Chapter 2503 "Little Tricks" (5)

  Like many cities in the Middle Ages, Hamburg also has towering city walls. However, with the development of commerce and people expanding outside the city walls, Hamburg has no longer looked like a fortress and looks like a beautiful English garden.

  Although it still keeps the city gate closed at dusk, it has lost its military significance and is more like a custom. In order not to interrupt the entertainment of the citizens, it will be closed 45 minutes later on Sunday.

Since there were rumors in the pub that the assassin Pishglu, who assassinated Napoleon, might be hiding in Hamburg, not only the 45-minute late closing on Sundays, but also the chilling atmosphere in the city even the Christmas atmosphere has been affected. They will choose to stay at home and stay at home to make a fire.

   This indirectly caused the price of firewood to rise, and the river was blocked by ice. Frederick the Great once said that the more developed the road traffic in a country, the easier it is for the country to be occupied by the enemy.

   During the French Revolution, the Northern Front advanced along the post road built by Louis XIV, and several important battles were also held around several fortified cities, which was different from the ancient war pattern.

  In ancient wars, when encountering a city, it would choose to attack it. It must be captured before continuing to attack the next city. There are few detours. Because once detours, cities that are not captured will be attacked back and forth, cutting off the supply line with the rear, that is, food routes.

  The French crossed the Alps on an empty stomach because of the famine revolution. They had almost no logistical supplies. They relied on the method of fighting to support the war or local supplies. Dumlier spent a lot of money in Belgium. The Mongolians in the Yuan Dynasty used banknotes, and they were not all the Song Dynasty. In the Yuan Empire, the banking system was managed by the government, while almost all of Europe was organized by the people themselves.

Even the Medici family used the Pope's funds to develop the financial and banking industries in Tuscany. The bankers served the nobles and kings in the feudal era. During the Thirty Years' War, they brought a lot to Central Europe. To seriously undermine, but also to face the redistribution of political power.

  The Prussian Army originated as a mercenary army during the Thirty Years War of Brandenburg.

  Napoleon had long felt that the Prussian Army was outdated, and there was no improvement in training methods or equipment compared to the time of Frederick the Great. Coupled with the administration of the previous king, the Prussian treasury was empty. If France was to deal with Prussia seriously, even if it was not like a certain poet wrote it, it would fall in one breath. The attitude of the ambassador is to appease, and the situation of the ambassador is extremely uncomfortable.

Napoleon knew the effect of his arrival, so every time he won a battle, he always loved to go to the newly occupied city, to show his face among the people, it was a pleasant journey not only for Napoleon, but for all victors .

   Fortunately, the assassin was not a local youth, and Napoleon was safe.

   But that doesn't mean that's all, aside from the punishment for the so-called assassins, he got to Aachen, and went all the way east, looking like he was going to turn around on the "natural boundary".

   Chateaubriand said that as long as Napoleon's gray coat and three-legged hat were hung on a pole and stuck on the coast, the whole of Europe would be on alert.

  The King of Prussia is said to have corresponded with him, but only they know what was said.

   Even if Frederick William III was a mediocre man, he was a mediocrity pushed by the times. The secret letter used by the Junker nobles was actually written by the younger brother to Stein, and Stein himself did not make it clear whether there was an armed uprising.

  In the Second Anti-French Coalition, Frederick William III chose a neutral position, which lowered his prestige in European politics, but his armed neutrality alliance in North Germany had different evaluations among the people.

Although the Hanseatic League ended in the 17th century, the concept of the Hanseatic region still exists in people's minds, and this area has basically been included in the protection and rule of Prussia by joining the "Peace of Basel" and dividing up Austria. .

  Hamburg, Lübeck, and Sweden, who wanted to be the coordinator in the Fao Negotiations, but Napoleon called it a third-rate country. The Prussians still followed the words of Frederick the Great and did not build roads to the interior, which means that they still valued the commercial cities in the coastal areas, as if they were going to replace the Teutonic Knights and become the backers of the "New Hanseatic League".

   This rumor is not just unhappy for the French, but also for the British. This is actually the drunken talk of drinkers, and only third-rate spies will listen to rumors in the tavern. But Napoleon canceled his trip to the Netherlands. How long will it take to get from Antwerp to the Netherlands? It's just across the river, even if you go back to China before Christmas in order not to waste time, how about saving so much time?

   Augereau dissolved the Dutch Parliament and was removed from office. His successor was still dealing with the Prussian issue. Although he is now surrounded and lost his personal freedom is the British ambassador, but the blame seems to be directed at Prussia.

  Before Stein’s reforms, Prussia practiced the system of manor serfdom. The peasants were tightly bound to the land and could not go to work in factories, let alone develop the economy.

