In a sense, the refugee crisis also drove the course of the Russo-Prussian War. After replenishing the formation, Moltke hurriedly launched a counterattack.

There is no way, if they don't fight now, they will be even less capable of fighting later. I had hoped that the refugees would be able to delay the Russians' movements, but they did not expect this trouble to follow all the way back.

The Russians did not launch an immediate attack, and in addition to resting their troops, they were more subject to logistics. Ivanov was a moderate commander, and the logistics and materials were not in place, and he resolutely did not fight a decisive battle in advance.

No matter how the Berlin government mobilizes, the population has already decided on the ceiling. After losing most of the country, the Kingdom of Prussia was left with more than 10 million people, and those who could resist guns went to war.

There is no comparison with the Russians in this regard, and the longer it drags on, the better it will be for the Russians.

Of course, this is only military. Economically, the tsarist government could not stand it, and if it were not for Ivanov's insistence, the Russian army would have launched an offensive long ago.

These insiders are naturally not something Moltke can know. Even if they knew, it was actually useless, they still had to fight.

Just because the government doesn't have money doesn't mean it can't get it. At the critical juncture, it is also possible to tear down the east wall and make up the west wall.

The foundation of the Russian Empire is solid, and as long as it is willing to pay the price, it can still make up the funds for a few months of war.

Moltke's efforts were not in vain, and the Prussian army successively defeated the Russian Tenth Army, which threatened Berlin, the Russian Third Army, and the Sixth Army, which drove the refugees, and inflicted heavy losses on the Russian Eighth Army and the Ninth Army stationed in the Poznan area.

If you don't look at the overall battlefield, no one can believe that the Prussian army, which has such a strong record, is actually dying and struggling.

In just two months, Moltke inflicted more than half a million casualties on the Russians. As the price of victory, the Prussian army also paid nearly 300,000 casualties.

In the case of the limited gap in the combat effectiveness of the soldiers, as the attacking side, it can play a 3:5 exchange ratio, which can be said to be impeccable tactically.

However, the tactical victory still could not make up for the strategic defeat.

The Russians were not passively beaten, and Ivanov put the battlefield in East Prussia, where the Russian army had a more obvious advantage. As for the Russian army fighting Moltke, the only task is to drag down the main force of the Prussian army.

On March 18, 1880, after nearly 300,000 casualties, the Battle of East Prussia ended with a Russian victory.

This was only the beginning, and the bitterly managed region of East Prussia and West Prussia could not hold back the Russians, and the flames of war continued to burn into the hinterland of the Kingdom of Prussia.

……

Vienna Palace, put down the war report in his hand, looked at the map of the Kingdom of Prussia, Franz knew that the Russo-Prussian War should be over.

The Kingdom of Prussia had been almost weakened, the Rhineland was sold to the German Confederation, Silesia to Austria, and Prussian Saxony.

Now that the Poznan region is in the hands of the Russians, East Prussia has been lost, West Prussia has lost most of it, Pomerania has been reduced to a battlefield, and the foundations of the Junker nobility have been severely damaged.

Continuing this war no longer makes sense for Austria. If the war is not stopped, the Russians will have to drink the Maodd, which is not what Franz wants to see.

"What is the internal situation in Prussia and Russia?"

If you want to intervene, you must first find out the respective situations of Prussia and Russia. Franz had an intelligence organization and got the information early, but it was not visible.

An intelligence organization that frequently appears in people's eyes is not an intelligence organization, and it is more appropriate to become a government department.

Franz has always downplayed the existence of intelligence organizations, except for a few high-ranking government officials and big nobles, others simply do not know that the emperor has a secret intelligence organization in his hands.

Even if they did, not many people took it seriously, after all, the organization was so low-key, so low-key that it could be forgotten.

For so many years, apart from gathering intelligence, Franz almost never used this secret organization, and the mission was also carried out by the intelligence organization that had been exposed and hung under the government's banner.

Just like Jinyiwei, no matter how important it is or how much it contributes to the country, as long as it threatens its own interests, if it cannot be controlled in its own hands, the bureaucrats will find a way to bring it down.

It's nothing to deliberately make things difficult and make trouble, the trouble is to frame and smear them, and finally put pressure on public opinion to force the emperor to give up.

History tells Franz that the emperor who compromised on this issue did not end well, whether it was Zhu Yunwen or Zhu Youzhen, they were ready-made negative examples.

Public opinion kidnapping, moral attacks, right, then I'll hide the intelligence organization. In normal times, they don't come up at all, but just collect black material from domestic bureaucrats and interest groups.

These black materials are ammunition, and when they are needed, they can be thrown out to kill a large area.

In contrast, the overseas intelligence business can only be regarded as a side business, and it is no problem to collect some basic information, and it is the intelligence organization that is really responsible for the surface, and is responsible to the emperor and the government at the same time.

It is not only for the sake of checks and balances, but also for practical needs. Secret agents are also a high-risk industry, especially overseas espionage, which often requires the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to come in to find people, and it is indispensable to deal with them.

