The economic crisis broke out in full swing, and not only Franz did not dare to wave, but the British government also did not dare to toss around at this time.

The export of revolution to the European continent seemed to be able to strike at the nascent hegemony of the Holy Roman Empire, but the problem was that revolutionary ideas were contagious.

Europe's economy has deteriorated, and Britain's economic situation has not been much better. Although it didn't reach the point of a full-blown explosion before a single spark, lighting a fire would definitely make it impossible for them to eat and walk.

As the world's largest financial empire, Britain is also the world's largest bubble empire. Naturally, the losses caused by the bursting of the bubble are also the largest.

In this financially highly developed country, more than one-sixth of the British people have engaged in stocks, bonds, and futures investment. In London, when it comes to stocks, the aunt who sweeps the street can give you a long day of goodbye.

If it's just an ordinary investment, as long as the company has no problems, it's a big deal to wait for the next bull market to unravel, anyway, there are many bull markets in London, and they will come every few years.

It's different when you play leverage, and many unlucky people are bursting their positions in waves. In a stock market crash, it sometimes only takes a few minutes to go from millionaire to millionaire.

The collapse of the artificially delayed bull market has caused more losses than any previous one. According to incomplete statistics, within three months after the stock market crash, the number of suicides in London exceeded 20,000, and hundreds of thousands of families were on the verge of bankruptcy because of the stock market crash.

Direct evaporation of wealth is only a minor problem, but more serious is the difficulty of financing corporate finance. Businesses with insufficient cash flow are either struggling on the brink of bankruptcy or have gone bankrupt.

In order to survive the crisis, companies have laid off employees and cut salaries to reduce business operating costs. As a result, the unemployment rate in Britain is also rising.

If you look at the crowds of people who walk into the streets every day, you can see that the people are quite dissatisfied with the current economic environment.

How to revive the economy has become the biggest problem facing the British government. In such a time of crisis, Prime Minister Robert Cecil naturally has no intention of playing with fire.

……

Prime Minister Robert Cecil asked suspiciously: "Vienna wants to mediate the war with us, are they ready to give up Spain?" ”

It's not that he's making a fuss, it's really that the Holy Roman Empire has no reason to abandon Spain.

It is true that the Holy Roman Empire is the biggest victim of the economic crisis, but this is only in terms of economic aggregates. If we look at the corresponding proportion of the economy, the situation is completely different.

In this regard, the industrial players are definitely cheaper than the financial ones, and no matter how the wealth on paper evaporates, the fixed assets are still the original assets.

Looking at the performance of the Vienna government, it is clear that there is still room for money in the recent period of loans to various European countries.

Even if you want to make overtures to Britain, there are other options. There is simply no way to abandon Spain, after all, Spain's strategic location is very important and can directly threaten the Strait of Gibraltar.

Foreign Minister Cameron shook his head: "On the contrary, the Vienna government, instead of abandoning Spain, demanded that we stop supporting the Japanese.

According to the old fox in Wesenberg, we are all European countries and cannot watch the Japanese monkey step on Spain to the top. It's so hard to refute that I almost believe it. ”

Believe it or not, it still depends on the interests, in the short term, the Japanese won the Philippine campaign, which was obviously more beneficial to Britain.

After a little thought, Robert Cecil said slowly: "No wonder Spaniards have been so active in recent times, constantly visiting Liberal MPs.

If these restless fellows are moved by the Spaniards, then we are in big trouble next. The Ministry of Finance will settle the accounts as soon as possible, and from now on we will not be able to provide funds directly to the Japanese government. ”

The feelings of Great Europeanism are not lethal, but the big hat of "wasting taxpayers' money" is full of lethality. Especially in the economic crisis, it is extremely powerful.

Don't think too much of parliamentarians, in their eyes, the same party and different sides will always be more important than the national strategy.

Not to mention the people, most of the British people don't know which pimple Japan and the Philippines are in, and talking to them about strategic significance is no different from "playing the piano to the cow".

If it is replaced by a confrontation with the Holy Roman Empire, it is estimated that everyone can barely accept it. But politics is often subtle.

No matter how great the threat of the Holy Roman Empire was, and no matter how fierce the secret conflict between the two countries was, Robert Cecil was reluctant to make the conflict visible.

"Openness" also means "showdown", unless there is a certainty of victory, or the contradiction between the two countries is really uncontrollable, otherwise everyone will not choose "showdown".

