Chapter 419: Prussian Ambitions |
The failure of the winter campaign convinced Alexander II. If the war did not end, the Russian Empire would be doomed.
Plagued by rebels within and enemies without, Alexander II did not forget that the mastermind behind this war was the true enemy of the Russian Empire.
Without a swift end to this war, the only hope for victory lies in the battlefield of Constantinople, where Austria could be relied upon for nearby procurement of strategic supplies. Other regions offer no prospects.
Without logistical support from Moscow, the complete fall of Central Asia is inevitable. Without rear support, there is no hope for the Far Eastern battlefield.
Not to mention Poland, after this defeat, Belarus and the Baltic region will all become battlefields, and it is only a matter of time before they fall too.
If Sweden stabs them in the back, they may not even be able to hold on to St. Petersburg. Mobilizing troops also takes time. If the Russian Empire is on its last legs, who knows if the British will continue to kick them when they’re down?
Without much effort, if the Royal Navy sails into the Baltic Sea, the Russian Empire will be truly finished.
In this era, the Siberian Plain has not been developed, and the core of the Russian Empire is St. Petersburg and Moscow. Now Moscow is in the hands of the rebels, and if St. Petersburg is lost too, the Tsar will be finished.
The slogan was “To clear the evil ministers around the ruling monarch” yet the focus is really on purging the corrupt officials. But if you get rid of all the Tsar’s close confidants, is he still the Tsar?
Throughout history, there have been so many emperors who died “accidentally”. Could it really be all accidents?
Then this probability is a bit too high. It is simply a high-risk profession, one of the top few even.
Alexander II would not put himself in danger. As long as he survives this, he can regain everything he has lost in the future.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a diplomatic note to Austria, inviting them to mediate this war.”
After making this decision, Alexander II sighed. Now is not the best time for negotiations, but it is the time when negotiations are most needed.
Winter is the last line of defense for the Russian Empire. If the war breaks out again next year, they will only pay a greater price.
Foreign Minister Ivanov asked hesitantly, “Your Majesty, should we invite Britain and France to participate?”
There is no way to get away from Britain and France in European affairs. Even if the Russian government does not invite them, they will still appear at the negotiating table.
Alexander II replied helplessly, “Send them an invitation. At this point, we don’t have much choice.”
This is a sign of bowing 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 hegemony.
Next, they need to keep a low profile and reduce their sense of existence as much as possible to avoid suppression from other countries.
Whether it works or not is another matter, but it is better to do it than not to do it. In times of weakness, it is a good thing to be able to reduce some hatred.
…
Franz was stunned when he received the battle report from the winter war between Prussia and Russia. He simply could not believe that the Russian bureaucrats had made such a suicidal move.
Exaggerating losses, embezzling military funds, and raising procurement prices are all minor issues. They are nothing more than fleecing the Russian government for some money.
Even if they were to be a bit more greedy and replace the good products with inferior ones, they should at least make sure that they can meet basic needs, right? This is war, and any slip-up can cost lives.
Now, look at what’s happened. They have directly screwed over the Russian troops on the front lines. Now, Alexander II doesn’t have time to deal with them, but once the situation stabilizes, there’s bound to be a big purge.
Franz asked with concern, “How heavy are the Russians’ losses?”
Austria had sent military observers to both sides at the same time, and they had first-hand information from the battlefield. This was why it was still possible to make a preliminary assessment of the losses.
Minister of War Albrecht replied, “The initial estimate is that the troop losses exceed 300,000. There are nearly 200,000 prisoners captured by the Prussians, and about 40,000-50,000 killed in action. The non-combat casualties are very serious.
Now the Russian lines are wide open. If not for logistical constraints, the Prussians would have already occupied Belarus.”
Franz nodded. The Prussians got a big bargain this time, otherwise, the war would have dragged on.
It can be said that William I won the jackpot. No one in the world expected them to make a comeback in winter. The same with Franz, he also thought that the Kingdom of Prussia would win the battle the next year.
The ability of the Russian bureaucrats to court death has directly refreshed everyone’s worldview. It is estimated that European countries are still in shock and have not reacted yet.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent notes to all parties to mediate this war. Warn the Prussians not to go too far, and remind them to fulfill their promises.”
Allies should naturally act like allies, and Franz has always done a very good job in this regard. He has strictly adhered to the alliance, and even the anti-Austrian faction in the Russian government has never blamed Austria for this.
Small conflicts are nothing, but on the big issues, it is absolutely necessary to take a clear stand and stand firmly on the side of their allies. The Russians lost this war, but they saved the Russo-Austrian alliance and allowed the alliance between the two countries to continue.
For example: warning the Kingdom of Prussia now will actually have very little effect. Whether Austria intervenes or not, they will not be able to fight anymore.
This attitude is exactly what the Russian government needs most now. Austria’s position can help them stabilize the people’s hearts and ensure that they do not have to pay too much in the negotiations.
Due to geopolitical reasons, the Austrian government’s position can play a decisive role in the two battlefields of Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Just because the Kingdom of Prussia won the war does not mean that they are a world power. On the contrary, their own strength has not increased but decreased instead.
If you want to become strong, you must first get your hands on the spoils of war and digest them before talking about anything else.
As for the Ottoman Empire, needless to say, their capabilities were limited. Carrying out reforms did not automatically make the country powerful. They still need time to develop.
