Chapter 1025： Choice is important

With the decline of the Kingdom of Prussia, the once arrogant Junker aristocratic group also inevitably declined.

In fact, the decline of the Junker nobles was not only due to defeat, even if they were defeated, they were still the largest political force in the Kingdom of Prussia.

The real reason for the decline of the Junker noble group is that there is no successor in the political arena. There is no way, there are too many deaths on the battlefield that the reserve forces can't keep up.

The direct result of the two Russian-Prussian wars was that 56% of Junkers completely lost their land, and 17% of noble families were extinct.

The reserve forces suffered heavy losses, and the important positions in the government originally held by the Junker nobles would inevitably be let go.

A carrot and a pit, the shrinking of the Junker noble group is also accompanied by

The rise of other political forces.

Over time, the political structure of the Kingdom of Prussia also slowly changed. To this day, although the Juncker Group is still an important political force in Prussia, the "army-owned state" has completely become history.

Especially after the resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire, the status of the Junker noble clique was once again under attack.

Prior to this, although they had lost their dominance over the country, by virtue of their control over the army, no matter which political faction was in charge of Prussia, they did not dare to despise them.

It's different now, with a boss on his head. If you want to overturn the table, you must first consider the feelings of the boss.

Otherwise, the table is overturned in the morning, and the counterinsurgency army will be killed in the evening. How can I play?

In addition to asking for money, Schlieffen and his party have another important task, which is to strengthen the relationship with the Vienna Palace.

The European aristocracy is a family, it's no joke. Not to mention that the Holy Roman Empire was only three years old, but as early as thirty years ago, or even earlier, the Junker nobles had contact with the Habsburgs.

As long as you carefully study the origins of the lord who was entrusted by Franz, you will find many familiar noble surnames in Germany, including the surnames of Junker nobles.

One or two can be said to be a coincidence, ten and eight is a very coincidence, but the number can be enlarged to a thousand and eight hundred, then it is not a coincidence that can be explained.

The reason for this scene is actually very simple: the lands in the German region have owners, but there is not necessarily only one son of the nobleman.

Unless it is a great noble, it can be arranged. Otherwise, only the eldest son can inherit the family business, and the second son must make a living by himself.

That's the case for the direct line members, let alone the side line. In fact, most of the aristocratic side branches, except for a noble surname, are ordinary people.

Looking at the British and French colonial empires making a lot of money overseas, the people in Germany are naturally envy and hate, including the nobles.

When the Vienna government issued a call to join the colonial wave, everyone's reaction was calm. When Franz sacrificed Dafa, he couldn't bear it anymore.

It doesn't matter whether the territory is remote or not, but the attributes that can make money and can inherit the family do exist. For most people, harvesting a farm is a good choice even if they can't get the title.

With the unfolding of immigration policies, more and more German people participated in the colonial movement, and naturally nobles were indispensable.

With good education, strong military literacy, and the support of family resources and connections, these people quickly stand out.

"The poor are in the downtown and no one asks, the rich have distant relatives in the mountains."

The same applies to the European continent, and the aristocratic world is also realistic. Once a family is established, regardless of whether it is a collateral or a direct line, the right to speak in the family will be greatly increased.

People all have circles. When they go overseas, there will naturally be overseas circles, plus a series of marriages. The Holy Roman Empire has not yet been restored, but the aristocratic groups in the German region have merged first.

Since the ruling class has completed the convergence in the process of making the cake bigger, the unification of the German region is a natural thing.

It seems a logical thing, but behind it is also "some people are proud, and some are frustrated."

Although the Junker nobles also participated, the peak period of the colonial wave 30 years ago also happened to be the highlight of the Kingdom of Prussia.

In the first victory of the Prussian War, Prussia seized a large area of ​​land from the Russians, and the Junker nobles also made a lot of money.

Everyone's attention is in Europe, and those who participated in the overseas colonial movement are marginal figures, and the resources that can be used are almost negligible.

After the defeat of the second Russian-Prussian War, the Junker Group not only suffered political and economic losses, but the younger generation was killed in large numbers and wanted to blend their strengths.

One wrong step, wrong step.

Missing the wave of colonization, the Junker noble group lost not only the gains in the colonial process, but more importantly, after the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire, the influence of the Junker group in the empire was minimal.

In fact, it is not only the Junker Group that is damaged, but the entire Kingdom of Prussia has a low right to speak in the empire.

