Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 1034 - 48: A Mess

Chapter 1034: Chapter 48: A Mess

Money is hard to come by, and middlemen are not easy to find. To want this middleman, first and foremost, three basic elements are necessary: first, having a good relationship with the Russians; second, possessing a certain level of financial capability; third, not being influenced by the Russian-Austrian interests.

Without a good relationship, the operations for cheating would not unfold well. Only with a sufficient relationship could the subsequent stories continue to be fabricated.

In this world, there is no love or hate without reason, even if pies really fell from heaven, before eating them, one would first have to verify whether they were poisoned.

This necessitated a good story, one that made the Tsarist Government believe that the middleman was helping with the construction of the Siberian Railway for his own interests.

Merely having a story was definitely not enough; there also had to be a substantial amount of capital. This capital did not need to be extensive, just enough to cover part of the expenses for the Siberian Railway.

Or one could follow the Vienna Government’s method of assisting in building the Central Asia Railway, finding a railway company to undertake the construction of the Siberian Railway, and allowing the Russians to owe money for exploration, design management, and leasing of machinery and equipment.

...

Mao Xiong for labor was plentiful, as were most raw materials. Except for the steel rails that might need to be imported, the rest could be provided by the Russians themselves.

In fact, labor and raw materials were the most expensive components of railway construction. By resolving these two major costs, the expenses were reduced by seventy to eighty percent.

With no tax or statutory fees, this strategic-level railway project would undoubtedly be greenlit by the Tsarist Government, and even bureaucrats would not dare to overreach.

Without exaggeration nor understatement, the officials responsible for the railway construction in the original timespace managed to complete the mainline of the Siberian Railway for less than two billion rubles, which was truly an effortful endeavor.

Perhaps corruption still existed, but relative integrity was still achieved. If Russian bureaucrats were to perform at their normal level, the figure would not have completed without increasing by three to five times.

It was unavoidable, the conditions in Siberia were too severe, and the construction challenges were indeed significant. With limited technological conditions, the construction costs couldn’t possibly be low.

So financial capability was also indispensable, the so-called “not much” was only relative to a wealthy country like the United Kingdom.

In fact, there were very few nations in this world that could amass tens of millions of British Pounds, even if raised in installments.

Although it was Britain funding covertly, having financial capability was still an essential condition.

If a poor country suddenly presented such a large sum, it would surely arouse suspicion among the Russians.

If the Tsarist Government knew that the funds came from the London Government, the plan would likely be dead on arrival.

In addition to the above two conditions, the most important requirement was audacity. In those days, any nation daring to involve itself in the discord between Shinra and Britain was certainly audacious.

One couldn’t expect much from Europe, as Denmark was the only country in good relations with the Tsarist Government. However, Sweden, playing a dominating role in the Nordic Federation and historically at odds with Russia, did.

Beyond the relationship issue, what was more crucial was being outside the influence of the Russian-Austrian power, ensuring their own safety.

There was no choice, as the Nordic Federation existed under the watchful eyes of the Russian-Austrian Alliance, and once the plan was exposed, their fate was foreseeable.

The extremely high risk inherently dictated that participating nations must possess the capability to protect themselves. Even if the plan were to be unveiled, it should not lead to their total destruction.

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If self-preservation couldn’t be assured, regardless of how much benefit Britain promised, no nation would participate.

A glance at the map would reveal that, aside from being outside the Russian-Austrian influence and possessing some financial and military strength without fear of retribution, only two countries remained.

Considering good diplomatic relations with Russia, only the United States of America met the criteria.

As for the other contender, due to the Tsarist support for the North during the Civil War, the post-independence federal states naturally did not have good relations with Russia.

The United States met all the inherent conditions, but postnatal conditions still lacked, with the biggest issue being: they were not audacious enough.

In the original timespace, Americans of this era were too cautious, harboring intentions against Cuba yet deterred by the might of Spain and did not dare act recklessly.

They only continued to make minor moves in secret, testing the reactions of the Spaniards. Of course, the Spanish Government also lived up to expectations, exposing their own weaknesses.

Eventually, the US Government still hovered until 1898 before they “risked” planning the US-Spanish War. It was only after defeating Spain that Americans gradually lost their fear of the European powers.

Now, even more so, after having been beaten down by society, Americans could only become more cautious!

They dared not even confront declining Spain, so expecting them to plot against the Russian-Austrian Alliance was really asking too much.

…

While the British were still worrying about how to persuade the United States, the Jiawu War also drew to its conclusion. The Japanese Government, basking in its moment of glory, couldn’t even imagine they were about to be betrayed.

