The defeat at the Battle of Winter gave Alexander II a decisive decision. If the war is not ended, the Russian Empire will be finished.

There are rebels fighting inside, and strong enemies peeping outside. Alexander II did not forget that the mastermind behind this war was the real enemy of the Russian Empire.

If this war is not ended as soon as possible, except for the battlefield of Constantinople, which can be relied on by Austria to purchase strategic supplies nearby, and the chances of victory are relatively large, there is no hope for other regions.

Without the logistical supplies provided by the Moscow region, the total fall of Central Asia was inevitable; Without rear support, there is no need to count on the Far Eastern theater.

Not to mention the Polish region, after the defeat in this battle, Belarus and the Baltic Sea will become battlefields, and the fall will be a matter of time.

In case Sweden stabs him in the back, St. Petersburg will not be able to save it. It will also take time to mobilize the army, and if the Russian Empire is dying, who knows if the British will continue to fall into the ground?

It doesn't cost much, as long as the Royal Navy enters the Baltic Sea, the Russian Empire is really finished.

At this time, the Siberian Plain was not developed, and the core of the Russian Empire was St. Petersburg and Moscow, and now Moscow was already in the hands of the rebels, and if he lost St. Petersburg, he would be mixed up.

"On the side of the Qing monarch, punish the defilement". The point is still to punish the ministers and kill all the cronies around him, is the tsar still the tsar?

Don't dare to do anything to the tsar on the surface, but is it difficult to do it secretly? For example: accidental overboard, or sudden death.

Throughout the ages, there have been so many emperors who died unexpectedly, are they really all accidents?

Then this probability is inevitably too high, it is simply a high-risk occupation, or the top one.

Alexander II would not put himself in danger, as long as he survived this catastrophe, he could regain the lost future now.

"The Foreign Office sent a note to Austria inviting them to mediate the war."

Having made this decision, Alexander II sighed. This is not the best time to negotiate, but it is the time when it is most needed.

Winter was the last line of defense for the Russian Empire, and if the war broke out again the following year, the price they would have to pay would only be even greater.

Foreign Minister Clarence Ivanov asked with some apprehension: "Your Majesty, do you want to invite Britain and France to participate?" ”

There is no way, the affairs of the European continent are simply inseparable from Britain and France. The tsarist government did not invite, they would still appear at the negotiating table.

Alexander II replied helplessly: "An invitation, at this point we have little choice." ”

This is a softness to Britain and France. After this war, the weakness of the Russian Empire was exposed, and it no longer had the strength to compete with the British for world dominance.

Next, they should keep a low profile and reduce their presence as much as possible to avoid suppression from various countries.

It doesn't matter how much it does, but doing it is better than not doing it. In times of weakness, it is also a good thing to be able to reduce a little hatred.

……

Vienna, receiving the report of the winter battle between Prussia and Russia, Franz was confused. He really did not expect that the tsarist bureaucracy would die to such an extent.

False reporting of losses, deduction of military spending, and raising procurement prices are all minor problems, and they are nothing more than a little money from the Kệṇa tsarist government.

Even if you are a little more greedy and shoddy, you must ensure that you can meet your basic needs! This is war, and the slightest mistake can cost lives.

Now it's good, and the Russian army on the front line is directly gone. Now Alexander II has no time to look for their bad luck, and once the situation stabilizes, there will inevitably be a great purge.

Franz asked with concern: "How big are the losses of the Russians?" ”

Austria sent military observers to both sides at the same time, and with first-hand information on the battlefield, it was possible to make a preliminary judgment of the losses.

War Minister Albrecht replied: "The preliminary estimate is that the loss of troops is more than 300,000, and the Prussian prisoners are nearly 200,000, and about 40,000 or 50,000 are killed, and the non-combat attrition situation is very serious."

Now the Russians are in open defense, and if it were not for the logistical constraints, the Prussians would have occupied the Belarusian region. ”

Franz nodded, the Prussians picked up a big bargain this time, otherwise the war would have dragged on any longer.

It can be said that William I won the grand prize, and the whole world did not expect that they would counterattack in winter. Including Franz, he believed that the Kingdom of Prussia would be victorious in the battle the coming year.

The ability of the tsarist bureaucracy to kill directly refreshed everyone's three views, and it is estimated that all European countries did not react in the "fright".

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to the parties to mediate the war. A warning to the Prussians not to go too far, and by the way to remind them that it was time to fulfill their promises. ”

Allies naturally have to look like allies, and Franz has always done a very good job in this regard. The Covenant was strictly observed, and not even the anti-Austrian faction in the tsarist government ever blamed Austria for this.

It doesn't matter if there are small conflicts, it is absolutely necessary to take a clear stand in the general direction and stand firmly on the side of the allies. The Russians lost the war, but saved the Russo-Austrian alliance and allowed the alliance to continue.

For example, now warning the Kingdom of Prussia that it would actually be of little use and that they would not be able to fight it whether Austria interfered or not.

This attitude was exactly what the tsarist government needed most now, and Austria's position would help them to reassure them and ensure that they would not have to pay too much in the negotiations.

For geopolitical reasons, the position of the Viennese government could play a decisive role in both the battlefields of Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

The fact that the Kingdom of Prussia won the war did not mean that they were a world power, on the contrary, their own power did not increase but decreased.

