Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 418: Misfortune Never Comes Singly

The success of the December 12th Uprising marked the beginning of a true crisis for the Russian government. Internal enemies posed a far greater threat than external ones, as the “Purging the corrupt officials” slogan adopted by the revolutionaries had caused many people to remain neutral.

This was not a betrayal of the tsar but rather a reflection of widespread dissatisfaction with the current situation. Radical reformers were unhappy with the tsar’s decision to halt reforms, while conservatives wanted to remove provisions in the reforms that were detrimental to their interests.

These individuals, mostly with families and businesses to support, could not afford to participate in the high-risk activity of rebellion.

In St. Petersburg, the sudden bad news plunged the Russian government into chaos. The Russian Empire, facing both internal and external threats, found itself teetering on the brink.

Interior Minister Mikhail proposed, “Your Majesty, we cannot continue like this! We must first suppress the domestic rebellion!”

His suggestion was sound. External enemies could at most tear off a piece of the Russian Empire, but they did not pose a threat to their existence. The real threat came from within.

As the slogan “Purging the corrupt officials” indicated, this was bound to be a bloody affair. If the rebels prevailed, those who benefited from the current system would be the first to be purged.

How could they explain themselves to the people without executing a few corrupt officials? At this point, the top echelons of the Russian government were all considered “corrupt officials” and deserved to be purged.

Alexander II remained expressionless as if he didn’t care at all. In truth, he was fuming inside. He had never imagined that the revolutionaries would dare to rebel at this time.

Alexander II strongly agreed with the Interior Minister’s proposal to prioritize suppressing the internal rebellion. However, he could not be the one to initiate peace talks.

If they were to cease hostilities now, the Russian Empire would have to pay a heavy price. The tsar could not shoulder the blame for this.

Minister of War Milyutin chimed in, “The rebels’ occupation of Moscow poses a significant threat to us. Both the Polish and Central Asian battlefields depend on Moscow for material support.

Under current circumstances, these two battlefields can last for a maximum of six months. If we cannot suppress the rebellion and restore material supply within half a year, the situation will completely spiral out of control.”

Suppressing the rebellion and restoring the material supply within half a year seemed like a joke. Destruction always happened faster than construction. Could local production recover immediately after being ravaged by the rebels?

Moreover, it was still winter. Fighting in this season placed even higher demands on logistics.

The Russian government did not have an abundance of troops and supplies for suppressing the rebellion. Aside from withdrawing forces from the frontlines, there were no other options in the short term.

This would inevitably affect the situation on the frontlines. If too many troops were withdrawn, giving the enemy an opportunity and leading to a major defeat on the frontlines, the consequences would be even more severe.

“The recent price hikes have been severe,” Finance Minister Reutern remarked. “The cost of the war is escalating. If we don’t end this conflict soon, we’ll be bankrupt within a year at most.”

Alexander II, incredulous, asked, “How is that possible? Didn’t we just obtain a lot of money?”

The Russian government had indeed profited greatly from the anti-Jewish campaign, but how could they have spent the money so quickly? Alexander II couldn’t believe it.

Finance Minister Reutern hastily explained, “Your Majesty, we do have many assets remaining, but these cannot be easily converted into cash.

With the outbreak of the internal rebellion, the value of many of these properties has plummeted, and even if we were to sell them, we would suffer significant losses.

The only liquid funds available to the government are the confiscated cash and some valuable bonds. This money is needed to repay existing debts and sustain the war effort.

The prices of strategic materials have nearly doubled, and with the chaos in Moscow, we are forced to increase overseas procurement, which has further driven up expenses.”

The real estate confiscated by the Russian government could, in fact, be converted into cash. However, too many domestic dignitaries were eyeing it, and once they intervened, the prices would plummet.

The Ministry of Finance could not afford to sell off so many assets at such low prices. Even if they were embezzling state assets, they would at least have to balance the books! For safety’s sake, they could only proceed slowly.

Otherwise, even if they used these assets as collateral for loans, they could still secure hundreds of millions of rubles. It was absurd to be sitting on a goldmine and starving.

Alexander II frowned and said hesitantly, “Have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs negotiate with the Austrians to find a way to bring down the prices.”

There’s nothing they can do about domestic prices. The changes in supply and demand are driving up prices. They can only place their hopes on overseas trade.

Foreign Minister Ivanov said with a bitter smile, “Your Majesty, I’m afraid this will be very difficult. The trade tariffs between Russia and Austria have already increased by 80%. The Austrians are using the tariff hike as an excuse to raise prices.

We are raising our tariffs on the one hand and asking them not to raise their prices on the other. This is too much to ask, I’m afraid.”

Ivanov is just trying to make himself look good here. Blindly raising tariffs has led to a deterioration in relations between the two countries and has caused a lot of trouble for the Foreign Ministry.

Don’t think that just because Russo-Austrian relations are cold now, they are not still the top priority for the Russian government’s diplomacy. Other departments shouldn’t create trouble and then leave it to the Foreign Ministry to clean up!

The Russian government was not immune to factional power struggles, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was second only to the Ministry of Finance in terms of influence. The two ministries had a long history of rivalry.

