Chapter 1062： Central Asia Railway opened to traffic

It has always been Britain's national policy to sow relations between Russia and Austria. Although no substantial results have been achieved, the British government has spared no effort in promoting it.

In terms of patience, it is estimated that few in the world can compare with the British.

At this moment when the situation has not changed in two thousand years, the entire human society has become impetuous. It is absolutely rare to be able to adhere to a foreign policy for decades.

With the development of science and technology, people's patience is also declining, and politics is no exception.

In this era where short-term interests are increasingly valued, it is definitely not an easy task to stick to a national policy for a long time.

From this point of view, it is definitely not a fluke that the British can become the overlords of the 19th century.

As the trendsetter of the times, Britain has always pursued pragmatism. In their view, whether conspiracy or scheming, as long as it has an effect.

Although Leandro's methods were not popular, they still caused Morros' dissatisfaction with the Vienna government. Although this kind of dissatisfaction will not affect the international situation for the time being, emotions can be accumulated.

If the emotions are restrained, the people who have been rational are always very few, and Minister Morros is obviously not one of them.

Moros, who was full of dissatisfaction, would naturally not have any kind words in the telegram to St. Petersburg.

There is no need to add fuel and vinegar. The title of "Second Roman Empire" is enough to make Nicholas II go crazy.

The European world's dedication to Rome these years far exceeds the imagination of future generations. Almost every European country is thinking of ways to get involved with Rome, as if this can make them more noble.

For Nicholas II, Rome became even more important. We must know that the tsar’s crown came from the Eastern Roman Empire, and the Roman issue has involved the legitimacy of the tsar’s throne.

If the Western Roman heir, the Holy Roman Empire, becomes the direct heir of the Roman Empire, then the Russian Empire, the Eastern Roman heir, will be embarrassed.

When it comes to the crown issue, Nicholas II will naturally not give in.

It’s just that it’s only the European media that call out the "Second Roman Empire", and the Vienna government has never made a clear statement on this issue.

This is embarrassing. You can't just go to Vienna to protest just because the European media shouted slogans and let them change the "Second Roman Empire" to the "Second Western Roman Empire"?

If you really do this, it is estimated that the whole world will be watching jokes. Not only couldn't solve the problem, but it exposed my guilty conscience.

After a period of depression, Nicholas II finally did nothing. However, the determination to get rid of Shinra became stronger.

In the adult world, once the rift occurs, it will become bigger and bigger, and it is almost impossible to bridge it.

The gap between Russia and Austria is not an overnight problem. It was created as early as the time of Alexander II, and it is nothing more than a further expansion.

The only difference is that today is different from the past. The Vienna government's demand for the alliance has been declining, and the motivation to bridge the gap between the two countries is getting smaller and smaller.

...

Accompanied by the sound of a resonance salute, the main railway line of Central Asia, which had a profound influence on Eurasian politics, finally opened to traffic on June 16, 1899.

A little bit of international common sense is clear about the influence of the opening of this railway from Moscow in the west to Afghanistan.

The eyes of the world once again focused on London and St. Petersburg. Compared to the strategic conflict between Britain and Russia, the small gap between Russia and Austria is not a big deal at all.

After attending the opening ceremony in person, Nicholas II quickly turned from excitement to worry.

With the opening of the main railway line, the anti-British sentiment within the Russian Empire suddenly rose, and "Going South to India" has once again become a hot topic in society.

Compared with the fanaticism of the people, the top tsarist government is now acting extremely calm.

Ordinary people only see the wealth of going south to India and ignore the risks involved. With a little guidance, it is easy to lose themselves.

As high-level government officials, they must fully consider the risks and benefits of going south to India and conduct a comprehensive assessment.

...

Prime Minister Sergey Witt: "The opening of the main railway line of Central Asia is a good thing, which will help us strengthen our control over Central Asia. However, the sudden rise of war frenzy in the country is problematic.

The strength of the British is not weak, and it is not that our British army has not fought against each other. In addition to the slightly smaller number of their army, the combat power is not worse than the imperial army.

