Chapter 398: Covert Actions
When Alexander II decided to flip the table, the depth of the Russian Empire was revealed. The anti-Jewish movement began, and the government’s finances started to improve.
Initially targeting Jewish capitalists, the government’s actions quickly spread to the entire Jewish community, igniting a nationwide anti-Jewish sentiment in Russia.
Laws were enacted by the government to restrict the residence of Jews, prohibit them from purchasing land or engaging in agriculture, and prevent them from serving in departments like postal services, railways, and the military...
The well-informed Jewish capitalists fled, leaving ordinary Jewish people as scapegoats, bearing the societal hostility on their behalf.
The actions of the Russian government sparked the flame of anti-Jewish movements across Europe. Anti-Semitism became a trending topic, with a momentum akin to a wildfire.
As a witness to history, Franz chose to observe coldly from the sidelines. The saying, “the pitiable often have their faults,” might be overly simplistic, but it wasn’t wrong when applied to the Jews.
“Greed” was their greatest sin. Jewish capitalists pursued profit unscrupulously, ultimately inviting trouble. For self-interest, these people unhesitatingly brought disaster upon their entire nation.
Indeed, the expansion of the anti-Jewish movement in Russia had the hand of Jewish capitalists behind it. Nothing is surprising about this. When it comes to self-interest, the integrity of capitalists is only this high.
If their fellow countrymen hadn’t diverted attention from them, the Russian government would have focused on these several thousand individuals. Forget about transferring capital; even preserving their lives would have been a matter of divine providence.
Even fleeing abroad wouldn’t guarantee safety, as there were too many predators eyeing these fat sheep. Only by muddying the waters could they ensure the safety of their interests.
Their plan proved successful; from the end of 1865 to the summer of 1866, a total of three hundred thousand Jews fled from the Russian Empire.
In the vast sea of people, identifying these fat sheep was no easy task. It was also much safer than fleeing alone.
All of this had nothing to do with Franz. After all, he wasn’t planning to profit from it. Given Austria’s immigration conditions, only a few of these people could stay, so why complicate matters?
For Austria, a multi-ethnic country, any extreme ethnic policy carries serious risks. Thus, Austria’s anti-Jewish movement was merely a slogan chanted by the public, while the government strictly prohibited it.
Even if it came to butchering pigs, Franz wouldn’t be as shameless as the Russian government. In this era, capitalists were involved in so many shady dealings that nearly every investigation hit its mark. Within the legal framework, they could be taken down without much effort.
Alright, he could admit that Alexander II was right. The Russian bureaucrats really couldn’t handle such a challenging task so overturning the table seemed more practical.
Franz asked with concern, “Karl, can you estimate how much money the Russians can get this time?”
For the Russian Empire, the strength they could exert depended on how much money the Russian government had. So, to judge the Russians’ capability, one could simply look at the Tsar’s wallet.
Finance Minister Karl pondered for a moment and replied, “The Russian government can probably obtain around 600-800 million rubles in cash and about 1.5 to 1.8 billion rubles in stocks and bonds. There should be more if we count various other industries.
However, many of these industries will be hard to liquidate in the short term, and their actual value is difficult to estimate. Preliminary estimates suggest this portion of assets should not be less than 2 billion rubles.”
Franz nodded. The Jewish community indeed had substantial assets, and having this much wasn’t surprising. If one were to calculate per capita wealth, they would undoubtedly be the wealthiest ethnic group in the world.
With a sly smile, Franz said, “So you’re saying the Russians’ financial crisis is resolved, and they’re even wealthy?”
Those familiar with Franz knew that when he wore this expression, he surely had something up his sleeve.
Finance Minister Karl pondered for a moment before responding, “Your Majesty, these are just guesses on our part. Considering the actual situation of the Russian bureaucratic group, how much money will actually make it into the treasury remains uncertain.
However, the Russian government will indeed experience a period of financial prosperity, which should sustain this war without issues.”