If you want to become stronger, first get the loot in your hands and digest it.

Not to mention the Ottoman Empire, their strength was limited, and the completion of reforms did not mean that the country would be strong, and it would take time to develop.

In this war, they were originally forced to go to the battlefield by everyone, and they did not show too much enthusiasm in the war. It's a wave of soy sauce, and there is no record of success.

In Berlin, Wilhelm I, whose face had recently been full of smiles, had broken through the falling pie and smashed him into a daze, and now he had not woken up from his joy.

Because of the victory on the battlefield, the original whimsical plan became feasible. The road to the empire of the Kingdom of Prussia was about to set sail.

The sudden warning of the Viennese government interrupted his good mood and pulled Wilhelm I back to reality. His own family knows his own business, and winning the war is not without a price.

By the time the war had progressed, the Prussian army had lost 460,000 troops, of whom 176,000 had been killed and 12,000 had died from other causes.

Strategically, these losses are worth it. It not only solved the threat of the eastern front of the Kingdom of Prussia, but also played its own prestige, so that all countries in the world did not dare to despise Prussia.

In addition to the losses of the army, the demographic and economic losses were even more headaches for William I.

The population has already lost more than one million, and the Middle East and Prussia are the worst, with only 12 out of 10 local people left.

Economically, except for the Rhineland, which can barely support itself, the rest of the regions are considered to be finished.

This is the credit of the Russian Navy, which is sabotaging the coastal areas every day, a large number of refugees are pouring into the rear, and the economy is severely hit.

If it weren't for the support of the financial lord, the Kingdom of Prussia would have collapsed long ago. It's not much better now, the domestic economy is in ruins, and there is no time to recover.

Wilhelm I asked: "What do you think of the diplomatic note of the Vienna government?" ”

Moltke said without hesitation: "Now we have reached the limit, and the gains of continuing to fight outweigh the losses." It is better to determine the interests at hand at the negotiation table. ”

Having won the war, the military's political influence has gone further. As the commander of the war, Moltke is also in full swing.

In the past, he would never have made his position so clear, but now it is different, as a successful person, Moltke has more say than the prime minister.

William I breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, it was best for the military to give up, otherwise he could only use the pressure of the great powers to make the military cease.

As for Moltke's attitude, it was all a minor matter. There is no shortage of this thing in the mind, and there is a Bismarck in the original time and space that he can bear, let alone just a Moltke?

In addition to Ron, Moltke and Bismarck all have flaws in their personalities, and ordinary people really can't help it.

Prime Minister Frank frowned and said: "It's not that easy, it's not a big problem to get the two principalities and parts of the Baltic Sea, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to get hold of Poland."

In addition, there is another problem before us that is 'Silesia'. We promised the Austrians earlier, and now we must think carefully about whether or not we want to fulfill this promise. ”

The Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein was the least controversial, and the tsarist government would not dwell on this issue, while the Kingdom of Denmark had no confidence in dwelling on it.

It was also relatively easy to get the Baltic region, the locals were staunch anti-Russians, and many issues could be discussed as long as they could break away from the tsarist government.

(Today: the three Baltic states, the area should be extended inland)

The most important thing was that the British supported Prussia's acquisition of the Baltic region, and France and Austria also acquiesced in this matter.

It would be really difficult to annex Poland. First of all, the current Polish Provisional Government is the first obstacle.

Although Moltke had been taking advantage of the opportunity to fight the Russians, depleting the strength of the Poles, and the military strength of the Provisional Government had suffered heavy losses, the people still wanted independence!

Trying to swallow them in one gulp is not as simple as it sounds. The Polish Provisional Government did not agree to merge, and Prussia could not directly attack the allies, right?

If these factors can be overcome by force, then the reaction of the great powers is desperate. After the annexation of Poland, the territory of the Kingdom of Prussia was only the existence of Russia and Austria, and the population also caught up with France.

It is absolutely impossible for France and Austria to watch such a giant appear, and the Russians, who have just been defeated, will not agree.

As long as the Great Powers intervened, the Kingdom of Prussia was doomed to not be able to annex Poland. If they dare to force their way, they must be mentally prepared to be killed.

"The annexation of Poland is not an overnight issue, we can make Poland independent first, and then we are looking for opportunities.

The Silesian region must not be ceded out just like that. Austria did not maintain absolute neutrality in this war, and if it were not for their support for the Russians, the war would have ended last year. ”

The Silesian region is a bad debt, the two sides only agreed verbally, and it did not fall on paper, and it is not impossible for the Prussian government to directly repay the debt.

The main problem is that Austria is not easy to mess with, and if it defaults now, it will be retaliated against.

Perhaps this was not enough to cause war between the two countries, but the diplomatic difficulties alone were enough to make the Kingdom of Prussia uncomfortable.

The atmosphere in the conference room was tense, and it was a dilemma. No one wants to cede land, and no one wants to go against Austria at this time.

Especially since the negotiations between the Prussians and the Russians are imminent, if the Viennese government fully supports the Russians, will they be able to get everything they want?

No one can answer this question, and no one knows where the bottom line of the Vienna government is!

After pondering for a while, William I said cautiously: "The problem of the Silesian region should be delayed first, until the last resort, we cannot give up every inch of the country!" ”

Procrastination is not the best way, but it is the most effective way.