Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 655 - 228: The Trouble with the French

One by one, fallen leaves scattered on the ground, forming a golden "path of gold."

Stepping on it, occasional "crunching" sounds made one feel so comfortable, as if walking on a carpet, without a single extraneous leaf, each a golden leaf, endlessly charming.

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The joy of a bountiful harvest filled Vienna, where the family of Franz, out in the countryside, found themselves unable to tear themselves away from the beautiful scenery.

The poetic Franz was fervently writing, trying to leave behind a magnificent chapter for posterity. However, he lacked the natural talent, and the content he produced never satisfied him.

Too contrived, as if he was creating for the sake of creating, lacking the naturalness of "poetry and prose born of the heavens."

In this regard, Franz did have integrity; he never hired a ghostwriter, and naturally, he had no work he could proudly present.

After casually destroying the evidence of his failed attempts, Franz was ready to start over when his maid hurried over.

"Your Majesty, we’ve just received news, the Tsarist Government delivered a declaration of war to the Prusso Federation yesterday at midday."

Upon hearing this news, Franz put down his pen and instructed, "Send the order to pack up immediately, prepare to return to the palace."

The outbreak of the Prusso-Russian war, altered not just the European landscape but the entire world situation. Even with prior preparations, Franz had to return to take charge of the overall situation.

...

Since it was a day trip, they hadn’t ventured far. By evening, the carriage re-entered the palace. Without time to rest, Franz convened a Cabinet meeting.

Foreign Minister Wessenberg: "This morning, the Berlin Government also delivered a declaration of war to the Russians, and the second Prusso-Russian war has fully erupted.

This afternoon, Wilhelm I issued a ’Tell the people,’ calling on the citizens to fight to the death against the Russians.

At the same time, the national mobilization mechanism was initiated. Starting now, all males in the Prusso Federation aged between 15 and 60 are inducted into reserve training."

"Ages 15 to 60," undoubtedly, this was the most extensive mobilization in Europe and the world.

The last such extreme was in the Montenegro Duchy, where during the first Near East war, Montenegro mobilized all the men in the country.

Franz made no accusation of Berlin Government’s madness; in the face of life or death, any decision was understandable.

"How has the Prusso Federation’s civilian reaction been, do the people support the Berlin Government’s actions?"

For extreme mobilization, the most critical factor was the full cooperation of the populace. During World War II, Bulgaria, with a population of just over four million, mobilized 1.26 million troops, relying on the full support of the citizens.

Foreign Minister Wessenberg: "It’s been too short a time, and we have not been able to conduct a thorough investigation. However, from previous data, the public should support this war.

Especially the Polish population, they extremely despise the Russians. If the war goes well, after the war, the Prusso Federation could truly become one country."

The national consciousness of Greater Poland could be described as the strongest in the world. Wilhelm I was able to bring together Prussian and Polish by having a common enemy—the Russian Empire.

Under external pressure, Prussian and Polish clung together, but in essence, they were still two countries. Poland still retained an independent government; it just had an additional Central Government above it.

The current political structure of the Prusso Federation is somewhat similar to Austria before 1848. Poland is like a Hungary that wants to be independent but dares not due to the Russian threat.

Now the opportunity has arisen, once war breaks out, the Polish Government will have no confidence to refuse the Central Government’s meddling in internal affairs. Power is easy to give away, but hard to take back.

Don’t think about it; Franz knew what the Berlin Government would do next. By taking the opportunity of joint combat, they would gain command over the Polish Army; by coordinating logistics, they would gain control of transportation and local government command.

If skillful enough, they might even use this as an opportunity to weaken Poland’s power indirectly. Once a large number of males have been lost, Poland would be incapable of resisting the merger of the two countries after the war.

Prime Minister Felix: "It’s not just the Polish who want war; in the Prussian region, the Junker aristocracy controls the discourse, and their desire to fight is very strong.

The victory in the last war has made many forget themselves. If they win easily again this time, some are likely to challenge us."

For a proponent of Greater Germany, the Prusso Federation is a thorn in the side. The stronger the Prusso Federation, the smaller Austria’s chance to unify the German Region.

No choice, even just the Kingdom of Prussia could be allowed into the Shinra Empire, but add Poland to that, and it becomes too much to bear.

No matter how Austria’s national policy has changed, Felix’s conviction to unify the German Region has never waned.

Even having passed his seventieth year, Felix still insisted on visiting every Sub-State in the German Region annually, propagating the "Greater German ideology."

