"Mingshan, Germany really has adopted a high tariff policy!" Grace said to Wang Mingshan with a telegram in her hand.
"Oh? Really? "Wang Mingshan showed a slightly surprised expression. In fact, he was not surprised at all. As early as more than a year ago, the Bank of Europe's analysis department could roughly determine that Germany would adopt sky-high tariffs to protect domestic industries. High tariffs were one of Prime Minister Bismarck's basic policies. Germany's Emperor Wilhelm II drove Bismarck out, but did not abolish Bismarck's policies.
"Now our child's wealth is finally stable!" Marchioness Grace might not know what Wang Mingshan was thinking, or she was just pretending not to know what Wang Mingshan was thinking. She was happy that her wealth did not suffer any losses under the correct operation, so she went forward and hugged Wang Mingshan to express her joy.
After a while, Grace suddenly asked, "How long do you think this time will last? No matter how I look at it, it doesn't look like it can be solved in just a year or two. "
Of course, Wang Mingshan knew that this crisis was very serious. European capital had been confined to European soil and could not benefit from the overseas market. This was like putting a lot of poisonous insects in a big urn and not putting food in them. The hungry poisonous insects could not break out of this' prison, 'so they could probably only survive by devouring others.
The organization had rules, and Wang Mingshan did not dare to reveal his prediction of the war. So he smiled and said, "You can consider the possibility of a large number of Italians migrating to South America." Britain had never encouraged foreigners to migrate to Britain. Now that all of North America was owned by the Min dynasty, the Min dynasty's attitude toward immigration was even more conservative than Britain's. For the time being, the only place in the world that could accept immigrants was probably South America.
Marchioness Grace nodded. It was obvious that this suggestion had given her a very clear inspiration.
When the Marchioness went to prepare for her big business of making money, Wang Mingshan also began his own work. The Ottoman Empire's sensitivity towards revolution was very poor, or it could be said that the people in the land ruled by the Ottomans were still in a pre-agricultural feudal era that was not even considered an agricultural civilization. Everyone's thoughts were to occupy the land and become the king. Revolution, which was based on a highly socialized ideology, had no room for cultural survival in these areas. Surprisingly, the Osman Turk Empire allowed the activities of the Democracy Foundation. The Foundation for Democracy had many strongholds along the long border with Hungary. These strongholds only needed to have a good relationship with the local forces.
The armed struggle of the Hungarian people had become more and more intense since April, when there was no new crop. The angry citizens gave the guerrillas a lot of help, giving them the opportunity to launch a large number of attacks on the local nobles and landlords. After wiping out the militia and destroying the mansions of the nobles and landlords, everyone divided the food and the floating wealth. The guerrillas gradually gained a modicum of dominance in the countryside.
Wang Mingshan did not know how long these good days would last, because news came from Budapest that the Austro-Hungarian Empire's regular army had been ordered to carry out a purge of the areas where the rebels were. If one looked at it from the perspective of China's tradition, the upcoming purge could probably be predicted by the words "killing the innocent and taking the credit". Of course, in the eyes of the lords, the unruly people were traitors or the reserve army of traitors, so the lords did not have the psychological burden of "killing the innocent and taking the credit". They did not feel that they were killing the innocent people.
However, Wang Mingshan did not expect that the Austro-Hungarian Empire's army had not been paid since April. The economic crisis that engulfed the whole of Europe did not leave the Austro-Hungarian Empire alone. The capitalists had to pay dividends to their shareholders, and without dividends, stocks would be sold off. The selling of some stocks caused panic and led to a wave of selling, causing large enterprises to stop work and close down. The shutdown caused the tax revenue to shrink, and the national treasury to be empty.
At this time, the Min dynasty was worried about when the large amount of overissued currency would be digested by the domestic economy. This kind of worry would be the greatest happiness in Europe. Perhaps it was because he was too familiar with the Min dynasty's economy, but Wang Mingshan could not imagine that the Austro-Hungarian Empire would cut off the army's pay.
The European army had always believed that looting was a legitimate source of income, and with the cut off of the army's pay. Since the beginning of June, in addition to using the heads of the people in the bandit infested areas to prove that the army was not half-hearted, the people in the bandit infested areas had to face the reality that the little wealth they had painstakingly accumulated had been plundered.
