January 1, 1855 was a memorable day in the history of Europe, as the Four-Power Pact entered into force and the European continent entered into its new Vienna system.

In accordance with the provisions of the Treaty, States have begun to fulfil their respective responsibilities and obligations. British soldiers who "strayed" into the Serbian region also began to be repatriated.

Originally, these British soldiers could have left when the negotiations began, but after staying in the Serbian region for so long, they were not idle.

Although the London government paid for their living expenses, they did not have pocket money in their pockets, and the bureaucrats of the London government would not send military salaries.

Austria simply disarmed them and did not restrict their personal freedom. In addition to a fixed place to stay and eat, a radius of several kilometers is casual, and the tavern is their favorite.

The Austrian government is only responsible for providing three meals a day, and the extra consumption will be paid out of your own pocket! The days of sitting on the mountain and eating empty soon made the British soldiers destitute, and the days without money were not easy, and they would definitely not be able to stand it for a long time.

Violation of discipline? Now that the Serbian region is under military control, there is a risk of losing one's head if it is caught.

At this time, the local reconstruction was underway, and there was a shortage of young and strong laborers, so in order to make their lives more comfortable, many soldiers took up part-time jobs to earn pocket money.

The Serbian region suffered heavy losses in the young and strong, the ratio of men and women was seriously imbalanced, and after a long time of mixing, many British soldiers also started families in the local area.

With a family, it is natural to have a concern with the local area. In this era, transportation is inconvenient, and this farewell is a farewell for most people, and if it were not for the repeated urging of the British government, it is estimated that it will drag on for a longer time.

The Austrian government took in a total of 2,183 British soldiers, and by the time they finally left, the team had grown to 3,128 people.

Regardless of how the British cabinet felt after receiving the news, Franz was completely blindsided after receiving the news.

However, given the special situation in the Serbian region, he understands. School-age women always have to get married, and the local youth is not strong enough so they can only be found outside.

The British brand is still very useful in this era, at least for the Serbian locals, this identity is still tempting.

Transnational marriages, which are legal in Austria, are protected by law as long as both parties are consensual and then registered at the church.

Not only the British soldiers, but also many Austrian troops in Serbia were in the same situation, for which there was a controversy in the General Staff, and finally the government gave the green light in the context of national integration.

It's impossible to block it, Franz still has this little bearing, why are you willing to beat the mandarin duck? It's just that the living expenses of the families of British soldiers were added, which made the London government pay for it.

Politically, it also became a testament to the Anglo-Austrian friendship, at least as the British media reported. John Bull also wants to save face, and no one has investigated the real reason.

It's just a small episode, it's nothing more than a joke after dinner, which quickly passed.

On the day the treaty entered into force, Austria also completed a treaty exchange with the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire conceded defeat and ceded Serbia, Wallachia, Moldavia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina to Austria, and the territorial sovereignty of these regions was officially changed.

There is no hesitation in the cession of territory, it is all separated by France and Russia, and even if such an area is given to the Ottoman Empire, they will not be able to do anything.

In contrast, there was a dispute between the French and the Ottoman Empire over the territorial deal, and the French representative directly issued a loan receipt for payment, and the Ottomans were naturally not satisfied.

How can you go back on the cash transaction you promised? But the French don't think so, and minus 200 million francs from the debt, isn't it also a cash payment?

Anyway, no matter how the Ottomans protested, the Paris government had made up its mind, and the impossible thing to give cash was to reduce its debts.

There is no way, the French government is not rich now. The war in the Near East has been fought to the present day, and the French government's military spending is also astronomical, and Napoleon III is also suffering from financial problems.

Moreover, after the loss of the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire's ability to pay its debts also fell significantly, and it was questionable whether these loans could be recovered if they did not reduce their debts.

The capitalists refused to take this risk, so they encouraged the French government to take over the debt, and Napoleon III naturally agreed in order to win the hearts and minds of the people.

Whether the dispute is a dispute or does not affect the performance of the treaty. International loans were usually overlord contracts, and soon the French found an explanation clause on the loan contract that proved their legitimacy and made the Ottomans obediently shut up.

