Chapter 806

By deliberately leaking the date of the declaration of war in advance, Franz accidentally made history again.

As an emperor, Franz's every move was inevitably interpreted from a political perspective. The seemingly childish move was actually another game between monarchical power and theocratic power.

The struggle between monarchical power and theocratic power in the European world lasted for thousands of years. The Reformation launched in the Middle Ages was based on the theory that Jesus said, "God's to God, Caesar's to Caesar."

However, there was still no clear division between what belonged to God and what belonged to Caesar.

Everyone tacitly agreed on religion and secularism, but European religion had been integrated into people's daily lives, and religion and secularism were simply inseparable.

Whether monarchical power was higher than religious power, or religious power was higher than monarchical power, there had never been a clear statement in the Holy Roman Empire.

Even when confiscating the assets of the Church, Franz made a deal with the Pope and used the name of the Pope to force the bishops to compromise, not the name of the government.

Although the goal was achieved, such operations could only be done once or twice, and they could not rely on the Vatican for a long time.

Therefore, in the decades that followed, Franz had been secretly weakening the influence of the Church and trying to put religion under the jurisdiction of the government.

Now, it was about time for him to lay his cards on the table. The deliberate date of the declaration of war was a clear political signal.

It was to let everyone recognize the reality. The Pope had to act according to the will of the emperor, so why should the Church be aloof?

People's hearts were constantly changing, and the bottom line was constantly being broken. If it was decades ago, such a hint would naturally not be effective.

But now it was different. The strength of the Church had declined significantly, and the government had long intervened in religious affairs, but it did not say it openly.

Now that it was put on the table, it was for the Catholics at home, and also for the Protestants in the North.

The main purpose was to tell everyone that in the Holy Roman Empire, the Church had to listen to the emperor, so religious conflicts were meaningless.

As for leaking the date of the declaration of war and letting the British take precautions in advance, it was not a problem at all.

The killing in the colonies was about to form a river of blood. The places that could be defended had long been defended, and there was no need to defend now.

…

No matter how tense the situation was, the fog was still the fog. Even though the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, it was not worth mentioning compared to the thick fog.

The roar of mechanical turbines was endless, and the number of ships entering and leaving the port was like the stars in the sky. Under the thick fog, the Port of London was still busy as usual, as if it was not affected by the situation.

Due to the impact of the war, there were more ships entering and leaving the port recently, but the direction of the trade had changed.

The ships that were originally plying between the English Channel had now shifted to the ocean and started trading.

The ships that chose to stay behind were no longer engaged in import and export trade, but were now engaged in passenger transport.

In fact, when news of the attack on the Suez Canal reached Europe, trade between Britain and the European countries ended, and the evacuation of British nationals was put on the agenda.

The rise of every big city was bound to suck the blood of its neighbors. As international metropolis, London, of the world. of London.

Millions of immigrants from all over Europe gathered here. As the war approached, these expatriates naturally could not stay any longer.

Fortunately, these people came from more than a dozen countries. Otherwise, it would be hard to accommodate so many people at once.

The towering lighthouse had begun its work, dutifully guiding the direction of every ship. The towering lighthouse had begun its repetitive work, dutifully guiding the direction of every ship.

The towering lighthouse had begun its work, dutifully guiding the direction of every ship. As the roar of the ships approached, more and more pedestrians gathered at the port.

A middle-aged man dressed in green reprimanded sternly, "Keep up, Andre. A middle-aged man in green clothes reprimanded, "Hurry up, Andrea.

Without waiting for him to finish, Andrea tossed his head and asked disdainfully, "Isn't it good to stay here?"

Feeling that his dignity was challenged, the middle-aged man scolded, "Andrea, you're really an idiot.

Don't forget you're from Sicily. If you ask such an idiotic question again, don't tell me you're my son.

Look at this damn weather. How can it compare to Sicily? Look at the eyes of the people around … "

In name, it was an evacuation, but in fact, they were fleeing. He couldn't even take care of himself, so he naturally didn't have the mood to care about others scolding his son.

Similar scenes were playing out in countless families at the moment. One had to admit that Britannia nowadays was indeed full of temptation for ordinary people.

