Chapter 606

After the Russian Embassy case spread, European public opinion immediately exploded. This was much more serious than the previous case. In modern times, there was no case of embassy staff being "wiped out."

For a time, the sound of fighting and killing was endless. A series of labels such as "barbaric", "brutal", "uncivilized", and so on were once again put on the heads of the Japanese.

It was temporarily unknown how many people were adding fuel to the fire, but there were many people who wanted to provoke a war between Japan and Russia.

The support of public opinion was important, but excessive support would be bad. For the Tsarist government, the current public opinion support was not what they wanted.

Sending troops to punish the Japanese sounded easy, but it was completely different if it was implemented.

The Siberian Railway had not yet opened to traffic. Rushing to start a war at this time was simply courting death.

Different from the original time and space, the Tsarist government had suffered a lot from logistics in recent decades. No matter how stubborn a person was, they would learn their lesson after suffering a lot. The Tsarist government was no exception.

…

"The public opinion is so big, what is everyone's plan to deal with it?"

Nicholas II asked while suppressing his anger.

After suffering such a big loss, not only could they not retaliate, but they also had to suppress the domestic anti-Japan and pro-war public opinion. This was simply letting the world see Tsar again.

There was no other way, they really didn't have the conditions to retaliate against Japan by military means. For the strategic situation, Nicholas II could only endure for a while.

Prime Minister Sergei Witte: "Your Majesty, there are two main reasons why the public opinion is so big. One is that the people were angered by the tragedy in Tokyo and now need to vent. The other is the incitement of the pro-war and international forces.

It's easy to quell the anger of the people. As long as we get a satisfactory explanation through diplomatic means, it will be fine.

Now the international community supports us, and the Japanese have no reason to refuse. It shouldn't be difficult to get such conditions.

The real trouble is the incitement of the pro-war and international forces. Right now, the anti-Japan wave among the people is getting higher and higher.

We can still do some work for the domestic pro-war faction. Although it's a bit troublesome, we can still find a way to shut them up.

It will be difficult to stop the incitement of international forces.

The British are trying their best to lure us to the Far East, even lowering themselves to form an alliance with the Japanese. After preparing for so long, now that the opportunity is here, they have no reason to give up.

In addition to the British, there are also countries such as the Empire of the Far East, Spain, and the Nordic Federation. Although their motives are different, they all want the Empire to go to war with the Japanese.

What we need to do now is to stay calm and use diplomatic means to deal with the Japanese government first, and use the power of the international community to suppress the Japanese. "

Frankly speaking, Nicholas II was not a person who could keep his cool. There was only one reason why they were able to endure until now: the senior government officials were all opposed to war.

There was one reason why he could endure until now: the senior government was opposed. Everyone wanted to lay low for the time being, and the soft-spoken Nicholas II naturally went along with the flow.

After a moment of contemplation, Nicholas II slowly said, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should take action. Public opinion has already been created, so we can't waste it.

Now was the time when the European countries were most disgusted with the Japanese, so they took the opportunity to tarnish the reputation of the Japanese.

Britain, in particular, had to focus on public relations. It is best to disintegrate the Anglo-Japanese alliance, and at the very least, make the Government of London afraid to openly support the Government of Japan.

"Next is the Holy Roman Empire. Whether it is using the power of the international community to pressure Japan or sending troops to the Far East in the future, they are indispensable. "

It could be seen that Nicholas II was very reluctant to make this decision. One of the biggest characteristics of a fighting nation was that they did not allow the government to be "weak."

Ordinary people did not know the difficulty of sending troops to the Far East. In the eyes of ordinary people, the difficulty of attacking Japan was similar to killing a bug.

Now that they were provoked by a bug, the government did not immediately send troops to retaliate, but instead played the so-called "diplomatic means," which was simply a disgrace.

In fact, the situation would be even more serious. The civilian military enthusiasts even helped the Tsarist government with the battle plan.

It didn't matter if the Navy was not strong enough. They could form a coalition with allies and copy the plan to deal with the Empire of the Far East a few years ago.

As for whether other countries were willing to send troops, it was the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If they couldn't do it, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was incompetent.

Especially after the media published the news that Shinra's Nanyang Fleet and Britannia's Far East Fleet went to the Sea of Japan, everyone was more certain of their judgment.

In the context of the people calling for war, choosing to temporarily endure was also a major blow to Nicholas II's reputation as a monarch.

For Nicholas II himself, now was "enduring for a while," and "thinking about it, the more I think about it, the angrier I get."

…

Looking at the snowflakes dancing in the sky, Franz sighed helplessly. It was another cold winter.

Perhaps it was because of his old age, in recent years, Franz had become more and more dissatisfied with the winter in Vienna.

There were many cities in Shinra that enjoyed spring all year round, but unfortunately, none of them was close to Vienna. Wanting to go out for the winter was a problem.

Frankly speaking, with the development of the Holy Roman Empire today, Vienna could no longer be regarded as the center of the empire.

If one ignored the scale and looked purely from a map, Vienna could be regarded as a border city.

