able to win.

Did you notice that Alexander II Of Russia's reform has been suspended? After the war, will the Tsarist government still have the ability to continue the reform? "

In order to support this war, Alexander II Of Russia had to compromise with the conservatives in the country to ensure domestic stability.

With this compromise, it would be difficult to reform in the future. At least when faced with the same problem, the difficulty of reform would be greatly increased.

From the perspective of long-term development, the strategic goal of this Russo-Russian war had been achieved. An imperfect Russian Empire was what Austria needed.

Since the strategic goal had been achieved, there was naturally no need to continue to target the Russians. It was not time for the Russo-Austrian Alliance to end, and the work of attracting hatred could only be done by others.

…

Plans could never keep up with changes. While the Tsarist government was negotiating with Austria, they had also started to negotiate with the French.

At the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon Iii hesitated at the olive branch that the Tsarist government had extended to him.

There could only be one hegemon in Europe, and on this issue, the Russian Empire was France's biggest competitor.

Giving a loan to the Tsarist government now was undoubtedly funding the enemy.

In Napoleon Iii's view, the biggest problem to obtain the Rhineland was not military, but political.

Annexing the Kingdom of Sardinia was enough, and the European countries had formed a joint defense circle against them. If they annexed the Rhineland by force, it was bound to lead to the intervention of the other countries.

At this time, the French needed allies. Unlike the loan from Prussian Saxony, the Tsarist government's promise was to support the French in annexing the Rhineland.

This was a geopolitical decision. No matter how powerful Tsar was, it was impossible for them to cross the German Confederation and occupy the Rhineland. Naturally, there was no way to talk about the mortgage.

With the support of the Tsarist government, France would not be politically isolated. With some exchanges of interests with other countries, the success rate of annexing the Rhineland was very high.

Foreign Minister Abraham suggested, "Your Majesty, I think the key to whether or not to give the Tsarist government a loan is the final result of the war.

Now, the Russians have a very good chance of winning. I can't think of how the Prussia people will turn the tables. Even without our loan, the Tsarist government can raise money from elsewhere.

In that case, it is better to divide the Kingdom of Prussia with the Russians and maximize our benefits. "

Finance Minister Alan objected, "No, the Russians' credibility is too poor. With their financial ability, they are simply unable to repay the loan.

Our money doesn't grow in the wind. We can't waste it just like that. It's also possible to divide up the Kingdom of Prussia and not give the Russians a loan.

Once the Kingdom of Prussia is defeated, we can use the excuse of claiming debts to temporarily take charge of the Rhineland region, making it an established fact.

Then, we can slowly exchange interests with other countries and get them to admit our occupation of the Rhineland region.

The support of the Russians doesn't matter at all. With or without their support, we have to make deals with other countries. Even if the Tsarist government objects, they won't be able to interfere.

Why should we waste this money? "

"Earl Allen," retorted Foreign Secretary Abraham, "it's not a waste of money. With the support of the Russians, it will be much easier for us to get the tacit approval of other countries.

Without the support of the Russians, all the European countries will oppose it. Even if we eat the Rhineland region, we will still have to spit it out in the end. "

The support of the European countries might not be important, but the support of the major powers was necessary.

Apart from Spain, which could be ignored in the civil strife, the remaining five European powers had to obtain the support of at least one of them.

The lessons of history had already taught the French that they could not do it alone, and they could not do it recklessly.

…