The treaties were fully implemented, the new Vienna system was established, and the clouds of war hanging over the European continent were gone.

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saint petersburg

The streets were celebrating this great victory, but this did not include the top echelons of the tsarist government, whose own family knew their own affairs and knew very well how much water was at stake.

If it weren't for the sudden plague, which hit the confidence of the French, it is estimated that the Russian army was still fighting in Constantinople at this time.

In the Winter Palace, Nicholas I roared: "How is it that the great Russian Empire could not even take out a little post-war pension? ”

Gray cattle are worthless, but after all, they have won the battle, and they must be given some compensation for the number of people who die, right? Those who survive will also be given some rewards, and they can't reach the promotion of officials, and a little bounty will always be issued!

If these tasks are not done well, who will give the tsar his life next time?

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Aristanley Rhodes, replied with a wry smile: "Your Majesty, the casualties of this war are too great, Constantinople needs to be rebuilt, and the government's finances have long been unable to make ends meet. Now it is too difficult to come up with hundreds of millions of rubles at once. ”

Constantinople had to be rebuilt, which was a political and religious demand, and even if it was to smash the pot and sell iron, the tsarist government could only bite the bullet.

Post-war pensions and bounties must also be paid, both of which are equally important. This is undoubtedly a test for Russia's finances.

The Russians must be grateful that the plague has brought the war to an early end, and if it drags on for another year and a half, they will not be able to make up the money even if they smash the pot and sell iron.

Nicholas I scolded: "If you don't have money, go and find a way." You don't need to be reminded of the financial difficulties, and now the task of the Ministry of Finance is to find a way to solve this fiscal crisis.

In any case, the post-war pension had to be paid, and the cost of the reconstruction of Constantinople had to be raised. ”

"Your Majesty, the best way now is to raise money from the people for the reconstruction of Constantinople, and if it really doesn't work, you can only raise taxes.

The government was short of money, and we could try to avoid giving cash as much as possible after the war, such as giving the soldiers themselves and their families free citizen status.

It is also possible to learn from the Austrians, and grant land to ordinary soldiers according to the merit and reduce financial expenditures. Arry Stanley Rhodes replied

The serfs of the Russian Empire got rid of the restrictions of their status, that is, they fought for His Majesty the Tsar as soldiers, and they could become free citizens after making war achievements.

This road was very narrow, the serf was the private property of the nobles, and the tsar could not deprive it casually, and while granting the status of a freeman, he must also compensate the owner of the serf.

Now Arry Stanley Rhodes is undoubtedly fighting the land of the newly occupied territory. In any case, the land of the Bulgarian region was more fertile than most of the Russian Empire.

These lands were also wealth, which could be taken out and traded with the nobles. Serfs had no private property, and it was better to reward the soldiers with land than to give them land to their masters.

Now that everyone has received the benefits, it is naturally not a problem to grant these serf soldiers the status of freemen, and it is easy to say that the government will collect the tax on the reconstruction of Constantinople.

This is based on the victory of the Near East War, otherwise if you want to give so many soldiers free citizen status, it is estimated that the nobles will not be so easy to compromise.

The emancipation of serfs was not so easy to do, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer Arry Stanley Rhodes did not dare to directly say that the serfs were emancipated, but used roundabout means to take the opportunity of the post-war reward to release some of the serfs.

Nicholas I was not a fool and quickly understood what Aristanley Rhodes meant. The Russian soldiers who participated in this Near East war added up to almost two million.

Most of them were serfs, and if these people, along with their families, were to become freemen, it would undoubtedly tear the hole of abolition.

The dangers of serfdom Nicholas I were clear, and if it weren't for the resistance, he would have started doing it long ago.

After the outbreak of the war in the Near East showed them the strength of the capitalist countries, the Russian upper echelons realized that serfdom must be abolished in order to catch up.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to win a big prize to do this, the operability is very high. Even if this attempt failed, and the government did not directly announce the abolition of serfdom, there was still room for détente with the nobility.

After thinking all of this through, Nicholas I nodded his head and agreed with Aristanley Rhodes' plan.

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