Britain has been operating in India for hundreds of years, and we have failed to plan the Indian independence movement many times. This also proves from the side that the British rule is deeply rooted in the local area.

As long as the British are willing, they can easily arm millions of Indians from the local area to fight against us. In the last war against Britain, we had already learned.

Although the combat effectiveness of these colonial forces was not strong, they could not hold back many Indians. Just like the maggots in the dungpit, they can never be killed.

Once the southward strategy is launched, it is destined to be a protracted war. The empire’s financial resources were limited, and it was simply unable to support long-term combat.

Considering the current international situation, it is easy for the fisherman to benefit from starting the southward strategy now.

If it can capture India, the empire is not in vain. I was afraid that the British would be pressed into a hurry and directly compromised with the Holy Roman Empire and chose to smash with us to the end. "

Sergey Witt’s worries are not superfluous. India is the lifeblood of the British. The hegemony of the British world is essentially based on the premise of owning India.

Without India, the national power of the British Empire would have shrunk by at least 40%, and its importance was second only to its homeland. If it is really urgent, the London government may indeed give up its hegemony to defend India.

Just look at the colonial habits of the Vienna government. They obviously prefer sparsely populated colonies. India with a large population is not their food at all.

As long as the Vienna government does not seek the Indian region and the British are willing to give up world hegemony, there is a possibility of compromise between the two countries.

If Britain and Austria really compromised, the Russian Empire would become a tragedy. Not only did she make wedding dresses for others, she also put herself in a dangerous situation.

The Russian-Austrian alliance can only guarantee stability on the western front, but it does not mean that the Vienna government will definitely support them. In the past years, Russia and Austria have walked through each other all the way.

Foreign Minister Mikhailovich: "The Prime Minister said rightly that the current international situation is indeed not suitable for launching the southward strategy.

Although the main line of the Central Asia Railway was opened to traffic, the construction of the branch railway has just begun. The Austrian aid plan for us has ended, and we need to do the remaining follow-up projects by ourselves.

With just one main line, it is impossible to support the logistics of the army going south. Taking action rashly will only be in vain and waste precious national power.

The trouble is that the British do not trust us at all. Since the news of the opening of the Central Asia Railway spread, the British government has repeatedly increased its troops to Afghanistan.

At present, the number of British troops stationed in the border area has exceeded 500,000. Although these troops are mostly colonial forces, the pressure on our front lines is still not small.

If the British took advantage of our construction of the railway branch and started the war first, the empire would be very passive. "

Distrust is inevitable. Countless experiences have taught the world that as a neighbor of Mao Xiong, if you don't maintain a high degree of vigilance at all times, you will suffer a lot sooner or later.

The conflict between Britain and Russia is no longer a day or two. Since the first Near East War (Crimean War), the relationship between the two countries has never been better.

...

The strategy of going south was opposed by the civil officials, and Yevgeny, as the Secretary of the Army, had a very ugly face.

In his opinion, there is indeed a risk in going south to India, but this risk is definitely not as serious as everyone has said.

"The Anglo-Austrian compromise", if it were so simple, there would not be so many disputes in the world. Anything, once it involves interest, can't be simple.

The world hegemon is not just a name, but also a lot of benefits. Both the financial harvest and the convenience of foreign trade are enough to attract people.

Such a huge benefit cannot be given up by a politician who says to give up. Otherwise, there would be no battle for hegemony in this world.

I knew it, but Yevgeny didn't know where to start to refute it. After all, playing tricks has always been the strength of civil servants.

After hesitating again and again, Yevgeny, who has organized the language, slowly said: "Everyone, the risks of going south to India are not small, but the benefits are even greater.

In today's world, competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and the struggle between major powers is even more fierce. In the past few decades, many powerful countries have declined in competition.

Looking through the history books, we will find that the current situation is different from any time before. If we continue to look at problems with the original old concepts, we will suffer a lot.

At the moment, the world's most powerful countries are Britain, the Holy Roman Empire, and us in total.