The reason is very simple, the "showdown" is very often synchronized with the war. One can't go ashore, the other can't cross the strait, and if you do it, it's a lose-lose outcome.

Unable to show the cards, with Japan and the West in front of the top cylinder, ordinary people are naturally unconvinced. A little bit to guide public opinion, in other words, the situation is completely different.

For example, the top government officials received bribes from the Japanese before providing funds to the Japanese government.

Don't say that it is an ordinary person, even Robert Cecil would have to believe it if he was not in power. For no other reason, it's very British.

Corruption is normal, and only if it is not corrupt can there be problems. Corruption in Britain is well rooted, and it is right to point to it. No matter where you start investigating, you can dig up a large wave of borers.

In order not to make a mistake in this, Robert Cecil decisively chose to follow his heart, and as for the Japanese, they can only ask for more blessings for themselves.

The difference between direct and indirect support may seem like a single word, but there is a world of difference in intensity. The former can lend tens of millions of pounds to the Japanese government, while the latter can hardly come up with millions of pounds.

Cameron said noncommittally: "Prime Minister, there is no need for us to be so pessimistic. Since the enemy can find a way to attack us and cut off the Japanese source of funding, we can naturally make a corresponding counterattack.

The Holy Roman Empire is not moving, but Spain is full of flaws. The economic crisis and the war came at the same time, and the Spanish people were already overwhelmed by life, and it only took one spark to detonate.

Of course, it is still too risky to ignite the fire of revolution directly in Europe, and it may lead to a burn.

But it doesn't matter, the Spanish colonies are not peaceful. The leaders of the Cuban Independence Organization were in London, and if they were sent back and a new batch of weapons and equipment, the Spaniards would be exhausted.

Whether the Japanese hold out longer, or whether the Spanish are more resilient, depends on who God favors more. ”

Politics is so cruel, Britain can give up the Japanese, Vienna can also give up Spain, everything is profit.

Because of the special geographical location of the Philippine Islands, which affected the peace and stability of the South Seas, the Vienna government supported Spain.

Cuba is different. Although Cuban cane sugar and cigars are good, this has nothing to do with the Holy Roman Empire. Whether Spain can hold on or not is their own problem.

……

It will take time for the British to take a break, but the crisis for the Japanese is imminent. Without funding from London, the Tokyo government felt the pressure instantly.

Since the outbreak of the war, the Tokyo government has been living in debt. Despite their best efforts, the government's self-financed funds can still cover two-thirds of the cost of the battlefield.

After receiving the bad news that the British had suddenly cut off their loans, Emperor Meiji was still restless.

There is no way, being prepared in mind does not mean that you are financially prepared. The Japanese have never fully believed in the discipline of the British.

As early as the beginning of the economic crisis, the Japanese government was aware of the danger, but the chariot had already started, and it was not at all possible to stop if it wanted to.

A pawn is a pawn, and from the moment it became a pawn in the Anglo-Austrian game, the initiative was no longer in the hands of the Japanese government.

Emperor Meiji asked, "What do the British say, we can't cut off our loans for no reason, right?" ”

Hirobumi Ito: "The British explained that the risk was too high and did not meet the bank's lending evaluation criteria. Unless we are able to come up with more collateral, the syndicate will terminate the loan.

Last evening, I personally went to speak with the British Minister. The London government has not given up on its support for us, but due to political changes, the London government is unable to continue to provide us with debt guarantees.

However, the British minister also brought good news that the good days of the Spaniards were coming to an end. The situation in Cuba is unstable, and independent organizations are planning an uprising. As long as we get through the most difficult months of the moment, the situation will improve.

The British suggested that we make use of the mediation of the Viennese government to try for an armistice with the Spaniards and wait for the situation to develop further. ”

Regardless of the money provided by the British government, why it became a bank loan in Japan is a characteristic of the times.

In these days, your international loan is not a loan shark, but it is also hovering on the edge of loan sharking.

Interest-free loans or low-interest loans, even if there are political strings attached, the beneficiary is not a private commercial bank, so why should they be left to bear the risk and make concessions?

The only way to get commercial banks to undertake such seemingly unprofitable loans is for the government to pay for them, and the government will then recoup the cost through other earnings.

Now that the situation is not right, the London government can no longer afford to pay for it, and the bankers naturally do not buy it.