In August, under the hoarse roars of the nobles in the bandit infested areas, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's regular army returned to camp under the pleas of tears and snot. The nobles from all over the country also signed countless letters of gratitude, praising the Austro-Hungarian Empire's regular army for "fighting bravely", "killing the bandits wholeheartedly", "not offending anyone", and "being a family of soldiers and civilians".
It was relatively easy for the nobles to write these letters, at least the army did not dare to violate the nobles' women. Not too long ago, the nobles had collected many beautiful wives and daughters of "prostitutes". After presenting them to the military officers, they could also get some financial concessions. Anyway, it was easy to get tired of women. To the men, beautiful women were like flowers that grew in the wild. Once they were cut, they would grow again.
In the middle of September 1898, a lot of people wearing formal attire gathered in Vienna. These people tried every possible way to see the Austro-Hungarian Emperor, as well as the nobles and ministers. Most of them were from the upper class and the cultural class. As for what happened in Austria, these people felt that they had a reason to stand out and expose the abuses. The Austro-Hungarian Emperor claimed to be a wise ruler, and a wise ruler should listen to the voice of the people. The upper class and the cultural class were undoubtedly the people in the eyes of the Emperor. Then, the Emperor was furious and demanded that all kinds of illegal activities be investigated.
At the beginning of October, a large number of investigators went to the scene of the incident. After a month of investigation, the investigators believed that there were indeed some inappropriate activities such as pushing old men and women who came to beg, cursing at the local people who blocked the road, or whistling at the women they saw along the way. The glorious Austro-Hungarian Empire needed to improve on the high standards it had already achieved, and try to move forward to a level that would make God smile when he saw it.
While investigating the military violations, the investigators found many local cases. Many "prostitutes" were hiding among the Austro-Hungarian subjects, secretly destroying the Austro-Hungarian Empire's legal system, and tempting the subjects to abandon the glorious traditions of the Hungarian villages that had been settled for 800 years. The investigators with sharp eyes found these "prostitutes" and brought them to justice.
Of course, the holy and wise Austro-Hungarian Emperor would not be deceived by these people. He summoned the upper class and the cultural class to see him, and also the investigators who were officials. He reprimanded the investigators for exaggerating their hard work and exaggerating their achievements. They used inaccurate results to earn political achievements for themselves.
The officials were obedient to His Majesty's reprimand, but the way they looked at the upper class and the cultural class' Hungarians' was enough to kill people. In the end, most of the upper class and the cultural class' Hungarians' thought that the Emperor was too harsh on the investigators. There was also a stubborn blockhead who disappeared that very night, and no one had ever seen him again.
Amidst this peace, it was Christmas of 1898. Seven days ago, an insignificant matter happened. A second lieutenant stationed in Budapest committed suicide. The Hungarians made sure that the second lieutenant committed suicide and was not murdered, so they put the matter aside.
On Christmas, it snowed as usual, and the earth was covered in white. Important officials and soldiers were invited to Buda Castle to attend the Christmas party. Officers in Budapest invited other officers, equally unimportant, to their homes for a holiday of great importance in Christian civilization. The officers who had to stay in the camp were homesick or some other emotion, so they were not interested in military work. Just before the bell rang on Christmas Eve, the door of the officers' barracks in the east of the city was suddenly pushed open. Several low-ranking soldiers' faces were as cold as the weather outside. They walked in front of the baffled officer, and without any hesitation, they took out their pistols and started shooting. The officer did not understand what was going on, and he was shot to death.
This was not an isolated case. In the barracks in the east and south of Budapest, the low-ranking officers shot the officers who stayed in the barracks, and then called the soldiers to the field of the barracks. At this time, the bodies of the officers were hung on the field. The soldiers were shocked, but no one came out to question or question.
"A few days ago, an officer committed suicide. I think you may have heard about it. He fought for those high and mighty masters, and when he returned to Budapest, he found out that his sister in the countryside had been sold here as a prostitute. This is the reward we get for working for the masters. This is how the masters treat us! " The soldier who made the impassioned speech was a captain, which was probably the highest military rank a Hungarian could climb up to.