The number of powerful countries is declining, which means that the era of multi-polar coexistence is dying. If the empire does not want to become the next great power to decline, then increasing its strength becomes our only choice.

However, we are now vacillating, sometimes to the west and sometimes to the east, constantly dispersing our national power, without even having a clear strategic goal. If we continue this way, we will suffer a lot. "

Yevgeny did not even bother to cover up the blatant accusation. It can be seen that he is quite dissatisfied with the strategy of the tsarist government in recent years.

"Westward" naturally refers to the Garrison France. From the outside, the French army stationed by the tsarist government was mainly for extorting war reparations.

However, this is only apparent. The tsarist government competed for the garrison in Paris. In addition to seeking benefits, it also had a deeper purpose-"to preserve the vitality of the French and leave an enemy to the Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe."

It's just that the plan has not changed fast, because it misestimated the Russian army's ability to execute and ignored the military discipline of Russian officers and soldiers.

Because of an unexpected conflict, the tsarist government, which originally wanted to preserve the vitality of the French, became a vanguard to suppress France.

Either don't do it, or do it absolutely. On this issue, the tsarist government saw it very clearly.

Seeing the failure to support the French, for its own benefit, the Tsarist government quickly turned to Vienna and became the vanguard of suppressing France.

One hard work, one harvest.

Although the plan to keep the enemy for the Holy Roman Empire failed, the tsarist government also reaped sufficient benefits in the process of suppressing the French resistance.

The top talents in France were scoured as early as the European War, but there are still a lot of ordinary talents.

The outside world only saw the Russian army conquering strong men in France and acting recklessly, but ignored the doctors, engineers, and skilled workers hidden in the strong men...

If it weren't for the Russian army to fight **** the front line and make a posture that is incompatible with the French, it would be impossible to search for talents from France.

After a war, free labor for building railways and basic talents to promote the country's industrialization process are also available.

The most important thing is the military expenditure, which was advanced by the Vienna government. In a war to suppress France, the Czarist government actually only brought out people.

From this perspective, the "westward" strategy is undoubtedly successful. In addition to the ugly face, the Russian Empire actually made blood.

If these talents can be used, the process of industrialization of the Russian Empire can be accelerated by at least ten years by relying on this wave of blood sucking from the French.

In contrast, the "eastward advance" strategy is far from satisfactory. The Siberian Railway is under construction, and the opening to traffic is still far away.

In any country, talents are very few. The blood of the French is not unlimited. Judging from the current situation, the "Westward" strategy is about to come to an end.

What Yevgeny wants to express is very obvious. The western route cannot be counted on. The eastward strategy is limited by the long-distance of traffic. In the short term, going south is the best choice.

As for staying in place, waiting for the opening of the Siberian Railway, and then implementing the eastward plan. Just think about it, not every country has such good patience.

Even if the top of the tsarist government can wait, the people below can't wait. There is no way, India is so rich, wealth has lost the eyes of many Russians.

Picking up the topic, everyone's mood suddenly became heavy. Although the Russian Empire does not have a tradition of derogation, it still happens from time to time that the following people do things on their own terms.

No one knows how terrible the Anglo-Russian relationship is better than everyone present. Especially at the time when the Central Asian Railway was opened to traffic, a trace of sparks on the border could trigger a war.

...

Nicholas II: "In any case, the Central Asia Railway is currently only a trunk line open to traffic. Many areas along the way still require a lot of manpower to transfer materials.

If the war breaks out before the completion of the branch railway construction, we will not be able to guarantee the logistics of the frontline troops at all. The empire has suffered a lot of similar losses, and it must not be repeated now.

In order to avoid the worst, the empire should do everything possible to avoid conflict with the British. The military must be optimistic about the front-line troops, the empire can not withstand the toss. "

There is no way to solve the problem, Nicholas II decisively adopted the word "drag". On the grounds that the construction of the branch line railway takes time, first stabilize the main military faction.

As for when the branch railway can be completed, it depends on how the situation develops.