The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1438: The Law of the Ancestors Cannot Be Changed (Russian Version)

However, Ahmed Yilmaz's words poured cold water on Hanim.

"The British? They're just like the Russians! They're afraid of the wind and the cold, and when we fight they just hide behind us.

If the British had not collapsed first, disrupting our deployment, the Austrians would have been stopped by us on the Danube River!"

"How can it be?!"

Not only Hanim, but almost everyone present exclaimed. In their minds, the British have always been their most steadfast and powerful allies, as well as their last resort.

Ahmed Yilmaz, however, spoke disapprovingly under the influence of alcohol.

"Don't disbelieve me. In Bulgaria, the Russian army has been surrounded by us. Every day, groups of Russians surrender to us, and there are countless deserters.

It was only a matter of time before the Russians were finished, and at this time the Austrians came, but this was also within our expectations.

Do you know what this is called? "

"Besiege the point and attack the reinforcements."

The person next to me reminded.

"That's right! It's about surrounding a point and attacking the reinforcements, my friend. This is the tactic our ancestors used. We should deal with those invaders ourselves.

But those arrogant British people, they! They! They were chased around by the Austrians and finally rushed towards us.

The traitor Orma Pasha actually didn't allow us to fire at the enemy for fear of hurting the British.

The soldiers could only allow the British to tear our formation into pieces, but the Austrians didn't care.

They just bombarded us indiscriminately, but how could the soldiers' flesh and blood withstand steel and gunpowder?

In the end, we were forced to flee!"

After hearing this, most people looked confused. They didn't expect the truth to be like this. Soon some people started to cry bitterly. Their idol was shattered. Some people felt sorry. After all, victory was so close.

But some people were excited because they saw the light of hope, the hope of the revival of the Ottoman Empire.

"If it was our Ottoman Empire's army that fought against the Austrians, would we have won now?"

Nadir asked cautiously.

"Of course!"

Hearing Ahmed Yilmaz's affirmative answer, the people in the villa couldn't help cheering.

The village of Burgena, Bulgaria.

The Austrian Empire's troops began to withdraw, which made the village elders feel relieved.

"I thought Austrians wouldn't stay long. So what?"

The villagers admire the wisdom of the elders.

“But the Austrians haven’t done anything bad.”

"Will they let you know what bad things they do, idiot!"

At this time, someone outside the village shouted.

"Another army is coming!"

This time the villagers were not too scared. After all, the Austrians did not seem to have done anything bad before. They even gave them some weapons and indirectly helped them deal with the Ottoman masters. The villagers did not know what was about to happen.
Russia, St. Petersburg.

In fact, there was a heated discussion within Russia about what status should be given to the people of the newly conquered territories in the Balkans.

Nicholas I personally wanted to learn from Franz's advanced experience, and to assign the newly occupied land to the royal territory and allow ordinary farmers to join the royal estates and become royal serfs.

The citizen group remained unchanged, and local people who had made contributions in the war were absorbed into the ruling class and granted noble status.

The benefit of doing so is that it can greatly strengthen the power of the royal family and the government, increasing both economic strength and strengthening control over local areas.

However, the Russian dignitaries did not buy into this decision. With so many people dead and so much money spent, it was impossible for the Tsar to keep all the money for himself.

"Your Majesty, I don't think they deserve your grace."

Finance Minister Vronchenko spoke first, followed immediately by other officials.

"That's right! You started the war, and the glory of the victory should be attributed to you. And it is not in line with tradition to classify those who have no merit as royal serfs. If you show mercy to them alone, what about those who surrendered to our Russian Empire before?"

When Nicholas I heard this, he was inspired.

"Then let them all become royal serfs. I am the most generous!"

The minister who had just been muttering to himself now wished he could slap himself in the face.

Seeing that things were about to take a turn for the worse, Prime Minister Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev immediately spoke out.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is inappropriate. It is inconsistent with the Great Slavism we have always advocated."

"Yes! If we not only fail to liberate the Slavs in the Balkans, but enslave them, it will definitely cause dissatisfaction in the international community, and Britain may intervene again."

Foreign Minister Neserlov also quickly followed suit.

Not only the civil service, but also the military officers came to join in the fun. Nicholas I had no choice but to say.

"Then what do you want to do?"

"Your Majesty, you should grant them freedom."

Prime Minister Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, acting like a model minister.

Finance Minister Vronchenko also took the opportunity to speak out.

"That's right, Your Majesty. Not only do state-owned peasants need to occupy a large amount of land, but they only pay 3-5 rubles in rent each year.

Their contribution to the country is too small, which is not conducive to economic development. Increasing the number of freemen will help alleviate the financial pressure of our country. Our country is now under debt pressure."

Russian state-owned peasants, also known as state serfs, were different from private serfs in that they rented state land, paid taxes directly to the state, and had a certain degree of autonomy.

There is also a very counterintuitive fact: the Tsarist government was regarded as a typical "inhuman" government both in the East and the West, but the taxes borne by state serfs were only 5 to 7/ of those borne by private serfs.

When it comes to money, Nicholas I has a headache. He doesn't know what happened? The Russian treasury was still well-stocked before the war, so how come it was exhausted after just half a year of fighting?

The Austrian Empire next door seemed to be unaffected and even had money to aid Russia. So why did Russia become poorer and poorer?
Nicholas I was confused and wanted to imitate Franz, but the ministers disagreed. However, since the economic issue was mentioned, increasing the number of freemen could increase fiscal revenue, so he was willing to give it a try.

But there were also people who firmly opposed this, led by the limited reformists represented by Prince Uvarov.

"What nonsense! You guys only want to take over the entire Balkans for your own benefit!

Your Majesty, the state serfdom is the foundation of the Russian Empire!"

(End of this chapter)