The soldiers below knew about this, and their faces were solemn, not saying a word. The soldiers who had not heard of this matter were left speechless by the news.
"Our commander likes to raise dogs, and that big wolfdog eats meat every day. Yes, it eats meat every day. I think those who have been his orderlies all know that. And we, besides black bread, have no other food. The meat was given to us as a weekly reward, and it was only a small amount that could be eaten in a few bites. In the eyes of these masters, our status is probably lower than that of a dog. For a dog, he will give it meat every day. And we have not received military pay for several months? Has anyone given us a penny of military pay in the last six months? And these masters drive us to rob ordinary people, and after the robbery, they take the majority of the property. These people are no different from our families! Friends! Friends! I want to ask, are we human beings, or are we animals inferior to dogs?!!! Can you tell me? "
The captain was already shouting at the end of his speech.
"We want to be human beings! We want to be human beings! " There were already soldiers who responded loudly. Although there were not many of them, their voices were very firm.
More and more soldiers joined in the chorus, because the captain was not lying. Although there were some things that people did not know, the soldiers in the regiment were very clear about the dog and the 'suppression of bandits'.
The captain waved his hand to calm everyone down, and then he continued to shout, "Today, we will use the weapons in our hands to take back our identity as human beings. We do not ask everyone to join our ranks. But I hope that our brothers and friends who came from the poor will at least stay in the barracks. Because you know why we want a revolution. If we don't start a revolution, we will lose our lives! "
The uprising of the army was very quick, because many things did not need to be said. Reality was more effective than any classroom. In the past few years, the Hungarian masters had proven how to deal with their rebellious people.
On December 24, 1898, the entire garrison of Budapest broke out in an uprising. About one-third of the soldiers joined the revolution, and two-thirds of the soldiers stayed in the barracks and watched from the sidelines. They may not have supported the uprising, but they did not continue to work for the masters.
The garrison of the Hungarian army did not have weapons, and the weapons were stored in the armory, guarded by the troops that the nobles trusted. The uprising troops followed the preparations and directly entered the workers' district.
The shabby workers' residential area was already crowded, and the self-defense force formed by the workers had blocked all the entrances and exits in the area. Although there were so many people, the place was not brightly lit. It was impossible to rely on torches and candles to make the place as bright as day. The troops could not change into completely different equipment, so everyone tied a red scarf around their neck. The workers breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the troops with red scarves and red flags arrive as promised.
Then, the dilapidated workers' district became lively. The workers came out of their homes and lifted the wooden boards under their beds. They tore down the wooden slats on the dilapidated walls and took out the weapons and ammunition they had hidden there and distributed them to the insurgents.
It took the Democratic Foundation nearly three years to build this line of communication. During these three years, the traffic officers on the line, as well as the Party members and sympathizers of the Communist Party, had probably changed twice. Too many of them were discovered, arrested, and executed. But the more brutal the Hungarian masters became, the more determined the supporters of the revolution became. A few months later, a large number of weapons arrived in Budapest and were hidden in the workers' quarters, which were not spacious. Many people knew about this, but no one told the truth. Because the informant had already left with the bounty that had been paid in exchange for the lives of his former friends and fellow workers. Those who remained did not want to go the way of those people.
The workers' quarters were divided into four main areas, where the uprising troops gathered. The commander and the commanders of the various troops were all Party members. Everyone did not waste any time and did their best to prepare for battle. Those gathered today were either Party members or Party supporters, as well as the families and even widows of the fallen Party members.
Just before midnight, the troops of the four regions let out a resounding and powerful roar at almost the same time. "Everyone, move out! The enemy is in the palace! "
"Arise, slaves who are cold and hungry! Arise, sufferers of the world! Our blood is boiling, we will fight for the truth! "
No one knew who hummed this song in a low voice in the wind and snow, but the comrades who were marching with them also sang. Then the entire column, the entire team, began to sing. At this moment, there was no need for words. Everything that could be said and wanted to be said had already been said. The insurgents knew very well what they were doing, and these insurgents knew very well what the consequences would be if they failed. Too many things had proven to them how the masters treated the revolutionaries.