Although their military strength is still second only to Austria among all the states, they are not even in the top ten in terms of the right to speak.

In one sentence, "No one in North Korea."

Although the small states have limited physical fitness, the ruling class and the Vienna government got in touch early. The investment was made in advance, and the younger generation was sent to Austria for development early.

There are their people in overseas colonies, their descendants in the imperial army, and their children can also be seen in the central government.

Decades have passed, and it is the gold that has gleamed long ago. The initial investment has now been fed back to politics.

There are people in North Korea, who can always bring some convenience. If the difficulties faced by the Prussian military rested on other influential states, the problem would have been resolved long ago.

Isn't it just a lack of military spending, and there is no way to solve it. Not to mention getting the same standards of the Central Army, but it is always feasible to raise the funding standards of the central government.

The Kingdom of Prussia is also a border, with the Nordic Federation to the north and the Russian Empire to the east, a proper military powerhouse. Asking the central government to bear 40% of military expenditure is totally justified.

In addition, they can also be stationed abroad to obtain subsidies from the central government.

If you are lucky, and you might be able to get two combat missions, then there will be no problems.

Of course, the more money taken from the central government, the greater the impact will be, and autonomy will definitely be greatly affected.

There is no alternative to this, and it is impossible for you to take advantage of all the benefits. Whose food is to be eaten, and who is to be sacrificed for whom is a matter of course.

The army of the Kingdom of Prussia now has a high degree of autonomy, and the military expenditure that can be obtained from the emperor is naturally not high.

Like all hinterland states without military threats, the central government only bears 25% of military expenditures.

The reason given by the War Department is very simple: there is no foreign military threat.

No kidding, this is serious.

The War Department also gave a reasonable and detailed explanation: The Russian Empire is an ally of the Empire and does not require defense; while the Nordic Federation is limited in strength and poses no threat to the Empire.

The same thing, to put it another way, is two different results. Both theories are justified. On the surface, it is impossible to distinguish right from wrong, and it is even difficult to justify.

As a member of the Prussian military, Schlieffen naturally disagrees with the statement of the Imperial War Department. But there was no way, he found a reason to refute.

The contradiction between Prussian and Russia does not mean that there are contradictions between Shenluo and the Russians. The Russian-Austrian alliance lasted for many years, and the Vienna government had enough reasons to believe that the Tsarist government would not invade.

As for the Nordic Federation, it goes without saying. When it comes to the Nordic threat theory, Schlieffen himself feels ashamed.

In order to find a reason to ask for military expenses, Schlieffen also racked his brains. As for the reasons for domestic preparation in advance, from the moment he arrived in Vienna, he decisively chose to give up.

The Russian threat theory is not easy to talk about. If it really emphasizes the Russian threat, maybe the Vienna government will send troops to help them guard the frontier.

For details, you can refer to the Principality of Luxembourg in the west. The defense problem is borne by the Central Army, and the State Army only assumes a supporting role.

If that happens, the autonomy of the Prussian military will be lost. The Central Army has assumed border defense responsibilities, and it is reasonable to establish a military area in Prussia.

"Sansheng unfortunately, the magistrate attached Guo".

With a military district over the head that coordinates the regional armed forces, the Prussian military has become the hapless "prefect". It is only a matter of time before it is emptied.

...

In a military camp on the outskirts, the Prussian officers participating in the military parade were sweating on the field.

As the commander, Schlieffen was full of sadness at the moment.

"Why, still worrying about military expenses?"

A familiar voice sounded from behind, pulling Schlieffen out of contemplation. He frowned and then asked, "Mackenson, didn't you ask me knowingly."

In addition to this big trouble, what else do you think can give me such a headache? "

Mackenson replied solemnly: "Yes, and there are many more!"

"For example: the issue of the unified training and distribution of officers raised by the Department of the Army, and the plan for the rotation of defenses of various units proposed by the General Staff."

After the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire, Franz gathered command of the army, but this gathering was also very limited.

The German states are accustomed to their own ways, and it is obviously impossible to take power from them all at once.

In addition to using military spending to intervene in the armies of various states, under Franz's instruction, the War Department and the General Staff also made tentative suggestions.

It is just a "test". The training and distribution of unified officers and the rotation and garrison of troops are common on the surface, but in essence it is related to the right to appoint personnel and the commanding power of the army in peacetime.

