Holy Roman Empire

"What, the Austrians want to annex the Ottoman?"

The newly crowned Tsar Alexander III had no time to celebrate before this bad news arrived.

Foreign Minister Ossiel Riviera replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. Not long ago we applied for a loan from the Vienna Government, and they made this demand."

Alexander III shook his head and answered decisively, "No, this absolutely cannot happen!

Once we allow the Austrians to annex the Ottoman, their influence will reach into Central Asia, and no one can assure us they will not become our competitors.

If Central Asia falls into the hands of the native Khanate, we might retake it; but if it falls into Austrian hands, it would be nearly impossible to retrieve.

We are greatly weakened now and simply do not have the capacity to compete with them.

The Austrians aim to control our lifeline. If they take Central Asia, they will have the ability to split the Russian Empire in two.

Together with their existing control over the Dardanelles Strait, the future of the Russian Empire would be at their mercy."

The reasons were compelling, yet Ossiel Riviera did not agree. To be controlled by others was too serious an issue to contemplate. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

It was not just about the Dardanelles Strait; the Russian Empire was subject to Austrian control in many ways. Military, finance, economy—our three vital lifelines all depended on Austria.

After hesitating for a moment, Ossiel Riviera reminded him, "Your Majesty, solving the Dardanelles Strait issue is not difficult.

Many years ago, we had contact with the Austrians, and the Vienna Government agreed to let us redeem the area for money, or undergo territorial exchange.

For some special reason, the deal was never completed. This also shows that the Vienna Government does not value the Dardanelles Strait highly—if we want to take it, it would not be difficult."

Alexander III had just ascended to the throne, and as everyone was still unsure of his temperament, the cautious Ossiel Riviera chose to strike from the side.

The Austrian threat was indeed real, but now was not the time to consider it. What the Tsarist Government needed most at the moment was money, other issues could be deferred.

In this regard, the Tsarist Government had confidence, with the sheer size of the Russian Empire as assurance; there was no need to worry about foreign invasions.

The Austrian threat was predicated on the assumption that the two countries had not fallen out. If it came to parting ways, these issues could be overcome.

After hesitating for a while, Alexander III nodded reluctantly, "Then we’ll start talking to the Austrians for now, but by no means can we allow them to swallow the Ottoman whole."

Alexander III’s talent in foreign affairs far exceeded that of his ancestors, and he quickly identified the crux of the issue: once Austria resolved to act against the Ottoman, they would be unstoppable.

With the support of the Russian Empire, the task would be easier; without it, Austria could still wage war.

The aftermath of the Prusso-Russian War had not yet dissipated, and the European world was still immersed in the antiwar sentiment; England and France were unlikely to go to war over the Ottoman Empire against Austria.

Russia appeared to have significant sway, but they were still licking their wounds, the government’s coffers were empty, and given the historic enmity with the Ottomans, Alexander III found no reason to save them.

Alexander III was pragmatic, just like he had stopped the large-scale purges within his country. Realizing that he could not prevent Austria, he decisively chose to seek benefits.

...

Foreign Minister Ossiel Riviera added, "Your Majesty, aside from this issue, we must also consider the matter of Finland.

Before the war, to stabilize the Nordic Federation and raise funds for the war, we signed a mortgage loan with the Swedish people, which included a secret clause.

It explicitly stipulated that after the war, we would sell the Finland region to the Nordic Federation; if we defaulted, we would not only have to repay the debt but also pay a penalty, with the Vienna Government as the guarantor."

This was yet another pitfall, before the outbreak of the Prusso-Russian War, the Tsarist Government, in order to reduce the number of enemies, had to sign such a treaty.

Now, this has become a difficult problem, a kind of happy trouble, the trouble that comes only with winning the war.

During the reign of Alexander II, the prepared contingency plan was to take over the Schleswig-Holstein Duchies and transfer them to the Nordic Federation in compensation for the debt.

Unfortunately, halfway through the plan, Alexander II met God. Alexander III didn’t have the same resistance to pressure that his father did, neither did he have enough prestige.

Furthermore, the domestic situation did not allow him to continue the war, and after facing strong opposition from European countries, he quickly chose to compromise.

Alexander III furrowed his brow and shook his head, "The strategic significance of the Finnish region is too great to give away, at least not all of it.

First, the Foreign Ministry should make contact with the Nordic Federation to see if they would accept the sale of part of the Finnish region.

This debt, after all, was guaranteed by Austria; unless absolutely necessary, do not resort to military threats."

A weak country has no diplomacy, and Mao Xiong has never been one to play by the rules. They preferred to solve problems with cannons rather than at the negotiation table.

Alexander III was considered a peace faction member among the Tsars, willing to offer part of the Finnish region to fulfill the agreement, which would have been a much harder case with his father, Alexander II.

Of course, the Austrian guarantee also played a significant role. That "Debt Guarantee Contract" wasn’t just about offering security; it also contained explicit penalties.

Rather than try to buy off Austria with benefits and silence the Vienna Government, Alexander III thought it would be easier to deal with the Nordic Federation.

Foreign Minister Ossiel Riviera smiled, "Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as we can offer part of the Finnish region to fulfill the contract, the Nordic Federation will not reject our goodwill."

...

Berlin, since the end of the Prusso-Russian War, this bustling metropolis had become quiet all at once.

Although some funds were recouped by selling territory, the days were still hard for the Berlin Government.

The crushing debt exacerbated the burden on the shoulders of the Prussian people. Even more so, the despair brought on by the defeat in the war caused many to lose faith in the future.

To give an account to the domestic public, Wilhelm I had already announced his abdication, and Prussia had entered the era of Frederick III.

This was an unlucky man, who in the original timeline had met God just days after coming to the throne, earning the moniker "The Ninety-Nine-Day Emperor" for his actual reign of 99 days.

Barely outlasting his father and having enjoyed being the emperor briefly, he hurriedly left the world of the living.

Under the butterfly effect, Frederick III took the throne earlier and similarly didn’t fare well, inheriting a mess.

The only upside was that Wilhelm I’s abdication had forced a bunch of Junker aristocrats to resign along with him, reducing the number of troublesome ghosts around.

Compared to the mess at hand, Frederick III might have preferred dealing with the Junker aristocracy after all.

The reigning king was the ultimate Junker, with class interests still aligned; the battle was merely for power.

Looking at the map hanging on the wall, Frederick III sighed deeply.

Without having done anything yet, the Kingdom of Prussia had already lost a great deal of territory. A country’s revival depends on its population and resources.

With the defeat in the Prusso-Russian War, the Kingdom of Prussia lost a vast amount of territory, along with a significant population and resources.

Whether acknowledged or not, the Kingdom of Prussia had become a small country.