At first, the person in charge of the detachment wanted everyone to quiet down and stop them from singing, not because of fear, but because he did not want to alarm the enemy. But in the blink of an eye, he gave up the idea and even sang with everyone. "The old world is beaten to a pulp, slaves, arise, arise! Don't say that we have nothing, we want to be the masters of the world! "
"The Internationale," renamed from "Chinese Revolutionary Anthem," was now a banned song in Hungary and even in all of Europe. In recent Hungary, anyone who dared to sing this song in public would be sentenced to death once they were arrested.
However, the insurgent revolutionaries had sung this song in a low voice when they were sad, in a low voice when they were afraid, and in a low voice when they were uncertain. Now, as they were about to pounce on the enemy and fight to the death, the person in charge of the detachment no longer wanted to remain silent. Between the rich and the poor, who would be able to survive would be the start of this battle.
Through the alleys, through the streets, and across the beautiful bridges that were brightly lit. On the hillside, the brightly lit Buda Castle was in front of the insurgent troops. To the surprise of the insurgents, they did not encounter the slightest obstruction along the way. Not only that, but many of the guards in Buda Castle were also insurgents. They took care of the other guards and seized the gate. But their luck ended there. When the troops arrived at the gate, the gate guard said in shame, "Further inside is the area guarded by the officers' adjutants and attendants. We really have no choice. "
"That's enough," Kuhn, the commander-in-chief, replied readily. Looking up at the tall castle, Kuhn could not understand why these people had the courage to indulge in pleasure. Did these men really think that they could solve the people's anger with a butcher's knife? Or did these men think that there was another way for the people to live before they broke through the bottom line of their dignity?
Kuhn did not think much about it. The men's thoughts had nothing to do with him, just as the thoughts of a poor man like Kuhn were never of concern to the men. The troops quickly surrounded Buda Castle under Kuhn's command, and the insurgent troops then rushed in through the gate. It had to be said that the guards and guards of the men were not bad. They were still vigilant at this time. Seeing the insurgent troops rush over without any explanation, they only asked a simple question and immediately opened fire. In the blink of an eye, the courtyard was filled with gunshots.
The lords and ladies in the castle were having fun. The gunshots outside sounded like fireworks to the upper class who were drunk. Someone immediately leaned against the window to look. After a while, someone among the people watching screamed, "Outside … There seems to be a war outside?!"
Some of the people were still dancing and did not hear this. Others looked at the person who spoke in shock. They could not understand the news. At this moment, the gate was suddenly pushed open. An attendant who had been shot in the shoulder rushed in and shouted, "Someone is rebelling!"
This time, the people in the castle finally became alert. The Prime Minister was sitting among the nobles and officials discussing some matters. Hearing the noise, he stood up and said a few words to the attendant beside him. The attendant hurriedly ran to stop the band. The music stopped abruptly. The people who were immersed in the dance had to stop dancing. At this time, a dense burst of bullets hit the glass window and shattered it. The cold wind and fierce gunshots rushed into the hall through the broken window. Everyone was quiet, and then suddenly a woman screamed hysterically.
The officers immediately rushed downstairs and split into several groups. Not long after, the officers from the various groups came back. They gathered around the Prime Minister and whispered anxiously. The Prime Minister's expression changed dramatically. But at least he managed to keep his composure. Then, the gunshots suddenly became sparse. This made those who had never been on the battlefield feel a lot more at ease. The Prime Minister's expression became really ugly. The soldiers who had gone to a few passages just now came back and said that the rebel army had sealed off all the passages. They had been surrounded.
"… The most hateful of all are those poisonous snakes and beasts. They've eaten our flesh and blood! Once they're wiped out, the bright red sun will shine over the whole world! … "
Surprisingly, singing came from the broken window. Accompanying the singing, some officers ran back from the various passages and rushed to the Prime Minister's side. They began to say something hurriedly. After hearing their words, the Prime Minister could no longer hold on. His legs turned to jelly and he almost fell to the ground.
It was not that the Prime Minister did not want to continue pretending to be calm. But the officers who came back from the various passages told him that the troops in each passage had been almost wiped out in the fierce battle just now. Everyone had used the castle's own defense to the greatest extent and were still holding their ground. But the enemy on the other side was readjusting their forces and preparing for the final assault. And the singing coming from the window was the mobilization of those people before the attack!
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