If you really get these powers, the so-called state army will no longer exist.

Especially personnel rights. As long as the War Department swaps officers from various states with each other when it is assigned, the power inheritance will be broken if their children cannot serve in their own states.

The commanding power of the army in the peace era also has a huge impact. Changing defenses in turn directly broke the tradition of local military stationing in the state. Once they are not stationed in their own country, is the state army still the state army?

Involving the core interests of the military aristocracy of the state, such a proposal is simply not feasible.

If it is forced to operate, perhaps the newly unified Holy Roman Empire will soon fall into a torn apart situation again.

After all, the Shenluo Empire’s stalls are now large, relying on the old traditional enfeoffment model to support it.

If the central government unscrupulously usurped state power, what would the overseas fiefdom nobles think? No one is willing to make a wedding dress for others in the end because of their fortunately struggling foundation.

It takes many years to build credibility, but it often only takes one time to destroy credibility.

Schlieffen shook his head disdainfully: "Nonsense, these proposals are all jokes, they are impossible to pass, and they are not even qualified to enter the parliamentary vote.

The constitution clearly states that the state army only accepts the dual command of the emperor and the king. Neither the War Department nor the General Staff have the right to intervene in the state forces.

The value of their existence is only to assist the emperor in managing the army, not to manage the army for the emperor. This is a completely different concept.

It seems that you are in a good mood. Could it be that you went out to meet friends and had a windfall? "

When the word "friend" was mentioned, Mackenson's expression suddenly became unnatural. Unlike Schlieffen, who was originally a Junker nobleman, Mackensen is a representative of the rise of grassroots.

Born in Saxony Mackensen, he was able to enter the Prussian army because of an accident.

His grandfather used to be the commander of the Hannover cavalry. By the time of his father's generation, he had fallen into trouble. Not only did he have no noble titles, he was reduced to a land economy man.

In his youth, Markenson aspires to become a cavalry officer. At that time, Austria had not grown larger, and the Kingdom of Prussia had not declined.

Soon opportunities appeared. On the one hand, Austria opened up overseas colonies to recruit people; on the other hand, the Russian-Prussian War broke out and the Berlin government raised its flag to recruit troops.

The young and energetic Mackensen decided to join Prussia, and what a nuisance to the Russians.

With extraordinary talent and luck, Mackensen quickly stood out, and even unexpectedly won the appreciation of William II. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Prussia was still defeated.

It is obviously impossible to turn around at this time. As an ordinary person, Markenson, who stepped out in one step, could only bite the bullet and walk on.

Restricted to the stage of the Kingdom of Prussia, Mackensen, who was born as a commoner, quickly hit the ceiling.

A carrot and a pit, the Prussian army is limited in size and cannot afford too many senior generals. Mackensen, who has no background, can only stop at the colonel.

This is already a high match, unless it is a significant increase in the position, otherwise the colonel is the end of Mackenson.

It is a pity that the Kingdom of Prussia has a total of four divisions. The Vienna government recognizes no more than fifteen generals. At this point, the Junker nobles themselves are not enough. Where can they get him?

It was a miracle that civilians were born and could be mixed to the current position. Throughout the entire Prussian army, there is no second one.

In contrast, childhood playmates caught the fast train of Austria's rise. Along the way, he crossed the threshold first.

If it's just these, it's fine. It's normal for different national conditions to develop differently. The key is that the Holy Roman Empire is unified, and this difference is obvious.

One is the major general of the Central Army and the other is the colonel of the state army. You don't need to think about who has a more promising future.

This is no longer a question of ability. No matter how powerful Mackensen is, there are only a few positions in the Prussian army. If the people in front don't come down, the people behind will not have the opportunity to make up.

Although a little sad, there is no regret. After all, those who can get up from civilians are rare in Austria.

In addition to luck and ability, Mackenson's friends were able to rush out. The last name also played a role.

The declining aristocratic collateral family are similar to common people in normal times, but once they turn over, they will soon be able to use the family behind them to continue their connections.

After a brief stupefaction, Mackensen replied: "That's right! He suggested that we should not act rashly and strengthen our relationship with the Vienna Palace first.

After all, when we were strong, we often offended Austria.

After the fall, we won't be able to settle the accounts, but there must be many people in the Vienna government who see us unhappy. These people may not be able to do anything, but it is easy to break our things. "