Getting hold of this money wasn’t easy. Fortunately, the Russian Empire was just a large feudal empire. Otherwise, economic turmoil would have started already, possibly leading to an economic crisis.
Franz paused and then said, “Have the Foreign Ministry assess the likelihood of the British plan succeeding. We’re not expecting them to defeat the Russians but consider the probability of getting the various countries to take action.”
No way around it. A wealthy Russian government was not to be provoked. Even if the Kingdom of Prussia managed to survive this year, it would likely perish in the next.
The Poles could no longer be relied upon. The Prussian army would inevitably shoulder more combat tasks, leading to a significant increase in soldier casualties.
Losing hundreds of thousands of troops annually would be debilitating for the Russians, and for the Prussians, it was simply unbearable.
To keep the Prussians going, they needed to find allies.
The Russians were adept at stirring up animosity, with enemies scattered across the Eurasian continent. If they all took action, the Russian government wouldn’t be able to commit to the Russo-Prussian War fully, giving the Kingdom of Prussia a window of opportunity.
This war was a high-stakes gamble. Initially, the Prussians gambled that the Russians wouldn’t join the war, and failed this gamble. Thus, resulting in the outbreak of the Russo-Prussian conflict.
Then, European nations began to place their bets, believing that the Prussians could deal a heavy blow to Russia. After the Battle of East Prussia, the British saw an opportunity to defeat Russia and decided to increase their stakes.
Now, Franz was also ready to place his bet, but he intended to play from the sidelines rather than sitting at the gambling table.
Foreign Minister Wessenberg replied, “Your Majesty, due to our strategic position and distance, we have better intelligence on Sweden and the Ottoman Empire. Information on Central Asia, Persia, and the Far East is scarce and hard to assess.
Currently, Sweden is divided into two factions. One advocates for joining the war to reclaim lost territories from years past, while the other believes that Russia remains formidable and that jumping into this war hastily would be disastrous.
Due to the outcome of the Battle of East Prussia, many now view the Russians as less formidable, and the pro-war faction in Sweden has gained the upper hand.
If the Kingdom of Prussia secured another major victory next year, the likelihood of Sweden joining the war could reach 80%.
The situation in the Ottoman Empire is similar. Initially, the peace faction was dominant, but with the conclusion of the Battle of East Prussia, the tide turned.
The pro-war faction has rapidly gained strength, with an increasing number of young Ottomans wanting to reclaim Constantinople from the Russians.
I believe that if the Russian army suffers another defeat, the likelihood of the Ottomans joining the war is very high. The radicals within the country will drag them onto the battlefield.”
These analyses are all backed by evidence. Recently, anti-Russian activities in Sweden and the Ottoman Empire have been escalating, with frequent protests and littering outside Russian embassies.
Clearly, the British have a hand in this. Otherwise, these anti-Russian movements wouldn’t have erupted so conveniently.
The Russian government didn’t pay attention to the reactions of these two declining neighboring countries and failed to take timely action, leading to the current situation.
Franz said cautiously, “Then let’s fan the flames and boost the anti-Russian sentiment in the Ottoman Empire. Ideally, we can use this opportunity to drag the Ottomans into the war, borrowing Russia’s knife to create an opportunity for us.
We’ve been laying the groundwork in the Arabian Peninsula for so long. It’s time to close the net. It would be best if we could purchase the ownership of these regions from the Ottoman Empire at a low price.”
Franz never harbored any illusions about the Ottoman Empire. Provoking a war between them and the Russians wasn’t about weakening Russia but about using the Russians’ knife to weaken them.
Pursue aspirations, not violent action. As a civilized man, Franz would naturally try his best to avoid unnecessary war.
After the Near East War, Austria also signed a treaty where various countries explicitly recognized Ottoman sovereignty.
Without sufficient justification, rashly instigating a war would attract hostility from various European countries. Franz had no intention of being a disruptor of the established order and naturally wouldn’t instigate a war with the Ottoman Empire over the Arabian Peninsula.
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