In addition, international diplomacy also needs to be supported by intelligence. In order to cooperate with each other, overseas intelligence organizations are also subordinate to the embassy.

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg replied: "The situation in the Kingdom of Prussia is very bad, and even the expulsion of refugees has affected the lives of ordinary people, many of whom have to rely on wild turnips for their hunger."

According to the news from the embassy, the Berlin government has suppressed eight strikes and three revolutions in this month alone, and the Kingdom of Prussia is now like a powder keg.

The situation in the Russian Empire was slightly better, with victory on the battlefield somewhat masking the crisis, although the labor conflict at home was very serious.

In the past year, more than 100 strikes have broken out one after another, and they are almost overtaking the French.

In the winter that has just ended, more than 50 cities, including St. Petersburg, have experienced varying degrees of insufficient supplies.

In order to save coal, residents of St. Petersburg have had to cook together in several families, and in many areas there are large families crammed into one room to warm each other. ”

The Russian strike did not attract Franz's attention, mainly because of the freak in France, which had refreshed his cognition.

Facts have proved that there is a history of the French people's love for strikes. Even now in the 19th century, the French people have fallen in love with this meaningful activity.

Unlike the many challengers in later generations, France now ranks first in the world strike world with a triple-digit number of strikes per year, and there is no existence that can compete with them for the time being.

In the years since Franz ascended the throne, the total number of strikes that broke out in Austria may not be able to match the number of strikes in a year by the French.

Of course, this is only a count of the number of strikes on a large scale, and there must be more than 1,000 people to participate, and no one knows how many times a day will occur in small ones.

It's right to think about it, France is now a combination of France and Italy, and both have rich experience in strikes, and it is normal for the number of strikes to be a little more numerous.

Winter has passed, the demand for supplies from the population is declining, and the tsarist government has passed the most dangerous moment.

The Berlin government was different, and the frequent uprisings of the revolutionary party were undoubtedly a sign of the extreme weakness of Prussia.

War is not a problem, under the "**** doctrine" system, the Prussian people are not afraid of war, the premise is that they must be fed first.

It is absolutely impossible to go hungry, and it is not surprising that they have the same hatred for the expulsion of refugees in the front, who wants to have an extra group to grab food if they can't eat enough?

Franz asked suspiciously: "Prussia is connected to us by the Oder River and the Elbe River, and the domestic railway network is relatively complete, both land and water, so there should be no shortage of food."

Halls, how much grain has the Berlin government bought from us in recent months? ”

After the sea route was cut off, Austria, Denmark, and the German Confederation were left to trade with the Kingdom of Prussia.

There was no doubt that the Berlin government would have to go to Austria for importing grain, and the other two did not have that much grain to sell them.

Agriculture Minister Halls: "After Christmas, we have exported 768,000 tons of agricultural products to the Kingdom of Prussia, including 200,000 tons of flour, 300,000 tons of potatoes, 120,000 tons of corn, 20,000 tons of soybeans, 30,000 tons of meat products, ......."

Potatoes were exported in more quantities than flour, and Franz knew that this was a precursor to the collapse of the Prussian economy. Only when it is really unbearable will it purchase cheaper potatoes on a large scale.

Franz sighed: "At this time, there are still people hoarding Juqi, Wilhelm I's control over the country is really not very good, and they lost unjustly this time."

Let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs intervene in mediation, the Kingdom of Prussia is about to run out, and the Russians have almost eaten, and I believe they will not refuse our mediation.

The aim to bring this international conference to Vienna is now a sign of our efforts to preserve the territorial integrity of the German region. ”

It didn't matter what the result was, it was enough to show the efforts of the Vienna government.

The war is a high-stakes activity, and as the defeated side, the Berlin government will certainly pay a heavy price this time.

This was what Franz was happy to see, and without a sense of crisis, how could the many states in the German region realize the importance of Austria?

The coaxing Kingdom of Prussia just served as a negative teaching material, awakening the German people's sense of crisis and making the idea of great unification deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

This doomed the Viennese government not to deal with the aftermath of the Kingdom of Prussia, and to pay its own debts, and a harsh armistice treaty was indispensable.

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg asked uncertainly: "Your Majesty, it's not good to leave the British behind so early?" ”

The London government has been shouting for mediation, and it has been tossing and turning for several months, but there has been no result.

If at this time, the Vienna government has achieved its goal by intervening, it will be a very slap in the face.

It's not just a matter of face, it's also about international influence. It is conceivable that after the Vienna Peace Conference, the prestige of the British in Europe would fall to the bottom.

Franz shook his head: "Sooner or later, it will come to this point." If you don't take the opportunity to weaken the British, you don't know when you will have to wait next time.

Don't you think it's interesting to make the European countries feel that Britain is in decline?

Napoleon IV, who has endured for so many years, should also shine with his own light, and if he continues like this, it is estimated that he will be about to suffocate himself.

You must know that the London government is ready to let Pud-Germany unite and establish North Germany to confront us. They all dare to do this, let's not fight back too much! ”

It's not that Franz underestimated Napoleon IV, it's mainly that the internal situation in France is really bad, and his control over the country is much weaker than that of Napoleon III.

