Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 1140 - 154: Kicking Someone When They’re Down

To stabilize the backyard, it was necessary not only to help the French government stabilize the situation but also to assist other Alliance members.

For example: aiding in the restoration of the Portuguese King.

Though the Republican Party also expressed joining the Alliance to continue the fight against Britain, making trouble at this juncture made them the enemy of the Alliance, with absolutely no room for negotiation.

Allies, naturally, must help each other. Aside from the direct involvement of the Allied Forces in France and Portugal, the rest were spontaneous actions taken by the governments of the respective countries.

Whether this help had a positive or negative effect remained to be further studied.

However, in Franz’s view, if it had not been for the selfless dedication of the allies, the turmoil in Europe would have only been a third of what it was.

There was no reason to blame, politics is just like that. The contradictions between European countries have a long history, and even when pulled into an Alliance, that doesn’t mean the contradictions didn’t exist.

When the opportunity presented itself, not taking advantage of it would have been the real issue. After all, it was the British who were left to take the blame, and there was no need for politeness.

Whose enemies were more numerous was the most direct reflection at this time. Unsurprisingly, the Russian Empire, from east to west, north to south, rose to the top of the list of those betrayed by an overwhelming margin.

While the Alliance was in turmoil, the Vienna Government turned a blind eye. It wasn’t that Franz did not want to intervene, he simply lacked the moral authority to do so since his own hands were in the mix.

In any case, what was done was done, and there was no turning back. Muddling through and passing the buck to the British was beneficial for maintaining the unity of the Alliance.

May as well let them have their turmoil; after the conflict in the English Channel, the Great Britain Empire was already a “desolate tomb,” and there was no harm in cleaning up later.

No matter how tumultuous the outside world became, as long as Shinra didn’t fall into disarray, Franz could calmly observe the world’s changing dynamics.

Interest is the eternal driving force. With Britain on the verge of being replaced, unity within the Holy Roman Empire was unprecedented.

One could tell from the ultimate end of those who caused trouble. The anti-war movement in Hanover had just begun when it was suppressed by the Sub-State government.

Britain’s influence in the region could not outweigh the interests at stake. For their own benefits, the Hanoverian Nobility, military, and bourgeoisie all firmly supported the war.

Even the Pro-British Faction was determined to overthrow the British to inherit the rich legacy of the Great Britain Empire.

Opposition to the war meant not only cutting off everyone’s financial routes but also severing their future.

Such enmity could not coexist under the same sky.

Given this context, anti-war sentiments naturally led to negative outcomes.

And so it was. The scholars who called for universal anti-war sentiment had barely raised their voices before they were labeled as “British spies.”

After that, there was no afterward. Harsh penalties are used in troubled times, and offending all interest groups meant that even if one managed to survive, there would be no future to hope for.

Compared to them, the anti-Russian faction in Prussia was much happier, merely receiving a warning.

The anti-Russian movement had continued for decades in Prussia and had long become a part of residents’ daily activities.

On certain days, the public would hold annual demonstrations. Now it was just a few days early, hardly a big deal.

It might seem inconsequential on the surface, but politically, the impact was significant. The fact that the anti-Russian faction went unchecked was seen by the outside world as a political signal of “Vienna Government’s Anti-Russian stance.”

In a sense, the unabashed attacks on the Russian Empire were also influenced by this perception.

Let the misdirection stand, for Franz had no intention of stepping in to clarify at this time that the actions of the Prussian Government had nothing to do with the Vienna Government.

Even though this was the truth, as the constitution of the Holy Roman Empire clearly stated, unless it involved major events of national security, the Central Government could not intervene in the internal politics of a Sub-State without an explicit invitation.

The anti-Russian demonstrations and protests clearly did not concern national security. Moreover, the Prussian Government was unlikely to give up its high degree of autonomy for such a triviality.

Truth is truth, but politics is all about complicating the simple. If an explanation were to be made now, it would seem like a guilty conscience to the outside world.

With that effort, it would be better to support the Irish independence movement. At least, it could hit the British further and shorten the duration of the war.

…

St. Petersburg, with the outbreak of the revolutionary tide, the Russian Empire’s house, full of leaks on all sides, had become increasingly ethereal amidst the storm.

The middle-aged Nicholas II had matured a lot in both temperament and political skill, but the mess at hand still exceeded his capabilities.