The main way for the Junkers to make money is to fight wars. The first anti-French alliance, the United Kingdom, paid 10.6 million pounds, a total of 260 million francs, to allies. It was agreed that Prussia would send 62,000 troops, but only 40,000 were actually dispatched, and these People are still standing still.

   Of course, no one would risk their lives for a few bucks. There was a "large" gap between the military pay calculated by the British and the military pay actually received by the Prussian soldiers, not to mention that the general in charge must see the king's receipt before giving an order.

   In this way, Prussia also broke away from the alliance halfway, because the Austrians were defeated by Jourdan. After the war, Austria became a special ally of the United Kingdom in order to make up for the financial deficit. London promised to provide a loan of 4.6 million pounds, and Austria needed to maintain an army of 170,000.

But this plan ended in failure, especially after the Battle of Marengo. According to the treaty, Austria had to pay all the war debts. It should have been a piece of waste paper. Talleyrand got the inside information in advance and made a lot of money. .

   As for England's own expansion of the army, first, it was difficult to find troops, and even the navy was captured from American merchant ships. Second, according to Malthusian population theory, it is necessary to eliminate the "lower class" of society through means of starvation, heavy labor, restrictions on marriage, and war, so that the arithmetically increasing means of production can meet the needs of the geometrically increasing population.

   There was a baby boom in France after the French Revolution in 1789, and in a few years these children were all grown up.

Colonies also needed defenders, not to mention that the development of European sea power was constrained by sparse population. Take Portugal, Genoa, Venice and the Netherlands in the Baroque era at the end of the Middle Ages as examples. Their trade lines could extend far away, but due to weather, various Due to various diseases and sanitary conditions, immigrants often cannot escape bad luck, and the high mortality rate makes the natives discouraged.

The Germans knew that they needed to find the British for money. Napoleon knew that he could get the war reparations for defeating the Germans, so he put the money the British gave the Germans into his own pocket. When he stepped down, France would not be able to finance the wars for so many years. collapse.

On the contrary, the British used all means, treasury rolls, national debts, letters of credit, cash, because Hamburg had handed over several members of the Irish Federation to the United Kingdom. Due to the French intervention, these people were released, and one of them is still there. Living in Bordeaux, Bonaparte used this as an excuse to extort a total of 4.5 million francs from Hamburg.

   Hamburg did not give cash, but Dutch bonds. The money did not go into the French Ministry of Finance, but into the accounts of the First Executive. Part of it was used to repay Josephine's debts, part of it to buy Malmaison, and the rest was used to buy gifts.

Georgiana actually has a way. A large part of the military expenses of the anti-French alliance is paid from the banks in Hamburg. If Prussia can drive that part of the bank out of Hamburg, and promise that Hamburg will not pay the military expenses of the anti-French alliance in the future, it will only be used for business and With the financing of new industries, the crisis may be swept away. Even if the UK can't find a hamburger, there are banks in Frankfurt and Vienna that can pay for the military.

   But she wasn't sure if it was a bad idea, not to mention she had to ask for a price. In fact, as long as she opened her mouth, the cost of rebuilding Bagadil Gardens would come. For a country, let alone rebuilding, the cost of rebuilding a palace is nothing.

   But this does not maximize the benefits.

  A victory is not over, but a peace treaty must be signed and fully utilized.

  When the Death Eaters were in power, the werewolves were very tame and obedient, even if the pure-blooded nobles did not let them make a table with themselves, only the leader Fenrir Greyback could.

   This situation is like the medieval nobles and their dogs. Whose dogs would eat at the table?

   When the dark wizards die and pass the customs, the werewolves are not so obedient. They not only bite the little wizards and train them to hate humans, but also create enough werewolves to conquer the wizards.

  Remus is a good person, but he is an exception, not to mention that after he forgot to take the medicine and lost his mind, he was completely different from the usual him.

   "Wow!"

   She heard a dog bark, and Art should have heard it too, and he also looked in the direction of the sound.

   "Go!" Georgiana told him.

   "But you..."

   "I'll find another opportunity to tell you, and leave quickly while no one comes."

  Alt hesitated for a moment, then left quickly.

   After he had walked for about a minute, a group of dragoons wearing shiny riding boots entered the gymnasium.

The echoes of   's neat steps on the floor reverberated throughout the room, making it particularly harsh.

   One of the majors walked up to her and gave a military salute. She always felt that the French military salute of this era looked very dazzling.

   "We're here to pick you up, ma'am."

   "Where?" she asked, wiping away sweat.

   No one answered.

   "Wait until I change my clothes." She whispered.

   "No, your luggage is packed," said the major.

   She endured for a while, and finally had to follow them away.

   When she came to the door, she found that all the guards had changed, and even Figuer was gone.

   This is the price of your 'mischief'.

   She sneered to herself and boarded the carriage.

   (end of this chapter)