In recent years, France has fallen behind, not only because of its lack of resources, but also because of the government's economic policy changes.

Sometimes the more you do, the more you get wrong. Is it good to develop North Africa? Of course, it is good to add a resource production area and a market for commodity sales, but the problem is that it needs to be developed.

The government's policies all look good, and many of them draw on Austria's successful experience, but the key is that the national situation is different.

First of all, the executive power of the Paris government was insufficient, Napoleon IV did not have the prestige of words, and the French cabinet did not have the ability to coordinate efficiently.

This was the hole left by Napoleon III, and although it cleared the way for Napoleon IV to come to power, it came at the cost of an escalation of internal political struggles.

Napoleon IV lacked prestige, and in order to grasp the power of the government, he could only play a balance in the government, and infighting restrained a large part of the energy of the French government.

The second is the issue of cultural traditions, both the French and the Italians, influenced by the maritime civilization, are keen on business and have no love for farming.

Even if they get people to the colonies, they have to stay in the cities, and there are too few people who are willing to put down roots and cultivate the land.

The capitalists had a clear lack of interest in the remote colonies, and even if they invested in the colonies, they preferred mining, a lucrative business.

Occasionally, there are a few plantations, all of which are national treasures, and the number is too small.

People's hearts are impetuous, everyone likes to chase overnight riches, they don't want to struggle bit by bit, and there is no market for hard work to get rich in France.

The social environment cannot be reversed by oneself, and if you can't change the society, you can only change yourself.

Napoleon IV would be fine if he did nothing, and with France's abundant capital, there would be no problem in maintaining his current status as a great power.

If there is ambition, it will be a tragedy. If ambition exceeds strength, it will inevitably be beaten by society.

Looking at Franz's expression, Wesenberg wanted to speak and stopped. He was tempted to say: the plans of the British were all indulged by Austria.

To establish North Germany, it was not only Hanover and Prussia that were enough, but also the other German states.

The number of participants is large, and secrecy is naturally a joke.

Perhaps the British have not yet realized the problem, after all, the London government has been really careful this time. The targets of the wooing were all states that were far away from Austria.

The plan has been carried out so far, and all the people in the know may not add up to more than 30 people, all of them are absolute high-level leaders of various countries, and there is no possibility of betrayal.

Theoretically, as the master of the country, it is impossible to betray oneself. However, there are exceptions to everything, and some people find that the North German market is not good, and if they want to leave a way back for themselves, there is no way.

If it was a merger with Pude at its peak, Franz would definitely have to find a way to block it. However, at this point in development, it doesn't matter whether Pude merges or not.

The war hurt the Kingdom of Prussia too much, losing a lot of territory, population, and huge debts, and it was a complete mess.

If North Germany was formed, the central government would not have the energy to do anything else, they would have to find a way to keep the Kingdom of Prussia alive first.

This is not a joke, after the war, there were a lot of orphans and widows in the Kingdom of Prussia, and the economy withered, and without a single injection of funds, they themselves would collapse.

At this time, you can't count on the British, they don't do charity. I really thought that they had good intentions to make trouble with North Germany, and I didn't even think about it.

In addition to the need to check and balance Austria, I am afraid that it is more necessary to ensure that the debts of the Kingdom of Prussia can be fulfilled normally, the former is just a slogan, and the latter is what domestic interest groups need.

Just think about the huge debt that the Berlin government is carrying, and Franz backs down, this time he really can't afford it.

Debts of the British + debts of other countries + domestic debts + compensation for the casualties of soldiers + post-war reconstruction costs, and it is even possible to pay a war reparations for the Russians.

What a nice name for the North German Empire, let's help the Berlin government pay off its debts first, otherwise why would the Kingdom of Prussia come in as a junior brother?

1 billion Aegis, it seems that it is not enough to pay the debts of the British family; 2 billion Aegis, it still doesn't seem to be able to fill this hole; 3 billion Aegis, probably possible, but who knows until the dust settles?

3 billion Aegis, what is this concept?

The central government of the new Holy Roman Empire now has a revenue of less than 200 million Aegis, and the fiscal revenue of fifteen years cannot fill this huge hole.

Of course, the 3 billion Aegis does not need to be paid in a lump sum, and it is the funds that need to be paid after calculating the interest on the funds.

If it is the principal, not to mention North Germany, which has not yet been born, even the Vienna government is not capable of taking over.

Even if it could be amortized, the Berlin government would not be able to pay such a huge debt, which would require micro-manipulation.

What the Berlin government will do next, Franz is almost clear. First of all, the face is no longer wanted, printing money at full speed, and using inflation to wipe out the domestic debt.

International loans should also be slowly grinded down, and efforts should be made to waive part of the interest on creditors, preferably only the principal. The issuance of bonds is all deferred, and the money will be repaid when it is available.

It is estimated that it can cut half of it, but the Berlin government still can't afford to pay it back, so it can only let the central government share part of it.

The question is, are other states willing to pay for the Kingdom of Prussia? When it comes to self-interest, what is that in the North German Reich?