This was obviously not what the sub-state governments wanted to see. If Austria’s advantage hadn’t been so great, and the vested interests hadn’t needed to keep a way out for themselves, Felix would have been turned away long ago.

Franz smiled slightly, "Don’t worry, my Prime Minister. The Russians are no pushovers; this war won’t be over in a short time.

"England and France support the Prusso-Polish Federation, and we support the Russian Empire; both sides have money and supplies. In the end, it will come down to manpower.

"The Prusso-Polish Federation has stronger officer leadership and more developed infrastructure; the Russians have vast territories and a large population. Each side has its advantages, and this war will be fought."

A war where forces are evenly matched is often the most brutal. For the common interests of all, England, France, and Austria will not let them finish the war easily.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg: "Your Majesty, before the outbreak of the Prusso-Russian War, the Berlin Government not only sold their only colony but also sold all their overseas colonial positions in succession.

"The buyers were all French, even when others offered higher prices. Various signs indicate that there is an undisclosed deal between Prussia and France.

"During Wilhelm I’s visit to Paris, he even proposed the threat of Austria. The Foreign Ministry believes that the secret agreement between Prussia and France is aimed at us."

Secret agreements are always the most troublesome. Franz was used to manipulating others with secret deals, but now, as fate would have it, it was his turn to worry.

After pondering for a moment, Franz waved his hand, "Let’s not worry about the Prusso-French secret agreement. Before the Prusso-Russian War ends, even if they want to target us, they won’t have the strength.

"The French economy is already having problems. If their Africa development plan fails, the good days for the Paris Government are over."

Ever since Napoleon III annexed the Italian Area, Franz had downgraded the French threat by two levels. The Italian Area seemed like a juicy prize, but it was only shiny on the surface.

In the industrial era, development is inseparable from resources. The Italian Area happens to be one of the most resource-poor regions in Europe, and before the French can digest it, they must solve the resource issue.

Regrettably, France itself is not resource-rich either and is insufficient for its own development. If domestic production can’t keep up, they have to import, and now "Great France" imports a large amount of industrial raw materials every year.

Starting in 1870, France has been in a trade deficit. If the franc could become a world currency, a small deficit could easily be covered.

Unfortunately, under the squeeze of the British pound and the Divine Shield, the franc has very little room to survive, and an increasing number of countries are unwilling to hold francs.

In such a context, the outflow of gold and silver is naturally unstoppable. Fortunately, in this era, there are still many countries using gold and silver as currency. With a solid foundation, the Paris Government smoothed over the deficit by selling off silver.

This situation is clearly unsustainable. The French government is faced with only two choices: either increase exports or reduce imports.

Increase exports? Don’t even think about it, because of industrial production costs, French industrial and commercial goods have always lacked competitiveness in the international market.

If exports can’t be increased, then imports must be reduced. Developing the African Continent became the national policy of the Paris Government in this context.

Of course, this development is different from Austria’s; the French only want to establish a raw material source, with no plans for local integration.

...

Palace of Versailles, upon receiving news of the outbreak of the Prusso-Russian War, Napoleon IV immediately decided to hold a banquet to celebrate this good news.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, it finally came. In recent years, the French economy faced a bottleneck and had been languishing for several years.

Economic Minister Elsa: "Your Majesty, the outbreak of the Prusso-Russian War is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for domestic industry and commerce, but it also comes with a crisis.

"Compared to the benefits brought by war, the profits that can be made from investing in the North African colonies are far too small. If we cannot solve this problem, I am afraid that our Africa development plan will have to be abandoned once again."

Development cannot be separated from capital. Without enough capital investment, the Africa development plan naturally cannot proceed.

French capitalists had no interest in developing colonies; they only invested because of domestic capital surplus and a lack of investment opportunities. Government efforts were just enough to persuade some people to begrudgingly invest in the colonies.

Now things are different, with the outbreak of the Prusso-Russian War, a new opportunity for making a fortune has appeared.

Anyone with a bit of political sense knows that this war cannot be over in a short time. Any investment in war-related fields can bring in substantial returns.

Rather than investing in colonies where returns are uncertain, it’s better to stay and make a profit from the war. When interests are concerned, everyone knows how to choose.

Napoleon IV’s good mood vanished in an instant. The Africa strategy is crucial for the French economy, and the outbreak of the Prusso-Russian War means that all their initial efforts have come to naught.

...