In this war, they were basically forced into the battlefield by everyone and didn’t perform too proactively during the conflict. You could say they just went through the motions without any remarkable achievements.
In Berlin, William I’s face has been full of smiles lately. The pie that suddenly fell down from the sky because of the breakthrough made him dizzy, and he hasn’t woken up from the joy yet.
Because of the victory on the battlefield, the originally whimsical plan has become feasible. The Kingdom of Prussia’s road to becoming an empire is about to set sail.
The Austrian government’s sudden warning shattered his good mood, pulling William I back to reality. Those close to home know the home situation best — even winning a war does not come without a cost.
As the war progressed, the Prussian army lost a total of 460,000 troops, of which 176,000 had been killed in action and 120,000 had died from other causes.
Strategically, these losses are worth it. It not only resolves the eastern threat to the Kingdom of Prussia but also shows its power and makes countries around the world dare not underestimate Prussia.
In addition to the loss of troops, the loss of population and economy is even more of a headache for William I.
The population loss has exceeded one million, of which East Prussia is the most serious, with only one or two out of ten locals left.
Economically, except for the Rhineland which can barely support itself, the rest of the region is considered to be finished.
This is the credit of the Russian navy, which has been sabotaging the coastal areas every day, causing a large number of refugees to flood into the rear, severely crippling the economy.
If it weren’t for their financial backers, the Kingdom of Prussia would have collapsed long ago. Now it’s not much better. The domestic economy is devastated, and it will take a long time to recover.
William I asked, “What do you think of the diplomatic note from the Austrian government?”
Moltke said without hesitation, “We are also at our limit now, and it is not worth it to continue fighting. It is better to finalize the interests we have achieved on the negotiating table.”
After winning the war, the military’s political influence has further increased. As the commander of the war, Moltke is also in the limelight.
In the past, he would never have been so clear about his position, but now it’s different. Having succeeded, Moltke’s right to speak has surpassed that of the prime minister.
William I breathed a sigh of relief. It would be best if the military would stop. Otherwise, he could only use the pressure of the powers to force the military to agree to a cease-fire.
As for Moltke’s attitude, that’s a small matter. William I is not short of tolerance. In the original timeline, there was Bismarck whom he could tolerate, not to mention Moltke.
Apart from Roon, among the three outstanding figures of Prussia, Moltke and Bismarck both had flawed personalities that ordinary people could hardly tolerate.
Prime Minister Franck frowned and said, “It’s not that easy. It’s not a big problem to acquire the two duchies and some parts of the Baltic region, but it may be difficult to obtain Poland.
In addition, there is another problem before us and that is ‘Silesia’. We promised it to the Austrians before, and we must also consider carefully whether to fulfill this promise.”
The Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were the least controversial, the Russian government would not linger on this issue, while the Kingdom of Denmark lacked the resolve to dispute it.
Meanwhile, it is relatively easy to obtain the Baltic region. The locals are all staunchly anti-Russian. As long as they can break away from the rule of the Russian government, many problems can be discussed.
(Present day: The three Baltic states, their territorial area extends partially inland)
Most importantly, the British supported Prussia’s acquisition of the Baltic region, and France and Austria also acquiesced in this matter.
Meanwhile, it would be very difficult to annex Poland. First of all, the current Polish provisional government is the first obstacle.
Although Moltke has been using the opportunity to fight the Russians to wear down the Poles, and even if the provisional government has suffered heavy losses in military strength, they still want independence!
It’s not as easy as it sounds to swallow them in one go. If the Polish provisional government does not agree to be absorbed, Prussia cannot directly attack its allies, right?
Even if these factors could be overcome by force, the reaction of the great powers would be despairing. After annexing Poland, the Kingdom of Prussia would be the second largest in terms of land area, only second to Russia and Austria, and its population would catch up with France.
France and Austria would never allow such a behemoth to emerge, and the newly defeated Russians would not agree either.
As long as the great powers intervene, the Kingdom of Prussia is doomed to fail to annex Poland. If they dare to force it, they must be prepared to be beaten to death.
Minister of the Army and the Navy Roon said, “Annexing Poland is not an overnight matter. We can first let Poland become independent and then look for opportunities later.
Silesia must not be ceded just like that. Austria has not maintained absolute neutrality in this war. If it were not for their support of the Russians, the war would have ended last year.”
Silesia is a mess. The two sides only made verbal agreements and did not put them on paper. It is not impossible for the Prussian government to simply default on its debts.
But Austria is not easy to mess with on major issues. If they default on their debts now, they will suffer retaliation later on.
Perhaps this is not enough to trigger a war between the two countries, but even diplomatic difficulties are enough to make the Kingdom of Prussia uncomfortable.
The atmosphere in the meeting room became tense. This was a dilemma. No one wanted to cede land, and no one wanted to face Austria at this time.
Especially with the Prusso-Russian negotiations approaching, what if the Austrian government fully supports the Russians? Will they be able to get everything they want?
No one can answer this question as no one knows where the bottom line of the Austrian government is!
After pondering for a while, William I said cautiously, “The issue of Silesia should be dragged on first. We cannot give up every inch of our territory unless it is absolutely necessary!”
Procrastination is not the best solution, but it is actually the most effective.