Of course, it wasn’t really a betrayal. They were merely pawns, naturally controlled by the player until they stepped off the chessboard.

The favors of the powers were not easily seized; Britain had invested so much in Japan, naturally expecting a return.

Lost in the joy of victory, the Japanese Government could not possibly think so far ahead.

It wouldn’t take long, soon the Japanese Government would no longer be smiling. International interference was already on its way, aiming to swallow up… (use your imagination)

A new wave rises even before the old one settles.

Cuba is still fiercely fighting, the Philippines remains entrenched in mountain valleys, and the war in the Far East continues, causing chaos again in Europe.

The European economic revitalization strategy took everyone into account, except for France.

Though Spain recruited a group of French mercenaries, alleviating France’s crisis to some extent, this was merely a drop in the bucket for a nation.

Theory is always just theory, reality is cruel. Franz’s imagined “one mercenary supporting a family” now seems more like a beautiful fairy tale.

Not everyone possesses a strong sense of responsibility. Besides the initial settlement fee, which left some money, most mercenaries, after leaving their homeland, did not send money home immediately after receiving their pay.

It must be admitted that their adaptability is strong, quickly getting used to the life of a mercenary. After receiving their salaries, each of them lived the life of “drunkenness for today.”

Less than half were willing to send money home, and even those who did often sent only a small portion of their income; those who managed to send one-third of their income could be considered “family-oriented men.”

Under such circumstances, Franz’s hoped-for plan of mercenaries earning money to support their families naturally ended in bankruptcy.

People must eat, and France’s economy had already collapsed during the war. As the European economic crisis was drawing to an end, the economic crisis in France was still far from over.

The trauma brought by war was profound, and the refugees expelled by various countries made the situation even more miserable for the nation.

Despite the French government’s efforts to resettle refugees and develop the economy to create jobs as much as possible, the enormous war indemnities weighed heavily on them, limiting the resources they could utilize.

The Vienna Government did not press for indemnities, but this did not mean other countries did not send enforcers; at least the Russian Army stationed outside of Paris promptly completed their task of collecting reparations.

Indeed, if the Paris Government could not pay the indemnities, the Russians would take matters into their own hands. With the Russian Army mobilized, the collection of war reparations was bound to proceed smoothly!

With no standards and purely based on personal preference, over-taxation was inevitable. The Russian soldiers participating in taxation activities profited greatly.

However, their actions brought suffering to the French populace. Unable to bear the humiliation, King Carlos directly led the government in a strike to protest.

The enraged French populace had already taken up arms to resist the brutality of the Russian Army, including parts of the government forces joining in attacks on the Russians.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye for Franz, France was once again engulfed in chaos. Looking at the mess before him, Franz suddenly regretted having allowed the Russian Army to be stationed in Paris.

Indeed, the Russian Army was adept at suppressing revolutions. However, their capacity for causing trouble was even greater.

There’s no problem in obtaining war reparations from France, but one must leave them room to breathe!

Sending soldiers to collect taxes, Franz seriously doubted what kind of commander could issue such an absurd order.

Anyone with a sense of self-awareness would understand what the Russian Army was like. Just their presence in the barracks was enough to cause severe distress to the locals.

To say they were sent out to collect taxes was more like sending them out to rob. Such behavior might be ignored during war, but continuing in such a manner post-war, it was no surprise that the French people erupted.

Trouble is one thing, but as long as one can clean up the mess they create, Franz had no objections.

Clearly, the issue had escalated to him, the Emperor, indicating that the Allied Forces stationed in France were overwhelmed.

Otherwise, who would go out of their way to create problems for their leaders? Such irresponsible actions could seriously impact one’s career.

Creating problems is always easier than solving them. As a leader of the Allied Forces, his position was clear, and where he should stand was self-evident.

Years of being an Emperor had taught Franz that when faced with issues, one must not only look at the surface but also delve deep into the underlying factors.

On the surface, it seemed that the Russians were to blame, naturally making it the responsibility of the Russian Army stationed in Paris. However, were the French completely without fault?

Why complain now? What were they doing earlier?

Had the Carlos Government raised a protest with the headquarters of the Allied Forces right when the issue first occurred, interference with the Russian Army’s actions might have been prompt.

Even if it was initially overlooked, reporting the situation to the headquarters of the Allied Forces immediately when the problem erupted would surely have been possible, right?

There were numerous opportunities to prevent the Russian Army from taxing, yet the French Government perfectly missed all of them.