Chapter 2503

Like many cities in the Middle Ages, Hamburg also had towering walls. However, with the development of commerce and the expansion of people outside the walls, Hamburg no longer looks like a fortress in the past, but looks like a beautiful English garden.

Although it still keeps closing the city gate 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.

Ever since there were rumors that Pischglu, the assassin who assassinated Napoleon, might be hiding in Hamburg, the tavern closed 45 minutes late not only on Sunday, but the atmosphere of killing in the city was affected even the atmosphere of Christmas. They will choose to stay at home and warm themselves by the fire.

This indirectly caused the price of firewood to rise, and the river surface 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 fought around several fortress cities, which is already different from the ancient war mode.

In ancient wars, when encountering cities, they would choose to attack by force. They must be captured before continuing to attack the next city. There are very few detours. Because once the route is detoured, the cities that have not been captured will attack back and forth, cutting off the supply line with the rear, that is, the food road, and if you are not careful, you will be surrounded by people because you go deep into the enemy's rear.

The French crossed the Alps hungry because of the famine revolution. They had almost no logistical supplies, and they relied on the methods of war support or local supplies. Dumriere spent a lot of money in Belgium. The Mongols in the Yuan Dynasty used banknotes, not all of them learned from the Song Dynasty. The land borders of the Yuan Dynasty were very vast. It would not only be troublesome to transport metal currency, but also incur high costs. Paper currency is easy to carry and easy to use, but this means building a huge The banking system in the Yuan Empire was managed by the government, while in Europe it was almost entirely organized by the private sector.

Even the Medici family used the Pope's funds to develop Tuscany's financial and banking industries. Bankers served the nobles and kings in the feudal era. To seriously damage, but also to face the redistribution of political power.

The Prussian Army originated as a mercenary army during the Thirty Years' War of the Marquis of Brandenburg. Elector Frederick created a small standing army. By the time of Frederick the Great, this army had become an elite and participated in the Silesian War.

Napoleon had long felt that the Prussian Army was outdated, and that there was no improvement in terms of training methods or equipment compared to that of Frederick the Great. In addition, the administration of the previous king led to the emptiness of the Prussian treasury. If France wants to deal with Prussia seriously, even if it does not fall in one breath like a certain poet wrote, but regarding this assassination, Dillock told the Prussian ambassador The attitude is to appease, the situation of the ambassador is extremely uncomfortable.

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

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

But that doesn’t mean it’s all over. In addition to those punishments for the so-called assassins, he has also arrived in Aachen, and all the way east, it seems that he is going to make a turn on the “natural border”.

Chateaubriand said that as long as Napoleon's gray coat and three-legged hat are hung on poles and planted on the coast, the whole of Europe will be put on alert.

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

Even if Frederick William III was a mediocre man, he was also a mediocre man pushed forward by the times. The secret letter used by the Junker nobles was actually written by the king's brother to Stein. Stein himself did not make it clear whether he would revolt with arms.

In the Second Anti-French Coalition, Frederick William III chose a neutral position, which reduced his prestige in European politics, but the armed neutral coalition he formed in North Germany received 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 region has basically been included in the protection and rule of Prussia by joining the "Basel Peace Treaty" and partitioning Austria. .

Hamburg, Lübeck, and Sweden, who wanted to be coordinators in the negotiations between France and Austria, were called by Napoleon to have fallen into a third-rate country. The Prussians still followed Frederick the Great's words and did not build roads to the inland. That is to say, they still valued the commercial cities in the coastal areas, as if they wanted to replace the Teutonic Knights and become the backer of the "New Hanseatic League".

Not only the French are not happy about this rumor, but the British are also not happy. This is actually the drunken talk of the drinkers, and only third-rate spies would listen to the rumors in the tavern. However, Napoleon canceled his trip to the Netherlands. How long will it take from Antwerp to the Netherlands? Just across the river, even if you return to China before Christmas in order not to waste time, how about saving a little time?

Augereau dissolved the Dutch Parliament and was dismissed, and the successor still dealt with the Prussian issue. Although it was the British ambassador who was surrounded and lost his personal freedom, the spearhead seemed to be directed at Prussia.

Before Stein's reforms, Prussia practiced the manor serfdom system. Peasants were firmly bound to the land and could not work in factories, let alone develop the economy.

The main way for the Junker nobles to make money is to fight. The first anti-French alliance Britain paid 10.6 million pounds, a total of 260 million francs to its 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 will risk their lives for a few bucks. There is a "relatively large" gap between the military pay calculated by the British and the actual military pay received by the Prussian soldiers. What's more, the general in charge must see the king's receipt before giving an order.

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

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 the expansion of England's own army, first, it is difficult to find a source of troops, and even the navy is captured from American merchant ships. Second, according to Malthusian population theory, hunger, heavy labor, restrictions on marriage, and war must be used to eliminate the "lower class" of society in order to allow the arithmetical growth of production means to meet the needs of the geometric growth of the population.

After the French Revolution in 1789, there was a baby boom in France, and in a few years these children would all grow up.

Colonies also need defenders, not to mention that the development of European sea power is 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 can extend far away, but because of weather, various Immigrants are often doomed due to various diseases and sanitary conditions, and the high death rate makes the natives discouraged.

The Germans knew that they needed money to find the British. Napoleon knew that he could get war indemnity if he defeated the Germans, so he put the money the British gave to the Germans in his own pocket. collapse.

On the contrary, the British used all kinds of methods, treasury rolls, national bonds, letters of credit, and cash, because Hamburg once handed over several members of the Irish Federation to the UK. Due to French intervention, these people were released, and one of them is still in the country. Living in Bordeaux, Bonaparte used this as an excuse to extort a total of 4.5 million francs in Hamburg.

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

Georgiana actually has a solution. A large part of the military expenses of the Anti-French Alliance is paid by banks in Hamburg. If Prussia can drive those banks out of Hamburg and promise that Hamburg will no longer pay for the military expenses of the Anti-French Alliance, it will only be for business and With financing for emerging industries, the crisis may be muddied. Even if the UK cannot find Hamburg, there are banks in Frankfurt and Vienna that can pay for military expenses.

But she wasn't sure if this was a bad idea, not to mention that she had to ask for a price. In fact, as long as she asked, the reconstruction cost of Bagadiel Garden would come. For a country, let alone rebuilding, the cost of rebuilding a palace is nothing.

But this does not maximize the benefits.

Winning a battle is not the end, 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-blood nobles didn't let them make a table with them, only the leader Fenrir Greyback could.

This situation is like the nobles and their dogs in the Middle Ages. Whose dog will eat at the table?

When the black wizards die and pass, the werewolves will not be so obedient. They not only bite the little wizards, 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 is completely different from his usual self.

"Wow!"

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

"Go!" Georgiana said to him.

"But you..."

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

Art hesitated for a moment, then left quickly.

About a minute after he left, a group of dragoons wearing shiny riding boots entered the gymnasium.

The echoes caused by the neat steps on the floor reverberated in the room, which was particularly ear-piercing.

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

"We've come to fetch you, ma'am."

"Where are you going?" she asked while wiping off her sweat.

No one answered.