Chapter 409: Immediate benefits vs. long-term benefits

St. Petersburg, after successive bad news, Alexander II can't bear it. The decadence of the Russian Empire is evident, and the prestige established in the Near East War is being worn away.
The international situation is still a small problem, and the biggest trouble is still internal. From the beginning, Alexander II was using war to divert internal contradictions, attempting to plunder interests through military expansion and quell domestic disputes.
As the situation on the battlefield worsens, the domestic situation is also deteriorating. This time it is not a battle between conservatives and reformers, but that the people at the bottom will soon be unable to support it.
With the blockade of the maritime passage, the supply of living materials in St. Petersburg was seriously inadequate, and prices continued to rise. This is the case in the capital, let alone the surrounding cities.
The Hermitage, Alexander II, said aggressively: "I don't care what method you use, you must calm prices as soon as possible to ensure the supply of materials in St. Petersburg. If you can't do it, I will go to someone who can.
This is a critical period for the Russian Empire. Regardless of any individual or interest group, as long as they stand on the opposite side of the Empire, they will all be punished severely! "
Alexander II was not fooled. The shortage of supplies was a fact, and prices that could keep rising were absolutely abnormal.
At least food prices cannot be so abnormal. As the capital of the Russian Empire, how could St. Petersburg not have food stored?
The capitalists were human, and as early as the Polish uprising broke out, everyone began to hoard food.
The tsarist government was not completely unprepared. There was a gap of more than two months between the Putin war and the Russian-Prussian war. During this time, they also stored a lot of supplies.
Coupled with the food inventory of the original capital, it is absolutely impossible to run out so quickly. Moreover, St. Petersburg itself is also one of Russia's food producing areas, and the self-sufficiency rate of food is already very high.
Without people doing things, St Petersburg will not be short of food. As long as the food supply is guaranteed, everything else is easy to handle.
For example: coal is available around St. Petersburg.
The Russian empire in this era was basically self-sufficient, except for importing some machinery and equipment, as evidenced by the trade surplus.
"My Majesty, the ice melted in many areas and the roads were muddy, which severely affected the traffic," said the Minister of the Interior Mikhail.
What is the reason for the soaring prices, Mikhail is clear. But the interest groups involved are too powerful, and this layer of window paper is not easy to break.
Alexander II smiled coldly and said, "Is that so? In this case, then the government has provided a unified supply of materials. It must be supported by patriots as long as it is!"
Support, how is it possible! This is cutting everyone's meat. I don't know how many people want to make a profit from it. Now if the government takes over, what else will they make?
The Minister of the Interior Mikhail said in a terror: "Sir, this is too wide-ranging, and the government's overall supply of supplies may be in trouble."
Break money, such as killing parents.
If such a thing happened, the czar might not be fine, and these specific executors would be dead.
Alexander II laughed with a smile: "This is the last resort. If prices don't subside, we have only one way.
If anyone dares to make trouble, it depends on whether our knife is sharp enough.
The Fourth Division and the Seventh Division will arrive in St. Petersburg in three days. If the prices have not subsided in three days, the military will be responsible for coordinating the supply of materials. "
Apparently, Alexander II was clever enough, without expecting the city defense forces of St. Petersburg, to directly transfer troops who had just taken off from the battlefield to rest.
These frontiers are obviously not affected by the capitalists and bureaucrats in St. Petersburg. They only listen to the orders of the Tsar.
If the capitalists know current affairs, then hello, hello everyone, Alexander II is not willing to break the rules of the game.
Otherwise, I'm sorry. The tsarist government cannot solve the problem of skyrocketing prices, so it can only start from the source and eliminate those who drive up prices.
Copying a home is a required course for almost every lord. None of the prestigious monarchs in history copied homes.
Usually such emperors kill more people. Generally, the people who create problems are eliminated, and the world is ruled.
The situation in Europe is special. Generally, nobles are not killed. This does not mean that nobles cannot be killed.
Alexander II was not a bully master. He talked about his fists when he was unreasonable. Once his face was torn, he didn't mind the killing.
In a way, this head was still Franz. Reform has never been bloodless, and Austrian reforms have also been poured out.
Only the cover of the Great Revolution, many die-hards were revolutionized during the revolution, and the subsequent reforms were successfully implemented.
Alexander II also realized this. The Russian reforms he promoted were resisted by interest groups and progress was very unsuccessful. Now Alexander II needs to kill the chicken tamarin, it depends on who will become this chicken.
Mikhail's face changed greatly, and his political mind was still very bright. He knew that the Czar was dissatisfied with his work. Hastily replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Minister of the Interior Mikhail decided to die but not to die. Within the scope of the rules of the game, it seems that it is not a problem for the capitalists to play this way, and the cover of the noble bureaucrats is even safer.