War, the strike movement, the revolutionary wave, and the independence movement all crashed together.

In fact, the strike movement in the Russian Empire had shown signs of emergence two months ago.

At that time, the number of people involved in the strikes was not as large as now, nor had they spread nationwide.

With the joint efforts of the Tsarist Government and the capitalists, the turmoil was quickly quelled, but the underlying issues were not fundamentally resolved.

Prices continued to soar, overtime hours kept extending, and the only thing that did not change was wages.

With a large accumulation of social contradictions, the British-supported revolutionary movement naturally became a fuse.

Especially when the Russian Empire needed help the most, the allies took turns to kick them while they were down.

For example, the Finnish independence movement, besides the limited support from the British, the Nordic Federation contributed even more.

Another example, the Polish independence movement, was backed by the Kingdom of Prussia.

…

These support activities were not just limited to moral support; they put forward real silver and gold.

If one were to investigate deeply, they would find that, just a few months ago, the main commanders of the rebel army were still serving in the militaries of various countries.

Ready to create chaos without caring for their own reputations, they naturally did not fear the Tsarist Government’s protests.

It could only be said that the era of the Russian Empire had ended. Even though the Tsarist Government repeatedly claimed that it would retaliate in the future, it did not weaken everyone’s determination to stir up trouble.

There was no way around it; Holy Roman Empire was now the dominant power in Europe. It did not matter if you schemed in secret, but if you wanted to send troops to attack a sovereign nation, you had to first ask if the big boss would agree.

In fact, even if the Vienna Government did not interfere, the Russian Empire could not do much.

There were too many countries involved; if they really faced off against so many, it was uncertain who would beat whom.

Retribution was not urgent; the immediate priority was to get through the current crisis.

The nationwide strike movement was growing more intense, with practically every city with a population over one hundred thousand experiencing strikes.

What worried Nicholas II even more were the endless rebellions within the country. To date, the population involved nearly made up thirty percent of the entire population of the Russian Empire.

Upon opening the map and looking over it, half of the Russian Empire was marked with the banners of the rebel army. If it was not handled well, the Russian Empire was going to be in trouble.

“Bang!”

The cup in his hand fell to the ground, and the scalding coffee splashed around.

“What, the Austrians have cut off our strategic supplies?”

Nicholas II couldn’t help but feel tense; up to now, the strategic supplies provided by Shinra accounted for half of the total supplies.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

If these supplies were suddenly gone, what could fill this gap? If the strategic supplies were insufficient, what would the Russian Army use to suppress the rebellion and…

Foreign Minister Mikhailovich explained, “It’s not a complete cutoff, but rather a temporary reduction in the strategic supplies provided to us, about ten percent of what we had before.

The reason given by the Vienna Government is: In order to ensure the logistics supply for our southern army corps, they can only reduce the quota of strategic supplies provided to our homeland.”

Hearing this explanation, Nicholas II was instantly choked up. He wanted to condemn it but couldn’t even speak.

Although it was a joint operation, due to geographical factors, the Russian Army’s logistics were currently independent of the Allied Forces.

Now that a rebellion had broken out in Central Asia, and with the Russian Army in India cut off from their supply line, they could only rely on the Allied Forces for support.

Suddenly having to support an additional eight hundred thousand troops, the necessary strategic supplies were not a small figure. Such a large gap could not be easily filled.

From the perspective of the Allied Forces, reducing the strategic supply input to Russia to fill this gap was undoubtedly the best choice at the moment.

Anyway, since the supplies would ultimately be used by the Russian Army, the Vienna Government promised that the total strategic supplies provided had not decreased, so it did not count as a breach of contract.

The problem was laid out openly, and Nicholas II could not oppose it. Otherwise, the eight hundred thousand Russian troops at the front would go hungry.

But suppressing the domestic rebellions also required a lot of strategic supplies.

Especially since the rebel army occupied both the Central Asia Railway and the Siberian Railway, the strategic supplies that the Tsarist Government had previously stockpiled along the railways had fallen into the hands of the rebels.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Nicholas II urgently ordered, “Send someone to communicate with the Vienna Government immediately, and have them increase the quota of strategic supplies.”

Even though the hope was slim, he had to try; otherwise, suppressing the domestic rebellion would become difficult.