Chapter 1156： Christmas

The white snowflakes, colorful Christmas trees, colorful scenery, and various celebration banners make this Christmas particularly exciting.

When the New Year's bell rang, Franz fell into his memories. Looking around the decades of walking along the Hanshan Mountains, there are too many stories to tell.

This Christmas, there were no guests, except for the necessary guards, even the servants were given a holiday by Franz.

Those who held the celebration were all a bunch of juniors. It’s a rare reunion day that you have to do it yourself to make sense.

The meaning is there, but the scene is a bit out of control. The pampered little guys are obviously not used to this kind of rough work.

Looking at the dark dishes on the table, Franz doubted whether they could be eaten.

But seeing everyone happily eating, Franz was relieved, he wouldn't eat anyway. People are too old to eat supper.

If he can survive till now, Franz has maintained it well. Look at the queen in front of her, she's already yawning. If it weren't traditional, I would have gone to bed long ago.

Well, tradition is just an excuse, mainly because the days of reunion are running out. With the victory of the World War, the last wave of confiscation will also be opened.

After so many years of paved roads, now it’s time to harvest. As a big winner in the war, the Habsburg dynasty also had its own fruits of victory.

The Holy Roman Empire has a vast territory, and now it has cut more than 20 million square kilometers of land from the British. Except for Antarctica, which is not suitable for human habitation, it occupies almost two-fifths of the earth.

Unless the colonial rule is followed, the central government simply cannot manage it.

With the development of the times, the cost of colonial rule is also rising, and it is only a matter of time before it is eliminated.

In particular, the occupied areas of Shenluo are mostly vast and sparsely populated. It is even more economically uneconomical to play colonial rule.

Anyway, what Shenluo played was the state system and the enfeoffment system, so continue to use it. Especially in remote areas, if the ministers who are worthy of merit are divided equally, and then a prince and grandson are sent over, it is a state.

Except for the eldest son and grandson who was destined to inherit the throne, the rest of the children and grandchildren were arranged by Franz.

Limited by traffic, it takes too long for a round trip, which is destined to gather less and more in the future.

But there is no way, the Habsburg family has come to the present, if it wants to continue to develop and grow, it is bound to branch.

All the opportunities are in our hands. If we don’t grasp them, what future can we talk about?

"Parents love their sons, and they have far-reaching plans." On this issue, the views of Franz and his wife are very consistent.

Years make people grow old. Judging from the average life expectancy these years, the Franz and his wife both live long. Obviously there are not many such Christmas holidays for family reunion.

Once the enfeoffment is completed, perhaps the next reunion will have to wait a few years, for example: Franz’s 80th birthday, or the 20th anniversary of the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire, this kind of universal celebration.

This can be regarded as a trouble of happiness. There are so many people who are desperate for a fief. Many families have even put in the efforts of three generations, but they have not been able to achieve their wishes.

Fortunately for noble families, they have received relevant military education from an early age. As long as their qualifications are not too bad and they work hard enough, it is not difficult to enter a military school.

After graduating from military academy, the starting point is an officer. With the personal connections left by his father's generation, on the battlefield, the probability of making military merits is much higher than that of ordinary people.

As long as you have better luck, catch up with this kind of war, take advantage of the trend, and successfully survive, you can earn your next foundation.

The low-level civilians are miserable, purely starting from scratch, and those who can get out of it are the darlings of God.

Although in terms of the number of knights, officers and soldiers of civilian origin are the majority, but there are still a large number of offspring of nobles, middle class, capitalists, and bureaucrats hidden in it.

It seems that these people have no foundation in the army, but their economic foundation is solid!

Parents in Germany are notoriously willing to invest in their children's education. The world is not peaceful these days. Under the system of national military service, military knowledge can't be left behind.

In terms of learning theoretical knowledge and dealing with people, the children of these families are not inferior to the children of ordinary nobles.

Even many people who are interested in taking the road of military merit and nobility, or long-term development in the army, have completed the recruit training ahead of time before joining the army.

With these advantages, the probability of being promoted in the army is obviously higher than that of ordinary civilian children.