The second and third generations of immigrants who grew up in London had already developed feelings for this country, and the concept of their motherland had become negligible.

Unfortunately, as an island country, Britannia was innately lacking in tolerance. Even the Irish couldn't be accommodated, so naturally, it couldn't accommodate these wanderers.

Discrimination was everywhere, especially with the approaching war, which made the lives of the immigrants even more difficult. All kinds of surveillance, interrogation, and even unwarranted detention.

Many immigrants were forced to choose to return home, either because they couldn't stand the strange gazes around them, or because they were worried about their future.

In fact, those who left now were either poor people or greedy people who wanted to try their luck.

The real smart people had already sold their assets in the British Isles as early as the situation worsened, preparing for their escape.

Greed came with a price. They didn't cut their flesh in time to stop their losses, so they could only shed tears and sell off their assets, symbolically recovering some of their costs, or even having their property seized by others.

From the conversation between the two, it could be seen that Rudolph and Andrew were not rich people. Anyone with a little bit of money would have long bought their own tickets and fled.

It couldn't be helped. The date of the declaration of war prepared by the Holy Roman Empire had been exposed by the media. No matter how slow they were, they knew that if they didn't run now, they really wouldn't be able to.

Naturally, there were those who chose to stay with Britannia through thick and thin, but there were definitely not many such idiots.

It couldn't be helped. Even if they wanted to stay, they had to be willing to accept it.

In fact, returning home at this time would also face various problems.

Not only did they need to solve their jobs, but they also had to be monitored, which made them feel somewhat inhumane.

However, Rudolph had no choice. If he stayed in Britannia, he would not only be discriminated against, but it could also bring danger to his life.

Thanks to the development of the British newspaper industry, Rudolph knew that the British Isles had limited food production and had long relied on imports.

It just so happened that the enemy of the war was the world's number one agricultural exporter. If the war continued for a long time, there might be a famine.

Even if the Government of the United Kingdom repeatedly guaranteed that they had a vast colony and many food-rich allies, they could guarantee the domestic supply of supplies.

However, he couldn't stand the Irish workmates next door, who repeatedly spread the dark history of the Government of the United Kingdom, making it really difficult for Rudolph to have confidence in the Government of the United Kingdom.

At the peak of Britannia, a famine alone starved millions of their own people to death. What would happen if there was a war?

That's right, in the eyes of ordinary people, the British Isles were one, and Ireland was also an important part of the British Empire.

The Government of the United Kingdom would not publicize the grievances. Ordinary Britons didn't know much about it, and Rudolph, who came out to make a living, was even more confused.

In contrast, returning home at least had a guaranteed food supply. His hometown, Sicily, was suitable for agricultural production and was one of the few agricultural export areas in the Regions of Italy.

The Holy Roman Empire was also the world's number one agricultural exporter. Even if a war broke out, it was unlikely that they would run to Sicily to collect food.

Anyway, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was just a bystander in this war, and the possibility of it becoming a battlefield was not high.

The government would most likely not go all out in this war. Even if he was monitored and investigated after returning home, it was more likely that it was just a formality.

There were so many places where spies were needed. As long as the British were not stupid, they would not focus their intelligence collection on the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Sad scenes not only appeared on the London docks, but also in almost all the major ports in Europe.

It was just that the number of Britons who lived in Europe was far less than the number of Europeans who went to Britannia to make a living, so the London port was particularly noisy.

…

Time flew, and the annual Christmas came again. Under the festive atmosphere, the smell of gunpowder in Europe was diluted a lot.

If it wasn't for the media that revealed the date of the Government of Vienna's declaration of war, which caused an uproar. Perhaps people who did not understand European culture would have thought that the matter was over.

Under the strong festive atmosphere, both sides pressed the pause button at the same time, and even the conflict between the colonies stopped.

The only one who suffered was the Russian Army in the Far East. The Japanese Army did not have a holiday on Christmas, so they could only fight hard.

Of course, this was not a big deal. The Orthodox Christmas was next month, so it was not too late to be sentimental then.

In St. Peter's Castle, the Tsarist government also received the Holy Roman Empire's declaration of war plan. With the approaching of the war, the battle of routes once again became a hot topic in Russia.