Despite all these shortcomings, it still couldn't change the fact that Vienna was the capital of Shinra. Moving the capital was impossible.

In fact, after Shinra was unified, it wasn't that no one mentioned moving the capital, and there was even a big discussion.

Unfortunately, everything was afraid of comparison. Vienna had its shortcomings, and the other cities of Shinra had even greater shortcomings. A city that was the best in all aspects only existed in a dream.

After considering all the factors such as history, politics, culture, economy, and strategy, Vienna was still the most suitable capital for Shinra.

Since there was no better choice, Franz naturally wouldn't waste time. In fact, even if there was a better choice, Franz wouldn't move away from his home.

The House of Habsburg had been operating here for hundreds of years and had a very deep foundation, which was incomparable to other cities.

As for the winter, so be it if it was cold. Compared to the neighboring Russian Empire and the Nordic Federation, every winter in Vienna was warm.

Worst case scenario, they could just spend the winter outside next year. Anyway, his son was already grown up, and as a semi-retired emperor, he had the capital to wander around.

…

Frederick The Great: "Father, the Tsarist government's delegation has already set off from St. Peter's Castle. It seems that the Russians are giving up on sending troops for revenge."

He had to admit that Mao Xiong these days were honest and straightforward. Anyone who knew them a little would be able to judge their decisions from their actions. They couldn't guarantee that they were 100% prepared, but it wasn't a problem to make a guess.

If it were the British, it would be completely impossible to judge. They could chat cheerfully with you while sending their troops to attack you.

Looking at his son with snowflakes on his head, Franz nodded, "Probably waiting for the Siberian Railway to open! Without the railway, it was almost impossible to send troops to the Far East.

However, the Russians' plan this time would probably fail. They wanted to wait, but it didn't mean that the Japanese were willing to wait.

This embassy case had forced both Japan and Russia to the edge of the cliff. When two sides meet on a narrow road, the brave wins. War is inevitable.

Judging from the current situation, neither Japan nor Russia is ready for war. The two countries shouldn't be fighting in the short term.

Next, it will depend on who is faster. The party that completes the war preparation first will have a great advantage in the upcoming war. "

Frankly speaking, Franz was also very surprised by the restraint shown by the Tsarist government.

Since when was Nicholas II able to keep his composure?

According to the past practice of the Tsarist government, when this kind of thing happened, regardless of the consequences, they would fight first.

It wasn't just the Tsarist government. Most of the major powers would first consider when encountering this kind of situation – start a war or how to fight.

Shinra was no exception. If the victims of the tragedy were their own diplomats, Franz would also launch a war to retaliate.

Of course, the premise was that they could win. If they really encountered an opponent that they couldn't handle, they still had to admit defeat when it was time.

Frederick The Great asked incredulously, "It's impossible for the Japanese to take the initiative to start a war, right?

In this matter, they were in the wrong. If they take the initiative to start a war, once they lose, the Russians can naturally colonize Japan.

The strength gap between Japan and Russia is huge. Even if the Government of Japan gains the advantage in the short term, with the opening of the Siberian Railway and the arrival of the Russian Army reinforcements, they will still be defeated. "

It wasn't just him who thought so. Few people in Europe thought that Japan had the courage to start a war.

"Why not?"

Franz asked.

"At this point, everyone knows that the war between Japan and Russia will break out sooner or later. What is there for the Government of Japan to be afraid of?

If they take action before the opening of the Siberian Railway, they still have some hope of winning. The longer they wait, the lower their chances of winning.

What's more, the British are cheering them on. The Government of the United Kingdom has been preparing for a long time. Isn't it to consume the strength of the Russians in the Far East and reduce the military pressure on India?

As long as the Government of Japan responds fast enough, they can seize the Far East before the opening of the Siberian Railway.

Then, the Government of the United Kingdom will provide the money and the Government of Japan will provide the manpower. They will use time and space to slowly consume the Russians.

Anyway, Japan has a large population and the combat effectiveness of its army is not bad. As long as the British support can keep up, it won't be a problem for them to persist for eight to ten years.

No matter what the final outcome is, the Russians will suffer a great loss. Even the Russo-Austrian Alliance will have problems because of this. "

It wasn't that Franz was pessimistic. The Russo-Austrian Alliance had long been cracked. It was only because of the efforts of the Government of Vienna to mend the cracks that they persisted until now.

The outside world couldn't see anything, but as the person involved, Franz was very clear that the contradictions between Russia and Austria were rapidly accumulating.

Not only was the political power imbalance between the two countries increasing, but the Tsarist government's sense of crisis had also increased. The economic and trade frictions had also intensified.

As the vested interests of the Russo-Austrian Alliance, the old aristocrats of the Russian Empire earned money by farming and mining. They might not have too many thoughts. However, the emerging national bourgeoisie and intellectuals of Russia were very dissatisfied with the current situation.

In the view of these "insightful people", if they didn't break the current position of raw material production and commodity sales market, sooner or later, the Russian Empire would become an economic colony.

If they wanted to change all of this, they first had to break the economic dependence on Shinra. This included withdrawing from the free trade system and implementing tariff barriers.