However, when the Tsar was about to turn the table, the problem changed. Why would a bureaucrat like Mikhail face the Tsar for a bribe?
Obviously, this is impossible. Their power comes from the Tsar. As long as they are still in the position, the money can be slowly harvested. Why do you need to take risks?
Perhaps many people have the triple status of aristocracy, bureaucracy, and capitalist, but for them, the most important thing is to maintain their status first.
Money can be slowly harvested, but there is only one life! The Tsar who raised the butcher's knife must not be provoked. If it is not good, it will be cut off.
Foreign Minister Clarence-Ivanov opened the siege and said: "His Majesty, the conflict between France and Austria is over, and the two countries are currently conducting secret negotiations.
Fundamental information and preliminary analysis indicate that this negotiation may involve the deep-level strategies of the two countries and may even affect our war with the Kingdom of Prussia.
Austrian Foreign Minister Weissenberg has arrived in Milan. It is said to strengthen communication with the Kingdom of Lombardy. This should be a smoke bomb.
At the same time, French Foreign Minister Abraham also arrived in the Kingdom of Sardinia, officially saying he was on vacation.
Yesterday, Wesenberg and Abraham met each other at the junction of Sardinia and Lombardy, and the two held talks for up to five hours.
The content of their conversation was highly confidential and all attendants were sent, only two parties knew. "
This information was obtained by Clarence-Ivanov at a great cost, mainly to prove that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not really incompetent.
Recently, the tsarist government has frequently failed in diplomacy. Although there are special reasons, no one can blame them, but the tsarist government's internal criticism against them is still getting louder.
Clarence-Ivanov naturally has to make a difference, and the conflict between France and Austria is an opportunity in his eyes. The two countries did not really fight, which disappointed and surprised him.
This complex mood is not only for Clarence-Ivanov, but for most people in the Tsarist government.
On the one hand, they want the outbreak of war in France and Austria and consume each other's strength in order to maintain the European hegemony of the Russian Empire.
On the other hand, they didn't want to see Fao hit. Once Austria is involved in the war, their logistics supply system will collapse.
With the outbreak of the French-Austrian war, Austria was naturally unable to continue to export strategic supplies to them. This gap needs to be filled.
Unfortunately, this gap cannot be filled at all. There are only a few industrial powers in the world, and the British will be able to fill vacancies when Fao starts.
This unrealistic fantasy, the tsarist government never dreamed. Counting on the British to provide them with logistics, isn't that a dream?
Alexander II thought for a while and said, "First contact the Austrians and test whether their position has changed. If necessary, you can make appropriate concessions.
We can promise that without plotting land in the German region, the cutting of the Kingdom of Prussia will be limited to the Polish region. "
Despite the bleeding in his heart, Alexander II made the decision by gritting his teeth. At this stage of the war, it is no longer appropriate to think about expansion into Central Europe.
The world speaks with strength. You can divide as many cakes as you have. If you eat too much, you will choke.
"Strength" is comprehensive strength, not just military strength. Regardless of whether it is acknowledged or not, the comprehensive strength of the Russian Empire has fallen out of the ranks of the four major powers.
Foreign Minister Clarence-Ivanov replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
After a pause, he added: "Now that both Prussians and British are drawing Sweden, in order to avoid the worst, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposes to make appropriate concessions to Sweden.
We can support Karl XV's three-country unification plan. Once Denmark merges with Sweden and Norway, they will be dragged into the Putin war. "
This is a very clear strategy to break the situation, and the Kingdom of Denmark can exchange Sweden for troops at the cost of supporting the unification of the three Nordic countries.
Long before the outbreak of the war, the three countries were negotiating for the establishment of a joint state. Sweden and Norway are now monarchies. The two countries have basically reached an agreement, except that the Kingdom of Denmark has not made up its mind.
This hesitation caused the Pudan War to erupt. The Junker aristocrats had no reason to launch this war last year.
If the three Nordic countries really merge, it will be difficult to take back the two principalities of Schleswig and Holstein.
Alexander II hesitated to reunify the three Nordic countries, which was indeed beneficial to the Russian Empire in a short time, but the emergence of unified Northern Europe also threatened the Russian Empire in the future.
Denmark + Norway + Sweden together is another Kingdom of Prussia. Perhaps the Nordic region is constrained by climatic conditions, and the population growth rate is too slow, and it will be inferior to the Kingdom of Prussia. This gap will not be too great.
The ambition is always stimulated by strength. Will the three Nordic countries remain so peaceful after the reunification? For example: the attention of Finland, or the idea of ​​the three Baltic countries.
There is no doubt that this situation is very likely to happen. The Nordic barbarians have also been in history. Once the great power is stimulated, the northern border of the Russian Empire will be lively in the future.
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