Alexander II’s face darkened. He was no fool, and he could immediately grasp the situation.

Finance Minister Reutern hastily explained, “The increase in tariffs was primarily intended to boost revenue and protect domestic industries. It’s important to note that our tariffs with Austria were already quite low, and even after the 80% increase, they are still in line with those of other countries.”

Reutern was no fool either; he had done his homework before proposing the rise in tariffs.

The Russo-Austrian alliance had not yet been broken. If the tariffs were raised above those of other countries, then the Finance Minister would be blamed for breaking the alliance.

Choosing to align with other countries would show that this was a normal tax adjustment, not one specifically targeting Austria.

Alexander II glared at him fiercely, his anger rising. He silently cursed the Ministry of Finance for being incompetent. Even if they needed to adjust tariffs, there was a time and place for it!

Currently, Russo-Austrian trade accounted for almost all of the Russian Empire’s foreign trade, and the Russian government was one of its major customers. Wouldn’t raising tariffs be shooting themselves in the foot?

Now the Austrians were retaliating, and the wool was coming out of the sheep’s own back. The tariff hike had also caused prices to rise, and even more unreasonably.

Monopolies can do whatever they want; people can choose to buy or not. Now they have to spend more money, and the increased spending is far from what the increased tariffs can compensate for.

Protecting domestic industries? They dare to use such a ridiculous excuse. Everyone knows that Russian industry is still in its infancy, and whoever uses those shoddy products will be unlucky.

Civilian goods are fine, but involving military supplies is simply murder.

Alexander II had already made up his mind to strip the Ministry of Finance of its tax-setting power and take the opportunity to replace the fool in front of him.

Alexander II resolutely suppressed his dissatisfaction with Austria. When you need someone’s help, no matter how much you are dissatisfied, you have to endure it.

“Negotiate with Austria. The tariff issue is up for discussion. Based on the commercial trade treaty previously signed between the two countries, no one may arbitrarily change the tariff rates.”

As he spoke these words, Alexander II’s heart was bleeding. This meant that the Russian government would make significant concessions on the tariff issue in exchange for Austria’s support.

This support would not be limited to the economic sphere; it would be even more significant politically. Once the decision was made to end the war, Austria’s support would be essential.

Without the support of a great power, even at the negotiating table, they would suffer greatly.

The Russian Empire of today had lost its former glory. One misstep could spell disaster.

…

Just as Alexander II was wavering on whether to end the war, events on the front lines made the decision for him.

On January 2, 1867, the Prussian army launched a surprise winter offensive. This battle, initially intended as a reconnaissance mission, turned into a stunning victory.

The Russian army, once renowned for its prowess in winter warfare, had suddenly become a pushover. It was only after the Prussian victory that the cause of this unexpected defeat was discovered.

The consequences of the shoddy cotton uniforms and blankets had become apparent. Russian soldiers, frozen to the bone, could only rely on campfires for warmth.

Post-war statistics revealed that, on average, only less than a third of Russian soldiers on the eastern front received standard winter uniforms. Many units were forced to have their on-duty soldiers wear standard uniforms, while the rest huddled around fires for warmth.

In addition to clothing, substandard food was another major factor in non-combat casualties among Russian troops. Food poisoning became a common occurrence.

Russian commanders were not unaware of these problems, but the issues were too widespread and everyone chose to turn a blind eye to protect themselves. After receiving bribes, one after another chose to pretend to be deaf and dumb.

Originally, Russian commanders believed that with the arrival of winter, the Prussian army, not known for its winter warfare capabilities, would call a truce and both sides would rest. These problems would not be exposed, and they could just endure them.

However, plans often don’t keep up with change. A single reconnaissance offensive tore through the Russian defenses, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers were taken prisoner, and the battlefield situation was completely out of control.

With the truth exposed, the Prussians seized the opportunity to exploit their victories. Meanwhile, the Russian soldiers hampered by their inferior cotton garments stand little chance of mustering an effective defense.

Quite a few soldiers surrendered directly to the Prussian army, simply to get a bite to eat. From the point of view of food, the standards of the two sides are very different.

The Prussian army’s food standards fully reflect their status in the country. It can be said that they are among the top in Europe at the same time.

Not to mention bread, potatoes, and soybeans, there is also a certain amount of butter, cheese, meat, or canned food every day, and occasionally some vegetables.

On the other hand, it is already not bad for Russian soldiers to have enough potatoes. If the canned food is domestic, they may not even dare to eat it. Cheese and biscuits are included and they are occasionally distributed, but it cannot be guaranteed that they can be eaten.

The bread can be used as bricks to build fortifications, and there is no problem using it to block enemy bullets.

It is not easy to finally eat meat, but it is also jerky from an unknown era. It is almost impossible to chew with teeth, so it is best to cook it.

In this context, the Russian army usually has to find ways to get some food on the battlefield to improve their diet because their food standards are simply unbearable.

In the sudden winter battle, the Russians did not lose to the Prussian army, but to logistics, or to the bureaucrats at home.