In fact, most of the children of the low-level civilians who can stand out have a rich military career and are able to impart relevant knowledge.

Not fair, that's for sure. But this world is cruel in its own right, and it is not changed by personal will at all.

As the emperor, Franz only needs to ensure the combat effectiveness and loyalty of the army, as for the origin of the officers below it is not important.

We can only blame the short duration of the World War, which ended in less than a year, leaving no time for ordinary people to grow up.

Of course, this lid cannot be opened. No matter how small the probability is, it is also a probability. Not many people jumped up to become aristocrats, but many were allocated a piece of land.

British Africa, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the British Indochina Peninsula, and some islands have too much land available for allocation.

This is only a legacy left by the British. Although other countries participating in the war are not so fertile, they have a few meats, and there will always be gains.

The newly-occupied area needs population, and military service is the best opportunity to recruit immigrants. Not only there were immigrants, but there were also troops to guard these lands.

Sometimes, Franz even wondered if it was too much. However, seeing the rush of the folks, he decisively put away this dangerous idea.

It has only been a few years since the abolition of serfdom. It is when everyone is most obsessed with land, especially when the income and living standards of farmers are higher than those of workers.

Small people also have the wisdom of small people. The facts are in front of you. Higher income, better life, plus a foundation that can be inherited.

If you say this is a calculation, let this calculation come more. Don’t mind a few more pieces of land.

As for using everyone to guard the territory, that's not a big deal. If you don’t guard your own land, who will guard it?

...

Someone is proud, others are disappointed. When Franz was so sad for the future gathering, Buckingham Palace was even more gloomy.

Although he had been prepared, Britain really surrendered, and Edward VII's heart could not help but grieve.

With sorrow, this Christmas will naturally be difficult. Even this year's Santa Claus is not as beautiful as in previous years.

Summing up experience and lessons, looking for countermeasures, and preparing for a comeback, these are meaningless.

An island country cannot tolerate failure. In Britain, where the land is small and the population is scarce, the fault tolerance rate is too low, and defeat means losing everything.

Especially in the past few hundred years, Britain has pulled the hatred of the whole world to its full value, which has made it more difficult to make a comeback.

Even through insider trading, the British Isles were preserved by buying the Vienna government, but the reality of the decline of Britain cannot be changed.

Thinking of Edward VII, I feel depressed. He clearly did not do badly, and can even be called excellent, but he became the terminator of the Victorian era.

Fortunately, Britain implements a constitutional monarchy, and the cabinet has thundered in the front, attracting civilian firepower.

As we all know, the king is already in his old age, and his health in the past year is not good enough to handle government affairs, and it has nothing to do with this war.

Of course, the most important reason why Edward VII was able to retreat was the will of the Continental Alliance, or the deliberate release of water by the Vienna government.

The deal between Vienna and the British government has just been concluded and is currently underway. Now a stable Britain is needed.

Compared to changing the prime minister, the impact of changing the king is obviously greater, and perhaps Britain will directly collapse.

As the victor of the war, the Holy Roman Empire has too many interests to receive, and there is no effort to waste time on the British in the short term.

In addition, another important reason is to preserve Britain's corrupt bureaucracy.

Any veteran empire has various problems, and reform is often more difficult than overthrowing and rebuilding. Especially after the colonial era is over, the contradiction cannot be transferred to the outside world, and the difficulty of reform is even greater.

This is a conspiracy, but neither King Edward VII nor the British government can refuse it. As a member of a vested interest group, you can't do it yourself!

The current prime minister, Campbell, is the leader of the reformists. During his tenure, he put many patches on the British Empire, which can be said to be outstanding.

If it were not for catching up with this war, his historical evaluation would never be low, and he might even become Britain's greatest president.

However, the problem is that Campbell is too capable. If you change to an inactive prime minister, perhaps the world war will not break out so quickly.

History is always full of comedy. I am afraid that everyone can't believe it when it is made into a movie. It is completely different from everyone's daily perception.