The fundamental purpose of military technological innovation was to study how to kill people efficiently.

The use of machine gun trenches and barbed wire tactics helped the Russians stabilize their position; but the emergence of armored tanks opened a new door for the Japanese Army.

Affected by this, the casualties of both Japan and Russia were much higher than in history.

These were all small problems. The Tsarist government had gray livestock; Japan, with its strong Samurai ideology, also had the spirit of not afraid of death.

Both sides could afford to die, and the human wave tactic lost its effectiveness overnight, which made the Tsarist government embarrassed.

Those were all small problems. What really made the Russians waver was the problem of logistics.

With the tense situation, it was obviously unrealistic to rely on the Government of Vienna to smuggle strategic supplies.

What they could get at the moment was the part they had hoarded before. Once it was used up, they could only transport it from Europe.

After the French laborers worked day and night, the Siberian Railway was finally completed before the end of the year.

It was just that this railway, which everyone had high hopes for, did not play the role that everyone had expected. There was even an accident during the opening of the railway.

If the drivers did not respond appropriately, no one knew what would have happened to the train that rushed out of the railway.

Even during the opening process, there was a strong sense of Russia manufacturing, and people could ask about it from miles away.

No one would believe that there was no problem with the train and the railway. The main reason for the accident was the lack of compatibility between the train and the railway.

"The slightest error is the difference of a thousand miles."

Once again, the facts proved that the Russians were not suitable for fine manufacturing. Even if they imported a full set of train production technology from Shinra, there was still an accident at the critical moment.

The railway could not be moved, so the problem of compatibility fell on the train. Even the trains that had been produced in advance had to be melted down and rebuilt.

It was just a small adjustment, and it did not require too much investment. The biggest cost was time.

This was just the beginning. In the future, to provide logistics to hundreds of thousands of troops on the front line, there would only be more practical problems to face.

Even if they could guarantee logistics and defeat the Japanese, they would not be able to continue eastward in a short period of time.

There was no other reason. The longer the front line was pushed, the greater the logistical pressure.

What's more, Japan was an island country surrounded by the sea. The victory on land could only be regarded as a partial victory. They had to win on the sea to truly end the war.

Everyone had confidence in the Russian Empire and did not worry about not being able to defeat the Japanese. The problem was that to complete these war plans, a lot of money was needed.

Unlike in the past, now the big financial backer was also going to war with the British. No matter how good the relationship was, at this time, everyone had to take care of themselves first.

"Raise all the funds by themselves," just thinking about it was scary. If they really did that, they would suck the financial market of the Russian Empire dry.

In contrast, the situation in the south was much better. The Shinra Army also had plans to attack India, and everyone could join forces.

Politics was linked to interests. The attack of the Russian Army had enough strategic value, and naturally, they could continue to ask the Government of Vienna for money.

It involved the future of the country, and naturally, it could not be decided in a few words. They needed to study, study, and study again. Meetings, meetings, and meetings …

For the indecisive Nicholas II, this kind of endless dispute over the strategic route was undoubtedly a kind of mental torture.

The advantages and disadvantages of both routes were placed in front of him. It seemed very simple to choose one of the two, as long as he weighed the pros and cons and chose the most advantageous one. Unfortunately, Nicholas II could not do it!

There was no way to smooth things over. Time waited for no man on the battlefield. If he did not prepare in advance, once he missed it, he would really miss it.

…

Unsurprisingly, the day after Christmas, the investigation team of the canal attack announced the results. The evidence pointed to the Government of the United Kingdom as the culprit.

Without waiting for any explanation from the Government of the United Kingdom, the Government of Vienna issued a final order to the British, ordering them to hand over the culprit within 24 hours and compensate for economic losses of 28 million BND.

Immediately afterward, the countries of the Continental Alliance took out a list of their losses and demanded compensation from the Government of the United Kingdom.

It was impossible to hand over the culprit. Originally, the Government of the United Kingdom insisted that they did not know anything. If they handed over the culprit, wouldn't they be admitting that they were the ones who planned the canal attack?

It was even more impossible to compensate them. The war was imminent, so how could they support the enemy?