In order to strengthen the Japanese government's determination to continue the war, the British decisively sacrificed the Dafa of painting cakes. Before the Cuban independence movement began, the British took it as good news and sent it to the Japanese government.

Emperor Meiji frowned and said: "Cuban independence movement, the British are sure not to be joking?" In recent decades, have you heard of any place where independence has been successful? ”

It is not that Emperor Meiji looked down on the Cubans, the point is that this is the peak of the colonial empire, and there is not even the slightest sign of the wave of the colonial independence movement.

The Cuban independence movement has been going on for decades, initially supported by the Americans, but after the split in the United States, the Cuban independence movement lost its supporters and went into a trough. Now the British suddenly threw out the Cuban independence movement, which is really not very convincing.

Kiyotaka Kuroda replied: "Your Majesty, whether or not the Cuban independence movement can succeed has little to do with us for the time being. Whether they succeed or fail, they will not affect the Philippine campaign in a short time.

In fact, it was not the Spanish army that is fighting with us in the Philippine Islands now, otherwise we would not be so passive.

Even if the Cuban uprising broke out, the Spaniards would not be able to transfer the Philippine mercenaries to quell the rebellion, and the enemy we would face would not be weakened by this.

The only effect of the Cuban revolt was to drain the financial resources of the Spaniards. As an old-school colonial empire, no one knows how strong the family is, and the financial resources will definitely outperform us anyway.

Rather than counting on the Cuban independence movement, it is better to expect a more intense economic crisis, preferably a revolution in Spain.

It's a pity that a compromise has been reached within the Spanish royal family, and the Carlos faction, who inherited the French throne, can't continue to go back to compete for the Spanish throne.

Counting on Spain's problems is only a matter of small probability, and the only thing we can use in the short term, as the British say, is the mediation offered by Vienna.

The problem was that the Viennese government had always supported the Spaniards, even if mediation would most likely support them. I am afraid that if you want to use mediation to delay time and wait for the situation to improve, I am afraid ......"

Originally, I wanted to say a "truce", but after considering the domestic political situation, Kuroda Kiyotaka had to swallow it back.

It was not Kuroda Kiyotaka who coerced, but it was the sudden retreat of the British that made him lose confidence in winning the war.

Looking at the situation on the battlefield, we know that the expeditionary fleet, which had severely damaged Spain, was not long replenished with the help of the Vienna government; The defeat of the Spanish army was followed by a group of French mercenaries.

If this continues, there may be a time when the Viennese government will tear off its camouflage and come to the rescue itself.

The support given by the enemy's backstage is beyond imagination, and the backstage of the enemy can only cheer up, except for selling arms and providing loans.

Even the intensity of cheering is not enough, only the British support the Japanese government politically, while Spain has the support of more than a dozen European countries, which is not at the same level at all.

Now that he has not even given a loan, Kuroda Kiyotaka, who was already opposed to going south, has completely lost any hope of winning the war.

……

While the Imperial Council was still going on, the situation in Tokyo had changed one step ahead. No matter how much "news of victory" the government publishes, the ongoing war cannot deceive people.

Although the Tokyo government has tried its best to block the news from the front, the paper has always been unpopular. Embassies are not obliged to keep secrets for them, and ships to and from Japan are not obligated to do so.

Ordinary people can't distinguish the truth of the news, but their own stomach can't deceive people. In the early days of the Japanese occupation of the Philippine Islands, a large amount of supplies were plundered from the Philippines, and even ordinary Tokyo citizens lived a good life for a few days.

Soon the situation changed, and with the beginning of the Spanish counterattack, the prices of Tokyo, which had just fallen, immediately began to soar upwards again.

"The house leak happened to rain overnight".

Against the backdrop of rising prices, people's wages have fallen instead of rising. The reason was that in order to raise more money for the war, the Japanese government raised taxes on domestic enterprises, and the capitalists passed on the losses to the working class.

Fortunately, after a hard day's work, the final income could not even make ends meet, and contradictions naturally arose.

On June 16, 1894, when several textile workers in Tokyo were buying rice at a rice store, they encountered a sudden price increase from the store.

People are blindly obedient, and when they saw that some people took the lead in grabbing rice, the people who were unwilling to go hungry joined in one after another.

One rice shop is definitely not enough for everyone to grab, and the people, who have been slow to get the harvest, aim at other rice shops nearby, and the whole street is chaotic for a while.