A capable king + a capable prime minister pulled the slowly declining British Empire from half way back, but fell directly into the abyss from another road.

It's incredible to think about it, but it happened in reality. If it hadn't been for Campbell to initiate reforms, Britain would still fish in the free trade system, and would not have noticed that its market was being eaten away for a while.

If it can replace the British Empire with a frog in warm water, the Vienna government will naturally not resort to force. After all, war also costs money.

It was destined to be a sleepless Christmas Eve. Edward VII was uncomfortable. The British government was even more tragic. No one was preparing for the festival at all. There was not even a Christmas tree in the prime minister's residence.

As a tragedy of the times, the Campbell administration now has its last mission left, to sign the surrender document and bear the responsibility for defeat.

Then, there is no more. When all the dust has settled, it is time for the new government to take office and implement the treaty.

Listening to the New Year’s bell, Campbell said helplessly: “The Vienna Peace Conference is about to start after Christmas. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send people to participate as soon as possible!”

I don’t take a holiday at Christmas, but I have to discuss government affairs. I think I’m drunk.

However, as a defeated country, the Campbell administration has no choice. The war has just ended, and all kinds of troubles are coming. There are so many things, there is no time for vacation.

Even for this kind of international event that everyone was rushing to attend, now there is no voluntarily signing up. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has to pick out a hapless one.

In this regard, the Vienna government is still very good at talking, no matter who it is sent, and regardless of the level of representative, as long as an individual can sign on behalf of the British Empire.

This is also vital to the Campbell administration. Despite its notoriety, it is better to have less money than more money.

The people are forgetful, and time can dilute everything. Especially for other members of the cabinet, as long as they reduce their sense of presence, they are likely to be forgotten by the public after three to five years.

Only the prime minister and the person who signed it can be remembered by everyone, especially the representative who signed the surrender document. The "traitor" hat is almost fixed.

This can be regarded as a return to the British government's knowledge of current affairs. Just like the First World War, because the Germans voluntarily surrendered, the Allied Powers also gave up the investigation of war criminals.

If the British government chooses to smash to the end, it is the treatment of World War II. As the heads of government of the defeated countries, one by one must go to the military court.

"Okay, Prime Minister. I'll make arrangements when I come down. It won't delay things."

Foreign Secretary Adam said calmly. Anyway, the conditions for the armistice were secretly agreed long ago, and the Vienna Peace Conference will also make some detailed adjustments.

As a defeated country, Britain no longer has the right to speak at the Vienna Peace Conference, and it does not matter who it sends.

The high-level government is uncomfortable, and the people at the bottom have not had a good Christmas. The war is over, but the trade blockade of various countries has not been lifted.

The reserves of materials in the British Isles have been consumed for a long time. Daily supplies such as candy, coffee, tea, cigarettes, and alcohol have now become luxury items.

Even to celebrate Christmas, the British government increased the supply of supplies. Everyone only had one liter of milk, a piece of 300 grams of bread, and a piece of dried fish. The other foods were potatoes, corn, soybeans and other miscellaneous grains.

Not only is the supply of materials insufficient, the quality is touching, and it tastes like feed.

In combination with the previous government's bill for the slaughter of livestock and prohibition of winemaking in the first half of the year, the relief food distributed now is likely to be the rations for those animals.

It's not bad to have enough food. There was no discerning capital in the war years. As long as the enemy does not open the blockade for a day, the supplies of the British Isles will never return to normal.

...

Deep in the alley, in an ordinary courtyard, the James family is spending this special Christmas.

Looking at the food on the table, James, with a strong smile, was at a moment's heart broken.

In order to spend this Christmas satisfactorily, he ran three black markets in a row, but he was ashamed of his pockets, but finally stopped because of the high price.

There is no candy, no cake, and no turkey. All there is is a few pieces of bread and a carton of milk, plus a baked potato per person.

Such a standard is the current living conditions of the bottom people before the war. James is from a slightly better family, and his daily life is much higher. At least the necessary sauces for every meal are indispensable.

Seeing his son who has always been picky eaters, but eating very happily at the moment, James only feels sad.

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