Chapter 124 Destiny, sorrow. (For book friends who often vote
Chapter 124 Destiny, sorrow. (Added update for book friends who vote frequently)
Prussia, Berlin.
The continuous high temperature made William III, an old man who was nearly seventy years old, less energetic than before. At this time, the problems faced by Prussia did not allow him to rest.
Carl von Weilich held a thick stack of documents from newspapers all over Prussia.
"His Majesty."
"Say, I'm not dead yet."
"A large number of hunger stones appeared in the Rhineland, and food grabbing occurred from time to time. The mob even clashed with the local military police."
"Damn it! These shameless mobs! What can a few broken stones say? Go tell them that the country has plenty of food, more than they can eat."
"Yes, Your Majesty. But if the disaster continues, the harvest in Prussia may also fail, and the country may also be short of food." Weilich explained.
William III remembered the words of Friedrich List and said.
"These damn borers! They just know how to eat! It doesn't matter if our country's grain harvest fails, Russia will not be affected. If there is a famine, go to Russia to buy."
"But, Your Majesty" Weilich wanted to say something else, because the French were also buying food everywhere, and the French's behavior might affect Prussia's plan, but he was interrupted by Friedrich List as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Prime Minister Wei Lixi, hasn't your Majesty made it clear enough? Your Majesty is tired and needs to rest now. If you have nothing else to do, you can leave."
Friedrich List was originally found by Weinrich because Weinrich thought he was a talent, but now this guy actually got on top of him, which made Weinrich feel very unhappy.
After Weilich left, Friedrich List took out a bottle of highly concentrated opium wine. Just opening the lid made William III's eyes light up.
"Mr. Lister, this wine is really magical. Just opening the lid can make people's eyes light up. It's much more effective than those bullshit doctors' medicines."
"That's natural. German doctors don't know how to treat. This is shipped from England. It is said to be more precious than gold! You will feel energetic after drinking this."
Friedrich List poured a large glass, and William III drank it in one gulp. After that, he took a deep breath and felt much clearer, and even the heat on his body dissipated.
"It's amazing!" William III exclaimed.
"Britain is the most powerful country in the world. They have the strongest army and the strongest technology in the world. Even medical technology is the best in the world. We in Prussia still have a long way to go, so we can't lose you. leadership.”
Wilhelm III took great advantage of Friedrich List's flattery.
"It's really ridiculous that the Austrians let a family of fools rule. It's really ridiculous that outstanding talents like you are kicked out. Such a miracle medicine is actually considered a drug. It's really ridiculous that you have to be entangled with those church bastards all day long."
"Indeed, the Austrians are short-sighted and unwilling to accept new things. Prussia's destiny is to unify Germany."
"That's right! Unify Germany! Mr. Liszt, let's drink."
"Good! Cheers to Prussia, to Germany, to your health!"
Two wine glasses filled with opium wine collided, and the orange-yellow liquid spilled out.
France.
Compared with the food issue, there is one thing that has reached the level of burning. It is a real fire!
At this time, fires broke out every day in France.
The wildfires in the southwest even caused 3,000 casualties. However, what made the French even more distressed was that the wildfires burned a large amount of precious oak. These oaks are good materials for shipbuilding and are extremely precious in this era.
The disastrous defeat of Lieutenant General Pierre also sounded the alarm for the French. You must know that the arrogant Napoleon Empire fell into the mud pit of Spain.
But Spain was too important to France, and neither Louis Philippe nor Prime Minister Thiers could refuse the temptation to unite Spain.
The high temperature in Spain now gives the Carlists a breathing space, and it is also a good thing for the French, because they do not have to invest too much energy in Spain.
Because France's energy is involved in Egypt, Algeria, Spain, Texas, and many colonies.
The French Algerian Expeditionary Force was overwhelmed by the constant uprisings of the Algerians and the tribes that were difficult to conquer. Although almost every battle ended in victory for the French, this exhausting battle left the French with no sense of their own victory. Feel.
What France thought of at this time was to build forts along the highway, besiege them for a long time, and divide and encircle them.
Later generations of Japanese also learned this method of warfare, but the Algerians at that time did not have weapons such as grenades and mortars.
Although the French bunkers were all defective, the Algerian rebels and tribal armed forces just couldn't take them down. Fortunately, Algeria was large enough.
The French have been fighting this security war in Algeria for twenty years, and the cost can be imagined.
In Egypt, Muhammad Ali was not a peaceful man, he was very ambitious. The French also knew this very well, but at this time the French always believed that they could participate in the frenzy of carving up the Ottomans through Egypt.
Another point is that Egyptian cotton is too important to France. The French invested too much in Egypt, but were tied to their own tanks by the Egyptians.
Although Ali Pasha vowed that he could defeat the British, the French were more inclined to negotiate peace with the British. After all, the British were too powerful.
To negotiate peace with Britain, the French must have sufficient capital, which is a powerful navy.
At this time, France had 6 first-class battleships, 7 second-class battleships, and 10 third-class battleships. This was already the second most powerful naval fleet in the world, but it was not enough to scare the British.
You must know that the British Navy, which "will fight the enemy when it sees it", has a record of defeating more with less on several occasions. As for the British Navy, it has never lost a battle in which it has the upper hand.
So at this time France planned to build a group of powerful battleships, including the famous Valmy.
French Valmy
Length × width × draft = 64.05 meters × 18.11 meters × 8.61 meters. Full platoon of 5,826 tons, 1,100 crew, and 120 guns.
It is expected to be equipped with 66 thirty-pound cannons, 50 thirty-pound Karen guns, and four eighteen-pound cannons.
If the Valmy is successfully launched, it will become the most powerful sailing battleship of this era.
In fact, the sailing battleship, 3,500 tons, is where wooden materials can be used to their full potential.
Once this weight is exceeded, the space of the battleship will become smaller, and the firepower will not be enhanced. Moreover, due to the weight problem, the sails will not be able to provide sufficient power, and the battleship will lose the maneuverability it should have.
However, battleships of more than 5,000 tons have always been pursued by all countries as a symbol of force. Face is sometimes more important than actual function.
The workers' problem in France was basically controlled by Guizot's tolerant policy.
However, through investigation, they came to a strange conclusion, that is, someone has been supporting the French workers' movement, and this was directed at the British.