If possible, it would be best to erase the debt. To avoid the heavy repayment burden and hinder the modernization of the Russian Empire.

Although these people didn't have a high voice in the Tsarist government, it was always easier to do bad things than to succeed.

As for the consequences of doing so, Franz didn't think that a group of idealists would be afraid, and he didn't think that a group of profit-seeking capitalists would care.

In fact, the situation was much worse than that. The voice of opposition to the Russo-Austrian Alliance within Shinra was also growing by the day.

The aristocrats and farmers attached to the agricultural industry chain were also very dissatisfied with the large amount of imports of Russia's agricultural products.

In the past, the Russian Empire was strong enough, and the Empire still had to deal with France in the west, so they needed this ally. For the sake of the overall situation, everyone could reluctantly accept it.

With the end of the European War, the Holy Roman Empire directly rose to the sky, and the strategic need for the Russian Empire had been infinitely reduced.

Under this background, people naturally didn't like the economic policy of taking care of the Russian Empire.

The Russo-Austrian Alliance could last until now was inseparable from the economic policy of the Government of Vienna.

The annual foreign exchange income from the export of food and ore accounted for 94.6% of the total foreign exchange income of the Russian Empire. Most of these raw materials were exported to Shinra.

Without this income, it was only a matter of time before the Tsarist government went bankrupt. There was no room for struggle. The alliance naturally couldn't be maintained.

These people weren't people who didn't have the right to speak. If it wasn't for the fact that Franz needed to fight for world hegemony, there would probably be chaos down there.

Based on the current situation, once Britannia declined, the Russo-Austrian Alliance would almost come to an end.

In the end, it was a disaster caused by interests. The existence of the Russo-Austrian Alliance harmed their interests, so they naturally had to find a way to get rid of it.

To be able to endure for a few years for the interests of the Empire, it was already very good for the overall situation. In the future, even God wouldn't be able to stop it.

Of course, if that really happened, the mission of the Russo-Austrian Alliance would also be completed, and it would indeed be time to get rid of it.

Obviously, this was only the most ideal situation. The people of Russia weren't idiots. The Tsarist government had long been aware of the danger, or else Nicholas II wouldn't have wanted to get rid of the dependence on Shinra.

Since it was destined to be abandoned in the future, the Tsarist government was naturally making preparations. For example, the strategy of going south and the strategy of going east were the response plans of the people of Russia.

To sum it up, it could be summed up in one sentence: Let there be money in the pocket.

The Russian Empire, with money in their pockets, was fearless. Even if they couldn't do anything to Shinra, they could still protect themselves.

The current plan of the British was to increase the sense of crisis of the Tsarist government and force the people of Russia to join them.

This wasn't impossible. Although the market of Britannia couldn't be compared to that of Shinra, it was still possible for them to take half of the food and ore export share of the people of Russia.

Then, they could lend a sum of money to the Tsarist government, and they would be able to survive the short-term shock. As for the repercussions, it was estimated that the Government of the United Kingdom wouldn't think as much as the people of Russia.

After a long while, Frederick The Great said indifferently, "Once the British fall, the people of Russia will be our biggest competitor.

After all, the Russo-Austrian Alliance has lasted for so many years. Without sufficient reason, we can't make a move on them.

If the Tsarist government insists on maintaining the alliance, we won't even be able to suppress them on the surface.

For the sake of the reputation of the Empire, we can only let the people of Russia decline in advance. Anyway, they won't be needed in the struggle for hegemony. "

"Ruthless" wasn't just "mature."

In Franz's view, the fact that Frederick The Great could make such a decision was a sign of maturity. As a ruler, if he wasn't ruthless, he wouldn't be able to stand firm.

The Russo-Austrian Alliance had lasted for so many years. Although there was no lack of opponents in both countries, the friendship between the people was really deep.

Not to mention other things, there were countless marriage alliances. In the past cultural exchanges and commercial trade, Russia and Austria had many in-laws, from the nobles of the upper class to the ordinary people.

If they really made a move on their ally for no reason, it wouldn't be easy for the people at home, not to mention the damage to their international reputation.

It wasn't convenient for them to do it themselves, so they could only kill with a borrowed knife.

If the British wanted to pull the people of Russia over, the premise was that the Russian Empire still had a certain amount of strength. If the people of Russia were crippled, it would be useless even if they were pulled over.

"The Siberian Railway has not yet been opened, and the power that the people of Russia can send to the Far East is limited. Even if they are defeated, the loss will be limited.

When the railway is opened, the people of Russia can go all out, but the strength of the Japanese is seriously insufficient. Even with the support of the British, it can't make up for the gap in strength between the two countries.

After all, we are still allies with the people of Russia, and the support that we should have is indispensable. At the very least, we should issue loans, sell weapons, equipment, and strategic materials. "

The prerequisite for killing with a borrowed knife was that the knife must be sharp enough. It was obvious that the knife of the Japanese was still lacking. It might be possible to seriously injure the people of Russia, but it was impossible to cripple the Russian Empire.